Chapter 111
Ji Wei had absolutely no resistance to this side of Lu Shenxing.
He heard himself slowly say, “Me too.”
After ending the video call, he still held his phone tightly.
Once he came to his senses, he went to the bathroom and splashed his face with cold water, the conspicuous blush on his cheeks gradually fading.
He found it a little hard to sleep.
So, he went to the study to draw.
Having spent three hours on a landscape painting earlier, he wanted to draw something interesting to relax.
He didn’t start a stream, but simply turned on the camera to record.
I’ll use this as my first YouTube video.
***
Liu He was in charge of Yingtian Talent Agency’s overseas department. Nowadays, any sizable company had an overseas department. Yingtian’s was large in name only; its focus was still on the domestic market, and not many resources were allocated to it.
It was nearly one in the morning, Beijing time, when she received Ji Wei’s video. She had just woken up. As for everyone else, they wouldn’t be at the company until nine.
She turned on her computer and immediately examined the video Ji Wei had sent with a professional eye.
The editing was rough, the color grading was non-existent, and the background music was generic. In terms of video production, it was very amateurish, but the highlight was also obvious.
The young man first used a ballpoint pen to draw smoothly on a few sheets of white paper. It looked like he was drawing a house, but it seemed a bit strange; the people inside were floating in the middle of the rooms. She guessed it might be some new artistic style. But at the end, the young man used a utility knife to cut some lines, making parts of the drawing stand up. What finally met the eye was a three-dimensional artwork of five people working in different rooms.
She recognized it immediately—wasn’t that the Palace Museum Little Shop? Ji Wei was a devil for details. He hadn’t even missed a single sparrow from the wall mural in the shop, recreating everything in his drawing. It could be called a hand-drawn miniature model. By the end, she was completely stunned.
Liu He didn’t hesitate for long before sending Ji Wei a message.
[Liu He] I’ve watched your video. Considering the quality, I’ll re-edit it for you. If you don’t mind, you can just send me the raw footage for editing in the future.
Ji Wei was still awake when he received Liu He’s message.
Liu He was very direct, all but saying his editing was bad and he shouldn’t do it anymore. Ji Wei knew his own skill level, and editing videos was no easy task. Liu He was helping to lighten his workload, so he replied with a “thank you.”
[Liu He] It’s my job. I’ll upload it to your account once the editing is done. Since it’s your first video, I suggest you lower your expectations. I’ll also help you find your style and positioning to accurately target your audience.
[Ji Wei] Understood.
He went to sleep after replying to Liu He, prepared for a difficult start.
He had simultaneously updated it on Bilibili, where the video made it to the popular list, and the comments below were all praises.
[Grape Sprout] Ahhhhhhh, godly drawing!
[Lots of Lemon] I clicked on this thinking it was just a normal drawing, but I didn’t expect… it’s 3D?
[Mango Bits] There’s only one truth! Weiwei has evolved from a 2D printer to a 3D printer!
[Planet Cup] Does no one else think the editing and BGM are amazing too? The quality feels much higher than his previous videos. A conscientious Content Creator. Already gave a Triple Combo.
He wasn’t surprised by this, as he already had a fan base on Bilibili. What did surprise him was that the overseas view count had also exceeded two million.
He carefully scrolled through the comments and found that most of the viewers were overseas Chinese, almost all of them fans of The Forbidden City’s Little Shop, though there were also quite a few new followers.
[seed!] Weiwei started an account! I’ve always loved your performance on The Forbidden City’s Little Shop. Keep it up!
[Yureki] Followed. Looking forward to the next video. By the way, is The Forbidden City’s Little Shop everyone’s talking about a reality show?
[JackJohn] Yes, and you can also watch the livestreams.
[Leo] A hand-drawn model, so amazing!
Because he had left his email in his profile, a fan had even stayed up all night to finish watching The Forbidden City’s Little Shop and sent him their own design for the tea room. It was quite professional, much better than the design he had envisioned. He sincerely replied with a thank you and offered to pay, but the fan refused, only wanting him to be happy.
He was taken aback, a warmth spreading through his heart.
He didn’t look at his phone much longer. Since he had to leave for St. Lawrence that night, he started packing his luggage with Huang Bo’s help as soon as he got home from school. He packed until seven o’clock before leaving with his heavy suitcase. Most of its contents were snacks that Huang Bo had packed for him.
It was a blissful problem to have.
***
It was eight in the morning when he arrived in St. Lawrence.
Today, they had hired workers to renovate the first floor of the tea room, so the shop didn’t need to close. As soon as he reached the entrance, he received the Daily Mission.
