Chapter Fifteen: Another Family Group

After stepping outside, they found themselves in the same corridor they had entered from, but Xiao Siqi’s mindset was vastly different now from when he first came in. Looking at the closed door of the neighboring room, he had been indifferent earlier, but now his thoughts lingered on what might be happening behind that door.

“There’s probably another family of guests locked in there. Should we help them out?” Xiao Siqi asked Xiao Yao with a teasing smile, pointing at the door.

“Doesn’t really matter,” Xiao Yao shrugged, then hesitated, “But wouldn’t that mess up the arrangements made by the production team? Is it really okay to do that?”

“Who cares,” Xiao Siqi chuckled. “It’s a reality show, right? They want to see our genuine behavior. Besides, the production hasn’t explicitly said we can’t do this.”

With that, Xiao Siqi knocked on the door and called out loudly, “Is anyone inside?”

There was a deep male voice from within. “Yes! Who’s outside? Can you open the door and let us out?”

“Who’s in there?” Xiao Siqi stifled a laugh.

“It’s me, Zhao Tao! Who’s outside?”

“Tao, it’s me, Xiao Siqi.” To his surprise, it was someone he knew.

Zhao Tao, aged forty-three, was a nationally recognized first-class actor, a stalwart among the middle generation of male actors. He had experience in stage plays, TV dramas, and films, having won numerous best actor awards at domestic film and television festivals. Although his career seldom intersected with that of singer Xiao Siqi, Zhao Tao had collaborated frequently with Xiao Chengru, and their private relationship was good, so Xiao Siqi was quite familiar with him.

“Siqi, are you also a guest on this season? Why are you outside?” Zhao Tao’s voice came through.

“Yeah, we were locked in a room by the production team too, right next door to you. We just got out.” Xiao Siqi replied.

“How long were you in the room?” Zhao Tao initially thought the person outside was a crew member sent to let them out but was surprised to learn it was Xiao Siqi, another guest who had escaped on his own. Since they were acquaintances, they started chatting.

“About ten or fifteen minutes,” Xiao Siqi said.

“What? You got out after just ten minutes? We’ve been locked in for over half an hour.” Zhao Tao sounded puzzled. At that moment, a boy’s angry shout came from inside: “I want out!”

“Tao, we didn’t get out thanks to the production team. We found the key hidden inside the room and let ourselves out. Maybe you should look for the key too?” Xiao Siqi said with a triumphant grin.

“Alright, I’ll have a look.” Zhao Tao said, then fell silent—probably searching for the key.

“Come on, hurry up, have you found it yet? I want out.” The boy’s impatient voice echoed again.

“Tao, the boy inside is Shitou, right? If he really can’t take it, don’t bother with the key. That wooden door isn’t thick. With your build, you can just kick it open.” Xiao Siqi recalled Xiao Yao’s earlier suggestion and mischievously offered the idea.

Zhao Tao had a son and a daughter; his daughter was already a teenager, while his son, Zhao Rui, nicknamed Shitou, was just six years old. Though Xiao Siqi had never met Zhao Tao’s children, he was aware of his family situation.

“Okay, I’ll kick it open!” a boy’s voice came through. Then Xiao Siqi heard a loud “thud” on the door, startling him. It seemed Zhao Rui, having heard Xiao Siqi’s advice, started kicking the door himself. He was clearly frustrated from being cooped up inside.

“Shitou!” Zhao Tao, who was still searching for the key, was taken aback and quickly said, “Shitou, don’t mess around! Wait for Dad to find the key. There’s a camera filming us. Kicking the door like that looks bad. Besides, you’re small—can you really kick it open?”

“Then hurry up and find it!” Zhao Rui snapped impatiently.

Zhao Tao, who had spent many years on various film sets, felt the room’s setup resembled a studio and soon discovered the hidden cameras and the fact that the door was locked from the inside. However, he hadn’t known about the hidden key and had been waiting for the production to send someone to open the door. Among the five guest families, they were the first to realize they were locked in, so their anxiety had lasted the longest. No wonder Zhao Rui was so impatient.

“Tao, the key in my room was hidden inside a guitar. I’m a musician, you’re an actor. Check if there’s any prop related to your profession in your room—focus on that. Don’t bother looking at things like chairs or tables.” Xiao Siqi could sense Zhao Rui’s poor mood and quickly gave the tip.

“I found it! It was inside this prop knife. Shitou was playing with it just now.” Zhao Tao picked up a familiar prop knife, which resembled the weapon he had used in one of his films. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a seam where the blade connected to the handle. Grasping both parts firmly, he pulled them apart and found a key attached to the inner end of the blade that had been hidden inside the handle.

The door opened, and Zhao Tao and his son appeared before Xiao Siqi and his son.

