Shi Wei was so afraid he would burst out laughing that he hurriedly pinched the person beside him.
Oh, you're so damn awesome. Good for you!
Everyone remained fairly composed. Huang Zheng handed him the envelope. "Thanks for taking this on. If you run into any trouble, just let us know."
"Okay, thank you, everyone." Xu Xirui held the envelope in both hands. "Then let's look for a cheaper place to stay. Is everyone okay with squeezing in together?"
"No problem."
"That's budget travel for you. I'd even be fine sleeping on the floor," Xiong Wen said playfully.
Xu Xirui smiled and began searching online for nearby inns.
Shi Wei didn't want to crowd around, so he simply stayed where he was and admired the scenery.
"When are you planning to let go of me?"
Shi Wei turned his head, stunned.
The person he had grabbed just now was Ji Hanchuan?
He hurriedly let go. "Teacher Ji, when did you come stand beside me?"
Ji Hanchuan ignored his question and said quietly, "The luggage..."
"Ahem, ahem, ahem!" Shi Wei remembered what was in his suitcase, and the livestream...
He really didn't dare imagine what kind of social death Ji Hanchuan had experienced.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Ji."
"What are you two talking about?" Chen Yutong suddenly walked over and squeezed between them, hooking an arm around Ji Hanchuan's shoulders like they were good buddies.
Shi Wei hurriedly said, "I was asking Teacher Ji whether he was especially excited to reunite with Sister Yutong as the Moonlight CP."
Ji Hanchuan's face was written all over with excitement (indifference).
"Really?" Chen Yutong said with a smile. "Actually, I didn't understand anything back then, but Hanchuan was so outstanding that I was practically dying of jealousy."
"You acted very well," Ji Hanchuan said truthfully.
Chen Yutong gave him a shove with her arm. "Then why did you scold me?"
A trace of disgust flashed through Ji Hanchuan's dark eyes. He glanced at Shi Wei, then walked straight over to stand opposite Chen Yutong.
The smile on Chen Yutong's face froze, but she quickly recovered.
Shi Wei was shocked. "Teacher Ji actually scolds people?"
"Does he ever." At Chen Yutong's words, everyone's attention shifted to her, and the cameras turned toward her too.
"You all want to hear about it?"
"Yes!"
"Come on, Sister Yutong, don't keep us in suspense."
All the attention that had been on him had shifted to Chen Yutong. Xu Xirui's eyes dimmed, but then he put on another smile and walked over, pretending to be very interested.
Chen Yutong smiled. "It wasn't much, really. Teacher Ji just thought I wasn't expressing my emotions well enough, that I wasn't showing enough love for him. He wasn't nearly as easygoing then as he is now. He started criticizing me right in front of Director Zhang."
Shi Wei clicked his tongue inwardly twice. "Didn't you scold him back, Sister Yutong?"
If that old man dared scold me, I'd curse him out on the spot until even his own mother wouldn't recognize him!
"I wouldn't dare. I just ran off crying."
Xiong Wen pressed, "Then Teacher Ji must have chased after you to comfort you, right?"
"Nope." Chen Yutong gave a cold snort. "Hmph. The next day, Hanchuan gave me a few professional books on acting."
Everyone: ...
Yep, that was very Great God Ji.
The livestream viewers were laughing just as hard as the guests, frantically spamming "Moonlight CP."
Ji Hanchuan's expression darkened. He wasn't used to being made fun of like this.
...Even though he had done all those things.
"Ah, Teacher Ji is doomed to be forever alone," Shi Wei lamented.
Ji Hanchuan's expression instantly turned cold.
Shi Wei hurriedly said, "What I mean is, Teacher Ji is the sun. You shine in all directions, you're dazzlingly brilliant, you're scorching hot, and anyone who comes near you will be reduced to ashes, but you still shine alone."
Ji Hanchuan: ...
Everyone else: ...
You really have a way with words.
Xu Xirui suddenly said, "I found a cheap guesthouse. Let's go drop off our luggage."
"Sure."
"Ruirui really is so reliable."
Everyone grabbed their luggage and set off.
Shi Wei and Ji Hanchuan walked at the back. Shi Wei glanced at him and deliberately quickened his pace, only for Ji Hanchuan to speed up and catch him again.
"You said I was doomed to be forever alone..."
Shi Wei heard Ji Hanchuan say softly, "But don't I have you?"
Shi Wei: ...
His whole body went cold.
All I said was that he was doomed to be forever alone. To get back at me, Ji Hanchuan actually intends to never let me go for the rest of my life?!
The guesthouse wasn't particularly nice, but it was cheap. The men squeezed into one room and the women into another, saving wherever they could.
Everyone got settled, then prepared to head out and check off some tourist attractions.
The city truly lived up to its name as the capital of music. Many people performed for free in the streets, and even the air seemed filled with drifting musical notes.
Shi Wei had originally been walking with Zhuo Xiao, but at some point, Ji Hanchuan appeared beside him, seemingly very interested in Zhuo Xiao.
But Ji Hanchuan's questions were far too lethal. To avoid offending anyone, Zhuo Xiao had no choice but to abandon Shi Wei.
"As expected of Teacher Ji, talking about acting even on a variety show," Shi Wei said glumly. "You asked him which teacher he thought was the better actor. How is a young actor supposed to answer that?"
Ji Hanchuan countered, "Then how would you answer?"
Oh, he's even learned to turn questions back on me.
Without thinking, Shi Wei said, "I'd say, 'Both teachers are great actors, but Teacher Ji said Teacher Wang's acting is sometimes too over-the-top, and Teacher Ji often slacks off and doesn't deliver his lines properly. Oh dear, I'm just a young actor. What do I know? Teacher Ji said it all. Teacher Ji is the GOAT!'"
Ji Hanchuan: ...
With a faint, ambiguous smile, he said, "Three with one arrow..."
Shi Wei's brain short-circuited, and he finished for him, "Three dumbasses?"
The livestream viewers went wild with laughter.
"Hahaha! Now that's passive-aggressive! Now that's green tea talk!"
"My ears say I've learned it, but my brain says I've botched it."
"It was supposed to be a survival instinct, but he went straight for the reverse play. Shi Wei, that's so you."
"What are you talking about?" Chen Yutong called to them. "Come over here and eat."
To save money, they only ate at roadside stalls with cheap, generous portions. Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they visited two more attractions. By the time they had checked them off, it was already dusk, and they returned to the guesthouse together.
The guesthouse had grown busier. To avoid disturbing the other guests, they simply ate in its little garden. Their laughing and joking drew quite a few people's attention.
Shi Wei had kept his head down, digging into his food. Xiong Wen looked at him curiously. "Shi Wei, do you never get enough to eat at home?"
Everyone else looked over too.
Feeling everyone's intense gazes, Shi Wei lifted his face from his bowl. "I get enough to eat."
"I thought you came on this show either to mooch phone time or to mooch meals." Xiong Wen laughed.
Shi Wei: ...
Huang Zhen's eyes were kindly. "It's good for young people not to be extravagant, but don't be so penny-pinching when you're pursuing a girlfriend in the future. Trust me, Teacher Huang has been there."
Shi Wei felt aggrieved. He was just eating normally.
"Let me teach you something. When girls say they don't want to eat, they're just being coy. If you see that a girl's bowl is empty, take the initiative and share some food with her."
Ji Hanchuan, who was in the middle of putting an untouched piece of steak onto Shi Wei's plate: ...