Chapter 17: Seventeenth Day as a Salted Fish
The street vendor uncle: “Huh???”
The vendor uncle looked at Qin Jiaojiao with suspicious eyes. This young girl was so pretty, how could she be married at such a young age?
The man even had to ask for credit for a mere ten yuan. A young man with able hands and feet could do any sort of work to earn money. Could this little girl have been deceived by his looks?
The vendor uncle kind of wanted to call the police.
The villa rented by the production team was in an obscure, niche scenic spot far away from the main tourist attractions. It hadn’t been developed by capitalists, so most of the people doing business here were locals. The uncles and aunties of the fishing village didn’t pay attention to entertainment news, let alone financial news. Therefore, Zhou Shaoli, who was revered as a god in the Beijing circle, was just a good-looking toy boy in the eyes of the local vendors.
This toy boy had actually tricked such a beautiful wife.
Just as the vendor uncle was about to shoo them away, he noticed some young girls lingering around, holding their phones up to take pictures of this immortal-like young couple. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head.
“I can give you a cup of refreshing drink for free, but you have to stay at my stall and help me sell drinks.”
Zhou Shaoli glanced at the follow-cam operator, and then at Qin Jiaojiao beside him, whose small face was sweating from the heat. He bargained, “One hour.”
The villagers in the fishing village were honest and simple. These two young people were extremely good-looking and looked like a beautiful scenic line on their own. The vendor uncle hadn’t intended to make things difficult for him anyway.
“Fine, fine, fine. Hurry up and get over here.”
Qin Jiaojiao opened her mouth in surprise, her gaze filled with admiration as she looked at Zhou Shaoli. He had actually managed to get her a drink.
The vendor uncle moved swiftly and made a fresh cup of refreshing drink for Qin Jiaojiao. The light green cup held a beverage and crushed fruit that looked delicious at first glance.
Zhou Shaoli held the drink and handed it to her, his voice gentle: “Drink up.”
Qin Jiaojiao was slightly touched and said, “Why don’t you drink it? The weather is so hot, and you still have to help the uncle sell drinks.”
“Take it,” Zhou Shaoli said in a low voice. “I don’t really like drinking beverages.”
“Oh…” Qin Jiaojiao decisively took the drink. Holding the straw in her mouth, she took a sip. The icy-cold sweetness spread across her tongue, dispelling the heat. She raised her eyes to look at Zhou Shaoli, her eyes curving into happy crescents. “It’s so good.”
Zhou Shaoli’s clear voice was even gentler than usual: “You can wander around freely, or go back to the villa to rest.”
“I can find a shady spot to wait for you.” Qin Jiaojiao pointed to a large tree not far away and said, “I’ll go cool off over there.”
Zhou Shaoli nodded.
The vendor uncle’s impatient urging voice drifted over, “Stop being so lovey-dovey and come do some work.”
Zhou Shaoli walked toward the uncle’s stall. Qin Jiaojiao found a spot to sit under the tree, gazing at Zhou Shaoli standing next to the vendor’s cart.
When they first got off the plane and arrived in S City, the temperature hadn’t been this hot. Now it was noon, and the scorching sun was high in the sky. Dressed in a suit jacket and trousers, Zhou Shaoli stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens on this street, attracting many gazes.
Some girls who had come traveling stood in front of the uncle’s stall and asked, “Boss, if we buy a refreshing drink, can we take a photo with this handsome guy?”
The vendor uncle took a look at Zhou Shaoli and said, “He has a wife.”
The girls let out disappointed sighs. After thinking for a moment, they said, “We just think he’s handsome and want to take a picture together.”
“Then take one.” The vendor uncle agreed on Zhou Shaoli’s behalf. Taking a picture wouldn’t cost him a piece of flesh, and it could also help promote his stall.
Zhou Shaoli said, “I need to ask for my wife’s opinion.”
“Go on, go on.” The vendor uncle waved his hand.
Qin Jiaojiao was drinking her refreshing drink and enjoying the sea breeze, zoning out. In her blurred vision, a handsome man walked toward her.
