Don't Make Me Ship It...

Si You tried again and again, but he really couldn't sleep. Left with no choice, he went out to find the production crew.

After hearing Si You's request, the staff contacted the director. In the end, an assistant director came out and went upstairs with Si You to take a look. The dampness was indeed severe, but there wasn't a single spare room left.

Seeing the assistant director scratch his head for ages without coming up with a solution, Si You asked, "Do you have a space heater?"

The assistant director shook his head. "It's still summer. We didn't prepare anything like that."

Seeing that it was almost eleven, Si You figured that if they kept fussing over it, something else might happen. He said, "Then bring another stool into my room."

The assistant director immediately understood what Si You meant and hurriedly said, "That won't be comfortable to sleep on."

Si You replied, "It's fine. I'm skinny."

Si You hated sweating more than anything. The damp bed felt as though someone had splashed water over it; he didn't even want to sleep near the edge of it. Besides, as someone with the reputation of a human trash can, he still had to adapt to the environment to avoid unnecessary controversy. The staff swiftly carried up a stool. Si You flattened the little sofa in the room and barely extended it by a bit. It was somewhat narrow—lying flat was manageable, but one turn and he would fall off. Still, Si You was feeling a little down. Once he had made the bed, he closed his eyes and went to sleep, too lazy to care about anything else.

He did not sleep well that night. Si You woke with a start several times in the middle of the night, pulling his fallen blanket back up each time. It felt like a stone was pressing on his chest. When a knock sounded outside the door, Si You suddenly opened his eyes and saw that it was already seven thirty.

He was the last one downstairs. Jiang Yao was already much better and had put on some light makeup to reassure the fans watching.

When she saw Si You, Jiang Yao frowned slightly. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Si You's hearing had become muffled again. He moved his aching arms, grabbed a piece of toast, and stuffed it into his mouth. "No, I'm fine."

But the moment he spoke, his voice was thick with congestion.

Jiang Tingxu stared at the dishes on the table, though his gaze seemed to shift this way.

Si You noticed, but he did not want to flatter himself. Jiang Tingxu was on an entirely different level from him. If Jiang Tingxu thought he was trash and did not want to bother with him even after they had been paired as a CP, that was fine. The internet would not say anything about it either.

Si You was full after half a bowl of porridge and reluctantly ate another slice of toast.

Just as he put down his bowl, Xue Boyu stepped forward and handed him a handful of medicine. "Brother Si You, this is yours."

Si You chuckled, clearly implying something. "You're so thoughtful? You even sorted it out for me."

Jiang Tingxu got up to help in the kitchen. Xue Boyu grinned but did not explain.

In truth, he was already shipping them so hard he was about to pass out.

It was mostly drizzling today, and since it was Saturday, the ancient town five kilometers away would be more lively. The guests' task had already been decided—help local farmers sell apples. Each group had a minimum quota of one basket. Once they sold it all, they could receive point cards to exchange for supplies. The more they sold, the more they earned, with everything calculated clearly by weight. They should not even think about taking advantage of the production team.

The apples had already been delivered. Everyone had originally thought the task would not be too difficult, but upon closer inspection, the apples had fallen to the ground in the rain. They were coated in mud, dented and uneven, a miserable sight.

Si You stood at the doorway with his arms folded, his mind racing.

Once the minimum price had been confirmed, the rest was up to the guests.

Xu Ke was still hoping to rely on celebrity appeal. What if fans recognized him and bought everything at once? Wouldn't that be wonderful?

But the directing team told them to wear hats if they needed hats, masks if they needed masks, and matching clothes on top of that. They looked exactly like factory workers sent out to promote products.

Xu Ke's dream was shattered.

Normally, everyone had their styling done before appearing on camera and tried to show off their best side. With the lighting crew doing their job, they all looked as though they were glowing. But once they changed into matching blue work uniforms and covered their hairstyles and most of their faces, the differences between them became obvious.

Zhang Jianlin had it the worst. He was on the sturdier side, broad-backed and thick-waisted to begin with. Now that his strengths were hidden beneath the uniform, he looked utterly ordinary at first glance.

Jiang Tingxu was still the most eye-catching. He worked out year-round and had a lean, tall build, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. The eyes visible above his mask were aloof yet captivating. People would believe he was heading to a runway show. Si You was no different. Though somewhat thin, his figure was well-proportioned, especially his waist. Once the belt of the work uniform cinched it in, Jiang Yao and Song Yalin both turned to look at him in unison.

Si You looked surprised. "What are you looking at?"

Jiang Yao gestured with her hands. "Your waist is so slim."

Si You raised a brow. "Are you two flirting with me?"

Jiang Yao and Song Yalin burst into laughter together.

Jiang Tingxu cast a discreet glance over.

It really was slim.

[Holy shit... Si You has really opened my eyes this season...]

[Who hasn't he? That waist, I really can.]

A trace of gloom showed in Zhang Jianlin's exposed eyes. He had insisted on bringing up Si You and Shen Chuan last night, harming the enemy by a thousand while hurting himself by eight hundred. Seeing those comments online, Zhang Jianlin had not fallen asleep until the latter half of the night.

The production team had rented electric tricycles from the farmers as transportation. It was fortunate they were electric, at least.

Si You loaded a bucket of water and several towels onto the tricycle, then took some cardboard from the storage room and slipped a black marker into his pocket.

Selling fruit depended on looks too. Even Si You did not dare guarantee they could sell everything.

Si You had not spoken to Jiang Tingxu all this time, but there was no way around it now. He gestured for Jiang Tingxu to sit in the back. "I'll drive."

"I'll drive. You sit."

His tone was calm, but there was no room for negotiation. Si You understood and did not waste time, taking a seat in the back. Xue Boyu squeezed in beside him as well. He did not even have a driver's license and had no confidence with an electric vehicle like this. If he drove it into a ditch, who would take responsibility?

