Chapter 71: The Pure Jade Starlet Is Not to Be Trifled With 21
"Zhenzhen-jiejie is the best! I will definitely practice my calligraphy and study Chinese well." Shi Xiao hugged the booklet at the bottom of the pile, his face full of joy and conflict.
It turned out that after Shi Wei discovered the booklet and flipped through it, he found it contained some martial arts techniques broken down into moves, which were very suitable for beginners to practice.
He might not become a martial arts master, but practicing these would be enough to strengthen his body and develop some skills.
What made Shi Xiao happiest was that there were also sword technique breakdowns—several sets of flashy, intricate sword moves.
In the afternoon, A-Zhen really did carry a basket of things to find Shi Wei.
Inside were stir-fried bamboo shoots and some farm fruits and vegetables; the latter had been gathered by Du Ya.
Du Ya had just gone out for a stroll in the afternoon and had already made several friends; by the time she returned, her basket was full.
The audience was quite impressed by this.
When A-Zhen arrived, Shi Xiao was practicing calligraphy, and Shi Wei was watching from the side.
Even though he knew why she had come, Shi Wei still felt a bit nervous.
He remained tense the entire time. When he heard A-Zhen ask if she could print out a photo to have him sign later, he said, "Sure."
No one knew how fast his heart was beating.
Even long after she had left, his heart rate had not returned to normal.
With the items A-Zhen had brought over, the Shi brothers didn't have to rack their brains for dinner.
As for A-Zhen, with Du Ya there, she didn't have to worry about what to eat at all. The mother and daughter lived a relaxed and happy life, as if they were on vacation.
Su Zihuan and his sister were surprisingly smooth; they obtained plenty of ingredients with ease, and their dinner was much richer than their lunch, even including chicken soup.
[Why do I feel like this is a bit absurd? These farmers are being way too nice to the two siblings.]
[Feels like there's something fishy going on.]
[Even if it's Zhenzhen's mom, when she brings things back, it's because she put in the labor. It's not like people just give things away after a few words of chat.]
[Could it be that they were tipped off in advance?]
[Then that wouldn't be very interesting.]
[Rich people are indeed remarkable, but why come on a show like this to play? You can play anywhere.]
Xuan Yanrui struggled, but failed to make any headway, and in the end, the intern brother duo had to accept the relief meal.
"Eat it, just consider it a diet. Brother won't blame you," Fang Qingrong comforted him. "You've already tried your best."
Xuan Yanrui felt depressed; Fang Qingrong had managed to say all the right things.
When the live stream ended that day, the guests finally had time to check the situation online.
The footage of A-Zhen shooting arrows had remained on the trending list for a long time. Because of this, she gained a huge wave of fans and pushed the show's popularity to another peak.
Shi Wei's performance was excellent, but that was expected, so it wasn't considered strange. The audience loved the interaction between the two brothers, especially the scene where Shi Xiao received the calligraphy copybook and Chinese workbook, which drew much laughter.
A-Zhen's successful fan moment and Shi Wei getting his pants dirty while digging for bamboo shoots sparked much discussion.
Du Ya was like a fish in water in the countryside, becoming a topic of conversation.
The intern duo, Fang Qingrong and Xuan Yanrui, provided plenty of comedic material, but the public's focus was mainly on Fang Qingrong. Paid trolls were working hard to save face for Xuan Yanrui with all sorts of praise, but since people were also watching Fang Qingrong, they didn't gain any ground and instead earned the reputation of being "a bit fake," which almost made Xuan Yanrui's nose crooked with anger.
The Su siblings' reputation was quite good at first, but ever since they obtained ingredients so easily, the public sentiment online shifted, and the mockery increased.
Su Zihuan was annoyed by this and immediately arranged for paid trolls to handle it.
As a result, the mocking voices grew even louder, which infuriated him.
These poor wretches, earning a few thousand yuan in wages, were certainly good at meddling in other people's business.
By the time Su Yuxin found out, it was already too late. Knowing that Su Zihuan had done it all for her, she couldn't bring herself to say any words of blame. Fortunately, she wasn't a public figure, so the matter passed after a while.
Su Zihuan remained very angry. He had brought his sister to relax and have fun, but it had turned into this, which really irritated him.
"Someone must be stirring the pot behind the scenes," Su Zihuan said.
As for who it was, his implication was clear.
Su Yuxin couldn't be sure; after all, everyone knew this circle was complicated.
"Brother, none of this matters. We aren't people in the industry anyway, so we don't need to worry about it. Once the recording is finished, we'll go back to our own lives. There's no need to get involved in these troublesome matters," Su Yuxin advised.
