It Really Was an Eyesore

Neither of them spoke loudly, but they were both wearing microphones, so everyone in the livestream heard them.

[An amateur is an amateur, all right. Look at how poor he looks. He's probably never seen that much money in his life.]

[Broke loser. See? That Mu Ze is just a broke loser. He acts like he's never seen money before.]

[You must own a gold mine, commenter above. A million means nothing to you? I'm tempted, anyway.]

[This Mu Ze is way too confident. How much can people in the death business earn? Hope they can at least afford to eat.]

[The production team is being unfair. One look at these jobs tells you the incomes are uneven. Kindergarten teachers and funeral workers earn pretty average salaries. Delivery drivers and resident singers make a lot.]

All sorts of comments flew across the screen, while the production team had already organized the groups of guests to set off.

In the eight-seater van, Xie Yuan and Mu Ze sat in the middle row, while Su Wanyue and Gu Yanzhou sat in the row ahead.

For a while, the van was exceptionally quiet.

The viewers were only too happy to stir up trouble.

[The show did this on purpose, right? Everyone knows Xie Yuan came on the show to make trouble for those two, and they still put them in the same van.]

[Hahahaha, I feel awkward for all four of them through the screen.]

[Fight, fight! Young Master Xie, hurry up and make them cry with that mouth of yours.]

[Will they get into a fight?]

Behind the scenes of the livestream, Director Ma felt terribly wronged when he saw those comments.

He really hadn't done it on purpose.

The kindergarten and the funeral shop just happened to be in the same direction, which was why he had sent them together.

After a few minutes of silence in the van, Su Wanyue spoke first. "Young Master Xie, Mu Ze, have you ever had any experience with the funeral industry?"

"I really like children, but this is my first experience working as a kindergarten teacher."

Xie Yuan raised his eyes. "Teacher Su, do you think Mu Ze looks like someone who works in the funeral industry?"

"Huh?" Su Wanyue exclaimed in surprise. "I don't know."

She looked at Mu Ze. "I still don't know what you do for work. Would you mind telling us?"

"Would you stop asking if I minded?" Mu Ze's voice was gentle. "An ordinary office worker."

Su Wanyue bit her lip and glanced toward Gu Yanzhou, looking ready to cry. Her voice grew a little softer. "Mu Ze, do you hate me so much because of Teacher Xie?"

"You know feelings are beyond our control. You like Young Master Xie so much. You should understand how that feels, shouldn't you?"

Mu Ze leaned closer to Xie Yuan, his face full of distaste. "Don't compare me to you. That's an insult to Young Master Xie."

Su Wanyue's lips parted slightly, and tears filled her eyes.

Gu Yanzhou's heart ached, and he held her hand. "Yueyue, it's not your fault."

"I was the one who fell for you first."

"You're so wonderful and so kind. You deserve to be liked by lots of people."

"We just like each other. There's nothing wrong with that."

"They're the ones in the wrong."

He lifted his head and glanced back. "Mu Ze, I don't know what Xie Yuan told you to make you hate us so much."

"But let me tell you, Yueyue is the woman I love. Anyone who makes things difficult for her is making an enemy of me."

Everyone understood the implication behind those words.

He was getting ready to play the emotional card.

Mu Ze gave a disgusted shudder. "Oh."

That single word made Gu Yanzhou feel as though he had punched cotton.

In the livestream.

[Hahahaha, Mu Ze knows how to leave someone speechless.]

[Actually, President Gu and Yueyue aren't wrong. You can't control who you like. They just like each other. What's wrong with that?]

[Well, that's an eye-opener. Liking someone means you can disregard morality? If everyone were like you, that kind of love really would be disgraceful.]

[Don't care, don't care. Yueyue and President Gu are the best match.]

[President Gu is so wonderful. I want a lover who would throw everything aside for me like that, too.]

Inside the van.

Su Wanyue looked deeply moved. "With those words from you, Yanzhou, it would all be worth it even if no one approved of me."

Xie Yuan rolled his eyes. "Please save the lovey-dovey act for when no one else is around. It really is an eyesore."

"You..." Gu Yanzhou's face darkened, and he was about to lash out when the van stopped.

The driver said, "Teacher Su, President Gu, we're at the kindergarten."

"Hmph." Gu Yanzhou snorted in displeasure and led Su Wanyue out by the hand.

Once the van started moving again, Xie Yuan said to the driver up front, "Sir, you'd better not be so blunt next time. Be careful they don't hold a grudge against you."

The driver waved a hand. "It's fine. I was just telling the truth, not targeting them. They wouldn't dare do anything to me."

"There are so many people watching the livestream."

Xie Yuan said no more on the subject. "All right, as long as you've thought it through."

The van drove for nearly ten minutes before stopping.

The driver said, "Young Master Xie, Teacher Mu Ze, we're here."

"Wait for me here this evening. I'll come pick you up."

"Thank you." Xie Yuan and Mu Ze got out.

There was a small alley beside the road. Xie Yuan and Mu Ze waited a while before an elderly man in his sixties emerged from it.

The old man wore an old Zhongshan suit, and there wasn't a single white strand in his short hair.

"Follow me." The old man glanced at them, then turned and walked into the alley.

The alley was very clean, but it had an ancient air. It had clearly been through many years.

It was just too deserted. As they walked along, many of the shops were already closed.

Only when they were almost at the end of the alley did a few funeral shops appear.

Each shop had just one person tending it, and without exception, they were all elderly people in their sixties.

Quite a few people greeted the old man in the Zhongshan suit when they saw him.

"Old Yuan, are these the people here to film the show?"

"Yes." It was only one word, but Old Yuan's voice was gentle.

"This is the first time we've had people this young come to our alley to experience a job."

An old person's wistful remark came from behind them.

Old Yuan's shop was at the very end.

The storefront looked very old, and quite a few paper funeral offerings stood by the entrance.

The most eye-catching were two paper figures. Apart from having no eyes, they were remarkably lifelike and looked just like real people.

When the camera swept over the paper figures, the livestream viewers jumped in fright.

[Scared me to death. Those paper figures look way too real.]

[Holy crap, in all my years, this is the first time I've seen paper figures up close.]

[These paper figures look handmade. I never knew there was craftsmanship like this.]

[These paper figures look pretty good. Buying one to keep me company after I die wouldn't be bad.]

[You can't say things like that carelessly. Confucius didn't speak of strange phenomena, feats of strength, disorder, or spirits. Careful it comes true.]

[Freedom, democracy, harmony, prosperity...]

Old Yuan led the two of them into the shop.

"I don't have many rules here. Just watch the shop during the day."

"If customers come, just attend to them."

Old Yuan took out a notebook. "The prices are recorded in here."

Mu Ze took the notebook without being asked.

Old Yuan said, "As for your wages, that will depend on how much you can sell."

"Someone will deliver lunch."

Without saying anything more, Old Yuan turned and headed toward the back of the shop.

Xie Yuan and Mu Ze looked around the shop and made sure they knew where everything was before taking stools and sitting behind the counter.

After sitting around in boredom for over ten minutes, Xie Yuan put away his phone. "I'm going out for a walk."

"Okay."

After leaving the shop, Xie Yuan saw an elderly woman with graying hair sitting under a tree outside the shop next door.

Her hair was neatly arranged, without a single strand out of place.

A tea table stood in front of her, and steam rose from the teapot on it. She had clearly just brewed a pot of tea.

The elderly woman poured an extra cup. "Would you like a cup?"