Chapter 23 Harassment

Chapter 23: Friction

"Actually, I'm just a beginner too. Call it a friendly match?" Su Mi smiled slightly.

"No, no, I have a strict ten o'clock bedtime. Maybe next time." Yang Yizhou said as he walked out, and stopped trying to flirt with Zhang Yue.

Su Mi didn't press the issue. She turned around and continued hitting the sandbag.

He Meimei saw her chance and quietly slipped out of the room, hastily getting Yang Yizhou to help her with her suitcase.

Yang Yizhou glanced back at the gym, then signaled to a crew member, "That part just now... cut it!"

It wasn't that he was incapable. Having trained with a coach, he recognized the professional technique in Su Mi's moves. Her side kick was even more textbook than his coach's.

If he lost a friendly match, not only would his appearance on this show be a waste, but it would also affect his overall reputation later. He had originally wanted to use sports to shed his "pretty boy" label. Who knew something like this would happen...

After training for an hour, Su Mi wiped her sweat and returned to her room. He Meimei's suitcase had vanished into thin air, leaving her alone in the room once again.

If force can't solve a problem, it just means the force isn't strong enough.

Looks like they're all solved now?

She took out the surveillance scanner and scanned the room inside and out again. After confirming once more there were no hidden cameras, she grabbed her clothes and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

The cameras set up by the production team could be turned on and off by the participants. But she left hers on at night. Instead, she got up in the middle of the night, picked up a chair, smashed the hotel vase, and then leisurely went back to bed to rest.

After all, she was a sleepwalker. This was normal for her. It wasn't that she was afraid of viewers picking on her, but this could avoid some unnecessary trouble. This way, in the future, they'd be sure to give her a single room.

Between people, one must learn the correct way to communicate.

The next morning, facing the stunned staff, she apologized to the hotel housekeeping staff and paid 2,000 yuan to cover the vase.

The morning meet-up was tense and quiet. When they heard she wanted to go eat rice noodles, no one objected anymore. Perhaps really disliking rice noodles, Yang Yizhou secretly bought a few soup dumplings to eat there.

The travel for the next two days was very pleasant, so much so that she didn't get much chance to "perform." In the end, eight thousand yuan was left from the initial thirty thousand, which still had to be handed back to the production team.

Seeing that being frugal didn't pay off, the others just felt it was a pity. If they had known earlier, why would they have taken that bumpy bus, which almost shook their stomachs out? They might as well have eaten better and played more.

The second leg of the trip was to a domestic scenic area with extremely beautiful landscapes, renowned at home and abroad. Probably due to that 190 luck stat, Su Mi once again got the largest amount of money.

But it wasn't as much as last time, only ten thousand yuan.

Seeing only ten thousand yuan, the others couldn't help but gasp. How could six people travel with only ten thousand yuan? They probably couldn't even afford plane tickets!

That place didn't have an airport, nor did it have direct high-speed rail access. So, Su Mi could only book train tickets. For the convenience of filming, she generously booked sleeper tickets.

It was probably the others' first time on an overnight train. When they entered the carriage, He Meimei covered her mouth, almost vomiting. "No, I have to get off!"

She thought the bus was a nightmare, but the smell here was even more suffocating. The smell of instant noodles and leather was bad enough, but there was also such a strong foot odor!

Since the cameras were still rolling, the others gritted their teeth and filed into the carriage, and found their berths. For authenticity, the other berths were occupied by real passengers, though they were mostly sleeping at the time, with a couple glancing over.

Seeing He Meimei digging in her heels, the staff could only turn off the camera and patiently tried to reason with her. "Only the train goes directly there. Your budget isn't enough to hire a private car either. It's just five hours. Close your eyes and it'll be over."

Song Hua, who was easily amused, couldn't help but laugh out loud. Probably remembering he was supposed to be the low-key foodie, he immediately silently straightened his blanket and quietly lay down on the middle bunk, closing his eyes to rest.

"Five hours! Oh my god! Five hours! How am I supposed to endure that!" He Meimei angrily raised her voice while putting on two masks to defend against the "toxic air."