—Achieve 500 repeat customers for the Palace Museum Tea!
He was a bit confused at first, but after clicking on the detailed description, he understood it meant getting customers to buy a second box of Palace Museum Tea.
Zhao Yue and Bai Ye had arrived early and had already arranged all the products on the shelves. Ji Wei walked to the first row of shelves, which held the most recently unlocked cultural and creative products and were thus placed in the most prominent position. He picked up a box of Palace Museum Tea. The packaging alone looked expensive, with a pattern replicating the Imperial Kiln Yellow Ground Blue and White Porcelain. The price was also steep, at two hundred dollars a box. Consequently, they had only stocked twenty boxes.
[Two hundred dollars? The price is a major deterrent.]
[Tea is never cheap to begin with, and the tariffs are high. Plus, a box like this will last a long time.]
[I can’t afford the domestic price anyway. But the point isn’t the price, it’s the mission, isn’t it? Are they really going to stock a thousand boxes of tea to complete it? The risk of it not selling is too high.]
Ji Wei had also thought of this problem. The best-selling items at The Forbidden City’s Little Shop were cheap and practical things like notebooks and washi tape. Not many people bought items priced over a hundred dollars, let alone two hundred.
Zhao Yue was ready to give up. “Let’s just forget about this mission. They’re clearly making things difficult for us. Let’s wait for tomorrow’s mission.”
Bai Ye nodded in agreement.
Just as they were discussing it, Ke Zhenyu arrived, dragging his suitcase, his brow furrowed. “How can you just forget about it? It’s not like we don’t have money. Don’t we still have a hundred and fifty thousand dollars?”
“We’ve already spent sixty thousand on stock in two days, and today we have to hire workers to renovate the tea room. Labor and material costs will be at least ten thousand, and we need to leave a surplus for next week,” Zhao Yue explained patiently, breaking down the numbers for him.
Ke Zhenyu clearly wasn’t listening, just waving his hand. “I may be old, but don’t try to fool me. Won’t we have money once this week’s products are sold? I think you guys just want to be lazy and not complete the mission.”
Bai Ye tried to persuade him tactfully. “Senior Ke, the tea is priced too high. Even if we restock, we might not be able to complete the mission.”
“How do you know we can’t if you don’t even try?” Ke Zhenyu frowned. “Aren’t you just trying to be lazy? Xiao Bai, don’t you go learning bad habits.”
Bai Ye was left speechless.
[This logic… is he serious?]
[??? Does this old man have any business sense?]
[As we all know, Old Man Ke has no brain, he only knows how to pull the power switch.]
[Hahahahahaha, I’m dying of laughter.]
Zhao Yue was so angry he laughed. He was about to speak when Ji Wei interrupted him. “We can complete the mission.”
Bai Ye was surprised. He thought Ji Wei and Ke Zhenyu’s relationship wasn’t that good, so he didn’t expect Ji Wei to speak up for him. Zhao Yue, on the other hand, looked utterly betrayed.
[Weiwei, don’t get carried away by Old Man Ke’s thinking!]
[A Mom Fan’s face is full of worry.]
[This is strange. Everyone says Zhao Yue acts like a wooden post, but isn’t he quite expressive here? He looks just like a good family man abandoned by a scumbag.]
[Abandoned by a scumbag, that’s a good one. Shipping the Yue-Ji Couple for a second.]
Ji Wei spoke slowly, “The rules say we need to reach five hundred repeat customers for the Palace Museum Tea, but they don’t say we can’t sell it cup by cup.”
Zhao Yue understood.
As expected, Ji Wei was still on his side; it was impossible for him to sink to Old Man Ke’s level. The look he gave Ke Zhenyu was one of vindication.
[Holy crap! You can do that?]
[Alright, the production team’s nightmare is back.]
[They can complete the mission effortlessly now.]
[But Yueyue, what are you so proud of!]
Bai Ye was a little apprehensive. “Is that really okay?”
“It doesn’t say we can’t, so that means we can,” Zhao Yue said, patting his shoulder.
Bai Ye was speechless. What a freewheeling show.
Ke Zhenyu nodded reservedly. “See, I told you we could sell it, and you didn’t believe me.”
Zhao Yue was speechless.
Bai Ye was speechless.
[As long as you’re happy.]
[As long as you’re happy.]
[Never mind filming a show with Old Man Ke, just watching the show is enough to shorten my life by three months.]
[Hahahaha, calm down, feisty sister.]
Since they still had to run the hot pot business at noon and in the evening and were short on staff, the sales hours for the Palace Museum Tea were staggered with the backyard hot pot’s business hours.
