Chapter 42

Chapter 42

After Su Xingyao got off the plane, he ran into two girls.

At first, when they called out to him as "Mr. Su," Su Xingyao didn’t realize they were calling out to him.

It wasn’t until the two girls ran up and stopped him that Su Xingyao halted.

He looked up at the people in front of him, a little confused.

"Just now, I thought you looked a bit like him from the side, and it turns out it really is you!"

One of the short-haired girls spoke, her eyes brimming with excitement.

"Mr. Su, I finally get to meet you in person! I'm your fan..."

The moment Su Xingyao walked out, she had spotted him.

Although he was wearing a mask, his height and striking looks made him stand out, even in just a simple black T-shirt.

This was the first time since his debut that someone had claimed to be his fan, and Su Xingyao was momentarily taken aback, not used to it.

Then, noticing that the two girls seemed a bit nervous, he politely removed his mask and nodded at them, "Hello."

His clear, pleasant voice only heightened their excitement.

Especially when they got a close look at Su Xingyao's face.

His slightly upturned fox eyes seemed like they could charm anyone in an instant.

Both girls had become fans of Su Xingyao after watching the latest episode of "Let's Travel Together."

Compared to the images on the show, seeing him in person made them realize the camera hadn’t done him justice!!

He was way more handsome in person!!

With such a handsome guy like Su Xingyao looking at them so closely, both girls momentarily forgot what they wanted to say.

Finally, the other girl came to her senses and hesitantly asked, "Mr. Su, can we get an autograph?"

She had heard some things about Su Xingyao before and thought he might say no.

But to her surprise, Su Xingyao kindly agreed.

Agreeing to sign for his fans, Su Xingyao then looked down and started digging through his bag.

However, since he rarely gets asked for his autograph, he didn’t have a pen with him.

Neither did the two girls.

After searching for a bit and coming up empty, Su Xingyao, not wanting to let them down, asked, "If we don’t have a pen... would a photo be okay?"

Originally just hoping for an autograph, they were thrilled to hear they could also take a photo...

The two girls were so excited by this upgraded perk that they almost jumped for joy.

After quickly taking a photo with Su Xingyao, they didn’t bother him any further.

But seeing that Su Xingyao was alone and carrying luggage, they hesitantly asked him.

"Mr. Su, are you here to film a show?"

Su Xingyao nodded in response.

After getting confirmation from Su Xingyao, the two were even more confused.

Why is he alone for filming? Doesn't he have an assistant?

However, they didn't ask further and just waved at Su Xingyao, "Take care, Mr. Su."

Su Xingyao also waved back politely, "Thank you."

After speaking, he smiled gently, "And thank you for your support."

The two girls didn't understand why Su Xingyao thanked them for their admiration.

But being thanked by someone they admired, their hearts were already soaring.

After watching Su Xingyao get into the show's car, they eagerly wanted to share their joy of meeting him on his fan page.

However, when they checked it, they found the fan page chaotic and messy.

Looking through the posts, they found mostly negative comments from rival fans.

The two were a bit confused, but they weren't heavily involved in fan communities.

Unable to find the main fan group, they just posted their photos with Su Xingyao on their Weibo profiles.

Little Deer Alice: Omg, today I randomly met Mr. Su, and since he couldn't sign, he took a photo with us instead, aaaaaa how can someone look so good even doing a peace sign!!

Five Six Seven Eight Nine: Mr. Su is seriously so handsome in person!! And he's so sweet and polite, the way he looked down and seriously searched his bag for a pen was adorable wwww But why was he alone at the show today? Didn't see any assistant...

While these two fans were still wondering why Su Xingyao was alone at the airport, he had already been taken to the recording site by the show's staff.

As a guest star, Su Xingyao was scheduled to appear later than the other guests, so his live stream wasn't open yet.

However, this didn't dampen the audience's excitement for Su Xingyao.

After his impressive performance in the last episode, the audience of "Let's Travel Together" was eagerly waiting for Su Xingyao's return.

Especially after the dull and unimpressive guest stars from the last episode, the audience was even more excited to see Su Xingyao again.

"Who's the guest star today?"

"Su Xingyao, Su Xingyao, Su Xingyao, please!"

"Xiangxiang is already here, could it be the same cast from the third episode?"

"Bring back the original cast from the third episode!!"

Seeing the live chat constantly mentioning Su Xingyao, some viewers were confused.

"Su Xingyao isn't that famous, is he?"

"Almost thought I was in the wrong live stream"

"Are these paid comments???"

However, despite the skepticism, many genuine fans quickly defended him.

"What are you talking about, water army? Are you gonna pay me? Watching him on variety shows is just entertaining..."

"Honestly, I've rewatched Su Xingyao and Shi Hongyu's brainwave guessing game so many times, it's really entertaining, but I'm not a fan of his."

"Not a fan either, but as long as he sticks to being a variety show star without causing any trouble, I can blindly praise him for three months."

In the show's live broadcast room, just as everyone was arguing, the guest's live broadcast suddenly started.

Then everyone saw Su Xingyao, dragging his suitcase, appear in front of everyone.