Seeing this, the staff member was also at his wit's end. "But it's stipulated in the contract. As long as it doesn't violate personal health or dignity, you must follow the rules set by our program for recording. Or should I call your agent?"

Su Mi, wearing a mask, was meditating on the lower bunk. Disturbed by the noise, she frowned. "So noisy. Either sit down or get off and walk by yourself."

Getting paid without professional ethics? Nothing that good exists in the world.

He Meimei, who was about to curse, seemed to remember something. She took a deep breath but almost vomited again. She could only put on another mask, then signaled the cameraman to resume filming. Since she had to endure such a terrible environment, this segment certainly couldn't be missed.

But when she saw the crumpled blanket on the berth, not knowing what the dirty black stains were, she could only use a tissue to wrap her hand, lift the blanket away, and then ask Song Hua for a jacket.

Thinking she was cold, Song Hua handed over a clean jacket without a second thought. But a few minutes later, as if realizing something, he suddenly lowered his head and saw her sitting on his black jacket, wearing her own beige shawl.

"..."

An urge to curse welled up, but he held his breath and endured it.

For several hours, no one made a sound, and no one clamored for food. Only other passengers kept coming and going from other seats. Seeing the cameras, they just glanced a few times, probably thinking they were a photography group on a trip.

When the train finally arrived at the destination, the moment she stepped off, He Meimei couldn't help but take off her mask and take a deep breath, feeling as if she had been reborn.

Especially when she saw other passengers secretly looking at her, she immediately put her mask back on helplessly. Being too popular was just troublesome.

"Oh, I think I forgot your jacket." She suddenly looked at Song Hua with an anxious expression, implying he could still go back to get it.

He walked ahead expressionlessly. "Forget it. Let's hurry and catch our ride first."

Su Mi paid no attention to the undercurrents between them. She led the way methodically. After leaving the train station, she used an app to hail two taxis. It cost 300 yuan per taxi to reach the destination, which was still within the budget.

Even though the funds were tight, no one dared to suggest taking a bus again. Clearly, that had become their nightmare.

Su Mi booked a well-reviewed chain hotel again. No matter what, sleep quality needed to be guaranteed. Actually, having saved on transportation, ten thousand yuan was more than enough for three days of travel.

No one objected to her having a room to herself anymore. But during dinner that night, the production team suddenly announced that a guest star would join them for the next leg of the trip.

Perhaps exhausted from a day of travel, no one voiced any opinion. Only Zhang Yue and Yang Yizhou, always thinking about maintaining their on-screen personas, were whispering to each other, deliberately creating an ambiguous atmosphere.

Once the camera moved away, the two immediately turned their heads and went back to their respective rooms.

After resting for the night, Su Mi arranged a bamboo rafting activity, which she also wanted to try. It must be said, the scenery here was indeed beautiful, and the air was very fresh.

Two people per raft, three rafts cost 600 yuan. The elderly person poling the raft was specially arranged by the production team to talk about the local history and culture and promote the scenic area's merits, as agreed with the local tourism bureau.

The river water was very clear. Su Mi took many photos and even took one with the elderly boatman. It wasn't until a sharp scream came from ahead that she turned her gaze towards Zhang Yue.

For once, Zhang Yue looked genuinely panicked. Despite usually having excellent control over her expressions, she forgot all about it now, just urgently asking the staff to turn off the cameras.

It turned out she thought the surrounding scenery was nice and wanted to secretly take photos with her personal phone. As for how she got her own phone, only she knew. It was normal for some people to hide a phone without reporting it. For example, He Meimei had three.

But now the problem was Zhang Yue's phone had fallen into the water. The lucky part was the water wasn't deep. The unlucky part was also that the water wasn't deep.

If the water were deep, it would be fine; no one would fish it out. But the problem was the water was so shallow. If someone retrieved the phone, the data inside would be enough to severely damage her acting career.

So now she was begging the staff to help retrieve it. But the staff weren't strong swimmers either. So, Zhang Yue turned her attention to the elderly boatman, saying she would give him 2,000 yuan afterwards if he retrieved the phone.

The elderly boatman certainly knew how to swim, but there were many water plants below, and the exact location where it fell was uncertain. Finding it quickly wouldn't be easy.

