Could it be that the show was trying to cheat him somehow?
Ye Lingchen thought of all that, and proceeded to ask, “I wonder what’s the name of your show? What exactly do you need me to do?”
“The name of our program is Life’s Struggle,” Li Lihua began. “The main focus is actually about life in general. The location is selected in the beautiful countryside, and in addition to you, there will be several other distinguished guests, be it by special invitation or regular appearances. All of you will need to be self-sufficient in the countryside, and the program uses multiple shots to broadcast live, after which some editing will be done before broadcasting on TV.”
“Is that so?” Ye Lingchen nodded. “Can you tell me who’s participating?”
Ye Lingchen was simply too bored, hence he asked that question. He paid little attention to people in the entertainment circle, and even if the other party mentions any of them, he would not necessarily know who they were.
“We’re required to keep the special guests confidential, but we’re able to tell you that the regulars are Huang Lei, He Jia, and Wei Daxun.” Li Lihua smiled.
“Oh.”
Ye Lingchen responded casually as he did not even know any of them. “When will this show start?”
“It’ll start in four days. The location will be in Mount Li District. You’re our first guest, so when you arrive at Mount Li, someone will be there to pick you up.” Li Lihua did not expect Ye Lingchen to agree so readily, judging from the surprise in her voice.
In fact, Apple TV had always been famous for its variety shows and could be considered a relatively popular channel. However, after the furor surrounding Banana TV’s earlier Survival on Deserted Island, it piled the pressure on Apple TV. Therefore, they launched the Life’s Struggles program in the hopes that it could increase their ratings
They invited a popular sports star like Ye Lingchen in the hopes that he would bring some surprises.
After hanging up the phone, Ye Lingchen made a point to search the Internet for the Life’s Struggles program. Indeed, it was a variety show that had just been launched by Apple TV. The theme was to allow people to be self-sufficient and create wealth with their own hands.
It could be regarded as a rural struggle. The selected location was beautiful, thus attracting a large audience was all but certain.
The next day, the staff at Apple TV contacted Ye Lingchen and said that they had already booked him a flight ticket to Mount Li for the following day. They asked Ye Lingchen if it was too quick, and if that turned out to be the case, they would change his booking dates.
Ye Lingchen hesitated for a moment and decided to go the following day since there would not be much time left before the show started.
…
“Lingchen, come down and eat dinner,” Zhang Yunxi shouted to Ye Lingchen from downstairs.
“Mm, I’m coming down.”
Ye Lingchen went downstairs, washed his hands, and sat at the dining table. Zhang Yunxi had already prepared all the food.
Ye Lingchen did not move and simply sat in his chair. “Yunxi, let me tell you something. I’m going to film a show at Mount Li. I’ll be participating in a variety show and I might not be back anytime soon.”
Zhang Yunxi’s hand paused for a while, but she then smiled. “That’s a good thing, Lingchen. From now on, you’ll be a real star.”
Ye Lingchen sensed a bitterness in the smile at the corner of her mouth.
“You must take good care of yourself at home. Don’t do any tiring work by yourself. Leave it to Miyako,” Ye Lingchen said, much to the chagrin of Miyako.
She had changed a lot and learned plenty from Ye Lingchen—she both loved him and feared him at the same time.
“When are you leaving?” Zhang Yunxi asked.
“The ticket is scheduled for tomorrow. I need to go there early and prepare.”
“In such a hurry?” Zhang Yunxi was taken aback for a while, then stopped eating before getting up at once. “Then I’ll help you clean up.”
Ye Lingchen looked at Zhang Yunxi neatly stacking his clothes into the suitcase, stunned briefly by that scene.
What his mother said was right—Yunxi was really a good girl. She was beautiful, the perfect wife material, and not squeamish at all.
In that modern age, girls never did any housework, let alone do other things. One would be lucky if they did not ask one to buy this and that. In addition to being squeamish, they also liked spending money. Those who knew how to be considerate of men were few and far in between.
One particular song went, ‘Husbands make money for their wives.’ Just hearing the title gave one a glimpse of how hard and toxic a man’s life was.
That night, Ye Lingchen had just gotten upstairs for some time, but he soon heard sounds of footsteps. Those feet walked upstairs bit-by-bit with some reluctance and anxiety. In the end, it stopped at the door of his room and hesitated.
Ye Lingchen took the initiative to open the door.
“Yunxi.”
Zhang Yunxi was wearing a pink nightgown. There were water stains in her hair and a fresh fragrance, evidently due to having just taken a shower.
“Lingchen, can you talk to me and keep me company?” Zhang Yunxi looked at Ye Lingchen with a complicated expression.
“Come in.” Ye Lingchen quickly turned around. He had the feeling that Zhang Yunxi changed considerably after finding out that he was leaving.
“Lingchen.”
“Yunxi.”
The two of them spoke in unison. They glanced at each other and were both surprised by it. Zhang Yunxi’s face turned red at once.
Ye Lingchen touched his nose. “You first, Yunxi.”
“Lingchen, I’m really glad that I met you in this life.” Zhang Yunxi looked at Ye Lingchen like an idiot. She bit her lips and said, “You’ve saved me too many times, thank you.”
“Yunxi, our relationship feels a bit too formal if you say thank you,” Ye Lingchen said with a smile.
