Chapter 33

“Is this yours?”

Yang Yuze bent down and picked up a sapphire-colored hairpin that had fallen to the ground, gently and politely asking Qiao Chuchu.

Qiao Chuchu, who had been lost in thought, trying to solve a problem she hadn’t figured out last night, was interrupted by his voice. She frowned slightly, looking a little unhappy.

Her thoughts had been flowing clearly when he interrupted her, so how could she be in a good mood?

【Who is this? How clueless, don’t disturb me while I’m daydreaming. Now, great, my train of thought is completely lost. I’ll have to think it through again.】

Yang Yuze, “???”

How did she make that sound? She didn’t even speak out loud!

He froze in place for a moment.

Half of the viewers in the live-stream were Yang Yuze’s fans, who had come specifically to watch him, and they weren’t pleased when they saw this scene.

【Qiao Chuchu is so rude! Everyone else is enthusiastically welcoming Yuze, and she’s just standing there daydreaming.】

【Exactly, she even made Yuze bend down to pick up the hairpin and then asked her about it. How could she be so inconsiderate!】

【Yuze took the initiative to talk to her, and she just ignored him. What kind of person is she?】

【Our Chuchu wasn’t doing it on purpose, she was obviously deep in thought. We haven’t even mentioned how Yuze scared Chuchu!】

【It’s not like she made Yuze pick it up. And that hairpin isn’t even hers.】

—

Seeing that she didn’t respond, Yang Yuze asked again, “Miss, is this your hairpin?”

His hand was still extended. Qiao Chuchu glanced at it and shook her head, “No.”

She didn’t like wearing accessories like hairpins or jewelry. The only thing she wore was a pair of rabbit-ear earrings.

【Please, just leave me alone. I only want to think about this problem. Once I figure it out, then I can relax and enjoy eating melons.】

Yang Yuze, “???”

What problem? What eating melons?

He couldn’t quite understand.

Just as he was about to ask, Bai Yun interrupted him. She touched her head, realized nothing was there, and then realized the hairpin must have fallen earlier without her noticing.

Bai Yun spoke, “Senior Yang, the blue hairpin you’re holding is mine. Could you return it to me? Thank you.”

This hairpin had been a birthday gift from her mother when she turned eighteen. She loved it and often wore it.

Yang Yuze was momentarily stunned. He looked at Bai Yun and then smiled, “You’re welcome. Take care of it, here you go.”

“Mm, I will.”

Bai Yun reached out to take it, and it wasn’t clear if Yang Yuze did it intentionally or accidentally, but as he handed the hairpin over, his index and middle fingers brushed lightly over her palm. It was slightly ticklish, but more uncomfortable than anything else.

But Yang Yuze’s expression was very gentle and polite, and the earlier incident seemed like an unintentional gesture.

Bai Yun suppressed the discomfort in her heart and stepped back, placing the hairpin in her pocket and zipping it up.

【Our Yuze is really so polite, sob sob, I really like him!】

【Being able to see Brother Ze on a variety show is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I’ll follow him forever!】

【I think Bai Yun and Yang Yuze make such a good pair.】

【Shut up, Brother Ze’s wife is standing right there! Can’t you think before you speak? The most perfect couple is obviously his wife and Brother Ze.】

【Finally, we get to see the wife again! But she looks thinner than before… Did she not eat well?】

—

The viewers in the live stream were very enthusiastic, with the comments flying by, mostly from fans who admired Yang Yuze. Only a small portion was asking about Jiang Manrou’s situation.

The little incident had already been forgotten, and the variety show continued. After everyone got to know each other, the director announced the tasks for the afternoon.

“Today’s tasks are as follows—

First: Help the local residents of Hahu Grassland cut 100 pounds of grass to feed the young horses.

Second: Pick up 100 pounds of cow dung to be used as fuel for the local residents in exchange for tonight’s accommodation tent.

Third: Learn to make big stone flatbread with the local residents.”

The director, sounding like a robot, said no more and coldly announced the tasks.

Qiao Cen felt that the second task was a bit off, so she raised her hand and asked, “Director, do we really have to pick up cow dung to exchange for our tent tonight?”

