Hello, Welcome to Merit Supermarket (SUPERMARKET)
In the end, Jiang Chenyi agreed to the invitation from the Luo-Zhang couple.
Upon hearing his agreement, Luo Qiuming immediately cheered, "Great! Then I'll go with you! Here's the contract. I've already reviewed it, and there are no issues!"
As he spoke, he pulled out a contract from the car, clearly having planned this in advance.
Jiang Chenyi flipped to the first page.
The first thing he saw wasn't the name or content of the variety show, but the filming location for this episode.
"In Chashan City?"
Luo Qiuming nodded beside him. "Yeah, this episode is about tea picking, so Chashan City is the most convenient place."
Chashan City was most famous for its tea. From planting and picking to roasting and packaging, even to export and trade, the entire industry chain was concentrated in this small city.
And the theme of this episode of the variety show was tea.
At this moment, Jiang Chenyi wasn't thinking about tea picking or planting, but about the Chashan City Public Security Bureau...
It had been over a week since the deputy director left last time. He wondered how their progress was going.
"Tsk! I didn't expect it to be Chashan City..."
First, Yu Min caught his attention, and now the filming location was Chashan City. It seemed he had no choice but to go.
Upon hearing this, the Luo-Zhang couple quickly perked up their ears and asked, "What's wrong with Chashan City?"
Their biggest impression of Chashan City was that Huang Jue, led by Jiang Chenyi, had found his younger sister in his hometown of Chashan City.
"Nothing." Jiang Chenyi shook his head.
It was better not to talk about the human trafficking organization for now.
He continued reading.
The filming for the variety show was scheduled for a week later, which was a bit rushed. Moreover, half of the show would be broadcast live.
This meant that if anything dramatic happened during the show, it would instantly explode on the internet.
Jiang Chenyi narrowed his eyes slightly.
His intuition told him that this variety show wouldn't be smooth sailing.
………
A week later, Jiang Chenyi followed behind Luo Qiuming while carrying his luggage, and stepped onto the land of Chashan City.
The Small Golden Abacus hung around his neck as usual, and a red string with bells was tied around his wrist. The only difference was that a small red dot now appeared on his earlobe.
This was a product he had traded for separately with the supermarket—it would allow him to retain his last breath and a sliver of consciousness if he suffered a severe injury.
This item had cost Jiang Chenyi a full 10,000 Merit Points.
Although he felt a bit of a sting, Jiang Chenyi didn't think it was expensive—10,000 Merit Points in exchange for a life... that was already a bargain.
As the two walked out of the airport, Luo Qiuming was immediately greeted by a large crowd of fans, and the variety show's production team had already started the live broadcast.
The traffic Luo Qiuming brought was immense.
Within less than ten minutes of going live, the number of viewers in his stream had far surpassed those of the others.
The director that was observing the data from backstage, was grinning from ear to ear while secretly thinking that Luo Qiuming was indeed the biggest draw.
With him around, there was no need to worry about traffic.
What the director didn’t know at the time was that sometimes, excessive traffic wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
After making his way through the gathered fans, Luo Qiuming waved to them before getting into the vehicle arranged by the production team.
Meanwhile, the viewers in the live stream were continuously marveling at Luo Qiuming’s great condition as he looked like he had aged backward by 20 years.
"Honestly, I’m more into the guy next to him, slurp slurp, that waist-to-hip ratio, tsk tsk tsk."
"Sis! Same here! My standards aren’t high, I just want Sister Miaomiao and that guy, hehehe!"
"So it’s a one-husband-one-wife situation now, huh?"
"Why does that guy’s figure look so familiar? Has he appeared in public with Teacher Luo before?"
"That’s Benefactor Bro! Those eyes are super recognizable!"
Jiang Chenyi still didn’t know about the nickname "Benefactor Bro".
He just felt like Luo Qiuming’s fans’ gazes were a bit... overly intense?
He felt as if his waist and butt were being scanned by X-rays over and over again...
Only after getting into the car did he finally relax, and the temperature on his body gradually subsided.
Luo Qiuming beside him thought he was nervous because it was his first time officially appearing on a variety show.
