Chapter 10: Socially Anxious Star 10
【Kongkong made over three thousand dollars again this afternoon. How could he not tell his sister right away?】
【Haha, to be honest, I still haven’t gotten a close look at what his sister looks like. She gets so little screentime!】
【Me too! (covers face) All I know is that she’s pretty good-looking.】
【Speaking of which… the place is only so big, where on earth is she?】
【The bathroom?】
【Could there be a spot missed in the garden?】
【Maybe she fell asleep in her room and didn’t hear the knocking?】
……
As wild guesses flooded the livestream chat, the follow-cam rotated alongside Jiang Kong, catching sight of Jiang Yi’s figure.
【Ahhhhhhhh where did she pop out from this time?!】
【HAHAHAHAHAHAHA help, does Jiang Kong’s sister possess magic or something?】
【Didn’t he just walk down this path earlier? There was no one there!】
【So where exactly did she come out from?】
Jiang Kong also took large strides over to Jiang Yi’s side. “I’m back.”
Jiang Yi nodded, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket and handing it to him.
“Was it very tiring this afternoon? You’re dripping with sweat.”
“Not tired.”
Jiang Kong took the handkerchief and shook his head.
The livestream chat instantly burst into another wave of “HAHAHAHAHA.”
【Being an emcee isn’t tiring, but looking for his sister sure is!】
【HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I’m seriously dying of laughter!】
【Help, why is this so hilarious?】
【Jiang Kong: “Earning three thousand outside—a breeze. Coming home to find my sister—sweating bullets.”】
As usual, Jiang Kong pulled out the red envelope from his pocket and stuffed it into Jiang Yi’s hands, then couldn’t help asking out of curiosity:
“Sis, where were you just now?”
【HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I’m curious too!】
【Where on earth was she? Why is she always impossible to find?】
【I wasn’t curious about other things, but this time I’m genuinely curious!】
【Tell us, tell us, tell us!】
【I feel like the whole villa was turned upside down, yet not a shadow was seen.】
……
Just as the livestream chat was buzzing with anticipation, waiting to hear the answer, the screen suddenly froze and then went completely dark.
A few seconds later, white text appeared on the display.
[The afternoon livestream has ended! Dear fans, please go take a rest and protect your eyesight~]
【!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE FU–?!】
【What is the production crew pulling?!】
【Ahhhhhhhh this is going to drive me insane!】
【Where was she? Where was she? Where was she?!】
【Production crew, come out! I swear I won’t kill you!】
【Didn’t you delay the morning cutoff? Why are you closing so punctually this time?!】
【Production crew, you did this on purpose!!!!】
……
Normally, the morning livestream ran from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
At 11:00 AM that morning, Jiang Kong was still emceeing at the hotel. Fans had worried that the stream would shut down abruptly, but unexpectedly, it stayed open until quite a while after Jiang Kong returned to the villa.
Because of that, hardly any fans had paid attention to the 5:00 PM ending time for the afternoon session. No one expected the production crew to cut the feed so caught-off-guard.
Jiang Kong was very familiar with the sound of the follow-cam powering down.
He removed his lapel mic and waited for Jiang Yi’s answer.
“The kitchen. I stewed rock sugar snow pear soup for you. Drink some after dinner to soothe your throat.”
Jiang Yi answered.
Jiang Kong was delighted, his face beaming instantly.
“Then I’ll eat a bit less for dinner.”
At 5:15 PM, the other guests returned one after another, most of them drenched in sweat from exhaustion.
Only Pei Wusi, who was the last to return, looked a bit better.
Jiang Kong greeted Pei Wusi, initiative in hand as he walked over to him to collect his split share from selling the little bamboo baskets.
A total of one hundred and fifty yuan.
“Thanks.”
Jiang Kong offered his thanks.
Pei Wusi shook his head. “They sold very easily and didn’t take much time at all. Strictly speaking, I was the one who made a profit.”
After he went over in the afternoon, the small bamboo baskets were quickly snapped up by the kids, and subsequent children even came up to ask if there were any more.
Unfortunately, Pei Wusi didn’t know how to make them.
Jiang Kong nodded, stuffing the money back into Jiang Yi’s hand. “The money we earned together—keep it safe.”
More than half of the two large watermelons from noon still remained.
Jiang Kong sliced the rest up to distribute among everyone. Every single person accepted a piece, with the sole exception of Shen Ping, who, despite dripping with sweat, stubbornly refused.
