Chapter 48

On the way back to the hotel, she ended up in the same car as Sheng Qiao.

Sheng Qiao wasn’t what Zhao Yu had expected from an actress constantly mired in online controversy. After studying her for a moment, Zhao Yu fished a pack of gum from her pocket and offered it. “Want some?”

Sheng Qiao took it. “Thanks.”

Zhao Yu propped her elbow on the car window and rested her head on her hand, chewing her gum. “I think you’re different from how the internet portrays you.”

Sheng Qiao mirrored her pose and looked back. “How does the internet portray me?”

Zhao Yu certainly wasn’t going to repeat the online gossip verbatim. She thought for a moment, then answered, “You know—the ‘wife-fan’ stuff, the rumors with Shen Junyi. I figured you’d be more of an outgoing, extroverted type, but you seem pretty reserved.”

Sheng Qiao paused, then said, “I’m just not that familiar with you yet. Once I am, I’ll open up.”

Zhao Yu laughed at that. She smacked her lips, then suddenly lit up. “Hey, you’ve been linked to both Huo Xi and Shen Junyi, right? Why don’t you start a rumor with me too? That way you’d complete the trifecta.”

Sheng Qiao asked, “Can summoning all three mountains call forth a dragon?”

Zhao Yu pondered. “A dragon might be a stretch. But maybe you could try summoning the Calabash Brothers.”

They laughed all the way.

The car dropped the guests off at their booked hostel.

Their budget only covered three rooms—one single, one double, and one triple. The single went to the eldest, Liang Qiuyu; the three men shared a room; and Zhao Yu and Sheng Qiao took the double.

As soon as Zhao Yu entered the room, she complained to Sheng Qiao: “My uncle is so stingy.”

Sheng Qiao said, “Hopefully, now that he sees you’re his niece, he’ll be more generous with us.”

Her phone buzzed twice. Sheng Qiao put it on speaker, and Qi Lian’s naturally comedic voice came through: “Xiao Qiao, hurry up and add our Xiao Yu to the group! I remember she’s from Sichuan, right? She must know how to play mahjong! I’ll never have to worry about being one player short again!”

Sheng Qiao asked her, “Do you know how to play mahjong?”

Zhao Yu flipped her hair with confidence. “They call me the Mahjong God of Chengdu!”

Sheng Qiao nearly died laughing.

They added each other on WeChat, and Zhao Yu was pulled into the “Backpackers” group. Qi Lian immediately sent a mahjong game link and came knocking at their door. “Come on, come on, let’s get a round in!”

Neither Li Yao nor Hu Ruiwen knew how to play. Liang Qiuyu only knew Cantonese-style mahjong, and Sheng Qiao was a complete novice, so the three of them could only ever play poker.

Now with Zhao Yu, they could finally make a full table.

Liang Qiuyu said helplessly, “He’s been going on about this for days. Let’s play a round with him.”

Qi Lian rubbed his hands together. “Ah, Sister Yu always treats me best.”

So the four of them sat in the room with their phones, playing mahjong. Hu Ruiwen crept over and whispered cautiously, “Does this count as illegal gambling?”

Everyone paused, then looked up at Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu: “………… It’s fine. Play. We’ll edit it out.”

After a few rounds, all won by Zhao Yu, Qi Lian started crying foul. “No more, no more! Xiao Yu, are you cheating? Xiao Qiao, why do you keep giving her tiles to match?!”

Sheng Qiao protested, “I’m innocent! I just tap whatever lights up!”

Zhao Yu propped her chin on one finger and said sagely, “Mahjong is a racial talent we Sichuanese are born with.”

Li Yao, who’d been buried in his game, looked up. “That’s bull! I can’t play!”

Zhao Yu turned in surprise. “You’re from Sichuan too?”

Li Yao: “My mom is.”

Zhao Yu: “And your dad?”

Li Yao: “Tianjin.”

Zhao Yu: “Oh. That’s because you’re mixed—your bloodline’s impure, so of course you don’t inherit the talent.”

