Chapter 16

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Chapter 16: Title

The camera shifted from Gong Yu, who was desperately trying to attract tourists, to a close-up of Wei Yao. In the picture, Wei Yao pressed her lips tightly together, her face showing a controlled yet undeniable sense of grievance.

Seeing Wei Yao’s expression, her fans felt very sorry for her.

[Yao Yao, why do you force yourself? If you don’t want to do something, you shouldn’t do it.]

[Oh no, is Yao Yao about to cry? I feel so sad too.]

Even some bystanders, after witnessing this scene, started to wonder whether Gong Yu’s actions were really inappropriate.

However, some people in the bullet comments began to speak up, changing the mood in the live stream.

[If you don’t want to do it, just refuse from the start. What’s the point of agreeing but then looking so upset?]

[It’s really confusing—saying yes but actually being unwilling.]

[Isn’t this too much of an idol act? As an artist, can’t you handle being called out?]

[If you want to be a princess, just stay at home. Why come out for variety shows?]

These comments slowly took over the main discussion, pushing away those that sympathized with Wei Yao.

Two minutes later, a middle-aged man expressed his willingness to take a ride.

Gong Yu happily accepted the money and guided the man to sit in the back seat.

Wei Yao clenched her teeth, lifted the rickshaw with all her strength, and started to move forward.

The road in the scenic area was quite smooth, and after successfully starting, Wei Yao pulled the rickshaw without too much effort. However, she wasn’t very tall and had a small frame, making it difficult for her to keep her balance, so she could only move forward slowly, little by little.

At this pace, Gong Yu had no problem walking alongside her. He chatted with the man as they walked.

The man looked to be around forty years old and spoke Mandarin with a slight accent. Gong Yu first asked him where he was from and how many days he had been there. Then, the conversation naturally shifted to the girl pulling the rickshaw.

The man pointed at Wei Yao’s back and asked Gong Yu, "Is that girl a movie star?"

Gong Yu quickly said, "Yes, she is a movie star and very beautiful. Her name is Wei Yao, and she has acted in many TV shows."

The man nodded. "Really? She is very pretty. What TV shows has she acted in?"

Gong Yu paused for a moment. "Uh… just the ones that are on TV all the time. There are many different ones. Think about it—you must have seen her."

The man stroked his chin. "I think I have seen her. Can I take a picture with that movie star later? I want to share it in our… family group."

Wei Yao, focused on keeping the rickshaw balanced, didn’t pay attention to the conversation behind her, so Gong Yu naturally answered for her. "Yes, yes, taking a picture is no problem."

The man smiled. "Hehe, good, good."

After half a minute of silence, Gong Yu started a new topic. "Big brother, are you here alone for fun?"

The man waved his hand. "No, no, I came with my wife and kids."

Gong Yu asked, "Then why are you alone in the rickshaw? Where are they?"

The man was a bit impatient. "My son ate something bad and got a stomach ache. He’s crying about it, so I told his mother to take him to the bathroom. I’m fine on my own, and I just happened to hear you shout about having a star, so I thought I’d hop on this ride for a bit."

As soon as the man finished speaking, the comments were filled with excitement.

[Isn’t he worried his wife and son will get upset if they can’t find him? Isn’t that just irresponsible?]

[If the son is not feeling well, he just leaves it to his mom and plays by himself?]

[Doesn’t everyone see the main point? A son, a boy, letting his mom take him to the bathroom??]

[Uh, even though it’s not right to insult strangers, this man is really…]

Compared to the noise in the live stream, Gong Yu had little reaction, just agreeing, "Oh, so that’s how it is… then—"

Another awkward conversation went on, making time feel like it was dragging on forever.

Finally, the rickshaw finished the whole route. The trip, which should have taken fifteen minutes, took over twenty because Wei Yao was moving slowly.

Gong Yu was quite reliable in this matter, and maybe he couldn’t think of a topic to continue the conversation, so when they arrived, he immediately called out for Wei Yao to stop.

When Wei Yao finally managed to steady the rickshaw, Gong Yu reached out his hand, signaling the man to get out. "Big brother, we have arrived."

The man slowly got off the rickshaw and stood still.

After a moment, seeing that Gong Yu did not respond, the man pointed to Wei Yao, who was bent over, catching her breath. "Um, remember we talked about taking a picture together…?"

