I really don't want to be famous, but the collapse is still chasing me

"Boss, shall we go together?" Hanabi raised an eyebrow at Su Chen.

Su Chen looked at her and smiled.

We have to go.

He wanted to see for himself what kind of "surprise" Hanabi was planning to give him in this grand performance.

"Okay," Su Chen nodded in agreement.

The two walked side by side onto the main stage.

[They're here! Boss and Hanabi! I'm so excited for this duo!]

One is full of bad intentions, the other can turn those bad intentions into money; when these two are put together, the chemical reaction is absolutely explosive!

Why does my boss's smile seem a little forced? Is it just my imagination?

The other seven teams also sent out their own combinations one after another.

On the stage of the Firefly Team, standing are Firefly and Star.

The Xia Die team sent out Xi Lian and San Yue Qi. The two pink-haired girls standing together were twice as cute.

Team Aglaia consists of Aglaia herself and Heather.

The Great Black Tower team consists of Great Black Tower and Sand Gold, one expressionless and the other smiling, a stark contrast.

The White Evil team consists of Krystalla and White Evil, one large and one small, creating a strange scene.

The Feixiao team consists of Feixiao and Moze, and they appear to be the most composed.

The final team from the Underworld... Huang Quan and Jiao Qiu stepped onto the stage.

Jiaoqiu looked utterly dejected, while Huang Quan remained oblivious, still looking around at the stage structure, seemingly unaware of how he had gotten there.

Jimi loudly announced, "The first segment, Telepathy, is now officially beginning!"

The screens on all eight challenge platforms lit up simultaneously, and the countdown began.

The team from the underworld was the first to burst into laughter.

The first word Jiaoqiu received was "Mapo Tofu".

He immediately began his performance, first making a cutting motion like tofu, then fanning his mouth with both hands, making a very spicy expression, and exhaling "ha, ha" sounds.

Huang Quan: ? ? ?

About ten seconds later, Huang Quan nodded thoughtfully.

"I see."

Jiaoqiu's eyes lit up.

Huang Quan: "Someone set the fire."

Jiaoqiu: "..."

[Hahahaha! As expected of Huang Quan! I'm in awe of your thought process!]

[Jiaoqiu: My Mapo Tofu was such a big serving! How did it become arson?]

[Don't make unfounded accusations. Huang Quan is simply stating a fact: it's very spicy (hot), and it's cutting things (people). There's nothing wrong with that.]

Finally, amidst cheers and laughter, Huang Quan and Jiao Qiu ended their performance with an astonishing score of two points.

The other teams fared much better.

The firefly and the star have an amazing understanding of each other. The star only needs to make a few simple gestures, and the firefly can immediately guess the answer.

Xi Lian and San Yueqi's side was filled with the playful antics of young girls. San Yueqi jumped and skipped around, while Xi Lian looked at her with a doting gaze. The two of them easily scored high marks.

The combination of the Great Black Pagoda and gold dust is quite unique.

The performance of the gold-spraying man was extremely exaggerated. When he was given the word "gambler," he immediately imitated his own dice-throwing motion with a determined smile on his face.

The Great Black Tower merely glanced at him coldly and uttered two words: "Gold Sand."

Placer gold: "..."

Although the process was tortuous, thanks to the great black tower's super high intelligence, he managed to get four points without any major incidents.

Finally, it was the turn of the much-anticipated team of bosses.

Su Chen guessed that the fireworks would make the movements.

The first word: [pioneer].

Hanabi grinned, picked up a prop trash can from the stage, and rummaged inside.

The whole place burst into laughter.

Su Chen's eye twitched: "The Trail Blazers."

The second word: [The Masked Fool].

Hanabi slowly covered her face with her hands as if she were holding something, then revealed a mischievous smile.

Su Chen remained expressionless: "The Masked Fool."

The third word: [Year-end bonus].

Hanabi's movements became more complex. First, she made a gesture of counting money, then she made a gesture of wiping away tears, and finally, she made a throat-slitting gesture in the direction of Jimi.

Su Chen: “…”

He took a deep breath: "Year-end bonus."

[I understand now! The fireworks performance isn't about the lyrics, it's about the boss's inner journey!]

[Counting money (getting paid), shedding tears (feeling the pinch), slitting his throat (taking his anger out on the host)—so vivid!]

