83: Chapter 83 The Great Battle of Holding Back Laughter!

Three o'clock in the afternoon is indeed a bit awkward in the travel itinerary; taking everyone out to a scenic spot at this time clearly doesn't leave enough time.

But if the eight big stars were just left dryly in their rooms staring at nothing, it would seem a bit too boring.

The above polite words were purely a fig leaf concocted by the Production Team's Executive Director, who led the team up to the eleventh floor, just to pad the runtime.

But the few old hands in the Divas Hit the Road Group were all sprawled on the soft chairs, shaking their heads like rattles, refusing to admit they were bored even if it killed them.

"We really don't feel bored at all. Staying in the room with the AC on is incredibly comfortable. Director, can't you see a happy smile on my face?"

"I think it's purely because you, the tour guide and the director, are itching for trouble, assuming that everyone is bored."

"The moment I saw that stack of colorful paper cutouts in your hand, I knew you were definitely up to no good tonight."

"Director, I beg you. We old bones have been jolted on the highway for an entire day; can't you just let us bore ourselves to death quietly on these soft beds?"

In Lin Chen's room, the eight guests were lying all over the place in Ge You slouch positions, loudly complaining to the Executive Director standing in the middle of the room.

No sooner had everyone put their suitcases down in their rooms than they were coaxed and tricked by this uninvited director into coming to this room.

"Everyone, set your hearts at ease. This time, I truly feel for your hard work along the way and will absolutely not find new ways to torture or wear you out."

"Gathering everyone today is purely to organize a small, effortless entertainment game in the room." The Executive Director wore a professional fake smile.

The members of the Divas Hit the Road Group collectively rolled their eyes at him in unison.

The Executive Director touched his nose awkwardly and smiled bitterly: "Alright, alright. To ensure fairness, this time not only will the eight of you participate, but all the production staff following us will also be implicated."

"Let's have a friendly laugh-suppression competition between the director team and the celebrity team. The losing side will be responsible for cleaning up horse manure at the stables tomorrow, how about that?"

Hearing that there would be staff to back them up, Song Dandan immediately perked up and clapped in agreement:

"This method is at least somewhat humane. You can't just treat us like monkeys every day while you watch the fun from the sidelines."

Tong Liya was currently kneeling on the edge of the bed behind Lin Chen without any regard for her image, her warm little hands kneading Lin Chen's broad shoulders with just the right amount of pressure, as she stretched her little head over to ask:

"Don't be in such a hurry to make empty promises; explain the specific game rules to everyone first."

The Executive Director opened his notebook and explained: "The rules are very simple. We are playing the classic water-holding laugh-suppression game."

"Before the game starts, the defensive side must hold a mouthful of mineral water tightly in their mouths, while the attacking side sends out a prankster to tell jokes or make funny faces by any means necessary."

"If the defensive side can't hold it within a short ten seconds and sprays the water directly onto the opponent's face, they are eliminated on the spot."

"Conversely, if they manage to endure for ten seconds without leaking any water, then the person telling the jokes fails the challenge."

...

The Divas Hit the Road Group followed the staff to the presidential suite on the top floor of the hotel, setting up the laugh-suppression game in the spacious living room.

All eight members of the Divas Hit the Road Group were present, and the staff side also selected four men and four women with familiar faces.

Under the strong demand of the Divas Hit the Road Group, the Executive Director, who originally wanted to be the referee, was also dragged into the group of four men to participate.

Before the game began, the Executive Director added a few more rules in front of the camera. Both sides would first send representatives to play Rock, Paper, Scissors, and the winning team would send someone out first to tell jokes.

If the representative telling the jokes makes the opponent spray their water, they win and can stay on the field until they lose.

The Divas Hit the Road Group sent out the youngest, Song Zuer, and a young woman also stepped out from the staff side.

The two stood facing each other, hands behind their backs, and shouted the command crisply: "Rock, Paper, Scissors!"

"Yay! Won!"

