Part 2 of Chapter 75

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Please Like Her 26

After walking for about ten minutes, they arrived at the restaurant owner’s pigsty.

A dozen or so pigs were separated and raised in a row of pigsties. As they approach, they can smell an unpleasant odor.

However, the mental state of these pigs seems to be fine. They are grunting and wagging their tails.

And not far away, beside Ye Lu, there is actually a pig that is two sizes larger than the others. He is talking to the woman in charge of caring for these poultry, saying, “It’s the most gentle one, right? Okay, thank you.”

When he saw that everyone had arrived, Ye Lu displayed a confident smile and swiftly, as if a lightning bolt, climbed onto the back of the pig.

Everyone : “?”

Song Zeqian shook his head, “He’s truly gone mad.”

But the next moment, something even stranger happened.

Ye Lu actually knelt down slowly, placing his hands on the pig’s back and performed a handstand.

The pig walked forward at a leisurely pace, and his body swayed in the air, as if he could fall at any moment.

Everyone : “?!”

Screams erupted, along with Lin Yanyan’s astonished shout, “Ye Lu? Are you out of your mind?”

Although the pig wasn’t very tall when standing, and a fall wouldn’t be too severe, it still had a strong visual impact.

Ye Lu struggled to maintain his balance, but at the moment of falling, he grabbed the opportunity and hung upside down on the pig’s back, holding onto it.

The innkeeper on the side was also shocked.

Initially, Ye Lu had only mentioned wanting to ride the pig, but how did he suddenly start performing acrobatics on the pig’s back?

Ye Lu looked at the director and asked, “Did Shang Lu scream just now? Was it louder than a hundred decibels? Eh? Eh, don’t leave!”

Meanwhile, the pig seemed tired, normally being too lazy to move, let alone carrying a person. It simply walked back to its large pigpen and sat down.

Ye Lu was carried into the pigsty along with it.

The program team: “…”

They had been frightened a moment ago, with all their attention on Ye Lu. Who cared if Shang Lu screamed?

Furthermore, they had stopped filming. Why did Ye Lu still remember this task?!

As the program team struggled to respond, Shang Lu, with a resigned expression, said, “Um, yes, I screamed, quite loudly, probably more than a hundred decibels.”

Ye Lu instantly became proud but confirmed once more, “So, did I complete the task?”

Shang Lu nodded again, “Yes, yes, you’ve completed it. Come down now and spare the pig.”

Ye Lu stood up and patted the pig’s head, “Thanks, buddy!”

The pig closed its eyes, clearly not interested in him.

Boring humans.

Ye Lu let the pig go and walked toward the others.

The closer he got, the more everyone could smell a strange stench.

Lin Yanyan covered her nose, her gaze somewhat stunned as she looked behind Ye Lu.

With each step he took, there were strange-colored footprints.

Song Zeqian’s lips twitched as he reminded, “Ye Lu, you stepped in pig poop.”

Laughter erupted on the scene.

Song Zeqian looked at Meng Li and said the classic words, “Since we’re already here, let’s do it.”

The atmosphere turned silent.

Everyone knew about Meng Li’s ‘heroic deeds’ in the chicken coop these days, and Song Zeqian’s implication was clear, suggesting that Meng Li should check his progress again, especially since his role in the play required him to have ‘intimate contact’ with a pig; hanging out with chickens alone wouldn’t cut it.

Meng Li understood this very well.

Song Zeqian had already talked to him about it a couple of days ago. Because of the role’s requirements, if he couldn’t overcome his aversion or fear of such things, then the actual filming would definitely wear him down mentally.

Lin Yanyan enthusiastically offered to help Meng Li, saying to the landlady, “Can you also let him ride the pig?”

The landlady was very kind, though she didn’t understand why these people had such strange interests, she still agreed with a smile, “Sure.”

Meng Li gathered his courage and walked up, looking at the pig lying on the ground, with the stench of the pigsty lingering in his nostrils and mind.

He struggled to control his gaze, focusing on the pig rather than the disgusting feces on the ground that hadn’t been cleaned.

Fortunately, the pig seems relatively clean.

Meng Li stretched out a leg, intending to straddle the pig.

But at that moment, Lin Yanyan’s surprised voice rang out, “Ye Lu, you got it on your pants too? Ew… so disgusting!”

Ye Lu also exclaimed, “Holy ****!”

Meng Li : “…”

Meng Li had one leg still raised in the air and couldn’t decide whether to put it down.

A few seconds later, he still couldn’t pass the mental barrier and bent over, vomiting uncontrollably.

The pig looked at him with some disdain.

The pig changed direction and stood in a corner, with its butt facing Meng Li.

So Meng Li could see very clearly that there was a lump stuck to it—

*Vomit*

Meng Li vomited everything he had just eaten.

Everyone : “…”

It was quite miserable.

But it seemed like there was no progress.

After vomiting, Meng Li was helped to the side to rest.

His face was pale, but with the comfort of the others, he looked up at Song Zeqian, his voice trembling but determined, “Director Song, I… I may not be able to play this role.”

Lin Yanyan widened her eyes as she watched the scene.

The others also felt incredulous.

As actors, they couldn’t understand Meng Li’s decision at this moment.

Only Ye Lu, grinning, patted Song Zeqian’s shoulder. “Hey, you got rejected! Don’t cry!”

Song Zeqian ignored him and looked at Meng Li, asking, “The reason? Because you think you can’t overcome the physiological vomiting reaction?”

“Yes, and more than that.” Meng Li closed his eyes and continued, “These days, the more I look at the script, the more I feel that I am not similar to this character. I can’t find the best way to perform him. I have never been confident in portraying this role, but I came because it’s your movie, and I felt I couldn’t miss this opportunity. But now, these two kinds of pain have piled up, not just in my body, but I feel extreme anxiety in my mind as well. Sorry, Director Song, I really want to be in your movie, but I also don’t want to be the only flaw in this film. It’s not a momentary impulse, it’s a decision I made after careful consideration.”

He spoke with great sincerity, with regret and helplessness in his eyes, but he remained unwavering.

For a moment, everyone didn’t know what to say.

Because they could all see that he had really tried his best but still felt inadequate for this role, and words of persuasion wouldn’t make a difference.

Shang Lu could empathize with Mengli.

Just like some time ago, she really wanted to take on Han Cheng’s new drama, but she refused in the end because the role wasn’t the best fit for her.

Good actors need to be willing to make certain decisions.

Song Zeqian understood what Meng Li said as well, especially after spending so much time together in recent days. He had discovered a fatal problem, it seemed that there was not much ‘chemistry’ between Meng Li and Shang Lu when they were together.

However, for these two characters, each other is the most important person in their lives. They have a kind of “symbiotic relationship” with each other, which appears to be mutual disgust on the surface, but is actually subtle.

However, the interaction between Shang Lu and Meng Li didn’t achieve the effect that Song Zeqian wanted.

Actually, Song Zeqian had previously suggested they take a three-day break to provide Meng Li and Shang Lu with some training time alone. He wanted to see if there was a way to change the current situation.

But since Meng Li has now taken the initiative, it proves that his psychological defenses have already crumbled, and at this point, forcing training won’t be of any use.

So, Song Zeqian remained silent for a while and said, “I respect and honor your choice.”

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Please Like Her 26

The fresh blood is shocking to the eye.

And blood droplets trailed along the bedside table and the old woman’s hand, dripping onto the pure white sheets, like the cruelest of flowers blooming amidst suffering.

The intense visual impact left everyone present at a loss for words in that moment, as if they had lost their voices.

Sun Ming felt somewhat guilty but was still trying his best to prove to everyone that his mother was mentally ill : “Would a sane person write with blood? Only a madman would do that. Which madman would admit to being mad? If she dares to cut herself now, she might cut your throats in the middle of the night. Stop pretending like you’re all good people!”

These words made everyone present furrow their brows.

They couldn’t hear any concern for the mother, only a desire to get her away.

Several doctors and nurses all stood in front of Grandma Sun, making their stance even clearer, preventing Sun Ming from getting closer.

A doctor spoke directly: “Sir, please remain calm. Naturally, we respect the patient’s wishes. As for the patient’s mental condition that you mentioned, we will conduct a thorough examination. Please refrain from getting agitated.”

Sun Ming’s expression became even more menacing: “Mind your own business! Otherwise, you’d end up dead!”

