Capítulo 4: 3. This girl is both fierce and cute.
At that moment, Pan Yang and the other two hosts looked at her, a bit bewildered, "Go Tang Shu, charge!"
Clearly, as the hosts in charge of controlling the situation for the program team, they were reminding Tang Shu, the newcomer, to seize the opportunity to showcase herself.
However...
Tang Shu stepped forward, grabbed the ankles of Sun Zhi and Kong Yuanyuan with each hand, and yanked them down effortlessly, no matter how much they struggled, they couldn't break free at all, looking just like two frogs desperately trying to climb out of a well.
Hosts: "..."
Laughter erupted from the audience section, followed by cheers for Zhang Yilin.
[Brother, you can do it, redeem your image!]
[Oh! Now no one dares to stop Brother from scoring points, charge!]
Aspirations were high, but reality was brutal. The smoothness of the climbing wall greatly exceeded Zhang Yilin's expectations. When he slid down from halfway up the wall again, his expression could only be described as crushed.
"I, I can't make it up!"
Pan Yang was already beside himself with laughter, "What's the matter with you? You're the only one on the course, and you still can't make it up!"
Zhang Yilin shouted in desperation towards the ground, "Tang Shu, help me!"
In just a few minutes, he had developed an unprecedented sense of trust in his partner.
Tang Shu below clearly twitched the corner of her mouth, released Sun Zhi and Kong Yuanyuan, "Move aside a bit."
Zhang Yilin obediently made way.
She then stepped on a protrusion on the wall with her right foot, quickly followed by her left, and before the audience realized what was happening, she had already reached the top.
"Up, you got up there, how did you do that?!"
"Wow, so agile, I didn't expect our Tang Shu to be hiding such skills!"
Sun Zhi and Kong Yuanyuan exchanged glances, both showing a wry smile and a sense of frustration. This little newcomer, who was usually inconspicuous in the crew, was quite fierce.
Inside the area, only Zhang Yilin was laughing like an idiot, "We won, we won again!"
[This Tang Shu has some real skills!]
[Did Young Master Yilin actually win by lying down???]
[Clearly, Young Master is Ziwei's, but why do I feel like Tang Shu and he are a better match?]
***
The subsequent recording went smoothly. Pan Yang, as a veteran in the hosting arena, was very good at setting the pace, and after a series of four or five games, the show was nearing its end.
Upon exiting the studio, Pan Yang and others took the initiative to add Tang Shu on WeChat, finding this young lady who wasn't chatty but was both fierce and cute quite different from other artists.
Zhang Yilin was even agitating from the side with his phone out, "Tang Shu, next time we record the show, I'll definitely carry you to victory!"
He must regain the dignity he had lost!
Tang Shu glanced at him and added the contact without a word.
Upon leaving the studio, she got into Sister Luo's Volkswagen.
After three consecutive hours of recording, Tang Shu showed a hint of fatigue. Sister Luo, seeing her eyes closed through the rearview mirror, unusually silent, decided not to disturb her.
Forget it, she really was quite tired today, better let her rest more.
An hour later, the car stopped below the apartment building. Sister Luo looked around and frowned secretly.
"You rented a place near the school, didn't you? There's too much of a lively atmosphere here; you're an actress and could easily be recognized."
"It's not rented."
"What?"
"It's my family's house. I'm not famous enough to be recognized yet. This place is good for me."
"... Well, we'll talk about this later."
"Yeah."
After watching Tang Shu enter the building, Sister Luo was still in shock.
This was central Beijing, within the second ring road, and also a rare school district property. Although it was an old neighborhood, the sale price could go up to ten or twenty million.
She's not from out of town, so how does she have a house in Beijing?
I seem to barely understand my own artist——
Upstairs, after entering the home, Tang Shu headed to the kitchen, intending to make something simple to eat.
The place was a three-bedroom, two-living room apartment with standard decorations, which to her, someone akin to an ancient relic, already seemed quite advanced.
The original owner had finished the college entrance exam in June and wanted to visit her mother, who remarried more than a decade ago, in Beijing. Before leaving, her father gave her a key and the address of the house, which was this place.
And now it was October.
What can be done in four months? For the original Tang Shu, that included merely glancing at her mother's current happy family from afar, stumbling upon a crew when the third female lead quit, being pulled in due to her outstanding appearance to fill in on the spot, and unknowingly entering the world of entertainment. Of course, she didn't neglect important matters such as waiting for the college entrance exam results, applying for college, and military training.
