"Clap, clap, clap, clap!" Enthusiastic applause rang out nearby. Everyone turned to look and saw Lin Yuxuan and Gu Zijin standing a short distance away with baskets on their backs. Lin Yuxuan was still clapping.
"You're awesome, Chi! You smashed the table with one slap!"
"What are you playing over there? Let's play together after we finish our tasks!"
She awkwardly withdrew her hand and apologized to the staff member. Turning around, she noticed the baskets brimming with grass on their backs and couldn't help frowning as she asked in confusion, "Why did you pull up so much grass?"
She wondered to herself whether there really was a weeding task.
The thought made her shudder. Ever since she was little, she had been most afraid of those spineless bugs. Watching them slowly wriggle across the ground gave her goosebumps. Caterpillars in particular made her skin crawl and could cover her whole body in goosebumps!
"More or less. We have to cut this grass to feed the cows."
Just then, Gu Zijin took out his phone to check the time. Seeing that they only had a little over an hour left, he hurriedly tugged Lin Yuxuan's sleeve and said goodbye to the others with him. "We'll go finish our first task, then. Talk to you later!"
With that, the two hurried away, leaving the others standing there.
Remembering that they still had a task, Chi An reached back into his pocket and pulled out the envelope: please help Grandpa Chen clear the weeds from his backyard.
There really was a weeding task. Chi An beckoned to Chi Shuran, who was still behind him, and started walking ahead. "Hurry up. Let's finish the task first, then find something to eat."
"I know! If you'd drawn the task card and gone back earlier, would we have had all this trouble?"
Despite her complaints, Chi Shuran obediently followed Chi An. She stuck out her chest as she walked past Fu Yanci and Song Wenjing, her eyes full of smug satisfaction, looking every bit like a gloating little villain.
"Well, take your time waiting here~~~ I'm off to do my task~~~"
Watching the two leave, Fu Yanci lowered his head to look at the staff member, who was still sorting the envelopes, a trace of displeasure and impatience in his eyes.
His expression abruptly darkened. The smile at the corners of his mouth vanished in an instant, replaced by a chilling coldness and detachment. A hint of menace threaded his deep voice as he slowly said, "I want to draw now. Will you let me?"
The staff member timidly raised her head. Meeting Fu Yanci's icy gaze, she trembled all over in fright, lost her balance, and landed on her backside. Her voice shook as she answered, "Y-yes..."
She handed over the envelope with trembling hands. Fu Yanci took it and quickly opened it for a look. Seeing that it was still the fruit-picking task, he frowned slightly, then put it back in the envelope and handed it to the staff member, saying coldly, "I want the same one as Chi An."
Looking at Fu Yanci's stern expression, the staff member was frightened to tears. She choked out, "Wah-I have to find it-"
"They're all mixed up! I can't find it either! Waaa-" With that, she abandoned any thought of finding the task and ran off in fear.
Fu Yanci watched expressionlessly as the staff member ran away with her face covered, then crouched down to search through the pile of envelopes himself.
Song Wenjing's eyes widened at his actions, and he stared in shock at her retreating figure. "You scared her into crying?!"
Fu Yanci didn't respond to Song Wenjing's questioning. He kept searching as though none of it had anything to do with him.
"Come on, you scared that young woman into tears. At least go apologize."
Crouching in front of Fu Yanci, Song Wenjing pressed one hand onto the pile of envelopes and looked at him disapprovingly. "She didn't do anything to you-"
The words caught in his throat. Meeting Fu Yanci's bloodshot eyes, Song Wenjing stared for two seconds before quickly looking away and rummaging through the envelopes at lightning speed.
It's over! He's about to have an episode!
Shit! Somebody save me! Who can put up with his temper?!
"Well, uh, why don't you head over to Chi An first? I'll go with you, and we can ask what their task is while we're there, so we can come back and find the task card."
He was the one who had to clean up the mess. How could the condition flare up just like that? Wasn't he supposed to be almost better?!
Fu Yanci calmly stood up and walked ahead, turning sideways to look at the man still crouching on the ground. "Aren't you coming?"
"Coming, coming. Let me ask the staff where they went."
[Holy crap, where did that temper suddenly come from? That expression scared the hell out of me!]
[He does have that domineering CEO vibe, but this is going too far. Look how badly he scared the staff member.]
[She was just doing her job. Besides, it wasn't her fault the envelopes were such a mess, was it? Wasn't Chi Shuran the one who broke the table with a slap? Why make things difficult for a staff member?]
[I keep feeling like something's wrong with Fu Yanci. His state is way off.]
[Didn't Chi An say before that Fu Yanci had a bad temper? This fits, doesn't it?]
[Could this be a rage disorder? I've seen cases like this, and some of his behavior seems to fit.]
[No way, right? Sure, I'll admit Fu Yanci's mental state is ahead of its time, but a rage disorder? Isn't that a bit of a stretch?]
[It's not impossible.]
[Does nobody care about that young woman? She didn't get a single apology from beginning to end. She didn't even do anything.]
[Exactly. That's what I wanted to say too. Why should she have to put up with someone else's temper?!]
Meanwhile, after following the map to Grandpa Chen's house and explaining why they had come, the old man cheerfully led them to the backyard with tools. But as soon as they entered the vegetable garden, their eyes met those of the people nearby.
Lu Wanqing and Li Nanyi were covered up from head to toe, standing stiffly in the middle of the vegetable garden with a hoe and a shovel in their hands. A few uprooted weeds lay beside them.
Seeing Chi An and Chi Shuran, Lu Wanqing froze for a moment, then quickly recovered and greeted them with a smile. "Hello! Did you just get here to do your task?"
"Our second task."
Chi An answered casually, then paid them no further attention. He listened carefully as Grandpa Chen taught them how to identify the weeds, then got straight to work.
There wasn't much time left. They would have to move quickly from here on out. They had no time to waste and had to complete a few more tasks within the remaining hour or so.
"Brother, I'm scared of bugs."
Looking at the vegetable patch in front of her, Chi Shuran stood at the end of the path with a basket in her hand, her eyes full of resistance and reluctance.
"Then stay there and clear the weeds around the edges. I'll handle the ones inside."
There weren't that many anyway. He could finish it alone.
"Okay, okay!"
They hadn't been working on the task for even two minutes when Song Wenjing's loud voice came from ahead. "Chi! Are you there?"
Before you continue