Chapter 6

Dusk.

As the sun set in the west, Song Shuqi dragged his exhausted body back.

Out of all the odd jobs available, he had chosen fruit picking. Constantly lifting and lowering his arms in mechanical repetition quickly left his hands sore and numb, while the basket on his back grew heavier, pressing down on his shoulders. He had assumed it would not take much effort, but the physical exhaustion was no less than with any other job.

He had wanted to give up several times along the way, but with the camera pointed right at him and millions of viewers watching on the livestream, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Fortunately, he had earned some money.

The fruit was paid by weight. Even though he had picked quite a lot, the unit price was low, leaving him with only twenty Yuan in the end. Still, it was enough to cover living expenses for the better part of a day.

At the thought of himself working hard while Qiao Yanli slacked off doing nothing, knowing that the viewers in the livestream would compare them and tear Qiao Yanli to pieces, Song Shuqi felt much of his exhaustion melt away. Putting on a bright smile and carrying the groceries he had bought in the village, he walked through the door looking carefree.

“I’m back!”

Everyone was in the living room, holding strips and thin strands of bamboo, enthusiastically weaving something.

“Xiao Song is back?” Hearing his voice, Wan Yu quickly set down the misshapen bamboo mess in her hands and shook her head. “No, this is impossible. I can’t do it.”

Qiao Yanli took the half-finished weaving from her, his fingers deftly mending it. Soon enough, the crooked, distorted piece took proper shape.

“Sister Yu, what are you all doing?” Song Shuqi pulled out the wages he had earned that afternoon, waving the two blue bills in the air as he eagerly announced, “I earned twenty Yuan from working! Things in the village are pretty cheap, so I even bought a chicken.”

Having said that, he shot a smug glance at Qiao Yanli.

Qiao Yanli had only glanced up when he entered, giving a nod in greeting. At that moment, You Yinyin also came over to ask for help, so he lowered his head to guide her, paying no attention to Song Shuqi’s look.

Yet upon hearing his announcement, none of the others showed the delighted reaction he had anticipated.

In fact, they froze for a moment, looking slightly embarrassed.

It was Chu Xinyue who took the groceries from his hands. The two had worked together before and were more familiar with each other. Even so, she felt too awkward to meet his eyes, whispering, “Qiao Yanli and Teacher Tu^[1] went out together this afternoon and earned a thousand Yuan.”

“A thousand?” Song Shuqi blurted out in denial. “Impossible!”

“It’s true.”

In fact, Qiao Yanli had not been back for long either. The money he had earned was sitting right on the living room table, a small stack of red bills in plain view.

Once it was pointed out, Song Shuqi spotted it too.

Compared to the massive sum of one thousand, the twenty Yuan in his hand was practically nothing. To make matters worse, that thousand had been earned by Qiao Yanli.

His face twisted for an instant before he quickly smoothed it out, but Chu Xinyue, standing right next to him, saw it clear as day.

The drama they co-starred in was currently airing, and their agencies were heavily promoting them as an on-screen couple. Her manager had instructed her to interact with him as much as possible on the livestream. Even though she felt somewhat impatient inside, she still explained in a good-natured tone, “Qiao Yanli didn’t take any of the jobs Director Yang prepared. He found work on his own in the village.”

Only then did Song Shuqi notice the bamboo strips and threads in everyone’s hands. On the table also sat a finished bamboo craft, looking quite well-made, not unlike something sold in a store.

Earlier, he had assumed it was merely an ordinary decoration or some new pastime they had picked up, paying it no mind. But this was the “job” Qiao Yanli found?

It took immense effort for him to keep his expression calm. “This thing could make a thousand?!”

Chu Xinyue said, “Not quite. Weaving one of these isn’t worth that much, but the shop owner took a liking to his designs and bought the ideas. That’s why he got a thousand.”

Song Shuqi: “…”

【Song Shuqi has it so rough.】

【He worked himself to the bone picking fruit all day, and he didn’t even make a fraction of what Qiao Yanli got.】

【Can’t be helped. Who would’ve thought Qiao Yanli had that kind of skill? He wove it even better than the boss, and he could even sell his ideas!】

【Hahahahaha, when Qiao Yanli came back with the money earlier, Director Yang’s voice didn’t even sound right. And he can keep weaving and coming up with more ideas. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a guest on Director Yang’s show who isn’t short on cash!】

【Director Yang: smile_gradually_disappearing.jpg】

Never mind Director Yang; even Song Shuqi’s expression had soured.

It was not just the money he earned; even the ingredients he brought back were nothing special now. Qiao Yanli and Tu Sheng had brought back an entire cart of groceries, far more lavish than his, with chicken, fish, and even a cut of beef!

Still, he quickly pulled himself together.

“It’s getting late, and everyone must be hungry,” Song Shuqi said with a beaming smile. “It just so happens I know how to make a few home-cooked dishes. Why don’t I cook dinner tonight?”

This was also something he had carefully prepared.

Fans loved stars with boyfriend appeal, and knowing how to cook was a great way to attract followers, so he frequently posted photos of his home-cooked meals on Weibo. Of course, more than half of those dishes were actually just takeout plated nicely.

Still, before joining this variety show, he had practiced at home for a few days. Whipping up a few simple home-style dishes was well within his abilities, and this livestream was the perfect chance to show off.