The popularity of The Forbidden City’s Little Shop livestream steadily rose, reaching eight million viewers within three hours of starting. Even the livestream of the second-floor tea room renovation had four hundred thousand remote supervisors.
[That curly-haired guy is slacking off a bit.]
[I have to work on the weekend and can’t listen with sound, so I love watching this kind of thing being built bit by bit.]
[The blueprint designer is a fan! I hate that I’m not in design, I want to participate too!]
[+1]
Old Man Ke went to the second floor for a look, his hands behind his back. He happened to spot a curly-haired worker slacking off and scolded him before returning to the first floor to take on the important task of brewing tea. It was normal for few people to drink tea in the morning, so he didn’t pay it much mind. But by three in the afternoon, the mission count was only seventeen. That was a far cry from the five-hundred-person requirement.
How could Zhao Yue pass up this opportunity? He walked over to Old Man Ke and said, “Why are there only seventeen people? The tea shouldn’t be that bad to drink. How come the one Senior Ke brewed is so…”
Seeing Ke Zhenyu’s face turn from white to red, then to green, Xiao Chi quickly intervened, “This probably isn’t Senior Ke’s fault. I’ve noticed the customers don’t seem to like hot tea very much. They prefer cold tea. Tastes are still different from back home.”
[True, now that you mention it, it does seem hard to sell.]
[It’s actually easy to sell, everyone likes to try something new. The key is that getting them to buy a second one is difficult.]
[Wow, this is really something.]
[The production team is so cruel.]
Ji Wei was also thinking about this problem.
His father loved to drink tea, so he knew a little about it. Tea brewed with hot water had a better taste and a stronger flavor. Once it cooled, it was prone to changing taste and spoiling. They could use the cold brew method, but that required a long steeping time, and it was definitely too late for that today.
Thinking of this, he sent a message to Huang Bo.
[Ji Wei] Do you know how to make milk tea? Fruit tea is fine too.
Huang Bo didn’t reply immediately.
He wasn’t in a hurry. Huang Bo didn’t use his phone to go online; he used a computer, so whether he received the message was up to fate. But he was in luck today. He received a reply from Huang Bo in less than half an hour.
[Huang Bo] I do, yo.
Perhaps feeling that text was too cold, Huang Bo had added a “yo.” Ji Wei stared at the final “yo” and fell into deep thought. Huang Bo really wasn’t suited for such a girly style.
Not long after, he received one recipe after another.
There were really too many.
He chose the simplest milk tea recipe.
After all, milk was cheap in St. Lawrence, with a liter of fresh milk costing only a few dollars. Fruit tea had a richer flavor, but fruit was expensive.
Just as Xiao Chi came over to switch shifts with him, he went to the supermarket and bought over a dozen bottles of milk. It was difficult for him to carry them alone, so he rented a supermarket trolley to push them back.
[What’s Weiwei up to?]
[Is he going to make milk tea?]
[He can! Milk tea is so delicious. I haven’t had any in half a month.]
[But without a recipe or equipment, will the milk tea he makes taste good?]
Ke Zhenyu watched Ji Wei enter the kitchen with the milk, a frown on his face. He subconsciously wanted to stop him, but with Zhao Yue muttering “only seventeen” beside him, his old face flushed, and he couldn’t say anything more.
Ji Wei followed the recipe on his phone and began to make it. Due to the lack of professional equipment, the most difficult part was controlling the temperature. For example, after heating the milk, how hot was “hot” enough to add the tea leaves? Fortunately, with Huang Bo’s remote guidance, the first cup of milk tea was barely managed.
He tasted it, and it was quite good.
[I suddenly want to make my own milk tea too.]
[First time seeing Weiwei so flustered.]
[Oh no, I feel like Old Man Ke is about to jump in excitedly.]
Just as Ji Wei was about to try a second time, Ke Zhenyu finally couldn’t watch anymore. “Let me.”
Ji Wei was about to send him the recipe, but he refused coolly. “I got it just by listening.”
Ji Wei was speechless.
Although Ke Zhenyu wasn’t as talented in cooking as Ma Laoyezi, he was still the best among the five of them. As soon as his milk tea was ready, the whole room filled with a milky fragrance.
“Delicious!” Bai Ye took a sip and couldn’t help but praise it.
Zhao Yue took a sip, half-believing, and didn’t say a word.
Then he finished the rest of the milk tea.
[?? Zhao Yue, you’re an artist!]
[My god, how good must it taste? I’m off to make my own.]
[Ahhhhhhh, I want to drink it too. Why do I have to watch a livestream on an empty stomach?]
