Chapter 62

The next morning, an extremely piercing argument echoed through the hotel lobby.

It sounded like a middle-aged woman shouting at the top of her lungs.

“Why won’t you let me in? We’re here to find our daughter!”

“My daughter’s inside—why are you stopping me?!”

The hotel staff hurried over to the production team.

“Who is it? None of the guests mentioned family coming.”

“I’m not sure either,” the hotel staff said. “They claim to be Wu Zhiqi’s parents and want to take her away.”

“I’ll go take a look.”

When Yu Xi came downstairs after washing up, he saw this chaotic, noisy scene.

“My daughter, the big star!”

“Her grades were never great, just average. She’s nothing special in looks either—not as good as our Xiao Bao anywhere. We worked so hard to raise her, and now someone finally wants her, willing to marry her and even gave a bride price of three hundred thousand. She has to get married! This crappy show you’ve been filming for so many episodes hasn’t paid a dime—it’s all a scam, isn’t it?”

“I’m taking my daughter away now. If you keep blocking me, I’ll call the police!”

Yi Chen had arrived too. He draped an arm over Yu Xi’s shoulder and recognized the middle-aged woman making a huge fuss. “Aren’t these two…”

Yu Xi elbowed Yi Chen, stopping him from saying more.

They had both seen these people before—they’d caused a similar scene at the entrance of the charity gala.

Wu Zhiqi came rushing out from the stairwell and grabbed the middle-aged woman’s arm. “Dad, Mom, why are you here?”

She had clearly just woken up and heard the news. Without any makeup on, she’d simply changed clothes and hurried out.

The middle-aged woman and man finally saw Wu Zhiqi appear. They flanked her, one on each side. “I see you’ve gotten bold. You were supposed to meet the old Li family from next door, but you’ve been dragging your feet three or four times until now? They’ve laid down the law: three hundred thousand bride price, settle it today, or the wedding’s off tomorrow!”

“Stop talking. I’m taking you home right now. Screw this show—film it if you want.”

As they spoke, they started dragging her, ignoring the staff trying to block them, determined to haul Wu Zhiqi out the door.

The staff wanted to pull her back but didn’t dare use force. These two looked fierce; they were afraid of accidentally hurting them and getting blamed forever. They could only dissuade them from a safe distance.

Finally, Wu Zhiqi struggled free from their grasp and shouted, “Dad, Mom, I can’t leave right now.”

The middle-aged man said, “Why not? It’s just a show. No money, no appearance fee—it’s a bunch of scammers. If you want to leave, can they stop you? Come home with me and get married!”

The middle-aged woman reached for Wu Zhiqi’s hand again. “Don’t block us. Our Zhiqi was never good at school. She made some money after starting work, but that’s it. Better for her to go home and marry quick—women lose value as they age. If you really care about her, pay up, or I’ll sue you in court!”

“She really can’t leave,” Yu Xi’s voice came from the crowd. “If she goes now, it’ll be a breach of contract. If some busybody snaps a photo and posts it online, won’t that make her look like a diva? Her career would collapse. Not only would she lose her fees, she’d have to pay compensation too.”

Yu Xi was good-looking, so the middle-aged woman showed him a bit more patience—at least willing to let him finish. She yelled back, “So what? We’re her parents. What’s wrong with us taking her? How would that ruin her? Mind your own business!”

“Whether you take Zhiqi or not isn’t my place to decide. But if your method is wrong, we’ve known her for a while, so we have to give a heads-up,” Yu Xi said. “Whether you’re right or wrong isn’t for me to judge—it’s up to passersby and netizens. If the netizens think you’re right and support you, then Zhiqi will have good days ahead.”

“But if they think you’re wrong, not only will you get dragged online and discussed, Zhiqi’s appearance fees will drop sharply too. Our contracts are tied to viewership data. No matter how urgent you are, you don’t want to be all over the internet for the neighbors to see, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Wu Zhiqi chimed in as soon as she saw her parents momentarily stunned. “I didn’t say I won’t listen to you. I just have to finish this episode—it’s only two days. Don’t worry. How about we go inside to talk instead of out here? What if my little brother gets dug up and discussed? That’d be bad for him!”

At the mention of her little brother, the middle-aged woman and man’s expressions softened a bit. Wu Zhiqi continued, “I’ll go home and get married. Right after this episode ends, I’ll leave with you. I don’t want a cent of the bride price—give it all to my brother. You came to B City to see him, right? How about it? Have you seen him? How’s he doing?”

Yu Xi frowned tightly—though this was Wu Zhiqi’s family matter, he really couldn’t stand by.

In front of everyone, Yu Xi held back his temper and said nothing. Only after Wu Zhiqi coaxed her parents away with all the “little brother this, little brother that” did he take several deep breaths. Still unable to suppress it, he walked straight up to Wu Zhiqi.

“I know this is your family business, and I shouldn’t interfere, but this is wrong.”

Wu Zhiqi didn’t respond.

She had come down too hastily in the morning; her hair wasn’t tied up, falling over her back and covering her trembling shoulders.

Her breathing was rapid, growing faster and faster, her palms clenched tightly. Amid the heavy breaths came the pounding of her heart.

Clearly, her emotions were highly agitated too, but it didn’t last long. Soon, Wu Zhiqi turned around, looked at Yu Xi and Yi Chen, and flashed her usual sunny, cheerful smile. “Teacher Yu Xi, Teacher Yi Chen, let me treat you to some coffee?”