“Yes,” the director replied. “Today’s tasks are not divided into groups, so you can cooperate to complete them. If you can’t finish the tasks, you can still stay. However, you’ll need to pay a 100 yuan accommodation fee per person to stay as you wish.”

Tian Ka looked weak and unwell. “So if we pay, we don’t have to do the tasks, right?”

“If you don’t want to do the tasks, you’ll have to pay 1,000 yuan,” the director replied bluntly. “Do you have that much?”

Tian Ka, “…”

He didn’t have it, so he had to do the tasks.

【Hahaha, seeing Tian Ka like this makes me want to laugh, what should I do?】

【Why does it feel like Tian Ka is off today? He looks exhausted and listless, even hunched over and daydreaming. This looks like someone who’s heartbroken.】

【It shouldn’t be, a couple of days ago, Tian Ka was showing off his chat logs with his girlfriend on Weibo, and they were so sweet that it made me envious.】

Tian Ka’s breakup wasn’t known to the netizens because he didn’t want something so embarrassing to be made public.

Although only a small portion of people knew the truth, he couldn’t hold his head up. If the whole internet found out, he wouldn’t be able to face the public again. He would be utterly embarrassed.

If Xu Shanshan had been a normal young girl, it would’ve been fine. But she was actually a 53-year-old woman pretending to be a young girl, and she was dating so many boyfriends while also working as the mistress of a big boss. And Tian Ka, of all people, still liked her so much, even once thinking about marrying her.

Now, looking back, Tian Ka just wanted to go back in time and punch his past self in the face.

Mowing 100 pounds of grass, picking up 100 pounds of cow dung, and learning to make large stone flatbreads seemed difficult, but it would be much easier if they all worked together.

Out of the three tasks, they decided to start with mowing the grass. However, under the guidance of the local residents, they soon discovered that not only was there grass, but there was also cow dung mixed in, and if they weren’t careful, they could step on it.

Looking at it this way, they wouldn’t need to do the tasks separately, they could do them at the same time.

The question was, who would pick up the cow dung?

The local villagers explained to them, “Mowing grass requires constant bending, which is quite physical. It can get tiring after a while, so it’s better suited for the guys. Picking up cow dung doesn’t sound great, but it’s not tiring. You just need to pick up the dry cow dung and put it in the basket. Girls can give it a try. Finally, the task of carrying things can be done by the guys.”

He continued explaining the details of the tasks, telling them which grass was best to mow and which cow dung to pick up.

Both tasks seemed simple enough, and everyone understood right away. They decided to follow his advice: the guys would mow the grass, and the girls would pick up the cow dung.

There were exactly four guys and four girls, so they assigned the tasks and got started.

At just the right moment, Jiang Manrou greeted Qiao Chuchu. “Chuchu, it’s good to see you again.”

The last time they had met was at Jiang Manwen’s wedding, where she had helped Qiao Chuchu put the veil on Jiang Manwen. At the time, it had been so busy that Jiang Manwen hadn’t had the chance to introduce them properly.

However, Jiang Manrou had heard Jiang Manwen mention Qiao Chuchu many times, so she had remembered her.

Looking at her closely today, she found that Qiao Chuchu was a very beautiful and lively young woman.

“Yes, what a coincidence,” Qiao Chuchu replied. She knew Jiang Manrou was Jiang Manwen’s older sister, a very gentle older sister.

Remembering the message Jiang Manwen had sent her, she felt a bit more caring toward her.

Comments:

【What’s going on? How does the sister-in-law know Qiao Chuchu? Why is she being so nice to her?】

【They’re all in the same circle, so it’s not strange they know each other.】

【Sister-in-law is so gentle and beautiful, so adorable!】

—

Bai Yun came over with a long pair of tongs and handed one to each of them.

“Chuchu, can we pick up the cow dung together?”

“Sure,” Qiao Chuchu nodded. “Sister Jiang, you and Ye Yu can work together.”

Jiang Manrou agreed and greeted Ye Yu. Ye Yu was also a quiet person, and after greeting her, they didn’t have much to talk about.

