Chapter 15: 《The Female Bodhisattva》

"Haha, hilarious, look at Yang Zi's shocked expression!"

"Is Hu Ye not even bothering to act anymore?"

"Hu Ye is actually gaining some fans; it feels like he's trying to help Xia Xia out of a tight spot."

"It's true, though. Yang Zi is a fifty-something old guy—where does he get the nerve to try and leech off a girl younger than his own daughter?"

"He doesn't care about the cameras; he's just desperate for attention!"

"Is Hu Ye just pretending to be blunt? Feels like he's trying to build a persona."

The live chat erupted in laughter. Inside the kitchen, Jin Xia nodded frantically: "Yes, yes, I have to let him leech off me, otherwise his status will drop!"

Yang Zi: "..."

Things had reached this point; what else could he say?

He was filled with nothing but frustration and resentment!

In just half a day, he had already lost several rounds to Chi Ye.

High-level games are just too hard to play!

"Alright then, Dai Fudai and I will stay behind to cook."

"Okay, okay... I... I'm going to go change!"

Seeing that she had shaken off the old man, Jin Xia waved her hand excitedly, turned around, and trotted upstairs.

"Don't forget to buy frozen persimmons. This season is perfect for eating them; I haven't had any in a long time."

Yang Zi handed the prepared grocery list to Chi Ye, putting on the airs of a senior: "I want to eat persimmons. Since you're going out to buy groceries, you must buy them for me. Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep. At my age, I just like eating things I had when I was a kid..."

Chi Ye looked up at him: "Don't try to moral-shame me. The whole internet knows I have no morals."

Yang Zi: "..."

How are you supposed to play against a natural talent?! You tell me, how?!

Shi Daifu: "Then we'll tidy up the kitchen while we wait for you to come back."

"Mm."

Chi Ye nodded. He waited in the living room for ten minutes before seeing a "person" who looked like a brown bear waddle down from the second floor.

"Who are you?!"

Chi Ye looked at Jin Xia, who was wrapped up so tightly that only her peach-blossom eyes were visible: "Are you planning on going out to sell clothes?"

"I never stay anywhere where the temperature is below zero; otherwise, my skin will get ruined."

The "brown bear" made a "buzzing" sound through her mask.

"...Then you should live on the sun. It's hot over there."

"Oh, how did you know that whenever I went out before, someone was always there holding a portable heater for me?"

"..." Chi Ye put on his down jacket: "Let's go."

Jin Xia was surprised and shook her "chubby" arms: "You're only wearing that much? Aren't you cold?"

Chi Ye glanced at her: "Not cold. You're giving me a sunburn."

"Oh, let's go." Jin Xia waddled behind Chi Ye, confused: "Why would it be a sunburn?"

Chi Ye: "Because you are kind."

Jin Xia: "???"

With the new year approaching, the temperature in the capital was very low. By evening, it was cold enough to make people shiver.

Chi Ye and Jin Xia walked out of the courtyard. This was the first time he had left since moving into the cabin.

The flowers that looked so lush during the day were still there, but...

"It looks like they're raising chickens, ducks, and pigs over there."

Chi Ye took a look and heard the "clucking" sounds, extremely surprised: "It really is."

"That production team must be seriously ill. You're a rural academy, a place for raising pigs and chickens—why go to all the trouble of planting so many flowers? This doesn't look cheap, either."

Chi Ye looked at the accompanying PD and Li Dao: "Just messing around with the set."

Li Dao: "?"

The PD coughed lightly and pointed secretly at the "brown bear": "This wasn't done by our production team."

"Huh?"

Chi Ye realized, glanced to the side, and found that Jin Xia was currently staring at him "angrily" as well.

Of course, because she was wrapped up so tightly, one could only see a pair of charming, beautiful peach-blossom eyes through her furry hat and mask, and hear her "buzzing": "How can you talk behind people's backs!"

Chi Ye was stunned: "I didn't talk behind your back; I said it to your face."

Jin Xia: "..."

"By the way, don't you know that in the northern winter, these flowers can't survive outdoors?"

Jin Xia's attention was successfully diverted, and she let out an "ah": "Oh... really? I didn't know that."

"You really are a living King of Hell."

This time, Jin Xia didn't refute Chi Ye; she just looked at the beautiful flowers and plants, her expression a bit downcast.

Chi Ye glanced at her and comforted her: "Don't worry, these flowers won't let you off even after they become ghosts."

Jin Xia pouted, turned her head, and stopped talking.

"Cough, cough."

Li Dao and the two PDs covered their mouths and coughed to keep from laughing out loud; the atmosphere was pleasant.

"Haha, I find that Hu Ye is really interesting when he talks."

"Jin Xia is about to be talked to tears."

"Don't bully Xia Xia!!"

"Why am I kind of shipping them?"

"What kind of twisted ship is this!"

"To the person above, shipping everything will only hurt you!!"

The two of them walked toward the night market, "crying and laughing" all the way.

The "See You" cabin seemed to be in the countryside, but in reality, its location was excellent. Less than a kilometer away was a large night market, which was also the place where Chi Ye and Jin Xia were going to shop.

