The next afternoon, the production team’s vehicle arrived at the Han family’s old residence. Two cameramen got out, carrying their equipment.
The official livestream wouldn’t begin until tomorrow, but today there would be a warm-up, the livestream room entrances for the three teams would open early, broadcasting the entire process of the production team picking up the guests at their homes. Since this was just the usual guest pickup and didn’t involve the audience’s favorite ghost mountain exploration segment, it wouldn’t count as part of the official livestream content.
For this trip, Han Fengchen didn’t even bring an assistant. However, since Chu Mingjia was going as well, the Han family’s steward arranged for two bodyguards, one male, one female.
After all, one was the wife of Mr. Han, the other the young master of the Han family. If anything happened to either of them, it would be impossible to explain.
Audiences in the livestream had been waiting early in Han Fengchen’s stream, eager for him to appear.
Although Han Fengchen had spent several years abroad, he had debuted as a child star, was handsome, came from a good family, and had always enjoyed immense popularity.
Many people were camped out in the livestream just to catch a glimpse of the legendary Han family old residence.
However, when the Han family’s gate opened, the person who walked out wasn’t their idol Han Fengchen. Instead, it was a young woman wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and a bucket hat.
The woman had delicate features, fair skin, and a curvy figure. Her every move carried a certain grace. She walked out holding her phone, followed by Han Fengchen, and behind him, the two bodyguards carrying suitcases.
The key point was: why was Han Fengchen walking behind the woman?
【Who is this girl? Is she Chenchen’s assistant?】
【No way, no way, if she’s an assistant, she’s way, way too pretty, right?】
【Isn’t this supposed to be a celebrity + feng shui master pairing? Could she be Chenchen’s partner?】
【But she doesn’t really look like someone who knows how to catch ghosts.】
ᘻᘿᓍᘺ
While the livestream audience was debating endlessly, under the camera’s gaze, one of the Han family bodyguards stepped forward, opened the car door, and bent slightly. “Madam, please get in.”
The livestream: “…”
【Wait a minute… is this the legendary… Mrs. Han?】
Within minutes, the livestream audience had dug up all the information about Mrs. Han.
This young woman was indeed Han Fengchen’s stepmother. She was only 23 years old, just six years older than her stepson.
But despite that, no one mocked her. Her husband was only 37, young, handsome, and wealthy. As the head of a wealthy and powerful family in the southern city, he was countless people’s dream partner, completely different from the father-figure or grandfather-figure CEO types.
Unlike the previous Mrs. Han-to-be, this young and beautiful Mrs. Han came from an ordinary background, had an average education, and possessed no standout qualities. That was why, at the beginning, the story of her relationship with Mr. Han drew so much attention.
Everyone was curious: what exactly did the head of the Han family see in Chu Mingjia?
But the Han family protected her well. No matter how hard the paparazzi tried, they couldn’t dig up a single clue. It was as if the two had never even interacted.
Those people had no choice but to give up, however reluctantly.
No one expected that less than a year later, Mrs. Han would appear alongside her stepson, and personally accompany him to film a reality show!
In less than half an hour, a massive number of users flooded into Chu Mingjia’s livestream. Today’s broadcast was only supposed to be a warm-up for tomorrow’s official stream, but the viewership was off the charts.
Even the show’s director, monitoring the back end, was stunned.
The director called Han Fengchen’s accompanying producer. “What’s going on? Why is Mrs. Han coming along too?”
The producer, a young woman, was sitting in the passenger seat. She lowered her voice. “Director, she’s just accompanying him. Once they reach the destination, she’ll leave.”
The producer had asked earlier, and that’s what Chu Mingjia had said. She made it clear she wouldn’t interfere with the show’s livestream, she was only sending her stepson to Qishan, and then she’d go home herself.
After hearing this, Director Zhang Song felt a twinge of regret. After all, the combination of Mrs. Han and her stepson was incredibly popular. Hundreds of thousands of viewers had poured into the livestream within an hour. Zhang Song wouldn’t have dared to dream of that kind of traffic.
Unfortunately, his show was a ghost-hunting reality program. Han Fengchen’s partner had to be a feng shui master. Unless his stepmother could catch ghosts, there was no way she could team up with Han Fengchen.
Zhang Song sighed and hung up. Now all he could hope was that Mrs. Han would care enough about her stepson to stay with Han Fengchen for a few extra days, letting his niche show ride a bit of that popularity wave.
Chu Mingjia and Han Fengchen got into the same car. Although the livestream camera was pointed right at them, it was clear neither of them was in the mood to put on a show.
