After another little argument with Director Gong, everyone set off without further trouble.
Xia Zhiyi did not stand out too much at this point either, instead going along with everyone else, so in the glow of Fu Yunyi and the other celebrities, his presence faded considerably.
This continued until they reached the town market.
Qin Yue said, "Since we're here, let's check the vegetable prices while we're at it. If they're cheaper than at the store, we can buy some today."
Xue Ranran said, "Can we look at the fruit?"
Qin Yue turned to the others. "What do you think?"
Fu Yunyi said, "I'm fine either way."
Wang Chengran said, "Sure, sure!"
Xia Zhiyi said, "Sure."
He had actually spotted peach trees, orange trees, and pomelo trees in the mountains earlier, with wild raspberries and the like farther in, but there was no guarantee how these mostly untended fruits would taste.
If the prices were right, buying some at the market was fine too.
They chatted as they went, with people coming and going through the fairly lively market.
Just then, Qin Yue, who was walking with her head turned to talk to Xue Ranran, was bumped into by someone coming toward her. She instinctively apologized first. "Sorry..."
The person said, "It's fine."
Then he hurried away.
Xue Ranran said, "Sister Yueyue, are you okay?"
Wang Chengran said, "Huh? Just now..."
Fu Yunyi, however, saw Xia Zhiyi turn and rush after him. He froze for a moment, then turned his head and saw Xia Zhiyi launch a kick, knocking the man straight to the ground.
Everyone was stunned.
Qin Yue said, "Ah... I'm fine."
S-surely Xia Zhiyi hadn't done that to avenge her just because the man had bumped into her...
Then they saw Xia Zhiyi bend down and pull a wallet out of the man's clothes.
Qin Yue's eyes widened. She looked down at her bag and, sure enough, found something missing from her little crossbody bag.
Qin Yue said, "My wallet!"
All four of them gathered around.
Meanwhile, the people nearby who had noticed the commotion looked over too. They had still been uncertain about what was happening, but Qin Yue's shout made them realize what had occurred.
Xia Zhiyi lowered his eyes. His small face, usually full of smiles, was expressionless now, and his voice was cold. "A habitual thief, aren't you? Pretty nimble."
At the same time, he kept his foot planted on the man, pinning him to the ground so he could not move.
The man being restrained had not expected Xia Zhiyi to react so quickly and so fiercely, taking him straight down. He was dazed for quite a while before finally coming to his senses. "You! Let me go! Do you know who I am?"
His thick regional accent made it clear he was a local.
Xia Zhiyi smiled.
Seeing the other guests coming over, he handed the wallet back to Qin Yue, only for her to push it back. "Never mind, you hold on to it."
Xia Zhiyi reacted so quickly and was so skilled, and there were people stealing money at the market in broad daylight. She could not be sure she would not get robbed a second time.
She might as well let Xia Zhiyi hold on to it.
Fu Yunyi also said, "Right, you hold on to it. It's safer."
Wang Chengran crouched down to meet the thief's eyes and asked curiously, "Who are you? The mayor's son, or the police station chief's son? A local tyrant? Boss Wang?"
Xue Ranran said, "What on earth are you talking about?"
By then, the other onlookers had also spotted the production crew approaching with their cameras and realized something.
Those who were well-informed knew a production crew had recently come to film a show in their area, though they had not seen any sign of them before. Seeing them today, the sharper ones had already worked out that these people were probably the celebrities filming the show.
They were all young, and the town had more middle-aged and elderly people, who were not familiar with any of these youngsters, but they still knew what celebrities were.
Xia Zhiyi heard someone whispering in the crowd. "Old Xie's youngest son's going to take a fall this time. He probably figured they were outsiders again, with nobody to back them up, and brazenly bumped right into them."
"Hmph, he should've gotten into trouble ages ago. If his father hadn't shamelessly gone around apologizing to everyone, that brat would've been locked up long ago."
"If this gets filmed for the show, won't he be making a fool of himself in front of the whole country? Should we stop them? We can't let everyone think we're all like this."
Xia Zhiyi's ears twitched, and he spoke as if in passing. "Don't bother trying to argue your way out of it. Whatever your identity is, however much influence you have around here, we've been livestreaming this whole time. Everything you did and said has already been broadcast."
"If you really do have someone backing you, it'll be fine if they do nothing. But if they do anything, heh..."
Wang Chengran blinked. He had completely forgotten he was still on a livestream. At those words, he thought for a moment and nodded. "Right. Whoever you are, you have to be punished for stealing. If anyone shields you, we've got at least a few hundred thousand people watching our livestream. If they all report it, let's see who can withstand that."
The onlookers reacted in various ways.
"A livestream?"
"What's a livestream?"
"A livestream means people in other places are watching what's happening here through their screens."
"A few hundred thousand people? Really? Our whole town only has a few tens of thousands, doesn't it?"
The thief himself stiffened for a moment when he heard that. "Y-you're bluffing. H-how could that..."
Fu Yunyi said, "Let's call the police first."
Qin Yue and Xue Ranran stood a little farther away. Both nodded at his words. "Right, call the police first."
There was a police station in town, and not long after they called, someone arrived.
They had not identified themselves when calling the police, but in a place this small, every household had some connection to the others, close or distant. With so many people at the market, someone was bound to notice something was off and pass the word along.
So the officer remained composed when he saw the production crew. After learning what had happened, he asked Xia Zhiyi to come with him to give a statement and establish the details, while the others continued browsing the market.
After a moment's thought, the officer braved the cameras and offered an explanation. "The people here are honest and decent. We're not all like Xie San."
Please don't think we're all the same as him!
Wang Chengran said cheerfully, "Don't worry, don't worry, we understand. The same rice feeds all kinds of people. Besides, everyone we met in the mountains was warm and hospitable. We won't get the wrong idea."
Qin Yue had just coached him on what to say.
At this point, Xia Zhiyi handed the wallet back to Qin Yue again and explained, "Even if there really are pickpockets at the market, they won't dare steal from you now."
Otherwise, the locals alone would tear apart anyone who ruined their town's reputation.
Qin Yue was clever too and understood what Xia Zhiyi meant. Taking the wallet, she said gently, "Will you be okay going alone? Why don't we have Wang Chengran or Brother Fu go with you?"
Xia Zhiyi was the youngest among them, after all. Even if he could fight, this was an unfamiliar place full of strangers...
Xia Zhiyi said, "It's fine. You still have tasks to do. Don't waste time on my account."
After parting from the four of them, Xia Zhiyi heard Xiao Yang say, "...It's been less than a week since filming started, and I've been to the police station twice."
Xia Zhiyi said, "..."