I Married the President

"An open-book test? Are we going to need a pen?" the trainees asked, voicing their confusion.

Claire Sinclair offered no explanation, simply stating calmly, "The first three artistic virtue tests were graded according to a set standard. Today’s test will depart from that. You will be graded by passersby."

"Passersby?"

"So we can go outside today?"

"Are we going to be filming on location?"

The contestants were suddenly very excited about this assessment.

Claire Sinclair nodded. "That’s right. Today, each of you will have five hours to go outside. You can do anything you like. You’ll earn one point for every ’thank you’ you receive from a passerby. Keep in mind, you can only earn a maximum of one point from any single person. Also, just coaxing someone to say ’thank you’ without a valid reason won’t count."

"When the time is up, the contestant with the highest score will receive 500,000 votes to be added to their total votes in the finale. Second place will receive 400,000 votes, and third place will get 300,000. The remaining contestants will all receive 250,000 votes. Is everyone clear on the rules?"

After hearing all the rules, Mimi Fisher couldn’t help but ask, "So, in other words, whoever does the most good deeds gets the highest score. Is that right?"

Claire Sinclair smiled faintly. "It’s not just that, of course. I’ll also be inviting three celebrity mentors. Each will select the one contestant they believe made the greatest contribution to society and award them an additional 500,000 votes."

The implication was that if someone’s good deed was of great significance, they could earn an extra 500,000 votes.

The contestants broke into discussion after hearing this.

"That sounds like a lot of fun. I can’t wait!"

"But there are so many of us. Are there really that many people on the streets who need our help?"

Claire Sinclair looked at their excited or dazed expressions and offered one last piece of advice. "A final reminder for everyone: don’t deliberately try to manufacture a ’helpful’ persona. The audience can see right through it. A phony act will only antagonize them. Just use your genuine kindness to do good in our shared world. May love and justice be with you!"

With that, Claire Sinclair put down the microphone.

Some contestants were fired up, clenching their fists and eager to start. Others, however, didn’t seem to take it seriously, their minds already drifting elsewhere.

Cecily Taylor couldn’t help but remark, "This is going to be tough, isn’t it? Whether they do a good job or not, someone will accuse them of just putting on a show. It’s not easy for these kids."

Master said, "I think it’ll be fine. Doing good deeds is simple. Even helping an elderly person who’s fallen counts."

Mimi Fisher added, "There are lots of people in society who need help; they just often go unnoticed. I think this assessment is very meaningful."

Claire Sinclair gave a faint smile. "We’ll just have to wait and see."

—

Once the instructions were given, the 35 contestants began to head out. Each was assigned a personal camera operator, but no directors would be accompanying them.

Claire Sinclair sat in the monitoring room, choosing to watch the livestreams of ten specific contestants to save time.

From two in the afternoon to a little after seven in the evening, the contestants’ outdoor filming finally came to an end.

The 35 contestants pulled out all the stops to earn points. Some would approach every passerby they saw and ask if they needed help. But real life isn’t a performance. Most people, upon seeing a camera operator following the contestants, were camera-shy. The few who didn’t mind being on camera were usually just people with time to kill, who would chat for ages but ultimately didn’t need any help with anything.

However, other contestants took a more zen-like approach. They wandered around at a leisurely pace, only offering assistance when they happened upon a situation that truly required it, rather than deliberately seeking out opportunities to score points.