If the interaction between Du Zhen and her mother had made her feel a bit sour earlier, now that Su Zihuan was angry about the online reputation, she no longer had the time to think about that.
She just wished for it to end early.
"Brother, if you feel uncomfortable, why don't we end it early?" Su Yuxin felt that if staying here wasn't making them happy, they might as well leave.
Su Zihuan, however, said, "Why should you and I be the ones to leave? If we leave like this, wouldn't it make us look guilty? What would people outside say about you then?"
"It's only a few days, no need," he said.
"Let those people mock us if they want. My plan for the next few days won't change; the ingredients we get tomorrow will be even better," Su Zihuan said. "You're right, we're here to relax, not to be part of the circle. We don't need to care about those evaluations. Whatever you want, Brother will have people arrange it. Their insults are useless; if they have the ability, let them get others to do it for them."
"Do they dare?" He chuckled.
Of course, that wasn't all he was going to do.
He had already decided that the person stirring the pot behind the scenes was Du Zhen, and he wouldn't let her off easily.
Just because he hadn't caught Du Zhen's weakness yet didn't mean he had no way to do it.
The ten years Du Zhen spent in the Su family were the best breakthrough point.
In the following days, with Du Ya there, A-Zhen lived a comfortable life. The mother and daughter even cooperated to complete the tasks assigned by the production team, and every frame was heartwarming.
Shi Xiao was always at odds with Shi Wei, which became a source of humor for the show.
Of course, the biggest source of humor remained the intern duo, but the one who benefited was still Fang Qingrong; no matter what Xuan Yanrui did, he looked like a clown.
The Su siblings were much more arrogant. Ever since they hit the trending list, they became even more unscrupulous. Every day they ate and drank well, harvested various ingredients, and after eating, they went around sightseeing, taking photos, experiencing various customs, or going to the town market. They really did seem like they were there for a vacation.
Netizens might curse, but they were truly envious of this kind of life where one could do whatever they wanted because they were rich.
Many people fantasized that if they were that rich, they would also go on a variety show to play around.
The production team saw this as a unique feature and gained a lot of popularity, so naturally, they didn't stop it.
The few days of live streaming ended quickly.
Having just played through it, Su Yuxin felt a bit dazed. At the beginning, she had some baggage, but after letting go of everything, she had actually had quite a bit of fun with her brother.
Although seeing Du Zhen and her mother getting along so well still gave her mixed feelings, she didn't care as much as she did at the start.
That was Du Zhen's mother, not hers after all, and that was fine.
She had parents who loved her and a brother who doted on her; she was content.
That day, a trending topic popped up. Because it contained the words "Du Zhen," it was particularly eye-catching, and those who saw it couldn't help but click on it.
#DuZhenFakeHeiress#
According to an insider, Du Zhen was swapped with the Su family's daughter at birth. It wasn't until she was ten that she was swapped back with the real Su family daughter. After being swapped back, Du Zhen never asked about the Su family who had raised her for ten years, and even forbade the Su family daughter from inquiring about the Du family's situation. Once, because the Su family daughter called Du Ya, she threw a tantrum at home, causing Du Ya to never dare to contact the Su family again. Over the years, she actually didn't keep in touch with Du Ya much. For some reason, a while ago, she suddenly reconnected and made up as if nothing had happened. It's hard to say what the reason is.
The exposé seemed to just state the facts, but upon closer inspection, it was already biased.
The current online discussion was going exactly as the whistleblower had hoped.
[If this is the truth, then Du Zhen is a bit of an ingrate.]
[Being an ingrate is one thing, but stopping the Su family daughter from contacting her foster mother? That's hard to justify.]
[So, was all that heartwarming mother-daughter stuff just an act?]
[Could it be that she only contacted her mother to participate in this variety show? Ah...]
[I feel like Zhenzhen and her mother aren't faking it. Everyone, calm down, there must be more to the story.]
[So, why is she an ingrate? The Su family raised her for ten years and gave her a wealthy life. Doesn't she feel any gratitude at all?]
"How dare they? How dare they?" Du Ya held her phone, her eyes red, filled with anger. "How dare they say these things!"
The Su family treated her daughter like that, how could they dare to say such things? She didn't believe this had nothing to do with the Su family.
A-Zhen held her hand and comforted her, "Mom, don't worry."
"I'm capable of fighting back now. I'm no longer that little girl living under someone else's roof, constantly worried about being kicked out, unable to do anything."
Du Ya burst into tears. At this moment, she understood her daughter's past situation even better.
All that remained was heartache.