With a grin, Luo Qiuming patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Relax, and just follow my lead."
As long as he wasn’t trying to break into the entertainment industry, there was no need to worry too much. He could just be himself.
If anything really went wrong, wasn’t he there to handle it?
Not long after, they arrived at the destination of the variety show—a small town in the suburbs of Chashan City.
This town was the largest tea-producing town in all of Chashan City.
When they arrived at the cottage arranged by the production team, some people had already arrived early.
One man and one woman, and another man and woman.
Jiang Chenyi wasn’t interested in the entertainment industry, so naturally, he didn’t recognize who these four people were. Fortunately, Luo Qiuming quietly whispered in his ear, "The one wearing the white shirt is Yu Min, and the person next to him is his younger sister. The one wearing the sun hat is He Suisui, and the person next to her is her older brother."
So, these two groups had brought their family members along?
Jiang Chenyi glanced at Luo Qiuming, who chuckled and rubbed his nose.
The director had indeed requested ordinary people, but he hadn’t specified that they had to be friends.
After they arrived, they were immediately greeted warmly by Yu Min and He Suisui.
"Hello, Teacher Luo, I’m Yu Min."
"Hello, Teacher Luo, I’m He Suisui from Anqi Entertainment."
They had heard that Luo Qiuming might appear in this episode, but neither of them had taken it seriously until the day before departure, when the production team announced all the guests on Dayan.
This sent their companies into a frenzy.
No one had expected Luo Qiuming to actually show up.
After all, this couple rarely appeared on variety shows. Aside from the last "accident", it had been several years since their last variety show appearance.
Luo Qiuming didn’t put on any airs as a film emperor.
After greeting them with a smile, he introduced Jiang Chenyi beside him.
"Jiang Chenyi, but we call him Little Jiang, the benefactor of Miaomiao, Zhao Jiamin, Huang Jue, and me."
As soon as the word "benefactor" was mentioned, the two instantly connected the young man before them with the photo from the recent hot search.
But how had he become Huang Jue's benefactor in such a short time?
Facing their scrutinizing gazes, Jiang Chenyi calmly removed his mask, to reveal his entire face: "Hello."
Yu Min's eyes flickered.
He knew this "Benefactor Bro" was good-looking, but he hadn't expected him to be this handsome.
Most importantly, his appearance subtly overlapped with Yu Min's own persona, and it was like a pro max version of himself.
This made Yu Min somewhat uneasy.
At that moment, the young man's eyes suddenly landed on him.
His clear pupils seemed to pierce through the flesh and reach straight into the soul. Yu Min felt as if he had been completely seen through.
The first person Jiang Chenyi noticed was this "filial son" who had been searching for his mother in front of the camera.
Although he didn't yet know the purpose behind the man's search for his mother, one thing was certain through his own eyes—this guy wasn't as gentle as he appeared on the surface.
The layers of gray mist surrounding him were almost completely obscuring what little Merit he had left.
Especially since his Merit wasn't much to begin with.
Jiang Chenyi raised an eyebrow while giving Yu Min a meaningful look before shifting his gaze to He Suisui beside him.
Little did he know, one glance was all it took...
Jiang Chenyi turned his head slightly and let out a soft laugh.
Good heavens, what kind of people had the production team invited? His intuition had been right all along!
Luo Qiuming pulled Jiang Chenyi to sit in the middle. Hearing the soft laugh, he looked at Jiang Chenyi in confusion.
"What's wrong?"
Why did he suddenly laugh?
At the same time, many viewers in the live stream also noticed Jiang Chenyi's sudden laugh.
"Wait, he laughed after looking at Suisui. What does that mean?"
He Suisui's fans found his laughter somewhat inexplicable.
He Suisui looked bewildered: "What's wrong? Did I not draw my eyebrows correctly today?"
Jiang Chenyi shook his head: "Not at all, Miss He. You're as beautiful and kind-hearted as ever today."
After He Suisui chuckled, the young man added with a smile, "Miss He, today you'll surely ride the wind and let it "Send me to the top". The future is bright for you."
