“I think so too, this lady has such great presence!”
Having just been praised by Ge Yan, and now complimented by a handsome young man, the middle-aged woman was overjoyed, eagerly showing off to her friends in the video call.
“This young man is so handsome! And he says I have great presence!”
“Sis, you can search for my account, it’s called Harbin’s Hua.”
The woman widened her eyes, half-believing, and switched out of WeChat to open Douyin and search.
An interface popped up, the profile picture was indeed the young man in front of her.
Over 9 million followers.
“Oh my! Girls, I’ve met a big internet celebrity!”
Ge Yan chimed in: “Of course, he’s really popular—Auntie, can we discuss something?”
“Go ahead!”
Seeing how straightforward the woman was, Ge Yan smiled and said: “We’ll help you film a dance video and post it on his channel, and we’ll even get you on TV, how about that?”
Before the woman could fully understand, the other women in the video call immediately got excited.
“Where are you? I’ll come right now, opportunities to be on TV don’t come often!”
“On TV? Great, great!”
“But…” Ge Yan suddenly interrupted, mysteriously, “I have one small condition.”
“No problem!”
The woman agreed immediately, and Ge Yan smiled as she stated her purpose: “You have to buy all this handsome guy’s shoes!”
“Sure!” The woman was very straightforward. Those cloth shoes might be a bit ugly, but they’d work as regular cloth shoes.
After all, a chance to be on TV isn’t easy to come by.
Thinking about how her son and grandson could see her on TV, the woman happily stomped her feet on the spot.
Qin Dehua was great at stirring up excitement. As soon as the other aunties rushed over at lightning speed, he immediately started dancing with them to square dance music.
It has to be said, Northeasterners have a natural, powerful sense of rhythm.
Qin Dehua did a quick edit and uploaded it to his social media platform. Seeing the likes skyrocket, the woman happily stuffed money into Qin Dehua’s arms.
“When can I see myself on TV?”
Ge Yan explained that in about two weeks, they could see today’s recording on a TV variety show, and they could even share it in their family group chats.
It has to be said, Ge Yan was clever, perfectly understanding that little desire to show off that the aunties had.
The aunties were overjoyed. Ge Yan and Qin Dehua exchanged a glance and raised their eyebrows, their teamwork seamless.
Income +300 yuan.
Today, they could earn some more snacks for their little calf again!
On the other side, Shen Yuanming watched Ge Yan and Qin Dehua chatting and laughing, lost in thought, not even hearing the young girl beside him asking about the price of the cloth shoes.
Cen Yan followed Shen Yuanming’s gaze, which eventually landed on Ge Yan, who was celebrating with Song Ruan and the others, hugging each other.
“Handsome, are these shoes still for sale?”
Shen Yuanming snapped back to reality, his voice cold: “Yes, 30.”
His demeanor was nothing like someone doing business.
Having been in high society for too long, in the past, he only needed to sit there swirling a wine glass, and people would bring contracts begging him to sign.
“That’s a bit expensive, can you give a little discount?” The girl looked at him expectantly.
Shen Yuanming showed a hint of impatience: “No, minimum 30.”
“I don’t want a price discount, can you take a selfie with me?”
After saying this, the girl didn’t forget to take out her phone.
Shen Yuanming frowned, about to refuse, but Cen Yan stepped in first, pulling his arm and taking the phone: “Of course we can.””Thank you.” The girl took the phone and smiled at Shen Yuanming.
Shen Yuanming hadn’t yet reacted, staring blankly at the enthusiastic Cen Yan.
He had come to this godforsaken place to sell shoes for her sake, all for just thirty yuan.
Yet she had pushed him aside, letting another girl take a photo with him?
Cen Yan could see what Shen Yuanming was thinking, her smile growing even brighter. “Don’t be angry, it’s just a photo.”
Shen Yuanming looked at Cen Yan and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart.
It seemed she didn’t care about him at all, just like when she had disappeared years ago after hearing about the misdiagnosis.
Thinking back, only Ge Yan had stayed by his side then, yet in his eyes, he had never truly seen Ge Yan.
He stood there numbly, letting Cen Yan take a photo of him with this girl. The girl was so delighted that she bought two pairs of shoes on the spot.
With Cen Yan’s beauty as an added draw, an older woman recognized her and bought a pair too. In the end, only one pair of shoes remained.
As for Song Xiyuan’s group, they had only sold three pairs. It was almost noon—the deadline set by the production team—and currently, Ge Yan and Qin Dehua were in the lead.
Cen Yan was determined to beat Ge Yan, but by now, the market was thinning out, and this last pair of shoes just wouldn’t sell.
Yet the barrage of comments was growing thicker.
