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Published at 22nd of March 2023 06:22:08 AM


Chapter 54.2

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On the other side-

Not long after waking Fu Jinxiao up, ghosts and wolves wailed1very noisy from every room. 

Shen Xingsui woke up early by himself, there was no need for Anran to shout. In contrast, Shen Xingchen didn’t wake up despite all the hubris happening around him. Not even violence could stir this young master from his slumber. You could try to yank his quilt, but that would lead him into screeching like a banshee, which annoyed Anran to no end. Waking him up was the ultimate test of patience, it seemed. 

Like this, what kind of luck did Shen Xingsui have yesterday? Let alone kissing Fu Jinxiao, all of his tasks were solved because of a power outage. How could he be like this?

After the war of waking everyone up, the director gathered everyone together. With a sunny smile that was asking for a beat-down, he asked, “How did everyone’s rest last night?”

Everyone wailed in unison, “Director, if you didn’t wake us up so early in the morning, we would be happier.”

The director’s smile got wider instead, “Ah, I’m waking you all nice and early because I would like to thank everyone for their hard work yesterday. So, I prepared breakfast for everyone. I hope you can enjoy your meal.” 

Free breakfast? What’s the catch?

Do the crew think the guests were a bunch of idiots? There’s no way this program would suddenly become humane out of nowhere. This was a reality show, it solely exists to torment them as a form of entertainment. 

However, the director clapped his hands as if to improve his own credibility, and a staff member came out pushing carts. Eight small carts were pushed, and each cart contained a rich breakfast. Steamed buns, youtiao, soy milk, as well as bread and milk, cereals and so on. 

Shen Xingchen was shocked, “Director, you finally did something human!”

Director: “…”

Thank you for complimenting me.

Only Fu Jinxiao asked, “Can these be eaten freely?”

He was experienced with this kind of show, and he hit the point with one sentence. And sure enough, he saw the director’s smile get brighter, “I’m glad you ask. Of course not! Everyone can only choose three breakfast items!” 

Sure enough, a dog could only be a dog. 

However, compared to the free food of yesterday, today was an outright banquet. Everyone swallowed their opinions, and consciously picked up the breakfast they wanted to eat and started eating.

As the guests enjoyed their warm breakfast, the director told everyone about today’s task, “Yesterday’s revenue will be used to pay your loan, and any leftover will be used for today’s initial capital. You all will work as businessmen today! There are no restrictions on methods and conditions on what you sell or how you sell it; but there are only two rules: first, you can’t sell things higher than the market price, and second, you can’t rely on your celebrity status to advertise your business! Once someone recognizes you because of your celebrity status, the amount of this transaction will be invalidated and will not be included in the total amount.” This rule largely prevented some people from cheating, relying on their popularity to gain unfair advantage. 

And on top of that, this would incentive people to get creative in their ways of making money. 

The director continued his explanation,  “When each of your teams is earning money, they may get clues about the assassin along the way. At the same time, I want to tell everyone that the team that earns the most money today will get rich rewards at the end!” 

Everyone applauded together as they got more excited.

Shen Xingchen asked the director, “Then, is there a limit to the number of people in a team?” 

The director was very open this time, “Maximum four people to a group. However, you can’t split up from yesterday’s teammate!” 

That is, to reach the maximum number of people, two groups will merge into one. 

Shen Xingchen stood beside Shen Xingsui without hesitation, and the four of them formed a small team without a fuss.

“How do we make money?” Shen Xingchen made a suggestion, “Li Xu’an and I didn’t earn a lot from working yesterday. Should I find a store to sell things by myself today?”

Li Xu’an gave his input, “Then have you decided on your wares?”

Shen Xingchen shook his head naively, he didn’t have a business mind like his brother, so he could only say, “I haven’t thought about it, what can this small town sell?”

“…” Li Xu’an wisely remained silent. 

Shen Xingchen casted his eyes on Fu Jinxiao again and asked, “Fu-ge, do you have any suggestions?”

In shows like this, Fu Jinxiao used to be silent unless he was asked. He mainly wanted to let others get their own limelight, because he knew he was very attention-grabbing. Actor Fu has always been very tactful, and it applied to today’s competition as well with his Buddhist behavior. 

Answering to Shen Xingchen’s question, he spoke with an indifferent tone, “Nope.”

Netizens didn’t know the reason for Fu Jinxiao’s sudden salted fish2very passive, not doing anything. behavior, so they could only laugh: 

[Hahaha, I even think Fu-ge wants to go back and catch up on sleep.]

[Money is something outside of his concern.]

[After all, there is no punishment for failing today.]

