Jiang Yanchen seemed to have shut himself off. He kept his head down, isolated from the world, ignoring everyone, exuding an aura of utter despair.
He had lost more face on this show than in his entire life combined.
Just then, he felt a poke on his back.
Everyone else was on other boats, so the only person who could poke him was Ji Zhaoxi.
His body instantly stiffened, and he lowered his head even further.
"Jiang Yanchen, try one of these."
Looking at the fingers so close to him, Jiang Yanchen's ears turned bright red.
She opened her hand, revealing several lotus seeds in her palm, seemingly freshly peeled. Her fingertips still carried a trace of moisture. The lotus seeds were tender, round, and smooth.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at the camera and held back her laughter, like a cat that had stolen a fish.
She had just tasted this lotus seed, and it was incredibly bitter.
Without a word, Jiang Yanchen took the lotus seeds from her palm and ate them all in one go. Ji Zhaoxi tilted her head to observe his expression.
"Is it good, Jiang Yanchen?" she looked at him with a beaming smile.
Jiang Yanchen felt his face burning so hot it was about to smoke, like a cooked shrimp. He didn't even know what to do with his hands and feet anymore.
Good or not, he didn't taste it at all. She gave it to him, so he ate it.
Catching from the corner of his eye that Ji Zhaoxi was still looking at him, he glared at her, almost out of embarrassment and anger: "What are you looking at?"
Ji Zhaoxi smiled at him good-naturedly: "Then I won't look at you."
Jiang Yanchen froze for a moment; that wasn't what he meant.
But looking at Ji Zhaoxi's back as she sat back down, his mood plummeted again.
[???]
[Are you two acting in an idol drama?]
[What's going on, why is Jiang Yanchen always blushing in front of Ji Zhaoxi?]
[I didn't want to ship them either, but they are literally spoon-feeding it to me!]
[You guys are shipping randomly while your idol's reputation is collapsing!]
Lin Yichen witnessed all of this.
He sneered. Ji Zhaoxi sucked up to Jiang Yanchen every day, and Jiang Yanchen never gave her a good look anyway.
He rowed his boat over, and Xie Siheng looked at him in confusion: "Yichen, where are you rowing to?"
Lin Yichen forced a smile: "Brother Xie, should we go over to Brother Yanchen's side?"
Xie Siheng didn't know why Lin Yichen insisted on going over to Jiang Yanchen's side. Was he asking to be scolded?
Lin Yichen rowed for a long time before reaching Jiang Yanchen's side. He said enthusiastically: "Brother Yanchen, that lotus seed is bitter. Try this lotus meat, it's very sweet."
"Brother Yanchen, are you okay? I saw you fall into the water just now. You have to be careful, there is mud at the bottom, and that mud is very smelly."
Jiang Yanchen looked at him impatiently: "Get lost!"
Lin Yichen's expression instantly froze. Xie Siheng shook his head helplessly and rowed the boat back.
In the afternoon, they were going to the market to sell lotus seedpods.
Ji Zhaoxi sat in the front driving the tricycle. The cargo bed in the back of the tricycle was very small, but Jiang Yanchen was too tall. He could only sit in the back with a large bundle of lotus seedpods in his arms, his legs curled up, looking extremely cramped.
Ji Zhaoxi would stop from time to time to greet the villagers.
"Auntie, going home to rest?"
"Yes, yes, going to town to sell lotus seedpods."
"Ah, he is my colleague."
Jiang Yanchen sat in the back. He couldn't understand what the villagers were saying, but he always felt that their eyes were on him.
As the auntie carrying a basket walked past Jiang Yanchen, she even smiled and said: "Looks like a little wife."
Jiang Yanchen froze for a moment. What little wife?
But he didn't care much about these words, just sitting in the cargo bed holding the lotus seedpods in his arms.