Though his words sounded like a threat, him saying such things alone did not intimidate the many people present.

Shang Lu stood there with her arms crossed, retorting directly : “With this kind of attitude towards your mother, you won’t even know how you’ll end up in hell when you die.”

Ye Lu also clenched his fists, unable to bear it any longer, and asked, “Can’t we just beat him up?”

And at that moment, a knock on the door sounded.

A police officer in uniform stood at the doorway, presenting his badge: “Beijing City Public Security Bureau, we received a report from the public that someone here is suspected to be involved in human trafficking. Please cooperate.”

---

In another hospital room.

Ah Zhi had bandages on his legs and sat timidly on the bed. He said, “Grandpa has a diary, where he keeps records of transactions and information about each person.”

These were not ordinary accounts; every entry was a ‘favor fee’ the village chief received as a middleman, along with records of the children and buyers’ information, all to prevent memory errors if there was any dispute later.

The female police officer immediately exchanged a glance with her colleague and continued to question Ah Zhi: “Is there anything else you can tell me? The more Ah Zhi shares, the more people like Ah Zhi’s Mom and Grandma can be rescued.”

Ah Zhi nodded.

---

When the police arrived at the scene, and the program team’s filming was interrupted and irrelevant personnel left.

The subsequent events were handed over to the police and the legal system, and the others didn’t have to worry about it.

The program team’s car is waiting outside.

They’ve prepared some snacks and tea for everyone on the car, to help ease everyone’s mood.

The director and Song Zeqian first apologized to the other guests and some of the staff who were unaware, expressing that even though they were prepared, there was still a possibility of putting everyone in danger.

Lin Yanyan was stunned for a moment before reacting, “You mean you knew about this in advance?”

“Teacher Song knew in advance, we found out when we contacted Teacher Song to arrange for this episode’s shooting,” the director said with a hint of embarrassment, rubbing his head. “We were hesitant at first, but no one could just stand by and watch such a thing, so we decided to…”

“Well done!” Ye Lu slapped the director on the shoulder and gave him an unusual look of approval. “I didn’t expect the director to look so timid but have the determination to do something significant, involving us in such a meaningful endeavor.”

Jiang Jing also smiled gently, “Yes, I think it’s a good decision, and it’s a good outcome.”

Xu Ze nodded in agreement.

Lin Yanyan went straight to the point and asked, “Are we still going to shoot? I’m starving. If we’re not, I’ll treat everyone to a meal. I just checked, and it’s a half-hour drive to a branch of my newly invested Western restaurant. You can all eat whatever you like, no need to be polite.”

The staff all chorused, “Thank you, Princess!”

Shang Lu followed with, “Princess is beautiful and kind-hearted!”

The staff naturally joined in.

Lin Yanyan smiled, her eyes curved, and she waved her hand, saying, “Everyone gets a lifetime free dining card!”

Ye Lu quickly added, “Long live the Princess, forever and ever!”

Lin Yanyan said expressionlessly, “Get lost, I don’t want to be an old witch.”

Both the guests inside the car and the staff outside burst into laughter.

But because Lin Yanyan’s restaurant was a bit far, they decided to find a nearby restaurant to have their meal.

Unexpectedly, this restaurant they chose, despite its unassuming appearance, served delicious food.

At the dining table, the conversation inevitably returned to today’s events.

After a few exchanged words, they fell into a silence, clearly not wanting to discuss the heavy topic any further.

Song Zeqian spoke directly, “Alright, I’m giving you all three days off. Go home, rest well, and think about your scripts and characters. Do you understand?”

Everyone nodded.

At this moment, a group of chickens, ducks, and geese suddenly swaggered in through the door.

Lin Yanyan rubbed her eyes and said, “Wow, have I really left the village or not? How come I still see poultry everywhere?”

The restaurant owner explained to them that he lived nearby and had countless chickens, ducks, geese, as well as over a dozen pigs and a large fish pond. The meat and vegetables they ordered were mostly freshly slaughtered.

Jiang Jing praised, “It’s all fresh, no wonder it tastes so good.”

Ye Lu’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Wait, he knew how to complete the mission now.

Ye Lu suddenly got up, pulled the restaurant owner aside, and then waved for a waiter. The two of them disappeared from everyone’s sight together.

No matter how everyone called out to him, Ye Lu didn’t look back, and he even ran away.

Everyone : “?”

Shang Lu looked at the restaurant owner and asked, “May I ask what he just said to you?”

The restaurant owner’s face showed a distressed expression.

Seeing Lin Yanyan’s understanding, she stood up and coquettishly said, “Boss, please, just tell us!”

The restaurant owner blushed and no longer hesitated as he exposed Ye Lu, “I don’t understand either, that young man suddenly said he wanted to see our pigsty.”

Everyone : “???”

Song Zeqian was very direct, “Is he crazy?”

But Lin Yanyan immediately got up and suggested, “Let’s go and see.”

No one knew what Ye Lu was up to.

But when Meng Li heard the words ‘pigsty,’ his face instantly turned ugly, and he didn’t know whether to swallow or spit out the food in her mouth.

Since Lin Yanyan made this proposal, everyone decided to go together, including the other staff and Meng Li.

The director even instructed the cameraman to start recording again, as his keen intuition told him that there might be some interesting material coming up. After all, this recording hadn’t been going on for too long, and if they could capture some interesting behind-the-scenes moments, it would be a gift to the fans.

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Part 3 of Chapter 74

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It was like a farce.

#Rural-Boy_Self-harm_During_The_Most_Hated_Her_and_Him_Broadcast# directly made it to the top hot search.

Especially because it was a special area that Ah Zhi had harmed, it sparked numerous discussions among netizens.

As long as you’ve watched the live broadcast, most netizens can understand Ah Zhi’s motives, so some people have started to dig deeper into the behavior behind it.

Some netizens kept replaying the live broadcast and discovered that when his Grandma got up, she circle scars on her wrists¹ was revealed.

Everything unfolded just as Song Zeqian had arranged.

As long as they could get to the hospital, given Grandma Sun’s physical condition, years of malnutrition, and a variety of uncountable illnesses in both her hands, they would only arrange for her to be hospitalized for treatment, waiting for a more comprehensive medical report.

In a place like this, with so many eyes watching, not to mention the program team’s cameras filming, the hospital would also take this opportunity to publicly express their responsibility towards patients and would not allow Grandma Sun to leave at will.

Along with Ah Zhi’s behavior, online public opinion has escalated to a level they hadn’t anticipated, with the trending topic tagged with ‘Explosive’ within half an hour.

Just at this moment.

Sun family’s second son, who had been missing from home for five years, came forward and posted a video on Weibo. In the video, he choked back tears while holding up his ID to report his father for suspected human trafficking. He spoke about his sisters who were killed at birth and the countless brothers he had, most of whom he couldn’t remember where they had been sold to.

He had seen his mother treated like a baby-making machine since he was young, and once each brother or sister was born, they never returned. His father believed that having two sons to continue the family line was enough.

Not only his mother, but also his older brother’s wife, were all bought. When his father suggested that he, as the second son, should also get married and asked what kind of bride he wanted to buy, he couldn’t bear it any longer. One night, he packed his bags and escaped from home.

Although the second son was two years younger, he appeared even more world-weary than his older brother, Sun Ming. He had endured a life of hardship and couldn’t continue speaking for a long time with a choked voice.

Netizens were shocked; many couldn’t believe that such things still existed in today’s society.

[So, is it human trafficking? Wow, shocking.]

[How many times do we need to say that buying and selling are both crimes?]

[It’s not just buying; his father, the village chief, also sold many children, treating his wife as a tool for giving birth.]

The internet erupted in chaos due to this incident, with numerous bloggers coming forward to scrutinize every detail of this family from the time they disliked that particular live broadcast, finding it increasingly strange as they delved deeper.

Another netizen has stepped forward to voluntarily expose that they are from this village. There is not just one case of human trafficking in the village; the village chief is even the ‘ringleader’ of these activities. This dark industry has its biggest supporter in the village, who has even introduced ‘cheap blind wives’ to his neighbors.

This incident has caused a great uproar.

Naturally, this has aroused public anger, and countless netizens have been tagging the official account of the Beijing Police Department, demanding a thorough investigation into how many such incidents are still happening in the village.

---

Meanwhile, outside the hospital room.

Today, the camera’s focus is not on them.

Shang Lu and Song Zéqiān sit on chairs in the corner, which is considered a blind spot for the filming.

