Jiang Lingye: “…”
Qin Chaoyue made her entrance with force.
Jiang Lingye had just said goodbye to the workers and was about to climb in—
“Hold on.”
Qin Chaoyue said, “Sit in the front.”
Her tone carried a hint of disdain. “You reek. Don’t let it get to me.”
“…………”
As a celebrity, Jiang Lingye was used to sitting in the back of the nanny van. Blocked now, the young man rolled his eyes.
The loose strands of hair at his forehead were damp, making the eyes beneath them look all the deeper and darker.
Bright as stars.
And then.
He obediently opened the front door anyway, though he couldn’t help muttering a couple of complaints as he got in.
“You could’ve just not let me in the car.”
“No problem,” Qin Chaoyue said flatly. “It’s not my car anyway.”
Jiang Lingye: “…”
[The car: Wait, is no one going to speak up for me?]
[Qin Chaoyue seems so arrogant]
[Who knew she’d have no patience for celebrities but be so nice to ordinary people]
[This lady is definitely a hater of the rich]
[Oh no oh no, don’t tell me my wife is Jiang Lingye’s sister?]
[Not that!! Anything but that!!]
[Relax, it won’t happen~]
[My wife only swapped identity cards with him, so she owes him a little favor. She’s just paying it back now—debt settled, all even]
[Wait, where did she even get a car?]
Qin Chaoyue took Jiang Lingye to the office.
Along the way, she didn’t ask how his work went or whether it was exhausting, much less buy him a new meal.
Jiang Lingye was still eating the food from the construction site.
The young man just sat there, letting the cold air blow over him.
Truthfully, Jiang Lingye shared the same curiosity as the bullet comments—what exactly was going on with Qin Chaoyue?
Wasn’t she a real estate salesperson? Why was what she did completely different from what he’d imagined?
And besides…
She carried herself like someone with real power, with lots of people under her taking orders.
Only.
It was lunch break right now, and Qin Chaoyue kept taking calls, talking to whoever was on the other end for a while each time.
Apparently… it wasn’t easy for her either.
Jiang Lingye watched her without disturbing her.
The hot sweat on his body had mostly dried in the air conditioning, but now a deeper chill rose in his heart.
Standing there, it was as if an unbridgeable gulf separated the two of them.
Right.
They had always been people from two different worlds.
“Why did you come on this show?”
Jiang Lingye asked the question before he even realized it was what he’d been thinking.
[I know this one!]
[My brother/sister called me to join]
[Is this because my wife is so high-end that some people feel inferior… Not me though!]
[My wife may be amazing, but I’m trash. My stomach’s weak, so freeloading suits me just fine. We’re a match made in heaven!]
[Wifey, feed me, carry me…]
“If you didn’t come on this show, we’d both be dead.”
Bullet comments: [??]
She said it with such a serious, earnest tone that Jiang Lingye laughed for no reason he could name.
“Weirdo.”
[Little bro, you’ve got some nerve now]
Noticing Qin Chaoyue’s gaze, Jiang Lingye quickly changed the subject. “Your job looks like it’s going pretty well?”
Qin Chaoyue sat down and said lazily, “I manage.”
An eyebrow raised.
“And you?”
“Getting by.”
“Then that means it’s still not enough.”
Jiang Lingye: ?
“It’s still too easy for you.” Qin Chaoyue started shooing him out. “Hurry up and go. Do some more manual labor and clear out that brain of yours that’s got nothing better to do than overthink.”
Jiang Lingye: ??
“Better to have sweat in your head than water.”
Jiang Lingye: “…”
And so, Jiang Lingye was kicked out yet again.
A top star being summoned and dismissed at will—he couldn’t… couldn’t exactly act arrogant about it.
Before he left, Qin Chaoyue called out to him: “Take that box of iced water over.”
“No need, the site has—”
Now it was Qin Chaoyue’s turn to roll her eyes. “It’s not just for you.”
Her tone turned commanding: “Move it.”
The camera zoomed in on the young man about to leave.
【Tsk tsk, that poor picked-on look…】
【Jiang Lingye’s temper is way too good—I’m starting to doubt all those rumors about him throwing tantrums and acting like a diva】
【Hah, fans, stop pretending. Anyone can put on an act on a variety show】
Qin Chaoyue suddenly tossed something over.
Jiang Lingye, trained in dance, caught it with quick reflexes and looked down.
A tube of sunscreen.
He looked up.
Qin Chaoyue waved her hand impatiently.
“Remember to put it on.”
Jiang Lingye’s grip tightened, and that lazy line of hers echoed in his ears again.
—”That face is the only thing worth looking at. Take better care of it.”
Jiang Lingye’s voice was slightly hoarse. “Thank you.”
【Even a puppy gets… a spring?】
【Hah, keep dreaming!】
Evening.
All the guests returned after a day of work and gathered together again, their individual streams merging into one.
The comment section was buzzing.
【Not easy at all】
【I watched Cen Xuyi carefully plan her routes, and she only managed about ten deliveries all afternoon】
【She thought her performance was pretty decent, but when the show asked an actual professional delivery rider, she realized she was nothing. She got humble real quick—hilarious】
【The little sister had it rough too!】
【Wasn’t she working as a waitress? With that baby face, the customers thought she was underage and the restaurant was employing child labor—someone almost called the police!!】
【Luckily a staff member from the show stepped in and said she was the boss’s relative, which narrowly averted a righteous intervention. But the look on that customer’s face as they left—they were genuinely worried about her】
【There are still good people in this world (doge)】
【Jiang Lingye planted trees all day】
【I watched Zhuo Xi’s stream instead. His numbers were decent—basically using his looks and sweet talk to get rich ladies to buy. Sales were fine, but something about it felt off】
【Oh~ the fans of that super-male-chromosome guy who beat people up have caught the scent】
【Xixi just wanted to work hard and boost sales—what did he do wrong? There’s nothing wrong with this. Beauty is an asset in itself!】
【These days, some people are useless themselves but can’t stand seeing others succeed. Now even working hard is a crime! What a backwards world!】
【Luo Zibai’s fans, checking in】
【Mumu’s violin playing was so beautiful, I’m crying. Fairy Mumu can do anything. Everyone who ate at Nordland today was blessed】
【Jealousy, jealousy—jealousy is making my eyes go crazy】
【If you ask me, the worst off was Zhuo Jiahan. An animal keeper? He’s clearly the chosen one—the Chosen Pooper Scooper】
【Isn’t this just bullying the honest guy!.jpg】
【Ugh—stop, stop talking, I can smell it through the screen】
【So who’s first place?】
The guests were asking each other the same question.
