Chapter 176

"So, classmate Ji Ruochu, is there anything you'd like to say to the two tied for second place?" the host continued fueling the fire professionally.

"...Good luck to you both."

After a brief pause, Ji Ruochu said very calmly.

"Okay sweetie! I'll do my best!" The banter master Chai Jiazi instantly took the cue!

"How silly, she's provoking you, can't you tell?" Bei Lingyu wore an expression of disbelief.

"Pfft! You little brat! Who gave you the audacity to badmouth my sweetie like that? My sweetie was clearly offering sincere encouragement! Isn't that right, sweetie?"

Bei Lingyu: ...

"Yes." Ji Ruochu answered honestly.

She's not Qi Yibin, why would she provoke others for no reason?

"I'm truly wishing you both good luck."

Ji Ruochu, whose sincere expression made her look even more provocative, added.

All the contestants except Chai Jiazi: ... Yes, she's clearly provoking us.

"Wow, the vanguard showdown hasn't even started yet, but the tension is already this thick." The host Tan Zhiming smiled.

The contestants below: ... You do seem to enjoy the drama.

"Enough talk, now, please enter our vanguard showdown arena."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the curtain on the left side of the stage opened, revealing six preparation rooms and a one-on-one battle room to everyone's view.

The six contestants entered the rooms one by one. Seeing Ji Ruochu enter room number 1, Chai Jiazi quickly rushed into room number 2, snatching it before Bei Lingyu could enter.

Bei Lingyu, whose room was snatched in the blink of an eye: ...

"Chai Jiazi! Are you that obsessed with fangirling?"

After voicing his complaint, the man gritted his teeth and entered room number 3.

At this moment, the comments section:

[Ah this scene... why does it feel so familiar?]

[Haha, this is just like years ago when Ji Mochen brought his girlfriend to the show, but she ignored him for an episode because his co-host Tan Ruo went on to be a guest for a flight!]

[Hahaha...] [Wait, if that's the case, then these two - ]

[These two must have something going on, maybe they're another potential couple to ship!]

[Seriously, you're shipping contestants on an intellectual competition show?]

...

On the other side, the contestants who had entered their individual rooms were investigating their surroundings.

Seconds later, a mechanical prompt sounded.

"Next, please carefully observe the Rubik's cube in your hands. The first round of the vanguard showdown will begin in two minutes."

As for what the round would entail... that was yet to be revealed.

By now, the contestants had started discussing below.

"Explaining the rules on the spot again?"

"Well well, so this is the infamous all-dimensional pressure test, twisted as expected."

"Are they going to make them reassemble the Rubik's cube blindfolded?"

"Surely it won't be that... simple, right?"

...

[Reassembling a Rubik's cube blindfolded is simple?]

[Great, just another day as an ordinary loser, huh?]

"Um..."

Suddenly, a small face peeked out from one of the prep rooms.

Everyone turned towards the sound to find it was Ji Ruochu from prep room number 1. The girl was grasping the door, only poking her fluffy head out, and a hint of embarrassment could be seen on her face.

"Contestant Ji, did you encounter some issue?" the host asked curiously.

"Well... can I get a different prop?"

At this, even the drama-loving host's expression turned somewhat serious.

After all, when a contestant requests to change props at the last minute, it's either because the prop has an issue, or...

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize this was just for observation, and accidentally -"

As she spoke, the contestant self-consciously extended her other hand through the gap, revealing the already reassembled Rubik's cube in her palm to everyone's view.

The host: ...

The contestants below: ...

The netizens: ...

The fans: Wow! My sweetie!

"Pffft -" Ji Sishi in the observation room immediately spat out her drink. After a brief pause, everyone let out stifled laughter, even the normally stoic Older Jin couldn't stop the wrinkles around his eyes from deepening slightly.

At this moment, a line of text suddenly appeared:

[So, what exactly happened in those twenty seconds?]

Immediately, the footage rewound from the freeze-frame, switching the perspective to Ji Ruochu inside preparation room number 1.

Clearly, as the most memorable contestant on stage, Ji Ruochu was very calm. After closing the door, she first surveyed her surroundings.

Spotting the Rubik's cube and paper on the table, she casually picked up the cube as she strolled past, then leisurely observed the room's decor.

Perhaps thinking there were some hidden mechanisms to solve, she examined a few ornaments with her free hand as she observed.

At this point, the footage was no longer from her perspective, but focused on the hand holding the Rubik's cube instead.

The audience couldn't help but gasp when - with a note saying [This is normal speed] and a stopwatch timer displayed on screen - the girl's slender fingers began flying at an incomprehensible rate, too fast for anyone to follow her movements, yet she appeared so relaxed.

Until the prompt for contestants to observe the Rubik's cube ended, the girl seemed to only then realize what she'd done, but... it was too late, the cube had already been reassembled.

And this whole process took no more than around ten seconds.

The comments section at this moment:

[Huh?!]

[Ten seconds?]

[She even reassembled it one-handed, help! With both my hands and feet I couldn't twist that fast!]

[Alright, I just looked it up, the world record for fastest Rubik's cube solve is 3.47 seconds, so seeing it that way it doesn't seem too - Holy crap! Is she even human?!]

[One-handed, ten seconds, she didn't even seem to be focusing on it at all, just casually solving it like a simple math problem.]

The comments exploded.

...

At the same time, as the replay ended, the footage cut back to the live recording.

"This... um..." The host hesitated for a moment, looking towards the observation room, "Master Jin, in this situation, is it possible for her to get a new prop?"

After all, this was clearly an accident, and by now, thirty seconds had already passed. Even if they gave her a replacement cube, she'd probably only have a few dozen seconds left to observe it.

Logically, that should disadvantage Ji Ruochu compared to the other contestants, so she should be able to -

"No."

Unexpectedly, Older Jin's voice was very firm.

"This was the contestant's own mistake, not an issue with the prop itself. So in my personal opinion, she should not be given a new prop. Of course, this is just my personal suggestion."

In other words, if the show still wanted to give her a new one, he had no objection.

Upon hearing this, the host immediately looked towards the executive director. At the same time, the executive director's camera feed appeared in the bottom right corner.

Thus, the director's emphatic nodding was clearly visible to everyone.

And it was this moment that instantly sparked controversy online.