As soon as they left the courtyard where the production team was based, Jiang Mingxi, Zhao Jiayuan, and Chen Chong went into the courtyard next door.
A little girl of six or seven was squatting in the courtyard playing with pebbles, her hair tied into two pigtails sticking straight up.
Hearing the noise at the gate, the little girl looked up, her dark eyes turning toward the people there, timidity mingling with curiosity in her gaze.
Zhao Jiayuan immediately shoved Jiang Mingxi. "Go!"
Chen Chong glared at Zhao Jiayuan. "Why don't you go?"
Zhao Jiayuan glared back. "None of your damn business!"
[These two really are sworn enemies. They've never had a single normal conversation. Every time they open their mouths, they argue.]
[Why isn't this kid at school? It's Wednesday.]
[You can tell this kid's family is poor too. These three grown men aren't going to ask a child for money, are they? Disgusting.]
[??? Nothing's even happened yet, and you're already feeling sick? Whose baby are you carrying? If you've got this much free time, why not go find the kid's dad?]
Jiang Mingxi really did have a beautiful face.
Especially when facing a child, his smile was exceptionally gentle.
"Are you home by yourself?" Bending his knees, Jiang Mingxi crouched down and asked the little girl.
The little girl's hand remained poised to pick up the pebbles on the ground. She neither moved nor spoke.
Jiang Mingxi continued with a smile, "We're uncles here to film a show. We're not bad people."
Zhao Jiayuan gave Jiang Mingxi a smack from behind. "What do you mean, uncles? Big brothers!"
Jiang Mingxi ignored Zhao Jiayuan, staying crouched as he spoke to the child. "I'm going into town in a little while. Is there anything you need me to bring you?"
The little girl blinked, and the corners of her mouth moved, but she still said nothing.
Jiang Mingxi glanced at the door behind her. The house was quiet; it didn't seem as though anyone was inside.
Although the little girl's clothes were old, they were perfectly clean.
The entire courtyard was neatly tidied up too.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Mingxi added, "It might rain today. Do you need me to deliver an umbrella or a raincoat or something?"
The little girl immediately looked up at the sky.
The sky was indeed gray and overcast.
She looked at the sky, then at Jiang Mingxi, bit her lip, sprang to her feet, and pattered back into the house.
Completely baffled, Zhao Jiayuan nudged Jiang Mingxi's back with his knee. "How did you know..."
Before he could finish, the little girl came pattering out again.
Zhao Jiayuan immediately shut his mouth.
Holding a rain poncho in her arms, the little girl ran straight up to Jiang Mingxi. She pressed her lips together, visibly nervous, but still took a breath and said, "Can you help me take this to my big brother?"
Her big brother?
Jiang Mingxi took the poncho and smiled. "Of course. Where in town does your big brother work?"
"At Yongtong Auto Repair." Afraid Jiang Mingxi would mishear the name, the little girl enunciated especially clearly. "My big brother's name is Dabao."
Jiang Mingxi ruffled the little girl's hair. "Okay, Xiaobao. I'll take Dabao his poncho in a little while."
The little girl's cheeks were slightly red, and she was a little shy, but she smiled at Jiang Mingxi. "Thank you."
They left the little girl's home.
Looking utterly bewildered, Zhao Jiayuan turned to Jiang Mingxi. "Excuse me? Aren't the three of us a team? How come I didn't know we were going into town? You just went right ahead and decided for us?"
Jiang Mingxi smiled at him. "Do you think we can find a way to make a living in the village?
"The production team charges fifty yuan for a single tub of instant noodles, and this is a survival challenge show. They must have wiped out every possible way for us to survive.
"We can't exactly help some elderly folks with a bit of work and then hold out our hands for money, can we?"
Zhao Jiayuan rolled his eyes. "Is that what I meant? I meant, how did you know she had family in town?"
Chen Chong burst out laughing.
His laughter was so blatantly mocking that Zhao Jiayuan flared up instantly, jumping up to fight him again.
The frightened staff member beside them hurriedly said, "Mr. Zhao, please, I'm begging you, stop fighting!"
[Hahahahahaha!]
[Goddamn, Zhao Jiayuan, are you a firecracker?]
[I'm curious too. How did Jiang Mingxi know the little girl had family in town? Is he cheating?]
"The little girl's pigtails were neatly done, her clothes were clean, the windows of the house were clean too, and the courtyard was tidy. There's obviously a hardworking adult in the family.
"While we were talking to her, there wasn't a sound from inside the house. The adult probably wasn't home.
"I just took a guess that the adult in her family might work in town, going to work during the day and coming home to look after her at night."
Jiang Mingxi explained.
He simply hadn't expected that this adult would turn out to be the little girl's older brother rather than her mother or father.
[Jiang Mingxi is so smart!]
[And he's seriously so handsome. Oh my god, I can't take my eyes off that face. How did I never notice how handsome Jiang Mingxi was before?]
[It's scripted, isn't it? If that clout-chasing bitch had any brains, would the whole internet be mocking him?]
That comment had only just floated past when the blunt Zhao Jiayuan complimented Jiang Mingxi. "You're pretty smart, huh? If you're so smart, how come the whole internet still hates you and calls you a clout-chasing bitch?"
Jiang Mingxi practically wanted to thank eight generations of Zhao Jiayuan's ancestors.
"Wasn't the worst hate I got online people accusing me of leeching off Jiang Ke? Was that my fault? I explained, but nobody believed me."
[Is this clout-chasing bitch shameless or what? Blaming other people for his own rotten character. Why doesn't he just die!]
[If there's something wrong with your brain, get it checked. Jiang Mingxi is clearly the victim here. Whatever else you say, Jiang Ke is his biological older brother. That alone makes the people accusing him of leeching off Jiang Ke and wanting to sell his body downright rotten.]
In front of his screen.
Jiang Ke watched the comments float past, his expression dark.
Someone was actually speaking up for Jiang Mingxi?
That bitch actually dared disregard his words, and even dared post on Weibo?
Slamming the table, Jiang Ke ordered his secretary, "Get Jiang Mingxi's Weibo account suspended. Also, make it clear to the production team again: no one is allowed to give Jiang Mingxi any tasks! And no one is allowed to offer him any help!"
Zhao Jiayuan and Chen Chong had actually joined Jiang Mingxi in ostracizing Lele.
Then he would see whether they regretted it when they couldn't find any opportunities to make money!
He would make these people beg to team up with Lele.
The secretary looked at his CEO, who was losing his mind.
He silently sighed to himself.
What did I do to deserve this~
"Yes, Mr. Jiang~"
At the filming location.
As Jiang Mingxi chatted with Zhao Jiayuan, he looked up and saw Song Lan walking toward them.
Zhao Jiayuan immediately coughed several times as though a chicken feather had gotten stuck in his throat, then bumped Jiang Mingxi with his shoulder. "Your idol's here!"
Jiang Mingxi jogged a few steps over to Song Lan. "Have you found a suitable task, Teacher Song?"
Meeting his warm, eager gaze, Song Lan replied coolly, "No."
Jiang Mingxi immediately clenched a fist and pumped it at Song Lan. "Then you can do it, Teacher Song!"
With that, he turned and ran back to Zhao Jiayuan and Chen Chong. "Let's go."
A question mark popped straight up in Song Lan's eyes.