Director Li said, “Then let’s bring up the An Family’s harvest as well!”
Eight staff members carried up four large black baskets, all filled to the brim.
Someone among the guests let out a “wow.”
Ren Mei shook her head, disbelief written all over her face, and asked An Shijiu, “How did you dig so many?!”
An Shijiu tilted her head. Of course they used a hoe and their hands—what kind of question was that?
She frowned, unsure how to answer Ren Mei.
The system, already accustomed to its host’s rather straightforward mind, naturally instructed her, “Just say your strength gave you an advantage.”
An Shijiu was just about to speak when a low male voice sounded beside her.
Shen Yanjing sat back in his chair with his arms crossed, his long legs slightly bent due to limited space.
Tilting his head, he casually took over the answer. “There’s no special technique. It’s just about physical strength. From start to finish, she didn’t rest, and Xiao Zhe also worked very hard and helped a lot.”
The system clicked its tongue in admiration. “See? People who’ve been in the entertainment industry really do speak at a higher level than us.”
An Shijiu shifted her gaze from Shen Yanjing’s face to Ren Mei’s. Sure enough, she saw her nodding in admiration before turning away.
Since there was no need for her to answer anymore, An Shijiu turned back to look at the director.
After handling a round of social interaction, Shen Yanjing instinctively glanced at An Shijiu, only to see the back of her orange-pink head with its round bun.
Director Li announced, “An Family—339 bamboo shoots. Ranked first in total! Everyone, please applaud!”
—Wow wow wow, congratulations to our queen! I’m posting a barrage in celebration!!
—This is real strength! Twice as many as second place—what now? Still not convinced? Haters, come on!
—It’s just a small competition. Of course delicate civilized people can’t beat barbarians!
—What do you mean? Being good at digging bamboo shoots makes someone a barbarian? Who raised you? Your values are so strange!
—Unrelated people, please leave our fan celebration feast. Sister is amazing, I love her!!
This time, the staff did not need to prompt them—everyone started applauding on their own.
Ye Qingyin clenched her hands tightly, her gaze toward the An Family unconsciously darkening.
Shen Yanjing was her target…
The frustration from repeated failures made it impossible for her to suppress the anger in her heart. She suddenly stood up from her chair.
Everyone looked at her in confusion.
Feeling the gazes from all directions, Ye Qingyin quickly regained her composure, forced a smile, and raised her voice toward the An Family. “Over three hundred bamboo shoots—Yanjing, you really worked hard!”
The guests exchanged glances.
Was she implying that the An Family’s results were all thanks to Shen Yanjing?
Ordinary people might not pick up on it, but those in the entertainment industry knew—once this was said, the An Family would likely be attacked by Yanjing’s fans.
Shen Yanjing lifted his eyelids and looked at Ye Qingyin, a mocking curve forming on his thin lips.
Heh. Playing tricks on him?
Just as he was about to respond, the corner of his eye caught sight of that orange-pink head turning around.
He immediately gave up on retorting to Ye Qingyin and instead looked toward An Shijiu, curious about what she would do.
For once, An Shijiu’s usually emotionless face showed clear dissatisfaction.
Her round, moist eyes stared straight at Ye Qingyin, her brows tightly furrowed, her voice filled with both confusion and displeasure.
“Clearly, I dug the most. How can you say it was all thanks to him?”
Ye Qingyin seemed startled by An Shijiu’s stern attitude. Her eyes instantly reddened, and she waved her hands repeatedly.
“Ah, that’s not what I meant. I was just joking. I’m sorry for making you unhappy—just pretend I didn’t say anything, okay?”
The two female celebrities present, He Yun’er and Qi Xin, exchanged knowing glances, their eyes full of understanding.
Of course, there were still people who fell for it—such as Shang He and the watching netizens.
Shang He shot An Shijiu an undisguised resentful look, stood up, and spoke gently to Ye Qingyin, “It’s fine. Sit down quickly.”
He then ordered his daughter, “Ruoshui, get some tissue for Auntie. Her eyes are red.”