"Two thousand yuan isn't even enough to hire a salvage team. Besides, how could anyone be so stupid? We all know to put our phones in waterproof cases and hang them around our necks. Who else would take theirs out to take pictures? If it didn't fall, whose would?" He Meimei leaned back in her chair, gleefully enjoying the blue sky and white clouds.

Suddenly remembering this wasn't part of her scripted persona, she quickly signaled the staff to remember to cut this part out. Then she looked at Zhang Yue with a face full of concern. "How did this happen? But the water is three or four meters deep. An elderly man of that age might be in danger. It's better to get a salvage team. This should count as an extra expense, right?"

The staff member said seriously, "This will be deducted from your travel funds."

Hearing this, He Meimei's expression immediately changed. "How can that be!"

The budget was already tight; if more was deducted, they'd probably have to live on thin air for the next two days!

The other two guys had already drifted far away. Probably noticing they hadn't caught up, they called using the program-provided phone to ask what was happening.

Upon hearing that Zhang Yue's phone had fallen into the water, Yang Yizhou seemed to remember they were promoting their on-screen couple image—this was a golden opportunity for some sweet moments and a chance to showcase his helpfulness. He definitely couldn't miss it.

After confirming where the phone had fallen, he gritted his teeth, took off his jacket, and dove straight into the water, which was thick with weeds, to search for it.

Witnessing this scene, not only the crew but even Su Mi was stunned. No wonder he was popular—this is what they call dedication.

Although she knew he was deliberately playing it up for the cameras, seeing Yang Yizhou jump into the water without hesitation for her sake touched Zhang Yue. Her gaze toward the water held a hint of tension, as if worried for his safety.

Perhaps luck was on his side. After surfacing and diving back down for about five minutes, Yang Yizhou actually managed to find the phone.

The moment he surfaced holding the phone, the cameras immediately zoomed in on him from all angles. In that moment, you could almost hear the inspirational soundtrack cue up.

Zhang Yue, her eyes red, pulled him up, too choked up to speak.

He Meimei rolled her eyes countless times, immediately telling the old man to get the bamboo raft moving, as if she couldn't bear to watch for another second.

After getting ashore and hearing about Yang Yizhou diving in to fish out the phone, the other two looked at him differently, as if taken aback by how far he'd go, braving all those weeds.

The afternoon's activity was white-water rafting, but He Meimei didn't want to go. Su Mi didn't force her, since it would save them the price of a ticket.

This was Su Mi's first time rafting. People should try things they haven't experienced before—that way, there are no regrets.

But as the inflatable boat was tossed into the air by the rapids time and again, she experienced for the first time what it meant to have your body flying ahead while your soul lagged behind.

Indeed, some things shouldn't be tried lightly.

By the time they got ashore, Zhang Yue's face was completely pale, her legs too weak to move. Yang Yizhou even forgot to go over and offer comfort to stoke their showmance. Li Chuan and Song Hua also sat there for a long time before recovering.

They had gone rafting before, but they never expected Su Mi to choose such an extreme, high-difficulty course—they almost got swept away.

The ride back was silent. At dinner, everyone ate much less than usual and returned to their rooms early to rest.

Actually, these tourist attractions weren't expensive; it was just that some restaurants charged high prices. Su Mi always chose places with good value for money. Otherwise, at those internet-famous check-in spots, a meal for six would easily cost at least a thousand.

After three days, she still had five hundred left. For the third draw, He Meimei drew the highest amount. Perhaps seeing that Su Mi always managed to save money, she felt particularly fortunate to have drawn fifty thousand this time and decided to plan carefully to fully showcase her shrewd and capable persona.

This trip was to the seaside. But upon checking the local hotel prices, He Meimei couldn't help but frown, wondering why prices here were several times higher. A decent luxury double room in a good hotel actually cost sixteen hundred. Normally, that wouldn't matter, but now she was handling the program's funds. She couldn't risk running out of money later and ruining her capable image.

Then again, with fifty thousand, it should be enough. Otherwise, any money saved in the end would have to be returned to the program anyway.