At 6:30 PM, the night in the capital was already deepening.

The night market was at its liveliest. As soon as they approached, the aroma of various barbecue and snack stalls rushed straight into their noses.

Jin Xia stood at the entrance of the bustling night market and couldn't move her feet.

"What are you dazing off for? Let's go."

Chi Ye urged her and took the lead, walking inside.

Jin Xia blinked her peach-blossom eyes. Finding that no one was paying attention, she quietly took off the mask printed with a cartoon bear. Her small nose twitched, and her peach-blossom eyes looked left and right, as if she were pondering something.

"Hey? Where are you? Lost?"

Up ahead, Chi Ye saw that the brown bear beside him was gone and turned back to shout: "The night market is crowded, stay close."

"I... I have a stomachache."

Jin Xia put her mask back on and covered her small belly with her "chubby" little hands: "I want to go to the restroom."

"Stomachache?"

Hearing this, the production team immediately gathered around.

Chi Ye was also surprised and walked over quickly: "You couldn't handle the air on Earth as soon as you got out, did you get poisoned?!"

Jin Xia's expression froze, and she smiled reluctantly: "Maybe I caught a cold... You guys go ahead, I'll just go to the restroom."

"Alright then."

Li Dao wasn't at ease and instructed the female PD following Jin Xia: "Then you take Xia Xia to find a restroom."

"Okay."

The PD nodded and signaled to Jin Xia: "Let's go, Teacher Jin Xia."

"Ah..." Jin Xia's eyelashes fluttered wildly, "No need, I can go by myself."

"There are too many people." Chi Ye looked at Jin Xia, his face serious: "Have you ever gone out alone before? It's better to have someone follow you."

Jin Xia glanced at him, secretly gritted her teeth, and remained polite on the surface: "It's too much trouble for you all, really, no need."

"It's no trouble. Teacher Jin Xia probably hasn't been to a place like this before. The environment is indeed a bit chaotic; it's our lack of consideration."

Jin Xia took a deep breath, her eyes darting around. Suddenly, her peach-blossom eyes lit up, and she pointed to a public restroom not far away: "There's one right there. You don't need to come over; I'll go by myself."

Everyone looked and found that it was indeed not far away. They exchanged glances and didn't say anything more.

At such a close distance, the Empress Dowager shouldn't have any accidents, right?

Surely she couldn't be incapable of even using the restroom?

"Then you guys wait for her here; I'm going to go look over there first."

Chi Ye scanned the surroundings and said to the production team.

"Okay."

Li Dao nodded.

Chi Ye and the accompanying PD walked toward the front.

He had just seen several barbecue stalls, and since he hadn't eaten anything all afternoon, he was a bit hungry.

"Boss, give me five skewers of lamb... um, that's all."

Because the production team had limited the living expenses, Chi Ye thought for a moment and could only bring himself to buy 5 lamb skewers.

The viewers in the barrage were speechless.

"Just this much... so pitiful, haha."

"So stingy? Not buying any for the others?"

"This is Chi Ye's own living allowance, right? Haters, don't be so hateful."

"Honestly, Chi Ye is so honest; he spends exactly what the production team gives him, haha."

Chi Ye was unaware that he was being bashed even for buying a lamb skewer.

The boss started grilling the skewers, and he looked around, considering which supermarket to go to later to buy groceries and how much money he would spend tonight.

Suddenly, his gaze paused, landing on the street corner not far away.

There, a familiar "round" figure was standing, resembling a "brown bear," with a pair of beautiful, bright peach-blossom eyes visible above the mask.

At this moment, the "brown bear" was standing there blankly, wondering what she was thinking about.

"Didn't she go to the restroom?"

Chi Ye was bewildered; he waved his hand to signal the boss to keep grilling, and without going over, he propped his chin up and sized up the brown bear with a scrutinizing gaze.

After a long while, seemingly having locked onto a target, the "brown bear" pulled her bear mask down, revealing a corner of her fair, rosy chin, her small nostrils flaring, and finally, she began to walk over unsteadily.

She came following the scent!

She walked to a "pancake stuffed with everything" stall not far from Chi Ye, stopped, and entered standby mode again.

"Tsk tsk..."

Chi Ye rubbed his chin, his expression complex.

How does this kid give off such a robotic vibe?

Over there, the stall owner was also surprised, looking at this "strangely" dressed "brown bear" who had blocked his stall without saying a word, and asked curiously, "Little girl, what would you like to eat?"

The brown bear looked up, having already covered her fair chin again, thought for a long time, and then asked in her signature cutesy voice, "Boss, is the pancake you make here hygienic?"

The boss: "?"

He was amused: "Little girl, I run a snack stall; would I sell you unhygienic food?"

The brown bear's eyes lit up, but she hesitated: "Then is the oil you use here imported Spanish Betis olive oil? Is the flour imported French T55 flour?"

"If it's not made with Betis olive oil, I won't eat it."

The boss: "..."

"No, little girl, are you here to cause trouble? Betis olive oil? I might as well be Malzahar olive oil. If you're not eating, don't cause trouble, go away, go away."

The brown bear swayed as she took a few steps back, but she still didn't leave, standing there like an iron tower.