Jiang Kong paid him no mind. After checking in with everyone, he used the remaining watermelon to squeeze a cup of watermelon juice for Jiang Yi.
After a busy day, everyone except Jiang Yi was completely exhausted.
Following dinner, no one proposed any evening activities, heading straight back to their respective rooms.
Jiang Yi finished her shower and came out wearing her pajamas. She first went to the small kitchen to check on the rock sugar snow pear soup she was stewing, then quietly sent a message to Jiang Kong asking him to come over.
She was using the small kitchen on the second floor, which was close to both the elevator and her room.
The production crew did not have authorization to access it, but as the owner, Jiang Yi could.
The small kitchen was fully equipped.
Jiang Yi dished out a bowl of rock sugar snow pear soup at just the right temperature and sampled the taste.
Not bad.
Jiang Kong pushed open the door and stepped in, immediately dishing out a bowl for himself.
“Delicious!”
Taking a sip, he gave a thumbs-up on the spot.
The warm pear soup overflowed with the crisp sweetness of the fruit; with a single swallow, its soothing warmth seeped all the way from his throat down to his stomach. The pear slices had been stewed into tender softness, melting gently into sweet fruit pulp at the lightest press against the palate.
Jiang Kong quickly finished his first bowl and went back to dish out a second.
Jiang Yi watched him from the side. After a moment’s reflection, she inquired, “Should we send some rock sugar snow pear soup to Teacher Pei?”
He had helped sell the small bamboo baskets that afternoon.
Jiang Kong glanced at the pot, which was still half full, and nodded. “Send him some.”
After saying that, he thought for another moment and continued, “In a bit, I’ll bring the pot to my room first, then invite Brother Pei over to my room.”
Jiang Yi nodded. Looking at the pure white porcelain spoon under the light, the argument she had overheard at noon flashed through her mind inadvertently.
“We can also send some to Shen Xiangcheng.”
“Director Shen doesn’t like us much, but Shen Xiangcheng has a pretty good attitude toward us.”
When Shen Xiangcheng and Shen Ping had their argument today, he had stood on Jiang Kong’s side.
Even at their initial meeting, he was the first to welcome them.
Jiang Kong nodded. “Sure.”
“Xiangcheng-ge is indeed pretty nice.”
After finishing his second bowl, Jiang Kong didn’t eat any more. He nimbly cleaned up the bowls and utensils, then carried the pot of rock sugar snow pear soup back to his own room.
Jiang Yi followed him out, returning to her room.
At 8:00 PM, the livestream launched once again.
Because the guests were not gathered together, the stream was split into eight separate channels, with each guest’s room forming one section.
A crowd of people flooded into Pei Wusi’s room.
【HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Finally seeing the room!】
【HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Is Old Pei’s room this cute?】
【Ahhhhhhhh isn’t this literally my dream room?】
【Sobbing sobbing, a room like this—I could stay in it till the end of time, it’s way too adorable, isn’t it!】
【…Where is Old Pei? Is he actually not in his room?】
【Wait, yeah, why isn’t Old Pei in his room?】
……
Some quick-acting viewers had already browsed through every single room.
【HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA The production crew had some fun ideas, everyone’s room is so entertaining to look at!】
【Yes, yes, they’re so unique, the production crew actually has quite a conscience.】
【Old Pei is in Jiang Kong’s livestream!】
The viewer count in that stream dropped rapidly as people surged into Jiang Kong’s livestream channel.
【Eh, the three of them are actually together!】
【Why are they all in Kongkong’s livestream?】
【HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Kongkong’s room HAHAHAHAHAHAHA isn’t this a bridal suite? Hard on him to sleep in it alone】
【Are they having a late-night snack? How malicious! They’re actually eating food, I haven’t even had dinner yet】
【Why is Old Pei in Jiang Kong’s room? And he seems to be eating something?】
【Shen Xiangcheng is there too, hey! HAHAHAHAHAHA Has anyone gone to look at Shen Xiangcheng’s room?】
【Checked it out, checked it out—princess style, extremely princessy】
【The room CEO Jiang picked for Teacher Chang isn’t all that great either, really being a busybody】
【Haters stop dressing up as fans, Teacher Chang’s room gets great natural lighting, and the decor is the show crew’s responsibility. This matter is over!】
【Right, haters get out! Stop impersonating Old Pei’s fans to stir up trouble】
……
Pei Wusi’s fan base possessed formidable combat power. Seeing the harmonious atmosphere among the three men, the Pei fans stayed peaceful and quiet.