But just the airfare for six people had already deducted nearly ten thousand. She really didn't know how Su Mi had managed to save money before. The show must have slipped her some extra cash; otherwise, how could there possibly be anything left from ten thousand?

The hotel here was very large. After getting her room key, Su Mi found that He Meimei had booked a luxury single room for everyone. She didn't know what He Meimei was thinking. With the high cost of living here, fifty thousand wasn't actually a lot, but that wasn't her concern.

In the afternoon, the program crew asked them to go to the beach to shoot glamorous scenic shots for the trailer. Also, a mysterious guest star was arriving.

The sun outside was blinding. After applying a layer of sunscreen, Su Mi headed to the beach in long sleeves and pants. The others were mostly already there. To maintain her pure persona, Zhang Yue wore a simple dress. He Meimei, however, wore a sexy swimsuit with a sun hat, her long hair flowing as she struck poses for the photographer.

When Su Mi walked over, she saw the mysterious guest star—a young male rock singer. While Li Chuan and the others at least wore T-shirts and shorts, this guy was shirtless, posing for the cameras, thinking he looked cool.

Sometimes she really didn't know where these creeps got their confidence from, with no regard for anyone else's discomfort.

He strode over. "Hi! I'm Du Yu."

Seeing someone coming over, the man immediately smiled and went to greet them. When he saw what she and Zhang Yue were wearing, he looked even more confused. "Why aren't you wearing swimsuits?"

Su Mi couldn't even be bothered to roll her eyes at him. "Why should we wear swimsuits? Who made that rule?"

The others were accustomed to this and continued playing in the sand. Li Chuan, who should have been playing peacemaker, also kept his mouth shut. Only Du Yu looked thoroughly embarrassed and quickly tried to explain, "I didn't mean anything by it. It's just... aren't you hot wearing so much?"

"While you're busy minding other people's business, you should work on your own figure. After all, if you're not afraid of embarrassing yourself, why would I feel hot?" Su Mi glanced at the other crew members. "If we're filming, let's get on with it. All this dilly-dallying, my sunscreen is about to melt."

Perhaps having witnessed this young lady's sharp tongue before, the crew could only move things along. They instructed everyone to appear on camera at different times and then strike a pose together.

The sun was already blazing, and because they lacked chemistry, Du Yu kept struggling to find the right camera angle. They were stuck for over ten minutes without a successful take.

Seeing this, He Meimei immediately sidled up to Su Mi and stirred the pot with a sly tone: "He's not some rookie fresh out of the gate. Can't even shoot a simple clip properly. If we keep getting stuck like this, who knows how long it'll take. The guys aren't worried, of course, but what if we get tanned?"

Su Mi shot her a glance and slowly uttered one word, "Scram."

"..."

He Meimei took a deep breath. Probably because the cameras were still rolling, she could only force a smile and turn to leave.

She'd endure it. Once the show aired, she'd see how the netizens would tear into her!

Seeing Du Yu still couldn't get into the groove, Su Mi fanned herself as she walked over. "Last take. If you can do it, do it. If not, get a stand-in!"

"???"

Du Yu stared at the others in disbelief. In all his years in the industry, he'd seen his share of arrogant and domineering celebrities, but never one this extreme.

He was brought in by the production team to boost viewership. If he wasn't allowed on camera, wouldn't the money they spent on him be wasted? And she actually dared to say he shouldn't be in the shot? What nerve.

"Alright, alright, last take!" the assistant director immediately instructed the cameraman to adjust the shot.

Yet even this take didn't work. With no other choice, the production team had to find a crew member with a similar build to Du Yu to film a back shot, which could be edited in later.

It was the first time Du Yu had encountered something like this. He was so angry he almost laughed. It wasn't until his assistant told him that Su Mi had powerful backers and was not to be crossed that, after weighing the pros and cons, he finally put on a floral shirt and went over to apologize.

As he approached the girl on the beach chair, he proactively crouched down and flashed what he thought was a charming smile. "Sorry, maybe it's my first time filming a clip like this. I caused you trouble. How about I treat you to dinner tonight? As an apology?"