Bai Yun and Qiao Chuchu chatted casually, but Bai Yun noticed that Qiao Chuchu kept zoning out, occasionally muttering a sentence or two of thoughts she couldn’t quite understand.

Bai Yun asked, “Chuchu, what are you thinking about?”

Qiao Chuchu replied, “I’m thinking about a problem.”

“What problem?” Bai Yun asked. “Have you figured it out yet?”

She had been listening to Qiao Chuchu’s thoughts, which seemed to be some kind of calculation problem, but Bai Yun couldn’t quite understand it.

Qiao Chuchu shook her head. “Not yet, but it’s almost there.”

Bai Yun suggested, “What kind of problem is it? You can tell us, and maybe we can all figure it out together.”

Hurry up and solve the problem, so we can enjoy the gossip. Life is really tough without any gossip.

Qiao Chuchu thought for a few seconds and nodded, “Alright.”

She then explained the problem she had been thinking about, a tricky math problem.

Although Bai Yun had only graduated from university a year ago, she had already forgotten most of what she learned. She didn’t understand the problem at all, let alone solve it.

“Any gentlemen behind, do any of you know how to solve this problem?”

The two teams weren’t far apart. Bai Yun and the others stopped to wait for the people behind to catch up, then repeated the question.

Tian Ka was disinterested and sluggish, while Qiao Cen was interested but couldn’t solve it. Only Wen Yu and Yang Yuze were thinking hard.

Some viewers in the livestream also participated.

【I just wrote down the problem and am trying to figure it out, but it’s way harder than I expected. I don’t know if I’ll be able to solve it.】

【At first, this seemed simple, but when I tried to prepare, I couldn’t even remember the question haha.】

【What is Qiao Chuchu reading? Where did she find this question? It looks really difficult, but I still want to give it a try.】

—

Soon after, Yang Yuze spoke up, “I’ve solved it…”

He spoke a string of numbers and symbols that most people didn’t understand, then shared his reasoning and the final answer.

“The answer is 78.”

It seemed no one had expected him to solve it so quickly, and everyone stared at him in stunned silence. Only Jiang Manrou looked at him with eyes full of affection.

For a moment, no one spoke.

【Wow, Yang Yuze is amazing! He solved it so quickly.】

【What did he just say? I didn’t understand a word, but that doesn’t stop me from admiring him!】

【Is the answer 78? Does anyone know?】

【It’s 78, he solved it correctly.】

—

Yang Yuze, puzzled, asked, “Do any of you have a better explanation or answer?”

Everyone shook their heads, “No.”

They didn’t understand the question, couldn’t solve it, and of course, didn’t know if his answer was correct.

Until Qiao Chuchu said, “Your answer is correct.”

She had also solved it, but her method was more complicated. She had been stuck on one step and couldn’t figure it out, which was why she had wasted so much time.

Yang Yuze’s method was simpler and easier to understand, but the calculation method he used was something most people wouldn’t have thought of.

Yang Yuze smiled, “Did you understand? If not, I can explain it again.”

He kindly asked.

Qiao Chuchu shook her head. “Thank you, but I understand now.”

【Yang Yuze is quite thoughtful.】

“Don’t mention it.” Yang Yuze thought she was pretending and, without hesitation, asked a staff member for paper and a pen. He wrote down the entire process of solving the problem.

“Here’s the answer and the solution process. You can take your time to look at it when you’re free.”

When he handed the white paper to Qiao Chuchu, his fingers extended beyond the paper, touching her index and middle fingers. However, the appearance of Qiao Cen disrupted the moment.

“Senior Yang, you solved it yourself? I need to take a look.”

Qiao Cen quickly took the paper from Yang Yuze. His hand brushed against the other’s fingers, but he didn’t mind. He carefully examined the problem-solving process, but felt disappointed when he couldn’t understand it.

“Here, sis.”

Qiao Chuchu took the paper and glanced at it for a few moments before understanding.

She then said, “I’ve solved it too, using a different method.”

Her solution was even more difficult for everyone to understand. They all thought it looked like a foreign language.

Yang Yuze retracted his hand and, when no one was looking, flicked his fingers, feeling somewhat displeased, but didn’t show it on his face.