Unlike the awkward scene during his first appearance, this time Su Xingyao's arrival was welcomed by everyone.

After that episode, all the guests had a great impression of Su Xingyao.

Especially Xu Xiang, who admired this brother who had helped her and was very talented.

"Brother Xingyao!"

She was the first to spot Su Xingyao.

Seeing Su Xingyao, she was so happy that she stopped doing her homework and ran to the door to wave enthusiastically to him.

Shi Hongyu even gave him a direct hug.

"My fated brother is here."

Actually, when Xu Xiang appeared earlier, the guests had a feeling that Su Xingyao might be coming today.

Now that it was confirmed, they were all overjoyed.

As the last guest to appear, once Su Xingyao arrived, director Zhang Shanfeng showed up in front of everyone with a loudspeaker.

But today, Zhang Shanfeng, who usually announces tasks immediately, surprisingly let everyone have dinner before continuing with the tasks.

Having been tricked twice before, the guests had gotten smarter.

Hearing Zhang Shanfeng say something so unusual, their first thought was that it was a trap.

Because they had been tricked in the last episode.

Although the methods were different, they were just as sneaky.

"Director, your weird behavior really scares me..."

Tong Anan was the first to speak, her eyes full of disbelief.

Feng Han also looked at Zhang Shanfeng to confirm, "You sure there's no trap?"

Cen Yi also nodded, "You're not gonna make us pay after eating, right?"

In response to the guests' doubts, Zhang Shanfeng cheerfully pulled out a stack of bills from his bag.

With a look that said 'how could you not trust me,' he fanned out the money to show the guests.

"Here you go."

"Now you can relax, right? We'll cover it later."

Shi Hongyu, who was not very suspicious, nodded in relief after seeing the money in the director's hand.

Xu Xiang was half-convinced, half-doubting, "I have this ominous feeling..."

Although she saw the budget prepared by the production team, she still felt something wasn't quite right.

Su Xingyao, who had been quiet all along, looked at the stack of bills and asked the director, "Director, can't you let us keep the funds for now?"

Hearing Su Xingyao's words, Xu Xiang suddenly realized what was off.

She immediately nodded in agreement, "Right... why don't we just handle the payments ourselves?"

However, Su Xingyao's suggestion was quickly rejected by Zhang Shanfeng.

"This is the total budget for this journey, and it must all be handed over to the tour guide."

After saying this, he ceremoniously introduced the tour guide for this trip and handed the money to the guide in front of everyone.

"From now on, you're in charge of our meals, clothes, lodging, and travel."

In previous episodes, there were occasionally segments involving a tour guide, and the funds were also given to the guide.

So, everyone felt something was off but couldn't quite figure out what, so they temporarily stopped worrying about it.

However, since Zhang Shanfeng had never been so generous as to let everyone eat comfortably right from the start, the guests were careful and didn't order anything too pricey.

As a result, the meal for six people plus one tour guide came to a total of 230 yuan.

This amount was reasonable, and everyone was okay with it.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, everyone waited for the tour guide to settle the bill.

But just as the tour guide stood up and took a couple of steps, she hurried back to the group.

"Guests, I'm really sorry... I've lost the money..."

Seeing the girl acting as the tour guide trying hard to look panicked, the guests suddenly understood.

They had expected there would be a trick, but they didn't expect it to be hidden here!

Cen Yi chuckled and teased, "Well, well, even the tour guide has been led astray by you, Director!"

After the tour guide said she had lost the money, the owner, who had coordinated with the production team, also came out.

She stood at the door with her hands clasped, fully in character, and delivered the lines prepared for her by the production team.

"What are we to do without money? We don't allow dine-and-dash here."

Cen Yi quickly suggested, "If there's no cash... can I just transfer the money to you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized she was using the production team's phone, which didn't have any bank cards linked.

Zhang Shanfeng quickly interjected, "No transfers, no borrowing from fans, no selling autographs!"

The owner also nodded in agreement, "Our store doesn't accept WeChat payments, only cash."

Cen Yi: ...

"Just tell us what you want us to do already!"

Knowing that the production team was definitely going to trap them, Feng Han raised his hand and said, "Um... can I wash dishes to pay off the debt?"

Shi Hongyu gave the director a look that said, "You're really sneaky," and remarked, "I knew there was a reason you suddenly became so generous—you wanted us to wash dishes!"

He rolled up his sleeves and said, "Hey, you should've told us earlier. I'm great at washing dishes."

Just as Shi Hongyu was about to head off to wash the dishes, the director shook his head.

"Please find another way to cover the cost and earn cash to pay for dinner."

The audience loved seeing the director pull this trick.

"Sneaky director."

"So this is where the trap was set, hahaha."

"It's all about the surprise factor."

At that moment, it started pouring heavily outside.

The guests looked at the pouring rain and weren't too eager to go out and complete tasks in such weather.

After realizing that even the chance to wash dishes was taken away, Tong Anan looked at Zhang Shanfeng curiously.

"Director, are you in debt from gambling?"

Zhang Shanfeng immediately raised his eyebrows, "This is live, don't say something so ridiculous."

