Chapter 17

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Chapter 17: Title

When Gong Yu met Song Yutian’s gaze, for some reason, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Clearing his throat, Gong Yu finally got a chance to speak, "I know that Yao Yao will find it very hard to pull the cart, but the theme of the program is to challenge ourselves. Plus, Yao Yao is so pretty; her pulling the cart will definitely attract more tourists than I can."

Song Yutian’s gaze made Gong Yu feel nervous without him realizing it, and he ended up explaining a lot. After he finished, he realized he really didn’t have to say any of this to Song Yutian.

She was just a popular actress who was even less liked than he was. What was he afraid of? Thinking this, Gong Yu straightened up.

However, Song Yutian’s next words made him feel uneasy again.

Song Yutian scoffed, "But if we’re talking about attracting tourists, I think a handsome young guy pulling the cart would work even better. After all—"

Song Yutian deliberately looked around slowly, "It’s clear that there are more girls here than boys."

The street view of this scenic area, with its Republic of China style, was perfect for taking pictures. Today was the weekend, so besides parents with children, many young women had come to enjoy themselves. At this moment, there were many girls taking photos in front of the shops along the street.

Song Yutian asked the two girls in Gu Feng’s car again, "Sisters, what do you think?"

The braver girl immediately replied, "Yes, what sister said is right. I prefer handsome boys to pull our carts."

After saying that, she even glanced openly at Gu Feng.

Seeing the girl’s gaze, Gu Feng felt like he had received a compliment, but for some reason, he didn’t feel happy upon hearing it.

The other girl also chimed in, "Yes, that’s true."

Gong Yu was taken aback by Song Yutian’s sudden words and finally said, "I, I didn’t…"

"You didn’t think of it?" Song Yutian finished his sentence for him.

"That’s right." Song Yutian smiled and said, "You can only think of using beautiful female stars as a gimmick, but you can’t imagine handsome young men pulling carts because, in your eyes, only women’s appearances can be used as consumer products."

"But this is quite strange. After all—" Song Yutian looked Gong Yu up and down.

"Aren’t you a member of a boy band?" she said.

Gong Yu was left speechless.

He pressed his lips tightly together, as if a wave of frustration was stuck in his chest, yet he couldn’t say anything. Angry and anxious, he instinctively looked at the other people present, hoping for some support.

Gong Yu first turned his gaze to the only other man in the room besides himself.

Beside Song Yutian, Gu Feng wisely kept silent.

Although Gu Feng disliked Song Yutian, he also looked down on Gong Yu’s actions—making a woman do the work while he slacked off, all while pretending to give wisdom.

Furthermore, he could clearly feel that in this conversation, Gong Yu had completely lost.

So, he chose not to take sides and showed no intention of speaking.

And Wei Yao—her attitude was clear from the very beginning.

Wei Yao first looked at Song Yutian with admiration, then slowly her expression changed to gratitude. Even… Gong Yu realized he couldn’t quite understand this complex emotion; it seemed like she wanted to cry, yet also like she wanted to laugh.

The two ordinary girls present, it went without saying, now looked at him with eyes that had shifted from curiosity to a hint of dislike.

Song Yutian’s words even made the viewers in the livestream silent for several seconds.

Then, comments began to pop up like mushrooms after the rain.

[Song Yutian is right. How did I not think of the handsome guy pulling the cart?]

[Yes, I noticed I had unconsciously agreed with Gong Yu’s idea about beautiful women pulling the cart, but I completely didn’t realize that handsome men pulling the cart is the same idea.]

[Song Yutian said it so well; it’s not just women’s looks that can be used for consumption, men can be as well.]

[Because of this statement, I’ve become a fan of Sister Song.]

[I had a feeling something was off about Gong Yu’s words earlier, and now I finally understand what it was.]

Many girls who had been watching Gong Yu and Wei Yao’s perspectives felt a bit uncomfortable when they saw Gong Yu persuading Wei Yao to pull the cart.

However, Gong Yu’s way of speaking was very persuasive; he kept stressing that Wei Yao shouldn’t be afraid of hard work. Plus, the comments from the audience made them think they were overreacting. Girls should challenge themselves and not fear hardship or fatigue, so Gong Yu’s suggestion for Wei Yao to pull the cart seemed okay.