Just as a promising future was beginning, the Young Sect Master of the Tang Sect, Damo, took advantage of an opportunity.
At the dinner table, Tang Shu had a bite of noodles, pondering the life ahead, wondering if this world, entirely different from Damo's, wasn't so bad after all?
***
The Imperial Capital Xu Family.
During dinner, the servant Aunt Zhang served the last pot of soup.
"Miss, dinner is ready."
With Aunt Zhang's respectful yet concerned words, a young woman in her twenties descended from the villa's second floor. A floor-length black dress enveloped her shapely figure, and the light makeup on her face added an unapproachable, icy aura to her demeanor.
Xu Qianyu walked straight to the dining table and greeted the two people on the sofa.
"Dad, Aunt Lin."
The Xu Family's second wife, Lin Yunlan, was on the phone at the moment. She nodded to her stepdaughter as if she had heard something worrisome and ended the call with a simple "I understand."
Aunt Zhang's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
On the other side of the sofa, the head of the family, Xu Chengfeng, put down his copy of "Today's Finance" and glanced toward the dining table.
"Where's Qianyun? Hasn't she come back from school yet?"
"The Young Master called to say he won't be home for dinner tonight. He's made plans to 'game' with some classmates."
Aunt Zhang didn't quite understand the term 'game,' but she had become familiar with it through frequent mentions by Xu Qianyun at home.
Xu Qianyu's gaze swept over the empty seat opposite her and then she withdrew her eyes.
Xu Chengfeng frowned upon hearing this and glanced at the large clock in the hall. He was about to reassure his wife not to worry when he noticed a touch of concern in Lin Yunlan's expression.
"What's wrong, are you worried about Qianyun? He's fifteen already; he knows what he should be doing."
Lin Yunlan couldn't focus on her disobedient son at the moment—her mind was preoccupied with the news she just heard over the phone.
"Xiao Shu's dad said she came to the Imperial Capital back in June to see me, but it's October now and I haven't even caught a glimpse of her!"
Her daughter had been in the Imperial Capital for three or four months, all by herself!
At the dining table, Xu Qianyu, who had just taken a bite of her meal, slightly furrowed her brows, put down her chopsticks, and said nothing.
This was Lin Yunlan's daughter with her first husband; Qianyu didn't feel it was her place to interject, nor did she want to.
Xu Chengfeng was also surprised to hear this news, "Xiao Shu is already eighteen, three years older than Qianyun. Don't worry just yet."
Lin Yunlan glared at him with annoyance, "Qianyun is still reckless all day long; I'm not at ease about him at all."
And here they were, comparing Qianyun to Xiao Shu. The least of her worries at home was her youngest son.
Xu Chengfeng also felt the comparison was a bit ridiculous and cleared his throat, "Tang... What exactly did her dad say just now?"
"Him? He's not the least bit worried about his own daughter."
"Saying Xiao Shu is grown-up and knows what she's doing, that whatever she does, she can handle the consequences herself. Can you believe a father would say something like that?!"
It seemed the father had always been rather laissez-faire about his daughter.
Regarding his wife's ex-husband and daughter, Xu Chengfeng really couldn't say much, "Do you have Xiao Shu's contact information?"
"..."
Caught up in her concern, she had forgotten to ask.
Lin Yunlan sighed, "I'll make another phone call later... Forget it, Xiao Shu got into the Imperial Capital Medical University. I'll go to the university to have a look sometime; maybe I'll run into her."
Upon hearing this, Xu Chengfeng actually smiled, "Medical University? Du An is a senior there and also the student council president. Qianyu, can you mention it to Du An and have him help us inquire?"
Du An, the heir apparent to Du Enterprise and Xu Qianyu's fiancé.
The mentioned Xu Qianyu leisurely took a napkin from the side and wiped her mouth, smoothing out the wrinkled black dress.
"I'll mention it to Du An, but he's graduating next year and is usually quite busy. He might not have time."
Lin Yunlan was accustomed to her stepdaughter's aloof reaction and was very pleased with her willingness to try, "That would be a big help, Qianyu."
"I've finished eating; please continue, dad and Aunt Lin."
Xu Qianyu stood up and headed for her room on the second floor. Aunt Zhang glanced at the nearly untouched rice in her bowl and sighed.
