Chapter 169: Age Matters
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Pretending to be in distress, Tian Mei turned her doe eyes toward Lu Shi and said, “Lu Shi, I get seasick. Could you help me get my baggage off the ferry?”
Taking pride in his reputation as a considerate man—especially with cameras rolling—Lu Shi offered Tian Mei a gentle smile. He said, “It would be my pleasure to assist you, Tian Mei.”
After uttering those words, Lu Shi boarded the ferry again to retrieve Tian Mei’s baggage. At the same time, the live-streaming chatbox erupted.
[OMG! I just let out a wolf howl! Lu Shi is too hot!]
[Super hot!]
[He’s handsome, rich, and thoughtful. He’s the man of my dreams!] [Dream on, Lu Shi is mine! I want to have his babies!]
[Am I the only one who thinks Tian Mei is being a bit too theatrical?]
[No, you’re not the only one. I think so too.]
[Absolutely, Tian Mei is overdoing it; it’s annoying.]
[Flirting is one thing, but she’s treating people like manual labor. She brought quite a lot of stuff herself.]
[I bet $10 that by the time Tian Mei reaches the destination, she will have, at most, one suitcase left—or none.]
As the live chat continued to display mixed opinions about Tian Mei, she remained blissfully unaware. Even some of the crew were rolling their eyes at her, tired of her melodrama.
Lu Shi could only carry two suitcases at a time, and Tian Mei had four. After making two trips, he was starting to get irritated. He began to feel as if he were being reduced to a mere laborer by Tian Mei. Once he finished unloading the baggage, a crew member came over with a map. “Here’s the map for each team. You all have the same one. You need to reach the red dot in the middle—it’s the safe zone where you can rest for the night.”
The maps were distributed among the artists. When Tian Mei received hers, she looked distressed. “Lu Shi, I’m not familiar with survival games, and I don’t understand this map.”
Tian Mei could understand, of course, but she didn’t want to use her brain. She knew Lu Shi would take care of everything responsibly. Lu Shi glanced at the map and explained, “There are three routes; we can choose one.”
The director smirked and thought, ‘This is exactly what I wanted. I wanted the three groups to take different routes, making the show more interesting.’ “How you choose is up to you,” said the crew member.
“Why can’t we go together?” Tian Mei pouted. “I was hoping we could get to know each other better. Lu Shi even mentioned his next project involves animal caretaking. If we walk together, he can discuss it with you, Big Sister Xia Xin.”
Xia Xin felt even more exasperated, especially when called ‘big sister’ by someone older than her.
“You got something wrong,” interjected Jing MO, who had been silent till now.
Tian Mei was elated to be addressed by Jing Mo. “Really? You know so much, Jing Mo. What did I say wrong? I’ll correct it immediately!”
“Xia Xin is younger than you,” Jing MO said.
Chuckles broke out among the crew. Tian Mei had been a child star and had always called everyone older than her ‘big brother’ or ‘big sister.’ But in this case, Xia Xin was actually younger.
Tian Mei looked visibly upset. She said, “I’m sorry. I’m just used to it. You won’t hold it against me, will you, Xia Xin?”
“Of course not,” Xia Xin replied, stealing a glance at Jing Mo.
‘Jing Mo’s straightforwardness was endearing. I was quite drawn to it… Drawn?’
A tiny flutter seized Xia Xin’s heart. ‘Was I attracted to Jing MO?’
Tian Mei bit her lip, eyes moistening, looking forlorn. This roused her supporters in the chat to a frenzy.
[Why is Xia Xin targeting our Tian Mei since yesterday?]
[Seriously, Tian Mei has already given in so much, and she’s still not satisfied?
Does she want Tian Mei to embarrass herself to be happy?]
[She’s too vicious. I think her reputation as a compassionate zookeeper is just for show.]
[That’s it, I’m going to complain to the director. How could he let Xia Xin make life difficult for our Tian Mei?]
[Oh, please, what targeting? Xia Xin simply said ‘It’s okay,’ and you call that targeting? I question your intelligence.]
[Exactly, she’s been over-the-top since she got here. It’s like she expects the world to cater to her.]
[Xia Xin is younger than Tian Mei.. What’s wrong with stating the facts?]