“Little Pine Bear has no mother anymore.”
Yan An froze, a flash of surprise crossing his face that he could not hide in time. Clearly, he had no idea about the situation.
“We were the ones who insisted on buying the gloves. We were afraid he would freeze his hands while driving the electric tricycle,” Shen Pan added from the side, unable to listen to the accusations any longer.
The reversal came so quickly that the audience, who had been hurling insults just moments ago, felt as though they had been slapped in the face. Voices that had been suppressed finally began to surface.
“I just came from Ming Yi’s live stream. I can testify that this is true.”
“Wait, so your ‘Good An An,’ who always talks about his second brother, did not even know his brother had chilblains on his hands? It seems he does not care that much after all.”
“The Yan family is so wealthy, yet they never helped Ming Yi restore the skin on his hands. I can only say that the Yan family only says nice things. Love? They have none at all.”
Yan An realized the inconsistency in his words and actions. He muttered, “I am sorry, Second Brother. I just did not remember for a moment.”
Ming Yi replied with sarcasm, “It is fine. It is normal for you not to remember such a minor flaw.”
Ming Yi could hardly suppress his disgust and was becoming too tired to hide it. Fortunately, Ji Zhanyun smoothed things over by changing the subject. Shen Pan and Ji Nian took the opportunity to lead Ming Yi away to discuss sharing the vegetables.
Despite the tension, they could not truly refuse to give any food under the gaze of the cameras. Ming Yi did not object. He chose to act as if he were giving the food to Ji Zhanyun. As for Yan An and his loyal followers, he did not care if they only ate the leftovers.
Once they returned home, Shen Pan brought out a basin of warm water for Ming Yi to soak his hands. Ji Nian carried the vegetables, saying with a smile, “From now on, we will handle the washing and the dishes. Chef, you just focus on the cooking.”
Ming Yi did not refuse their kindness and smiled back. “Alright.”
Because they had a full harvest in the morning, they enjoyed three dishes for lunch. The ingredients were fresh, free of unnecessary seasonings, and combined with the drifting kitchen smoke and the distant mountain scenery, it created a sense of rustic purity. Even the viewers were dazed.
Was this still their begging for food show? It would not be an exaggeration to call it a food documentary.
When the camera focused on Ming Yi cooking, it looked like a professional film. The sunlight spilling into the room, the steam rising from the pot, and the clear lines of his forearms revealed by his rolled-up sleeves all painted a picture. Half of Ming Yi’s profile was hidden in the boundary between light and shadow, giving his features a softened, gentle look.
“Well, I have to say, Ming Yi actually has some looks.”
“How did I never notice he was handsome before? Thinking about it, a vicious beauty is actually quite a great trope.”
“Do not just accept anything! He used to be a school bully and a delinquent!”
The guests remained oblivious to the arguments in the comments. The three of them ate while chatting about funny stories from their pasts. Ming Yi had no such stories to share, so he spent most of the time listening to the others.
Suddenly, Ji Nian spoke up. “Hey, look. A dog is at the door.”
Ming Yi instinctively turned his head and saw a yellow dog with messy fur standing at the courtyard gate. It watched them longingly but was too cautious to step inside.
“Was it attracted by the smell?” Ji Nian made some friendly clicking noises. Receiving a kind signal, the yellow dog wagged its tail rapidly.
Shen Pan exclaimed in surprise, “Wow, it brought a puppy!”
Unlike the emaciated yellow dog, the puppy was white with yellow patches on its face and ears. It was chubby and exceptionally cute.
“It is so thin. Let us give it some meat and see if it eats,” Ji Nian said, tossing a piece of meat. Seeing the food, the yellow dog no longer hesitated and ran inside to gulp it down. As soon as the mother entered, the puppy followed playfully, circling around her.
“I wonder whose dogs these are. They look like they have been hungry for days,” Shen Pan said, feeling pity. “Should we give them the leftovers?”
