Four delicate and handsome youths donned construction site safety helmets, stooping to carry bricks. In a short while, they were covered in dust.
The scorching sun overhead baked their skin, making Shen Jianxi and the others question their life choices.
Jing Luan, in particular, now deeply regretted his earlier flippancy.
Shen Jianxi looked up at the sky, then at the brick in her hand, and silently carried it to its destination.
Did anyone still remember she was once a CEO?
Everyone was waiting for her to throw a tantrum as before, so they could have something to mock, but to their surprise, she endured it all without a word.
"Hmm... Actually, seeing Shen Jian like this isn't that annoying."
"They must be changing his persona."
"I feel like it's a whole new person. Maybe he's been possessed, hahaha."
"Too many novels, probably just the management company changing his image." Su Dan Novels.
"Speaking of which, does anyone know which company Shen Jian is with?"
"...I don't know, I don't think he's ever mentioned it."
"......"
The bullet comments were a flurry of discussion, while over here, He Yi and the other two had surrounded Lu Gaozhuo, grinning insincerely.
"Ahahaha... I, I didn't do it on purpose, right." Lu Gaozhuo, seeing the three menacing figures, shrunk his neck, attempting to defend himself.
Jing Luan cracked his knuckles and joints.
The popping sounds made Lu Gaozhuo swallow nervously. "Luan, Brother Luan, calm down, okay!" he said, backing away until he bumped into He Yi.
The bullet comments had finally finished their discussion, and when they looked back at the screen, they were again confused about the direction of events.
"Can anyone who was watching earlier explain what happened?"
"What are they doing?"
"I know this one! Just now, all the workers went for lunch. They just realized that the last half hour was still supposed to be working time, and it was all for nothing."
"Hahahaha oh my god, I'm laughing so hard."
"Hahahaha so Xiao Lu was so excited just to work for free for the boss? Hahahaha."
"......."
Lu Gaozhuo was surrounded by the group, while from the shade in the distance, Chu Qingyun leisurely fanned himself, observing the unfolding drama. He had to admit, the event his agent had booked him for this time was excellent. No work, just tagging along everywhere. This was practically a vacation!
They knew it was futile to dwell on it, so they might as well go eat and replenish their energy. The little they had eaten that morning was long gone.
With only fifty yuan on them, and knowing the program's tricks, they had to be thrifty.
There was a primary school nearby, so there were plenty of food stalls.
After looking around, for the sake of nutrition, they decided to splurge – skewers in flatbread, with a braised egg each.
Flatbread with skewers cost four yuan, plus an egg made it five yuan. For five people, it was a total of twenty-five yuan, leaving them with twenty-five yuan.
Looking at the money in his hand – a ten-yuan note, two five-yuan notes, three one-yuan notes, and two one-yuan coins – Young Master Lu fell silent.
To be honest, he had never seen so little money in his life.
Carrying bricks in the morning hadn't felt like much, just exciting. It was only now that he began to feel a sense of realization. Was making money this hard? He should be nicer to his old man from now on; the man had worked hard.
Later, Father Lu would fall silent upon seeing the thank-you letter written by his son on the table and immediately contact a mental hospital, as this was not something to be delayed.
Of course, that was all in the future. For now, the village idiot heir had begun carrying bricks again in the afternoon.
Shen Jianxi felt no fatigue carrying bricks in the afternoon. She could see a faint green light on her hands. Even after carrying bricks all afternoon, her hands had no scratches.
Feeling the spiritual energy circulating within her, she pondered deeply. In her previous world, she hadn't paid much attention, assuming it was due to the world's properties or the original host's body that she had the Ji Yue Divine Scroll. Now, it seemed to be related to herself.
This world had no spiritual energy, yet this cultivation technique could convert surrounding energy into spiritual power for absorption. It hadn't been obvious a few days ago, but today, with the extensive physical exertion from carrying bricks, she finally noticed it.
Suppressing her doubts, Shen Jianxi placed the last brick and was about to wipe her sweat with her sleeve when a hand, dusted with dirt, extended a tissue towards her.
Shen Jianxi looked up. Jing Luan twisted his head, looking awkward and avoiding her gaze.
She chuckled softly, took the tissue, and said, "Thank you."
She hadn't expected a response but heard a quiet "en" from beside her.
Shen Jianxi looked over in surprise. Jing Luan, flustered by her incredulous stare, said, "Um, we're teammates, and, and, also brothers... right? So, this is what I should do."
"Yes, you're right. Thanks, Brother Luan."
His acknowledgment made Jing Luan walk away in a good mood. Lu Gaozhuo and He Yi looked at him, full of questions, but knew it wasn't the time to ask.
The four of them woke up Chu Qingyun, who was dozing in a rocking chair under a tree. They held a blade of grass and tickled his nose, making him sneeze loudly and come to.
"Ah, you're done? Then let's go back."
One couldn't compare to these young men in their teens and twenties when nearing thirty. He felt sleepy after eating, unable to resist.
Standing up and stretching comfortably, Chu Qingyun looked at the one, two, three, four people in front of him with great pleasure. Wait? Why were there only three little grey eggs? He rubbed his eyes and looked closely at Shen Jianxi, confirming that there was indeed no dust on her face.
"Let's go. I'll take you guys to Xing'an City tonight to have some fun."
Jing Luan and the others, clutching the 425 yuan activity fund, hesitated, reluctant to move. Chu Qingyun walked a few steps before realizing no one was following.
He turned back and saw their hesitant expressions, immediately understanding what the young men were thinking. He laughed heartily, "Don't worry, just looking around tonight is free."
Hearing this, they finally started to move their feet, walking step by step.
It might have taken ten minutes to get there, but it took thirty minutes to return.
All four were covered in dust to varying degrees. The first thing they did upon returning was shower.
Shen Jianxi waited until He Yi, the last one, finished before going in. The door to the chain hotel couldn't be locked, so she moved two chairs to block it. After all, while 77 could help her with the wig-like solidity and identity information, it couldn't conceal her during a shower.
Lu Gaozhuo watched her busying herself. The cameras had been covered since the first person entered the shower, so he unreservedly pouted, but still watched his words. "Youngest, you don't need to do that. Your brothers won't peek."
Chu Qingyun lay on the bed and glanced towards the bathroom. "It's normal for little kids to have their quirks."
He was referring to the fact that she liked to lock the door while showering, but the fans, who couldn't see the image but could only hear the sounds, misunderstood.
"Something's not right with me."
"Me neither."
"So what is his quirk?"
"A quirk during showering? Mom asked me why I suddenly started driving."
"Can't overthink it."
"......"
Seeing the bullet comments drifting further and further off-topic, the director quickly instructed Chu Qingyun through his earpiece.
If the live broadcast were to be shut down, it would confirm the netizens' speculations.
Receiving the instruction, Chu Qingyun sat up in bed and looked at the other three who were idle. He said, "Let's play Truth or Dare."