Chapter 22 Deterrence

Chapter 22: A Show of Force

"And a dead fish smell too. I was about to say that's the brand's smell." He Meimei rolled her eyes again, pulling out a silk scarf to cover her nose and mouth.

Zhang Yue's face stiffened for a moment, but she quickly smiled. She lowered her head to sniff her sleeve. "That might be because I ate salted fish this morning. My grandma made it herself. If you'd like some, I can mail you some."

Seeing the atmosphere grow awkward, Yang Yizhou immediately raised his hand. "I love salted fish too. My grandma also liked making these preserves, but she died when I was very young."

As he spoke, he lowered his head, a trace of sadness crossing his face.

Zhang Yue immediately turned to comfort him. "I have tons at home. If you want some later, just tell me, and I'll mail it to you."

He Meimei rolled her eyes. With no cameras on, she had no time to join their emotional drama. She simply took out her compact mirror and began touching up her makeup.

"What are we going to do? If we get recognized, how can we travel properly?" she said with a worried expression.

Su Mi, leaning back with her sunglasses on to rest, said, "If you remove your makeup, no one will recognize you."

*Snap!* He Meimei closed her compact, suppressing the urge to curse. Finally, she took a few deep breaths, put on an eye mask, and also leaned back to rest.

The guys in the back were looking at travel itineraries. Each seemed to have prepared one, but with varying levels of detail. Their conversation drifted to basketball and racing cars, getting more and more excited.

"So noisy!"

Su Mi's impatient voice came from the front, cutting them off abruptly. They just exchanged glances and leaned back to rest.

They couldn't tell if Su Mi was being her true self or just getting into her role too quickly. But with no cameras on, she didn't need to act so... authentically.

The first stop was a popular domestic tourist destination—a scenic ancient town. These locations were part of the program's promotion deals with local areas. As the show aired, it would likely drive local tourism.

After getting off the plane, the staff had them draw lots. The more money they drew, the less strained their budget would be for this trip.

To that end, the production team collected all their bank cards and cash, allowing them to keep only a show-provided phone.

When Su Mi pulled out a stack of bank cards, a sharp-eyed staff member immediately recognized the black card among them. Breaking out in a sweat, he handed it back. "This... maybe you should keep this one yourself?"

If that card got lost, the entire production team couldn't afford to replace it.

Seeing the black card, He Meimei deliberately took off her sunglasses for a glance, then put them back on and rolled her eyes. *Just riding on a sugar daddy's coattails. Without someone backing her, she'd probably still be a stunt double in some backwater. It's just a card, no big deal.*

Thinking this, she immediately turned to text her agent, asking them to find out who Su Mi's sugar daddy was, to be so extravagant as to give away such a black card. If she could steal him away, she'd never have to worry about resources again.

"It's fine, just a card. We should all follow the rules." Su Mi handed it over casually.

The assistant director hurriedly stepped forward, nervously sweating, to explain. "It's alright, it's alright. Special circumstances call for special treatment. You should really keep this one yourself."

If the card got lost, their show would probably be done for.

Seeing this, Su Mi had no choice but to put it away herself. The others were stunned, as if they hadn't expected her to have a black card.

Only the well-informed Li Chuan understood. He had already received word that Su Mi was actually the eldest daughter of the Su Group. Although his own family was well-off, it paled in comparison to the Su family. If he could get on her good side during this show, it would definitely be beneficial.

"I usually have my money transferred to my parents' cards. I don't use cash much either." Zhang Yue handed her wallet, containing only a few bills, to the staff.

The others gradually handed over their cash and bank cards to the production team. Then, the staff brought over a box for everyone to draw lots. The higher the amount drawn, the more travel funding they would have for this trip.

Perhaps due to the 190 Luck stat, Su Mi drew thirty thousand yuan—the highest amount among everyone.

Naturally, this fund was entrusted to her.

For six people over three days, thirty thousand was roughly enough. But for stars used to luxury suites, it was naturally tight.

Su Mi ignored them. Just as she was about to flag down two taxis to the tourist site, she heard He Meimei say, "It takes an hour to get to the town from here. Taxis are so expensive, and we have other expenses later. Let's take the bus instead. It's only fifteen yuan per person."

She was playing the shrewd and capable type. Since the cameras were rolling, she couldn't be vague now.