Song Zuer defeated her opponent in one move, so happy that she jumped on the wool carpet, spinning around to high-five each member of the Divas Hit the Road Group behind her.

The losing staff members had no choice but to honestly pick up small paper cups and hold half a cup of mineral water in their mouths.

The eight people held the water, sitting side by side on the bench like a wall of flesh.

Lin Chen took a look from the side, felt the scene was lacking something, and immediately walked over.

He reached out and rearranged the chairs of the four male staff members, pushing them directly opposite the four female staff members, making them sit face-to-face, staring at each other.

"There, that looks much better." Lin Chen clapped his hands, wearing an expression of disdain as if he had done a proper job.

"Haha, Brother Lin, that move is too mean!" Song Zuer covered her little mouth and giggled, her fair thighs swinging.

Lei Jiayin also joined in the teasing: "If we play it this way, this game will be very intense."

"Maybe we can even foster a few good romances in our group tonight. You guys are all still single, right?" Lin Chen joked casually.

"Pfft—!"

As soon as Lin Chen's words landed, a young male staff member broke his defense on the spot, spraying a mouthful of water directly onto the face of the female colleague opposite him.

This triggered a chain reaction; the remaining staff members held it in until their faces turned red, and they had to turn their heads and spit all the water in their mouths into the trash can.

The job of holding water doesn't look like it requires any skill, but if you really hold a mouthful of water and stare at someone of the opposite sex for too long, the feeling is quite miserable.

"This should count as us winning a round, right?" Yue Yunpeng leaned over, his chubby hand grabbing the sleeve of the Executive Director to ask.

The Executive Director wiped the saliva off his chin and waved his hand in disgust: "How can that count? The game hasn't officially started yet. Lin Chen was just playing dirty; that doesn't count as a proper joke."

"Cut the crap. If you bet, you have to accept the loss. Hurry up and refill the water."

Lei Jiayin didn't give him a chance to argue, picked up the large water jug, and forced another big mouthful into the Executive Director's mouth.

The eight staff members sat back down with puffed-out cheeks, and the temperature in the room seemed to rise a few degrees.

The Divas Hit the Road Group gathered in a small circle and whispered: "Who should we send to charge into battle for the first round?"

Tong Liya pointed to the little chubby guy in the middle: "It has to be Yue Yunpeng. You perform Crosstalk on stage every day; your tongue is the slickest, so you're the best at this."

Yue Yunpeng shook his round face bitterly: "You are laymen here. Crosstalk emphasizes buildup and punchlines; it's a completely different approach from just telling internet jokes on the street."

"Then let Teacher Lin go up and try." Song Dandan suggested from the side.

Everyone turned their gaze to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen spread his hands helplessly: "My inventory is all just old, stale jokes from years ago."

Lin Chen really didn't have max-level skills for performing Crosstalk or telling jokes in his head.

The jokes he knew were all classics that had long been chewed to pieces by everyone on the information-exploding internet of his past life.

"Forget if they're old or not. You go up and try one first. If it doesn't work, we'll switch people next round."

"Come on, husband! We'll be behind you cheering you on!" Liu Shishi hugged his arm and shook it.

"Go for it, husband! Slap their funny bones with your big mouth!" Guli Nazha also joined in the teasing, her beautiful eyes sparkling.

"Brother Lin, charge! I believe in you!" Song Zuer said, acting spoiled with a pinched voice from the side.

The Divas Hit the Road Group had an almost blind worship of Lin Chen, pushing and shoving until they dragged him to the center of the room.

Lin Chen rummaged through his mental inventory, then suddenly turned back and asked Tong Liya and the others in a whisper: "There's a classic old joke about 'hitting peas,' have you heard of it before?"

The three women plus Song Zuer shook their little heads in unison, their eyes full of clear confusion.

"You haven't even heard of this?"

Lin Chen was a bit surprised; that was an antique joke that was everywhere in his past life.

But he quickly realized the situation.

Things that were heard until people were sick of them in his past life might actually be the very first of their kind in this parallel world.