“Siqi, thanks a lot.” Zhao Tao smiled and embraced Xiao Siqi.

“No need to mention it.” Xiao Siqi smiled back and patted Zhao Tao on the back.

“This is my son Zhao Rui, nickname Shitou.” Zhao Tao put his arm around Zhao Rui’s shoulders and said to Xiao Siqi, then turned to his son, “Shitou, this is Uncle Xiao Siqi. Call him Uncle.”

Xiao Siqi introduced, “Tao, this is my son Xiao Yao, nickname Bayi.”

“Hello, Uncle Zhao.” Xiao Yao looked up and greeted Zhao Tao, then turned to Zhao Rui, “Hi Shitou, I’m Bayi.”

Xiao Yao knew the show involved many tasks where children had to team up without their fathers. To ensure smooth cooperation later, it was best to get familiar with the other kids now.

With Zhao Rui out, his anxious mood eased. Seeing another child his own age, he no longer shouted like he had at his father but politely nodded and greeted Xiao Yao, “Hello.”

Noticing that Zhao Rui was shy around strangers, Xiao Yao took the initiative and asked, “That kick you gave the door just now—was that you? It sounded fierce. Have you practiced martial arts?”

Zhao Rui nodded and asked, “Have you practiced too?”

Shared interests quickly bridged the gap between new acquaintances. Seeing Xiao Yao nod in agreement, Zhao Rui became more enthusiastic and said eagerly, “Then let’s have a match and see who’s better.”

“Shitou!” Zhao Tao quickly intervened, “Why do you want to fight as soon as you meet?”

“We’re not fighting, we’re sparring!” Zhao Rui replied indignantly.

“Sparring what? You’re over a year older than Bayi. That’s bullying.” Zhao Tao was aware of Xiao Siqi’s family situation. Though it was his first time meeting Xiao Yao, he knew Xiao Siqi’s son had just turned five, while Zhao Rui was almost six and a half. Though they were about the same height, the difference between five and six years old was much more significant than between twenty-five and twenty-six. At this stage, a year’s difference was quite noticeable physically, especially since his son was active and seemed heavier than Xiao Yao.

Xiao Yao hadn’t intended to take Zhao Rui seriously but, feeling underestimated by Zhao Tao’s dismissive remarks, a spark of competitiveness ignited within him. Frankly, he didn’t think he’d lose to Zhao Rui. Despite Zhao Rui’s apparent weight advantage, Xiao Yao had practiced Shaolin Long Fist for over a year. Liu Zhongwen once said that Shaolin Long Fist was excellent for strengthening the body and bones. Although Xiao Yao looked slender, he had a physique that was lean when clothed but muscular when undressed. His speed and strength were no weakness. Over the past year, continuous practice and occasional guidance from Liu Zhongwen had given him considerable insight into power delivery and combat techniques.

Before joining the show, Xiao Yao had done some research. Although the production hadn’t revealed the cast beforehand, the show was so popular that any guest was bound to be a well-known figure in the industry. Considering the age restrictions for children, there were only a few who qualified, and Xiao Yao had studied their profiles. He knew Zhao Rui had martial arts training, hence his earlier question. Besides martial arts, Zhao Rui also practiced horseback riding, diving, skating, skateboarding, basketball, and drums. It was impressive, but at that age, being a jack-of-all-trades usually meant none were mastered. If it came to martial arts, Xiao Yao believed he could definitely best Zhao Rui—he only hesitated because it felt a bit unfair to bully a younger child.

However, after hearing Zhao Tao’s words, Xiao Yao thought that since he was physically just a five-year-old child himself, and his strength and skills were honed over the past year, having a friendly match with Zhao Rui wasn’t too shameful. If the boy wanted to fight so badly, why not indulge him?

So when Zhao Rui looked a little downcast after his father’s interruption and sighed softly, Xiao Yao pulled him close and whispered, “Let’s find a chance to spar secretly, so they don’t know.”

Zhao Rui’s eyes immediately lit up.

Before the two families could chat much longer in the corridor, the belated production staff arrived and escorted them each to their cars, saying it was time to depart.

In fact, Wu Zhankui in the monitoring room had been ready to send staff to fetch Xiao Siqi and his son as soon as they escaped their room. But unexpectedly, instead of heading out, they started talking to Zhao Tao next door. Hearing Xiao Siqi’s explanation, Wu Zhankui realized they were helping Zhao Tao’s family get out too, which made it awkward for the crew to intervene at that moment. He had no choice but to halt the filming crew assigned to Xiao Siqi’s group. Since time was nearly up and the necessary footage had been captured, Wu Zhankui decided to have the other three groups release the families locked in three rooms along another corridor first. After some explanations, Zhao Tao’s family was freed, and all five families were arranged to depart by car to their destination.