[Gimmy: Are you being polite?]

Despite the unconventional performances by Hanabi, the two managed to score a high five points, successfully securing a place in the top four.

The first round ended, and Jimi announced the results.

"Congratulations to Team Firefly, Team Butterfly, Team Black Tower, and Team Boss for successfully advancing to the second round!"

"The remaining teams will have two health points deducted according to the rules!"

The leaderboard on the big screen was refreshed again.

Both the Bai'e team and the Feixiao team have had their health points reduced by two, leaving them with only one point.

The Yellow Springs team and the Aglaia team, who originally only had two health points, now have their health points reduced to zero.

[Team Aglaia, all members eliminated with zero health points!]

[The Underworld Team's health points have reached zero; all members are eliminated!]

The cold, impersonal text on the screen announced the complete elimination of both teams.

This is the first time since the start of the competition that a team has been completely wiped out.

【Huh? That's it? My dear Ya Yi!】

[Huang Quan was eliminated too? Waaaaah, I wanted to see her get lost again.]

It's good that I'm eliminated; now I can focus on playing mahjong. (Just kidding!)

There was no time to feel sorry for those who were eliminated; an even crueler test was about to begin.

Jimi's voice became serious and deep.

"Now, let's move on to the second stage—a life-or-death decision!"

"The eight players from the four teams will be taken to eight completely soundproof rooms. You will all face the same problem."

"You need to make a 'yes' or 'no' choice simultaneously within ten seconds."

"Remember, choose the same path and you'll be safe. Choose the opposite path..."

Jimi paused, then looked around the room.

"The team will have two health points deducted immediately!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere froze.

This is no longer a test of teamwork; it's a test of human nature.

It was a gamble, a calculation, a high-stakes bet on the team's fate.

Su Chen and Hua Huo were guided by the staff to two opposite rooms.

Before entering, Hanabi turned around and winked playfully at Su Chen.

In those eyes, there was trust, encouragement, and a fleeting glint of cunning.

Su Chen felt completely calm.

He knew that the real game was just beginning.

The heavy door closed slowly, shutting out all outside sounds.

The room contained only a table, a chair, and a huge red and green button on the table.

Yes or no.

Su Chen sat down and quietly awaited the question that would determine his fate.

On the big screen, eight split-screen images were simultaneously focused on the eight contestants.

Everyone's expression was extremely solemn.

Finally, Jimi's voice, like the trumpet of final judgment, was clearly transmitted to everyone's ears through the room's loudspeaker.

"Please listen to the question—"

"Are you... willing to trust your teammates?"

Upon seeing this question, Su Chen almost laughed.

No wonder this hexagram appears in a joyful arena.

He quickly went through the entire match in his mind.

From the initial wrestling competition to the later fixed-word challenge, every segment was designed not for mere competition, but to maximize the audience's emotions and create the most outrageous and unexpected program effects.

Now, just as he learned of the huge variable of the "ninth team," Yao Guang immediately posed this ultimate question that struck at the heart and tested trust.

How could such a coincidence happen in the world?

Su Chen leaned back in his chair, looking at the bright red timer in the corner of the room, the numbers relentlessly ticking away.

Ten seconds of the total sixty-second thinking time have already passed.

If this round fails, the team's health will be reduced by two points, leaving them with only three health bars.

This means that either Wan Di or Xiao Hei Ta will inevitably be eliminated. More importantly, if the three teams Liu Ying, Xia Die, and Da Hei Ta all answer correctly, the Boss Team will plummet from the peak to the bottom, and the advantage they painstakingly built up with their 1v7 strategy will vanish in an instant.

So, which one should we choose?

Yes or no?

"Thirty seconds left..."

The cold, audible announcement in the room reminded him of the limited time he had left.

Su Chen stared at the two clearly distinct red and green buttons in front of him, but hesitated to make a move.

The key issue has never been what he would choose, but rather what the masked fool—Hanabi—would choose.

He began a rapid review.

If Hanabi is the mole in Team 9, and her goal is to eliminate Team Boss, then she should either choose "no," or somehow trick herself into choosing "yes," and then choose "no" herself.

However, this logic has a huge flaw.