The heat level from Han Fengchen’s fight with Xu Chen hadn’t died down yet, and now, of all things, Han Fengchen and Xu Chen were appearing on the same show. The buzz exploded instantly.
Xu Chen had decided to join the show at the last minute. He was convinced that any show Han Fengchen signed up for was bound to have explosive moments. Since he’d been having a string of bad luck, he figured following Han Fengchen’s path might not be so disastrous.
To make it happen, he’d called Director Zhang Song directly and had a minor eighteenth-tier celebrity bumped from the lineup.
Han Fengchen looked at the phone the production team had given him. Seeing the trending topic #XuChen&HanFengchen GhostMountainShow#, he was so angry his nose practically twisted sideways.
The audience in the livestream was still busy discussing Chu Mingjia and Han Fengchen.
All kinds of gossip about the Han family were circulating online. For example, it was said that the old lady of the Han family was deeply devoted to feng shui. She had not only hired a national advisor for the Han Group but also maintained close ties with many feng shui masters in the industry.
Because of this, some claimed that the current Mrs. Han had been personally chosen by the old lady, allegedly for her husband-benefiting appearance.
However, as the heir of the Han family, Han Fengchen was said to be deeply dissatisfied with his stepmother, and their relationship was reportedly very strained.
This rumor had been circulating for a long time, with countless versions floating around online. Now that Han Fengchen and his stepmother were appearing together in the livestream, curious onlookers rushed to watch the drama unfold.
But after watching for a while, no one saw any signs of a bad relationship between this makeshift mother and son.
【To be fair, this stepmother is indeed a bit young.】
【Emmmm, who’s to blame for that? Mr. Han just had to go and get someone pregnant while he’s still young. Doge face jpg】
【Mr. Han is 37, Chenchen is 17, wow, so Mr. Han became a dad at 20!】
【Isn’t it said that Chenchen and his stepmother don’t get along? I’m not seeing it at all.】
【Yeah, not only do they get along, Chenchen is kind of acting like a simp…】
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Ever since last night, Han Fengchen’s worldview had been completely shaken, and his opinion of Chu Mingjia had changed dramatically.
He still felt a bit awkward around her now. After all, he had once made so many harsh declarations, things like he would never acknowledge her as his mother unless a ghost sat on his neck, or that he would rather die and jump off a rooftop than accept Chu Mingjia’s protection…
The tougher his words had been back then, the more his face stung now.
He took two cartons of milk from the fridge and pretended to casually offer one to Chu Mingjia. Stiffly, he said, “Drink your milk.”
Chu Mingjia glanced at him. He widened his eyes and said, his ears red, “Don’t bother looking at me like that. I like my milk hot, so they’re both heated.”
Chu Mingjia silently reached out and took the milk. “Thanks,” she said.
Blushing, Han Fengchen took the straw, inserted it into the carton, and then handed it to Chu Mingjia.
The livestream audience was speechless.
【Um, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Chenchen obsessed with cold drinks? Didn’t he drink iced Coke even in the dead of winter?】
【Argh, damn it, Chenchen acting all fierce but then casually putting the straw in for her… Chenchen, don’t be like this. I don’t want to ship this, QAQ.】
【I see it now. Chenchen really likes his stepmother, but he’s just awkward about it, so he forces himself to act tough. No wonder so many articles claim they don’t get along.】
ᘻᘿᓍᘺ
From Nancheng to the small town at the foot of Qishan was about a four-hour drive. Han Fengchen’s livestream had only just started, and it already had hundreds of thousands of viewers!
Director Zhang Song never dreamed that his niche supernatural show could trend on social media and generate millions of discussions.
He was smiling so hard his eyes had turned into slits. Silently, he prayed that Mrs. Han would stay with Han Fengchen for a few more days so his show could ride the wave of popularity. If only Mrs. Han knew how to catch ghosts, he would have invited her to be a guest outright and team her up with Han Fengchen.
A wealthy young stepmother teaming up with her stepson, what an explosive hook!
Sigh. What a shame.
Zhang Song shook his head regretfully. If only Mrs. Han could catch ghosts, QAQ.
When they got on the highway, the three vehicles picking up the three celebrity guests successfully converged at the highway entrance. Then the three cars set off together toward Qishan.
The Han family’s car was in the middle, with Xu Chen’s car directly ahead.
Han Fengchen’s expression was dark. Even though he hated Xu Chen, he couldn’t help but wonder: why was Xu Chen so certain that he had raised a little ghost?
