Leader Lu looked at Jiang Mingxi, then at Jiang Mingle.
He smiled. "We are indeed looking for the young man who took everyone around on yesterday's livestream. Getting the name wrong was an error on our part. Our apologies."
As he spoke, he extended his hand to Jiang Mingxi again. "We very much hope you'll accept our invitation to promote tourism in Bridgehead Village. I watched yesterday's livestream. It was excellent."
Jiang Mingle stood beside them, his face green.
Jiang Mingxi smiled and shook the leader's hand.
Then he turned and pulled Chen Chong and Zhao Jiayuan over.
"The three of us led it together."
Leader Lu smiled. "Then may I invite all three of you to promote tourism in Bridgehead Village? I hear you're doing a couples' special today?"
Zhao Jiayuan was irrepressible and blurted out, "If someone hadn't come looking for trouble first thing this morning, we'd already be taking our first batch of tourists up the mountain."
Jiang Ke: ...
Jiang Mingle: ...
Leader Lu didn't respond to that. He simply smiled at them. "The parent-child special you did yesterday was especially meaningful. The county leaders attach great importance to this tourism promotion."
Zhao Jiayuan kept going. "So much importance that you got the name wrong?"
[Hahahahaha!]
[You dumbass, I'm begging you to shut up! That's an actual government leader! Fuck, being your fan is going to kill me!]
[That's Zhao Jiayuan's mouth for you. It spares absolutely no one!]
Even Jiang Mingxi hadn't expected Zhao Jiayuan to be this reckless.
He instinctively reached up to cover his mouth. "Running your mouth like that-have you got a death wish?"
[Hahaha, you're not sparing him either!]
Leader Lu laughed. "Getting the name wrong was indeed our fault, and I apologize. How about this? I'll formally invite the three of you here and now, and personally oversee the promotional poster being redone when I get back."
Jiang Mingxi immediately smiled. "Could we add one more person?"
As he spoke, Jiang Mingxi grabbed Song Lan and pulled him over.
Without even asking whether Song Lan was willing, he decided for him.
"Could you add Song Lan too? The four of us are doing today's couples' special together."
[Together? Doing it? Huh?]
[Doing what? Do you mean doing it, or doing it?]
[You're all so dirty! I'm still a child! Could you go into detail?]
[If that's how it is, I'm all for watching!]
[Are you people sick? If you want to ship couples, go watch the dating show next door, okay? Why are you acting crazy here?]
[Exactly. Taking Teacher Song away, thanks. Teacher Song is simply being loyal to his friends. He's not forming a ship, and we won't let anyone leech off him!]
[Even if Jiang Mingxi has cleared his name now, we're not accepting him forcing himself onto Song Lan for clout!]
Bai Ge: Heh. Hah, ptui-spit!
Leader Lu immediately smiled. "It's an honor for our county to have you promote tourism in Bridgehead Village. But I must say this up front: we can't offer a very high fee."
Jiang Mingxi's face filled with delighted surprise. "You're even going to pay us?"
Zhao Jiayuan sprang up. "It'll definitely be more than seventeen yuan! Right? Right?"
Chen Chong turned his head and smiled.
Idiot!
After settling the tourism promotion arrangements with the four of them, Leader Lu called the village chief over to accompany him up the mountain for an on-site inspection of potential tourist attractions.
From beginning to end, he hadn't said a word to Jiang Ke or Jiang Mingle.
Once they left, Zhao Jiayuan said straight into the livestream camera, "Has anyone signed up for today's couples' special? I'm going all out!"
[Yes, yes, yes!]
[Fuck, I've been waiting here for half an hour, just watching all that melodrama over there. I've already finished a bag of sunflower seeds. Hurry up and take me up the mountain!]
[Holy shit, girl, you're there? Waaaaah, I'm jealous.]
[Jealous +1]
[Loads of people have come to the foot of the mountain behind Bridgehead Village. They're all waiting for the production team.]
The director looked awkwardly toward Jiang Ke and Jiang Mingle.
After such a mess, he didn't know how to face his financial backer for the moment.
Fortunately.
Jiang Ke spoke to him first.
Somewhere with no one around, Jiang Ke pointed at the cameraman. "Fire him! Also, find a chance to kick Jiang Mingxi out during today's show. I don't care how you do it. I don't want to see Jiang Mingxi still on the show tomorrow.
"Otherwise, I won't invest another cent!"
Jiang Ke was practically dying of rage!
This was the show he had invested in!
He was this show's supreme overlord!
Yet on his own show, he and Lele had suffered such humiliation, while that bitch Jiang Mingxi stole all the limelight?
Before Jiang Ke had even finished speaking, a voice drifted over from beside the director.
"Hello, I'm the special assistant to the president of Song Corporation Group. Did I just hear that President Jiang no longer wishes to invest in this show?
"In that case, if the director is willing, we'd be delighted to invest in the show.
"Here's my business card. Please contact me anytime."
The special assistant spoke courteously and politely, wearing a slight smile.
When he finished, he even smiled at Jiang Ke and offered a pleasantry. "It's a pleasure to meet President Jiang and your fake younger brother."
Jiang Ke nearly exploded!
Fake, my ass!
But the man before him really was the special assistant serving Song Lan's elder brother. He knew him, and couldn't afford to offend him!
Bottling up his fury, Jiang Ke even felt his stomach beginning to hurt. Suppressing his anger, he said, "You must be joking, Special Assistant Su. This is a Tianli Group project."
Special Assistant Su smiled. "But you just said that if the director didn't comply, you'd stop investing. So if the director doesn't comply now, will you still invest?"
Jiang Ke: ...
He turned to look at the director.
The director felt that even a second's hesitation would be letting down the pig's head in his arms.
He'd known it!
He hadn't held this pig's head for nothing today!
He declared resoundingly, "Out with the old, in with the new!"
With that, he walked away, head held high and chest out, carrying his pig's head.
Jiang Ke: ...
Special Assistant Su smiled. "Then I'll have the honor of coordinating the handover procedures with you, President Jiang."
Jiang Ke's chest hurt with anger. "Who said I was pulling my investment?"
Special Assistant Su smiled. "Are you really going to spend even more money watching Jiang Mingxi become wildly popular?"
Jiang Ke: ...
In front of the camera.
The director held his beloved pig's head. "Hahahahaha! Welcome to Survival Challenge! Let's begin day three of our first episode's survival journey!
"As everyone knows, our guests will be taking couples up the mountain on today's livestream.
"To enhance the experience.
"The production team has thoughtfully prepared some little games for everyone.
"Ta-da!
"Our first little game is: true couples must bravely climb the mountain!"
The corner of Zhao Jiayuan's eye twitched. He jumped up and asked, "Didn't we agree on this already? It's a survival challenge. The production team won't give us any help, and we earn our own money to survive?
"Now that we're getting attention, you want to swoop in and reap the rewards?"
The director...
What was that?
I can't hear you~~~
"Each couple will tie their legs together with a rope and climb the mountain joined together. The first to reach the location designated by the production team wins."
Jiang Mingxi was stunned. "Making things difficult for us is one thing, but you're going to make things difficult for the tourists too?"
The director smiled and shook his head. "Nope. We're only making things difficult for you."
Then.
Holding the pig's head, the director burst out laughing on the spot.
"Hahahahaha! Bet you didn't see this coming! Today, the four of you will be pretending to be couples!"
At that, Jiang Mingxi's eyes instantly lit up.
Pretending to be couples?
Would they pretend to kiss too?