Chapter 41: Cheap Thrills Part 1

Yan Muyu froze in place.

The person who had asked her that question seemed completely unaware of what she’d just said, still beaming at Yan Muyu.

【Ah?? Am I even allowed to hear this?】

【Holy shit, I never thought I’d hear phrasing like that on a legit variety show.】

【These amateurs are totally lawless.】

【So what’s the deal with this sister and that boss??? Help!! Dying to know how they… got together.】

【Screenshot Yan Muyu’s face right now—no better time.】

【I wouldn’t even dare type that in the chat.】

Yan Muyu: “It’s not…”

She took a deep breath, then casually threw an arm around Boss Hong’s shoulders, even though it was their first meeting.

She was half a head taller than the other woman, but in this village, Hong Long still counted as quite tall.

The two of them ambled off to a corner, arm in arm. Yan Muyu shot a fierce glare at the staff member holding the boom mic, staring until the poor woman’s scalp tingled. She suddenly remembered this was a boss, and immediately backed down.

【Why does Yan Muyu look so much like a goofy husky right now.】

【Why are you all chickening out? Push in! I wanna hear the whisper talk too.】

Qiu Chao was still browsing the snacks while Boss Wu recommended the tasty ones.

“This one makes your tongue change color.”

She pointed at the candy labeled with a devil, then stuck out her own tongue. “Mine turned green once before. It scared Longlong half to death.”

Boss Wu, who went by Xiao Qing, looked young—not much older than Qiu Yuan, maybe even a few years younger, in Qiu Chao’s estimation.

Qiu Chao smiled. “Really?”

Her smile was warm and approachable, the red-carpet glamour just a superficial layer.

In this summer mountain village, Qiu Chao felt like she’d slipped back to her childhood.

The cooperative store, the candies from her memories, the ever-reliable Wang Wang shrimp strips and Mimi Shrimp Strips—they even stirred up a long-buried urge in her to share.

She snapped a photo and sent it to Qiu Yuan.

At that moment, Xiao Qing poked her head over. “What’s this?”

The little girl nearby burst out laughing. “Boss Wu, are you dumb? It’s a selfie!”

The boss in her red-and-white polka-dot dress scratched her head.

Her hair was neatly combed, with even a braided section on her forehead and an avocado-shaped hair clip—clear signs of daily meticulous care.

Or maybe someone took care of it for her.

Qiu Chao didn’t mind. She asked, “Want to take one with me?”

The little girl: “What about me? Can I?”

Qiu Chao nodded.

【Wuuu Qiu Chao is such a good person.】

【All those brainwashed stories I heard about her being a diva… now it seems like she’s just…】

【Was she sending a message just now?】

【I remember Qiu Chao has a younger sister. Sigh, now that she’s blowing up, it’s hard to find the old dirt.】

【This Boss Wu is surprisingly refined. Why is she like that? Can’t she get it fixed?】

【Re: what Boss Hong said earlier, I bet it’s that dark-skinned sister doing the dressing up.】

【This variety show feels so real, like actual living people. The lifestyle ones before were just celebs stuck in cabins. Yan Muyu wandering around like a slacker is hilarious.】

【What the hell is she whispering to Boss Hong about?】

Yan Muyu: “Why would you even ask that?”

Yan Muyu instinctively glanced at Qiu Chao but didn’t really want her to know.

She could already picture that squinting smile, silently turning the twists and turns of “Little Yan” into a talisman scrawled in vermilion, slapped right on Yan Muyu’s forehead.

Otherwise, why else would that phrase be stuck in her head all the time?

Little Yan.

The woman whose shoulder she had hooked: “Isn’t it?”

Yan Muyu: “Of course not.”

Hong Long: “Then why’d you drag me to the corner, Boss Yan?”

Yan Muyu: “Bad influence.”

Hong Long grinned. “Influencing your work?”

Over there, Qiu Chao finished her photo and looked their way. Boss Wu, leaning on her crutch, hopped over to Boss Hong and got caught in a big hug.

Qiu Chao asked Yan Muyu: “What were you two chatting about?”