Han Fengchen knew for a fact that he would never do such a thing. So how could Xu Chen be so sure?
Well, fine. Once they got to Qishan, he’d find an opportunity to ask Xu Chen, clearly and thoroughly.
Chu Mingjia was already resting against her seat. Han Fengchen didn’t dare make a sound. He sat beside her, agonizing for a long time, before finally and cautiously grabbing a blanket. Looking as guilty as a thief, he draped it over Chu Mingjia.
Livestream: 【…Does he forget we’re still watching?】
【LOL, I’m dying. Look at how sneaky he is.】
【Don’t worry, Chenchen. When Sister Chu wakes up, we’ll definitely tell her you put the blanket on her.】
ᘻᘿᓍᘺ
The distance from Nancheng to Qishan was a five-hour drive, three hours on the highway and two hours on mountain roads.
Just before they exited the highway, the production team’s vehicles pulled into a service area for a break. Everyone was let out to stretch their legs, and the crew could buy some food. The next two hours of mountain roads would be bumpy, and they wouldn’t reach the small town at the foot of Qishan until five or six in the afternoon.
Since morning, Han Fengchen had only drunk a small carton of milk. He hadn’t dared to drink any water, all to avoid having to use the restroom at the service area.
Having debuted as a child star, he had encountered far too many bizarre and terrifying incidents.
Chu Mingjia took off her eye mask, set aside the blanket, and stood up.
Han Fengchen nearly jumped out of his seat. “What are you doing?”
Chu Mingjia glanced at him with her usual neutral expression. “Going to the restroom.”
Han Fengchen paused, his brow furrowing as if he were deeply conflicted.
Not knowing what he was so torn about, Chu Mingjia turned and got out of the car.
Han Fengchen immediately said to the two bodyguards, “You two, go with her! And you, stand guard at the door for Madam!”
The last instruction was directed at the female bodyguard. Both bodyguards nodded and immediately followed Chu Mingjia.
Han Fengchen had his own trauma when it came to using public restrooms, so he was genuinely worried about Chu Mingjia. But men and women were different, and given their relationship, he had to maintain proper boundaries. All he could do was sit in the car and wait.
When Chu Mingjia went to the restroom, she happened to see Xu Chen being escorted by his assistants and bodyguards, also heading that way. The two met at the entrance. Xu Chen was wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a baseball cap. When he saw Chu Mingjia, his expression shifted slightly, though fortunately, he was so bundled up that no one noticed.
For some reason, Xu Chen felt a bit intimidated by Chu Mingjia. She had a pair of eyes that seemed to see right through everything, and that made him uneasy.
Chu Mingjia spotted him and initially couldn’t be bothered to meddle. But since they were now traveling together, and to avoid future trouble, she paused and said, “Xu Chen.”
Xu Chen’s footsteps faltered for a moment, but he didn’t stop. He strode into the restroom with his bodyguards.
However, Xu Chen’s assistant knew that Chu Mingjia was Mrs. Han and didn’t want the relationship to become too strained. He quickly stopped and said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Han. Brother Xu can’t afford to linger in public places for too long. I’m his assistant, if there’s something you need, you can tell me.”
Chu Mingjia looked at the young assistant with her usual expressionless face. “It’s nothing much. Just tell him not to go near any water today. It would be best if he avoids the restroom as well.”
Assistant: “…”
What? Was Mrs. Han really trying to control whether Xu Chen used the restroom?
Having said her piece, Chu Mingjia headed into the women’s restroom.
Back in the car, Han Fengchen didn’t have a livestream camera following him. But Xu Chen’s camera had been trailing him the whole time. Since Xu Chen had gone inside, the camera happened to capture Chu Mingjia and Xu Chen’s assistant.
Their conversation was naturally broadcast live.
Fans in Xu Chen’s livestream were anything but polite: 【Tsk, who does this woman think she is? All mysterious and cryptic. You’d think she was some kind of master.】
【LOL, the masters the show invited are already waiting at Qishan. Brother Xu’s partner, Master Wuchen, just did a reading and said Brother Xu’s journey would go smoothly, if anything happens, he’ll turn bad luck into good!】
【Does this lady think that just because she married into the Han family, she understands feng shui and divination? If she wants to hit on Brother Xu, she should just say so, instead of making up all this nonsense.】
【Does she live by the ocean or something? Why does she have to stick her nose into everything? She even has to tell him not to use the restroom. Why doesn’t she just hold it in herself?】
ᘻᘿᓍᘺ
Not only did the fans in the livestream think this way, but Xu Chen’s assistant thought the same.