The girl slowly turned her head, not even bothering to take off her sunglasses. "Scram."

"..."

No one had dared to treat him like this since he became famous. Du Yu frowned and, in a tone only the two of them could hear, teased, "My physique might not be great, but there are plenty of women who'd want to get into my bed. Want to give it a try?"

Su Mi suddenly took off her sunglasses, stared at him intently, and with her left hand, delivered a sharp slap. The crisp sound of the slap instantly echoed across the entire beach.

Everyone turned to look, only to see Du Yu flying through the air like an arc, kicked from one end of the beach to the other, even knocking over the production team's light diffuser.

Before the crew could react, they saw Su Mi stride over, pinning the man on the ground and punching him repeatedly. Li Chuan and the others stood there in stunned silence, their clothes instantly soaked with sweat.

Yang Yizhou's expression completely lost control on the spot. His previous imagination of Su Mi's combat prowess suddenly became a concrete reality.

Du Yu's assistant immediately rushed over in a rage. "What the hell is wrong with you, you psycho?! How dare you hit someone! Just because you have some man backing you, you think you're so great?! Believe me, I'll report you to the station director!"

Before he could get close, a fierce kick landed squarely in his abdomen. A tremendous force sent him sprawling to the ground, clutching his stomach and gasping in pain.

Seeing this, the crew members who were about to intervene froze in fear, forced to watch helplessly as Du Yu was beaten black and blue. A grown man couldn't even fight back.

In all their years in the industry, it was the first time they'd encountered such a situation. Conflicts and fights between guests were common, but such a one-sided beatdown was unprecedented.

Not far off, He Meimei's expression darkened. She then took out her phone and secretly snapped a photo. As long as this was posted online, Du Yu's fans would surely eat Su Mi alive.

Once she was done, Su Mi asked a staff member for a towel to wipe off her sweat, then pointed at the person on the ground and said, "Send him to the hospital. I'll cover it."

With the short film also finished, she decisively turned and walked toward the hotel. Only the terrified staff quickly helped the man up and, after confirming he was still conscious, rushed him to the nearest hospital.

Back in her room, Su Mi called Sister Zhou, asking her to kick this Du Yu off the program and, while at it, buy some dirt from the paparazzi to get him canceled. She didn't want to see him active on any platform in the future.

She could tolerate his sleaziness, but sexual harassment was truly beyond endurance. She was acting in self-defense, and at most, he only sustained minor injuries—it wasn't excessive force.

"...I'll come over tonight," Sister Zhou's tone was serious.

Su Mi didn't say much more. Sister Zhou arrived quickly, around nine in the evening, and even brought her psychologist along, clearly having received news of her beating him up.

According to the hospital assessment, Du Yu only had minor injuries. It seemed like the first time Sister Zhou had seen her fight someone, and she still found it hard to believe until she saw Du Yu's bruised and swollen face. For a moment, she couldn't even be sure Su Mi was the one who did it.

She wondered how no one had stopped her from beating a grown man like that in public.

Having vaguely heard that Young Mistress Su was quite skilled, Sister Zhou didn't press further. After learning about the sexual harassment, she could only solemnly promise that Du Yu would apologize. Moreover, Du Yu often brought young models home for orgies—just buying some material from the paparazzi and releasing it would likely end his acting career.

As for whether anyone captured photos of the fight, it didn't matter. She would have the company monitor any online developments immediately, and even if photos surfaced, no one would believe such an outrageous rumor.

For their first session outside the Su family home, the psychologist also wore a helpless expression. "Miss Su, didn't you say you were in good condition and could control your emotions during this work?"

Leaning back in the hotel room, Su Mi looked serious. "I showed plenty of control! He sexually harassed me. In the past, I would've broken his legs!"

If she had to tolerate sexual harassment, what was the point of her training? She might as well go straight to jail and skip all this drama.

Late into the night, the psychologist rationally guided her. "You can use other means to protect your rights, but I still don't advocate solving problems with violence. Besides, this is a program recording—aren't you afraid of any negative impact?"

Su Mi took a slow sip of water, unfazed. "All I know is that if I didn't hit him, I'd regret it for the rest of my life."