Xu Xiang wrinkled her nose and teased, "Otherwise, why would you be so harsh..."

Just as everyone was about to keep asking Zhang Shanfeng how to deal with tonight's dinner, Su Xingyao, sitting in the corner and seeing that the heavy rain outside wasn't going to let up anytime soon, asked the owner, "I have cash here, can I use it to pay?"

Hearing Su Xingyao speak, Zhang Shanfeng, who had been calm, suddenly tensed up.

"Wait, what?"

As soon as he said that, he saw Su Xingyao turn around and search through his clothes.

He quickly pulled out three hundred yuan bills from inside his clothes.

"I just happen to have three hundred yuan on me, can I cover the meal now?"

Seeing Su Xingyao, who had nothing in his hands just a moment ago, suddenly pull out three hundred yuan, Zhang Shanfeng turned to the staff in shock.

"Didn't you check the bags?"

The staff member replied, sounding hurt, "We did!"

"Then where did he get the money from???"

Before the staff could respond, Su Xingyao answered himself.

"There's a secret pocket in my clothes..."

A secret pocket in the clothes...

Zhang Shanfeng was speechless...

The guests were stunned!!!

The audience: ???

Su Xingyao continued, "When you're out and about... it's reassuring to have some cash on hand."

"It's reassuring to have some cash on hand when you're out and about, haha."

"But why does his clothes have hidden pockets? LOL"

"Did he sew them himself?"

"This habit is just like my grandma, hahaha."

"LOL, Zhang Shanfeng didn’t see that coming, did he? Su Xingyao carries cash when he goes out, and even hides it in secret pockets that can't even be found during a search."

"I seriously suspect that Su Xingyao was raised by his grandma or grandpa, hahaha."

"Zhang Shanfeng's two biggest rivals in variety shows: first Lin Yanran, now Su Xingyao, both are good at hiding things."

Shi Hongyu was stunned when he saw Su Xingyao had cash, then quickly handed the cash to the boss.

"Boss, please give us 70 back, thank you!"

The boss was only prepared for the initial plan and didn't expect any guests to secretly bring cash, so she was also momentarily stunned.

She turned to the director for help.

Zhang Shanfeng wanted to say something.

Su Xingyao spoke again, "We didn't transfer money, didn't rely on fans, and didn't sell autographs or photos..."

Zhang Shanfeng: ... Nice.

It was really pouring outside. Although a bit annoyed that his plan didn’t work, Zhang Shanfeng still agreed to Su Xingyao's proposal.

As he watched the other pay, he reminded the staff, "Next time, don’t forget to check the hidden pockets too!!"

Thanks to the cash Su Xingyao brought, everyone easily solved the problem.

Since they didn’t have to brave the rain for tasks, everyone returned to today's accommodation together.

This time, there were plenty of rooms, and everyone quickly picked their rooms based on preference.

After dividing the rooms, the guests started doing their own stuff.

Xu Xiang, who always carries her homework wherever she goes, quietly pulled out her homework.

But this time, besides Xu Xiang, Feng Han also pulled out his homework.

The two, who had to do homework while recording a variety show, had a quick chat before starting.

Xu Xiang: "Bro, why are you doing homework too?"

Feng Han: "No choice, the finals are coming up, and I haven't finished the calculus homework the teacher gave us."

Xu Xiang: "I was hoping you could give me a hand with my homework..."

Feng Han: "I’m struggling myself..."

The two of them exchanged sympathetic glances and then stopped communicating, silently focusing on their homework.

But soon after, two sighs echoed.

"Haha, my daughter must be struggling with physics again."

"Feng Han definitely can't understand calculus."

The production team, as usual, loves to stir things up, and the live camera was focused on the two who were struggling with their homework.

On screen, both looked visibly frustrated.

After showering and coming downstairs for water, Su Xingyao heard the sighs and approached them.

"What's wrong?"

Xu Xiang, biting her pen, gestured helplessly at her physics homework.

"Why does such a hard subject exist in the world..."

Su Xingyao tapped his slender fingers on the table while leaning over to examine Xu Xiang's paper.

After reading the problem, he silently asked Xu Xiang for paper and a pencil, then began sketching.

The live audience, seeing this, immediately began to wonder.

"Is Su Xingyao... trying to tutor Xu Xiang?"

"No offense, but can Su Xingyao actually solve these problems?"

"What’s his education like? Is he even qualified to tutor Xu Xiang? I'm not looking down on Su Xingyao, but Xu Xiang, despite always struggling, is actually quite good at academics. The problems she can't solve are probably the toughest ones, like competition-level problems that most people can't handle."

"I don't know Su Xingyao's education history. I just checked his profile and couldn't find anything..."

"Schools that don’t disclose their names are likely obscure institutions. It's fine to craft an image, but don't waste the kid's time."

While the audience was still questioning Su Xingyao's education and abilities, he had already finished writing out the solution.

Xu Xiang quickly glanced at the paper Su Xingyao had filled.

After studying it for three minutes...

Xu Xiang: "Thank you, brother. I finally understand how to solve this problem."

The chat exploded with: ???????