Zhang Yunxi’s eyes were transfixed all of a sudden and she said, “What’s our relationship?”
“Uh…” Ye Lingchen was stunned for a moment. “You’re the village belle and our school belle too. As a man, I certainly can’t let you be bullied.”
“Then do you think I’m beautiful?” Zhang Yunxi continued to ask.
“Yes,” Ye Lingchen answered without hesitation, then added, “Very beautiful.”
Zhang Yunxi had a hint of coyness and joy on her face. She then closed her eyes and asked softly. “Can you hug me?”
Ye Lingchen looked at Zhang Yunxi as if she was sleeping beauty. Stunned, he took a deep breath, suppressed the charm deep in his heart, and held Zhang Yunxi in his arms.
Zhang Yunxi’s hands then hugged Ye Lingchen tightly—very tightly, then whispered in Ye Lingchen’s ear, “Lingchen, I like you.”
Ye Lingchen’s body shook suddenly, but then she heard Zhang Yunxi continue saying, “Actually, I’ve liked you ever since you shielded me from that fake Taoist priest in Rugao City. I really like you, and I secretly came to Capital because I felt it was the best way for me to get closer to you.”
“Now that you’re becoming even more awesome, I suddenly feel like I’m getting further away from you. I’m worried that one day I won’t even have the right to be by your side.”
Zhang Yunxi was obviously very emotional almost to the extent of choking back sobs.
She originally buried all that deep in her heart and was content with living under the same roof as Ye Lingchen. However, seeing Ye Lingchen’s increased eminence and preparation to enter the entertainment industry, she felt very much afraid. She feared that one day, a random woman would go to the home and drive her away. She was afraid that she would no longer be qualified to be with Ye Lingchen.
Ye Lingchen hugged Zhang Yunxi in his arms completely and took in her fragrant scent. He said with a smile, “Silly girl, I like you too.”
10,000 words describing the subsequent sweet-talk and so on were left out automatically…
The next day…
Ye Lingchen looked at Zhang Yunxi and an unspeakable feeling came to his heart. There was pride, happiness, and a sense of responsibility.
However, he saw her close her eyes tightly while her eyelashes trembled lightly. She was pretending to be asleep.
“You still dare to pretend to be asleep? I won’t spare you so easily.”
The two of them stirred things up for a while, then fell silent and enjoyed their bliss.
“Lingchen, I feel like the happiest woman in the world right now.” Zhang Yunxi smiled sweetly.
“It’s not only now. It will always be the case in the future,” Ye Lingchen said.
“You’re the best.” Zhang Yunxi became even happier as she looked at Ye Lingchen affectionately. “When I heard that you were going to a variety show yesterday, I was suddenly so scared. I was in fear throughout the entire day.”
“Afraid that I’ll be snatched away?” Ye Lingchen smiled.
“Yeah.” Zhang Yunxi nodded, bit her lip, then continued, “There are plenty of beautiful women in the entertainment industry. You’ll definitely attract many girls because of how amazing you are. I’m afraid you’ll forget me.”
“Silly. I’ve actually started crushing on you very early on,” Ye Lingchen laughed.
“Really?” Zhang Yunxi’s face was surprised.
“You’re the village belle and school belle. You’re beautiful and you have a good personality. Many people view you as their dream lover, and I’m no exception.” Ye Lingchen smiled triumphantly. “I finally made my dream come true.”
“Bah, you’re bad!” Zhang Yunxi chuckled softly, but the worry in her hearts disappeared.
Zhang Yunxi happily folded the sheets and put them away carefully. She then walked out of the room with Ye Lingchen.
Downstairs, Miyako looked at the two of them with a complicated expression. There was a trace of resentment in her eyes.
There was so much movement the night before that she did not sleep well at all, and she never expected there to be such a big movement in the morning too. It was impossible for Miyako not to know what happened after looking at Zhang Yunxi’s reddened face.
Zhang Yunxi was about to cook breakfast, but Ye Lingchen grabbed her. He said gently, “You rest well. I’ll cook.”
“Mm, you’re the best.” Zhang Yunxi nodded happily.
On one side, Miyako’s body stiffened. The blow she received was too hard for her to handle.
As Ye Lingchen cooked breakfast, Zhang Yunxi helped him tidy up his clothes while reminding, “Your pants and socks are placed in the compartment on the lid of the bag. I’ve packed five pairs for you. There’s also a first-aid kit, which I placed on the left side of the box, and your jacket at the bottommost. The better the place is, the greater the temperature difference between day and night, so remember to wear it.”
Zhang Yunxi’s maternal love was overflowing, just like a mother who was reluctant to see her son travel a long distance. She explained everything one by one and looked at Ye Lingchen’s with a reluctant eye.
“I’ll just be participating in a program. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of myself.” In Ye Lingchen’s current physique, it might be a bit of an exaggeration to suggest that he was not afraid of the cold and heat, but normal temperature fluctuations were practicably negligible.
After eating breakfast, Zhang Yunxi kissed Ye Lingchen goodbye before he left the house. The two of them have been talking in a lovey-dovey manner since the morning, so much so that Miyako bore the brunt of that public display of affection, causing her face to turn sour.
Goosebumps appeared all over her body. Miyako felt as though she had endured the maximum amount of affectionate displays she could possibly endure in her entire life.