“Ge Yan’s expression really looks like someone from a small town.”
“Life isn’t easy; CEO Shen is out here hustling.”
“Our girl is so open and generous, not jealous at all.”
“Ahhhhh, where is this village? I want to go take a photo with Cen Yan too!”
“Pausing my exam to go buy shoes!”
As time was running out, Cen Yan grew increasingly anxious. She whispered to Yuanming, “Think of something, quick. I can’t lose, especially not to Ge Yan. Understand?”
But Shen Yuanming had no interest. “It’s completely unnecessary. It’s just a show.”
“No! Ah Ming, I’ve never lost to her before!”
“…”
Shen Yuanming looked at the woman before him, his expression complicated.
He did like Cen Yan a lot, drawn to her unrestrained and bold nature.
He disliked Ge Yan’s tendency to wallow in self-pity and lack of self-identity.
But now, it seemed they had swapped places.
Ge Yan had become carefree and at ease, while Cen Yan seemed trapped by some invisible shackles.
While packing up her stall, Ge Yan suddenly thought of something and hurriedly looked over at Shen Yuanming and the others.
Shen Yuanming had always worn a deeply troubled expression, but now it was even more pronounced.
She walked over and said politely, “Excuse me, could I buy that last pair of shoes?”
Both Shen Yuanming and Cen Yan turned to look at her, their expressions cold.
“Oh dear…”
She had walked right into the line of fire.
Ge Yan instantly realized—these two… were arguing again.
“My apologies for disturbing you.”
“Sell.”
“Don’t sell.”
Just as Ge Yan turned to leave, they spoke simultaneously.
Cen Yan refused to sell, but Shen Yuanming said he would.
Behind the monitor, the Director scratched his head vigorously, having nearly pulled out all his hair over the past two days.
After a long pause, he sighed and said to the person beside him, “How did these two start up again?”
Then, helplessly, he opened the walkie-talkie and instructed the crew to focus more on filming others.
Ge Yan stood there frozen, unsure whether to leave or stay, and began nervously chewing on her thumbnail.
Shen Yuanming looked at Cen Yan, the domineering CEO utterly confused. “Didn’t you tell me to think of a way to sell this last pair of shoes?”Cen Yan’s expression was pale as she avoided his gaze. “But I didn’t say I was selling it to her.”
“What difference does it make who you sell it to?”
“Shen Yuanming, you know exactly what I mean.”
Shen Yuanming closed his eyes wearily. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“If you’re saying that, doesn’t it mean you know what I mean?”
“I know what you mean, but I don’t understand why you’re doing this. What’s the point?”
“Not selling it to her—that’s my point!”
This exchange could easily be considered a nightmare scenario for international students abroad. Even Ge Yan couldn’t follow the logic.
She raised her hand gently, like a schoolgirl. “Sorry, I don’t mean anything by it. If it’s not for sale, I’ll leave now.”
Ge Yan finally understood: some people are only suited to be “white moonlight.”
When two strong-willed people come together, there’s only one outcome—they end up tormenting each other.
Without the support of material comforts, facing ordinary hardships together exposes their flaws mercilessly.
This was why Cen Yan and Shen Yuanming had been arguing so frequently since joining the show.
Suddenly, Shen Yuanming reached out and grabbed Ge Yan’s arm, shoving the shoes into her embrace.
“Sell them to you.”
Cen Yan froze, staring at Shen Yuanming in disbelief. She never expected him to defy her like this for Ge Yan.
The next moment, her eyes reddened.
Ge Yan wished she could slap herself twice across the mouth. Why did she have to come here to buy shoes?
Honestly, running into these two lunatics.
“For all the pain of love’s obsession, for all the wounds of hatred’s obsession…”
The song suddenly blared from the loudspeaker of a clothing vendor on the street.
Paired with Cen Yan’s sorrowful expression, it felt like the latest season of The Temptation of Returning to the Village.
Ge Yan felt like an old lady crawling into bed—she almost burst out laughing.
As the saying goes:
These two should never break up. Bless them, lock them together, and spare others the trouble.
The production team finally announced the results.
First place went to Ge Yan and Qin Dehua, who would receive a voucher for a grand meal in the town.
Second place went to Cen Yan and Shen Yuanming, who would receive a voucher for local specialty dishes.
Last place went to Song Xiyuan and Lin Dang, who would receive a voucher for local snacks.
The grand meal voucher was for the town’s top restaurant—Xiangsihai Restaurant.
A “premium banquet hall” decorated like a wedding venue from the nineties.
The specialty dishes were served at a cozy farmhouse inn, with plastic ivy crawling all over the walls—a mix of refinement and carelessness.
As for Song Xiyuan, it felt like a blow to the head.