Li Yao: “???”

Hu Ruiwen timidly raised his hand. “But Xiao Yu-jie, I remember your dad is from Sichuan and your mom is from Jiangsu?”

Zhao Yu shot him a dark look. “Kid, you’re now officially stripped of your fan membership.”

Hu Ruiwen: “Whine—”

After a short break, Sheng Qiao, as the team leader, started planning the day’s itinerary. Their mission today was to visit the Arles Amphitheatre. Since Sheng Qiao was the leader and fluent in English, the others had grown used to relying on her.

Zhao Yu couldn’t take it anymore. “Why are you all just sitting back? Everyone should help research.”

Qi Lian said, “Sorry, sorry—can’t read English.”

Li Yao also explained, “Xiao Qiao is the leader.”

Zhao Yu rolled her eyes at him. “So leaders are supposed to do everything? You can’t read English either?”

Li Yao: “…………”

Zhao Yu refilled Sheng Qiao’s coffee and brought it over, sitting down beside her. “I’ll help you.”

Sheng Qiao said, “Sure.”

Following Sheng Qiao’s instructions, Zhao Yu bought six e-tickets on the official attraction website, avoiding the need to queue at the site. She showed Sheng Qiao the screenshot.

Sheng Qiao glanced at it, confirmed it was correct, and patted her shoulder. “Nice work. I hereby appoint you as my Left and Right Guardian—from now on, you’re my right-hand man.”

Zhao Yu: “I’ve heard of Left Guardian and Right Guardian, but never ‘Left and Right Guardian’ together.”

Sheng Qiao: “Our Fairy Sect is a little different.”

Zhao Yu’s expression turned serious, and she dramatically clasped her fists. “Fairy Godmother, your Guardian salutes you!”

Li Yao, watching nearby, couldn’t help but comment, “Are you two putting on a Cinderella skit? Fairy Godmother, really?”

Zhao Yu turned and glared. “One more word, and I’ll turn you into a pumpkin with my Fairy Godmother’s magic wand!”

Li Yao: “…………”

Ready to go, the group set off for the attraction.

This was probably the easiest variety show Zhao Yu had ever filmed. Apart from being chased by a group of fans for a stretch after getting off the metro, the rest of the time was spent leisurely exploring the sights and admiring ancient Roman architecture.

During a break, Zhao Yu walked over to Jiang Yu while sucking on a popsicle. “Uncle, that’s not fair.”

Jiang Yu: “?”

Zhao Yu: “This is such a great show, and you didn’t think to invite me first!”

Jiang Yu was caught between laughter and tears. “You’d even consider my little show now?”

Zhao Yu: “I don’t care! I’m holding a grudge—I’m telling Mom!”

Jiang Yu nudged her head. “You’re a grown woman now. Still tattling?”

After a satisfying day of sightseeing, as evening fell, the six guests set out to find dinner. Li Yao said, “Let’s not eat out. Save some money—let’s go back and have instant noodles with steamed buns.”

Qi Lian quickly agreed: “Yeah, yeah—I’ve still got two packs of pickled vegetables!”

Zhao Yu: “What have you people been through these past few days?”

Sheng Qiao counted the money in her wallet and clenched her fist. “Yu Yu just got here—we can’t treat her like that. Let’s eat out tonight and give her a proper welcome, okay? The attraction tomorrow isn’t far from the hostel—we can walk and save on transport.”

Hu Ruiwen chimed in, “Let’s take Xiao Yu-jie for a nice meal! She can eat whatever she wants!”

Zhao Yu: “Kid, don’t think that’ll get your fan membership reinstated.”

Hu Ruiwen: “Whine—”

Everyone agreed it was the right call, so after two days of instant noodles and steamed buns, they finally enjoyed their first proper meal in a while. Stuffed and satisfied, they headed back to the hostel—where, as Qi Lian put it, lying around cost nothing.

They’d been running around all day and worked up a sweat. Everyone rushed to shower as soon as they got back.