The boss squinted at her and grinned: "Want to eat?"

The brown bear nodded.

"Then what's with all the nonsense." The boss wiped his hands: "What do you want to add? It's not bragging, but I've been setting up this stall here for three years, and there aren't many places around that taste as good as mine."

"What... what are the price ranges?"

The brown bear seemed a bit cold, shivering as she asked: "I only eat the most expensive one!"

"The most expensive one?"

The boss's eyes lit up: "That would definitely be the 15-yuan supreme deluxe set!"

The brown bear nodded and shook her head, pointing at a customer who had just left: "But I just saw that person spend 20 yuan."

"Oh, him?" the boss explained: "He added two eggs and two pieces of pork tenderloin."

"I see." The brown bear was thoughtful, and her "chubby" hand waved: "Then give me a 200-yuan one!"

"Ah?!" The boss was stunned.

"Sorry, she's joking, just give her a 2000-yuan one."

Chi Ye walked over quickly and hurriedly apologized to the boss.

"?!" The boss was even more confused.

Chi Ye rubbed his forehead: "Sorry, slip of the tongue, 20 yuan, add everything you can to it."

The boss's expression relaxed; he looked at Chi Ye, who was wearing a mask, and then at the brown bear: "Young man, you look quite handsome, why is your girlfriend a bit dim?"

"Hey, how are you talking?"

Chi Ye was unhappy: "Are you making it or not? If not, we're going to another place."

"Making it, I didn't say I wasn't."

The boss muttered, and facing Chi Ye, who was clearly not a normal person, he didn't dare to say anything more.

"You... why are you here?!"

Over there, Jin Xia was startled by the sudden appearance of Chi Ye, her pretty face under the mask turning pale, and she hurriedly looked around behind him.

"Don't worry, the PD teacher isn't following; I was craving barbecue, so I came over to take a look."

Chi Ye explained, then squinted at Jin Xia: "I was thinking this pancake isn't made with that Betis olive oil, so why are you still eating it?"

Jin Xia blushed: "The boss said he sells healthy and hygienic food!"

Chi Ye laughed happily and didn't say anything.

Jin Xia's face turned even redder from the laughter; she wanted to be tough, but couldn't, and after a long silence, she suddenly pulled on Chi Ye's sleeve, looking aggrieved: "Teacher Chi, can... can you not tell anyone else?"

Hearing this soft, boneless, cutesy coquetry, Chi Ye felt his scalp tingle instinctively.

—He now understood why Jin Xia was so disliked by her own gender.

It was too deadly.

Over there, Jin Xia lowered her head, her peach-blossom eyes sneaking glances at Chi Ye, and finding that he remained "expressionless" and "unmoved" by her coquetry, she felt anxious.

If her family found out, she would be finished!

She thought for a moment, then gritted her teeth: "At most... at most you can only tell one person, but it can't be anyone from my family!"

Chi Ye: "...?"

He looked at Jin Xia, feeling a bit bewildered.

"It really can only be one person..." Jin Xia thought he wasn't satisfied, forgetting to use her cutesy voice, and "angrily" "accused" him: "Isn't one person's quota enough? Are you that greedy? Do you want everyone to know? You, you... you're not a good person!"

Chi Ye: "..."

How should he put it...

He felt like he had discovered some incredible secret.

The personality of this A-list starlet...

He pondered for a moment and clapped his hands: "Let's go."

Jin Xia was still in a daze: "Go, go where? And did you agree?"

"I agreed, and I won't tell a single person."

"You... you're that nice?" Jin Xia was surprised.

"...Of course."

"Then where are we going?" Jin Xia was happy, thinking the person in front of her was too easy to fool and too easy to satisfy.

"What else do you want to eat?"

Chi Ye didn't know he had been categorized as "easy to fool," and said boldly: "Let's go buy something to eat."

"Ah... is that okay?" Joy flashed in Jin Xia's peach-blossom eyes, but she hesitated: "Would that be bad? I promised Sister Mi I wouldn't eat unhealthy food."

"Do you want to eat grilled durian?"

Chi Ye had already walked to a grilled durian shop.

"Is it Musang King durian?" Jin Xia followed him, saying: "I don't eat smelly things."

This was overheard by a young couple leaving the shop, who glanced at the two with strange expressions.

Chi Ye looked back and said to Jin Xia righteously: "It's fine, once you get used to the smell, it's not smelly anymore, and grilled durian is very healthy and hygienic!"

Jin Xia tucked her hair behind her ear with a hint of reserve: "Alright then, since it's healthy, I'll reluctantly eat a little bit."

Not far away, Chi Ye's PD teacher stared at their retreating backs and looked back at his colleagues in another group.

"See You" is a 24-hour live stream, but besides the live streaming team, there is naturally a "fill-in-the-gaps" recording team; this part of the team doesn't live stream, but they also record a lot of private material to be used for the main show.

Just now, he had listened to Chi Ye and didn't film or follow them.

But...

"Do you guys think we should air this?"

"It's too subversive."

"Who do you say is subversive?"

"Both of them are quite subversive..."

"If we air this, will their reputations be reversed?"

"Forget it, let's go back and ask the director."