"Brother Si You."

"Mm?"

Xue Boyu glanced ahead. "Tell us if you get tired, okay?"

"I'm not tired." Though he said that, the cold medicine from earlier was no joke. His hands felt weak after taking it, and he desperately wanted to sleep.

Si You looked at the baskets of apples and got to work.

Xue Boyu followed his example and picked up a towel, but he looked confused. "What do we do, Brother Si You?"

"Sort them." Si You said, "Wipe off the mud on the surface. Pick out the good-looking ones, put the slightly worse ones in another pile, and so on. Different grades need different prices."

Xue Boyu said, "Isn't that troublesome?"

"It only looks troublesome." Si You said, "If you were the buyer, would you want an apple covered in dirt?"

Xue Boyu understood.

The wind rushed past their ears. Si You's voice rose and fell with it, and Jiang Tingxu felt that his cold seemed to be getting worse.

The guests' stall locations were all fixed to ensure an even flow of customers. He Qing had not returned yet, and an idiot like Xue Boyu with zero wilderness survival skills naturally needed more looking after. So the production team tacitly arranged for him to stay with Jiang Tingxu and Si You. The fans in the comments all expressed relief, though it also meant their task had become heavier.

[Seriously, Si You still hasn't blown up at him, and he's even chatting and laughing with Xue Boyu. That's unexpected.]

[+1. If this were last season, he would've mocked Xue Boyu at least a couple times.]

[Heh. Does he even have the right to mock anyone?]

Si You and Xue Boyu had already sorted out some of the apples in the vehicle. Now the two sat on the steps and continued their work. Sharpening the knife did not delay the chopping of wood; with Jiang Tingxu helping, they finished in half an hour.

Sure enough, the best batch Si You had picked out looked excellent after being wiped clean and sprayed with a little water, bright red and appealing. As soon as they were displayed, someone came over to ask the price.

"Four eighty per jin. Freshly picked, no pesticides." Seeing the customer hesitate, Si You immediately took out an apple, sliced off a piece, and handed it over. "Have a taste. If you like it, four fifty per jin."

After tasting it, the customer found the skin thin, the apple crisp, and the juice plentiful. She immediately nodded. "Give me two jin."

Jiang Tingxu and Xue Boyu exchanged glances. The base price set by the production team was one eighty. Si You really dared to name that price.

When an older woman nearby saw Si You lower the price by thirty cents, that feeling of having gotten a bargain immediately kicked in. "Young man, let me have a taste."

"Sure."

Within two minutes, Si You had sold two bags.

Xue Boyu knew nothing about this. Since it was his first time running a stall, he had been nervous and was still thinking about how to start talking to customers. Yet Brother Si You had already made sales?

[So skilled. Did Si You sell apples before?]

[He's so natural. The people at the next stall don't even know how to open their mouths.]

Si You could not really be bothered to call out to customers either. He took out the cardboard he had prepared in advance, pulled out his marker, and wrote several messages.

—Authentic Red Mountain apples. Buy two jin for three eighty and get half a jin free. Wishing you prosperity, prosperity, prosperity.

—They may not look perfect, but they're very sweet. Take them home now for two fifty per jin.

—Clearance sale at one eighty. I won't sell them outside if I'm not making a profit.

He even put up a sign for the fifth pile, the worst apples that nobody would eat. It read: Cheap sale, thirty cents per kilogram. Perfect for feeding pigs or sheep.

Before he could even finish putting up the last sign, a man rode over on a motorized tricycle. Looking at the worst pile, he waved his hand and said, "Weigh all of those for me."

Si You pulled out a bag and started packing them, acting warmly familiar. "Taking them home to feed pigs, sir?"

"Cows," the man said. "These are five cents cheaper than what I usually buy."

This whole area was Red Mountain, famous for its delicious apples. In recent years, production had increased and prices had gradually fallen, but that did not mean they were worthless.

Xue Boyu was dumbfounded. He had thought that worst pile would never sell, yet it was gone just like that?

Si You helped the man load them onto his vehicle. The man thought he was sweet-talking and capable, so he even offered him a cigarette.

After the man left, Jiang Tingxu stared at the cigarette in Si You's hand. "You smoke?"

"Ah, no." Si You was a little stunned that Jiang Tingxu had suddenly spoken to him. He explained, "I accepted it because he was happy. I don't smoke."

Si You sat back down on the steps with a soft cough and smiled at Xue Boyu. "Did you learn anything?"

Xue Boyu said, "I learned how not to do it."

Si You folded his arms and leaned against the stone bollard, breathing somewhat heavily. He gently closed his eyes. He had done everything he could. If they still could not sell the rest, he would rest for a while before getting up to call out to customers.

Si You thought he was awake, but he soon drifted off.

A hand rested on his forehead. Si You instinctively grabbed the other person's wrist, and when he opened his eyes, he met Jiang Tingxu's quiet, deep gaze.

"What's wrong?" Si You asked.

"You're running a slight fever."

"It's fine. I'll just take medicine when we get back."

Even his fingertips were hot, and Jiang Tingxu felt a scorching heat against his wrist.

[...]

[I...]

[Don't make me...]

"Thank you, sis! May you smile every day!" Xue Boyu's shout jolted Si You fully awake.

Turning his head, he saw a woman in her thirties holding a bag of apples and smiling so widely that her eyes had narrowed into crescents. She shyly waved at Xue Boyu.

Seeing Si You looking at him, Xue Boyu hurriedly asked, "Brother, how did I do?!"

Si You gave him a thumbs-up. "Amazing!"

Si You was still holding Jiang Tingxu's wrist. With just one look, Xue Boyu thought, I'm shipping it.