Chapter 52
The challenge was to get into a house.
You could choose any house you wanted, but you had to rely on your own efforts to make the homeowner agree to let you stay. Before that, there was an even more important point: you had to actually get there.
The groups were only given twenty yuan each—not even enough for a taxi.
Lin Wu stared at the money in her hand. “What is the meaning of this? Do we not even have the right to eat?”
A staff member replied, “Of course you do. You’re stars, after all.”
Everyone: “??? What does that mean?”
“You can dance, sing, or busk on the streets to get people to give you money.”
Yu Lian understood. “So this competition is also about our ability to make money?”
The staff member said, “You don’t have to make money, as long as you can guarantee that you can reach the house you like.”
The participants took out the photos of the houses. There were no specific addresses written on them, only descriptions of the surroundings. Lin Wu took her photo to ask a passerby: “Hey, do you know where this house is?” She had also set her sights on the pink Western-style house.
The passerby looked and shook their head.
Yu Lian spread out all five photos. “Hello, have you seen these houses anywhere?”
The passerby pointed to the one by the moat. “This is in Lizi Village. It’s a three-hour bus ride from here.”
Everyone’s expressions collapsed. “Three hours?! Any others?”
The passerby pointed to a seemingly ordinary apartment building. “This one looks like it’s in Lizi Village too. I haven’t seen the others; they definitely aren’t in this area.”
In other words, it would likely take several hours to get there. It would cost at least twenty yuan per person for the bus; how were two people supposed to go together? The planning team was truly devious…
Off to the side, Zhao Baoshang walked to a safe spot. She carefully sealed the envelope containing the twenty yuan, folded it, and put it in her pocket. Then she came over and grabbed Yan Zhen’s hand, ready to go find the house together.
Yan Zhen noticed the camera behind them. She nudged Zhao Baoshang. “Don’t get so close to me.”
Zhao Baoshang said angrily, “You’re my fan now. Can’t I get close to my fan?”
“It’s not that,” Yan Zhen explained. “I’m afraid Old Zhao will see. If he misunderstands, it won’t be good; he’ll definitely make you continue kneeling in the study.”
Zhao Baoshang: “It doesn’t matter. I’m not going home.”
Yan Zhen asked, “Then where will you stay?”
“…In the dorms.”
“What if Old Zhao cuts off your housing allowance?”
Zhao Baoshang snapped, “Then I’ll sleep in your bed!”
Yan Zhen said, “You already sleep in my bed.” She pushed Zhao Baoshang again, trying to keep some distance. She wanted to be able to roll around a bit while sleeping, rather than rolling over and ending up straight in Zhao Baoshang’s arms.
The cameraman behind them was sweating profusely. His lens kept shaking because their movements were large and highly unstable. One moment they were apart, and the next they were stuck together like Super Glue. One moment Zhao Baoshang was pinching Yan Zhen’s waist, and a moment later, she was acting pitiful, saying she couldn’t sleep at night without holding someone.
The fans in the live stream were also sweating:
【What am I eating? A mouth full of fresh dog food (PD: PDA).】
【What happened to the rumor that Yan Zhen was a clingy mistress getting the cold shoulder?】
【Zhao Baoshang really dotes on Yan Zhen. Her hand is always supporting Yan Zhen, and the placement is very subtle. People without partners wouldn’t notice the mystery behind it.】
The two walked forward, searching for useful information. A staff member asked from behind, “Where are you going?”
Yan Zhen said, “To find the little pink house.”
Zhao Baoshang froze. “Didn’t you like the house near the stinky moat?”
“No, I like the pink one too,” Yan Zhen smiled.
Liar! She had clearly just said the Feng Shui by the moat was good. Changing her tune now must be because she knew Zhao Baoshang liked the Western house. Zhao Baoshang felt a warm glow in her heart.
She took out the twenty yuan and placed it in Yan Zhen’s hand. Yan Zhen was stunned by the warm envelope and looked up at her. Zhao Baoshang’s eyes were sparkling, but her expression was awkward and dismissive. “I can’t be bothered to carry such a tiny amount of money. You manage it.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll lose it?” Yan Zhen asked with a smile.