【Sister Qiu, did Yan Muyu make a move on you?】

【Yan Muyu, you scum!】

【What are you all thinking? Probably scripted, all hype.】

【Please, what does Qiu Chao need hype for?】

【But their dynamic is weird as hell. I don’t care, I’m shipping it!】

【Yan Muyu’s face looks just like she’s being forced into prostitution. LOL.】

Yan Muyu: “Nothing.”

The next second, she went on the offensive, eyeing the snacks in Qiu Chao’s hand. “How come you’re buying these too?”

Qiu Chao let out an “oh” and dangled her candy. “They’re really good. Want to try one?”

She still had one in her mouth and, as Yan Muyu drew closer, suddenly stuck out her tongue.

It was an exaggerated green, a perfect contrast to her slightly flushed lips. Yan Muyu jumped. “Color-changing candy, huh.”

She sounded a bit helpless. “How old are you?”

Qiu Chao mumbled around the candy, “Just about five hundred.”

【Has the boom mic guy shown up yet?】

【Wuuu, Qiu Chao has such a cute side? I thought she was all high-cold ice queen.】

【Sticking out her tongue… totally unexpected.】

【Yan Muyu, you seriously just stepped back?】

Yan Muyu: “You bought out the whole ten bucks’ worth?”

Qiu Chao nodded.

Yan Muyu let out an “oh.” “I thought that wasn’t enough.”

Qiu Chao: “A pack’s only fifty cents. You can get a ton.”

She handed Yan Muyu a bag, then watched the little girl heading off with a plastic sack full of Mimi Shrimp Strips. The child turned back to wave at them.

Yan Muyu reluctantly popped one in her mouth. It crackled and fizzed, with a weird taste.

She scrunched up her face. “Kinda low-quality.”

Qiu Chao shrugged it off. “What do you expect for fifty cents? Back in the day, a single pack would make my day.”

Her voice was still soft and muffled from the candy, but viewers could sense her great mood through the screen.

That happiness lit up her features, making her seem almost childlike.

Yan Muyu couldn’t help but get caught up in it.

She rubbed her aching cheeks and muttered, “How come you’re not grossed out?”

Finally remembering she was out to buy meat, she glanced at the pile under the nearby tree.

She’d snuck a couple photos with her camera earlier, but now the meat was gone.

That yellow dog had teamed up with the white dog’s gang.

Yan Muyu let out a “what the fuck” and yelled at the staff. “You guys couldn’t warn me?”

The producer off-camera: “Director Qiu says everything follows natural laws.”

Yan Muyu was furious. She had no idol image to maintain, no on-screen persona. “What natural laws? Is there no justice? With all these people around, the dogs just steal the meat right in front of us!”

A passing villager carrying a hoe let out an “ah.”

“Xiao Qing’s dog stole food again, huh.”

“Hey, Boss Hong, you’re home? Why not give it a scolding?”

Hong Long hadn’t noticed earlier. Now she snatched a bamboo pole from nearby and chased after it.

The scene was pure chaos. Yan Muyu stood there, hands over her face for a good while, her head throbbing.

And then Qiu Chao opened another pack of Mimi Shrimp Strips.

Her manicure was exquisite, sparkling like translucent jelly under the light.

Yan Muyu had zero appetite. She sighed helplessly. “Great, Xi Xi’s gonna kill me when I get back.”

“That market only sells meat once a day. Gotta wait till tomorrow.”

“You all said guests specifically wanted plum pork ribs. I was supposed to grab the meat and get the recipe. Whatever, I bought the meat. You owe me that recipe.”

Local recipes weren’t online—or at least, the ones that came up were different.

Yan Muyu sighed deeply. Qiu Chao wasn’t fussed. “Buy it tomorrow then.”

Their attitudes were polar opposites, amusing the onlookers to no end.

Boss Wu, leaning against Hong Long by the window, spoke up. “I will.”

Yan Muyu: “What?”

Hong Long: “You eating at my place for lunch? Xiao Qing makes killer plum pork ribs.”