“Making Ah Zhi do such a thing to force Sun Ming to come to the hospital. Grandma’s safety will be ensured in the hospital. Then the second son steps up to report, and with public opinion completely inflamed, with so many eyes watching, the police will have to make an official statement. The public will be the best supervisor.” Shang Lu counted each step of Song Zeqian’s plan with her fingers and then sighed, “And everyone has seen such scenes with their own eyes now. They truly know the truth, having experienced these firsthand, it’s hard to act out anything without realism.”

The others are just now beginning to understand what has happened, their eyes wide like copper bells.

Song Zeqian didn’t deny it, just tilted his head back and closed his eyes, saying, “Xiao Zhi’s self-harm was not in my plan. I just wanted him to find a way to persuade his father, to cry and make a scene.”

He hadn’t expected that the timid child would have the courage to go that far for his Grandma.

But because Ah Zhi was indeed timid, he got scared at the moment of actually piercing the glass shard, so it veered off and landed near the base of his thigh, only looking like an injury there, but there won’t be any real impact.

Song Zeqian murmured again, “Indeed, no matter how many times, I still don’t want to see suffering.”

After seeing too much so much sufferings, it must be difficult to feel happiness, right?

Just like his father, who used to be a mediocre documentary director, because he had seen too many things like this, his emotions became increasingly negative, leading to depression, and eventually, he chose to end his own young life.

Song Zeqian used to find it incomprehensible, but later, as he saw more, he gradually began to understand that feeling.

Living perpetually in the ‘darkness,’ he found some solace; it helped him stay calmer and make judgments and decisions more rationally.

This is also one of the reasons why he habitually wears sunglasses.

But because the scene at that time was too shocking, his sunglasses fell in the room on the third floor and were not picked up again.

Song Zeqian opened his eyes somewhat wearily, but felt something covering his eyes.

Shang Lu covered Song Zeqian’s eyes with a handkerchief, and said seriously, “Things you don’t want to face, you can avoid it and take a rest. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Song Zeqian sneered, “Nonsense.”

Three minutes later.

Not far away, an argument broke out, seemingly Sun Ming’s voice.

“I want to take my mother home. What right do you have to stop me?
“I knew you were all no good. If it weren’t for my dad being blinded by money, how could he let you come to our house?
“Are you releasing the person or not? If you don’t, I’ll call the police. My uncle is from the police station!”

The man who could be described as silent and reserved in their impression was now speaking one sentence after another, not giving others a chance to speak.

Song Zeqian finally took the handkerchief off and returned it to Shang Lu, getting up and saying, “Let’s go and see what the situation is now.”

In the hospital room.

Grandma Sun grabbed the doctor’s hand and wouldn’t let go, repeatedly saying, “I… I…”

The more anxious she became, the less she could speak.

Sun Ming, even more impatient, wanted to leave after making sure his son was not injured in that part. “Do you know my mother has mental problems? Did you see that? She can’t even speak clearly. You can’t bully people like this, what do you want to do to a mentally ill woman?”

Grandma Sun trembled and reached for the water cup on the table.

The nurse thought she wanted to drink water and quickly helped lift it, saying, “Please be careful.”

Then they watched as Grandma Sun picked up the cup and smashed it against the wall.

The cup split in half, and she grabbed the edge of the broken cup with blood flowing down her fingertips.

Hunching her back, she used her blood-stained hand to write three words on the snow-white bedside table—

[ I’m not ill ]

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1. most likely, scars due to handcuffs or tied with a rope ↩︎

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Part 2 of Chapter 74

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Please Like Her 25

Sun Ming didn’t quite believe it and once again helped his mother stand up to check the situation.

Zhang Qian’s voice, tinged with fear, said, “Blood? There’s really a lot of blood. What should we do?”

Sun Ming furrowed his brow and said, “You stay at home. I’ll go to the neighboring village and get a doctor.”

Jiang Jing didn’t know the truth, but seeing the large amount of blood behind the old lady, she still worried and said, “This can’t be handled at home. We need to go to the hospital for an examination. An elderly’s injury can’t be taken lightly.”

Ah Zhi’s voice followed, and he also said, “Dad, take Grandma to the hospital. Grandma looks really uncomfortable.”

Sun Ming raised his hand and slapped Ah Zhi’s face. The man who usually appeared mild-mannered now seemed somewhat irritable. He said, “Children don’t understand anything; it’s just a minor issue.”

Despite saying this, Sun Ming didn’t dare to leave the room at this moment. He was afraid that if he left, his son would try to take his mother to the hospital, and with so many outsiders present, his weak-willed wife would have no ability to stop them.

The sense of unease became increasingly heavy, and the situation seemed to be at a standoff.

But the old lady sitting down began to cry as she looked at Ah Zhi.

She tried to get up but failed this time and fell to the ground, with glass shards piercing her palm, causing blood to flow.

She seemed oblivious to the pain as she attempted to get up again.

Xiao Zhi immediately crouched down, saying, “Grandma, I’m here, I’m here.”

Grandma extended her clean, uninjured hand to touch her grandson’s bruised cheek, her eyes filled with tenderness as she repeated, “Don’t go… don’t go…”

Although she only said these two words, Ah Zhi understood her meaning.

She didn’t want to go to the hospital. She didn’t want him to defy his father and get beaten again.

His Grandma’s mental state was often not good, but she always cared for and worried about him.

At this moment, he saw Song Zeqian standing in the distance, with indifferent expression indifferent. Song Zeqian mouthed, This is the only chance.

He had made an agreement with this uncle.

It was their first day at his house, and he had taken Song Zeqian to the room. Song Zeqian told him that he was a helper sent by his uncle and briefly explained the plan. At that time, Song Zeqian had looked at him directly and said, “I haven’t taken a penny from your uncle. I’m helping out as a side favor. I’ve arranged everything, and all I need is for you to convince your Dad to agree to take your Grandma to the hospital on the same day. That’s when she’ll be safe.

“I know you have a soft spot for your Mom, but if you can’t do it, I’m just an outsider, and I won’t be able to save your Grandma. To you and me, this is our only chance.”

On that day, he took the plasma given by Song Zeqian and returned to his room, so excited that he couldn’t sleep all night.

But now, can he still do anything?

Looking at his Dad with a dark expression and his Mom on the verge of tears behind his Dad, the young boy’s patience was almost at its limit.

It’s so disgusting.

Whether it’s his Dad or his Grandpa.

He doesn’t want to… and absolutely cannot become like them.

This is not a family, not at all.

He needs to make his Dad agree to get his Grandma to the hospital, and escape from here.

Ah Zhi knows his Dad too well; he knows that neither crying nor pleading will work.

If it weren’t for the huge difference in number, his Dad might have already driven away all these uncles and aunts filming here.

And after this incident, his Dad will become suspicious and even more vigilant.

There really won’t be a second chance.

So there’s only one way. He has to get seriously, very seriously injured and go to the hospital immediately, so he can take his grandmother with him.

Ah Zhi’s gaze falls to the ground next to him, where the glass shards stained with his Grandma’s blood that have fallen on the ground.

He gathers his courage to pick up the largest piece—

And insert it into his own p*n*s.

He remembers when his Grandpa used to bathe him, his Grandpa told him that this was the most important thing for a man.

Only if it’s in good shape, can a man use it to find a woman to have children and carry on the family line.

At the time, his Grandpa said all this with joy, telling him that Grandpa would buy him a prettier wife in the future and that he must have a great, healthy son.

Later, his Grandpa scolded his Dad, because of his Dad’s this part was injured, and luckily his Dad had already given birth to him; otherwise, their family’s lineage would have been cut off.

In the rural village, continuing the family line is of utmost importance.

His Grandpa had other sons, but his Dad only had him.

As long as he is injured here, since his Dad won’t be able to have more children, he will definitely be sent to the hospital.

Blood flows out from the wound in his light-colored sweatpants, and everyone present falls into silence, as if they haven’t even realized what happened for a moment.

The pair of sunglasses slowly swaying in Song Zeqian’s hand fell directly to the ground due to his sudden pause in movement.

Even some cameramen were so stunned that they dropped their cameras.

No one had ever seen such a scene, and there was complete silence in the room.

Lin Yanyan was so shocked that she choked on her own saliva. She even looked at the staff and said, “Is this some kind of new prank game?”

The live stream chat was filled with question marks.

