“Recently, I’ve been quite busy and unable to do a livestream. I’m taking a few days off from everyone.”
[“Ah, no, don’t do that! QAQ I look forward to watching your livestream every day. How can you take so many days off?”]
[“Well, if it’s something important, we’ll wait for you!”]
“Thank you, everyone.” Jiang Mo smiled slightly at the screen, even though the camera wasn’t on, his laughter still reached everyone in the livestream through the headset.
Because of the pressing matter on his mind, Jiang Mo had the stroke of luck to meet Xie Ning. In just one week, his livestream account gained an additional hundred thousand fans.
A hundred thousand fans isn’t a lot, but if possible, he still wanted to return to the professional gaming scene.
After the livestream ended, Jiang Mo opened his email for the Nth time. Aside from spam messages and a reply from the RAG manager, there was an additional email.
Jiang Mo’s eyes lit up as he quickly clicked on it.
This email was from the PG team, and the rejection was phrased more tactfully than the RAG manager’s.
The PG team didn’t lack players; their members were all chosen from their youth training camp.
Jiang Mo understood what the other party meant. Players who bypassed the training camp and directly entered the team were mostly handpicked by the team coach, while the rest were retired professional players recommended and guaranteed by someone. For someone like Jiang Mo who had no background and self-recommended, the result could only be rejection.
The light in Jiang Mo’s eyes dimmed. He opened WeChat and sent a message to CY, who had been frequently in contact with him and was already at the top of his chat list.
[MOMO: Brother, I might have to ditch you for five days. Once I’m done with my busy schedule, I’ll make up for the remaining 30 games. Sorry!]
That day, Jiang Mo played three games with CY, who transferred 800 yuan to him. Jiang Mo was hesitant to accept, but CY told him it was for the whole month, with a market price of 20 yuan per hour for gaming. CY was very generous and insisted on giving him the money. In the end, Jiang Mo accepted the payment.
CY was a busy person and only had time at night. He would play a maximum of three games each day and log off on time. Jiang Mo still owed him 30 games.
CY replied to messages quickly.
[CY: Why apologize? I was the one who went on a business trip and ditched you first.]
[MOMO: But you’re my boss. It’s always the boss’s fault.]
[CY sent you a red envelope.]
[CY: Even bosses can’t ditch their employees.]
Jiang Mo’s face turned red. Was this guy really so naive and wealthy? Why would he give him red envelopes so easily?
[CY: Just accept it. Consider it my compensation.]
[MOMO: I can’t just take your money for free.]
[CY: I’m setting an example. Don’t you want me to be a good boss?]
[MOMO: Are you emotionally blackmailing me, brother?]
Chi Yu smiled lightly. He had turned down people who approached him and walked alone to the balcony outside the banquet hall. The night breeze tousled his fixed hair and dissipated the fatigue in his body.
“Why are you so shy if you’re a small money enthusiast?”
[CY: You don’t have to accept it, just promise me one thing.]
[MOMO: What is it?]
[CY: Don’t apologize to me.]
[MOMO: Ah?]
[MOMO: Alright, I’ll try.]
Jiang Mo had gotten used to apologizing first; it had almost become a habit for him, so it was a bit difficult to correct.
[CY sent you a red envelope.]
[MOMO: ?]
[MOMO: Why did you send me another one?]
[CY: Reward for being obedient.]
[MOMO: ……]
He couldn’t argue with the other person. This brother always found various reasons to make him compromise.
Jiang Mo accepted the second red envelope, which contained 99 yuan.
His ears felt a bit warm, not because he was happy about receiving the money, but because of that word, ‘reward.’
The other person had a kind of magic. Even though it was just simple words, they always made him happy for a long time, dissipating the sadness of being rejected by the PG team.
“Xiao Mo.” Someone knocked on the door, and Jiang Mo responded with an “Ah.” Mother Lu pushed the door open and walked in.
Every day, Jiang Mo would help out at the Lu family’s noodle shop for two hours, which brought him closer to his parents, but there was still some awkwardness.
Their gazes met, but only Mother Lu felt the awkwardness.
Jiang Mo had grown up in an orphanage and didn’t know what his biological parents looked like. The first person he met after coming here was Mother Jiang, who looked down on him, followed by the gentle-tempered father Lu and mother Lu. The comparison between the two was obvious.
Finally having a new lease on life, Jiang Mo sincerely wanted to treat the unfamiliar father Lu and mother as his own parents.
“Mom.” Jiang Mo obediently called.
Mother Lu asked, “Have you packed your luggage?”
Jiang Mo had told them during the day that he would be away on a business trip for a few days and wouldn’t be at home.
“It’s packed.” Jiang Mo pointed to the suitcase in the corner of the room.
Mother Lu placed a stack of money she was holding on Jiang Mo’s desk and said, “Take care of yourself while you’re away.”
Jiang Mo was bewildered. “I-I have money.”
“You can take it. It’s our heartfelt gesture.”
“I really have money.” Jiang Mo wanted to return the money to Mother Lu, but she refused and directly put it in his desk drawer.
“You’ve been running around on your own since you were so young. It hasn’t been easy.”
Mother Lu looked at Jiang Mo, unsure how to express her thoughts. Before the atmosphere became even more awkward, Mother Lu said, “I have to wake up early. I’ll go to bed first.”
“Good… goodnight.” Jiang Mo bid farewell to Mother Lu at the door and turned to open the drawer.
The stack of money Mother Lu gave him was probably a few tens of thousands. Jiang Mo carefully put the money in a box and stored it in the drawer.