After a short while, Aunt Zhang knocked on the room at the far east end of the second floor.
"Miss, I've brought you some tea snacks for a late-night treat. Please have some?"
"Thank you, Aunt Zhang, you've been working hard."
"It's rare for the Miss to come home; please don't let others affect your mood."
The mistress even thought about bringing over her daughter with her ex-husband here? This was the Xu Family, for Heaven's sake.
"Are you referring to Aunt Lin's daughter?"
Xu Qianyu shook her head; she really hadn't given the unrelated person a second thought, "Her last name is Tang, unrelated to the Xu Family."
What caused her lack of appetite was the empty seat at the dining table.
Capítulo 5: 4. Is this monkey for sale?
Tang Shu had no idea someone was keeping an eye on her; after leaving the residential complex, she strolled leisurely along the street toward the commercial district.
A pair of cool eyes flitted over the signs of the shops on both sides of the street, and amidst the numerous damaged and incomplete characters, a shop with the traditional Chinese characters "Herbal Hall" written on its signboard stood out conspicuously.
"A medicine shop?"
Tang Shu, with the original owner's entire cash stash in her washed-out jeans, felt for it and paused for a moment before heading straight there.
"Welcome!"
The moment her slender legs stepped inside, a delicate voice from the small monkey on the doorknob uttered four words.
Tang Shu halted, her beautiful eyes glancing at the red little monkey, with a flicker of interest in her gaze.
At the sound of the doorbell, a sleepy-looking young man emerged from under the counter. He pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose, showing no sign of customer service initiative.
"Beauty, are you here for a consultation or to get medicine?"
Before Tang Shu could explain her purpose, he spoke again, "If it's for a consultation, the on-duty physician isn't in today, and I'm the only one here. Please come back another day. If you're here for medicine, you'll need a prescription."
The young man's eyes were half-closed and half awake, speaking in quick succession, his expression clearly screaming "I couldn't care less about anyone."
Tang Shu extended her slender finger towards the curtain on the east side, her delicate eyebrows slightly raised, conveying a hint of coolness.
"Isn't there... a person behind there?"
"What?"
"I said, it's not just you in the shop."
Huh?
Hearing these words, Xie Yunzhen's sleepiness faded significantly, and for the first time, he really looked at the visitor.
Through his thick glasses, he finally noticed the stunning beauty who had entered—her fair skin as smooth and flawless as a peeled egg, exuding fullness of collagen. Her round-neck sweater combined with the jeans accentuated her slender and tall figure.
"How... how did you know there was someone there?"
Tang Shu replied indifferently, "Is that difficult?"
Listening for breath to identify someone's location is a basic skill for martial artists. Even though her own abilities had vanished, her experience still allowed her to sense it.
Xie Yunzhen was astounded by her assertive tone.
What does she mean 'is it difficult'? It's very difficult, okay!
The person behind the curtain was no ordinary individual; even he couldn't detect the other's breathing sounds, not to mention the curtain was a distance away from the entrance!
Tang Shu paid no heed to his shock, her gaze scanning the boxes of medicinal ingredients behind him.
"Stiff Silkworm, five cents, Rhubarb, Raw Southern Star, Cinnamon, three cents each, Frankincense, two cents, Sweet Pine, four cents, Fenugreek, five cents... just these for now, prepare the medicine."
Being new, she was unsure of the current prices for the herbs, so she simply listed the most basic ones.
Xie Yunzhen's attention was brought back to his senses by the string of herbal names and amounts, mumbling them as he mechanically measured out the medicine.
"Wait, that's not right. How come this recipe seems a bit strange? It's supposed to treat swelling and pain from insect stings, so why include those last few items?"
Even though his specialty wasn't traditional medicine, he sensed something unusual about the prescription.
But Tang Shu's patience was nearly worn thin, her eyes and brows exuding irritability, and her glance toward him carried a chill.
Why is this man dawdling so much? If he were a clerk at the Tang Sect's medicine shop, he would've been sent packing to fend for himself long ago.
That look was full of deterrence, making the person who was preparing the medicine shiver involuntarily and promptly hasten his actions.
"That'll be 165 yuan, but I'll round it down for you. 160 will do. Will you pay through WeChat or Alipay?"
"Cash."
"..."
