Meng Pinglang handed the map to Quan Jiu and smiled at the staff, "Are the people who drew your maps abstract artists?"
The so-called map was actually a line drawing of mountains with a few winding lines resembling paths, each marked with a cross. It looked no different from a doodle.
Indeed, the staff member honestly replied, "Yes, this is a map specially drawn by our program team's soul artist."
Quan Jiu pondered for a moment, looking bewildered. Unfortunately, she was a typical directionally challenged person; she could forget the way she walked during the day by night, let alone understand such an abstract map.
"Can you understand it?" she asked Meng Pinglang.
Meng Pinglang held the map and compared it to the hillside. After a moment, he winked at Quan Jiu, his meaning clear.
Quan Jiu's face lit up with joy. Fortunately, Meng Pinglang could read maps.
Seeing that the guests had almost formed five groups, with Mai Su and Chu Rong being the only ones left, and although they weren't standing together, all other guests were, the staff member said,
"Since everyone has formed their groups, you can set off now. Remember, our assembly time is 5:30 PM. It gets dark early in the mountains after 5:30 PM, so you must return before then."
The guests all agreed, put on their backpacks, took their trekking poles, and began heading in their chosen directions, group by group.
Quan Jiu and Meng Pinglang also went in one direction, but after only a few steps, they found two followers.
Chu Rong walked calmly beside Quan Jiu, while Mai Su walked beside Chu Rong with a happy and delighted expression.
"Are we going that way too? You're so amazing for being able to understand such a simple map. I'm terrible with directions and can't understand it at all," Mai Su said, looking at Chu Rong's profile with admiration.
However, his profile, as beautiful as a deity's, was already cold and unapproachable, and now with his stern expression, it became even more intimidating, making people afraid to get close.
Mai Su was infatuated, but also very scared, and didn't dare to say much more, for fear that if he glanced her way, her heart would stop.
Meng Pinglang studied the sketch map while trying to find any signs of passage. However, as they went deeper, the traces became fewer and fewer. Gradually, they entered an area that had never been trodden before. The path ahead was overgrown with thorns, making it impassable.
Meng Pinglang immediately turned back, "We went the wrong way. It's not this way. Let's go back a bit and then head up."
Quan Jiu, being directionally challenged herself, had no complaints about the person leading the way and followed him back.
Chu Rong, with his hands in his pockets, looked at Meng Pinglang with a half-smile, but spoke to Quan Jiu, "If you keep following him, you won't even have instant noodles tonight."
Quan Jiu remained silent and continued to follow Meng Pinglang.
Mai Su took the opportunity to say, "Let's go in a different direction," with an expectant look.
Unfortunately, Chu Rong also remained silent, not even giving her a sidelong glance.
Mai Su cursed in her heart but also encouraged herself: This is a great CEO, the man every woman wants to marry. As long as she could get close to him, she could endure any grievance.
After another half hour of walking, Meng Pinglang and Mai Su were both sweating profusely. Mai Su, in particular, was limping, her small leather shoes having rubbed her heels raw.
This time, she didn't need to pretend to be pitiful. "My heels are rubbed raw and bleeding. Do we still have to keep walking?"
Quan Jiu, walking ahead, heard her and took two band-aids from her backpack to give to her.
Mai Su thanked her verbally, but looking around, the ground was covered in mud, and she really didn't want to sit down. She had to lean against a tree to apply the band-aids.
Meng Pinglang was still studying the map.
Quan Jiu couldn't understand it, so she stopped looking and instead observed the surroundings, analyzing, "The program team definitely wouldn't hide the items in a dense forest; it would be too dangerous and troublesome. I think we should head towards areas with sparse grass and trees, and the items might not be buried underground but hung on trees."
Meng Pinglang couldn't help but praise, "That makes a lot of sense. Then let's head towards the sunny side."
The two spoke as they walked.
Seeing this, Chu Rong's brow furrowed involuntarily. He quickened his pace, closing the distance, and walked between them.
Mai Su, who was still applying the band-aid, saw everyone had left and cried out anxiously, "Wait for me! Don't go!"
Meng Pinglang retorted to Chu Rong, "You don't even have basic gentlemanly manners. Are you going to abandon your teammate?"
"My teammate is her. The one behind is your teammate. Don't get it wrong," Chu Rong moved closer to Quan Jiu.
Quan Jiu had also accumulated a lot of anger during the journey, so she deliberately walked over to Meng Pinglang's side, "I never said I was on your team."
She didn't name anyone, but everyone knew who she was referring to.
However, the person in question seemed not to understand and once again stepped between Quan Jiu and Meng Pinglang.
Quan Jiu was truly at a loss and couldn't abandon Mai Su, so she stopped and waited.
As soon as she stopped, the two on either side also stopped.
Seeing this, Mai Su's jealousy almost distorted her features, but in front of the cameras, she could only endure it, while plotting how to get rid of the two nuisances.
...
The four of them walked towards the sparsely vegetated area for nearly twenty minutes, only to be blocked by a mountain about two meters high. This mountain seemed to have suddenly appeared in front of them, with no end in sight to either side, and it was covered in thorns. The only way was to climb it.
Quan Jiu was only 1.7 meters tall. Although her hands could reach the top, she couldn't exert enough force.
Just as she was about to give up, a pair of strong hands suddenly appeared around her waist. As they held her, a gentle voice called out, "One, two, three."
Quan Jiu instinctively jumped, and the force around her waist lifted her. With the combined strength, she climbed up.
Then, before she could even look back, another figure leaped up.
For a tall man of 1.88 meters, this height was naturally not a problem.
Quan Jiu looked down at Meng Pinglang and Mai Su. Neither of them was tall enough, so she suggested, "Look around nearby for stones, you can use them to step on."
Chu Rong smirked slightly, saying nothing, but his expression conveyed everything.
Meng Pinglang felt deeply humiliated, but at 1.75 meters, it was indeed difficult for him to get up.
Mai Su stretched out her hands, "Pull me up, I can't get up."
Chu Rong didn't even glance at her. Instead, he took Quan Jiu's hand and said to the two below and the two shadowy cameramen behind them, "You guys take your time coming up. We'll go ahead."
Quan Jiu struggled and said angrily, "Let go, I'm not on your team."
"We are now," Chu Rong controlled the force in his hands, neither letting Quan Jiu break free nor hurting her.
"The cameramen are still behind us. We should wait for them," Quan Jiu held onto a nearby tree with her other hand, trying to stop.
Seeing her stubbornly holding onto the tree, Chu Rong finally stopped, his eyes filled with amusement, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Then, before Quan Jiu could speak, he stepped forward and lifted her onto his shoulder.