Luo Qiuming blinked while staring blankly at Jiang Chenyi before turning to look at He Suisui in shock.
This was the first time he had heard Jiang Chenyi offer so much praise!
And... Jiang Chenyi had such high expectations for He Suisui!
Facing Luo Qiuming's puzzled look, Jiang Chenyi explained in a low voice, "She has a lot of Merit that is enough to influence her luck. As long as she doesn't deliberately do evil, this Merit will help her make the right choices at critical moments."
For a woman focused on her career, the right choices would propel He Suisui to greater heights in the entertainment industry.
But Luo Qiuming was still a bit confused: "Why does she have so much Merit?"
Jiang Chenyi glanced at He Suisui: "A large part of it is accumulated virtue from her ancestors, and the rest is what she's earned herself... But since her ancestors left her with so much accumulated virtue, her family must be quite distinguished."
However, after hearing Jiang Chenyi's words, Luo Qiuming's brows gradually furrowed.
He whispered, "But He Suisui is known for her poor family background. Her parents passed away early, and she has been relying on her brother ever since."
This doesn't exactly count as a privileged family, does it?
Jiang Chenyi's pupils slightly contracted, and his gaze towards He Suisui deepened.
He still insisted on his view: "Merit doesn't lie, so there must be something wrong with her family situation."
After Jiang Chenyi said "Send me to the top", the fans who initially thought he had ill intentions towards their idol instantly changed their minds.
"That's right! Suisui is beautiful and kind-hearted!"
A passerby who praises their idol and believes in a promising future must be a good person!
The director thought Jiang Chenyi's light chuckle would make him a target of the fans, especially since He Suisui's fans are famously united. But to his surprise, just one sentence resolved the conflict.
Through the camera, the director looked at the young man.
A sentence the young man had once said still lingered in the director's mind.
"It's better than some people who wear a friendly face but do things worse than animals behind the scenes." At the time, everyone thought it was sarcasm.
It wasn't until Ji Gongyang was taken away by the police and investigated that they realized this man had actually killed his wife and child.
Even if it was accidental, it was still murder.
So, when the director learned that Luo Qiuming would bring this young man to the show, he felt a great curiosity about him.
The last group of members arrived at the destination just one minute before the scheduled time, but no one blamed them because they looked utterly disheveled.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry! The show's car suddenly broke down, and we had to run here."
The last group consisted of two girls—the rising star Qi Yun and her civilian best friend. Both girls were so out of breath that their hairstyles were ruined.
Not to mention the cameraman who was supposed to follow them; there was no sign of him now.
The director first let Qi Yun tidy herself up. When she returned, he announced the official start of the show.
"Today, let's all rest. Tomorrow, we'll find a local guide and follow him to pick tea leaves."
Hearing that the activity would start tomorrow, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
But as the director, how could he let the remaining time go to waste?
"Since none of you have started working yet, the show won't provide dinner today. If you want to eat, you'll have to find food yourselves, but! No buying or selling allowed!"
That last sentence was the real killer!
The show hadn't confiscated the guests' phones earlier, but with the ban on monetary transactions, even having a phone was useless now.
After saying this, the director, under the murderous gazes of the group, sneered and slipped away.
This was the first time Jiang Chenyi felt the malice of the show.
Making a group of celebrities find their own food?
Are they trying to starve them to death?
Luo Qiuming hadn't participated in variety shows for years, so he wasn't aware of the show's penchant for pranks.
The two men stared blankly in the direction the director had left with their faces clearly showing the words "We've been tricked".
Fortunately, there were still reliable people in this show.
Qi Yun snorted in dissatisfaction, "Again? Are they making us work for the townsfolk in exchange for ingredients?"
Jiang Chenyi pondered for a moment and raised a question, "Why not just exchange for food directly?"
Qi Yun's large cat-like eyes drooped, "Because the production team instructed them to only exchange for ingredients. That way, they can watch us get all flustered while cooking."
Luo Qiuming's mouth twitched as he clutched his chest in agony, "What a cruel tactic. Can I quit the show now?"