“Your method works too, but it requires more effort. If you encounter a problem like this during an exam, you should try my approach—it’ll save a lot of time.”

Qiao Chuchu nodded. “You’re right.”

【Yang Yuze’s approach is definitely more time-efficient and less exhausting. What field did he study? He’s really good at math. I need to look it up.】

“Senior Yang is so impressive.”

The compliments made Yang Yuze smile slightly, but he didn’t notice that Qiao Chuchu had just thought those words without speaking them aloud.

Until—

【Yang Yuze, alright, I found it.】

Yang Yuze, “?”

What did she find? Why did this voice give him an uneasy feeling?

【Huh, huh, huh, the system record shouldn’t be wrong, right? Why does it show that Yang Yuze only graduated from high school and then left to work?】

Yang Yuze: “???”

It was only then that he realized the voice had come from Qiao Chuchu, but she hadn’t opened her mouth. Why could he hear her thoughts?

【If he only graduated high school and then started working, how much would Yang Yuze have to surpass others to get to where he is now?】

While Yang Yuze was in shock, he heard Qiao Chuchu’s thoughts again. How did she know he only graduated from high school? And what was this system record?

Others who could hear her thoughts had mixed feelings. Since Yang Yuze was so famous, they knew a little about his personal information.

In a past interview, Yang Yuze had mentioned that he studied abroad, graduated with a master’s degree, and his major was advanced mathematics.

His childhood dream had been to become a math teacher, but at the age of eighteen, he accidentally entered the film industry and gradually became an actor. He had mentioned this with some regret when he spoke about it.

【So his impressive abilities weren’t just gained overnight, he spent five years working hard in a rented house to learn these skills. But it’s strange—wasn’t he an actor? How could he spend so much time studying mathematics?】

【It seems there’s more…】

Yang Yuze, “!”

He had been observing everyone for a week and noticed that everyone had a distant look in their eyes, as if they could hear Qiao Chuchu’s thoughts, but also as if they couldn’t.

He then looked at Jiang Manrou. Her expression hadn’t changed much, and her gaze towards him was still gentle and affectionate. So, had she heard those thoughts?

He wasn’t sure, but he was certain that if Qiao Chuchu kept going, she would expose everything about him.

“Since the difficult problem has been solved, let’s continue with our tasks. We haven’t made much progress this afternoon. Let’s try to finish before the sun sets. I’ve heard that the temperature range in the Hahu Grasslands is huge, and it gets really cold here at night.”

After he said this, everyone reluctantly returned to their work, but their eyes were still on Qiao Chuchu, eager to hear what else she might reveal.

“There’s a lot of grass ahead, let’s go to the front.”

Yang Yuze took the sickle and walked ahead to start cutting grass. He wasn’t in the mood to impress anyone anymore, especially not the girls.

Qiao Chuchu was still searching for Yang Yuze’s story, as there were many people named Yang Yuze, and she was still looking for the right one.

She was bound to a novice system, which contained gossip about everyone in the world. With so many people, there were many with the same name, so it took a little time to search.

【So he spent all that time studying mathematics to become a tutor? He really has taught quite a few students, and the one he taught the longest was… Tong Zhichen and Jiang Manwen.】

【Oh, so they knew each other for a long time, and he even fell for Jiang Manwen’s sister, Jiang Manrou, at first sight. And Jiang Manrou also…】

“Cough cough—”

“Chuchu.” Jiang Manrou called out to her. “Don’t move, there’s cow dung under your feet.”

Qiao Chuchu, interrupted in her gossiping, looked down at her feet and saw a pile of cow dung right in front of her. It wasn’t fully dried yet and smelled a bit.

She immediately moved to the side and even pulled Bai Yun away. Bai Yun was a bit embarrassed, as she was also caught up in the gossip and hadn’t noticed the danger underfoot. She had almost stepped into it…

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Jiang Manrou reminded her, “There’s a lot of cow dung along this path. Just watch where you’re stepping, and if you don’t space out, you’ll avoid it.”

Her subconscious desire was for Qiao Chuchu to stop overthinking and looking into her relationship with Yang Yuze.