[???]

[What’s going on?]

[I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. What is happening?]

[I don’t understand, but I can feel the pain.]

[What kind of show am I watching today?]

[Is this for real? Or is it scripted?]

[Is this the legendary ‘castrate oneself to master divine skills’?]

[I still don’t understand what’s happening. Why is everyone so weird in this family?]

…

The old lady’s crying could be heard once again.

And Zhang Qian cried even louder, her limbs trembling. She said, “What’s going on? What’s happening…”

Song Zeqian was the first to react. He said, “Get in our car, drive quickly to the hospital, there might still be a chance.”

Sun Ming, with a livid face, stepped forward, initially wanting to carry his son on his back, but after some hesitation, he changed his mind and picked his son up in a hug. He squeezed out two words through his gritted teeth, “Lead the way.”

His family didn’t have a car, so if he wanted timely treatment for his son, he had to rely on these people.

Song Zeqian went downstairs, leaving behind a sentence, “Ye Lu, carry the old lady down, let’s go to the hospital together.”

“Oh? Alright.” Ye Lu’s brain couldn’t keep up with the surreal turn of events, but he still followed Song Zeqian’s instructions and carried the old lady.

As a result, everyone began to notice a strong odor coming from the old lady. It smelt like she hadn’t bathed in a long time.

The aroma in the room was probably due to this.

But Ye Lu didn’t mind, and just said, “Grandma, hold on to me, don’t fall.”

At first, Grandma Sun kept crying, but after Ye Lu comforted her with, “We’re going to find your grandson,” she calmed down.

The group rushed to the nearest women and children’s hospital.

Sun Ming also suggested going to the clinic in the town, but Song Zeqian coldly asked him, “Are you not worried about your son having that part disabled?”

Only then did Sun Ming fall silent.

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Please Like Her 25

Zhang Qian was extremely frightened that her hands trembled, and she dropped the key to the ground.

Ah Zhi bent down to pick up the key and cried, “Dad, Grandma fell on the ground, I want to open the door.”

“Yes, Sun Ming,” Zhang Qian quickly got up and helped her son explain to her husband, saying, “Ah Zhi just went upstairs and said there was blood on Mom. Please go and open the door to check, don’t let anything happen.”

However, after hearing this, Sun Ming furrowed his brow and asked Ah Zhi, “Did you see blood on Grandma’s body?”

Ah Zhi nodded, “Yes.”

Sun Ming continued to ask, “The room is so dark, how did you see blood on Grandma’s body from outside the door?”

A look of panic appeared on Ah Zhi’s face, and he changed his statement, “I didn’t see it, I heard Grandma say so.”

At this moment, Lin Yanyan and Ye Lu couldn’t stand it anymore.

Although they didn’t know what had happened, they were both getting angrier by the minute.

Ye Lu said directly, “You’re really strange. When your mother is in trouble, you don’t rush upstairs to check the situation, but you’re interrogating like a detective? You don’t even believe your own son?”

Lin Yanyan vigorously nodded in agreement.

Because they had been staying here for these days and had some interaction with Sun Ming, she didn’t want to accuse him directly, so this was her way of expressing agreement with what Ye Lu had said.

Online users were equally puzzled.

[Why do I feel like this family is a bit strange? The son doesn’t seem very worried about his mother.]

[Agree+1. I’d be panicking, but he isn’t.]

Seeing how anxious Lin Yanyan and Ye Lu appeared, it dispelled some of Sun Ming’s doubts. Sun Ming then started walking upstairs.

Naturally, everyone else also wanted to follow.

Sun Ming paused and said, “The rest of you continue your work. I’ll go up by myself.”

The director said, “This is also our job, and our filming won’t interfere with you. You should do what you need to do. Besides, if something happens, we can help.”

Song Zeqian slightly shook his head towards the director, indicating not to push too hard.

The director smiled apologetically, “If it’s not convenient…”

Sun Ming turned and continued walking upstairs, calmly saying, “It’s okay, if you want to come up and see, you’re welcome.”

He agreed too easily.

Shang Lu looked at Song Zeqian, silently asking him what the situation was now.

Song Zeqian naturally didn’t answer, he just signaled for Shang Lu to stand behind him, and the group proceeded upstairs.

Apart from the actors and the accompanying cameramen, not even the director and assistant director followed them upstairs. Instead, some staff members Shang Lu had not seen before accompanied them, shielding them almost completely in the middle.

These were not ordinary staff members; they were bodyguards arranged by Song Zeqian and the program team to ensure their personal safety.

Soon, Sun Ming opened the door and turned on the lights inside.

The room lit up.

A very frail old lady lay on the floor, surrounded by shattered glass, clutching her leg and muttering, “Hurts… hurts.”

Sun Ming approached and gently lifted the old lady from the ground, placing her back on the bed. His voice was filled with concern, “Mom, how could you be so careless?”

With that, Sun Ming glanced at them and said, “My Mom has trouble with her legs and feet. She fell from the bed. Do you have any other questions?”

His implication was clear : they had seen enough, and there was no need to linger.

This was the first time in a week that Shang Lu and her group had set foot on the third floor.

However, the scene inside was completely different from what she had imagined.

At first glance, although the furniture was a bit old, the old lady was dressed in relatively new clothes. The room was clean, and there were two bags of newly purchased powdered milk and some fruits on the bedside table. There was even a box of solid air fresheners for home use.

It didn’t look like the scene of abuse she had imagined. Instead, it could be described as clean and comfortable, indeed a suitable place for recuperation.

No, the problem was right here.

The old lady clearly had poor dental health and needed soft food, like rice porridge, but there were only pears and apples on the bedside table. The packaged powdered milk was unopened, just for show. The entire house had solid air fresheners, probably to mask other odors.

Zhang Qian let out a sigh of relief, “As long as Mom is okay, that’s all that matters.”

However, Song Zeqian suddenly asked, “Didn’t they say there was bleeding? Where is it?”

Sun Ming replied, “My Mom is not feeling well mentally. I think the glass broke and she was frightened. She must’ve wanted to say water, but the child misheard it.”

The village chief had also told them before that after his wife’s mental health deteriorated, she could only speak single words, and it was common for her to mishear things.

These reasons could barely deceive other people. For ordinary people, even if they found it a bit strange, it was not convenient to dig deeper when in someone else’s home.

Song Zeqian looked at Ah Zhi.

But this boy was still somewhat timid. He didn’t refute his Dad’s words but instead avoided Song Zeqian’s gaze and bent down to pick up the pieces of glass on the ground.

Originally, the old lady was lying quietly, but suddenly, she struggled to sit up. Her legs were trembling as she stood hunched over, and she reached out a hand towards Ah Zhi, saying, “Hand…”

Xiao Zhi was a little stunned but obediently extended his hand.

His Grandma took the pieces of glass from his hand and gently blew on his hand. Her concerned gaze fell on a scar on his palm. She then couldn’t support her legs any longer and sat back down.

The scar was very noticeable and even a bit unsightly, like a twisted worm.

Zhang Qian explained to them, “Children don’t understand. A few years ago, when he was taking food to his Grandma, he broke a bowl, and there was a lot of bleeding at the time. Later, when he brought food to his Grandma, he refused to use a bowl, insisting on an unbreakable basin.”

Ah Zhi lowered his head, looking at the scar in the palm of his hand.

He remembered that day when his Grandpa was drinking and scolding him for wasting a bowl, but his hungry Grandma was only concerned about whether he was hurt.

That’s why his Grandma had been so anxious when she saw him touch the glass just now. Despite her inconvenience, she had to get up and remove the broken glass.

At this moment, Lin Yanyan’s voice rang out, “I saw it! Blood! There’s blood behind her!”

This was the plan that Song Zeqian and AhZhi had arranged.

They had intended for Ah Zhi to find an opportunity to spill blood plasma on the old lady and then take her to the hospital under the pretext of abnormal bleeding.

However, due to the layout of the house, they couldn’t see the blood plasma when Sun Ming lifted the old lady.

Song Zeqian’s gaze was a subtle hint for Ah Zhi to ‘find’ it, but because of his timidity, he hadn’t responded.

Fortunately, the old lady had stood up out of concern for her grandson, and everything had returned to the original plan.

---

Part 3 of Chapter 73

---

Please Like Her 24

In just one short hour, she had glanced at the program team multiple times.