He Suisui stood up with a cheerful smile, "Don't worry, both my brother and I can cook!"
Children from poor families grow up fast; cooking is just a piece of cake!
Unlike her enthusiastic younger sister, her brother He Suihua was more reserved. After his sister finished speaking, he softly added, "I've worked in the kitchen before. I can handle the cooking later."
Jiang Chenyi patted Luo Qiuming's shoulder and sighed helplessly, "Relax, I can cook too. I promise you won't starve."
Great, now there were three people who could cook.
Luo Qiuming, Qi Yun, and the younger sister, who couldn't cook, were instantly moved to tears.
"However, the kitchen here isn't very big. My brother and I can handle the cooking. You guys go out and gather ingredients. If it's not enough, we'll go out and do more tasks!" He Suisui said while patting her chest.
After they had all made their decisions, Yu Min leisurely took his younger sister's hand and walked out, "In that case, my sister and I will go see what ingredients we can exchange for!"
Jiang Chenyi glanced at him but said nothing.
Luo Qiuming noticed Jiang Chenyi's coldness towards Yu Min.
Although he didn't know the specifics, out of trust in Jiang Chenyi, his attitude towards Yu Min was also quite indifferent.
The two walked out of the house and headed down the path, and soon encountered the townsfolk.
Perhaps due to the cultural environment, most of the villagers' houses here still maintained the old wooden structures.
Since the production team had already made arrangements, they casually chose a house to knock on.
An elderly man answered the door. Upon learning they wanted to exchange for ingredients, he pointed to a pile of wood in the yard and said, "Chop all this firewood, and I'll give you a piece of pork."
Oh, meat!
Luo Qiuming rushed over without a second thought, but Jiang Chenyi grabbed his collar, "Wait, first ask how big the piece of pork is."
The old man didn't understand why they were asking, but then... he saw the old man take out a piece of pork no bigger than the palm of his hand.
Luo Qiuming's face turned green.
The production team was too cruel! A whole yard of firewood for less than a pound of pork?
This deal was too unfair!
Luo Qiuming angrily turned to leave but was once again stopped by Jiang Chenyi.
The young man's eyes bore into the old man as he spoke words that made the old man's face change, "Old man, if I help you find the ring your late wife left behind, can you give me a bigger piece of meat?"
He had heard the old man's thoughts—"Wife, wife, where did you put your ring?"
"You!" The old man's eyes widened in astonishment as he stared at the young man before him.
"I can help you find it. Once I do, you can give me a bigger piece of meat, okay?"
The old man was clearly tempted, and Luo Qiuming, recalling Jiang Chenyi's methods, immediately shifted from a look of frustration to one of smugness.
Apart from the two of them, everyone else was completely baffled.
Not only were the live-stream viewers clueless, but even the director had no idea what the two were up to.
Finally, the old man agreed, "As long as you can find it, forget about exchanging a piece of meat—you can take all the meat in my house!"
"Deal!" Jiang Chenyi let go of the old man's hand and lightly touched the ring on his finger before silently calling out to the Supermarket.
"Supermarket, scan this house once."
[Transaction completed. Deducting 20 points of Merit.]
Soon, the Supermarket's scan results came in.
During this time, all anyone saw was Jiang Chenyi quietly pondering for a few seconds before striding confidently toward a specific spot.
Jiang Chenyi picked up a hoe in the yard, walked around to the back of the house, and began digging under a patch of melon vines.
A few minutes later, he unearthed a green ring-shaped object buried several dozen centimeters deep in the soil.
The old man was utterly stunned.
Jiang Chenyi took out the jade ring then wiped off the dirt, and placed it in the old man's palm. "This is what you were looking for."
The live-stream viewers were left in awe.
Although Luo Qiuming had experienced a transaction before, the Supermarket and Jiang Chenyi's methods still exceeds his imagination.
The moment the old man saw the ring, his once-straight back instantly hunched over.
With trembling hands, he caressed the ring. Only now did he understand the meaning behind his late wife's final words.
She had said, "I really miss the swing you built for me fifty years ago."
The location of that swing was right here.