The morning café wasn’t too crowded. Wu Zhiqi, having learned their tastes from previous episodes, ordered coffee for them.

Gentle music played softly, and the aroma of coffee filled the air.

Wu Zhiqi smiled and dropped it without preamble. “I only signed for four episodes of Weekend Go Where. The day after tomorrow, after the fourth episode’s live broadcast, I’m going abroad.”

Yu Xi: “?”

Yi Chen: “?”

The atmosphere went quiet for a moment.

Yi Chen: “Dropping that out of nowhere—I don’t know how to respond.”

Yu Xi: “Me neither.”

Wu Zhiqi laughed again. She took a sip of her coffee and spoke candidly about her family without hesitation. “From a young age, my parents favored my little brother. When I got good grades, they’d say a girl like me, a beta, what use is it? When my brother failed, they’d comfort him every way they could.”

“They never gave me good food or drink. All the housework at home was on me—they called it ‘practice for marrying into a good family and pleasing the in-laws.'”

She spoke as if telling someone else’s story. “The year I graduated junior high, they didn’t want me to keep studying—said high school was a waste of money and wanted me to work in a factory.”

“I told them a higher degree means better jobs, more money to support my brother’s life, buy him a house and car. I coaxed them into letting me continue, but I never told them my real grades. I always pretended to be dumb—I couldn’t outshine my brother.”

“Teacher Yu Xi, Teacher Yi Chen, my grades are actually pretty good.”

Yu Xi and Yi Chen listened quietly without interrupting. Wu Zhiqi went on. “Entering showbiz wasn’t my choice either. My mom heard that talent show paid well and shoved me into some shady agency. By chance, I met Wang Jie, my manager—you’ve met her. She signed me.”

“She’s actually really nice. Didn’t overload me with work, gave me time to study, even helped contact schools. She handled a lot of the paperwork this time, asked around for me.”

“I’ve been admitted to the journalism program at X Country A School and passed the news station interview. I’ll start as a half-work, half-study intern, and after graduation, I can join full-time.”

“You’ll wish me success, right?”

Yu Xi and Yi Chen exchanged a glance and smiled.

Yu Xi raised his coffee cup. The beans here were supposed to be excellent, but earlier they’d tasted only bitter. Now, relaxed, he finally savored the flavor.

Yu Xi: “You fooled us all.”

Yi Chen: “I almost thought you were really a brother-obsessed demon. You know what they say about you online?”

“I had no choice. If I didn’t play the brother-obsessed role, my parents wouldn’t have waited until now to make a scene,” Wu Zhiqi sighed. “They recently eyed some forty-something balding divorced guy with two kids. three hundred thousand bride price, and they’d sell me off. They keep demanding I come home to marry.”

Wu Zhiqi no longer hid her disgust. “Disgusting.”

“Teacher Yu Xi, Teacher Yi Chen.” She looked up. “I want to ask you for a favor…”

When they left the café, the sun was shining just right, and Wu Zhiqi looked in high spirits.

“I need to go do my makeup. See you later.” She waved to Yu Xi and Yi Chen and jogged back to the hotel.

“Want to go back?” Yi Chen asked Yu Xi.

“Not really,” Yu Xi said.

“Then come with me.” Yi Chen led Yu Xi into a small alley with a breakfast stall.

Yi Chen sat down familiarly and ordered some of Yu Xi’s favorites.

“You’re familiar with this place?”

“I’ve been here a few times for events before.”

The morning air paired perfectly with the steaming breakfast. People hurried by, some rushing, some strolling leisurely. The area brimmed with the lively, everyday scent of life.

He was already full from the coffee, so breakfast didn’t take long. Yu Xi leisurely pulled out a napkin and, out of nowhere, asked, “How did you know last night’s photo was for making a To sign?”

Yi Chen: “?”

Yi Chen: “Isn’t it obvious?”

Yu Xi narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Yi Chen. “No, there’s definitely something you know that I don’t.”

Yi Chen tried to stay calm. “What’s not right?”

Yu Xi fixed him with a stare. “If you weren’t feeling guilty, with your logic, you’d ask me ‘Why are you asking that?’ or ‘What’s the point of this question?’ You’d habitually throw the question back, like any capitalist. But you didn’t—you answered directly. So, you definitely have something to hide.”

“…” Yi Chen kept smiling, feigning composure. “Interrogating me first thing in the morning? As if I’ve done something wrong. Fish Fish Teacher, what makes you think I have a problem?”

In truth, Yu Xi had just bluffed casually. That line about “with your logic” was made up on the spot. Yi Chen’s mind was always sharp—if he had nothing to hide, he should refute directly, not follow the question.

First, the heart-shaped photo was requested by Geng Shanglou for a To sign, and Yu Xi hadn’t told Yi Chen.

Second, Yi Chen hadn’t spotted any logical holes in their conversation, suggesting he was hiding something.

Third, Geng Shanglou was a CP fan and a rich big fan. Yi Chen’s team might know her, and she could be in contact with them.

Contact plus concealment pointed to one fact.

As a hardcore CP shipper, some of Geng Shanglou’s content requests were her own, but others came from Yi Chen’s side.

In other words, Yi Chen had been pushing their CP all along.

So…

Yu Xi looked up at Yi Chen. “What’s your relationship with Geng Shanglou?”