During the live broadcast of the European chapter in 2019, Jian Jing hadn't arrived yet, and by the time she was reborn the following year, the hype had mostly died down. She wasn't a big fan of detective shows, and [obscene] somehow, she only just learned of the existence of "King of Reasoning".
Over the next few days, she quickly caught up on the previous episodes.
The plot was quite good, but the constant twists and turns - if there was no script, only a fool would believe it.
In comparison, the live broadcasts were much more enjoyable to watch.
Jian Jing never expected parallel worlds to be so much fun, with several consecutive days of live broadcasts where everyone worked together to find the culprit.
She followed a male guest, but unfortunately, he wasn't very helpful, and after much effort, they still couldn't find any clues, so she had to reluctantly switch to someone else.
Sigh, the handsome guy was all show and no substance (?), and in the end, it was an old man who found the crucial clue.
However, she didn't want to just watch the ending directly, and instead carefully examined the investigation videos of the other participants before deciding on the culprit.
The result was as expected, but the process was truly so much fun.
Jian Jing binge-watched the entire series over two days, and then immediately replied to the person, expressing her willingness to further engage and possibly collaborate.
The officials said that the show's scouting team had already set out, and they would contact her when the time came.
Jian Jing had no objections; the invitation was just the beginning and did not necessarily mean she would actually be on the show. Just like the European chapter, where over 50 guests were invited, but after assessment, only 15 ended up participating in the program.
The others either had schedule conflicts, were sick at home, or had to care for their 80-year-old mothers - all sorts of excuses.
The reality was unknown.
Therefore, Jian Jing kept quiet, as if she said anything about the invitation, but then didn't end up going, it would be embarrassing.
She remained silent and waited for further developments.
It wasn't long before the news spread, and the entertainment industry was abuzz with excitement.
The marketing accounts occasionally released seemingly true but false information, about how a certain big-name celebrity had been invited to "King of Reasoning", or how a certain young star had already been confirmed as a guest.
The fans were overjoyed, hyping it up to the max.
Bystanders were reminded of the hype surrounding the 2019 event and eagerly discussed the previous grand spectacle.
And compared to the distant Europe, the Asian chapter was undoubtedly more anticipated.
People started speculating on who was qualified to receive the invitation, with some suggesting the winners of high-IQ shows, and others proposing internet celebrities, as some of them were truly exceptional.
Jian Jing's brilliant performance on the haunted house variety show was also mentioned, and the general consensus was that Teacher Jian was absolutely qualified.
However, no matter how much the spectators guessed, the production team didn't reveal anything, only saying that the program was in preparation and that everyone should look forward to it.
Of course, that was just the surface.
The Wisdom Gate team has been quite busy lately.
Although the show was sold to a major platform, which provided a substantial amount of funding, to create a globally successful live-action reality show, the expenses were a bottomless pit.
How could the team possibly foot the bill themselves?
Compared to inviting guests, securing sponsorships was the top priority.
Jian Jing heard a lot of insider information from Kang Mu Cheng. Apparently, due to the huge success of the European chapter, the show's sponsorship was going smoothly, with many large companies expressing interest.
But for some well-known reasons, the production team's preferences were quite evident.
Among them, the 3Q Group from South Korea was the most enthusiastic, and they were the first to sign a contract. Not only did they provide a substantial amount of funding, but they also generously offered a cruise ship as the filming location for the Asian chapter.
As soon as the news was out, the audience was immediately excited.
A cruise ship in the Pacific Ocean - it's not just about a snow-capped mountain villa this time, they could totally incorporate elements like mutant sharks, sea monsters, and ancient giant crocodiles.
The European chapter was filmed in a castle, with the setting of vampire murders.
The Asian chapter can't lose out.
Following closely was a high-end Japanese cosmetics brand, which would provide the guests with a full range of skincare, makeup, and bath products.
On the Chinese side, however, there was no movement for a long time. The official explanation was that a few popular brands couldn't meet the production team's requirements and thus couldn't collaborate.
But some insiders revealed that the real reason was politics.
In the end, they only managed to partner with a beverage brand.
Jian Jing was quite dissatisfied and had considered refusing to participate, but after careful thought, she changed her mind.
Since the entire process would be live-streamed without a script, they'd have to rely on their own merits.
In early October, the production team finally contacted her, giving her an address and asking her to come at the scheduled time for the entry test.
This did not come as a surprise to Jian Jing, as she had already figured out their selection process:
First, they would screen a batch of guests with special characteristics, such as top-tier celebrities, expert professors, or internet influencers - basically, people who excelled in certain areas.
They would then widely invite these individuals, and those who agreed would participate in the selection, which was the entry test.
For the European chapter, the test was a treasure hunt game, where the guests received a treasure map and had to follow the clues to find the treasure within 8 hours. Those who succeeded would earn the right to participate, and their footage would be edited into the preview, while the failures would be deleted, never to be seen by the audience.
The Asian chapter's test, it seems, would be different.
On October 10th, Jian Jing arrived at the location provided by the production team.
An abandoned factory.
Jian Jing: "..."
The area was eerily quiet, with the dilapidated wooden structures frosted by autumn. The migrating geese were not in a clear sky, but under the heavy, gloomy clouds that seemed ready to pour rain.
Jian Jing exhaled, thinking that the production team had definitely checked the weather forecast.
The atmosphere was clearly orchestrated.
She entered the dimly lit old factory: "Is anyone here?"
