Zhao Jiayuan looked stunned. "I thought you'd take the chance to invite Song Lan along with us. You were practically throwing yourself at him yesterday! No shame at all."
[That mouth of Zhao Jiayuan's attacks everyone equally!]
[Before I became a Zhao Jiayuan fan, I seriously hated him. After becoming a fan, I realized I hated him even more!]
[Hahahahaha, definitely a real fan!]
After Zhao Jiayuan finished, Chen Chong said nothing and simply looked toward Jiang Mingxi.
Not only was Jiang Mingxi not angry.
He actually looked smug.
"How am I supposed to pursue someone without making a move!"
Chen Chong looked at Jiang Mingxi, then at Zhao Jiayuan.
He seemed somewhat thoughtful.
Jiang Mingxi admitted it openly, but he didn't particularly want to discuss it.
"Let's see if we can borrow a three-wheeler. Town's a bit far."
Zhao Jiayuan's attention immediately shifted. "When we were moving corn yesterday, I saw a three-wheeler parked in the village chief's yard."
In the village chief's yard.
The village chief looked at the three of them with a troubled expression.
"Borrow the three-wheeler?" He was actually quite willing to lend it, but the production team had just told the villagers not to help the guests. The village chief could only harden his heart and say, "I'll need my three-wheeler later."
Zhao Jiayuan pointed at the bicycle parked in the yard. "Then can we borrow the bicycle?"
The village chief rubbed his hands. "I'll need the bicycle too."
Chen Chong pointed at the electric scooter in the yard. "Then can we borrow the electric scooter?"
The village chief looked so troubled he was almost crying from having to lie. "I'll need the electric scooter too."
The village chief's five-year-old eldest grandson was stunned. The meat bun in his hand plopped onto the ground as he stared at his grandfather in disbelief. "Grandpa, how many butts do you have? Why do you need so many vehicles all by yourself?"
[Hahahahaha!]
[Kids say the darnedest things!]
The bullet comments erupted with laughter.
Jiang Mingxi had figured it out. The production team had most likely spoken to him beforehand.
Not wanting to put the village chief in a difficult position, Jiang Mingxi simply smiled. "If lending them out isn't convenient, we won't borrow them. Do you need us to take anything? We're going into town, so we can take something there or bring something back for you."
Having refused to lend them a vehicle, how could the village chief have the nerve to ask them for a favor?
He hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no."
After they left the village chief's house, Zhao Jiayuan looked indignant. "The production team is so damn underhanded. They definitely told him ahead of time not to lend us anything."
Chen Chong ran a hand over his buzz cut. "If we can't borrow anything here, there's no point hoping other households will lend us something. Let's walk."
Looking thoroughly furtive, Jiang Mingxi crooked a finger at Zhao Jiayuan and Chen Chong. "Listen..."
One minute later.
"Hahahahaha, you're so wicked you're practically smoking!" The moment Jiang Mingxi finished, Zhao Jiayuan bounced up, laughing.
Chen Chong laughed too. "I think it'll work!"
[What are these three plotting?]
[I didn't hear a thing just now, but judging by Zhao Jiayuan's reaction, it definitely isn't anything good!]
[Looks like that clout-chasing bitch is stirring up trouble again. He's so annoying. Can he just get lost?]
[??? Don't you know how to click × and leave the stream? Are you a purebred moron?]
All sorts of bullet comments streamed past.
With ill intentions written all over their faces, the three headed straight for the production team's courtyard.
As soon as they entered, Zhao Jiayuan was the first to lay into the director.
He raised his hand and pointed straight at the director's nose. "You won't let the villagers lend us transportation? You control everything else, and now you think you can control us borrowing things too?"
When the director went around speaking to the households, he had expected the guests to come question him.
But he hadn't expected Zhao Jiayuan to be so aggressive about it.
He immediately frowned. "This is a survival challenge show. If you borrow everything, what's the point of the show?"
[Exactly. You came on "Survival Challenge." If you borrow everything, what survival are you challenging? Just call it Borrowing Challenge!]
[Is Zhao Jiayuan sick in the head? Why is he taking it out on the director? What a raging psycho!]
[Don't tell me this is the clout-chasing bitch's plan? Send hotheaded Zhao Jiayuan out to fight with the production team? Poor Zhao Jiayuan, getting used as a weapon!]
[The clout-chasing bitch stays perfectly out of sight while Zhao Jiayuan sticks his neck out. Heh.]
[Maybe don't jump to... aaaaaah!]
[Hahahahaha, I knew Zhao Jiayuan was no good. He really didn't disappoint!]
[I'm dying!]
Just as rows of comments like "Get that clout-chasing bitch off the show" and "Poor Zhao Jiayuan" drifted across the screen.
Chen Chong started a car parked in the production team's courtyard and drove straight toward the gate.
Sitting in the back seat, Jiang Mingxi opened the door and called to Zhao Jiayuan, "Let's go!"
One moment, Zhao Jiayuan was still roaring at the director, drawing a crowd of staff. The next, he charged out of the crowd like a wild donkey and leaped into the car.
Bang!
The car door shut.
Exhaust drifted behind them.
The three were gone.
The bullet comments instantly flooded the screen with [Hahahahaha].
The production staff: ...
The director: ...
After freezing for a full three seconds, the director stamped his feet in fury and roared, "You bastards!"
But not a trace of his furious roar made it through the car windows.
A cameraman sidled up to the director and said timidly, "There's no camera crew in their car."
No camera crew meant no livestream.
No livestream...
This was a livestreamed variety show!
Without a livestream, what show was there to make!
The director nearly exploded.
Pounding his chest in fury, he bellowed, "Then what are you standing around for? Get in a car and chase them!"
Vroom, vroom, vroom~
The three guests' camera crew hurried into a car and gave chase.
As the driver drove, a cameraman took a megaphone and shouted at the car ahead, "You up front, wait! Wait!"
[Hahahahaha!]
[I'm laughing so hard I'm crowing!]
[For a moment, I can't even tell who the stars of this livestream are!]
[Who the hell is actually doing the Survival Challenge here!]
"Hahahahaha, that felt amazing!" In the car, Zhao Jiayuan was practically rolling around with joy. "Jiang Mingxi, you're such a bastard!"
Jiang Mingxi looked at him with a smile. "You really know how to compliment someone!"
Zhao Jiayuan waved a hand. "You earned it!"
Jiang Mingxi: ...
With his hands on the steering wheel and a smile tugging at his lips, Chen Chong cut in. "Once we get to town, what kind of work should we look for?"
Zhao Jiayuan immediately burst out laughing. "You don't actually think we're going to look for work, do you? Pickled mustard greens beef instant noodles are bound to cost two fifty a tub in town. We've got three hundred yuan between us. That's enough to buy all we need to keep us full until we go home. Hahahahaha..."
Amid Zhao Jiayuan's laughter.
Jiang Mingxi: ...
Chen Chong: ...
Their tactical silence turned Zhao Jiayuan's laughter into, "Hahahaha, hahaha, haha... ha?"
That last note came with a little question mark that made him question his life.
"You're really going to look for work?"
Chen Chong glanced at him in the rearview mirror, his smile widening, but said nothing.
Amused, Jiang Mingxi said, "I have a bold idea..."