Shang Lu had never seen so many new faces among the staff, especially when they first met at the village entrance. There was a photographer who even dropped his camera, but he didn’t care about how much the lens cost; he simply picked it up and left.

Shang Lu remembered the face of the photographer, but she hasn’t seen him again until now. The total number of staff has also decreased from when she first saw them at the village entrance.

Today, the director is different from usual.

In the past, whenever she showed interest in something, he would always find it a topic and ask questions proactively. But today, despite her many glances, he seems to be avoiding her gaze, and even hurrying through the cues in the program progress.

The assistant director is not good at hiding things; at the moment, he keeps wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

Everything and everyone today is strange, let alone when they’re all piled together.

Shang Lu remains silent because she knows that even if she asks, she won’t get answers. So, she just follows the program team’s process.

Today is the day the village holds its monthly meeting. The village chief naturally has to preside over the meeting, and each household has to send representatives to attend.

Because they can receive some free rice, the villagers are quite enthusiastic about it. The elderly people who were originally gathering at the entrance of the village dispersed when they heard the announcement through the loudspeaker.

Compared to the so-called big stars, they are more interested in taking home rice to fill their bellies.

At the moment, only Zhang Qian and Ah Zhi are left at the village chief’s house. The village chief needs to preside over the meeting, but a villager suddenly informed them that the village chief had a dispute with a stranger asking for directions on the road and asked his elder son to hurry over and check.

The man seemed a bit hesitant but had no choice but to leave. Before leaving, he touched his son’s head and said, “Study upstairs quietly, don’t disturb the uncles and aunts working, take care of Mom and Grandma. Dad will be back soon, okay?”

The little boy nodded, looking relatively obedient.

However, after the man left, the program team turned their cameras towards Ah Zhi and Zhang Qian and said directly, “Can we have a brief interview? Don’t be nervous; just talk to us about the village’s specialties and such.”

Shang Lu lowered her eyelashes.

Their show was not really a travel program, and they wouldn’t advertise this village for free without a prior cooperation agreement.

Zhang Qian is not a skilled speaker, and she looked quite shy in front of the camera. She repeatedly waved her hand, saying she couldn’t do it.

However, the program team was still trying to communicate with her.

At this moment, a loud noise came from upstairs, like something heavy falling.

A staff member asked, “Did something happen? Should we go up and check?”

Zhang Qian’s face showed a hint of panic and she shook her head, saying, “It’s nothing, it’s nothing.””

Ah Zhi suddenly spoke up, “Mom, Grandma won’t fall from the upstairs, will she?”

Jiang Jing also expressed her concern, “If an elderly person falls, it’s a serious matter. We should go upstairs and check it out quickly.”

Song Zeqian added, “We’ll go with you. If anything happens, you, a woman, and a child won’t be able to do much.”

Zhang Qian quickly declined, “No need, thank you so much. I’ll go check; nothing will happen.”

“Mom, should I go check on Grandma and you stay here with them?” Ah Zhi suddenly stood up and said.

Zhang Qian looked conflicted. She was usually indecisive and followed her husband and father-in-law’s decisions. Now, having to make a decision herself, she was hesitant. But she also thought her son had a point, so she nodded in agreement.

Ah Zhi quickly went upstairs but rushed back down, crying out, “Mom! It’s bad, Mom! Grandma has fallen to the ground, and there’s glass on the floor. But Dad locked the security door, and I can’t open it. Grandma is bleeding, there’s blood!”

Song Zeqian immediately stood up and reassured Ah Zhi, “Don’t be afraid; we’ll take Grandma to the hospital.”

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became tense.

Only Shang Lu was watching Song Zeqian and Ah Zhi, and finally understood everything at this moment.

All the pieces of the puzzle came together because Ah Zhi was the missing link.

At this moment, he and Song Zeqian had formed some kind of alliance, and the intermediary between them should be the village chief’s second son, the one Song Zeqian said had contacted him.

And the program team also knew about this and was willing to cooperate with Song Zeqian, which explained why the director and assistant director were acting strangely today and deliberately delaying Zhang Qian for an interview. Their plan was to question her when the strange noise came from the third floor.

Whether it was Ah Zhi recently taking the initiative to bring food to his grandmother or now going to check on her, it was all about teaching his grandmother how to cooperate with them.

Even the stranger who had an argument with the village chief about directions was likely arranged by them to divert the household’s labor force.

After spending these days with them, Shang Lu also noticed that the village chief considered himself an authority in the village. It’s just because they offered a substantial amount of money, so he had always been accommodating and not particularly cautious towards them. On the other hand, his son seemed more cautious and added an extra lock before they left. Even when they were not at home, they couldn’t access the third floor to see the village chief’s wife, resulting in the current standoff.

However, the turning point was on Zhang Qian.

Xiao Zhi cried to Zhang Qian directly, “Mom, what if Grandma dies? It was almost like last time… Please, quickly open the door.”

Zhang Qian had never expected such a situation to arise again, her face turning pale.

She knew where the keys to the house were hidden, but she didn’t dare to open that door. If she did, these people would see her mother-in-law. When her husband and father-in-law returned, they would surely be angry, and she might even have her legs broken.

So Zhang Qian wanted to refuse, to tell her son that she didn’t have the keys and to ask him to find his father to handle the matter, making it clear that it was not her concern.

But at this moment, Shang Lu looked at Zhang Qian and said, “For elderly people, a delay of even a minute in getting them to the hospital after a fall can impact their life. For Ah Zhi, he’ll remember for the rest of his life that he couldn’t save his grandmother today, and he might be haunted by guilt and the shadow of death for the rest of his life.”

After spending these days with Zhang Qian, Shang Lu knew very well that for Zhang Qian, her son was her entire world.

These words successfully shook this frail woman.

Zhang Qian murmured, “No… no…”

She wanted her son to grow up healthy and happy, to have a bright future. How could he live his whole life in the shadow of death and self-blame?

Furthermore, her father-in-law and husband didn’t want her mother-in-law to die. After all, it was a matter of life. Last time, they were also terrified and sent her mother-in-law to the hospital when they thought she was in real trouble.

Yes, that’s it.

Zhang Qian finally made up her mind, stumbling as she got up, went to the cupboard, took out a pair of slippers, and, trembling, reached into the slippers to retrieve a key. She extended it to her son.

And at that very moment, a cold and somewhat angry voice sounded at the door, “What are you doing?”

The village chief’s son had returned.

---

Part 2 of Chapter 73

---

Please Like Her 24

After a brief moment of confusion, Ye Lu realized that Xu Ze might still not like talking to strangers, so he took on this responsibility and walked to the door. He considered himself quite popular in this village and smiled, saying, “Grandmothers, may I ask, have you seen…”

As soon as Ye Lu’s voice fell, he saw an ‘elderly’ in front of him kneel down.

Ye Lu was almost frightened, but his reflexes were lightning fast. He also knelt down with a *plop* and grabbed the shoulder of the ‘elderly’ in front of him, saying, “No need, no need! If you need help, just tell me!”

The ‘elderly’ in front of him made a slightly strange sound and said, “Young man, really?”

At this moment, Ye Lu was filled with panic, and his already limited IQ couldn’t support his thinking. He could only nod his head like a little chick pecking at grains and said, “Really, really! Please, tell me how I can help you!”

Help!

Why would an elderly suddenly kneel in front of him?

Has the camera been recording all this time? Can he explain himself?

Forget about the competition with Ou Yi and the collaboration with the master-level producers; at the moment when the ‘elderly’ knelt down, Ye Lu was already thinking about how to draft his statement for leaving the industry after being scolded.

The ‘elderly’ buried their face lower, and their voice quivered as they said, “Young man, I see your socks are really nice. Can you give them to me? I’m so old… I haven’t had a new pair of socks to wear in many years. The New Year is coming, and I just want your socks to have a warm winter.”

Ye Lu : “…?”

He thought it was something that might require him to sacrifice everything or go through fire and water, but this was it?

He had never heard of such a bizarre… no, such a simple wish.

Before Ye Lu could react, he saw the ‘elderly’ suddenly bend over, as if about to kowtow to him.

Ye Lu : “!!!”

Ye Lu became even more flustered and immediately said, “Sure! I’ll take them off now! I’ll give them to you! Please don’t kowtow! I’ll definitely have bad luck if you do!”