“Done working?” she asked.
Zhou Shaoli briefly explained the situation at the stall to her, then asked for her opinion.
Qin Jiaojiao said without hesitation, “It’s up to you, don’t worry about me.”
Zhou Shaoli observed her expression for a moment, pursed his lips, and turned back to the stall.
The vendor uncle hawked with great business acumen: “Buy a refreshing drink and get a handsome guy for free! As long as you buy a refreshing drink, you can take a picture with the handsome guy…”
Zhou Shaoli’s looks were unmatched even by idol stars in the entertainment industry. Many people treated him like a trendy landmark to check in at, and even quite a few guys ran over to take photos with him.
Qin Jiaojiao drank her beverage, watching this scene with narrowed eyes.
If Zhou Shaoli set up a stall charging for photos, he could probably make a lot of money.
As the CEO of Beijing’s Zhuxing Group, dealing with contracts worth tens of millions or billions by the minute, a CEO worth hundreds of billions was actually “selling his body” at a street stall to pay off a debt for a ten-yuan refreshing drink.
Thinking about how he was working for someone else just for her, Qin Jiaojiao felt inexplicably guilty. However, this wave of guilt only lasted a second. Zhou Shaoli did it voluntarily, so she felt completely at ease.
An hour passed by quickly. Zhou Shaoli finished his work at the refreshing drink stall, and the vendor uncle gave him another cup of the drink.
“Take it. The weather is so hot, drink something cool to beat the heat. This is my secret recipe, even the locals say it’s delicious. You have to try it.”
Zhou Shaoli didn’t refuse the uncle’s kindness and accepted the refreshing drink: “Thank you.”
The vendor uncle waved his hand. “Alright, go have fun with your wife. The sea view in our village is much better than the tourist spots.”
Qin Jiaojiao ran up to Zhou Shaoli, took out a tissue from her leather purse, and said, “Wipe your sweat.”
Zhou Shaoli reached out to take the tissue and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. Qin Jiaojiao looked at him and asked with a smile, “How is it? Is it good?”
“It’s good,” Zhou Shaoli’s voice was slightly hoarse.
“Let’s go for a walk and see if there’s any other good food, we can buy it tomorrow.” Qin Jiaojiao reached out and tugged his sleeve.
After the two of them strolled around the street, Qin Jiaojiao had gained another item. The auntie selling woven hats gave her a pretty hat, which was also obtained by Zhou Shaoli taking a photo with the auntie.
After browsing the street market, Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli walked towards the sandy beach by the sea. The sunlight had weakened, and it wasn’t as hot anymore. There weren’t many tourists on the beach.
Qin Jiaojiao took off her high heels and looked at Zhou Shaoli. “Shall we go play by the sea?”
“Sure.” Zhou Shaoli, like her, took off his shoes and socks and placed them on a rock on the beach. The young couple stepped onto the soft, fine sand together and walked towards the sea.
Having drunk a refreshing drink filled with fruit pulp, neither of them was particularly hungry. They strolled leisurely along the seaside.
A gust of sea breeze blew over. Qin Jiaojiao let out a yelp and quickly pressed her hand against her beach hat. “That was close, it almost blew away.”
Zhou Shaoli said, “The hat should have a tie string.”
Qin Jiaojiao took it off to check, and there indeed was a string inside the woven hat to secure it. She put it back on. When the wind blew, the beach hat stayed firmly on her head.
The tide on the beach was gradually receding. Locals were bringing their children, carrying small buckets, and picking things up along the coastline. They were probably beachcombing for crabs.
The children were playfully picking up conches and seashells by the water. Few tourists came to this purely natural beach, so it hadn’t been ruined. The sand was very clean, and the conches and seashells were half-hidden in the fine sand, reflecting a sparkling light under the sun.
“What a pretty conch.” Qin Jiaojiao squatted down to pick it up and rinsed it in the seawater. Then she spotted a beautifully shaped seashell and couldn’t resist running over to grab it.