It turned out she had buried their token of love in the very spot where they had pledged their hearts fifty years ago.
He... he had searched everywhere for so long. How foolish he had been.
The old man silently shed tears for a while, then wiped them away forcefully before a warm smile spread across his face. "Young man! Go on and take a look inside the house. Take whatever you want to eat. If it's not enough, just tell me, and I'll buy more for you!"
His attitude was a complete turnaround from before.
And Jiang Chenyi didn't hold back. He directly pulled Luo Qiuming into the house and rummaged through the fridge. The two of them took away two fish, two pounds of pork, several ribs, and even a few eggs.
Luo Qiuming felt a bit guilty. "Isn't it a bit much for us to take all this?"
The live-stream fans shared the same sentiment.
Just as they stepped out the door, they were met by the old man. He squinted at the meat in their hands and, under Luo Qiuming's nervous gaze, asked, "Is that enough? How about I take you to the market to buy more? I’ve got plenty of money!"
Luo Qiuming was touched, but the production team probably wouldn’t allow them to stockpile food in the fridge.
But Jiang Chenyi didn’t care about that!
After a moment of thought, he went back and took the remaining half rack of ribs. "This should be enough."
The half rack of ribs would easily last them another meal or two!
Meanwhile, the director was about to lose it. He never expected that Jiang Chenyi, a regular person, could get the townsfolk to willingly give them food!
And so much food at that!
The previous items were one thing, but if he really took away this half rack of ribs, the subsequent competition would be meaningless for them!
"No! Stop them!"
The cameraman, following the director's instructions, immediately blocked the two and directly told Jiang Chenyi that this was not allowed.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Chenyi laughed and retorted, "The director didn't say anything before. I earned this fair and square. Look, the old man was willing too. Why does the director say it's not allowed?"
Fans in the live stream were thrilled to follow Jiang Chenyi's lead as they kept flooding the screen with the phrase "Why not?"
The director... was now feeling a headache coming on.
His lack of understanding of Jiang Chenyi was the biggest oversight he had made!
Helpless, he had to agree in the end, but to prevent such incidents from happening again, he established new rules.
When Jiang Chenyi and Luo Qiuming returned to the cabin, they found someone had arrived earlier than them.
It was Yu Min, who had come back with his younger sister.
Jiang Chenyi first looked towards the kitchen.
He Suisui and her brother, who were in charge of cooking, were washing and preparing vegetables inside.
The amount of vegetables they had was not much, probably just two pounds... or even less!
This amount of vegetables was clearly not enough for the eight of them.
Only then did he look at Yu Min, who was kneeling on one knee and applying medicated oil to his sister's ankle.
They had returned early because his sister had accidentally twisted her ankle while completing a task.
Jiang Chenyi withdrew his gaze and brought the food he had to the kitchen, where He Suisui immediately burst into cheers.
She hadn't expected Jiang Chenyi to bring back so many ingredients!
There were even extra ingredients that could be saved for tomorrow!
"What task did you do? How did you bring back so much meat?"
He Suisui' voice attracted Yu Min, whose expression turned slightly unpleasant, though no one noticed as he kept his head down. And upon hearing He Suisui's words, his hand applying the medicated oil paused.
"Brother... brother?" Yu Min's sister called out softly, only to see her brother's icy gaze that was reminiscent of their father's.
This look made her stiffen, as terrifying images flooded her mind, and her face turned pale instantly.
Yu Min realized his emotions were unstable and quickly lowered his head to take a deep breath, only to be sharply choked by the smell of the medicated oil.
He turned aside to cough a couple of times, and then his face returned to calm.
It didn't matter anymore. As long as that person didn't enter this circle, what did it matter if he was more capable?
Pretending to know nothing, he showed a curious look in his eyes: "What's going on? What happened?"
He Suisui excitedly pointed at the ingredients Jiang Chenyi had brought back and shouted, "Look, they brought back so much meat, and there's even half a rack of ribs in the fridge!"
Yu Min's pupils contracted sharply, and then he also got excited: "You guys are amazing! How did you manage that?"
His eyes sparkled as he looked at Jiang Chenyi, only to find a hint of barely perceptible amusement in the other's gaze.