Looking at the Grandpa Mao banknote passed over, Xie Yunzhen, who hadn't seen paper money in a long time, was momentarily stunned before accepting it with both hands.
"Have a good day."
Tang Shu received the packaged medicine but didn't hurry out. Her slender hand lifted once more, pointing towards the Big Horse Monkey hanging by the door.
"That monkey, is it for sale?"
"...What?!"
***
"Is this monkey for sale?"
Tang Shu mustered her patience and repeated the question she had just asked moments ago.
This young man had not only poor eyesight but also terrible hearing; whose troublesome grandchild was he?
Xie Yunzhen was still in a state of shock, his copper bell-like eyes, magnified by a pair of glasses, scanning back and forth over the Big Horse Monkey. Aside from greeting customers with "Welcome," what else could it do, and why was it more popular than me?!
This is unscientific!
"For sale, take it for 9.99."
A deep, magnetic voice rang out, capturing the attention of both of them.
Tang Shu was slightly startled and looked towards the source of the voice. She saw a man standing near the curtain with a cold and handsome face, exquisitely elegant, and a pair of deep eyes fixed on her, exuding an aura unlike that of ordinary people.
This man, what a strong presence; she hadn't even heard his footsteps approaching.
Jing Yu, wearing a white shirt with two buttons undone, exuded an air of lazy ease as if he had just woken up. However, this did not make him appear disheveled, but rather endowed him with an intense impact.
"In cash?"
The store seemed to have become his.
"In cash."
Since she wanted to buy and the store owner was willing to sell, it was natural to complete the cash transaction. Tang Shu reached into her jeans pocket again and pulled out a ten-yuan Grandpa Mao banknote.
Xie Yunzhen, who was in charge of handling the money behind the counter, finally came to his senses. However, faced with the ten yuan, he was troubled; he didn't have a dime to give as change!
Of all the numbers in the world, why did he say 9.99!?!
Jing Yu walked straight to the counter, taking Xie Yunzhen's place, took out his phone, and opened the Alipay interface, "The store doesn't have change, I'll transfer it to you."
"No need."
Thanks to the grand-scale operations of the Tang Sect, Tang Shu had formed a habit of giving tips because she disliked carrying copper coins and only brought banknotes and small change with her when she went out. This habit had naturally followed her to this place.
"The shop needs electronic entries, and if the accounts don't match up at the end of the month, we employees will inevitably get scolded. Please cooperate."
"..."
All right, this wasn't the Damo she was familiar with, but she understood the importance of blending in with the environment.
Tang Shu took out her phone and clumsily opened the Alipay interface, allowing the other person to operate. It wasn't long before her balance increased by one cent.
After the customer left the Herbal Hall, Xie Yunzhen was utterly stunned, looking at Jing Yu with a mix of shock and fear.
"Big Cousin, what's going on with you?!"
Setting aside the issue that his Big Horse Monkey, which cost 200 yuan at a brand-name boutique, was sold for 9.99, the fact that he had made a transfer for a dime under the pretext of needing change was enough to astonish onlookers, wasn't it?
Is one cent really worth haggling over? And what about those electronic entries, what kind of nonsense entries are you talking about? You're going to bring down the prestige of CEOs with actions like this.
Jing Yu held his phone, his slender fingers tapping on the Alipay interface of the other party, and saw the name "Tang Shu" inscribed, casually replying to him without much concern.
"Planted a tree in the forest, collected some energy."
"???"
So you treated such a beautiful girl as a tool? Won't your conscience hurt?
Xie Yunzhen fumed indignantly.
Serves you right for being single since birth!
Jing Yu had already put his phone away, his dark eyes glancing briefly at the diminishing figure outside, a hint of deep thought flashing through.
It was rare to find someone who could detect his presence. Was this girl exceptionally vigilant, or was it merely a coincidence?
"How's the search for the hacker who attacked the company website coming along?"
"It's done. The guy's got some serious skills. I stayed up the whole night before I could finally track him down. I'll send you his details."
Xie Yunzhen scratched at his bird-nest hairstyle and the dark circles under his glasses were apparent. His hands rapidly typed on the keyboard and before long he hit the enter key to send.
Jing Yu paused, his thin lips slightly parting, and his gaze sharp, "Who are you calling 'dad'?"
"I...I'm sorry, okay? Big Cousin, pretend you heard nothing!"
How could he have forgotten? There was a devil standing right next to him!
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