"Yeah, let's take the bus. We can save some money." Zhang Yue immediately agreed.

Su Mi said nothing. She handed each of them twenty yuan. "You guys get on the bus first. I need to use the restroom. I'll take the next bus over."

Hearing this, the others immediately nodded. Only Li Chuan offered helpfully, "Should we wait for you? That way, we won't get separated."

"It's fine. We have phones to contact each other. I'll send you the hotel location later." Without another word, Su Mi pushed her suitcase alone in another direction.

The staff followed her, filming. They noticed she wasn't heading for the restrooms but towards the taxi stand and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to the restroom?"

Su Mi hailed a taxi and put her suitcase in the trunk. "I'm taking a taxi. They want to take the bus. When opinions differ, arguments are bound to happen. So, they take the bus, I take a taxi. Everyone gets what they want, and no disputes arise. People need proper communication skills; that way, everyone's happy."

Hearing this, the accompanying staff were speechless. Somehow, it sounded quite philosophical.

"But what if they find out you secretly took a taxi?" the cameraman asked curiously.

Su Mi got into the back seat and shrugged helplessly. "So what if they find out? Did I stop them from taking a taxi? They chose not to. What right do they have to blame me?"

"..."

The staff members got in without a word. Although Su Mi was portraying a sharp-tongued character, somehow, they found her logic quite reasonable.

It took an hour to reach the town. Su Mi searched on her phone and finally booked a hotel with good reviews. Although it was farther from the town, the privacy in those homestays usually wasn't guaranteed. Also, the town could be noisy at night, so a place farther away was more suitable for rest.

Most importantly, this hotel was the only one nearby with a gym. Eight hundred yuan for a deluxe twin room. However, she didn't like sharing a room with others—better safe than sorry—so she booked a six-hundred-yuan deluxe single king room for herself alone.

As for whether the others had opinions, it didn't matter. The money was in her hands, and she was playing this character, so she had to commit to it fully.

The five-thousand-yuan round-trip airfare would also be deducted from her thirty thousand. But twenty-five thousand for three days was actually sufficient.

It was the off-season for tourism. The driver took a shortcut, and they arrived at the hotel in less than an hour. She checked the group chat; the others were still on the bus, saying they'd arrive in about half an hour.

After getting her room key, she took her suitcase to her room. Then, she took out a surveillance scanner and scanned the entire room inside and out. Only after confirming there were only the production team's cameras and no hidden ones did she feel at ease to unpack.

By the time she had planned out the entire travel itinerary, the group still hadn't arrived.

Half an hour later, the group finally arrived downstairs. He Meimei's face was pale, clutching her chest as she squatted down, dry heaving. At this moment, she had completely lost her composure as a female celebrity. Zhang Yue also seemed unwell, unable to utter a single word.

The three guys were in a similar state. Li Chuan was slightly better but wisely didn't ask why she had arrived so quickly. He just suggested letting the others rest a bit before going to eat.

"You... weren't you on the bus behind us? How did you get here before us?" He Meimei clutched her stomach, looking at her with suspicion.

Su Mi replied calmly, "I don't know. We didn't encounter any traffic jams on our route. Did you get stuck in traffic?"

The accompanying staff promptly shut their mouths.

Mentioning traffic jams, He Meimei immediately wanted to curse, but remembering the cameras were still rolling, she could only head to the front desk with a pale face to get her room key.

Six people, two to a room. But Song Hua got a superior king room. After all, with three guys and three girls, one guy and one girl had to have single rooms.

He Meimei immediately asked the camera to move away, then confronted Su Mi. "Why do you get a single king room all to yourself, while Zhang Yue and I have to share a twin room?"

Su Mi remained expressionless. "I sleepwalk and hit people at night. I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to handle it."

Hearing this, He Meimei immediately sneered, "I also sleepwalk. I'm afraid Yueyue won't be able to handle it either."

Meeting her gaze, Su Mi nodded, "Alright then, we'll share a room tonight."

Seeing this, He Meimei had nothing more to say. She just put on her sunglasses, rolled her eyes, and told Li Chuan to take her suitcase up.

These people needed to rest for a while longer, so Su Mi ordered takeout and ate alone downstairs. I was being generous letting them take a taxi, but they refused, insisting on keeping up their images. Who could they blame for the traffic jam?