However, this amusement was not friendly; it was more like a knowing mockery, as if watching him put on a show.
"Little Jiang helped someone find something, and they were so grateful that they gave us this much meat."
Luo Qiuming happily recounted the incident to everyone. When they learned that Jiang Chenyi had found a ring under the melon vines, they exclaimed in disbelief.
"How did you do it!" He Suisui covered her face and screamed.
Then she showed a look of deep regret: "Damn it! Why didn't I get to see that! No way, I must watch the replay when I get back!"
Luo Qiuming chuckled and vaguely explained, "Little Jiang is really good at finding things."
"For example..." His gaze gradually became meaningful, "Helping Zhao Jiamin save her daughter and helping Huang Jue find her younger sister... If there's someone or something you want to find, you can ask Little Jiang for help."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Min's hand that resting at his side, trembled slightly.
He Suisui wasn't foolish; he immediately understood the implication in Luo Qiuming's words and instinctively glanced at Yu Min.
But Yu Min just stood there and did not say a word.
Jiang Chenyi stared straight at him and did not miss any change in Yu Min.
His pupils were trembling; he was afraid, terrified that his true nature would be exposed.
Jiang Chenyi's eye color became even lighter. Only after detecting the deep-seated fear in Yu Min's heart did he finally avert his gaze.
"Yes," he said with a smile. "If you need anything, feel free to ask for my help."
After he finished speaking, He Suisui's eyes flickered slightly.
Yu Min suppressed the irritation in his heart and pretended to be in a daze as he walked back to his room in a trance.
As for his younger sister, she didn't obediently follow him. Instead, she sneaked into the kitchen and squatted in a corner to help He Suisui's brother with his tasks.
Jiang Chenyi and Luo Qiuming exchanged a glance.
It was only at this moment that Luo Qiuming confirmed that Yu Min was indeed using the "search for mother" as a show!
He wasn't genuinely looking for his mother at all!
Jiang Chenyi lowered his head and chuckled softly as a plan slowly formed in his mind.
Back when they were at the old man's place, he had already had a vague idea, but it was only now that it had fully solidified.
After Yu Min left, the others either continued with their tasks or took a break.
Once they were outside, Luo Qiuming let out a long sigh. "Truly, the human heart is unfathomable."
It was almost laughable.
People often said that the entertainment industry was a big dye vat, but when it came to reading people's intentions, he was actually not as good as Jiang Chenyi, a mere kid.
No, perhaps it was because Jiang Chenyi saw through everything too clearly—no trickster could escape his sharp eyes.
Jiang Chenyi tapped his ear.
Compared to what he saw, what he heard was even more fascinating.
Luo Qiuming's curiosity was piqued, but unfortunately, they were in the middle of a live broadcast. Even if he wanted to ask, now wasn't the right time to bring it up.
The two of them didn't rest for long before Qi Yun and her friends returned.
They brought back a lot of staple foods—not just rice and flour, but also sweet potatoes and some pumpkins.
Now, they had everything they needed: staple foods, vegetables, and meat, though the vegetables were a bit scarce.
As the biggest contributor, Jiang Chenyi didn't need to do anything.
He could just sit back and wait for the meal, while everyone else went to the kitchen to help out.
Therefore, while most people were busy, Jiang Chenyi was leisurely wandering around alone outside.
The cameraman originally intended to follow Luo Qiuming, but after receiving a sudden order from the director, he turned to follow Jiang Chenyi instead.
Jiang Chenyi glanced at the cameraman but didn’t refuse his company.
He aimlessly walked around the area while occasionally looking down at the weeds on the ground.
Perhaps because it was too boring, the number of viewers in his live stream plummeted, with most of them flocking to the kitchen instead.
However, not everyone was uninterested in him.
The main reason was that the old man’s skills were simply too impressive.
The remaining viewers in the live stream were discussing what he was doing. Some said he was looking for something, while others guessed he was searching for wild vegetables.
Then, they saw Jiang Chenyi walk to the foot of the mountain and start climbing up with his bare hands.
