40: Chapter 40 is not only the last one on the list, but also means no lunch.

Before long, the countdown ended, and the two set off.

Lin Mo's starting speed was not fast, but he was very steady.

It could practically be said that he was as steady as an old dog.

Meanwhile, Chen Wenwen followed behind him, learning his rhythm, moving forward step by step. Although her speed was slow, she didn't lose the rhythm.

Just like that, the two of them successfully passed the first checkpoint at a leisurely pace.

The public sentiment in the livestream instantly changed at this moment.

[Wait, these two actually passed on the first try?]

[Although it's slow, it's steady!]

[Lin Mo's observation skills are pretty good; he's not just a reckless brute.]

[Could this group actually be the biggest dark horse?]

In the subsequent checkpoints, Lin Mo and Chen Wenwen still maintained that unhurried rhythm.

Throughout the entire process, the two had almost no major mistakes and didn't need to redo anything.

When it came to the final checkpoint, climbing the high platform.

Lin Mo looked up at the rope, didn't hesitate, jumped straight up to grab it, and started climbing.

His arm strength was not particularly strong, so he could only inch upward bit by bit. After climbing to the top, he didn't rush to ring the bell; instead, he squatted down and tossed the rope down to Chen Wenwen below.

Chen Wenwen grabbed the rope and also began to climb up.

Her physical strength was clearly inferior to Lin Mo's, and she climbed with great difficulty. By the halfway point, her arms started to shake.

But she gritted her teeth without letting go, inching her way up bit by bit.

Watching her from above, Lin Mo also reached out to pull the rope.

The two of them slowly ground their way up like this, until Lin Mo seized the right moment, leaned his torso out, grabbed her hand, and gave a hard pull.

Chen Wenwen was quickly pulled up onto the high platform by him, collapsing flat on the top and panting heavily.

Lin Mo stood up and walked over to the front of the bell.

Chen Wenwen also propped herself up to stand, then walked over to his side.

The two of them simultaneously reached out, grabbed the rope, and gave it a hard pull.

"Clang!!!"

The moment the bell rang, a tear unconsciously slipped from Chen Wenwen's eye. The excitement brought by this sense of achievement was simply peerless.

She hurriedly lowered her head and wiped it with the back of her hand, not wanting others to see.

But the livestream camera still captured this scene.

[Holy shit! They actually passed the level!]

[Chen Wenwen cried? No need for that, right?]

[What do you know, she's touched out of excitement.]

[This group is also so steady; there were no major mistakes throughout, and their coordination was tacit.]

[None of you were optimistic about them, yet they turned out to be the most promising.]

[Indeed, to be honest, I was originally the least optimistic about this group, never expected them to be the dark horse.]

Director Zhou glanced at the timer and raised his megaphone.

"Group 4, Lin Mo and Chen Wenwen, successfully cleared the challenge! Final time... eight minutes and eleven seconds!"

As soon as the results were out, the expressions of the guests on site varied.

Xu Hao opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he couldn't say anything at all.

Eight minutes and eleven seconds—this was much stronger than them.

Wrapped in a towel, Zhou Yichen let his gaze fall on Lin Mo, his expression shifting uncertainly.

Another one cleared the level?

His group hadn't even finished half of it, yet Lin Mo and Chen Wenwen actually cleared it? Although they were slower than Shen Qingxue's group, at least they cleared it.

And now...

In other words, his group was actually coming in last???

Zhou Yichen took a deep breath, his expression instantly turning displeased, and his fingers unconsciously gripped the towel tightly.

Su Qing sat beside him, cautiously glanced at him, and didn't speak.

"Alright! All groups have completed the challenge!"

Director Zhou raised his megaphone, his gaze sweeping across all the guests present.

"Now, I will announce the final rankings and points!"

Everyone's attention immediately concentrated.

Especially Zhou Yichen.

Although everyone had basically guessed the result, what if? What if...

Soon, Director Zhou lowered his head to glance at the data board in his hand and cleared his throat.

"In fourth place is Zhou Yichen and Su Qing's CP combination, obtaining 3 points, with no ingredient rewards."

This result had no suspense whatsoever.

It also directly froze Zhou Yichen's expression.

Having the least points was one thing, but not even having the most basic ingredients? That meant at noon he could only watch others eat???

Su Qing lowered her head, her expression somewhat dejected, but she quickly adjusted herself, forcing out a smile to comfort Zhou Yichen.

"It doesn't matter, we'll work hard next time."

Zhou Yichen didn't speak, because at this moment, it was already very difficult for him to control his own emotions.

If he said a couple more words, once he threw a tantrum, even he himself would be scared!

Soon, Director Zhou continued to speak.

"Third place comes from Xu Hao and Lin Yu's CP combination. Although they failed to clear the level, based on the challenge progress, they obtained 6 points and are rewarded with one specified portion of ingredients."

Xu Hao and Lin Yu exchanged glances, both feeling rather helpless.

Third place.

However, this was already a blessing in disguise. At least there was still a portion of ingredients. Regardless of whether it would taste good later on, having something to eat was enough.

They couldn't end up like Zhou Yichen and the others with absolutely nothing, right?

Director Zhou didn't dawdle and continued speaking.

"As for second place, it is Lin Mo and Chen Wenwen's CP combination. They successfully cleared the level with a time of 8 minutes, obtaining 9 points, and are rewarded with one specified portion of ingredients."

Lin Mo nodded slightly, his expression remaining calm and indifferent, as if this score were within his expectations.

Chen Wenwen, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief, a trace of a smile finally appearing on her face.

"First place..."

This time, Director Zhou deliberately dragged out his tone, his gaze sweeping across everyone and finally landing on those two people in the corner.

"Shen Qingxue and Lu Li's CP combination successfully cleared the level with a time of 6 minutes and 30 seconds, obtaining 12 points, plus a reward of a luxurious seafood feast, along with an exclusive date right!"

As soon as his voice fell, Xu Hao was the first to start clapping.

"Awesome! Truly awesome! Six and a half minutes, I'm convinced!"

Although Lin Yu didn't feel quite right inside, she still wore a smile on her face and clapped along.

The others also symbolically clapped their hands.

Only Zhou Yichen did not clap.

Until he saw the astonished glances cast by the others, Zhou Yichen abruptly reacted, and also symbolically clapped twice, but it looked extremely perfunctory.

The bullet comments in the livestream instantly flooded the screen at this moment.

[Well-deserved! Beautiful!!!]

[Six and a half minutes, I still can't believe this score up to now.]

[The Goddess carries the team, Slacker Brother wins lying down, this script is absolute genius.]

[What do you mean by winning lying down? Slacker Brother wasn't completely lying down, okay? He also contributed effort.]

[Exactly, without Lu Li pulling that hand in the final checkpoint, whether the Goddess could get up there is up for debate.]

[Tacit coordination, invincible partners, this is the CP I ship!]

[Speaking of which, the exclusive date right... what kind of thing is this again?]

[It means being able to date any guest alone for ten minutes, Director Zhou mentioned it yesterday.]

[Wait, doesn't that mean Lu Li can use this right to date other female guests?]

[Upstairs, don't scare me, my heart can't take it.]

[Indeed, used to shipping the two of them, suddenly changing to someone else is truly something I'm not used to.]

[Ahhhhhh! Lu Li, if you dare to date someone else, I'm not done with you!]