[Old Man Ke, if you give me some milk tea, I won’t curse you anymore.]
The aroma of the milk tea also attracted customers shopping in the store. Since it was a hot afternoon, a cup of milk tea filled with ice was perfect. Many people bought their first cup and sat on the chairs in the backyard to drink and rest.
“Delicious.”
“It has a faint astringent taste, but the aftertaste is sweet and refreshing.”
“It would be better with a little more sugar. Can I add my own sugar?”
The customers in the backyard praised it with satisfaction.
Almost all of them ordered a second cup.
The milk tea was served in porcelain cups. Some with smaller appetites couldn’t finish their second cup and took it away in a thermos. As for the tourists in St. Lawrence who couldn’t visit often, they bought a whole box of Palace Museum Tea directly.
The mission count quickly broke two hundred.
More and more customers wanted to buy milk tea, leading to a shortage of the original porcelain cups. Ji Wei made another trip to the supermarket, returned the trolley, and brought back sealable paper cups, which were barely enough.
When the shop closed at nine in the evening, a message came through the app.
—Congratulations on completing the daily mission and triggering a mysterious reward.
A mysterious reward?
Ji Wei remembered that the last mysterious reward was just a cake.
Zhao Yue remembered too. “We won’t know until tomorrow. This reward is such a scam.”
“What’s wrong with having a reward? You young people just don’t appreciate your blessings,” Ke Zhenyu said, shaking his head.
Zhao Yue’s anger flared up again, and he immediately retorted, “Of course it’s good. After all, Senior Ke hasn’t completed many missions.”
[That hit Old Man Ke where it hurts.]
[Satisfying.]
[Wait! Is Old Man Ke going to get angry again?]
Ke Zhenyu’s face turned ashen as he turned and went up the stairs.
Not long after, all the lights in the shop went out.
Xiao Chi coughed. “It’s only eight o’clock.”
Bai Ye sighed. “It’s good to rest early.”
“Can you sleep?” Zhao Yue said noncommittally.
“Then what should we do?” Bai Ye couldn’t help but ask.
Were they supposed to bypass Senior Ke and turn the power back on?
It was a bit exciting.
He felt a little thrilled.
However, Zhao Yue said, “Let’s tell ghost stories.”
[??? I thought he was going to turn on the power switch.]
[That’s not a bad idea either, I’d quite like to listen.]
[I’ve already covered my ears.]
Xiao Chi had no objections.
Bai Ye looked at Ji Wei.
Ji Wei hesitated for a moment. “Let’s not.”
“You’re afraid of ghosts,” Zhao Yue said knowingly. “Actually, there’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s all fake.”
“No, it’s just…”
Before Ji Wei could finish, Zhao Yue asked, “Then what could it be?”
“I prefer playing horror games,” Ji Wei said calmly.
[Why do I sense the air of an expert player around our little cutie Weiwei?]
[He’s streamed a lot of horror games before. You’ll know once you watch.]
[Aww, I want to watch but I’m a little scared.]
Horror games?
Although Zhao Yue had never played one, he had seen plenty of horror movies and wasn’t very scared. How scary could it be? But Bai Ye looked quite timid; he might get scared.
Ji Wei went to his room and brought out his laptop.
“We can play online together,” he said, opening Steam.
The other three had never seen a game streamer play a horror game live, so they all said they would watch him play first.
“Alright then.” Considering there were also timid viewers in the livestream, Ji Wei chose a not-so-scary game, Paranormal HK.
The game was in first-person perspective and told the story of a series of bizarre events that occurred while filming a paranormal investigation show. It integrated local folklore, creating a strong sense of immersion.
[Why do I have a bad feeling even though I just started watching?]
[Please make the bullet comments thicker! I’m a bit scared.]
[You are not alone!]
Zhao Yue sat next to Ji Wei, very calm at first. But when he saw the protagonist’s colleague turn into a ghost, half of its bloody face pressed against the screen, he got goosebumps all over. Yet Ji Wei’s expression remained unchanged as he operated the character to hide in a wardrobe, as if he saw nothing.
Zhao Yue felt he had been a bit naive before, even asking Ji Wei if he was afraid of ghosts.
He wasn’t just unafraid; if a ghost came, it would be afraid of him, right?!
[This is considered not scary? I’m going to go feel ashamed of myself.]
[Count me in.]
[I’m so scared I don’t dare to get out of bed to go to the bathroom.]
Ji Wei cleared the first chapter and moved on to the second.
When Zhao Yue saw a bloody, mangled Human Spider clinging to the wall, he was startled.