The other two naturally agreed. With limited resources, they mixed the remaining rice and vegetables together and served it to them.
To their surprise, after the yellow dog and her pup finished that meal, they returned at dinner time. They had clearly designated this place as their fixed eating spot and showed no intention of leaving after dark.
Eventually, the three of them went to ask the nearby villagers to ensure no one was looking for their pets.
“Oh, that yellow dog has no owner. It is just a stray. If you want to keep them, just take them,” a villager replied.
At this, Ji Nian laughed. “First, we have begging guests, and now we have begging dogs. This show is truly destined for begging. We should just rename it We Are Begging, regardless of species.”
The audience laughed and began making memes on the show’s official website. Seeing the rising popularity, the production team quickly followed up with promotional materials. The director was grinning from ear to ear at the climbing engagement.
However, that night, the plot line deviated by another 1% and the protagonist’s satisfaction rating dropped by 3 points. The system woke up to find its world falling apart.
“No! Why is this happening! We removed the trending topics yesterday, so why is the protagonist’s reputation ruined again today?”
Xie Yunxie thought to himself that with new scandals breaking every day, there was no way to keep up with removing them. He comforted the system anyway. “Do not worry. I will try to remove them again.”
The system was still frantic. “And the plot line! Call Ming Yi! Call him! Tell him he absolutely cannot leak any more news tomorrow!”
After much coaxing and persuading, Xie Yunxie calmed the system down and called Ming Yi.
It was the same familiar staff member and the same phone. Ming Yi took it suspiciously and saw the familiar unknown number. His heart stirred, guessing that something had gone wrong on the system’s side, and his mood brightened.
“Hello?”
“It is me again, the imposter.” Xie Yunxie started with a business-like tone. “The plot line deviated by 1% again today. The system says you are not allowed to leak any news tomorrow.”
“Leak news?” Ming Yi acted innocent. “I did not.”
“The system says you exposed the chilblains on your hands, which caused Yan An to be scolded.”
Ming Yi sighed. “Tell the system that I did not want that either. Chilblains are a medical condition humans cannot control. If I had a choice, I would not want them to flare up.”
Xie Yunxie relayed the message faithfully. “The system says you are not allowed to reveal anything about your tragic past tomorrow. You are not allowed to make Yan An look foolish, and you are not allowed to let him face moral condemnation.”
Ming Yi gave a soft laugh. “I am the victim. Why should I rack my brain to protect him?”
Xie Yunxie continued, “The system says if you do not listen, it will have me kidnap you and bring you back.”
Ming Yi was even more confused. “Then would the subsequent plot not collapse even further?”
Xie Yunxie paused for a moment on the other end, then cleared his throat. “The system has nothing left to say. The following words are my own.”
“Mr. Imposter, what do you want to say now?” Ming Yi thought Xie Yunxie was going to hint at more information and sharpened his focus.
However, Xie Yunxie only laughed. “I had someone send you some medicine. Remember to apply it.”
Medicine?
Ming Yi soon received the medicine Xie Yunxie mentioned. It was indeed an ointment for his hands. Ming Yi took it back to his room. When Ji Nian saw it, he asked suspiciously, “Did the production team give you that?”
Ming Yi gave a vague response and climbed into his bed. He was a bit embarrassed to let anyone know the medicine came from his imposter husband.
Ji Nian could not sit still and asked Ming Yi, “Has Yan An always been like this?”
Ming Yi did not follow. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, the sarcasm? Or not sarcasm, is he a Green Tea type? Playing the victim?” Ji Nian could not find the right word. “He is always taking subtle jabs at you.”
Ming Yi said calmly, “He has always been like this in front of my parents.”
Ji Nian shook his head. “That kind of person does not play fair. They like to play dirty. They are hard to deal with. Let me give you some advice: do not get entangled with him. Stay away, or you will end up covered in his mess. I think you are a good person. You are fully capable of making your own way in the future.”
