Lin Xiyu muttered softly, “It’s different when you’re rushing to school and afraid of being late.”
“Sigh.”
After locking eyes with her for several seconds, Gu Bin reluctantly gave in. “Fine, if you don’t want to bring it, we’ll take a taxi.”
“Taxis are so expensive…”
Just as Lin Xiyu was about to argue, Gu Bin hit her fatal spot with one sentence.
“Don’t you want the ten-thousand-yuan payment if we’re late?”
“Alright, whatever you say.”
Lin Xiyu quickly changed her attitude. “We’ll split the taxi fare. You pay first, and I’ll pay you back when I have money.”
“No need for the last part—it clearly lacks sincerity.”
Gu Bin pretended not to hear, casually picking his ear.
“How is that insincere?”
Feeling looked down upon, Lin Xiyu’s pride was slightly wounded. “I’ll have money once I get the payment.”
Gu Bin smiled schemingly. “Whether you’ll actually get the money is still uncertain…”
“But you said I would?”
Lin Xiyu choked, her confidence wavering. “You’re not tricking me, are you?”
“What do you think?”
Gu Bin’s scheming nature kicked in, and he felt like teasing her again. “What do you have that’s worth me tricking? Your money or your looks?”
“You… you… you!”
Lin Xiyu was genuinely angry this time and was about to lash out at him.
“Go tell your aunt quickly…”
Gu Bin reacted swiftly, changing the topic before she could bristle up. “Ask her to take over the phone booth for you. If we don’t leave now, we’ll really be late. Don’t come crying if you don’t get the payment.”
“You’re really not tricking me?”
Lin Xiyu couldn’t vent her frustration, leaving her feeling stifled and uncomfortable.
Suppressing a laugh, Gu Bin replied with two words.
“Hurry up!”
Half an hour later, a yellow minivan stopped at the entrance of the TV station, where Li Yan greeted them enthusiastically.
Even after signing the contract, Lin Xiyu still couldn’t believe she was really going to earn ten thousand yuan. She felt light-headed, as if walking on clouds, with an unreal sensation.
“Actually, extras don’t really get paid—at most, they get a free lunch. This money was applied for as a reward for your bravery.”
Li Yan found it amusing and whispered in her ear, “You should really thank your classmate. He single-handedly argued with a room full of people and left our station director speechless.”
“Who’s that impressive?”
Lin Xiyu was utterly shocked. “You’re not talking about Gu Bin, are you?”
“Exactly, it’s him.”
Li Yan chuckled teasingly. “That kid is something else. With his talent for sophistry, he’d make an excellent lawyer—he could even anger the dead back to life.”
“Pfft.”
Lin Xiyu couldn’t hold back and spat out her tea.
The contract required Lin Xiyu to cooperate with the program group’s demands, including a series of interviews and follow-up discussions on popular topics like the college entrance exam, university applications, and employment.
Lin Xiyu had no objections. Ten thousand yuan was what her mother would earn after two years of hard work. Merely filming a documentary for such a sum made her feel it would be wrong not to put in extra effort.
Li Yan was pleased with her sensible attitude and immediately arranged for the interview.
The leader and director of the Spring Water Family Program Group was a man around fifty years old, with slightly thinning hair, who appeared meticulous and perfectionistic in his work.
Noticing Lin Xiyu’s faded school uniform, he waved his hand and had someone take her to the changing room to get new clothes.
“Should I wear this?”
Lin Xiyu stared dumbfounded at the outfit the stylist had chosen for her.
The white waist-cinching V-neck sleeveless dress perfectly outlined the girl’s exquisite curves and graceful figure.
It looked truly beautiful, but the neckline was cut too low, revealing a tempting ravine.
She really wasn’t used to this at all!