The downpour came fast, soaking Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu to the bone.
They had no choice but to find somewhere to shelter.
They found a very narrow Cave. The Camera Assistant squeezed in too, leaving all three staring at one another.
To keep Tang Shiba from getting squashed, Si Wuyu wedged himself between the other two, sheltering her in his arms.
Heat radiated from his rain-soaked body.
A faint, fresh scent drifted into Tang Shiba's nose, making her feel a little awkward.
To break the tension, she asked quietly, "You don't seem to smoke much, do you?"
"No."
His deep, sexy voice drew Tang Shiba's gaze back to him, and then... she spotted his eight-pack.
The Cave was so small that the three of them were crammed together, making it impossible to film properly for the livestream. Only their voices came through.
Then a strong wind picked up outside, drowning out even their voices.
The livestream chat erupted.
[The camera! The camera! I want visuals! Ah!!! I want to know what's happening to our darling!]
[Dear heavens, please stop the rain for a bit! I've already bought my snacks, and this is all you're showing me?]
[Our sweeties have already run back. The picture's too blurry to tell what's happened to them.]
[I'm bored. Not being able to see Tang Shiba makes me deeply worried for our darling.]
[What if Tang Shiba does something to him?]
Braving the fierce wind, the Director hurriedly told an assistant to switch the feed to him. Keeping his face out of frame, he picked up a Dolls plush and started selling merchandise on the livestream.
"Good evening, my lovely darlings! I'm the Director of A Loving Family. We're working on everyone's camera feeds. To keep you from getting bored, we'll be listing items personally signed by the stars for your entertainment."
And so, autographed Plush Dolls appeared in the Yellow Cart.
He had expected things to go smoothly, but this time, the fans weren't buying it.
[The Bomb Fish from last time haven't even shipped, and now you're selling these?]
[At least you can eat the Bomb Fish. What the hell are these Dolls? They sell for two yuan online, and you're charging ten.]
"Nonsense. They cost two yuan even wholesale," an assistant couldn't help muttering, earning a warning look from the Director.
[If it isn't a doll of our darling, I'm absolutely not buying.]
[Give me a meme of Tang Shiba beating someone up. Forget ten yuan—I'd pay fifty.]
[I want a Dolls plush of my sweetie looking shy.]
[I want Tang Shiba with her hands on her hips.]
[I want a Zhao Tiantian Dolls plush with her face tilted.]
[I want nude pics of Zhao Shen.]
Director realized he had found another money-making opportunity.
He told the assistant to switch the feed back.
Then he took the fake assistant director aside to discuss making money.
"Do we have anyone who can draw?"
"Two people."
"Bring them over. We're working overtime again tonight."
The assistants felt helpless. Overtime even in the rain—who could understand their pain?
Tang Xueqing and the others' camera feed came back.
All the viewers could see were tents flying everywhere, while Fang Cheng clung stubbornly to the last wooden pole.
"Don't go! We only just put you up! We haven't even stayed in you yet, and you're getting blown away again! Boohoo! When my brother gets back, he's going to yell me to death!"
The wind was too strong. The newly erected tent was gone again.
The fans sympathized with him for one second, then filled the screen with laughter.
Meanwhile, the Camera Assistant in the Cave was practically numb.
"How did you get in such good shape?"
"Figured it out myself."
"Oh, then you must be really popular. Do any anti-fans stalk you?"
"Yes."
Si Wuyu found teasing Tang Shiba rather amusing. Her little face was bright red as she stared at his abs, wanting to touch them but not daring to.
Without realizing it, he lowered his head and leaned a little closer, only to see Tang Shiba awkwardly turn her face away.
Oh my god? What's the male lead doing? Getting handsy?
Can I punch him? Sure, I envy his abs, but I'm cannon fodder with principles. I'm absolutely not touching the female lead's man!
Ah, my face is so red. I must have caught a cold.
The Film Emperor thought he'd flustered her, but she was simply like most women: she enjoyed looking at muscular men.
The amusement in his eyes faded a little.
He was also surprised by his own behavior, as though he were teasing a cat.
Ah, he finally moved away. What a shame I can't touch his abs.
"Like them? You can touch."
Tang Shiba snapped her head up, her eyes gleaming. "Really?"
Could she really touch them?
When Si Wuyu nodded, Tang Shiba excitedly reached out with a trembling hand.
Ah!!! I've made it! I'm touching the male lead's abs!
The Camera Assistant's ears pricked up. Touch? Touch what?
Good heavens, don't do anything reckless! He was still here!
The Camera Assistant simply turned off his equipment and hugged himself, wanting to cry but unable to shed a tear.
Small, pitiful, helpless...
"Ah... they're so hard..."
I'm not listening, I'm not listening. This is a ride for kids.
"Mm. Touch them again. They move, too."
"Wow, they really do!"
The Camera Assistant stared blankly ahead. For the first time, he desperately wanted to dash into the rain and wash his now-tainted soul clean.
"What a shame I only get to touch them this once."
Tang Shiba withdrew her hand reluctantly. She wanted toned abs herself, but she was lazy and only wanted to lie around enjoying the gossip.
Only the need to make a living had forced her to pull out her best skills this time.
Si Wuyu said nothing. He looked outside and saw that the rain had eased. They could head back.
"Let's go. The rain's letting up."
The Camera Assistant had been waiting for those very words. He immediately wiped his equipment dry and switched it on.
[Ah! We can see our darling again! Why is he soaked through? Hurry back and change!]
[What happened while you were gone? Tell us everything, nice and slowly.]
[Tang Shiba, what did you do to our darling? Why has he changed? Why is he even more handsome now?]
[Am I imagining things? His face is so pale it's glowing, while Tang Shiba's is practically purple with redness?]
Without a doubt, both of them had caught colds from the rain.
As soon as they left the Cave, Tang Shiba felt that her temperature was off.
She called Si Wuyu to a stop, took some cold medicine out of her bag, and handed it to him.
She thoughtfully gave the Camera Assistant a pill too.
Si Wuyu accepted it, but he didn't want to take it. He wasn't in the habit of taking medicine.
After swallowing hers, Tang Shiba noticed Si Wuyu staring at his pill for ages. She immediately guessed what he was thinking, and her tone turned threatening.
"Take it, or I'll hit you!"
The livestream chat...
Si Wuyu...
Then, to avoid being hit, Si Wuyu swallowed the pill with a frown.
The livestream chat...
[Sure enough, even our darling has submitted to Tang Shiba's reign of terror.]
[Tang Shiba is such a bitch. Can't she treat him differently? He's so handsome!]
[Tang Shiba: My fists don't discriminate, and my insults know no borders. Take that—you're welcome.]
[He's scared of getting hit. As the saying goes, those with nothing to lose fear no one, the tough don't fear the upright, and the dead don't fear the living.]
[Tang Shiba's career is already so dead. Why would she be scared to hit him?]
After taking the medicine, their bodies slowly returned to normal.
When they got back and saw the mess strewn everywhere, Tang Shiba went numb again.
This time, the tent really had blown away. Not even a pole remained.
And Tang Xueqing and the other two were nowhere to be seen.
Had they been blown away too?
"Boohoo! You're finally back! The three of them went to the Director's tent to shelter from the rain."
Fang Cheng nearly burst into tears. "To protect the tent, I fought the wind with everything I had and finally managed to save the wooden pole in my arms..."
The two of them...
"Thanks for all your hard work."
Before you continue