Zhao Baoshang was about to shake her head, but then she remembered something from a manga. She glanced at Yan Zhen and said, “If you lose it, you’ll have to pay it back with your body.”
Yan Zhen’s smile vanished, and she quickly clutched the envelope tightly. The cameraman wiped his sweat and asked his assistant, “Is this scripted?”
The assistant replied, “No, this is a genuine revelation of feelings.”
As they walked, Zhao Baoshang’s heel suddenly snapped. Fortunately, there was a small stall selling cloth shoes nearby. Yan Zhen picked out a black pair. They were originally twenty yuan, but she bargained them down to ten.
Zhao Baoshang sat on a bench. The camera focused on her, expecting a look of touched joy. But her expression remained sour. Only after Yan Zhen knelt to help her change her shoes did Zhao Baoshang express her unhappiness: “Am I too useless?”
Yan Zhen: “Why would you think that?”
Zhao Baoshang said, “You’re supposed to be my little fan; I should be the one protecting you.”
Yan Zhen comforted her, “It’s the shoes that were useless. Besides, money is easy to earn. Don’t worry.”
Zhao Baoshang thought about it—she could make millions from one movie or endorsement. Ten yuan really was nothing. But right now, they only had twenty yuan total. The little fan didn’t even blink before spending half of it on her.
Zhao Baoshang had a sudden impulse to drag the fan to a church and get married right then and there. That way, she could kiss her openly. Looking at the fan’s profile as she carefully packed the old shoes, Zhao Baoshang’s lips felt itchy. She leaned in and brushed her lips against Yan Zhen’s cheek.
Yan Zhen jumped in fright and backed away. “Aren’t you afraid Old Zhao will see?!”
“What’s there to be afraid of?”
“Your fans will see it too.”
“I’m not afraid of that either,” Zhao Baoshang said. In her mind, the fan had been shamelessly seducing her from the start. If she was afraid of anything, it was that the fan would stop seducing her. That would truly break her heart.
Yan Zhen hurriedly explained to the cameraman, “That was an accident. If you caught it, remember to edit it out.”
The cameraman replied, “This is a live stream.”
Yan Zhen: “…”
They passed a small shop, and Zhao Baoshang tugged at the fan’s skirt. Yan Zhen’s skirt almost came down; she grabbed it and asked, “What is it?”
Zhao Baoshang pointed at a mango cake. “I want to eat that.”
Yan Zhen calculated the money. “We only have ten yuan left.”
Zhao Baoshang frowned. “Is one enough?”
Zhao Baoshang: “Two would be even better!”
Yan Zhen went in to check the price. They were five yuan each—exactly enough for two. She bought them and handed both to Zhao Baoshang.
Zhao Baoshang suddenly felt like she held the financial power of the household. One second the money was in the fan’s hand; the next, because of a single word from her, it had all turned into her favorite cakes. She patted Yan Zhen’s head. How can this person be so silly, yet so good, willing to give me everything?
Fortunately, she was beautiful and looked like that “Princess,” which had hooked the little fan’s heart instantly. Zhao Baoshang used to hate her looks, but at this moment, she was incredibly grateful for them.
A staff member couldn’t help but interject: “You’ve eaten all your capital. How are you going to use money to make more money?”
Yan Zhen was dazed. “We have to use money to make money? Can’t I just earn it with my bare hands?”
The staff member was stumped. “Well, it’s not impossible…”
Lu Ming walked over to chat. “It’s fine if you can’t make money. When the time comes, dump Zhao Baoshang and come sleep with me.”
Hearing this, Zhao Baoshang’s anger soared. She stood up abruptly, her eyes blazing. Sleep together? Who does this person think she is, trying to abduct my little fan right in front of me?
Yan Zhen saw Zhao Baoshang was about to blow up and quickly grabbed her hand to calm her down. The fire in Zhao Baoshang died down instantly upon looking into the fan’s eyes.