[Ahhhh I'm dying of laughter]
[Good thing Jiang Yanchen didn't understand, if he did he would be mad to death]
[Older generations are so direct hahaha, actually I also thought Jiang Yanchen looked exactly like one just now]
[Can Ji Zhaoxi translate for Jiang Yanchen, I really want to see Jiang Yanchen's expression]
[Does Jiang Yanchen know that Ji Zhaoxi and the auntie are gossiping about him?]
The market in town was very lively, selling everything. It took a lot of effort for Ji Zhaoxi and the others to find a stall.
They attracted everyone's attention as soon as they arrived at the market, but not because of themselves, rather because of the ten cameramen behind them.
The ten cameramen wore black hats and black masks, each carrying a camera on their shoulders.
A few quickly squatted in front of Ji Zhaoxi and Jiang Yanchen; another was running around, filming the environment of the market; a tightly wrapped head suddenly popped out of the window of the next building, setting up a camera like a sniper rifle; another squatted in front of someone's stall filming their fermented tofu.
A group of men in black, people who didn't know better would think the mafia had come to collect protection money.
Ji Zhaoxi and Jiang Yanchen set out the lotus seedpods, but no one came up to buy them. The two were surrounded by villagers, everyone watching them like monkeys.
Ji Zhaoxi liked people looking at her, and she looked very excited.
But Jiang Yanchen didn't like it. His face looked terrible.
"Auntie, do you want to buy some lotus seedpods? Five yuan a bunch." Ji Zhaoxi looked at an old lady who seemed easy to talk to.
The old lady was a bit embarrassed, took a few steps back, and shook her head.
Ji Zhaoxi then looked at an older sister carrying a child on her back and smiled: "Sister, do you want to buy some? Just picked, very fresh."
The sister smiled, her eyes narrowing into a thin slit: "Little sister, is this handsome guy next to you your boyfriend?"
Jiang Yanchen's hand holding the lotus seedpods stiffened for a moment.
Ji Zhaoxi glanced at Jiang Yanchen next to her: "He is my colleague. Sister, do you want him to sell it to you?"
The sister just smiled and didn't speak. The child in her arms was crying.
An auntie next to them couldn't help but speak up: "Sell what? If we want this, we can just go to the river to pick it anytime."
"Little sister, if we buy from you, do you have any activities? Five yuan a bunch is not cheap."
The crowd instantly burst into laughter, the atmosphere was very harmonious. Ji Zhaoxi understood, but she didn't know if Jiang Yanchen understood.
Jiang Yanchen was frowning and holding the lotus seedpods. Seeing Ji Zhaoxi looking at him, he froze for a moment.
Obviously, he didn't understand.
Seeing him like this, Ji Zhaoxi suddenly felt a sense of guilt. How could Jiang Yanchen agree? He cared so much about his face.
Seeing Ji Zhaoxi in a difficult position, Jiang Yanchen recalled a few words he had heard intermittently: "Is it because they think it's too expensive?"
Ji Zhaoxi leaned close to him and whispered: "Everyone likes you and wants you to perform a show."
Sure enough, the next second Jiang Yanchen's face instantly turned ugly.
Performing a show in a place smelling of chicken and duck poop? He didn't have that kind of fetish!
Ji Zhaoxi looked at the crowd: "Then can I perform?"
The auntie smiled and shook her head, saying loudly: "Little sister, let this handsome guy perform for us, and then we'll buy your lotus seedpods. You can just sit and collect money, how relaxing is that."
Seeing Ji Zhaoxi not relenting, an old man said gruffly: "A bunch of old fogeys making things difficult for a kid. If you want to see a man perform, I'll sacrifice myself and perform one for you."
The auntie next to him punched him: "Your skin is all wrinkled, who wants to look at you."
The auntie carrying a basket said: "Little sister, if there's no performance, can we take a photo? I heard from others that you are celebrities."
Ji Zhaoxi gently tugged at Jiang Yanchen, and he lowered his head.
"Everyone wants to take a picture with you. Is that alright?"
For once, Jiang Yanchen didn't look annoyed and simply nodded.
