Chen Yeliang was sure that he had never seen these two guys before, let alone offended them.
He crumpled the lot number paper into a ball impassively and cautiously retreated to the back.
Host Wang Chunpu finished drawing the lots and returned to the stage.
“I believe that everyone has already gotten their numbers. In half an hour’s time, the first contestant will start his presentation!”
“As for the rest of the contestants, we have prepared a resting lounge on the second floor. You can watch your opponents’ performance there!”
Then, he turned to the main camera and said in conclusion,
“Dear viewers and friends, the excitement continues after the commercial break!”
After wrapping up, Wang Chunpu walked down the stage and with the other staff members, led the 19 contestants upstairs.
To expand the reach of the competition and entice more competitors to participate in the next competition, the production team had converted the entire second floor into a backstage for the contestants to rest.
There were relaxation massage rooms, stress relieving ktv rooms, and a spacious viewing room.
There were burgundy red authentic leather sofas in the room. Sparkling water droplets settled on the fruit platter. There were all kinds of beverages, and there were even waiters on hand to serve them standing by the wall.
Chen Yeliang was shocked. This production team really spared no expense. They practically set up a temporary entertainment club on the second floor.
The television in front of them was showing the sponsor’s advertisement. Chen Yeliang chose a seat near the window towards the back to observe the other contestants’ every move.
At this moment, host Wang Chunpu walked over to Chen Yeliang and handed him a piece of paper and a pen.
“Greetings, Mr. Chen. Since the location of the parkour performance is determined by the contestants themselves, in order to allow the production team to prepare in advance, kindly indicate your chosen venue.”
Chen Yeliang glanced sideways at all the other participants and realized that he was the first to be picked out to write.
He was neither No. 1 nor No. 19, and his seat was not near the door. Why was he selected first?
The sequence of unusual actions of the production team left Chen Yeliang extremely puzzled.
“The others will indicate their venues as well, right?” Chen Yeliang asked.
“Yes, and we will send the contestants to the venue ten minutes in advance. If the venue is too far, we will deploy helicopters.”
Wang Chunpu’s explanation was reasonable and flawless.
Chen Yeliang could not find any fault with that, but he did not want to go too far away to prevent himself from being trapped in an isolated and helpless situation.
He thought for a moment and decided on a fantastic venue. He picked up his pen and wrote in row 18, “Rooftop of Metropolis Building 1.”
I chose this venue! Right in this building! Let’s see what other tricks you have up your sleeves!
When Wang Chunpu saw what was written on the paper, he gave Chen Yeliang a suspicious glance before breaking out into his signature smile. He bowed slightly before moving on to the next contestant.
Chen Yeliang leaned back on the leather sofa and stared at the advertisement on the television nonchalantly. In reality, his gaze never left Wang Chunpu.
He did indeed make one round among the contestants, collected all the information, and left the room to make preparations.
Twenty minutes later, Wang Chunpu re-entered the viewing room and left with Contestant Number 1.
The commercial break finally ended. Information on the first contestant appeared on the television screen.
The man’s name was Xiong Chang and he was 24 years old. His chosen venue was the Bell Tower Village, a famous tourist attraction in Xilin City.
The town had clusters of retro-styled buildings, quaint buildings of random heights. The terrain was varied and very suitable for parkour.
Xiong Chang stood under the bell tower. The four drones circled above his head like vultures.
He leaped onto a platform and circled around the railing, gathering strength for a run. He jumped down from the 3 meter high platform, rolled on the ground to diffuse the landing impact before charging forward!
Doing parkour in the Bell Tower Village tested the competitors’ adaptability to the utmost, because neither the audience nor the competitors knew what kind of terrain would appear next.
If the move looked cool enough, the audience would be delighted.
Chen Yeliang looked on expressionlessly as Xiong Chang completed his moves.
Fifteen minutes later, Wang Chunpu came in and led Contestant Number 2 out.
Number 1 and Number 2 were the two guys spying on him earlier. Chen Yeliang was particularly concerned about keeping tabs on those two.
Contestant Number 2 was called Qiu Pengpai, 22 years old.
He had chosen The Stairway to Heaven located at Charred Tower Hill. It consisted of 999 steps, almost 74 storeys high!
There were stone benches for people to rest on, and stone sculptures for people to appreciate scattered along the stairway.
Leaping from such heart-stopping heights and then overcoming all kinds of sculptural obstacles to land safely made for an exhilarating show.
At this moment, the television was showing a roadside display window full of television sets.
Passers-by were intrigued by the parkour competition and stopped to watch.
“Wow! This young man is amazing!” A white-haired old man could be heard exclaiming.
“Oh my god, I really want to watch it but I’m scared!”
“Let’s hurry home before the show ends! I want to lie on the sofa to watch!”
More and more people gathered around. At home, many parkour fans had already sat in front of their televisions in time for the competition to start.
The program’s viewership ratings were visibly increasing. The number of viewers at one stage even exceeded that of Blue Platform’s celebrity variety program!
The television media was finally able to hold their heads high in front of the web media!
Qiu Pengpai’s performance was very exciting but took slightly longer. However, the production team’s time-keeping was precise.
When he was about to finish, Contestant Number 3 was whisked away.
Then, followed by Number 4, Number 5 …
There was practically no time gap between the contestants. Within ten minutes of the next contestant’s departure, the contestant before him would return to the viewing room.
Although the production team did not set any strict rules about returning to the lounge after their turn, those contestants who were slightly more conscientious would return to observe their opponents’ reactions.
Chen Yeliang watched as Contestant Number 5 left and returned, and sat down on the sofa in front of him.
He was puzzled. “Why aren’t Number 2 and Number 3 back yet?”
The two strange guys were not here, but that only made him more uneasy.
Chen Yeliang was not in the mood to continue watching the contestants’ performances. He thought to himself, “It’s better to walk around.”
Since he had chosen Metropolis Building 1 as the venue, there was no harm in looking around.
Chen Yeliang then took an apple from the table and left the viewing room.
The entire second floor was the territory of the Parkour Competition’s production team. Every office space had been assigned a temporary function.
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Chen Yeliang wanted to look for an elevator to go up to the top floor for a look. After turning a corner, he inadvertently walked into a dead end. Hanging on the most well-hidden office door was a sign that said, “Main Control Room, No Unauthorized Personnel”.
He took a curious peek and was shocked! Xiong Chang and Qiu Pengpai were inside!
Opposite them sat a man in a sports jacket. The man had a work pass on his chest, clearly indicating that he was the production team’s manager!
The main control room was at a very obscure corner. If a person had no intention of going there, he would not be able to enter. These contestants were furtively interacting with the management staff without the presence of other staff members inside!
Chen Yeliang felt that something was amiss. He crouched down and pressed his ear against the door to listen..