Zhou Shaoli glanced at Qin Jiaojiao, who was wholly focused on picking up conches and seashells not far away. He silently followed behind her, not making a sound to disturb her.
The cry of seagulls came from the calm sea surface. The slightly cool sea breeze brushed past, dispersing the heat. She was squatting down to pick up seashells, and he was constantly following behind her. This picture was peaceful and beautiful.
The cameraman was filming, wearing an auntie-like doting smile on his face without even realizing it.
This young couple was too perfectly matched. Their interactions were very plain, but they just looked incredibly sweet together.
Qin Jiaojiao had a bountiful harvest on the beach. She picked up many pretty conches and seashells, so many that she couldn’t hold them all with both hands. She took off the woven hat from her head and put all the conches and seashells inside.
It was dusk. The sun had half its face hidden below the coastline. The afterglow dyed the sky red, and the seawater reflected the sky. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.
Qin Jiaojiao held the hat and sighed in admiration, “The sunset by the sea is so beautiful.”
Zhou Shaoli stood beside her, took a glance at her, and said, “It is very beautiful.”
“Let’s go back,” Qin Jiaojiao said.
The two walked back together and found their shoes on the beach rocks. Their feet were covered in sand, making it inconvenient to put on their shoes. Looking around, they found a place to rinse off.
Qin Jiaojiao put her beach hat aside. She was a bit unsteady on her feet while rinsing, and subconsciously grabbed Zhou Shaoli’s sleeve.
Zhou Shaoli naturally grasped her arm and said, “I’ve got you.”
“Mhm.” Qin Jiaojiao placed her feet under the cool water to rinse. Zhou Shaoli’s gaze fell on her luminous white feet. He stared for a moment, then shifted his eyes away.
After the two finished rinsing and put on their shoes, they passed through the village on their way back. Someone from a brightly lit villager’s house suddenly called out to them.
“Hey, have you guys eaten dinner yet?”
Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli turned to look. The person who called them was the vendor uncle from the street market this afternoon.
“Uncle, we meet again.” Qin Jiaojiao greeted him with a chuckle.
The vendor uncle said, “Our family’s dinner is just ready. If you don’t mind, come have a meal at my place.”
Qin Jiaojiao looked at Zhou Shaoli, her eyes brimming with excitement. Their dinner was sorted!!!
The local villagers were hospitable and often invited people from the same village over for meals. When they met tourists they got along well with, they would occasionally invite them over to eat too.
The vendor uncle waved his hand and said, “Don’t just stand outside, come on in. The dishes are already on the table.”
The two walked into the vendor uncle’s courtyard together, and the cameraman followed them in. A round table was set up in the living room. A middle-aged woman wearing an apron greeted them enthusiastically: “Take a seat quickly. Do you want something to drink?”
Qin Jiaojiao’s eyes sparkled with stars: “I want to drink the refreshing drink.”
“Old Ma, it seems this child really loves the refreshing drink you make.” The middle-aged woman laughed, “We still have a pitcher at home. I’ll go get it.”
The vendor uncle poured himself a glass of wine and asked, “Young man, do you drink?”
“I can drink a little.” Zhou Shaoli introduced himself: “I’m Zhou Shaoli.”
Qin Jiaojiao: “Uncle, you can just call me Jiaojiao.”
The vendor uncle poured him a glass and said, “You guys can just call me Old Ma. Everyone in the village calls me that. This is my homemade rice wine. It tastes pretty good, but you’ll get drunk if you have too much, so one glass is enough for you.”
Uncle Ma’s wife quickly brought over a teapot of the refreshing drink and called out, “The young brother carrying the camera should sit down and eat with us too.”
Qin Jiaojiao turned her head and said, “Yeah, sit down and eat together.”
The cameraman hesitated. His mission was to follow and film; this was his job.
Zhou Shaoli said in a faint voice, “You’ve been filming all day. The production team should have enough footage for editing.”
Hearing this, the cameraman turned off his camera, sat down at the table, and the few of them ate together.