After she finished eating, the others gradually came down. However, He Meimei was dragging her feet again. If the staff hadn't told her they had to visit an attraction today, she'd probably still be resting in her room.

When she came down, she had changed into a floral dress and looked much better. But upon hearing they were going to eat, she immediately suggested waiting until six o'clock for dinner instead, to skip a meal.

Zhang Yue also had no appetite from the bumpy ride. The guys were a bit hungry, however. Su Mi gave each of them a hundred bucks to grab something to eat on their own, telling them to regroup in twenty minutes.

The first must-see spot was an ancient tree in this ancient-style town. It was said to be several hundred years old with a particularly beautiful story. Legend had it that couples who visited here would live happily ever after.

This time, no one objected to her suggestion of taking a taxi. Thirty yuan would get them just outside the town.

Perhaps someone recognized Yang Yizhou, as the road was filled with screams, and passersby kept taking photos with their phones. He Meimei was constantly touching up her makeup to avoid any unflattering candid shots circulating online.

The town had many snacks. Su Mi ate and bought things along the way. The others, needing to control their calorie intake, mostly didn't dare to eat, but perhaps unable to resist the temptation, Yang Yizhou also bought a bowl of tangyou baba (sweet glutinous rice cakes) and started eating.

While eating, he warned the staff not to tell his manager about this, as it wouldn't be a good thing.

Artists need to control their figures. Packing on even a few pounds on camera can lead to criticism from haters and affect brand deals. Therefore, a star's daily diet is strictly monitored by their manager.

Watching Su Mi eat bowl after bowl, He Meimei couldn't help but swallow hard. She had only had a bowl of porridge in the morning, but what could she do? She had to control her diet to maintain her figure.

Perhaps remembering the cameras were still rolling, she warmly approached Su Mi, "Your skin is so fair! How do you usually take care of your skin?"

The latter took a bite of her sweet cake and said with a straight face, "Money."

"..."

He Meimei took a deep breath, almost losing control of her facial expression.

That's just how the nouveau riche behave. What's so great about it? If she hadn't found a sugar daddy, forget about perfume that costs five million, she probably couldn't even afford a hundred-yuan bottle.

"Aren't you afraid of gaining weight?" Zhang Yue said worriedly, looking at her own arm. "I'm still a teenager. If I eat just a little more, I easily gain weight. Or can you just eat whatever after your teens?"

Hearing this, He Meimei couldn't help rolling her eyes. She couldn't stand this two-faced behavior the most. So what if you're eighteen? Who hasn't been eighteen? Is it necessary to emphasize it every single day?!

"Everyone's metabolism is different. If you're fat now, you'll likely still be fat later," Su Mi walked ahead directly.

Hearing this, Yang Yizhou immediately chimed in, "Not necessarily. When I was a kid, I gained weight even from drinking water. It's much better now. You still need to exercise consistently."

Su Mi shot a look at his handler, "Remember to send the part where he just ate grilled skewers to his manager."

"..."

Yang Yizhou instantly shut his mouth and started coughing violently, unscrewing a water bottle cap and drinking frantically to cover his embarrassment.

Remembering the task her manager gave her, Zhang Yue immediately sidled up to him, wearing a sweet smile, "What kind of exercise do you usually do? I want to work out too, but I can never stick with it."

Thinking about needing to create on-screen chemistry with her, Yang Yizhou also looked at her gently, "Just playing basketball usually. I remember our hotel has a gym. We can go for a run tonight."

"Great!" Zhang Yue tilted her head, her eyes full of delight.

Su Mi took a bite of a fried skewer, "If you can't even run now, how will you manage on the treadmill tonight?"

Even the usually quiet Song Hua couldn't help but laugh, but not wanting to provoke Yang Yizhou's fans, he quickly pointed into the distance, "There are so many people over there. Shall we go take a look?"

He Meimei, already exhausted, immediately darkened. As if remembering something, she suddenly clutched her stomach with a pained expression, "I might have eaten something bad this morning. Why don't you guys go ahead? I'll wait here for you."

Zhang Yue immediately, helpfully, went over and grabbed her arm, "You can't stay here alone. I'll stay here with you."

At least the cameras were rolling. The others all showed concern, saying they would wait until she felt better before going together.