Ji Wei still unhurriedly dodged the ghost’s pursuit.
“Its opera singing is quite good.”
He even had the spare mental capacity to comment.
Zhao Yue felt like he was suffocating sitting next to Ji Wei. Was that something a human should be saying?
[Hahahaha, who would have thought Zhao Yue would be the biggest coward? Even Xiao Bai is doing better than him.]
[Zhao Yue: Don’t be surprised, this is my normal level.]
[Ji Wei’s skills, I’m a fan now.]
[Seriously, Weiwei makes you feel so safe.]
***
Shengjing, on the film set.
Ying Guanxiao received a call from Yu Shuang. He glanced at the screen and answered it.
Yu Shuang’s familiar voice came from the other end. “Are you on set?”
Ying Guanxiao asked, “Senior, is there something you need?”
“Can’t I call you if there’s nothing?” Yu Shuang chuckled. “Just kidding. I’m calling you about Ji Wei. I admit I wanted to use him to promote Azure, but I never intended to hurt him. Are you angry?”
“He’s my friend. Don’t do that,” Ying Guanxiao’s tone became serious.
“I know,” Yu Shuang said slowly. “The junior who used to stand behind me has grown up too.”
“People always grow up,” Ying Guanxiao said, lighting a cigarette.
Yu Shuang hung up.
He stubbed out the cigarette.
Some things were better left in memory.
He looked up.
Having finished his scene, Lu Shenxing was talking to the director.
Ying Guanxiao walked over.
Lu Shenxing gave him a thoughtful look before continuing to speak with Director Zhang.
After they finished and Director Zhang had left, Lu Shenxing spoke. “Yu Shuang contacted you.”
“Is it that obvious?” Ying Guanxiao sighed.
Lu Shenxing said no more. He had known for a long time that Yu Shuang was not suitable for Ying Guanxiao, but he wouldn’t interfere in other people’s relationships.
He simply opened his phone.
***
Xiao Chi, Bai Ye, and Ji Wei were playing the horror game together online. Zhao Yue didn’t dare to play at all, only daring to watch Ji Wei from the side. The bullet comments all said that was them.
[Isn’t that just me when I play horror games with friends?]
[So real hahaha, who would have thought I’d be watching guests stream horror games on a reality show.]
[This all started with an old man surnamed Ke.]
Ji Wei maneuvered his character to a tree and shone the night vision camera on the trunk. A dead body with its internal organs scooped out was hanging from it, still dripping blood. He himself was fine, but Zhao Yue was terrified and grabbed his arm.
[Zhao Yue is really bold, daring to get handsy in front of everyone (doge face).]
[If Film Emperor Lu suddenly appeared, would he be scared to death?]
[He’s grabbing Weiwei’s arm now. Does that mean he’ll need Xiao Chi to hold him to sleep at night?]
[Your thinking is very dangerous, but I like it!]
Just then, Ji Wei’s phone rang.
He pushed away Zhao Yue’s arm and opened his phone.
It was a message from his idol.
[Lu Shenxing] Time for bed.
Ji Wei looked at the time. It was only eleven.
It was the time when a streamer’s nightlife was just beginning.
But he still said goodbye to everyone.
[Why didn’t the phone ring earlier or later, but just then? Was it a message from Film Emperor Lu?!]
[Your imagination is running wild. You should consider writing fanfiction.]
[Never underestimate the imagination of any CP fan!]
Ji Wei turned on his phone’s flashlight and returned to his room.
After washing up, he got into bed.
Before closing his eyes, he thought for a moment and called Lu Shenxing.
The call connected.
He swallowed and said, “I’m going to sleep now.”
“Good boy,” the man’s voice was low.
He had only called to report in. Just as he was about to hang up, Lu Shenxing suddenly said, “Don’t get too close to Zhao Yue.”
Too close?
The closest he had been to Zhao Yue was today while playing the game. His idol was so busy filming; could he possibly be watching his livestream?
He couldn’t help but ask, “Were you watching the stream?”
As if he knew what Ji Wei was thinking, the man paused and said, “No matter how busy I am—”
“I still want to see you.”
Ji Wei’s face grew hot. He thought of Zhao Yue and explained, “Zhao Yue looks brave, but he’s actually very timid. He only grabbed my arm because he was scared.”
“Besides, we’re both guys, so it’s normal to fool around.” After he finished, there was silence on the other end of the line.
A guess suddenly popped into his mind. He took a deep breath and asked, “Could it be that… you’re jealous?”
His mind went blank, and he regretted asking as soon as the words were out.
However, he heard the man give a soft “Mm.”