On the round table were fish, shrimp, conches… five dishes mainly consisting of seafood. The steamed and stir-fried seafood tasted incredibly delicious.
Qin Jiaojiao drank the delicious beverage and ate the seafood, her face brimming with happiness.
She glanced at Zhou Shaoli, who was drinking and chatting with Uncle Ma. This was all earned by Zhou Shaoli sacrificing his handsome looks. Thank him, amen.
Having drank too much, Uncle Ma’s tongue started rolling as he complained about his own son: “That little brat of mine is about your age. He works away from home every year, won’t get a wife, and doesn’t have a proper job. If he could marry such a beautiful wife like you did, I’d burn incense all night in gratitude…”
The uncle’s wife slapped his shoulder and scolded, “What nonsense are you talking to the guests? I told you to drink less.”
By the time the meal was over, Uncle Ma was sprawled on the table, snoring.
“We’ll be heading off then.” Qin Jiaojiao said goodbye to the uncle’s wife.
“Come play again when you have time,” the auntie smiled.
Qin Jiaojiao nodded: “Okay.”
The sky was completely dark. With the village streetlights on, Qin Jiaojiao, Zhou Shaoli, and the cameraman walked back to the villa along the path they had taken earlier.
As soon as they entered the villa, they saw Shen Xiaoshan and Meng Zi’ang in the kitchen. Meng Zi’ang was wearing an apron and cooking, while Shen Xiaoshan stood beside him, chatting and playfully fighting with him.
Jin Mingzhu and Chen Feihong were watching TV in the living room.
Seeing them return from outside, Shen Xiaoshan walked out of the open kitchen and asked with a concerned look, “Why are you guys only coming back now? We waited for you for a long time.”
Qin Jiaojiao’s face was full of confusion as she asked, “Waited for us?”
Shen Xiaoshan stood where the camera could capture her full face and said, “You guys went out without eating lunch. I guessed you don’t know how to cook. Tonight, Teacher Jin and my Zi’ang cooked, and they made portions for you guys too, so we were waiting for you to come back to eat together.”
Having eaten a delicious seafood feast, Qin Jiaojiao’s stomach was very full and she couldn’t eat another bite. She politely declined, “Thank you, but we’ve already eaten. You guys go ahead.”
Shen Xiaoshan revealed a surprised expression: “You ate outside? Didn’t the production team say the guests can’t spend their own money?”
Jin Mingzhu and Chen Feihong looked over.
If Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli violated the show’s rules, they would be punished by the production team. Furthermore, when this segment aired, netizens and viewers would definitely criticize this couple.
Qin Jiaojiao said, “We didn’t spend any money.”
Shen Xiaoshan showed a look of disbelief on her face and asked, “How did you eat if you didn’t spend money?”
“We ate at someone else’s house.” Qin Jiaojiao smiled. “We’re really full, you guys go eat.”
After saying that, she hugged her beach hat and walked upstairs. Zhou Shaoli silently followed behind her.
Shen Xiaoshan turned her back to the camera to hide her slightly ugly expression. She had heard at noon that Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli had gone out without eating, so she had made a guess.
Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli came from wealthy families. They had never cooked since they were young, so they definitely didn’t know how to cook.
These two were completely just here in the show to be her comparison group. Under her training, Meng Zi’ang would occasionally make some simple meals for her. If he performed well on camera, his popularity would definitely skyrocket after the first episode aired.
Therefore, she had taken the liberty to discuss it with Jin Mingzhu. Since it was the guests’ first time living together, they should gather in the evening. Qin Jiaojiao and her husband Zhou Shaoli didn’t know how to cook, so this was a perfect chance to let them mooch a meal.
Who would have thought that when Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli came back from outside, they would actually say they had already eaten out.
Shen Xiaoshan bit her lip. She didn’t believe it. Qin Jiaojiao must be trying to save face and lying.
Whatever. It wasn’t her who was going hungry anyway.
After Qin Jiaojiao returned to the room, she rinsed the seashells with clean water again, placed them on the vanity table, and took out clothes from her suitcase to take a shower in the bathroom.