Another group was situated nearby, so they could very easily eavesdrop. Seeing a golden opportunity to pull far ahead of Fu-cheating-Jinxiao, they grabbed it in a flash. After setting up a strategy with pride, Instructor Li said with a puffed-up chest, “There is a big flower field behind our bookstore, so we decided to sell flowers!” 

Shen Xingsui was standing closest to him, so he politely commented, “That’s a good idea, good luck.” 

Instructor Li was a funny and entertaining-type of celebrity. He smiled at Shen Xingsui and said, “Suisui, have you made up your mind yet?”

Shen Xingsui shook his head and replied honestly, “No.”

“Hurry up!” Instructor Li said with a smile, “We have already decided, we will definitely make a lot of money today, and we’ll let you know how good we are.” 

Shen Xingsui saw Teacher Li’s funny appearance, and said in response, “You are already very good.”

The instructor was amused by this well-behaved and sensible child, so he came over and pat Shen Xingsui on the shoulder, showing a smug smile, “Ohoho? You youngsters sure have good eyes to see my true power. For the sake of your admiration for me, we will win today.”

Shen Xingsui politely chuckled, “Come on then!” 

The two were playing and laughing, and the atmosphere was very good. As for Fu Jinxiao, who was originally lazy standing not far away, looked at this scene with a mysterious gait. The smile in his eyes gradually faded away, especially when Instructor Li’s hand touched the youth’s shoulder. His lips were pursed into a thin line, and people had this subconscious feeling to avoid him. 

Shen Xingchen babbled next to him and said harshly, “We won’t lose! Instructor Li, just wait! We are definitely the group that earns the most today!” 

Fu Jinxiao looked down at the young master, then suddenly asked him, “Do you know where the farmer’s market is in this town?” 

Shen Xingchen was still preparing to confront Instructor Li, but he was taken aback when he heard this question, “Huh?” 

“I’m asking you, do you know where the farmer’s market is?” Fu Jinxiao raised his eyebrows, “Go over there to see if there are any products we can buy in bulk so it’s cheaper. Then, we can sell that to gain profit.” 

Shen Xingchen looked at Fu Jinxiao who suddenly became serious, and hesitated, “Fu-ge, didn’t you just say you have no suggestions? Why do you want to go to the farmer’s market all of a sudden?”

Fu Jinxiao let out a “huh” and a dangerous smile, “Did I say that?” 

“My bad… I must have misheard.”

The audience in the live broadcast room were all overjoyed:

[It’s exciting to see Xingchen bullied like this!]

[This sudden damned desire to win.]

[Fu-ge, what’s happened to you, hahaha!]

As the show aired, the ratings of “Bright Stars” were getting higher and higher. Mainly, because this show was authentic. They didn’t coddle the celebrities – if they were tasked to cook, then they must cook. Moving bricks is really moving bricks; the mosquitoes everywhere are also real; getting up in the morning is real, especially extra real because they are all bare-faced. And this was the reason the audience loved this show. No script, no coddling, no nonsense. 

In the early morning, the farmers market was extra bustling. 

Shen Xingchen wanted to buy everything he saw along the way. But he remembered his current financial condition and could only suggest two things after he took things into consideration, “I think that toy stand is good, let’s buy some toys and sell them? Or, maybe selling candies, like cotton candies?” 

However, Fu Jinxiao thought this was equal to useless chatter. A childish one, that is.

The more people walked inside, the more people there were staring at them. Each of them put on a hat, put on light makeup, and tried to be as low-key as possible, but along the way, they didn’t see any business that could be done.

Until…

When they passed by the vegetable market, I saw a very old grandpa who looked dark and thin. In front of him were cleaned persimmons and pears, and beside him was a small bag of walnuts. The booth was old, covered with a crinkled plastic sheet, which looked very simple. While other stall owners were working hard, collecting payment with the payment code, only the old man was sitting there a little confused and uneasy.

Someone came over and asked about the price. After hearing it, they looked disgusted,  “Can you make it cheaper?”

The old man’s voice was a little low and hoarse, “They are all home-grown. They are very good. They are sold at this price in the market.” 

But he hesitated, his eyes were full of cautious helplessness. So in the end, he relented, “I… could sell it a bit lower, but don’t have that code. I need money for my son, can you pay with cash?” 

The buyer was impatient, “Who goes out with physical cash in this day and age? Forget it, I won’t buy it.” 

After they left, no one cared about the old man’s stall again.