【What? Straight to ‘come over for dinner at my house’?】

【No script for real?】

【Wanna call it fake, but that dog’s joy looks legit.】

【Puppy! Raw meat?! Nooo!】

【Yan Muyu had other stuff in that bag too… major loss.】

【Meanwhile, Xi Xi’s spamming the group chat @ Yan Muyu.】

Yan Muyu might seem laid-back and bold, but she wasn’t one to impose.

She was friendly and quick to warm up to people, but not to this extent.

Plus, having someone cook for her? What kind of mooch move was that? Boss Hong’s clothes were ragged; conditions probably weren’t great.

Crashing at her place for ribs? Way too much.

Yan Muyu was about to refuse when Qiu Chao beat her to it. “Sure.”

Yan Muyu: “Huh?”

Qiu Chao was already walking over, tossing back: “Didn’t you want pics of them? This can be your photo fee.”

Qiu Chao’s ethnic skirt swayed like rippling waves as she moved.

The mountain village held ancient legends, insisting its people were children of the sea despite the deep inland location. Every summer, they held the Fish Lantern Festival.

Qiu Chao had heard about it from the embroiderers, via Qiaoqiao’s translation—it sounded like a fun tradition.

Everyone’s clothes incorporated sea motifs, which Qiu Chao adored.

Even the flower sea was an ocean. Stitch by stitch, the waves she’d embroidered for Yan Muyu now adorned her hair.

The thought sent Qiu Chao’s heart into a flutter.

Then she couldn’t help but think: If I could share a connection with that hair tie, could I feel Yan Muyu’s body heat and sense her reactions even more vividly?

She sounded so certain, and it struck right at the heart of Yan Muyu’s thoughts. Yan Muyu stood there motionless for a moment.

【Aren’t Yan Muyu’s shoots priceless? This really…】

【Can’t wait.】

【How are they even going to film this?】

【So what do we eat?】

Yan Muyu felt deeply uncomfortable. That one glance from Qiu Chao as they passed each other carried such unwavering confidence that it sent a powerful shiver through Yan Muyu.

It was as if she had been completely seen through.

Including this restless stirring inside her right now.

It had been a long time since she last felt this way.

How was Qiu Chao so perceptive?

Little Boss Xiao Qing was especially excited. She hobbled along rapidly on her crutch, making even Qiu Chao a bit nervous.

Hong Long checked the rice cooking on the stove and sighed in relief when she saw it wasn’t burning. As she started a fire in the kitchen, she said, “Don’t worry too much about her. She doesn’t fall often.”

Qiu Chao watched as Hong Long pulled some ribs from the fridge. The little boss looked full of energy, and her smile revealed dimples.

It was so sweet that Qiu Chao, meeting her for the first time, found her utterly adorable.

Yet she was missing part of one leg—a slight flaw in an otherwise perfect gem, evoking a pang of sympathy.

Hong Long said, “Once I save up a bit more money, I’ll take her to get a prosthetic leg.”

Qiu Chao thought of those prosthetic limbs and murmured an acknowledgment.

Yan Muyu came in to help. She had some experience starting fires, but she was far less skilled than Hong Long.

Both she and Qiu Chao offered to assist, but they were turned down.

The two of them worked seamlessly together—one chopping meat, the other tending the pot.

Yan Muyu asked, “Don’t you usually bring lunch to the tea garden when you’re picking tea?”

Pei Wan had already taken food to Ding Yingxue, who was picking tea that day.

Before Hong Long could respond, Little Boss Xiao Qing, holding out some pickled plums, said, “She eats with me.”

The woman stoking the fire chuckled. “Yeah, I have to keep her company.”

This kitchen was larger than the little shack provided by the production team, and the dining table was right inside it.

Hong Long poured tea for Yan Muyu and Qiu Chao, but Yan Muyu had already gone off to adjust her camera.

Qiu Chao sat at the table, watching Yan Muyu.

She watched the curve of Yan Muyu’s bent waist, the way her hands gripped the camera.

It reminded her of the old days at the Yan Family home, when Yan Muyu would do the same.

Qiu Chao had modeled for Yan Muyu countless times—many were candid shots, many ended up in the trash.

In the darkroom, staring at her own photos, Qiu Chao sometimes thought they were exaggeratedly beautiful.