At 6 a.m. the next morning, Jiang Mo turned off the alarm clock, got up, and rushed to the bus station to catch the early shift.
The original host wasn’t receiving any attention from the company. After his popularity gradually declined, the company withdrew his assistant and chauffeur. Jiang Mo could only go to the filming location for variety shows on his own.
The reason Jiang Mo was working so hard and earning money was for one particular reason.
He checked all the original host’s assets and obtained an unimaginable number. The original host’s entire fortune amounted to a pitiful three-digit figure. This was impossible for a star who had been in the industry for nearly ten years. The original host was simply a poor person, even wearing cheap online clothes provided by the Lu family. Jiang Mo searched for a long time but couldn’t find a single piece of decent clothing.
He could imagine that after appearing on the romance variety show, this would definitely be one of the points of ridicule for him.
Jiang Mo earned money through live streaming on Lu Yu’s account. Lu Yu didn’t take a single cent, and combined with the ten thousand yuan he had obtained from Jiang’s mother, Jiang Mo had saved up several tens of thousands of yuan. When he booked the tickets a few days ago, he couldn’t bear to book a flight ticket. The price difference between the flight ticket and the train ticket was three times, so Jiang Mo tried to save money for his future livelihood.
The location for this episode of the romance show was a small town in the Jiangnan region, nestled by mountains and waters, with unique scenery. It was a perfect place for romantic encounters.
The program team didn’t send anyone to pick up Jiang Mo. It wasn’t intentional mistreatment towards Jiang Mo; it was the same for every guest. Their filming started when each guest arrived at the cabin.
The romance show was conducted in a live streaming format, with cameras filming 24 hours a day. Guests could cover the cameras in case of special circumstances.
In the small room, an hour ago, six of the eight guests had arrived one after another. The eight invited guests were all celebrities. Some had worked together before, while others had crossed paths at various grand banquets. The atmosphere wasn’t too awkward during their interactions.
Lu Xuan was the sixth person to arrive at the cabin, and the lively atmosphere quieted down upon his arrival.
In the same-sex romance show, they were divided into groups with the AO system. The three male guests in Group A all had their gazes fixed on Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan made his debut in a campus drama, where he played the role of a gentle senior, leaving a deep impression on people. People often praised him as the ceiling of campus dramas.
It wasn’t surprising that fans exaggerated their praise. Lu Xuan had a gentle and handsome face, always smiling at everyone. A simple smile stirred the hearts of the three male guests in Group A. He wore an open black windbreaker, revealing a white shirt underneath. The shirt was tucked tightly into his pants, emphasizing his long legs.
As he stepped into the courtyard, getting closer, his figure enlarged, overshadowing the green mountains behind him. It was as if he forcefully emerged from a landscape painting, and everyone snapped back to reality.
[“Ah, ah, Lu Xuan! How can he be so good-looking!”]
[“Did you see that? Lou An couldn’t take his eyes off him. Could it be love at first sight?”]
[“Xiao Xuan looks so handsome, who wouldn’t like him?”]
Jiang Mo had taken a three-hour train ride and another hour in a taxi before finally reaching his destination.
He paid and just as he got off the car, he met Lu Xuan’s gaze at the entrance. Lu Xuan seemed to be waiting for him, his eyes openly scanning him, revealing emotions in his gaze that reminded Jiang Mo of Jiang’s mother’s eyes.
“Hel-hello.” Jiang Mo extended his hand and waved to Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan gave him a faint smile and ordered, “Wait a bit before coming in.”
“Huh?” Jiang Mo held onto the handle of his suitcase, his face full of confusion.
Lu Xuan no longer spared him a glance and turned around to enter the door.
Only then did Jiang Mo remember that the script had already started since he got off the car. His first scene was to set off Lu Xuan.
There were no cameras outside the cabin, and no one noticed Jiang Mo standing at the door. He leaned against the corner of the wall, kicking the broken stones under his feet. After counting thirty imaginary sheep in his mind, he took a deep breath, his nose red from the cold wind, and dragged his suitcase into the door.
Inside the cabin, the conversation was heating up. The sound of the wheels rubbing against the bluestone interrupted the discussion, but since the door wasn’t closed, everyone could see the scene outside from the living room.
Without the need for the manager to inform Jiang Mo to look ugly, Jiang Mo himself was afraid of the cold and voluntarily put on an extremely thick down jacket for warmth. All people could see was Jiang Mo wrapped up like a ball in a heavy white down jacket.
Their gazes didn’t fall on Jiang Mo’s face but on his appearance. Which one of those present hadn’t deliberately dressed up? What was wrong with this guy?
[“Pff, isn’t this Jiang Mo? Hey, it’s been a few days. How did you end up like this?”]
[“Why is this annoying guy on the show again? Last time he tried to stir up heat by targeting Chi Yu, but it didn’t work. Who does he want to stir up heat with this time?”]
[“There’s no harm in having a comparison. I don’t need to say who will be chosen, right?”]
chi ying… chi yu… same person?
The text says out of the six guests, eight were celebrities. That… doesn’t make sense 😅 8/6 isn’t possible. I’m not sure what the actual translation is, but I thought I should tell you. Thank you for translating, you’ve worked hard.
Oh I wasn’t the only one who noticed. I was immersed in the story but when I read that I got distracted cause wait, the math ain’t mathing😂😂😂
This is such a cute book. I’m so glad you guys are translating it and I can’t wait for the next chapter