The occasional provocative remarks in the livestream chat were quickly shut down by Pei Wusi’s fans until no one dared to speak up.
Jiang Kong dished out half a bowl of rock sugar snow pear soup, took a gulp, and looked at the other two.
“How is it?”
Shen Xiangcheng nodded first. “Delicious.”
Pei Wusi followed closely behind with a nod.
Jiang Kong couldn’t help beaming even wider.
“My sister is super amazing, everything she makes tastes incredibly delicious.”
Shen Xiangcheng nodded.
Pei Wusi nodded as well.
The three of them continued lowering their heads to eat.
【Ahhhhhhhh what are they eating?】
【Did Sister make it?】
【Looks so tasty, what on earth is it?】
【Rock sugar snow pear soup! I’ll bet money on it!】
【Sobbing sobbing sobbing, it looks so delicious, rock sugar snow pear soup!】
【I feel like the three of them have a pretty good relationship, even having late-night treats together】
【Yes, yes, there’s really no need for fans to fight, right?】
【Gonna go check on Sister!】
【Count me in, form a group!】
……
Thus, without Jiang Yi’s knowledge, the popularity of her livestream stream suddenly spiked.
Inside her room, Jiang Yi was editing Following the Wind. Wearing a nightgown printed with tiny mushrooms, she sat cross-legged on the carpet.
Her slightly long hair veiled half her profile. On the clear glass coffee table beside her leg stood a glass of plain water. Holding a pen, Jiang Yi pondered for a moment before deleting an entire paragraph on the current page.
【Reading a book, such a lovely girl】
【Little mushroom nightgown, so cute!】
【Ahhhhhhhh I think so too, is there a link? This little dress is genuinely so pretty】
【Isn’t this literally my dream evening lifestyle?】
【What’s Jiang Kong’s sister’s name again?】
【Jiang Yi.】
……
Jiang Yi was completely oblivious to the situation in her livestream stream.
Frowning slightly, she was still stuck on the romantic arc in Following the Wind: When the two main leads meet for the first time, would they develop mutual feelings?
Why would they develop feelings?
What unusual behaviors would they show compared to normal?
……
In Jiang Kong’s room.
The three of them quickly finished off the entire pot of rock sugar snow pear soup, each having a bowl.
Feeling his throat much more comfortable, Shen Xiangcheng thanked Jiang Kong earnestly once again.
Jiang Kong waved his hand. “It’s nothing.”
Saying that, he stacked the pot and bowls together and began chatting with them.
Shen Xiangcheng had other matters to attend to that night, so after chatting for a bit, he took his leave first.
Pei Wusi stayed longer, returning the favor by sharing a wealth of insights with Jiang Kong regarding script acting.
Jiang Kong gained immensely from the conversation, to the point where he almost patted his chest to swear brotherhood with him.
Their already decent relationship grew several degrees closer.
The evening livestream proceeded smoothly and calmly without stirring up the slightest commotion.
Around eight-thirty, the camera perspective suddenly switched from the room interiors to a hallway shot.
Before the fans could even type out question marks, they saw a person dressed in black enter the frame and begin knocking on the guests’ room doors one by one.
Knock, knock, knock.
The first door knocked on belonged to Shen Ping.
“Collecting room fees—”
The person in black raised his right hand, splaying five fingers open.
“Five hundred per person.”
They still had to pay room fees?!
Five hundred per person?!
Shen Ping stood stunned in utter shock, asking uncertainly, “Five hundred per person per night?”
The person in black nodded expressionlessly without saying a word.
They had earned over three hundred in the morning and four hundred in the afternoon. After deducting food expenses, they currently had less than seven hundred yuan left on them.
Not even enough to cover the room fees for two people.
Shen Ping remained frozen in shock, pulling out his phone to call Shen Xiangcheng. Moments later, Shen Xiangcheng hurried down from the second floor.
A few minutes later, all eight guests gathered in the living room, without a single person missing.
Except for Jiang Yi and Jiang Kong, the other guests exchanged bewildered looks: none of them had enough money to cover the room fees for two people.
Maintaining an expressionless face, the person in black repeated, “Guests, please pay your room fees within half an hour, or you will be forced to check out tonight.”
The moment the words fell, Shen Ping was the first to stand up indignantly:
“You guys are gouging prices on the spot! I want to file a complaint against you!”
Director: ?
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