She gave Yan Zhen a “you’d better explain” look. Yan Zhen actually understood. She whispered, “It’s okay, I’ll sleep on the floor with you.”
Zhao Baoshang let out a very restrained smile. “Don’t be afraid. I will definitely make sure you stay in… the wedding room.” She paused, but everyone heard the unspoken “our.”
Lu Ming was stunned. “Your relationship is too good.”
Zhao Baoshang pulled the fan further away and emphasized, “She is mine. Every part of her belongs to me. If she’s sleeping anywhere, it’s with me!”
The fans watching the stream were baffled: 【Zhao Baoshang’s possessiveness is insane. She’s just playing a fan; does she have to sleep with her too?】
【The person above doesn’t know. Yan Zhen was originally Zhao’s die-hard fan. Being ‘forcefully’ confessed to like this, she must be over the moon.】
【Did Zhao Baoshang just come out on a reality show?】
Old Zhao, watching the video on his phone, knocked over his tea in rage. “I thought she’d toned it down, but she’s making a scene on TV!!” He called his son to stop the show, but his son explained that the higher-ups were pushing Yan Zhen right now.
“Then cut every scene of them loving and sleeping together! Not a single frame left!” Old Zhao roared.
Meanwhile, other teams had already started making money. Wang Huan and a veteran actor had set up a stall with a sign: “Pulse Reading, 5 Yuan.” Since they had played doctors, people crowded around.
Yan Zhen followed suit and set up a fortune-telling stall. However, her price was high: 500 yuan per reading. People looking for a curiosity were scared off.
“Lower the price, like Wang Huan,” a staff member suggested.
Yan Zhen replied, “I can see through fate. How can a person’s life be worth only five yuan?”
A middle-aged woman wearing gold jewelry finished her pulse reading next door and came over. “Fortune telling? 500 yuan? You’re robbing people!”
“You can pay after the reading, because I won’t be wrong.” Yan Zhen invited her to sit. The woman, clearly not lacking money, agreed.
“What do you want to check?”
“Marriage,” the woman said.
“Write a character.”
The woman wrote the character “天” (Heaven). Yan Zhen looked at the character, then at the woman’s face. “You are likely to face a bloody disaster today.”
The woman jumped up. “Are you joking?! Why are you cursing me? Is this how you act as a star? I’m going to flame you on Weibo!”
Zhao Baoshang stood up and glared coldly at the woman. The woman immediately shrank back. “Wh-what? You think you can bully people just because you have money?”
Zhao Baoshang’s face darkened. She didn’t even scold the fan herself; what right did this stranger have? She was ready to strike, but Yan Zhen stopped her, hugging her tightly.
Zhao Baoshang’s ears turned red. This is in front of the camera, a live stream! And yet the little fan is hugging me so openly. She stared at Yan Zhen’s earlobe and the faint veins on her neck. For some reason, everything made her feel moved. Even without the Love Gu, she felt like every breath the fan took was an act of seduction.
Zhao Baoshang hugged her back, ignoring the world. “Are you okay?” Yan Zhen asked. Zhao Baoshang shook her head.
“Don’t be impulsive,” Yan Zhen whispered. “You’ve been criticized enough for fighting before.”
Zhao Baoshang thought for a moment. “Then I won’t be a girl anymore.” If she weren’t a girl, being with the fan would be more “logical.” She was moved by her own willingness to change for her.
Yan Zhen laughed. “But in my eyes, gender doesn’t matter because you are so beautiful.”
Zhao Baoshang’s face flushed again. She was completely entranced. If they were in that wedding room right now, she’d finalize the marriage on the spot.
The crowd and the woman couldn’t stand the PDA.
Yan Zhen turned back to the woman. “Come, let me continue the analysis.”
The woman, seeing that Yan Zhen hadn’t asked for money yet and looked confident, sat back down.
The camera moved closer. The woman said indifferently, “Go ahead. If it’s not accurate, I’m not paying.”
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