But Song Yutian’s words finally made them realize the truth.

What made them uncomfortable wasn’t the difficult task of having Wei Yao pull the cart itself, but Gong Yu’s hidden logic: treating appearance as a product to attract visitors was something exclusive to women, and only a woman like Wei Yao could do it.

At that moment, Wei Yao completely stopped caring about what Gong Yu was doing or saying.

She felt that all her previous doubts, confusion, and grievances were released in that instant.

It was not just because Song Yutian stood up for her and silenced Gong Yu.

It was also because she felt understood, comforted, and, more importantly, awakened.

Wei Yao looked at Song Yutian and said in the most sincere tone since the show started, "Yutian, thank you."

Song Yutian smiled gently, "It’s nothing. You’re tired, right? Wipe your sweat first."

Saying this, Song Yutian took out a pack of tissues and stepped forward a few steps to Wei Yao.

Wei Yao took the tissues, and the two girls smiled at each other.

The atmosphere between the two girls was so harmonious that it made Gong Yu feel very awkward.

This was a live broadcast, and if he didn’t say something to ease his current awkward situation… Gong Yu’s palms began to sweat slightly.

The atmosphere between Song Yutian and Wei Yao was too good; Gong Yu knew that speaking up now would only make things uncomfortable, so he turned his attention back to Gu Feng.

He looked around, took two steps forward, and spoke to him, "Brother Feng, what is your group’s strategy?"

Gu Feng had been watching the excitement and was surprised when Gong Yu suddenly spoke to him, so he didn’t answer right away.

Gong Yu, eager to fix his awkward situation, didn’t get a reply and asked again, "Hey? Brother Feng, is the milk tea advertisement above from your car?"

Gu Feng said, "No."

After a moment of hesitation, Gu Feng added, "This is our strategy."

Gong Yu was stunned for a moment and then suddenly understood, "Oh, so it can be done this way? You can also advertise?"

Gu Feng nodded. For some reason, he was not very eager to showcase their strategy. After all, such a clever idea had not come from him, but from a woman he had always looked down upon.

As a result, Gong Yu’s next words were, "As expected of Brother Feng, you could come up with such a brilliant strategy! That’s so impressive!"

Gong Yu thought he was praising the other person, his expression and tone extremely sincere.

Unexpectedly, Gu Feng’s face darkened.

The next moment, Song Yutian’s voice came, "Thanks for the compliment."

Gong Yu was in disbelief for a second before turning to look at Song Yutian.

The other person had a smile on her face. When she noticed Gong Yu looking at her, she raised an eyebrow.

Song Yutian’s smile seemed a bit helpless: indeed, people are often unaware of their own stereotypes. Even after being called out by her, his first reaction was still to assume that the idea must have come from Gu Feng.

But to Gong Yu, that smile felt like mockery.

Gong Yu gritted his teeth. He had heard plenty of stories about this woman. Wasn’t she just an actress trying to climb the ladder? Given that his popularity was only average, how dare she act this way toward him? Would she be so bold if it were someone like Qin Yuanzhuo, who had a massive fan base and strong backing?

Forcing down his anger, Gong Yu mustered a smile, deciding not to let this woman get to him. Instead, he focused on presenting himself in the best light.

After all, his suggestion that Wei Yao pull the cart wasn’t just about winning—it was also about showcasing his intelligence and strategic thinking.

"Haha," Gong Yu let out a dry laugh. "I didn’t expect your ideas to be so good. Yao Yao, I just had a thought. How about we collaborate with a beverage brand? That way, you won’t have to work so hard pulling the cart."

Wei Yao was caught off guard by Gong Yu’s sudden attempt to involve her again and didn’t respond right away.

Instead, Song Yutian was the first to reply. "The competition time is limited. Without someone like Gu Feng, it might be a little difficult to find brands that are willing to cooperate and pay immediately."

Gong Yu clenched his jaw in frustration.

Is this woman really trying to oppose me at every turn?

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Then, Miss Yutian, what is your suggestion?"