Ye Lu said as he tried to get up and take off his socks for the ‘elderly’. However, perhaps because his legs were weak, he was not successful. So, he simply sat down on the ground with a *plop*. Then, he pulled his shoes off with his hands. Finally, he successfully took off his socks and handed them to the ‘elderly’ in front of him. While doing so, he constantly repeated, “Here you go, here you go, Happy New Year! Wish you a happy New Year!”

[Hahaha, when Ye Lu said ‘Happy New Year,’ the ridiculousness of this situation doubled.]

[Socks as New Year’s gift… Shouldn’t it be Christmas?]

[So, has Ye Lu still not realized that the elderly in front of him is actually Shang Lu in disguise?]

[Clearly, he’s almost too scared to notice. He must be really bewildered, right? Hahaha]

When the ‘elderly’ in front of him reached out with a hand wearing disposable gloves to take the socks…

Huh??

Ye Lu reacted.

Why is this ‘elderly’ wearing disposable gloves? Moreover, even through a layer of gloves, there isn’t a single wrinkle on that hand, it doesn’t look like an old person’s hand at all.

Ye Lu was bewildered, and at that moment, the socks were already taken from him, directly by the ‘elderly.’

Shang Lu got up from the ground, looking somewhat disgusted with the socks in her hand, and she walked towards the program team while holding them. “Mission accomplished.”

Yes, this was the task assigned to her by the director’s team.

—After meeting, find a way to steal the socks Ye Lu is wearing today.

On the way back just now, the director mysteriously pulled her aside.

Naturally, Shang Lu refused on the spot.

Steal Ye Lu’s socks? That sounds too weird!

But the program team and Shang Lu, who had a love-hate relationship for ten episodes, understood each other well enough.

When Shang Lu learned that the program team would provide her with five different flavors of cake and the new chestnut-flavored product she hadn’t tried, after eating plain congee and steamed bread in the countryside for a week, Shang Lu hesitated.

Being a little pervert occasionally was not out of the question.

So after some bargaining, she had to get Ye Lu’s socks, but the method was not restricted.

The program team’s idea was : Not stealing? Then you can snatch them or forcibly take them off, and it still counts as her success.

Shang Lu chose to use acting to trick Ye Lu into voluntarily taking off his socks.

Ye Lu got up from the ground, barefoot, looking puzzled at the scene before him.

Shang Lu walked up to the program team holding those socks and asked, “This is okay, right?”

The director kept retreating, obviously avoiding those socks, saying, “It’s okay, Teacher Shang, your mission is accomplished! Accomplished!”

Ye Lu : “!”

Ye Lu was dissatisfied, “Why do you all find my socks so disgusting? These are new limited edition collaboration socks I just bought! I’m wearing them for the first time today!”

Shang Lu looked at him and said very seriously, “I’m not targeting you; I find everyone’s socks disgusting.”

Ye Lu : “…”

Alright, he reluctantly accepted.

“Ha.” Looking at the absurd scene in front of him, Song Zeqian sneered, then picked up the tea by his side and took a sip.

“Pfft—”

He sprayed the tea all over.

Song Zeqian looked somewhat embarrassed, put down the teacup, and looked directly at the culprit, Lin Yanyan. “Why did you put sugar in my cup?”

Only Lin Yanyan had been near his teacup just now.

Lin Yanyan : 🥺

How did he still find out?

The assistant director announced, “Lin Yanyan’s mission has failed.”

That’s right, Lin Yanyan’s mission was to add sugar to Song Zeqian’s cup, but she couldn’t be noticed.

However, this week had worn down Lin Yanyan’s competitive spirit. She no longer had the same determination as before and didn’t really care about the outcome.

Lin Yanyan took the bitter gourd juice handed to her by the production team, drank it without expression, completely accepting the consequences of her mission failure.

[It seems like I suddenly witnessed Lin Yanyan’s growth (bushi.]

[The princess has gone numb.]

Next, everyone gradually completed the tasks assigned by the program team, but most of them ended in failure.

Ye Lu, for once, remained calm and didn’t rush to act.

Because Ye Lu realized that his and Shang Lu’s task was the only one in the room that was about each other. Since Shang Lu succeeded, he couldn’t afford to lose!

But scaring Shang Lu, making her scream, that was going to be really difficult!

Ye Lu was in a state of distress.

It seemed like he hadn’t heard Shang Lu scream since knowing her for a long time.

Shang Lu looked at him expressionlessly. “Put away that expression that screams you’re plotting against me.”

Ye Lu immediately put on a smile and denied, “No, don’t judge a person’s heart by your own.”

Shang Lu : “…Don’t say what’s on your mind next time.”

Although she knew that Ye Lu’s task was definitely aimed at her, Shang Lu didn’t pay too much attention to it. After all, she had already completed her own task and had received a cake, so she was in a great mood and didn’t feel the need to be wary of Ye Lu.

As for whether Ye Lu had the ability to complete his task, it was not her concern.

Because Shang Lu had noticed something more worthy of attention.

---

Please Like Her 24

Meng Li widened his eyes and said, “He’s really too skilled at this.”

Lin YanYan explained to him, “You don’t understand. Before, Ou Yi went to a variety show and made a child cry, claiming he was named Ye Lu. He taught the child that revenge is a dish best served cold. When he grows up, he can become Ye Lu’s black fan.”

Shang Lu agreed, “You don’t understand friendship.”

Meng Li : “…”

He really didn’t understand.

Shang Lu glanced at Xu Ze with a hint of frustration in her eyes. What’s going on? She distinctly remembers that Ou Yi wanted to be friends with Xu Ze. Didn’t they play basketball together?

Xu Ze : “…”

Though he seemed to have figured out what Shang Lu wanted to say, this was the first time in his life that he wanted to ignore her.

While an awkward silence hung in the air on one side, on the other side, after mentioning Ou Yi’s name, Ye Lu became even more arrogant. He engaged with the people enthusiastically, even taking the initiative.

Anyway, once he leaves this village, the only thing that will be ruined is Ou Yi… Oh, no, Ou Yi’s image.

Netizens chimed in.

[Let’s educate everyone, this is not friendship, it’s a rivalry.]

[There’s a fierce competition among the top idols going on recently. Last week, the official held a preliminary vote with a 24-hour limit. Over a million netizens voted, and they were separated by less than a hundred votes. It completely overshadowed other idols.]

[So, they are now the kings of the idol world (?)]

[Rumor has it that the winner of this idol competition gets a super luxurious music production opportunity, working with master-level producers. It’s the ultimate goal in every idol’s life.]

[So, I’m curious now. Who will win in the end, Ou Yi or Ye Lu?]

Song Zeqian couldn’t stand it anymore, not wanting to waste any more time. He took the initiative to walk up and, as agreed with the program team, pretended that all these people were shooting through his arrangement.

After learning that a big star was coming to the village to shoot, especially at his own house, the village chief had some reservations at first. However, after the program team talked to him and negotiated the price, he happily agreed.

Not only did he earn a substantial sum of money, but the fact that the TV station was filming at his place gave him a lot of prestige.

After agreeing, though, he secretly took his son aside and whispered a few words to him.

The village chief’s son then locked the door to a certain room.

In the living room, it seemed like no one noticed this detail, and the recording of the program officially began.

Director : “Let’s have Teacher Meng Li, our guest today, greet everyone!”

Meng Li : “…”

He really didn’t sign a contract for this show.

Meng Li didn’t show much emotion, but he reluctantly nodded and introduced himself.

Naturally, viewers could tell that he wasn’t too thrilled about it.

[Meng Li might have just come for training, but ended up being forced to become a variety show guest.]

[By the way, this seems to be Meng Li’s debut in variety shows, quite casual indeed.]

[Meng Li’s expression is really sour, comparable to Song Zeqian’s in Xiao Taoyan’s first episode.]

Then the director cued Ye Lu to share his thoughts on seeing everyone after such a long time and to acknowledge Song Zeqian’s training progress.

Yelu looked at Lin Yanyan : “You wear so much makeup today.”

Because she couldn’t get up in the morning, she wore full makeup on the first day, and from the second day onwards, she gave up on makeup and just applied lipstick to brighten her complexion. Lin Yanyan said, “Do you want to die?”

[Lin Yanyan didn’t even bother to draw her eyebrows! What a straight guy!]

[It’s clear the princess really wants to kill someone, hahaha.]

Ye Lu : “?”

Did he say something wrong? Forget it.

Ye Lu then looked at Song Zeqian : “Why are you wearing sunglasses again?”