Besides, Qiao Yanli had already stolen the spotlight with the part-time work, so he needed to win back the attention.

Hearing that he could cook, nobody had any objections. After all, hardly any of them knew their way around a kitchen.

You Yinyin raised her hand eagerly. “Brother Song, I can help.”

Shen Fei, seated beside her, looked surprised. “Yinyin, you know how to cook?”

You Yinyin replied, “There’s a food UP host I really like. I watch his videos all the time and tried making a few things. I’m only mediocre at it, but I can at least help chop vegetables and stuff.”

“An UP host?” Shen Fei asked, a little confused. “What’s an UP host?”

Shen Fei had married and had a child years ago; her son was about the same age as You Yinyin, so she didn’t know much about the websites popular among young people today. You Yinyin opened the app on her phone and gave her a brief explanation.

Bilibili was divided into several sections, and users who submitted videos were called UP hosts. The section You Yinyin visited most often was the food category. As a little idol, she had to manage her figure and couldn’t eat much, yet she loved food more than anything. Her only choice was to watch food videos every day to satisfy her cravings, even if watching them only made her hungrier. And “Daily Qiaoshi^[2]” was her absolute favorite food account.

As soon as the video started playing, a familiar background track drifted out.

The melody was brisk and relaxing, bringing a sense of calm and delight to anyone listening.

Wan Yu was a singer and quite sensitive to music. The moment the background music played, her interest was piqued. “This background music is pretty nice.”

Qiao Yanli knew how to cook a bit and was originally going to offer a hand. But hearing the familiar tune, he subconsciously looked up and immediately saw a familiar white cat pop onto the screen.

The video opened with an odd-eyed white cat pawing curiously at the camera before being scooped away by a pair of hands. The creator didn’t show his face, and the camera focused on his hands, which were slender, fair, and with distinct knuckles. A flood of bullet comments poured across the screen, thirsting over his hands.

Qiao Yanli looked up at the familiar cat, then down at his own hands, utterly speechless: “…”

Then, without drawing any attention, he quietly shifted his posture, concealing his hands behind a throw pillow.

That was right.

Daily Qiaoshi, a food UP host on Bilibili with over a million followers, was Qiao Yanli’s alter ego.

Posting videos had merely been a hobby of his, starting even before he entered the entertainment industry. It all began when he was living on his own. Disliking the idea of someone coming and going from his personal space every day, he had turned down his family’s offer to hire someone to look after him. Since the food at the school cafeteria wasn’t to his liking either, he took it upon himself to learn how to cook.

Back then, he was still quite young. To reassure his family, he recorded videos of his cooking process and posted them to a random website so they could check in whenever they thought of it.

To his surprise, the videos received unexpectedly great feedback. Cooking gradually turned into a habit, and he continued posting new videos without stopping.

What started as casual filming grew more serious, as he liked to put his full effort into everything he did. He studied video editing and storyboarding, and even composed and played the background music himself. By now, “Daily Qiaoshi” had amassed millions of followers.

Although it was nothing shameful, perhaps it was just the instinct of someone who kept multiple identities: Qiao Yanli did not want fans paying too much attention to his private life, nor did he want “Daily Qiaoshi” and “Qiao Yanli” to be linked together.

Otherwise, he would not have made such a clean break when he stepped away from the industry back then, staying completely silent for two whole years.

You Yinyin was still chatting away with great enthusiasm. “Sister Feifei, look at how cute this cat is! I only got hooked in the beginning because of this cat. Besides, this UP host shares his own neat little tricks every time he cooks. Real chefs have even praised him!”

Qiao Yanli: “…”

He cleared his throat to interrupt the topic and reminded them, “It’s almost dark. Shouldn’t we start making dinner first?”

“Right, right, my fault! I got carried away talking.” You Yinyin recommended the UP host to Shen Fei, then went to wash her hands to help out.

Curious about the background music, Wan Yu asked You Yinyin for the link and began browsing through Daily Qiaoshi’s videos from start to finish. The familiar melodies played continuously, drifting through the room.

Qiao Yanli: “…”

He casually shifted his posture again, acting as if nothing were amiss.

Preparing dinner for seven people was still quite a chore for only two people.

Chu Xinyue gave it some thought. She was currently playing up an on-screen pairing with Song Shuqi, and since he had gone off to work that afternoon, they hadn’t interacted much. Cooking together was a prime opportunity.

She raised her hand to volunteer as well, and Song Shuqi was naturally happy to have her along.

Yet before heading into the kitchen, his gaze shifted, landing once again on Qiao Yanli.

With a beaming smile, he asked, “Qiao Yanli, could you come give me a hand?”

Qiao Yanli, who was trying his best to tune out the music coming from Wan Yu’s phone: “…”

He paused in silence for a moment, then lifted his head, his dark eyes looking straight into Song Shuqi’s.

“Is that a no?” Song Shuqi asked.

“…” Qiao Yanli adjusted his glasses. “…I’m not very good at it.”

“That’s fine.” Song Shuqi’s smile broadened. “You can just help me out on the side. Cooking for seven is quite a lot of food, and I can’t quite manage on my own, which is why I’d like your help. You don’t mind, do you?”

Qiao Yanli: “…”