During the first round, "Telepathy," she could have easily let the team go easy and eliminated them. It would have been the same thing—just deducting two health points—but that would have been a much more swift and decisive move, leaving no trace.

Why go through all that trouble and act out this final scene with yourself?

What the hell is she thinking?

--at the same time.

On the large screen of the main stage, the camera cut to fireworks in another room.

Her nervousness was completely different from Su Chen's; she even had the leisure to make a "V" sign at the camera.

She stared at the red and green buttons in front of her, a sly smile playing on her lips, seemingly without a second thought.

"Su Chen, you should be able to guess what I'll choose, right?"

She murmured to herself, but her gaze pierced through the cold lens, as if she were engaging in a silent conspiracy with someone outside the screen.

"Snapped!"

There was a crisp sound.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, she pressed the green button that represented "yes" without hesitation.

"I've always trusted you completely."

She winked at the camera, smiling innocently and purely, like an angel who knew nothing of the world.

This scene caused an uproar in the entire live stream room.

[Hanabi chose "yes"! She believed it! She really believed it! Waaaaah, what an amazing teammate!]

I misunderstood her. I thought she was going to cause trouble, but it turns out she trusts the boss so much!

Wait a minute! Don't you guys think Hanabi's laughter is a bit too forced? It's like she's acting! Is this a freebie or a death trap?

[Stop with the conspiracy theories, upstairs! This is just teamwork! All the pressure is on the boss! Su Chen, hurry up and choose "yes"! Don't let Huahuo down!]

The scene cuts back to Su Chen's room.

On the big screen, the other seven contestants had already made their choices, and only the button in front of him remained unlit.

He became the focus of everyone's attention.

"Ten seconds left..."

The broadcast sounded again, like a death knell.

Su Chen kept his eyes closed.

Not right.

Something is wrong.

Fireworks' movements were too fast, too decisive, too...perfect.

It was a kind of perfection with a strong performative element, as if it were deliberately put on display for everyone to see.

Would she really choose to trust so easily?

Would that masked fool, who thrives on chaos, make such a logical choice?

In a flash, an idea struck Su Chen.

He got it.

Fireworks isn't making a choice; she's directing a play.

She wasn't playing a trust game with herself; she was playing a "tacit understanding" game with herself!

The real core of this test of teamwork is not "whether you trust your teammates", but "whether you understand your teammates"!

And he happens to be one of the people in the world who understands fireworks the most.

What she wanted was not victory, but the grandest and most unexpected fireworks display!

An ending where everyone thought she chose "yes" but the two of them gave the same answer wasn't exciting enough.

An ending where she chose "no" to betray is too cliché.

What is the most exciting ending?

She chose "yes" with her most sincere performance, while I chose "no" with the coldest rationality! It's the ultimate reversal of trust and betrayal, the greatest fun that is both unexpected and reasonable!

This was the final surprise she had meticulously prepared for this performance!

He should choose "No"!

but……

Another image surfaced in Su Chen's mind.

Hanabi lent her life points to Mande without hesitation.

She gave herself an exaggerated cheer when she won 1v7.

She wasn't playing a game of trust, nor was she playing a game of tacit understanding.

She was playing something on a higher level—she was playing with Su Chen himself.

She knew what Su Chen would think; she knew he would analyze all her motives and deconstruct her behavior patterns into countless possibilities. She intended to use these layers upon layers of logical traps to ensnare Su Chen.

Just when Su Chen thought she had seen through the first layer of "betrayal," she was actually seeing through the second layer of "tacit understanding."

When Su Chen thought she had seen through the second layer of "tacit understanding," she was perhaps... still at the simplest and most primitive first layer.

She wanted to see Su Chen get trapped in the logical maze she had created and ultimately make the wrong choice.

That was the greatest "pleasure" for her.

Therefore, the most complex answer is often the simplest.

She chose "yes".

She wanted to use this most direct choice, the one least in line with her public image, to gamble that Su Chen wouldn't believe it.

I'm betting Su Chen will overthink things.

"Countdown: five, four, three, two, one!"

"time up!"

Jimi's voice and the countdown's electronic tone overlapped, pounding on everyone's hearts.

Just one second before the timer reached zero.

Su Chen suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze no longer filled with confusion, but with a gambler's resolute determination.

His hand flashed through the air like a blur before he slammed it down without hesitation.

It's a green button.