Song Zeqian’s sunglasses were originally used to hide his emotions, so as he got more familiar with everyone later on, the frequency of him wearing sunglasses decreased significantly. Now, he’s wearing an even bigger pair that covers almost half his face.

Song Zeqian had no expression on his face: “No one asked for your thoughts on me.”

Ye Lu : “…?”

Did he say something wrong again? Never mind.

Ye Lu looked at Xu Ze, this time examining him seriously: “You’ve gotten a lot darker.”

As he said this, he took a bottle of sunscreen from the bag he had placed on the luggage and handed it to Xu Ze : “Don’t be polite!”

Finally, Ye Lu looked at Jiang Jing and smiled: “Sister Jiang Jing, you’re as gentle and beautiful as ever.”

Nonsense, he’s not a beast.

After spending so much time recording together, Jiang Jing had always been very accommodating to them, so in Ye Lu’s mind, Jiang Jing was naturally impeccable.

Jiang Jing smiled helplessly and said, “Thank you.”

Evaluation complete.

Then Ye Lu summarized, “You guys don’t seem to have changed much. Director Song doesn’t seem to be doing well. You should have invited me to guide…”

Ye Lu stopped halfway through his sentence.

Wait, isn’t there someone missing in this ‘you guys’?

Ye Lu’s expression became confused as he looked at the people in front of him and asked, “Where’s Shang Lu?”

Others : “??!”

Lin Yanyan, like a child who has lost something important, became anxious in an instant, “Where’s Lulu? Wasn’t she just here?”

Everyone immediately started looking for Shang Lu.

Jiang Jing and Lin Yanyan went to Shang Lu’s room.

Ye Lu began to search high and low, “Shang Lu, are you here?”

Netizens were speechless.

[…]

[Ye Lu, stop it, Shang Lu definitely wouldn’t hide in the refrigerator 🙃]

Ye Lu was very anxious to find Shang Lu because the program team had given him a special task, which was to make Shang Lu produce a scream that exceeded 100 decibels.

But as soon as the recording started, Shang Lu disappeared. How was he supposed to complete his task?

Song Zeqian noticed two bags of small bread left on the ground at the entrance and said, “Those seem to be what Shang Lu brought. Did she just go out?”

Xu Ze understood and walked to the door, asking the elderly people who were still watching, speaking in a softer tone, “Excuse me, did you see a girl come out just now?”

The elderly people didn’t answer and all looked towards one of the ‘elderly’ people in their midst.

*Crunch*

Shang Lu, wearing a large floral cotton coat that seemed to have come from nowhere, a scarf wrapped around her head, slightly hunched over, munching on melon seeds, slowly raised her head. She smiled at Xu Ze and placed her index finger on her lips to signal him to keep it a secret.

Xu Ze : “…”

—Where did she get those melon seeds?

[It caught me off guard.]

[Good gracious. That’s just like you, Shang Lu.]

Shang Lu pointed to Ye Lu, who was still searching inside the house, and then pointed to herself, gesturing for Xu Ze to bring Ye Lu over.

Although Xu Ze didn’t understand what Shang Lu intended to do, he had always listened to her, so he walked back and patted Ye Lu on the shoulder, saying, “Go and ask the grandmothers at the door.”

Ye Lu : “?”

Why should he be the one to ask?

---

Part 3 of Chapter 72

---

Please Like Her 23

Zhang Qian is very kind and friendly. Upon learning that there were chicken droppings and vomit in Meng Li’s room, she voluntarily cleaned it up and also placed some oranges and lemons in his room to mask the smell. She looked apologetic and promised to be more mindful when cleaning the chicken coop tomorrow.

If she didn’t know the truth, Shang Lu would never have guessed that the woman in front of her had also been abducted. She would have simply seen the woman as a gentle woman with a well-behaved son and a husband who treated her fairly. The woman’s father-in-law was the village chief, and they didn’t even need to go out and work like their peers to make a living. In such a village, they could be considered a happy family.

This was the most tragic part.

The victim had almost forgotten the pain she felt when she first arrived here, even come to love her abuser, thinking that ‘he doesn’t treat me too badly.’ Especially after giving birth to a child, maternal instincts make her more willing to stay.

What could Song Zeqian do?

What more could Shang Lu do?

Song Zeqian had once said that they could save one person at a time.

Could they save the woman on the third floor?

These questions troubled Shang Lu.

Although Song Zeqian had once comforted her, she could never stop empathizing with these sufferings.

This family in this abnormal environment including the second son who contacted Song Zeqian.

And what secrets did the child Ah Zhi hide?

Shang Lu felt a headache coming on.

It seemed like there was a thread that should connect all of this, but for now, she couldn’t find the answer and felt a bit confused.

Nevertheless, Song Zeqian was the one accompanying her to rescue Xiao Mi, so she believed in him.

The next morning.

Everyone was sitting in the living room having breakfast when they noticed someone was missing.

Lin Yanyan asked, puzzled, “Where’s Meng Li?”

Song Zeqian replied, “He went to the chicken coop.”

Everyone : “???”

Song Zeqian explained that it was because Meng Li had a germaphobia and was working on overcoming it.

Jiang Jing, looking concerned, suggested, “Let’s go find him. We should at least have him come back to eat together.”

“Okay,” Song Zeqian actually appreciates Meng Li’s attitude of overcoming difficulties when faced with them, so he plans to take others to learn from it.

They had only eaten half of their meal when Shang Lu and Lin Yanyan each took a large steamed bun in hand and followed along.

Led by Zhang Qian, everyone arrived at the chicken coop.

At this moment.

A group of chickens surrounded Meng Li, and the ground was covered in chicken droppings. It seemed like it hadn’t been cleaned for a long time. Meng Li stood in the middle.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Meng Li asked, “You guys…”

He didn’t finish his sentence. It seemed that he couldn’t continue speaking and broke the silence, bending over and continuing to retch.

He hadn’t eaten much to begin with, and now he had thrown up everything.

Even the chickens kept their distance from him, huddled in the far corner of the chicken coop.

Watching this scene, everyone fell silent.

Lin Yanyan had a piece of steamed bun in her mouth, unable to swallow it or spit it out. Eventually…

*Vomit*

---

On the other side.

Everyone’s life in the countryside continues, and they have spent several days almost cut off from the outside world. Meanwhile, <The Most Hated Her and Him> updated their Weibo.

@The_Most_Hated_Her_and_Him(V) : [Teacher Shang Lu, Lin Yanyan, Jiang Jing, Xu Ze, and Song Zeqian will be absent from this recording due to work reasons.]

Netizens : [???]

Some clever netizens had already guessed.

[Is it because <Evil> has started training? I saw a video posted by Lin Yanyan’s studio.]

[Five out of six guests are absent. Is this even reasonable? Hahaha.]

[Will I lose my happiness?]

[Tomorrow is the recording day. Why hasn’t the production team announced a broadcast delay?]

[@Ye_Lu, what do you think?]

[I just realized that Ye Lu used to mock Lin Yanyan for being excluded, but it turns out he’s the one being excluded (suddenly enlightened).]

However, soon after, Ye Lu retweeted the Weibo.

@Ye_Lu(V) : [So, please follow the perspective of the reporter Xiao Ye to find them!]

Yes, the theme of this episode is still ‘visiting workplace,’ but this time it’s just Ye Lu visiting everyone alone.

Usually, the recording lasts for two days and one night, but this time it has been reduced to just one day in terms of duration.

This is the result of a discussion between Song Zeqian and the production team, trying to find a balance.

The recording time for the show is one week after they have been living in the village, and Song Zeqian also wants to take the opportunity to let netizens evaluate everyone’s changes. This is like an ‘exam’ for them.

It wasn’t until the second day that the production team’s staff were already on their way that Song Zeqian informed everyone of this news.

Everyone : “?!?”

Meng Li said slowly, “This has nothing to do with me, right?”

He is not a part of this variety show.

Song Zeqian : “I’ve already contacted your agency.”

Meng Li : “…”

Forced to become a guest.

And at this moment, Ye Lu is already on the road.

In the live broadcast room, there is a preview of a vote that hasn’t started yet.

【After a week of training, who is the one that has changed the most in your heart】

Song Zeqian also conveyed this ‘vote’ to everyone on behalf of the program team.

Everyone got up early and waited for Ye Lu according to the time given by the programteam.

Half an hour passed, but they didn’t see his figure.