"!!!"
This left both the cameraman and the viewers stunned!
'The guy could climb, but what about him? He was carrying a camera!' The cameraman suddenly felt his vision darken.
After climbing a few meters up, Jiang Chenyi finally remembered that someone was following him. Holding onto the mountain wall with one hand, he turned sideways and said to the cameraman below, "Wait here for me. I’ll be back soon."
The pose made everyone involuntarily gulp.
If he let go… the cameraman felt his legs go weak.
As soon as he finished speaking, the young man disappeared like a monkey returning to the mountains.
The cameraman really waited there, and the young man didn’t lie.
In less than ten minutes, he saw the young man hopping down the mountain.
Honestly, this pose was even more dizzying than the one-handed grip on the mountain wall.
But the young man in front of them really descended safely and quickly while holding something black in his hand.
"Let’s go, we’ll find someone to trade with!"
Jiang Chenyi cheerfully led the cameraman back to the old man’s house.
Upon seeing the old man, he directly shoved the muddy lump into his hands.
"Old man, I’ll trade you some herbal medicine for some vegetables."
The old man… was dumbfounded.
He looked at the muddy lump in his hand, then at Jiang Chenyi. Seeing that the young man was serious, he took a sharp breath.
If it weren’t for the young man’s clear eyes, the old man would have really wanted to ask if he had something wrong with his head.
But the old man wasn’t an ordinary old man either.
After repeatedly confirming that the muddy lump was indeed for him, he silently hugged it to his chest.
Then he brought out a bamboo basket from his house and filled it with all kinds of vegetables.
If there weren’t enough at home, he went to the neighbors to get more and fill the basket to the brim.
"Here, kid! Come visit me more often, alright? If you need anything to eat, just tell me. I’ve got everything at home!"
More of such good things, please!
At this moment, the live stream chat was filled with question marks.
They couldn’t see what Jiang Chenyi was holding, so naturally, they didn’t know why the old man was looking at Jiang Chenyi as if he were a god of wealth.
After leaving the old man’s house, Jiang Chenyi quickly walked back to the cabin with the bamboo basket on his back.
He didn’t know that the live stream chat was full of questions about what he had given the old man.
From start to finish, he had no intention of explaining his actions.
This left the director extremely anxious.
If Jiang Chenyi were in the entertainment industry, he would understand that now is the time to explain himself in front of the camera to gain more popularity.
But unfortunately, he’s not!
Carrying a bamboo basket on his back, he returned to the cabin and happened to run into Qi Yun and her friend chatting in front of the camera.
The two of them were startled when they saw the vegetables in his basket, and then they shouted in unison toward the kitchen, "Brother He! The vegetables you wanted are here!"
Just moments ago, He Suisui’s brother had quietly complained about the lack of vegetables, and now the friend brought by Teacher Luo had returned with a basket full of greens!
Luo Qiuming poked his head out of the kitchen and was stunned, "Where did you get so many vegetables?"
Jiang Chenyi placed the bamboo basket on the ground and explained slowly, "I went into the mountains and found a wild herbal medicine, which I traded with the old man for all these vegetables."
The old man’s surprise wasn’t because the herbal medicine was particularly rare, but rather, anyone would be shocked to trade a thousand yuan for a handful of ordinary vegetables.
Luo Qiuming originally wanted to ask what kind of herbal medicine it was, but when he caught sight of Yu Min coming down the stairs out of the corner of his eye, he changed his words in an instant, "As expected, you’re the best at finding things."
Jiang Chenyi also noticed Yu Min not far away and, with a slight curl of his lips, played along with Luo Qiuming’s words, "Of course, finding things is one of my specialties."
Yeah, right!
Yu Min didn’t expect to hear this young man talking about finding things again as soon as he came downstairs.
He instinctively frowned, and when he looked up, he happened to see the camera not far away.
The dark lens was pointed directly at him, and Yu Min suddenly felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured over him, freezing him to the point where he almost shivered.
Only then did he realize that his reaction was illogical.
He had forgotten that he was someone who was "desperately" trying to find his mother.
