Chapter 239: The No-Name Star Beckons, the Benefactor Becomes a Simp 12

Chapter 239: A Nobody Actor Crooks His Finger, Sugar Daddy Turns into a Simp 12

Talk about running into your worst enemy. If he had to share a ride with Ji Jingzhao, he'd rather be the last one to leave.

After a quick, awkward hello, Ji Jingzhao—whether deliberately or accidentally—plopped down in the empty seat beside Lin Huaiqing.

There were plenty of other empty seats around, and the two of them weren't even close. Sitting together with nothing to talk about would be so awkward.

For some reason, ever since they'd met at Fei Xiu's place, Ji Jingzhao had been weirdly interested in him.

"Huaiqing, what year were you born?"

"'97. You?"

"I'm '98, so I'll call you Bro! Looking forward to hanging with you these next few days!" Ji Jingzhao's smile was super infectious, especially those two faint dimples that made him look totally harmless.

Lin Huaiqing, on the other hand, seemed a bit stiff. He wanted to dodge Ji Jingzhao's enthusiasm, but Ji Jingzhao was in the aisle seat, so he had nowhere to go.

Soon, the bullet comments started flooding in:

"Who is this guy? My Zhaozhao baby's talking to him and he's all cold? Who does he think he is? Acting so high and mighty?"

"Is this another case of money talking? What has he even been in?"

"I know him! He's the fifth male lead in Film Emperor Fei's new drama, the one who plays the physician. His costume look was amazing, and I didn't expect his modern look to be just as hot! Classic entertainment industry—discovering a new husband every day."

"Zhaozhao baby, mama loves you! Zhaobao's already a big star and still took the bus—staying true to his roots."

Once the bus had its two passengers, it left the airport and headed to the countryside.

This time, the filming location was a courtyard house halfway up the mountain. The place itself wasn't much to look at, but the scenery was really nice.

Lin Huaiqing got off the bus and dragged his luggage down. He turned back and saw Ji Jingzhao was still stuck on the bus, busy with something.

"What's wrong?"

Ji Jingzhao's face fell, and he panted as he looked at Lin Huaiqing with a pitiful expression. "Brother Lin, my suitcase is too big, it's stuck."

One look and it was obvious—Ji Jingzhao's suitcase was at least 40 inches big. It was stuck right in the middle of the bus door.

They were only staying for a week. Did he really need to bring all this stuff?

Of course, Lin Huaiqing couldn't say that out loud. He just silently put his own luggage down and got back on the bus to help Ji Jingzhao pull the suitcase out.

This variety show's whole thing was about making celebrities independent, so there were no staff to help them with their luggage once they arrived.

The celebrities had to do everything themselves.

The two were similar in build, but Lin Huaiqing was slightly taller than Ji Jingzhao. Neither of them was the muscular type.

After struggling for a while, they finally got the suitcase off the bus.

Ji Jingzhao wiped the sweat off his forehead and beamed at Lin Huaiqing. "Brother Lin, you're amazing! I definitely couldn't have moved that on my own."

Facing Ji Jingzhao's praise, Lin Huaiqing stayed unfazed, following the cameraman up to the courtyard house halfway up the mountain.

The mountain path wasn't rough, but it was uphill the whole way.

Lin Huaiqing hadn't brought much, so the climb was pretty easy. Ji Jingzhao, on the other hand, was struggling with his oversized suitcase.

His skinny frame dragged a suitcase that looked bigger than him, following behind Lin Huaiqing, huffing and puffing.

He finally couldn't smile anymore, but he still remembered to keep his expression in check. His face was flushed red, looking totally pitiful.

He didn't look like he was here for a variety show—more like a troubled city kid on one of those reform shows.

Seeing their idol suffer, fans started blaming the production crew.

"Our Zhaozhao baby just recovered from the flu a while ago, and they're making him carry something this heavy? The production crew has no heart."

"Exactly! What if he overexerts himself and gets myocarditis? Can't they send a staff member to help carry it? Who even picks a filming location halfway up a mountain?"

"See, this is why people say Ji Jingzhao's fans are minors. Anyone who's watched this show knows that once you get off the bus, staff can't help the guests. Everything has to be done by the guests themselves. If you can't handle it, don't come!"

"Speaking of which, Ji Jingzhao brought way too much stuff! Did he move his whole house here? No wonder it's heavy!"

"Poor Zhaobao!"

Lin Huaiqing couldn't see the fans' online outrage against the production crew. He just happened to notice that Ji Jingzhao's complexion didn't look good.

His lips were already starting to turn slightly purple.

In truth, his conscience and his reason had been at war the whole time.

According to the original plot, the main bottom wasn't just his romantic rival—he was also his future enemy. The original body's death was inextricably linked to the online harassment from the protagonists' fans.

But now...

Just as Ji Jingzhao was about to collapse from exhaustion, the handle of his suitcase suddenly felt lighter.

"Brother Lin?"

"Take mine." Lin Huaiqing tossed his own suitcase to Ji Jingzhao.

He then took the massive suitcase and strode off with ease.

His leg injury had mostly healed, and he'd been adding upper-body strength training recently. The suitcase's weight wasn't too much for him.

By the time they finally reached the filming location, Ji Jingzhao was completely wiped out. Lin Huaiqing handed the luggage to the staff, and the two went into the courtyard to meet the other guests.

Ji Jingzhao's complexion was worse than when he'd first gotten off the bus, but he still greeted the other two guests with great enthusiasm.

After the round of introductions, Lin Huaiqing learned who the other two guests were.

The only woman among them was the second female lead from a drama she'd done with Fei Xiu. She was a rising new actress with considerable momentum. She looked younger than him.

The other guest was the genius singer Huo Dirui, who had won the Best New Artist award right after debuting.

His debut single had swept the nation, giving voice to the hearts of countless ordinary people.

He was also the youngest of the group.

After the introductions, the big screen behind them lit up, showing their live broadcast. Bullet comments from netizens were still scrolling across it.

The most frequently spammed comment was:

"Mom, I'm on TV!"

The director was on site with a megaphone, announcing the rules.

"During the live broadcast, this big screen will stay on. For the punishment segment, we'll randomly pick one comment from the barrage as the punishment."

The audience was thrilled, but the celebrities were terrified. After all, everyone knows how creative netizens are at coming up with online pranks.

Soon, the comments started flooding in:

"Where's Film Emperor Fei? He's late, isn't he? Everyone else is already here."

"Fei Xiu is acting like a diva."

"Don't say that! Film Emperor Fei is probably just too busy and couldn't fit it into his schedule, so he's arriving a bit later. Everyone, just be patient."

Indeed, Lin Huaiqing noticed this too. Could it be that Fei Xiu wasn't coming because he knew Lin Huaiqing was on this show?

Well, that would be... so cool!

"Fei Xiu will arrive at the filming location a bit later due to work commitments. After everyone finishes their meal, please gather in the courtyard. The first task will be announced then."