However, two children ran past the door, shouting, “A star has come to the village! A big star!”

Everyone : “?”

Song Zeqian : “Well… I’m not sure what’s going on, but let’s go over.”

So everyone set off to the village gate to find Ye Lu.

And then they saw a strange scene.

A dozen or so elderly men and women were surrounding Ye Lu, bombarding him with questions.

“How old are you, young man?”

“How much do you earn in a year? Is your job stable?”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“What kind of girls do you like?”

And Ye Lu, who was surrounded in the middle, was wearing a troubled expression on his face.

Upon seeing his companions arrive, he frantically gestured with his eyes : Save me!

Because the production team had informed Ye Lu in advance that the identities of the others were concealed, he naturally couldn’t directly seek help from them or even reveal that he knew them.

In the eyes of the villagers, Ye Lu was the only star here.

His facial features were exceptionally good, and he had recently changed his hairstyle, even shaving his head to improve his hair quality, making him look a bit more ‘honest’ than usual, which endeared him to the older folks.

[Ye Lu looks so helpless.]

[Ye Lu! The hot commodity in the dating market!]

At this moment, one of the older ladies finally asked, “Mr. Star, what’s your name?”

Without thinking, Ye Lu replied, “My name is Ou Yi.”

The lady responded, “Ou Yi? That name sounds quite auspicious, not bad, not bad.”

Everyone who knew the truth : “…?”

Outrageous.

[Ou Yi? Oh yeah!]

[Well, after all, Ou Yi is Xiao Taoyan’s seventh member.]

[Ou Yi : Please settle the appearance fee.]

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Part 2 of Chapter 72

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Please Like Her 23

Shang Lu felt a slight trembling in her body as she asked, “What about the mother? Are we just going to watch, knowing that we can’t do anything?”

Song Zeqian asked her, “What can we do when even her own son can’t do anything?”

They locked eyes, sharing a brief moment of silence.

“Lie,” Shang Lu said, looking firmly into his eyes. “If you were that kind of person, you could have just let me pay 300,000 directly to buy Xiao Mi instead of going through all that trouble of acting out that whole play with me. You once told me that we should see, understand, and respect suffering. But if we’re only doing this to learn, and even pay the tuition to the abuser, then we’re supporting suffering. We’re also helping the oppressor.”

“Shang Lu, although you’re not wrong, you don’t need to worry about these things for now,” Song Zeqian said without denying it this time. He closed the script and placed it on the bedside table, saying, “Since you’ve figured out so much already, I’ll give you a hint: pay more attention to the grandson of this family. Anyway, go back and get some rest. Don’t forget your main task as an actor.”

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Back in her own room, Shang Lu continued to think about Song Zeqian’s last words, specifically about paying more attention to the family’s grandson, the little boy called Ah Zhì.

He seemed quiet and unremarkable, and she couldn’t recall much about him at this point.

As Shang Lu was lost in thought, she suddenly heard the sound of a heavy object falling in the neighboring room, followed by more similar noises.

Perplexed, Shang Lu went out and knocked on the door, asking, “Who is it? What’s going on?”

The door opened, and Meng Li appeared while holding a white shirt that had become almost gray from dirt. His face and mood were both not great, and upon seeing Shang Lu, someone he considered relatively close, he began venting as if he had finally found someone to share his frustrations with. He ranted, “This place is too dirty! And those bedsheets look like they’ve been used for years and barely washed. There are even cockroaches on the floor. Can you believe they’re making us stay in a place like this?”

Clearly, he was using his own clothes as a makeshift cleaning rag to tidy up the room.

Shang Lu thought it wasn’t too bad, perhaps because Song Zeqian’s money ensured that the room was relatively clean and tidy. She tried to console him, saying, “The village chief’s house is the best-conditioned place in the village.”

Meng Li knew this was true, but he still complained, “I can’t stand the strange smell. It’s disgusting.”

“What smell?” Shang Lu asked, not understanding.

Shang Lu opened the door and gestured for her to come in.

As soon as she walked into the room, Shang Lu also sensed some vague odor and asked, “Is there a dead rat in the corner?”

Shang Lu took the initiative to move cabinets and desks, inspecting the room’s blind spots.

Meng Li replied, “I’ve already searched everywhere.”

They found nothing, and had no idea where the odor was coming from.

Until Shang Lu suddenly heard a brief cuckooing.

Shang Lu opened the window and leaned out halfway, then turned to tell Meng Li, “There are a lot of chickens outside your window, and the ground is covered in chicken droppings.”

In an instant, Meng Li’s face turned ashen.

He walked over to take a look and immediately bent over, retching violently.

Because the window was open, a chicken suddenly flew in from outside.

Shang Lu was startled and took a step back.

After entering the room, the chicken strutted around proudly.

With a flap of its wings, it left behind a pile of droppings and left casually.

Meng Li’s face turned even paler.

The next second, he couldn’t bear it anymore and bent over to vomit.

Shang Lu : “…?”

Meng Li finally recovered and rushed out, as if fleeing.

He stood at the faucet by the door, constantly rinsing his mouth, and occasionally making retching noises.

Shang Lu stood nearby and asked, “Are you okay?”

“I have germophobia,” Meng Li said, as he finished cleaning his mouth and took out hand sanitizer from his pocket to clean his hands. His face remained pale, and it seemed like the thought of the recent scene made him want to vomit again.

Shang Lu paused and said, “You can’t handle this? But in the script, you have to go to the pigsty to feed the pigs, and by the way, you have to ride a pig.”

Meng Li was stunned, “Isn’t it enough to just clean the pigsty temporarily and bring in a lead pig?”

Shanglu thought for a moment and replied, “Maybe other production teams do it that way, but if it’s Song Zeqian, he’ll only select a suitable pigsty in advance and choose the most suitable pig, maintaining the most primitive environment. After all, according to the script, the mother is locked up, the father is lazy, and there are only a few children in the house. If they can feed the pigs, that’s good enough. How can it be kept clean?”

Meng Li’s expression became even more pained, as if his world was falling apart.

Just at that moment, footsteps were heard.

The village chief’s grandson, also known as Ah Zhi, came down. He was holding a cup in his hand and seemed to only remember that there were guests when he saw Shang Lu and Meng Li.

He did appear to be very well-behaved, with no signs of aggression, even to the point of being easily overlooked.

Thinking of what Song Zeqian had said earlier, Shang Lu greeted him, “Hello, are you still awake so late?”

“Yeah, just washing the cup,” Ah Zhi replied as he walked to the faucet and cleaned the milk residue from the cup.

At this moment, the village head’s daughter-in-law returned from playing mahjong at a neighbor’s house and was a bit surprised, saying, “Ah Zhi, didn’t you already have milk this morning? Why are you drinking it again at night?”

She clearly remembered that her own son didn’t like milk.

Ah Zhi’s face showed a hint of panic, and he replied, “I suddenly wanted some.”

The village head’s daughter-in-law didn’t notice anything unusual and was quite pleased, “If you like it, drink more. You need to get plenty of nutrition at this age. Next time, I’ll have your Dad buy more when he goes to the market.”

This woman seemed to be named Zhang Qian.

Shang Lu started a conversation with the woman, “Sister Qian, your son is both obedient and sensible, very cute.”

No one dislikes hearing praise for their children, and Zhang Qian immediately smiled and said, “That’s right. He’s not only well-behaved and filial but also does well in his studies. I’m content with just having this one child in my life.”

Shang Lu nodded in agreement and smoothly continued the conversation, “It seems like your relationship as a couple is also good. Such a harmonious family is truly enviable. If I had your luck, I could marry such a good man and have such a well-behaved child.”

Meng Li, who was standing nearby, found these words somewhat perplexing. Would a female celebrity like Shang Lu envy such an ordinary life, or did she have a romantic disposition?

Ah Zhi looked up at Shang Lu for a moment, although he was a young child, he showed no expression, and even seemed a bit numb. He took the cleaned cup and walked back into the house.

At this moment, Zhang Qian was beaming from Shang Lu’s praise and didn’t pay any attention to her son going back inside. She warmly continued to chat, “That’s right, the villagers all say I’m lucky. My husband is honest, hardworking, and diligent. After giving birth to Ah Zhi, I couldn’t have any more children, but he didn’t mind. Sometimes I think that even though there were some difficulties before… I won’t say any more. My son is this big now, and life is fine just the way it is. People should be content.”

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