Chapter 5: Consciousness Movement

Ye Dali ended the call, climbed off his electric scooter, pushed it to the side of the road, and crouched down to search on his phone — checking whether the number that had just called him really belonged to the Stand Till the End production team.

Someone had called asking if he was Ye Qinghe's father. Once confirmed, the caller said he was from the Stand Till the End production team, that Ye Qinghe's registration had been approved, and asked when Ye Qinghe could come in — they needed his ID information so they could book a hotel.

Ye Dali was highly suspicious of the call.

Over the past three years, he had encountered far too many scammers, and he was extremely cautious about anyone asking for ID information.

Ye Qinghe had indeed told him he'd signed up for the show, but the application had only gone in that morning — a callback the same afternoon seemed impossible.

He had never dealt with a production team before, but he knew that kind of turnaround simply didn't happen.

Still, after searching online, he found that the caller really was from the production team. He even called the number he found on the official website to verify, and the staff member was real — they transferred the call directly. Only then did he believe it wasn't a scam.

"Qinghe actually made it?"

After giving the caller his ID information and hanging up, Ye Dali muttered to himself in disbelief.

He truly hadn't expected Ye Qinghe to actually get accepted.

"So that means next Wednesday — no, wait, next Tuesday — I'll be taking Qinghe to Jinling to record the show?"

Recording a TV show was something Ye Dali had never done before, and he had no idea what the process would be like.

He was just wondering who he could ask about it when the order-notification sound on his phone made him forget the whole thing entirely.

It wasn't until that evening, when he was wrapping up and heading home, that the matter came back to him.

"Team leader, I need three days off next week!"

"What's up? Taking Qinghe to see that specialist again? Dali, I'm telling you, a lot of those people are..."

The team leader sighed helplessly upon hearing the request, but Ye Dali cut him off mid-sentence.

"No, it's not that this time. I'm taking Qinghe to be on a variety show. He signed up for Stand Till the End, and the production team called this afternoon to say he got in. They want him there next Wednesday to record — I need to take him to Jinling."

There was a note of pride in Ye Dali's voice as he said it.

"Really? It's not a scam?"

"Qinghe's going on a show?"

"How's he going to manage that? I've watched that show, but..."

The other delivery riders nearby were all taken aback by Ye Dali's news.

Everyone in the team knew about Ye Dali's family situation. They helped out when they could, but they also knew Ye Qinghe's condition — given the state he was in, how could he possibly appear on a show?

"It's real. I checked online and confirmed it. Qinghe can't move, but he was always a sharp student, and I'm not expecting miracles — as long as he's willing to go, we'll go. It'll at least get him some fresh air. Lying at home every single day is just too hard on him."

Ye Dali smiled as he replied.

Hearing that, the others all agreed — for someone in Ye Qinghe's situation, being willing to go out at all was already a good thing.

"Then we wish you both to stand till the end!"

"That's right — stand till the end and come home victorious!"

"I heard that defending the podium for three episodes gives you a shot at a 200,000-yuan annual salary from the Think Tank. I'll wish Qinghe gets that 200,000!"

"What? A 200,000-yuan annual salary? Seriously?"

"Yeah, 200,000. If that actually happens, Dali and Qinghe won't have to struggle so hard anymore!"

"It's true — that's how the show works. I watch it all the time, and someone's actually won it!"

The others' words made Ye Dali suddenly feel a flicker of genuine hope about Ye Qinghe's upcoming trip to Jinling.

What if Ye Qinghe really pulled it off? What if he really defended the podium for three episodes?

Then...

* * *

"Are we going out again tonight?"

Back home, Ye Dali had also learned from Ye Qinghe that the production team had sent him an email as well. While cooking dinner, Ye Dali asked the question.

He still hoped Ye Qinghe would get out more often.

"Yes, I want to go out for a walk every day from now on."

Of course Ye Qinghe wanted to go out. Five kilometres a day meant one Lottery Draw, and maybe — just maybe — one of those draws would give him something to help restore his body.

He desperately wanted to get better.

Even though he had spent the entire day studying, the sensation of being able to move nothing but his head was truly unbearable — especially those moments when his forehead itched.

All it would take was a light scratch with a hand, but there was no hand that could move. That helpless, maddening feeling was enough to drive anyone up the wall.

He was beginning to understand why his predecessor had wanted to die.

If he didn't have the System, if there were no possibility of physical recovery, he wouldn't be able to keep going either.

But fate had other plans. Just as they finished dinner, a crack of thunder rang out and a torrential downpour began — rain so heavy that even an umbrella would be useless.

"Looks like we can't go out tonight."

After stepping outside to check several times, Ye Dali came back with a look of regret.

Ye Qinghe had finally been willing to go out, but the sky wasn't cooperating — there was nothing to be done.

In rain this heavy, taking Ye Qinghe outside was out of the question. If he caught a cold, that would be a serious problem.

"Let's wait and see if the rain stops."

Ye Qinghe turned his head to glance at the rain pelting the window beside him, silently hoping it would let up soon.

"Rain this heavy usually doesn't last long. If it stops early enough, we'll head out."

Ye Dali nodded.

But the storm turned out to be far worse than expected. After an hour, it showed no sign of stopping, and the water outside their room began to pool, rising little by little as the drainage couldn't keep up.

Fortunately, their room sat on noticeably higher ground than the courtyard outside, so the water hadn't crept in yet.

But if the rain kept up, it was only a matter of time.

"Stay here — I'm going out to check if the drain is blocked."

Watching the floodwater deepen, Ye Dali said a quick word to Ye Qinghe, threw on a raincoat, and headed outside.

"Is today's five kilometres just going to go to waste like this?"

Ye Qinghe listened to the rain hammering the glass and cascading off the eaves like a waterfall, feeling deeply reluctant.

If rain kept him inside, what about strong winds? What about snow?

If that was the case, he'd be losing a lot of Lottery Draw opportunities.

"If only there were a way for the System to count it even without going outside..."

[Detected that the host is unable to complete five kilometres due to weather conditions. Consciousness Movement function is now unlocked!]

[The host may perform movement within the Consciousness Space, but the distance required is multiplied tenfold!]

[Please complete the Consciousness Movement fifty-kilometre task as soon as possible!]