"No, no, you go. It's probably just a stitch. I'll be fine in a bit," He Meimei waved her hands repeatedly.

Su Mi bought a roasted sweet potato and simply sat down on a roadside bench, "It's fine. What if we get separated later? It's better if we stick together."

Hearing this, He Meimei couldn't help but close her eyes and take a deep breath, her fists clenched so tight they cracked. After three seconds, she clutched her stomach and straightened up, "Then let's walk slower. That should help."

Hearing this, the others had no objections.

Su Mi walked ahead alone, sipping milk tea and biting into her roasted sweet potato. The enticing aroma wafted from afar, was tantalizing. He Meimei also couldn't help but swallow, not understanding how the other person ate with such abandon, daring to eat so much high-sugar, high-calorie food. If they ate like that, who knows how many pounds they'd gain.

It has to be a trick. There's no one who doesn't gain weight from eating, unless they have a stomach condition. She must be making herself throw up later.

As they strolled and ate, they soon arrived outside the ancient tree scenic spot. However, tickets were required. Su Mi took out five hundred yuan and had Li Chuan go queue to buy tickets.

If there's someone to order around, of course let others do it. She couldn't arrange everything herself. She wasn't a sucker.

There were many tourists inside the scenic spot. Seeing Yang Yizhou, they screamed. Only after the production crew asked them not to disturb other tourists did the passersby just secretly take photos, but the squealing never really stopped.

Tourists could write wishes and hang them on the red strings outside the ancient tree. Su Mi also took a bookmark paper, wrote a sentence, rolled it up, and stuffed it into a tube.

"Let me help you hang it up," Li Chuan enthusiastically walked over.

The lower red strings were already full of wish tubes, so they could only hang it on a higher one.

"No need."

Su Mi eyed a spot, then jumped right there. The wish tube hung steadily on the high red string, swaying gently.

Zhang Yue and He Meimei were both stunned. They looked at the high red string again. Even someone 1.8 meters tall would have to jump to reach it. Did she just jump once and hang it?

The guys also looked at each other, feeling that with Su Mi's jumping ability, she'd be a natural at basketball.

The cameraman also shot a beautiful, classic wide shot, having them stand together laughing and chatting, capturing the most precious moment.

As soon as the camera turned away, everyone's faces fell and they went their separate ways.

It was already seven in the evening. They needed to find a place to eat. Su Mi had already picked a spot. Of course, you can't come on a trip for nothing, so she chose a famous local restaurant, not some internet-famous hotspot, but one whose reputation was spread by word of mouth, known only to locals.

She had her assistant investigate all this. Of course, she had to try the local cuisine when she came.

When they arrived, opinions arose again about eating spicy or not. For Zhang Yue, He Meimei, and Yang Yizhou, they couldn't handle spicy food, while the others said it didn't matter.

Su Mi didn't want to hear this nonsense, so she asked the owner to cook one portion with chili and one without.

"Wouldn't that be too wasteful?" Zhang Yue said hesitantly.

"If you think it's wasteful, you can eat the spicy one with us. Otherwise, don't talk nonsense," she said, shoveling food into her mouth.

Seeing Zhang Yue's aggrieved look, He Meimei immediately played the peacemaker under the camera's gaze, "Yueyue is just thinking about our budget. You ordered so many dishes. What if we can't finish them and they go to waste?"

Su Mi looked up, "So what's she getting at? There are only two choices now: either you give in to me, or I give in to you. If you choose to give in to me, then shut up. Otherwise, isn't the point of all this just to make me give in to you? But why should I give in to you?"

Hearing this, He Meimei opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. She had always thought Su Mi was just a show-off trophy wife with an airhead, but she never expected her to have such logic.

The three men were also stunned, realizing anything they said would be wrong now, so they all shut up and ate. Perhaps the food tasted good, as they dug in with increasing relish.

Hearing the argument, the proprietress immediately came out of the kitchen, "No matter, I'll only charge you for one portion."

Zhang Yue's eyes instantly reddened, and she lowered her head to pick at her rice, making Su Mi look like the bully.

Remembering he still had to build an on-screen CP with her, Yang Yizhou immediately spoke up, "Yueyue definitely didn't mean anything else. She was just worried that ordering too much would be wasteful."

