Chapter 18 No comparison, no harm

After the game ended, Zhuo Yiyan led everyone onto the production team's bus.

Some people were discussing the prizes, others were still upset about losing, and some close friends chatted amongst themselves. Only a few sat quietly.

So the bus was quite noisy.

Zhuo Yiyan didn't say anything; it was understandable that the contestants were excited to get out after being cooped up for a week.

"Teacher Zhuo, where are we going?" a girl sitting nearby asked.

"I'll tell you when we get there," Zhuo Yiyan didn't answer.

"So mysterious! Any hints?"

Zhuo Yiyan smiled and said, "It's about the party tonight."

"Isn't the party going to the garden? Where else are we going?"

"You'll find out when we get there," Zhuo Yiyan teased, keeping everyone in suspense.

Sheng Jiaoyang, sitting diagonally behind, couldn't help but chuckle.

Luo Yi, who managed to snag a seat before several others could sit next to Sheng Jiaoyang, asked, "Jiaojiao, you don't actually know where we're going next, do you?"

"Even a fool could guess, we're going to pick out evening gowns."

"Ouch, my toe's been shot!" Although she said this, Luo Yi clutched her heart, looking like she'd been shot even while lying down.

Zhuo Yiyan raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Sheng Jiaoyang diagonally behind him, teasing, "If I wasn't sure we hadn't told anyone about our itinerary, I'd really think you were with us."

"So, Jiaojiao guessed right?" Luo Yi's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow~ picking out evening gowns? Really?" Those nearby exclaimed in amazement.

"Jiaojiao is such a troublemaker, I was hoping to give you all a surprise." Zhuo Yiyan sighed with a wry smile.

"What can I do? I'm such a straightforward girl." Sheng Jiaoyang pushed up her glasses and said calmly.

“Jiaojiao, you’re constantly changing my perception of you,” Luo Yi exclaimed. “From the day of the training camp, I knew you weren’t an ordinary girl. You look delicate and fragile, but that’s not true at all. No matter how hard or tiring the training has been these past few days, you haven’t uttered a single complaint. And how did you develop such a brilliant mind? How can you be so smart? Those crazy questions today almost drove me crazy, but you answered them all so easily.”

“Jiaojiao, you’re definitely a top student in school,” Pu Mingyu said, leaning towards Sheng Jiaoyang across the aisle from Luo Yi.

“Oh right, I forgot to ask, Jiaojiao, you should still be in high school, right?” Luo Yi asked curiously.

“Just graduated,” Sheng Jiaoyang replied.

“Oh my, so you just finished the college entrance exam! Tell us which university you got into? Maybe we can be alumni!” Luo Yi pressed.

“F University.”

“You really are a top student!” Pu Mingyu said with a sigh of envy.

“What’s your major?” Zhuo Yiyan also became interested and asked.

Sheng Jiaoyang tilted her head and uttered two words: "Guess?"

Zhuo Yiyan was immediately speechless.

Sheng Jiaoyang laughed and didn't keep him in suspense any longer, saying, "I'm going to study English."

"I feel that your English is quite good. From the previous game, I could tell that you are quite familiar with foreign big brands. It seems that you spend time learning about them in your spare time," Luo Yi said.

Sheng Jiaoyang smiled but didn't say anything. She couldn't very well tell Luo Yi that she only learned about those big brands while shopping.

Time passed quickly as everyone chatted, and the bus finally stopped.

"Alright, everyone, follow me!" Zhuo Yiyan got up and got off the bus first.

"Huh? Isn't that Anyuan Plaza?" Obviously, some people noticed the statue in front of them.

Zhuo Yiyan didn't say much. He led everyone into the mall in a grand procession and went straight to a clothing brand store on the third floor.

"Now I want to tell everyone that the reward for Luo Yi's team, who won the game today, is—they are allowed to choose their clothes, shoes, and accessories for tonight's party in this store. Please note that you must choose what suits you. Judges will be here tonight to score your outfits, and this score will be included in your overall score."

Zhuo Yiyan's words once again polarized the contestants.

Those who could stay and choose from the various items in the store were naturally happy, while Xiao Yang's team, who missed the opportunity, became uneasy.

They had a feeling that something bad was waiting for them.

"Teacher Zhuo, what about us?" Xiao Yang asked anxiously.

"You wait until their team finishes choosing their clothes, then I'll take you to the next place," Zhuo Yiyan said.

"Aren't we choosing our clothes here?"

"I have a bad feeling..."

The contestants who were eligible to choose clothes were happily picking them out, while the group here was even more uneasy.

Watching others feast while they couldn't even get a sip of soup was particularly disheartening, and the members of Xiao Yang's team almost all looked dejected.

Sheng Jiaoyang walked up to Zhuo Yiyan and said, "I want to get a pair of contact lenses."

"You can only stay here for half an hour," Zhuo Yiyan said, glancing at his watch. "You need to come back quickly."

Sheng Jiaoyang didn't move.

Zhuo Yiyan looked at Sheng Jiaoyang, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

"No money," Sheng Jiaoyang said with exceptional confidence.

"..."

Zhuo Yiyan paused for a second, then turned to greet the staff, asking them to keep an eye on the contestants, and took Sheng Jiaoyang to get contact lenses.

He suddenly remembered that this girl's family wasn't well-off, and she probably wouldn't be able to afford a pair of glasses in this large shopping mall full of mid-to-high-end goods.

Actually, when Sheng Jiaoyang said she had no money, she simply didn't have any cash or bank cards on her, and she had even given her phone to the production team for safekeeping. →_→ Thus, it became a beautiful misunderstanding.

With Zhuo Yiyan's company, the process of getting glasses was much faster, and in less than half an hour, Sheng Jiaoyang got her contact lenses.

Back in the team, the two were the center of attention, and some people were probably going to gossip behind their backs again.

In the past half hour, Luo Yi's team had already selected their favorites, and each person was carrying at least two bags. The other team, on the other hand, was sullen and envious.

Zhuo Yiyan ignored their feelings and led everyone back to the car to their next destination.

As the buildings along the road grew shorter and older, the members of Xiao Yang's team paled.

When Zhuo Yiyan arrived at their destination and explained Xiao Yang's team's rules for choosing clothes, some contestants already had tears of frustration in their eyes.

There's no harm in comparison!

Compared to Luo Yi's team, their treatment was utterly inadequate.

Look at Luo Yi and her team, choosing high-end items in a department store, and look at themselves—they had to pick out their evening clothes from a wholesale market in ten minutes, with each person only having a fixed five hundred yuan to spend.

Ten minutes! Ten minutes!!!

What good stuff could they find in a wholesale market in ten minutes?

More importantly, they only had five hundred yuan to buy a complete outfit from head to toe—was that enough? Was that enough? Was that enough?!