Especially after Xu Mucheng “casually” let slip that she’d received several rather generous tips.
Zhuo Jiahan eagerly stepped forward to praise her: “Then today’s first place must surely go to Miss Xu.”
His entire day had been extremely rough.
Even though he had flaunted his wealth, his looks were still far inferior to those of the celebrities.
Not to mention the two ordinary guest participants alongside him—each one more good-looking than the last!
The production team had initially forbidden them from revealing their family relationship, so he had already started at a disadvantage, and then his card draws had been a total disaster. By the end of the day, he had suffered both physical and mental torment.
Now that a group shot had finally come around, how could he not grab a share of the spotlight and perform well?
Luo Zibai: ?
How was someone faster than him?
Luo Zibai’s eyes carried a hint of resentful hostility as he looked at Zhuo Jiahan, but he also stepped forward, smiling in congratulations.
“Congratulations, Mumu.”
Xu Mucheng faintly seemed to smell an odor.
She didn’t know who it was coming from, but with the cameras rolling, she couldn’t show it. She could only smile gently and shyly.
“Where? It’s not decided yet. They haven’t announced it. Everyone has worked so hard and done so well—everyone has a chance.”
“No, it definitely can’t be me. Among the remaining people, the only one who drew a decent identity card is… Zhuo Xi.”
Hearing his name called, Zhuo Xi immediately jumped in to explain.
“Not me either. I just got a bit lucky.” He flashed Xu Mucheng an obedient smile.
“First place has to go to Mucheng-jie.”
Xu Mucheng acted delighted and flustered, covering her mouth with her hand, her visible eyes bright like a little rabbit’s.
“Really? Me? You’re all not just trying to make me happy, are you?”
Internally, she was only half pleased.
Why only half?
Damn it!
This Zhuo Xi was clearly older than her, yet here he was calling her “jie” (older sister).
It made her sound old for no reason.
“Mumu, you’re one of a kind! I believe you’re the best!!” Luo Zibai suddenly lifted Xu Mucheng up in his arms.
He had played plenty of domineering CEO roles in idol dramas, and now that he was doing it for real, he had it down pat.
And so, under the gaze of countless eyes and cameras, the two began a romantic round of lifting and spinning.
[kswl kswl]
[Luo-Richeng-Xi is real, locked in! Such a sweet CP—who dares not ship it]
[Sisters, who gets it—if you can’t get behind this couple, you’re truly doomed]
Not far away.
Fifteen-year-old Tang Yeli’s mouth fell open in shock, her face the picture of someone who had never seen the world.
“This—this…”
Before she could say anything, Cen Xuyi had already sprung into action, covering her mouth and pulling her back.
Her meaningful gaze landed on the group in front.
She smelled it too.
The odor was probably coming from Zhuo Jiahan. Considering the identity card he had drawn…
It wasn’t hard to imagine what had happened to him.
Xu Mucheng and Luo Zibai were even closer to him and could smell it more clearly, yet the two of them still carried on their little duet as if no one else were around.
Truly remarkable people.
[OJBK, little sister Lili has been forcibly silenced]
[Let me say it!]
[Uh, isn’t this a sibling variety show? Is it really okay for these two to be doing this?]
[Fam, who gets it—the forbidden love is exactly what I’m shipping! Ahhh so sweet, so sweet, SO SWEET!!]
Luo Zibai was handsome and sunny; Xu Mucheng’s smile rang out like a bell. Put together—
【Good, good, so good—what a well-matched pair of… shameless people :)】
【Girl, say it louder for the people in the back】
The production team announced: “First place—Qin Chaoyue! Amount: 100,037!”
“That’s impossible!”
“How?!”
【How much??】
【A hundred thousand??】
The two’s romantic spinning came to an abrupt halt, their expressions frozen stiff.
The camera panned over to Qin Chaoyue and Jiang Lingye.
The pair of siblings had been staying off in a corner, so they hadn’t been affected by the toxic gas.
Jiang Lingye, who had been doing hard labor all day, had only earned a little over two hundred. Hearing that Qin Chaoyue had made a hundred thousand was unbelievable, utterly inconceivable to him.
“How did you do it?”
The doubt he’d been holding in all afternoon was finally about to be answered.
Qin Chaoyue said, “Promise me that if you really can’t make it in this industry anymore, or if you switch to acting, you’ll never take a role in one of those brain-dead idol dramas.”
Jiang Lingye: “…”
“An eyesore.”
Qin Chaoyue withdrew her gaze and let it fall back onto the pretty boy next door, nodding in satisfaction.
“Much better.”
Luo Zibai was still holding Xu Mucheng in his arms, but his face was turning green and white by turns.
His whole body had gone rigid, the pink bubbles of romance shattering and dissipating in an instant.
Luo Zibai said through gritted teeth, “I don’t believe it. I demand the production team release the footage for verification, in the name of fairness!”
【Rigged! It has to be rigged!!】