Shang Ruoshui had been looking at An Shijiu, but upon hearing her father, she quickly lowered her head, picked up some tissues, and handed them over.
—Ye Qingyin was just trying to liven things up and tease Shen Yanjing. An Shijiu’s attitude was a bit too much.
—She’s a livestream host—how does she lose her temper so easily on a variety show?
—Oi, that line from Ye Qingyin was clearly ill-intentioned! It was so leading! And Shijiu was just telling the truth!
—I swear, the way the Shang father and daughter interact feels so suffocating. Shang He is like a peacock in mating season.
An Shijiu’s cheeks puffed up unconsciously with displeasure.
She hated it most when people took credit for her work.
Back then, her senior brothers had always done the same. She could not out-argue them and ended up losing quite a bit of silver for nothing.
Later, she dragged them out one by one and beat them until they were afraid—only then did it stop.
Was that Ye Qingyin trying to help Shen Yanjing steal her credit?
If the system could read minds, it would probably say:
“Silly child, her intention isn’t really about the wine~”
At that thought, An Shijiu suddenly turned her gaze toward Shen Yanjing behind her.
Shen Yanjing had already been looking at her, and that glance made his scalp tingle.
He even felt an inexplicable sense of being caught staring and awkwardly looked away.
He had no idea that An Shijiu’s fists were already cracking.
Fortunately, the system saved him. Seeing something off in her expression, it quickly jumped in. “Don’t hit him! No—why do you get worked up so easily? Listen to what he says first!”
In An Shijiu’s eyes, the system was like a master assigning tasks. When it spoke, she listened.
Shen Yanjing said, “The An Family’s harvest really depends on An Shijiu and Xiao Zhe. I mainly just helped… make things more chaotic.”
Ji Qingyu, who was sitting with the Ye Family, was inwardly surprised upon hearing this. His boss actually used self-deprecation to support someone else?
Ye Qingyin lowered her head at the side, her expression ugly.
Shen Yanjing kept siding with the An Family. Now she was truly certain—An Zhe must be Shen Yanjing’s child.
However, in all the information she had gathered, he had never had any contact with An Shijiu. This child was very likely obtained by An Shijiu through improper means.
In other words, Shen Yanjing was only acting out of consideration for the child.
She could no longer target the An Family, lest she end up opposing him.
He was the highest-tier person within her social reach. There was no way she would give up on this target.
She would have to change strategies.
Perhaps she needed to find a way starting from An Zhe.
Shen Yanjing’s humorous remark made everyone burst into laughter.
An Zhe, upon hearing it, silently nodded in strong agreement.
At this moment, Liu Momo suddenly stood up and said, “Director, I think this might be a bit unfair. After all, including the manager, some families have three people, while others have four.”
Speaking in front of so many celebrities made her muscles tense with nervousness.
But she still stood up and said it.
If they did not count the total, then the An Family’s first place might still be shaken.
—Been wanting to ask—who is she? When the Lin Family was digging, she didn’t do any real work and kept talking to that withdrawn kid. The kid got annoyed and ignored her.
—She’s also a livestream host. She used to be An Shijiu’s rival. After An Shijiu’s divorce, her ex-husband got together with this Liu Momo. While she’s recording the show, that ex is even using her account to livestream every day.
—Looks like she doesn’t want An Shijiu to get first place and is trying to stir things up.
—Fans of An Shijiu are ridiculous—does the whole world revolve around your idol? She’s just making a normal suggestion. It really isn’t fair.
—Funny. The An Family is so far ahead—no matter how you calculate, they’re still first, right?
Director Li nodded. “Calculating by total alone is indeed unfair, so from the beginning, we planned to divide the total by the number of people to get an average. The first place is still the An Family, so the gold coin reward goes to the An Family!”
A staff member brought over the gold coins and handed them to An Shijiu.
Just as she was about to take them, a well-defined hand intercepted midway.
A familiar voice sounded from behind.
“Shouldn’t the family’s assets be kept by me, the manager?”