The words were sincere and heartfelt. Ming Yi could hear it and thanked him honestly. “Thank you, Brother Ji Nian.”
Ji Nian was delighted and teased him, “So you do know how to be sweet-talked? Say it again? Brother Ji Nian?”
Ming Yi pulled the covers over his head. “I am sleeping.”
“Going to bed so early at your age?” Ji Nian teased as the bundle under the covers became even rounder. He found it quite amusing.
In the dead of night, Ming Yi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Thinking about Ji Nian’s words, a faint bitterness rose in his heart. He no longer had such a long future.
The back of his hands began to itch again. Ming Yi reached for the ointment Xie Yunxie had sent and applied it.
Then again, why was Mr. Imposter so concerned about him? He sent encouragement yesterday and medicine today. What was his motive? It was very strange. This question crossed Ming Yi’s mind once more, but he still had no answer.
The next morning, the yellow dog arrived with her pup even before the production crew. The three of them had named the yellow dog Yellow Peach and the puppy Little Pine Bear, because it looked a bit like a bear cub.
Breakfast was a vegetable and pork porridge served with radish and egg pancakes. The pancakes were made in an iron pan, slightly charred on the edges, and smelled so good that Ji Nian and Shen Pan stuffed them into their mouths despite the heat.
After breakfast, there were some leftovers. Ming Yi broke them into small pieces to feed Little Pine Bear. The chubby puppy sniffed the aroma and whimpered as it walked over to eat. Ming Yi gave it a small piece and could not resist pushing the puppy over onto its back to rub its soft belly.
The little puppy was weak and helpless. It tried to bite Ming Yi’s hand in frustration, but it was so clumsy it could only let out tiny, high-pitched whimpers. Its mother, Yellow Peach, ignored her child being teased and stared longingly at the pancake in Ming Yi’s hand.
Ming Yi gave the pancake to Yellow Peach and patted her head. “This is for you. You fed the baby so well that he is fat, so you need to eat more too.”
Ming Yi showed a rare, gentle smile. Compared to his usual indifferent and silent self, he seemed like a completely different person.
“So it turns out that Master Yan does not smile because he naturally dislikes it.”
“He is crouching on the ground playing with a puppy. So cute!”
“Reward him! It is just a radish and egg pancake! All puppies should have some to eat!”
Today, the production team had found a new way for the guests to earn money: picking tea leaves. Hearing that they could experience tea picking, the guests were eager to follow the villagers to the tea mountains.
Little Pine Bear had been whimpering while Ming Yi teased him earlier, but now that Ming Yi was leaving, the pup followed at his heels. Ming Yi tried to make it go back with Yellow Peach, but it refused. Fortunately, after following them for a bit, Yellow Peach sensed they were heading toward a crowded area and cautiously led the puppy back. Only then could Ming Yi focus on his work.
Today, Ji Zhanyun’s back was feeling better, so he joined them on the mountain. The veteran actor was relieved to find that Yan An’s feet were no longer slipping. He had likely changed into a more slip-resistant pair of shoes.
This episode was a group competition. On the final day, the group with the most money left would be the winner. At this point, Ji Zhanyun did not care about winning. He only hoped his back would survive the rest of the episode.
At first, the tea picking was novel, but after two hours, their eyes and hands were sore, and they began to feel the physical toll. Ming Yi’s team had already surpassed the basic survival threshold, so they decided not to push themselves too hard. They claimed they were giving the other group a chance to catch up.
In the end, Ming Yi’s group settled for 368 yuan in wages and left gracefully under the envious and hateful gazes of the other group.
On the way back, Ji Nian said happily, “Teacher Ji’s back is not great, and the other two youngsters definitely cannot pick all day. We have this round in the bag!”
