Chapter 30: Was It All Just a Misunderstanding?

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Was It All Just a Misunderstanding?

For now, Fu Chao had no idea his fans were in the livestream chat, up in arms on his behalf.

If he knew, he would most likely step up and explain—

It was a complete coincidence.

The reason he had accepted Nan Zhi’s help, borrowing money for new clothes and then coming here to change,

was simply because he was a germaphobe, and this place was close by.

Fu Chao felt like he had been marinated in the stench of fish!

His nephew, Qing Xi, who was usually so close to him, paid lip service, saying, "Uncle, I don’t mind the smell," but in reality, he practically walked in a wide circle around him!

Fu Chao was so uncomfortable that goosebumps had broken out all over his skin. It felt like ten thousand ants were crawling under his skin, and he could barely stop himself from yelling for the crew to pause filming...

So, when Nan Zhi asked if he wanted to buy new clothes and change, there was no way Fu Chao could refuse!

Fortunately, the clothes sold in the small market shop weren’t expensive. Aside from the old-fashioned style, the quality was decent—the pure cotton was comfortable.

Fu Chao changed his clothes as quickly as possible.

He then washed his face with a newly bought towel, scrubbing so hard his skin turned red.

Only then did he feel the fishy smell on him fade, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

’If I keep racking up these favors, I’ll never be able to pay them back. I need to head back soon.’

Fu Chao made a silent decision and quickly gathered his things.

Normally, he would have thrown the clothes away without a second thought.

But now that he’d had a taste of life’s hardships, Fu Chao didn’t dare to be as willful as before. Instead, he dutifully found a bag for the clothes, planning to wash and wear them again.

He then pushed the door open and walked out. Just as he was about to call for Qing Xi, he heard his little nephew’s voice:

"...My uncle had a job, but he wasn’t good at it, so his boss fired him! Then he said he’d take me to find another job. We finally found one, but the director and the assistant lady said we broke the rules, so they confiscated my uncle’s luggage!"

Nan Yi: "Your uncle is really dumb."

"He’s not dumb! My mom says my uncle is just clueless about life!"

Qing Xi’s voice came, explaining with the utmost seriousness.

Fu Chao wished he could just bury his face in his hands!

’This little guy is spilling all my secrets!’

"Ahem, ahem, ahem!"

Fu Chao coughed loudly as he walked over, trying to signal his nephew to stop the backstabbing.

But how would a five-year-old like Qing Xi understand any of that?

He turned around, confused, and asked with great concern:

"Uncle, do you have a cold?"

After a moment of befuddled thought, Qing Xi pretended to lower his voice, but actually spoke loud enough for everyone present to hear:

"Are colds contagious?"

"I don’t have a cold!"

’I just want you to shut up!’

Fu Chao pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling utterly defeated.

Nan Zhi tried her best to hold back a laugh and asked Fu Chao:

"How did you break the rules?"

His image had crumbled again and again, and on top of that, he was indebted to Nan Zhi. He really couldn’t bring himself to just turn and give her the cold shoulder.

He sighed. His attitude was still formal, but much friendlier than before:

"My original job was a stocker at a supermarket. It was tiring, but the pay wasn’t bad. It’s my fault I woke up late the next day and got fired by the manager. I wanted to find another job, and it just so happened the supermarket needed a cashier, so I applied. I didn’t expect the owner to be a fan of mine, so she hired me over the other applicants. The production team considered it using my celebrity status to gain special privileges. As a penalty, they canceled my job, confiscated my luggage, and deducted points."

Seeing Nan Zhi’s thoughtful expression, an explanation somehow slipped out,

"I didn’t mean to take someone else’s job opportunity! The owner didn’t say anything, so I didn’t know either..."

The production team had the guests draw identity cards to determine their starting profession, residence, and living funds.

Fu Chao’s identity card had actually been quite good—

The supermarket stocker job was manual labor, but it offered stable pay.

His residence was in an old nearby neighborhood, a clean two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment on the second floor.

His living funds were 500 yuan, a full five times more than Nan Zhi’s.

...But that was just the beginning.

How things went from there depended entirely on the guest.

Just like how Nan Zhi had turned a bad hand into a royal flush, making her fried rice stall famous across the internet.

Meanwhile, Fu Chao, due to his limited life experience, had done the opposite and played a good hand badly.

The two of them were a stark contrast!

Fu Chao felt ashamed just thinking about it!

He remembered the little house he’d just seen—it was bright and clean, simple yet cozy, and clearly a lot of thought had been put into it.

In contrast, his and Qing Xi’s place looked exactly the same as when they moved in, like a hotel room.

He suddenly wondered if his prejudice against Nan Zhi had been too deep.

How could someone who took life so seriously be the malicious person of low character he had imagined?

’Could it all be a misunderstanding? Was I wrong about her...’

While Fu Chao was lost in thought, Nan Zhi was thinking about something else.

She said in a low voice:

"The show’s rules... are very flexible."

On the first day of filming, Nan Zhi might have seemed quiet, but she had actually committed everything the production team said to memory.

After careful study, she discovered that the show didn’t really have any special rules.

In other words, the guests had a lot of room to maneuver.

"Well, this is interesting."

She raised an eyebrow, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

Hearing her, Fu Chao looked a little lost.

"What?"

Nan Zhi shook her head, indicating it was nothing.

"You and Qing Xi should stay for lunch."

"No, thanks!"

"Okay!"

It was obvious who was who. The refusal came from Fu Chao, the cheerful acceptance from Qing Xi.

Fu Chao’s refusal wasn’t because he wanted to draw a clear line with Nan Zhi, but because he felt it was wrong to keep troubling her.

As for Qing Xi, his little brain was much simpler—

He just wanted the food!

Yet, Qing Xi still had to lecture Fu Chao with a serious expression:

"Uncle, how can you leave right after the pretty lady helped you? Of course we have to stay and help her!"

Fu Chao couldn’t even be bothered to retort:

"...And mooch a free meal while we’re at it, right?"

In the end, Fu Chao couldn’t win against his little nephew, Qing Xi.

He calculated that he would earn more money later to pay Nan Zhi back.

For now, he didn’t stay idle. He proactively asked Nan Zhi for the dirtiest, most tiring chore.

He saw the fish in the basin and volunteered:

"I’ll kill the fish!"

"Can you?"

Nan Zhi raised her eyebrows slightly.

She had seen long ago that Fu Chao was a germaphobe.

Fu Chao hesitated for a few seconds, then gritted his teeth.

"Of course I can! But... you’ll have to tell me what to do first!"

Nan Zhi didn’t mince words. She instructed Fu Chao to scoop the live fish out of the basin, knock it unconscious with the back of a knife, and then, step-by-step, scale it, cut it open, gut it, and clean it...

Fu Chao worked slowly, but very diligently.

He didn’t even notice the fine beads of sweat on his forehead or how pale his lips had become as he gritted his teeth and pushed through.

Watching him, Nan Zhi’s opinion of Fu Chao began to change as well.

You see, her friendliness toward Fu Chao and Qing Xi wasn’t because she was particularly kind.

It was because, in the original novel’s plot that she knew, Fu Chao was one of the benefactors that the male protagonist, Qi Zhang, would meet!

In contrast, the great villain, Nan Yi, in his slide into the abyss, never met anyone who helped him.

Nan Zhi couldn’t guarantee that she would always be by Nan Yi’s side.

Therefore, she hoped that this small act of kindness today could, on some future day, become the hand that pulled Nan Yi back from the edge.