This scene looked a little sad, but it seemed to be a true portrayal of what happened to many elderly people. Many elderly people in the mountains have never touched a smartphone in their entire life, let alone use modern payment methods. Even if they have it, it was because of their children. But without those modern payment methods, they couldn’t earn the money they need. On top of that, many of them lived alone, as their children had long gone elsewhere. Even if their children wanted to give them money, it’s hard without the said modern payment. Most of them end up in a lonely end.

Shen Xingchen looked a little annoyed, he was pure and kind by nature, and shouted, “Let’s go buy it and sell it!”

Others had no objections either.

But everyone seemed to agree on a silent consensus – they all looked at Fu Jinxiao at the same time, just like children who have to ask their parents when they buy something.

Actor Fu was silent for a moment, and finally took the lead. He walked to the old man’s stall, knelt down to check the quality of the fruit, asked about the price, and finally said, “How many fruits like this do you have?”

The old man didn’t expect such a question, and hesitantly said, “There are a lot of plants in the back of the house.” 

“All of them are yours?” Actor Fu asked in detail, “Are they all mature already? How far away are they? Can we purchase them all now?” 

The old man answered everything. It turned out that he lived in Houshan, a mountainside village not far from Taohua Town. The village was relatively peaceful with rich soil, but it was not as prosperous as the small town. Many people in the village grew their own fruits and vegetables. 

As for the old man, these fruits were something he grew on his own plot of land. He really couldn’t sell them all-year around, so it would be abundant during the season, and it became cheaper as a result. In the end, they were normally sold to unscrupulous businessmen at a low price, and they themselves can’t get much money.

Fu Jinxiao nodded, and finally decided, “Let’s go and have a look.”

The old man asked suspiciously, “Are you really going to buy it?”

Shen Xingchen patted his chest and said, “Of course it’s true, don’t lie! Don’t worry, this yo–” 

Before he finished speaking, Shen Xingsui covered his mouth, and whispered anxiously to his older brother, “No, the director said that if the deal is concluded in the name of a celebrity, it will not be counted as a rule break!”

Only then did Shen Xingchen react slowly, and after a moment of fear, he affirmed to his younger brother, “You are still smart.”

Shen Xingsui sighed helplessly.

Seeing the old man’s expression, the netizens couldn’t help but laugh:

[Suisui, you can be louder, don’t worry.]

[Hahaha, these two brothers are really silly.]

[They’re so cute!] 

Although the old man didn’t understand much, he understood that these were good people, so he cooperated and didn’t ask any more questions. He led the people to the village quickly from the small road on the mountain, and then led them to see the fruit forest. The fruits here were very good, much better looking than many sold outside. However, since the village’s populations were mostly the elderly, it’s hard for them to get a connection to sell them outside. 

The arrival of the program group, in just a few days, brought a huge amount of traffic and customers to Taohua Town, and also brought vitality and hope to this poor village.

Fu Jinxiao nodded after checking, “Okay, Xingchen and Li Xu’an, you can help pick the fruit together. I will leave you with 200 yuan for an emergency. You go to the village to see if there is anyone who is willing to come and help you for cheap. You’d better move quickly, get it done before noon. Suisui and I will go back to the town to look at the stalls and prepare to sell things.”

Shen Xingchen nodded, “Okay, no problem.”

Anyway, mental work is not suitable for him. Plus, picking fruits was way better than moving goods yesterday.

After Fu Jinxiao finished giving his orders, he took Shen Xingsui and left. On the way back, Fu Jinxiao kept calculating profits and things to prepare for doing business. 

People said that serious men were the most handsome, to which Shen Xingsui whole-heartedly agreed. The youth watched the actor working hard in writing down all of his calculations. With awe, he said, “Teacher Fu, you are really amazing. You can arrange everything in an orderly manner. Why do you have so many ideas?” 

Fu Jinxiao put down the pen, glanced sideways at him, and raised his eyebrows. “Well, I have a lot of practice.” 

Shen Xingsui nodded seriously.

“Amazing!” Fu Jinxiao’s number one fan praised his idol without hesitation, his eyes seemed to be filled with stars, “You are really amazing!” 

Normally, Actor Fu would accept this compliment humbly. But today… he was rather different. Fu Jinxiao slowly turned his face to the side and calmed down a little. The corners of his mouth curled up with an arc of interest, and he opened his lips to ask, “What about your Instructor Li?” 

“?”

“…”

“??”

A question mark slowly appeared on top of Shen Xingsui’s head.

“Ah?” Shen Xingsui was at a loss, “What, what about Instructor Li?”

Although he didn’t understand, someone in the live broadcast room understood and immediately laughed:

[Hahaha, this vengeful and narrow-minded man.]

[My mother, this is so cute.]

[Actor Fu, are you a primary school student?]

[Hahahaha, is this the dignity of a man?]

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