A warm shower washed away the exhaustion of the day. She walked out in her pajamas and saw Zhou Shaoli sitting on a lounge chair on the balcony. He had a laptop resting on his knees, wearing his gold-rimmed glasses, and his slender fingers were rapidly tapping away on the keyboard.
She knew Zhou Shaoli was very busy, so she didn’t bother him. She went to the bathroom to blow-dry her hair, then sat down on the other lounge chair on the balcony and applied a hydrating sheet mask.
She missed the large bathtub back at the courtyard villa a little. The bathroom in this villa was quite spacious, but compared to the one at home, it was less than half the size.
Sure enough, after living a few days of luxury, it was hard to adapt to a lower-end lifestyle.
Qin Jiaojiao played on her own phone. She transferred the photos from the production team’s phone to hers and posted them on her WeChat Moments.
Soon, there were likes and comments below.
Universe Invincible Beautiful Girl: [Snickering emoji], who is that slender shadow next to you?
She hadn’t cleaned out her WeChat friends list yet. Many plastic best friends from the circle that she had met at nightclubs left comments one after another.
“Jiaojiao, did you find a new boy toy?”
“With my experience of judging countless men, this guy is a top-tier catch.”
“Eldest Miss, who are you secretly flying off on a date with?”
Qin Jiaojiao guiltily glanced at Zhou Shaoli. He had his eyes lowered, working seriously, and shouldn’t be able to see her phone. She quickly deleted the comments and blocked them all in one fell swoop.
Only after finishing this did she breathe a sigh of relief.
The original owner used to love posting on WeChat Moments to share her life. Things like what kind of bag she bought today, what necklace she bought tomorrow, or which high-end luxury store she checked into with her plastic best friends.
She hadn’t posted anything during this period. Now that she suddenly posted a photo suspected of showing off affection, and made it visible to everyone, many friends and family immediately messaged her to ask about it.
Her parents asked, “Jiaojiao baby, did you and Shaoli go on a honeymoon?”
Her little niece sent a voice message using her dad Zhou Shaoyan’s phone, “Little Auntie, I want to go to the beach to pick up seashells too.”
Qin Jiaojiao’s fingers typed rapidly, replying furiously. She was so busy that she didn’t even notice her face mask had been dried out by the wind.
A hand reached over from beside her, removing the mask for her, and reminded her faintly: “The mask is dry.”
Qin Jiaojiao lifted her head. Having just finished the mask, her face was like a freshly peeled egg, fair and tender. Her watery eyes stared at him blankly, “Ah, oh, thank you, I didn’t even notice.”
Zhou Shaoli went inside to throw the mask into the trash can and said, “Go wash your face.”
Qin Jiaojiao put down her phone, ran to the bathroom to wash off the residual essence on her face, and walked out after drying it: “Are you done working?”
“Mhm.” Zhou Shaoli took out some clothes from his suitcase. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Qin Jiaojiao hurriedly got out of the way, walked to the side of the bed, pulled back the covers, and lay down on the soft bed. She held her phone, intending to read some entertainment gossip, play a couple of rounds of games, and then go to sleep.
During the day on the plane, she had reposted the Weibo announcement about her participating in Season 2 of Romantic Lovers. Originally, only a small number of fans had commented, but now the comments had increased to around ten thousand. They were all genuine active fans, which was considered quite a lot in the entertainment circle. They all expressed their support for her.
“Ahhhhh, I just came back from Brother-in-law’s Weibo, he’s really so handsome!”
“Little Moons, let’s all go follow Brother-in-law and boost his popularity.”
“Brother-in-law looks just like a noble wealthy young master straight out of a novel. That aura is unrivaled.”
“Everyone, quickly join the fandom with me. Sister and Brother-in-law’s CP name is the Yueli Couple, hurry up and follow them.”
“This humble believer is willing to sacrifice ten pounds of fat from my body to have the show air immediately!!!”
Qin Jiaojiao found the Yueli Couple’s Super Topic and immediately followed it. The Super Topic didn’t have many fans; currently, there were only about a thousand followers, but the activity level was very high.