And being desperate meant he couldn’t let go of any opportunity, no matter how slim it might seem.
So his previous behavior of avoidance was wrong!
Dead wrong!
He bit down hard on the flesh inside his mouth and the pain reminded him not to show any inappropriate expression.
During this time, the persona of a filial son and a tragic figure had attracted a large number of fans and attention that gradually made Yu Min arrogant. Since no one had ever doubted his story, he hadn’t been particularly cautious.
Little did he know that no matter how well he acted, he had already been targeted from the very beginning.
Jiang Chenyi gave him a deep look but didn’t pay him any further attention.
The first step of the plan had succeeded.
After the group happily finished their meal, while the others went to take showers, Luo Qiuming took Jiang Chenyi to a corner and asked directly, "You did that… on purpose, didn’t you?"
The earlier exchange with the old man could be explained as being for the sake of ingredients, but the later trade for vegetables was definitely intentional on Jiang Chenyi’s part.
Although vegetables were scarce, they weren’t completely unavailable. There was no need for Jiang Chenyi to specifically go out and find herbal medicine to trade with the old man.
Unless…
"Are you trying to constantly reinforce everyone’s memory that you’re good at finding things, and then force Yu Min to seek you out?"
Under the moonlight, Jiang Chenyi revealed a sly smile, with shallow dimples appearing at the corners of his mouth, making it hard not to focus on those dimples.
"Not just that."
His voice remained as gentle as ever, but Luo Qiuming, who had spent some time with him, could faintly sense a hint of coldness in his words.
"I need to keep increasing the psychological pressure on him. The more he refuses to come to me, the more everyone will realize there's something wrong with him."
Either he would be forced by the pressure to come to Jiang Chenyi, who would then publicly reject him and expose his true nature.
But if he didn’t come, Jiang Chenyi wouldn’t care either, as by then, the one under suspicion wouldn’t be himself.
The thought of Yu Min being caught in extreme distress made Jiang Chenyi’s smile grow even brighter.
A villain should be thoroughly tormented—otherwise, wouldn’t it be letting him off too easily?
Luo Qiuming felt a chill run down his spine at Jiang Chenyi’s eerie smile.
The young man had shed his previously gentle facade and revealed a more genuine side of his personality.
Yet, Luo Qiuming didn’t find anything wrong with it.
When it came to good people, Jiang Chenyi was kind, tolerant, and always willing to help.
But when it comes to villains, why should they receive the same treatment as good people? Did they deserve it?
However, Luo Qiuming had one concern: "If this escalates, his fans might not let you off the hook."
The young man’s smile deepened. "It doesn’t matter. Let them come and insult me."
A few curses wouldn’t cost him anything.
Besides, he didn’t believe the supermarket would allow others to insult him like this ^v^
When he turned to Luo Qiuming, his smile immediately became pure. "Don’t worry, Brother Qiuming, I’ll take good care of myself."
Since Jiang Chenyi had said so, Luo Qiuming couldn’t persuade him further.
After the live broadcast ended that evening, Luo Qiuming had expected Yu Min to come and probe, but before that, He Suisui arrived first.
"Teacher Luo, Little Jiang, are you still awake?"
He Suisui gently knocked on the door with her expression not as relaxed as it had been during the day.
Clearly, she had her own story.
Seeing it was her, Luo Qiuming felt a pang of disappointment.
He glanced down unwillingly and caught a glimpse of a corner of clothing disappearing at the stairwell—this only deepened his regret.
If He Suisui hadn’t come, it would have been Yu Min standing at their door!
Luo Qiuming sighed that startled the young girl and made her uneasy.
Although Jiang Chenyi was surprised, he wasn’t entirely shocked.
After all, when he had first "seen" He Suisui, he had also sensed something unusual about her.
"It’s like this… I… can I ask how you helped Teacher Huang find her younger sister?"
She looked nervous, and her hopeful eyes reminded Luo Qiuming of Huang Jue’s gaze in an instant.
Wait! Could it be that she…?
Jiang Chenyi looked directly into her eyes and voiced her thoughts.
"You want me to help you find your biological parents, don’t you?"
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