Gong Yu suddenly realized. "Oh, right. Big brother, please wait a moment."

After saying this, Gong Yu took two steps forward and quietly said to Wei Yao, "Yao Yao, I just promised the big brother that we would take a picture with him."

Wei Yao, still catching her breath, looked at Gong Yu when she heard this. She didn’t say anything but stood up to cooperate.

The man had already taken out his phone and eagerly stood next to Wei Yao, aiming the phone at himself.

Gong Yu walked around to the other side of the rickshaw, standing on the left while Wei Yao stood on the right, smiling at the camera.

The man kept adjusting the angle of the camera, trying to fit the rickshaw, Wei Yao, and himself in the frame. When Gong Yu moved closer, the man turned to look at him and said, "Well, I only want to take pictures with female stars."

Gong Yu’s smile froze.

After a moment of hesitation, he said nothing and stepped aside, leaving the camera’s view.

The viewers in the live stream burst into laughter.

[This is hilarious, hahaha, look at Gong Yu’s expression!]

[Pfft, can I say Gong Yu had it coming?]

[Hahaha, this is definitely a classic moment from a variety show!]

[I swear, I just saw Wei Yao’s mouth clearly turn up at the corners.]

[Hahahahaha!]

Although some viewers praised Gong Yu for playing a supporting role, there were also strange comments criticizing Wei Yao for not helping him. But unfortunately, the laughter drowned everything else out.

The man held his phone, tilting it from side to side to take pictures from different angles. After taking several shots, he reluctantly put his phone away.

Before leaving, the man asked, "Miss, what is your name?"

Wei Yao, still breathing heavily, her face glistening with sweat, showed a hint of a smile. "My name is Wei Yao."

"Okay, Wei Yao, thank you." The man left, feeling satisfied, still fiddling with his phone along the way.

Gong Yu, however, looked upset and turned to Wei Yao. "Yao Yao, you—"

Before Wei Yao could respond, a familiar voice called out from across the way. "Is it you?"

–

Although the starting points for the teams were different, the scenic area wasn’t too large, so it was not surprising for the participants to run into each other along the way.

As Song Yutian and Gu Feng turned a corner, they saw Gong Yu and Wei Yao not far away. Wei Yao was between the two poles of the rickshaw, and Gong Yu was standing a short distance away.

When Wei Yao saw them, she greeted, "Yutian, Brother Gu Feng."

Gong Yu also greeted them, and then they heard Song Yutian’s surprised voice.

"Yao Yao, are you pulling the rickshaw?"

Gu Feng stood nearby without saying anything, but his expression showed that he was also very surprised.

Wei Yao was standing in the middle of the rickshaw’s poles, her face rosy and beads of sweat hanging from it, her breath a bit uneven. It was clear that Song Yutian’s guess was right.

Gong Yu wanted to speak but was surprised when Wei Yao spoke first, "Yes, this is our strategy."

Gong Yu’s words were stuck in his mouth, and he looked at Wei Yao in surprise. Wei Yao had not been very eager to talk with him before, but this time she answered so quickly.

What surprised him even more was that Wei Yao continued to speak.

"This is Gong Yu’s idea. He said that having a beautiful celebrity pull the cart would definitely be exciting, so he strongly asked me to come."

Wei Yao emphasized the words "Gong Yu," "beautiful celebrity," and "strongly asked" carefully. Gong Yu felt quite awkward listening to her.

After hearing Wei Yao’s words, Song Yutian’s expression became quite complicated. Gong Yu wanted to speak again but was interrupted once more.

This time, it was Song Yutian talking to the two girls sitting next to Gu Feng in the car.

"Sorry, we ran into some friends who are recording a show. Are you girls in a hurry?"

The two girls exchanged glances, and one of them said, "No worries, we’re not in a hurry."

The other girl chimed in, "Yes, yes, you can chat as long as you want." Her expression even showed a hint of excitement.

Clearly, these two girls were not only relaxed but also eager to enjoy the lively scene. After all, the stars on TV were now chatting right in front of them, and it seemed like they were talking about something interesting—this was a rare chance.

After getting the two girls’ agreement, Song Yutian turned back to look at Gong Yu.

"A beautiful star pulling the cart?" Song Yutian spoke with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.