When she first heard Qiao Chuchu’s thoughts at Jiang Manwen’s wedding, she was surprised. After Jiang Manwen explained, she realized that it wasn’t just her who could hear it—everyone could. After that, she accepted this supernatural occurrence.

Just now, she also heard Qiao Chuchu’s thoughts. So, Yang Yuze had this side to him as well.

Yang Yuze had always appeared to her as the perfect man—an intellectual with a high education, a handsome and gentle exterior, and a kind heart.

He put 200% effort into everything he did, much stronger than the rich boys she knew. He was different from them, with a kind of tenacious spirit and youthful vitality.

He was a good man, always caring for her, making it hard not to like him.

But now, he was too busy. It had been a long time since they had shared a meal or talked about her life.

She knew he loved acting, and she should understand and support him.

Qiao Chuchu nodded, “You’re right.”

【I’ll continue my gossip when I have some free time. For now, let’s focus on the tasks.】

Jiang Manrou’s anxious heart finally calmed down, and she smiled softly.

Bai Yun and Ye Yu felt a bit disappointed—no more gossip to enjoy, so they might as well continue picking up cow dung.

—

The grass-cutting task was indeed exhausting. The four boys worked together to cut a hundred pounds of grass, so tired that they could hardly stand up straight. Only Qiao Cen seemed fine and didn’t feel too tired.

He also took on more of the workload, carrying the baskets of cow dung that Qiao Chuchu and the others had collected.

Qiao Chuchu and Bai Yun helped him carry the baskets and reminded him, “Be careful, watch your step, don’t trip.”

“Got it, I know. You two take it slow. I’ll go ahead and come back to help you.”

With that, Qiao Cen quickened his pace and left first.

Bullet comments:

【My Xiao Qiao Cen, you’ve worked hard today, carrying so much cow dung. You should eat more when you get back.】

【Hahaha, I suspect you’re calling Qiaoqiao lazy.】

【Let them still say Qiaoqiao is useless. Where is she not useful? Isn’t she doing great?】

—

On his way back, Qiao Cen ran into Yang Yuze and Wen Yu. “Yang Yuze, Wen Yu, you came just in time. There are still two baskets of cow dung left. Go carry them.”

“Got it.”

When they caught up, Qiao Chuchu and Bai Yun were carrying one basket each, while Jiang Manrou and Ye Yu were carrying the other. They met right in the middle.

Yang Yuze walked ahead and told Qiao Chuchu and Bai Yun, “You can put it down. Wen Yu and I will carry it.”

Wen Yu instinctively walked over to Bai Yun’s side and squatted down.

Bai Yun, “?”

“What are you doing?”

Wen Yu turned around, “Carrying the cow dung. You and Chuchu help carry the baskets.”

This was something they were used to. The baskets Qiao Cen had carried earlier were lifted by them. Each of them took one side to make it easier for Wen Yu to carry.

“Do you need more help?”

After Yang Yuze said this, he didn’t wait for a response and took the initiative to help lift the basket. He stood between the two of them, placed his hands under the blue basket, and with ease, he lifted it up.

However, Qiao Chuchu and Bai Yun looked a bit awkward because just now, Yang Yuze’s hands had landed right on their fingers while lifting the basket. When his hands left, they gently brushed against their fingers.

This angle was in their blind spot, so others didn’t see it, but the two of them could feel it.

When Qiao Chuchu pulled her hand back, she rubbed it against her clothes.

Yang Yuze noticed and asked, “What’s wrong with your hand?”

“It’s dirty.”

Qiao Chuchu’s response made Yang Yuze squint his eyes, then he smiled and said, “Cow dung is pretty dirty. You can wash it when we get back.”

Bullet comments:

【Cow dung is pretty dirty, but Yang Yuze’s hands are dirty too. Lifting baskets is fine, but where are his hands touching?】

【Whether intentional or not, I just want to wash my hands now.】

Yang Yuze, “…”

Jiang Manrou subconsciously glanced at him, but his gaze was focused on Qiao Chuchu and Bai Yun, not turning to look at her.

Her heart sank, but she didn’t say anything.

