The Civil Servant's Job is to Raise The Furries!-Chapter 297 - 296: Slow Down, Be Careful

Xu Ying rubbed her hands greedily, "Director, is there any reward for the winning team in the name tag tearing battle?"

"Of course there is!" The assistant director nodded, "The winning team will have a one million charity fund donated in their name, and team members will receive a gold donation certificate!"

"And they will be named the ambassador of West Mountain Snow Mountain, gaining high exposure in the scenic area! Your latest works will be played on rotation on the scenic area’s buses and waiting areas."

This second condition made the eyes of some popular young idols like Jia Yao and Su Zhining light up. This was a great opportunity to increase their popularity!

"Oh, I forgot to mention, the losing team will also face punishment!" The assistant director gave a mischievous smile.

"What?" Jia Yao, who often ends up at the bottom in games, shivered, "There’s actually punishment?"

The assistant director produced a deck of cards from his hand: "The losing team members must all draw a thrilling dare card!"

"Dares? The program team definitely prepared all sorts of socially embarrassing dare challenges," Lu Jinyu sneered, "Can’t we pick truth instead?"

Su Zhining immediately contradicted, "Because no one wants to hear your truth, okay?"

"We just want to see you make a fool of yourself."

Lu Jinyu glared at her, "How can you say that? We’re teammates!"

"Sorry, forgot." Su Zhining shrugged, then casually said something that offended everyone: "On the opposing team, Teacher Yao is older, Ye Jie and Station Chief Xu are girls with less strength, only Chen Su can fight, we’re bound to win this round."

Ye Jie was not convinced, "Who said I’m weak, let’s wait and see!"

The atmosphere was already tense, and the assistant director excitedly announced, "The snowfield labyrinth name-tag tearing battle officially begins!"

The attacking team, Hunter Team, with four members, had their eyes blindfolded by the program staff and were led into the Snowfield Labyrinth.

The defending team, Snow Mountain Guard Team, was at the starting point of the Snowfield Labyrinth, discussing who should be entrusted with the "Heart of Snowfield".

The four defenders formed a circle, with the Heart of Snowfield crystal ball held in Chen Su’s palm.

"We each have a storage bag for the crystal ball." Chen Su looked up and scanned the small square pouches with retractable strings hanging from the waists of his three teammates, "Teacher Yao, give me your small pouch."

Yao Yingzhe hurriedly handed over his storage bag, only to see Chen Su scoop up a handful of fresh snow from the ground.

His long fingers skillfully kneaded it, shaping the fluffy snow into a ball identical in size to the crystal ball.

When the snowball was placed in the storage pouch, even its weight had been adjusted to be almost indistinguishable.

"This storage pouch is waterproof inside but needs to be reshaped regularly." Chen Su handed the replica to Yao Yingzhe, "The snowball will deform as it melts, so it’s up to Teacher Yao’s skill."

Yao Yingzhe’s eyes lit up as he accepted the "fake," his wig even lifting slightly in excitement, "Marvelous! Where should the real crystal ball go?"

After some discussion, Xu Ying, who could communicate with animals, might be the fastest to reach the maze’s endpoint.

So Xu Ying was honored with the task of carrying the "Heart of Snowfield."

Once they assigned tasks, the four of them entered the maze together. The maze was made of walls of snow and ice, and as soon as they entered, they found three branching paths ahead of them.

Ye Jie scratched her head, "The maze has three paths right at the start, how do we find our way?"

Chen Su looked at their team’s ace, Xu Ying, "Should we split up?"

Xu Ying nodded, "Let’s split up. If I encounter any animals on the way, I’ll send them to inform you and convey messages."

"Alright then, let’s randomly decide which of the three paths to take!" Yao Yingzhe suggested using rock-paper-scissors, with the loser choosing which path to take first.

The result: Xu Ying took the middle path, Chen Su went left, and Yao Yingzhe and Ye Jie went together to the right.

"Everyone, be careful!"

Xu Ying stepped alone into the center icy corridor, the crystalline ice walls reflecting a mystical blue light. She had just turned the first corner—

"Bang!"

She ran smack into a wall of a person.

Looking up along the black clothes, Xu Ying was surprised to find herself face to face with the Hunter Team’s trump card, Qi Xiao!

Qi Xiao clearly didn’t expect to meet his "prey" so soon, his almond-shaped eyes widening slightly, an expression of surprise.

The live broadcast room erupted:

[Whoa! Is it starting off this intense?!]

[This is a fateful encounter!]

[Little Xu Station Chief chose the middle path~ maybe it’s fate?]

[Brother Qi’s ears are turning red, is it from the cold? Obviously not!] 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

[The program team is ruthless, pairing up my OTP right at the start!]

[Captain Chen, come quickly, protect little Xu Station Chief! I’m dying to see Captain Chen and Brother Qi tear each other apart!]

The air suddenly froze, and in the instant their eyes met, even the sound of the wind paused.

Xu Ying’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, as she was the first to snap out of the silent standoff.

Taking advantage of Qi Xiao’s momentary daze, she twisted sideways like a nimble cat, her clothes brushing past his arm, stirring a light breeze.

"Trying to run?" Qi Xiao’s deep voice echoed behind her, but Xu Ying was already sprinting forward.

She ran through the winding maze, seeing light at the end of the passage, Xu Ying felt both surprised and puzzled. Was it an exit?

But as Xu Ying emerged, she found herself facing a body of water, with the maze continuing on the other side.

The only way to get across was to use the floating bridge over the water.

The water was shallow, perhaps just reaching waist level.

Xu Ying didn’t think twice and stepped onto the floating bridge in a few strides.

She couldn’t just be defeated at the start!

Besides, she still had the "Heart of Snowfield" with her!

The floating bridge wobbled under Xu Ying’s feet, the planks creaking while the water’s surface reflected her hurried figure.

"Slow down, be careful!"

Qi Xiao’s shout changed its tone, with a hint of panic blending into his previously cold, magnetic voice.

He halted abruptly, hands instinctively reaching forward, trying to grab Xu Ying, "This bridge is unstable!"

Hearing this, Xu Ying turned back, seeing Qi Xiao standing still, his brows furrowed, his eyes fixed intently on the floating bridge beneath her feet.

The light refracted from the snow and ice outlined stark contrasts on his handsome face, making him appear even more sharp and intense. Yet, those usually fierce wolf-like eyes of Qi Xiao contained an unmistakable concern at that moment.

"Stop running."

Qi Xiao’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, his voice low and tense, even having a reassuring tone.

"I won’t come over, just slow down."

The barrage exploded:

[??? What’s happening? A hunter tracking its prey with friendly tips?]

[Help! Brother Qi’s gaze is killing me! He usually seems so cool and aloof, now he’s as anxious as can be.]

[Ladies, look at his hands! The way he wants to help but doesn’t dare is killing me!]

[Love is the reached-out, then withdrawn hand! (faints from joy)]