I was full of hope for the world, and the world slapped me across the face

She reached into her pocket with perfect confidence, but just as she grabbed her sunglasses to take them out, she heard Chi An's next words.

"I have a video."

"Huh, why isn't anyone here? I'll go take a look."

The transition was seamless and natural, without the slightest sign of guilt. Chi Shuran walked forward casually, looking as though she had been watching the place all along.

Chi An quietly watched Chi Shuran put on her act and couldn't be bothered to expose her. Once she went inside, he found the camera and said calmly, "Sometimes, having a high IQ has its advantages. For instance, it's more than enough to fool people with low IQs."

"For example, I just made something up, and Chi Shuran believed it."

He shrugged indifferently. Catching sight of Chi Shuran coming out of the house from the corner of his eye, Chi An calmly took two steps forward as though nothing had happened.

[When will I be able to lie with such a clear conscience? I'm going to give it a try too.]

[I'm usually the one with the bad memory. (Awkward laugh)(Awkward laugh)]

[Women really are fickle. She went inside without the slightest hesitation, as though nothing had happened.]

[Honestly, if Chi Shuran hadn't gone with that cool, mature woman persona and caused so much trouble, she would've been famous ages ago.]

[It's not too late for her to get famous now, and she can bring her brother along too.]

"Were you bad-mouthing me again?" Chi Shuran stared at Chi An suspiciously, deeply doubtful.

She knew this look of his all too well. The calmer he acted, the more certain it was that he had done something!

"Even if I did, you wouldn't know. Isn't asking a waste of breath?"

She was just about to lose her temper when she heard movement behind her. Forcing her anger down, Chi Shuran glared at Chi An, then stepped aside to reveal the person coming in from behind her.

"Are you the youngsters who came to help me pick apples?"

The elderly woman's peaceful smile made her seem very approachable. Her eyes were full of goodwill and anticipation, as though she was delighted by these young people's arrival.

When the elderly woman came out, Chi An immediately put on a smile and greeted her politely. "Hello, Granny. We're here to help pick apples."

The elderly woman nodded, her smile growing even brighter. "You two youngsters are so good-looking. I've never seen anyone as good-looking as you."

"I'll take you to the orchard. The baskets are already there." With that, the elderly woman took the lead, slowly guiding them in one direction.

Along the way, she introduced the different varieties of apple trees and shared plenty of knowledge about growing apples.

Chi Shuran and Chi An followed behind, listening to her explanations. Chi An ignored all of Chi Shuran's unfriendly behavior and leisurely admired the scenery around them.

After walking for about ten minutes, they stopped outside a wooden gate. Even standing at the entrance, they could smell the waves of fruity fragrance drifting out.

Chi An said, "That smells amazing."

"This is the village orchard. Every household that grows fruit does it here."

She pushed open the gate, revealing neatly arranged fruit trees inside. From outside, they couldn't tell much, but only when the gate opened did they realize how vast it was, as though the gate in front was merely for show.

If the whole village grew fruit trees here... Thinking of that tableful of task cards, Chi An had a bad feeling.

"Granny, are there several fruit growers who have people coming to help them pick fruit?"

"Yes, lots of them."

His smile stiffened. With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, Chi An backed outside the gate. After making sure no one else was behind them, he decisively shut it.

The elderly woman and Chi Shuran paid little attention to what Chi An did, but the viewers in the livestream understood instantly.

[Oh dear, he definitely didn't see this coming. Fu Yanci has already followed you here.]

[Tsk, shutting the gate won't help. With Fu Yanci's abilities, he could even dig a hole in the ground just to see you, crawl inside, follow your scent to tunnel straight beneath your feet, then suddenly pop out of the dirt when you aren't looking, hug you, and whisper in your ear: "Caught you, my little~ ba~by~~~~~" (Vocal fry)]

[(Roaring helplessly)(Gritting teeth)(Grabbing a bottle of rubbing alcohol and pouring it into my eyes) I need to wash my eyes! My eyes! You've murdered my eyes!!!]

[That's disgusting, but it also sounds like something Fu Yanci would do.]

[I was full of hope for the world, and the world slapped me across the face and loudly told me that some handsome men might not be yours, but they're even less likely to be normal.]

She led Chi An and Chi Shuran beneath a tree laden with bright red apples and stopped. First, she pointed at the tree in front of them, then at the other trees in the row behind it. "You can pick from this whole row. We only need five baskets of apples. Just start with this tree."

Chi Shuran tilted her head back to look for a moment, then decisively carried a basket over to the lowest branches and got straight to work.

She picked up the scissors, carefully snipped off an apple, and placed it in the basket. Watching her, the elderly woman nodded in satisfaction. "Good. I'll leave it to you, then. I'm going home."

"All right, Granny. Go ahead."

Chi Shuran stood obediently in place, watching the elderly woman leave. Once she was sure the woman was far away, she instantly grew overbearing. Holding an apple, she bossed Chi An around. "You! Get up the tree and pick apples. I'll catch them down here."

"Ordering me around?"

Chi An raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice carrying a hint of an unreadable smile.

Chi Shuran thought nothing of it and continued smugly, "This isn't ordering you around. It's recognizing my weaknesses and giving you a chance to play to your strengths."

Leaning casually against the trunk, Chi An pointed to where she stood. "No need to recognize anything. Do you know the Law of Universal Gravitation?"

As he spoke, he placed the apple in his hand into the basket. "It's fine if you don't. With your IQ, that's about as far as you can get anyway."

Chi Shuran had yet to realize the deeper meaning of his words, but what he said next made her understand immediately.

"Some people get hit by an apple and make an enormous contribution to academia. Others get hit by an apple and would probably still drool even after treatment."

Chi An paused, looking at Chi Shuran teasingly. "Right, Chi Shuran?"

They had both gone to school. No matter how slow she was, she finally realized that Chi An was making a roundabout jab at her intelligence!

[Can anyone relate? I got insulted just watching a variety show. Even Chi Shuran caught on, and I still didn't get it.]

[Don't lose heart. It's only a lack of brains. She still has a smart older brother. We're the pitiful ones. We have nothing.]

[Some people lack brains but have looks. Others are like they offended God, and he welded every door and window shut.]