“Use some paper to wipe it off.” Bai Yun handed her a wet wipe and wiped her own hands as well.

Yang Yuze noticed their movements, the corner of his mouth twitching as he squatted down to lift the basket again.

“Lift it up.”

Jiang Manrou, worried, said, “This basket is heavy. Why don’t I help you carry it?”

Her concern was evident.

But Yang Yuze didn’t appreciate the offer. With a joking tone, he replied, “No need, I can carry two of you. This basket doesn’t even weigh forty pounds, how could I not carry it?”

Since he had said that, Jiang Manrou didn’t insist. She and Ye Yu helped him carry the basket of cow dung.

—

After returning, they traded the hundred pounds of grass and cow dung for tents where they would stay for the night. The tents were spacious, equipped with beds, cabinets, and all the necessary supplies.

The two girls, Qiao Chuchu and Bai Yun, chose to share a tent, while Jiang Manrou and Ye Yu’s tent was nearby. Not long after, Ye Yu came over.

“Senior Yang is over there…”

She meant to say that she wanted to stay with them in their tent for a while. Since Yang Yuze and Jiang Manrou were married, they would probably be showing off their affection. If Ye Yu stayed there, she’d be the big third wheel.

Bai Yun invited her to sit. “Make yourself at home.”

The tent was just assigned, and many things needed to be organized. Ye Yu had some free time, so she helped tidy up.

Once the tent was arranged, Qiao Cen came over to call them, “Sis, Bai Yun, Ye Yu, get up! Let’s go to the main tent and learn how to make stone bread.”

Stone bread was a specialty of the Hahu Grasslands. It was called “stone bread” because it was made on large stones. The thin batter was evenly spread on a hot stone, and after a while, a thin pancake could be peeled off.

Qiao Cen was quite interested. “It looks easy. I’ll give it a try.”

Unfortunately, he failed on his first try. The batter spilled everywhere, and some of it caught fire, burning the bread.

The local people said, “Your technique is wrong. Let me teach you again. Watch closely.”

Qiao Cen nodded, and the other guests also watched his actions. When he finally succeeded, making a perfect stone bread, his movements were smooth and flawless, done in one go.

But when the guests tried, it didn’t go as well. Bai Yun was flustered and didn’t succeed. “Ah, this is so difficult. Who else wants to try?”

“Yuze, let’s make a stone bread together.”

This trip had been arranged by Jiang Manrou, and she cherished the time alone with Yang Yuze. She wanted to seize every opportunity to spend time with him.

Since the variety show was only three days and two nights, once the recording ended, Yang Yuze would be busy with back-to-back work. It might be a long time before they saw each other again.

Yang Yuze twirled something between his fingers, and upon closer inspection, it was a strand of hair. He responded, “Alright.”

He stood up, walked over to Jiang Manrou, and put his arm around her. Together, they used a small shovel to scoop the dough and make the bread.

Their movements were serious but light, and three minutes later, they successfully made a stone bread, earning applause from everyone present.

“Wow, amazing! You succeeded on the first try!”

“Could you please help me too, Senior Yang and Sister Jiang? Could you make my stone bread as well?”

Jiang Manrou was happy to oblige. “Sure.”

Yang Yuze pulled the corner of his mouth, but didn’t refuse. “Alright.”

From then on, it was their turn to shine. They showed off their affection to everyone while making a few more breads.

Ye Yu watched them act so sweetly, and suddenly sighed, “Senior Yang and Sister Jiang’s relationship is really good. If I could meet someone like that, I’d probably smile in my sleep.”

She was married and had a son, but married life wasn’t as perfect as she had imagined. After five years of marriage, she and her husband hardly ever saw each other.

But there was nothing she could do, after all, she had married a translator. His work was so busy that he was always flying all over the country, and they met very rarely, only able to video call occasionally.

Qiao Chuchu finally had some time to eat melon seeds. She roughly checked out the storylines of Yang Yuze and Jiang Manrou and found that her good impression of Yang Yuze when they first met had completely disappeared.

【On the surface, their relationship seems great, but in reality, maybe it’s not as perfect as it seems.】