One of the featured trending Weibo posts had photos attached below.
#YueliCPLeaks# So handsome, so beautiful, every frame is so ship-worthy.
The slightly blurry photos below were of her and Zhou Shaoli exiting the airport. Even with just a few blurry pics, the fans were going crazy shipping them.
“I’m begging the blogger to take more pictures!”
“Where did they go to record the show?”
“Since they’ve already started recording, does that mean it’ll air this week?”
“The Yueli CP is so sweet!”
Qin Jiaojiao closed the Super Topic and opened a game. She needed to play some games to calm down, or else she’d end up shipping her own CP.
After Zhou Shaoli finished his shower, he came out and busied himself with work for a while again. As expected of a workaholic. He busied himself with his work, and she played her games. Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere was quiet.
Just like at the courtyard villa, the two went to sleep on time.
A silent night passed.
The next day, Qin Jiaojiao was sound asleep when a lark-like voice drifted to her ears. She groggily opened her eyes and listened carefully. It sounded like someone was doing vocal exercises.
The voice truly had a beautiful, lingering charm.
Qin Jiaojiao yawned, went to the bathroom to wash up, and then went downstairs, following the sound. In the backyard, she saw Jin Mingzhu wearing a plain, long dress, rhythmically practicing her vocals.
If the conditions permitted, she would have loved to grab a pot of tea, sit down, crack some melon seeds, and just listen.
As expected of a veteran Beijing Opera artist, even her vocal warm-ups sounded so lovely.
Jin Mingzhu saw her, stopped practicing, and asked, “Did I wake you?”
The others in the villa had already been up for a while. Zhou Shaoli had a habit of going for a morning run. When Shen Xiaoshan saw this, she called Meng Zi’ang, and the couple went running and working out together. Chen Feihong was wearing his glasses and painting in the living room, and Jin Mingzhu was warming up her voice in the back garden.
Only Qin Jiaojiao… was sleeping in.
“No.” Qin Jiaojiao half-squinted her eyes, her voice soft and delicate: “I thought a lark was singing outside my window. It turned out to be you doing your vocal exercises, Teacher Jin. Your voice is so beautiful. I’ll just sit here and listen to you practice, is that alright?”
Anyway, they would only be staying at the seaside villa for a week. Jin Mingzhu was a national treasure-level artist. Normally, it would probably cost a lot of money to listen to this kind of opera ya-yi-ya-yi-ya. Getting to listen for free, how could she possibly complain about the noise? It was just a pity she didn’t have any melon seeds to snack on.
Hearing this, Jin Mingzhu wore a gentle smile on her face: “As long as I didn’t wake you.”
Qin Jiaojiao sat on the lounge chair in the backyard, basking in the morning sunlight and listening to the charming singing voice, feeling a bit drowsy.
Wu, she wanted to sleep again.
She didn’t know how long had passed when Zhou Shaoli’s clear, pleasant voice rang in her ear: “Why are you sleeping out here?”
Qin Jiaojiao opened her eyes and said lazily, “You’re back.”
“Mhm.” Zhou Shaoli sat in the chair next to hers, placed something on the table, and asked, “Do you want to eat this?”
Qin Jiaojiao picked it up: “Lotus leaf sticky rice chicken?”
“I passed by a breakfast stall,” Zhou Shaoli said faintly. “The vendor gave it to me.”
Qin Jiaojiao unwrapped the lotus leaf. The sticky rice chicken emitted a fragrant aroma, making her mouth water with craving. “Have you eaten?”
“Mhm.” Zhou Shaoli gave a slight nod.
Qin Jiaojiao took a bite. Tasting the soft sticky rice and the fragrant chicken, a blissful look appeared on her face. She mumbled, “Delicious.”
A faint smile flashed through the depths of Zhou Shaoli’s eyes.
Just as Qin Jiaojiao finished eating her breakfast, both of their phones simultaneously received a message from the production team, asking all the guests to gather in the living room because the director was going to announce today’s task.
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