A… food… stall…
“Is Xixi’s persona on this show just to suffer?”
“Hahahahaha, it’s oddly amusing.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen such a stark and helpless feeling so vividly.”
Lin Dang tried to comfort Song Xiyuan, pointing out that there were plenty of delicious things at the stall.
Song Xiyuan frowned as she sat on a plastic chair, eyeing the beer advertisement pasted on the table and the unwashed grease stains with slight disdain. “My stomach isn’t great. I can’t eat things that aren’t clean…”
“Are food stalls really that unclean?”
“I silently put down my barbecue and beer.”
“I always thought she was pretentious, but you all didn’t believe me…”
Before Song Xiyuan could finish, Lin Dang tugged at her clothes, reminding her that they were still live-streaming.Song Xiyuan had been utterly exhausted these past two days and had completely forgotten about this matter.
She was slightly taken aback, completely unsure how to remedy the situation.
Just then, she suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind.
Turning around, she saw it was actually Ge Yan.
Ge Yan had brought Song Ruan along, with Qin Dehua and Shen Yan beside them.
The four of them walked over, chatting and laughing.
Song Xiyuan stood up, wondering what these people were doing here—had they come to mock her?
But in front of the cameras, she still wore an expectant expression, hoping to make up for her earlier slip of the tongue.
“Sister Ge Yan, what brings you all here?”
Song Xiyuan had debuted in H Country and was skilled at managing her expressions. To those who didn’t know better, she truly seemed like a sweet, well-behaved girl.
Ge Yan handed her large meal vouchers to Song Xiyuan. “We discussed it with the production team and exchanged four large meal vouchers for four snack vouchers.”
Song Xiyuan thought she had misheard. Stunned, she stared at the unexpected windfall, completely speechless.
Qin Dehua chimed in, “It’s been so long since I’ve had these kinds of snacks. It’s perfect for satisfying a craving today.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ge Yan had already taken Song Ruan’s hand and dashed over to the menu, pointing at the dishes. “This one’s delicious, and this one too! And this! I heard it’s naturally farmed crayfish, especially the garlic butter flavor—it’s incredibly fragrant!”
Song Xiyuan slowly took the two large meal vouchers and glanced at Lin Dang, her smile barely contained. “Oh, how embarrassing!”
Though she said this, she tightly clutched the vouchers to her chest, not feeling the slightest bit embarrassed.
In truth, the most atmospheric spot was the specialty dish area. The small farmhouse restaurant had a few rustic wooden tables, with few people around. In the courtyard, several vibrant red roses were in full bloom.
Yet Shen Yuanming and Cen Yan each sat there in silence.
A server stood between them holding the menu for a long time, but neither spoke up.
The server cautiously reminded them again, “Sir, miss, you’ve already refilled your tea three times. Are you sure you don’t want to order anything?”
The meal vouchers had no spending limit—they covered as much as you could eat.
Shen Yuanming glanced at Cen Yan. She certainly knew how to keep her composure.
Shen Yuanming didn’t want things to become too awkward, especially since the director had just mentioned that fans were eager to see footage of them. If they didn’t show anything, it might lead to negative comments.
He didn’t care much about such things himself, but he was worried it might affect Cen Yan’s image.
Shen Yuanming finally spoke up. “No matter what, let’s eat first.”
This was his way of offering her an olive branch.
Cen Yan’s voice was cold and indifferent. “I’m not hungry.”
“You haven’t eaten since morning. Can you please not joke about your health like this?”
“Is that so?” Cen Yan lowered her gaze and sneered. “Do you even care how I am?”
“I…” Shen Yuanming paused, then conceded. “I don’t want to argue with you today. Let’s just eat, okay?”
His tone even carried a hint of hope.
Cen Yan remained unmoved, and Shen Yuanming let out a deep sigh.
“Yanyan, please don’t be like this. I’ll be leaving in a little while.”
Hearing this, Cen Yan finally showed a flicker of emotion but pretended as if nothing had happened. “Why are you going back so suddenly?”
Shen Yuanming was glad she was finally willing to engage with him, but the thought of the troubles awaiting him back home wiped the smile from his face.”The Song family from the capital has already extended its reach to Haicheng. I need to go back to handle some business matters.”
The Song family?!
Cen Yan jolted, instantly alert.
So that person really was Song Bojian—he truly had come to Haicheng!
But why would he suddenly appear here?
Seeing Cen Yan so distracted, Shen Yuanming finally softened.
“Yanyan, after I leave, you must take good care of yourself. If it really gets too much, just quit the recording.”
Cen Yan snapped back to attention and absentmindedly shook her head. “Oh, it’s fine. Like I said, I think it’s quite interesting.”