Ming Yi, however, felt it was uncertain. According to the principle of Protagonist Halo, no one could normally beat Yan An in any game or competition. Therefore, either their money would be spent on an accident, or Yan An’s group would unexpectedly receive a sum of money. Their chances of winning were slim. Ming Yi did not care about winning or losing. It was just a game in a show, and he had lost to Yan An too many times to care about one more.
After a busy morning, the three of them had a hearty lunch.
“Wait, why has Yellow Peach not brought her baby yet?” Ji Nian wondered. “Did she find food somewhere else?”
“We fed her a lot this morning. She might still be full and forgot the time,” Ming Yi said. “I will save the leftovers for them.”
However, even as it grew dark, Yellow Peach and Little Pine Bear did not appear. Ming Yi felt an inexplicable sense of unease and was distracted during dinner. Seeing him constantly looking at the door, Ji Nian teased him. “If you like them so much, just take them home and raise them. It is a free purchase, quite a deal.”
Ming Yi instinctively thought of the cold, lifeless villa of the Xie family and refused to admit it was his current home.
“It is a bit strange,” Shen Pan said, resting her chin on her hand. “Yellow Peach was so thin before. It does not seem like anyone else would feed them.”
As it grew darker, Ming Yi could no longer sit still. He stood up and said, “I am going to look for them. They might have fallen into a pit on the mountain.”
“It is almost pitch black. You are going up the mountain alone?” Shen Pan, who was cleaning the dishes, quickly dried her hands. “If we are looking, we look together. It is too dangerous for you to go by yourself.”
Ji Nian echoed her, and the three of them left the dishes, grabbed flashlights, and headed out. They searched along the mountain path they had walked during the day but found no sign of Yellow Peach or Little Pine Bear.
Ming Yi refused to give up and kept calling Yellow Peach’s name. Finally, he heard a faint barking from a forest. The three of them rushed over. When the flashlight illuminated the scene, their hearts sank.
Yellow Peach and Little Pine Bear had indeed fallen into a pit, but it was worse than just a hole. At the bottom was a hunting trap. Yellow Peach’s abdomen was caught in the metal jaws, and her blood had soaked her fur. Fortunately, Little Pine Bear had landed on top of her and was uninjured, but he was too small to jump out of the pit.
If no one had found them, both the mother and son would have died in that trap. Although the camera only caught a glimpse, many viewers saw the situation. They had stayed in the live stream specifically to see Ming Yi find them, never expecting such a result.
“Damn it! Does the person who set that trap have any parents?”
“How is Yellow Peach? There is so much blood. Can she be saved? Little Bear cannot lose his mother!”
“Thank goodness they went to look. I am sorry, Ming Yi, for saying you were making a fuss earlier.”
Seeing the blood on Yellow Peach’s abdomen, Ming Yi’s mind went blank. He instinctively reached out to pull the trap open, but Ji Nian stopped him. “Do not use your hands! Find a tool!”
The production team realized something was wrong and immediately sent staff to help. They had to handle this humanely, or they would be criticized to death.
After much effort, Yellow Peach was quickly transferred to the only veterinary station in the village. The vet gave her stitches and started an IV drip, but he shook his head and said the situation was grim. If she could not make it until tomorrow, she likely would not survive.
Ming Yi did not leave. He sat on a chair nearby to wait for the drip to finish. Ji Nian and Shen Pan waited with him. However, less than an hour later, the vet came over, sighed, shook his head, and stopped the infusion.
For a moment, all was silent. Ji Nian felt Ming Yi stiffen beside him. He wanted to say a few words of comfort and patted Ming Yi’s shoulder. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed a drop of liquid hit the floor.
He froze and looked up. He discovered that the silent Ming Yi was already covered in tears. He made no sound, his eyes were red, and his face remained expressionless as he stared at the ground. He let the tears slide down his cheeks and gather at his thin chin before falling.
It was a sadness that needed no words to be clearly expressed.
“Little Pine Bear has no mother anymore,” Ming Yi said in a trembling voice.