Su Mi shot a sidelong glance, "If she didn't mean it, then you must have meant it, right? You're the one eating the most. Would there even be any waste?"

The camera deliberately panned over the half-empty bowl in front of Yang Yizhou. He stiffened slightly, then decisively lowered his head to eat without another word.

The atmosphere at the table immediately went quiet. Perhaps because the food was delicious, there really wasn't much left in the end.

After paying five hundred yuan, Su Mi noticed the proprietress's five-year-old daughter peeking curiously at Yang Yizhou, clearly another fan.

Su Mi immediately waved Yang Yizhou over, signaling that a fan wanted to take a photo with him.

Apparently liking the place, Yang Yizhou didn't refuse. He even took a photo with the owner and left an autograph.

On the way back, He Meimei and Zhang Yue were exhausted and too tired to talk. This time, without Su Mi having to say anything, they were the ones to suggest taking a taxi.

By the time they returned to the hotel, it was already 8:30 p.m. Not long after, He Meimei came over with her suitcase, clearly determined to share a room with her today.

Su Mi changed into sportswear and headed to the gym. Seeing this, He Meimei followed closely behind, figuring it was just for show. As far as she knew, Yang Yizhou was also there, and if she didn't go, she would definitely miss out on a lot of screen time.

When they arrived at the gym, sure enough, the three men and Zhang Yue were already there, all wearing tight-fitting short sleeves that accentuated their figures. Zhang Yue was even lifting small dumbbells under Yang Yizhou's guidance, with the camera deliberately focusing on the two of them, as if pink bubbles were floating around them.

He Meimei made a beeline for a treadmill, walking at a leisurely pace, but she couldn't help rolling her eyes at the sight of Zhang Yue and Yang Yizhou.

Li Chuan and Song Hua clearly worked out regularly, as they were both doing low-bar bent-over rows, with faint muscle lines visible on their arms.

Su Mi glanced over and thought Lin Yue, that bastard, still had a better physique.

After a set of warm-up exercises, she put on boxing gloves and punched the sandbag. Although the gym's equipment wasn't comprehensive and the space wasn't large, there was no other choice at the moment.

Seeing Su Mi punch the large sandbag and send it swinging violently, everyone else paused, and He Meimei, who was walking on the treadmill, also had a sudden change in expression.

In their line of sight, the sandbag swayed left and right under Su Mi's repeated punches, like a leaf floating in the wind—small and helpless.

With a "thump," the sandbag suffered another side kick, producing a muffled sound that echoed through the gym.

"???"

Yang Yizhou silently put down the dumbbell he had lifted, even forgetting to interact with Zhang Yue, his eyebrows furrowed into a wavy line.

Li Chuan and Song Hua held their breath, their expressions slightly tense despite their usual composure.

He Meimei nearly stumbled off the treadmill in shock, her expression tinged with guilt, as if she had never imagined that Su Mi could box, and so professionally at that.

No wonder she never gained weight no matter how much she ate.

Suddenly remembering that Su Mi had mentioned sleepwalking and hitting people, He Meimei broke into a cold sweat and stopped the treadmill.

"Um… I think I'll sleep with Yueyue tonight after all. I seem to have left a suitcase there, and it's better not to trouble others by moving things around." She picked up the towel on her shoulder and wiped nonexistent sweat from her forehead.

Su Mi suddenly turned around, "It's fine. I'll help you move it."

Seeing her about to take off her gloves, He Meimei quickly waved her hands in panic, "N-no, no need. I'll just sleep with Yueyue. I tend to get up at night, and I wouldn't want to disturb your rest."

Su Mi smiled slightly, "It's fine. I sleep deeply at night. But what if you disturb Yueyue's rest?"

Then, she turned her gaze to Zhang Yue, "Or would you like to move in and sleep with me?"

The latter widened her eyes and quickly waved her hands, her expression particularly sincere, "I… I also tend to get up at night. Sis, you should sleep alone. Besides, you worked so hard today, booking the hotel and the restaurant. It's only right for you to have a room to yourself."

Hearing this, Su Mi didn't press the issue. Instead, she turned her gaze to Yang Yizhou, "Didn't you say you've practiced boxing before? Coincidentally, I know a little too. How about we spar?"

"I…" His eyebrow twitched, and he politely declined, "N-no, I… I don't think I'm up to it."