Is anyone there - is anyone there -
The echoes overlapped.
"Creeeeak."
"Boom."
The heavy iron door closed.
Suddenly, the visibility was reduced, with only a few small windows high on the walls allowing in weak light, barely enough to make out the scene inside.
About 10 meters high, around three stories tall, but the stairs had all been removed, and a smooth column stood in the center, wrapped with a rope and topped by a giant balloon.
They were saying: Come, climb me.
Jian Jing: "..."
So the production team is doing an obstacle course show?
She mused, not rushing to scale the column, but instead carefully examining the scene. As expected, she found a password pad behind the door.
In other words, the key to this game must be a numerical password, and the answer shouldn't be directly placed in the balloon, right?
Jian Jing strolled around and soon spotted a hidden clue on the left wall - an intentionally aged graffiti puzzle.
10+26+3=2
11+70-9=0
84-50+6=?
Jian Jing: Elementary math puzzles?
This must equal 3.
Looking at the other wall, well, this was interesting - six thin ropes with bells of various sizes hung unevenly, and the wall was scribbled with numbers from top to bottom: 4, 9, 2, 5.
Jian Jing guessed it was a balance problem.
She adjusted the positions of the different bells to achieve balance, and the lowest bell landed on the 5 mark.
Finally, the last wall.
xfmdpnfuppvshbnf
Oh, a cipher.
The key is 1.
Alright, so the last digit must be on the balloon.
Jian Jing went to the column, tied the rope around her waist and thighs as a safety measure, bounced a few times, glanced at the camera in the corner, and began her ascent.
--
After the preview aired:
The comments on the Chinese platform:
[Thank you all for the support for my wife]
[Go, my wife!]
[The show crew is involved in shady dealings, but why does our teacher Jian have to do physical challenges?]
[Protest, aren't the questions supposed to be about the profession?]
[Yeah, that woman from next door is a kendo practitioner, but our teacher Jian is a writer!]
[Writers can also beat the plastic surgery nation next door]
[The hostility is so strong, the comments section has been closed]
[Never mind, teacher Jian is the best! Support her!!]
[Teacher Jian, go for it, show them what you've got!]
...
--
Jian Jing had deliberately hidden her abilities and only revealed her ordinary level of fitness after training. It took her about 2 minutes to finally reach the top.
She popped the balloon, and the crisp sound made the confetti inside scatter all over her.
"Cough." Jian Jing waved away the dense confetti, quickly descending to the ground.
There were no notes on the ground.
She pondered for a moment and understood.
Walking to the door, she entered the code: 3510
The thick door opened, revealing the dark sky.
The time display in the corner of the screen showed: 14:25:08.
This meant that the challenge had been completed in less than 15 minutes.
--
After the preview was aired.
On the foreign platform comment section:
oliver: Support the young lady!
arabella: She is my favorite writer!
Sakura: She is beautiful
li: Jing Jian is so sexy!!
wang: Jane is so sexy!!!
Tengu: Kumiko is the best
...
--
The door opened, and the crew's car was parked outside.
"Jian, hello, I'm Masha." A capable woman approached her and extended her hand, "Welcome to the game of the King of Reasoning."
Jian Jing politely shook her hand but said, "I need to review the contract before deciding whether to participate."
"Of course, that's only proper." Masha said, "But I believe you won't miss this opportunity."
Jian Jing smiled.
Masha invited her into the car, and during the short trip, she briefly introduced the filming situation for this time.
Just as rumored, the location of this reality show was on a cruise ship, provided by the 3Q Group, lasting seven days. The first day was for check-in and familiarization, and on the second day, the guests would receive their identity information.
The third day would be the start of the plot, continuing until the sixth day. The seventh day was the celebration party and banquet, and in the evening they would return to the dock, marking the official end of the event.
Jian Jing remained noncommittal, saying she wanted to review the contract first.
Masha agreed.
She turned and went to find Kang Mu Cheng.
"It's okay." He read through it word by word and gave his initial opinion, "But there are a few places I can't agree with, so let Jin Lawyer draft an opinion for you, and have him negotiate it."
Jin Lawyer was Kang Mu Cheng's personal lawyer, occasionally serving as Jian Jing's legal advisor.
Of course, Kang Mu Cheng was the one paying the consultation fees.
Jian Jing had never paid a single consultation fee.
"I'm not worried about the contract," she said, "Black and white words, it's not easy to have problems."
Kang Mu Cheng picked up on the subtext: "What's wrong?"
Jian Jing frowned, her tone uncertain: "I'm not sure if it's just my imagination, but I feel like they're targeting me."
The intelligence challenges were really not difficult, just brain teasers at the level of domestic variety shows, but the physical challenges seemed a bit excessive.
Normally, physical challenges are team tasks, requiring the guests to collaborate or assign a physical champion to complete. Jian Jing's label is "writer", not a retired soldier, not a karate champion, nor a rock climber. To immediately hit her with both physical and intellectual challenges, it just feels like she's being targeted.
"Maybe I'm overthinking it?" She couldn't be sure.
"The show crew has a very obvious bias." Kang Mu Cheng held a different opinion, cautiously saying, "Jing Jing, this show is not that simple, you need to think it through carefully."
Jian Jing: "They don't want us to win?"
"It's obvious."
"Then I'll go even more." She inwardly sneered, "I'm going to win."
If the show crew was playing fair, everyone would have fun with the game and let ability speak. But if they want to play dirty... Well, who doesn't have some tricks up their sleeve?