Sheng Qiao went first, while Zhao Yu lay across the bed scrolling through her phone.

She caught up on domestic news. The online backlash from the female guest walking off was still ongoing. Besides dissing The World Is So Big as a show, the brunt of the criticism was aimed at Sheng Qiao—the hashtag “#ShengQiaoGetOutOfEntertainment” had even made it onto the trending charts.

Zhao Yu recalled that Sheng Qiao had been subjected to this kind of hate ever since her debut. And yet she seemed completely unfazed, still running around happily with Zhao Yu all day. Her resilience and optimism were genuinely admirable.

While scrolling, Sheng Qiao’s phone—sitting on the TV stand—started buzzing.

Zhao Yu ignored it the first two times. When it rang a third time, worried it might be urgent, she got up and picked it up.

The caller ID read: “My Darling.”

My Darling.

So blunt, so passionate—not hiding the affection at all.

Zhao Yu didn’t know why, but she suddenly thought of that long-buried rumor from years ago.

Shen Junyi had been entangled in countless scandals over the years—with celebrities, with backup dancers—she’d long grown used to it. When Escape to Life aired, netizens had loved pairing him up with Sheng Qiao in all sorts of weird CP names—”Find the Horse,” “Find the Head,” “Taiji CP”—none of which sounded serious. And the late-night dinner photo that sparked gossip was hardly surprising.

Now, looking at this caller ID, Zhao Yu’s fingers inexplicably trembled.

She thought: No way???

She carried the phone to the bathroom door and knocked. “Xiao Qiao, your phone’s rung three times.”

Sheng Qiao asked, “Who is it?”

Zhao Yu said, “Your darling.”

There was a sudden pause from inside.

Zhao Yu asked, “Want me to pick it up?”

Sheng Qiao quickly refused: “No, no, no! Don’t! I’ll be right out!”

Zhao Yu glanced at the now-dark screen and set it back where it was. Sheng Qiao emerged from the bathroom quickly, hair still dripping wet, and grabbed the phone as she dashed out.

The look in her eyes—sparkling, treasured, as if she were rushing to meet a lover—radiated joy and affection from every pore, impossible to conceal.

Who could it be?

Zhao Yu set the phone down and went to take her shower.

When she came out, Sheng Qiao had just finished her call. The sweet, wistful smile still lingered on her face, her eyes a bit red. She looked up and met Zhao Yu’s gaze, then quickly composed herself.

Zhao Yu tilted her head as she dried her hair and shot her a gossipy look. “Who’s your darling?”

Sheng Qiao blinked and pressed her lips together.

Zhao Yu said, “It’s not Shen Junyi, is it?”

As soon as she said it, Sheng Qiao’s love-struck eyes widened in shock.

The pink bubbles of romance instantly burst and vanished, leaving only a look that screamed, “Are you serious?” “What the hell are you talking about?” “Have I lost my mind?”

Zhao Yu realized it was a ridiculous guess too.

She straightened up and waved it off. “Okay, okay—I can tell from your face. A goofball like Shen Junyi could never get a girlfriend like you.” She said, “Goofballs belong with goofballs!”

Sheng Qiao: “Hard to disagree.”

After their showers, Qi Lian was already rallying for mahjong in the group chat.

Zhao Yu sent a meme: “Chengdu Mahjong God requests to battle!”

Qi Lian said with deep gravity, “Xiao Yu, you’d better not keep cheating.”

Zhao Yu: “Heaven and earth, you who distinguish the pure from the impure—how could you confuse a thief with a sage!”

Qi Lian: “……? What is she doing?”

Sheng Qiao: “Reciting The Injustice to Dou E.”

Hu Ruiwen: “Wow, Xiao Yu-jie is so impressive! I’ve forgotten how to recite that passage—and she still remembers it!”

Zhao Yu: “Kid, you threw me under the bus today. Flattery won’t save you.”

Hu Ruiwen: “Whine—”