After I Gave Up/Let Things Slide, I Became Famous Across The Entire Internet - Chapter 31.1

You Yixuan was also curious, but she stubbornly refused to show it, “Who knows what she’s doing? She’s just strange.”

After speaking, she still stood on her tiptoes and took two more glances at Tang Shuxia’s receding figure.

Tang Shuxia searched around the village but couldn’t find a suitable place to lie down. She simply headed towards the mountain. The cameraman carrying the camera kindly reminded her and even looked at the slippers on her feet, “Teacher Tang, it’s rained heavily here recently, the mountain road is difficult to walk, and it’s easy to slip.”

Tang Shuxia saw how hard it was for him to carry the equipment, “You should find a place to rest. There’s nothing interesting to film about me. I just plan to find a place where I can lie down and read.” She held up the rare book in her hand, said that, and continued running up the mountain. However, she didn’t go deep into the mountain but found a large tree near the base.

She patted it with her hand and found the tree was thick and sturdy enough.

The cameraman was puzzled about why she was patting the tree. The next second, Tang Shuxia clamped the rare book between her chin and collarbone, grabbed the tree trunk with both hands, and swiftly climbed up the tree. Finally, she smiled at the cameraman, who had tilted his head back, “Can you keep this up for the whole day?”

The cameraman: “…”

This climbing skill was better than his. He wondered if he had recorded it.

Tang Shuxia emphasized again, “I plan to stay up there all day. Thank you for your hard work.”

The cameraman felt that this young woman was looking down on him, so he stiffened his neck and held the camera, pointing it up at Tang Shuxia, who was lying on the tree trunk. Ten minutes, half an hour, an hour later… beads of sweat rolled down his sunburnt cheeks. He gasped for air, feeling his shoulders ache, and his lower back seemed stiff.

Another half hour later, he rotated his neck and heard a crunching sound.

The person in the tree hadn’t even changed position for so long, but the book’s position had changed. It was originally half-open, but now it was fully open, covering Tang Shuxia’s face, making it look like she was completely asleep. Plus, the book provided shade from the sun. This was the first time the cameraman had encountered such a celebrity. He knew that filming time was limited, and most artists rushed to maximize their presence on camera, wanting to show off all their skills in two days. But here was Tang Shuxia, lying down reading no, lying down sleeping.

The book was probably just a deceptive prop.

The cameraman persisted for another half hour but couldn’t hold the camera anymore. He looked around and found a stone not far away. He ran over, found an angle that could capture her, and sat down to rest. He waited and waited. When the sun climbed high, he had to move again.

The weather was really strange. A few days ago, it was pouring rain, and today it was brilliantly sunny again.

As the sun began to sink a bit, six or seven children, seven or eight years old, came running over. They even surrounded the cameraman when they saw him. Children are full of curiosity, and seeing something new and strange, their minds were like a book of ‘100,000 Whys.’

“What is this?”

“It looks like a camera. Can I touch it?”

“Uncle, what are you sitting here for? Are you taking pictures of birds?”

The cameraman quickly stood up. He dared not let children play with such an expensive item. If they broke it, he might have worked for the last six months for nothing, “You can’t play with this. Uncle has to film the big sister. You go play somewhere else.”

The children reluctantly ran to a nearby fruit tree to play. Tang Shuxia was woken up by a fruit that brushed past her cheek. She moved slightly, grabbed the fruit that had disturbed her nice dream with one hand, but the ancient medical text covering her face plummeted straight down. Its fate of falling apart was mostly inescapable.

The cameraman heard the movement, looked up, and saw Tang Shuxia flipping down from the tree in a dramatic motion. He was so scared his eyeballs almost popped out. But Tang Shuxia made a feint, her leg hooked around the tree trunk, her hand reached out, and she just managed to catch the book. She exerted force, sat back on the trunk, stretched luxuriously, and then turned her head to see the culprits: a group of children hitting the fruit laden branches with sticks. The fruits were greenish yellow.

She twitched her nose. The loquat fruit emitted a fruity fragrance. She peeled the skin off and took a bite. Her captivating eyes instantly narrowed into slits, “Ah, it’s a bit sour.”

The children heard the movement and all tilted their heads to look at her.

“There’s a pretty big sister hiding in the tree.”

“Our loquats.”

Tang Shuxia shamelessly ate the unexpected windfall right in front of the children, and finally, she swung her legs, “Do you want some too?”

The children shouted in unison, “Yes!”

Tang Shuxia smirked, “I won’t give you any!”

The cameraman: “…………”

He could already foresee the level of online backlash Tang Shuxia would face if this part was broadcast.

Afterward, Tang Shuxia returned with a bag of half-ripe loquats and a pile of candy ‘tributes’ from the children: White Rabbit candy, jelly, yogurt, Wang Zhongwang sausage, and chocolate. The cameraman watched her complexly as she crunched the chocolate in her mouth.

The group of children reluctantly followed them all the way. As they were about to part, they circled Tang Shuxia, and one little girl even tugged at Tang Shuxia’s sleeve, “Pretty Big Sister, let’s pick more fruit tomorrow, okay?”

Tang Shuxia mumbled, “We’ll see about tomorrow.”

After saying that, she waved goodbye to the little brats without hesitation.

Tang Shuxia completely missed lunch because of her nap. Fortunately, Cheng Ziqiong and Ji Xingyu had specifically saved a bowl of rice for her. The vegetables were stir fried loofah with eggs, an egg drop soup, and a fat chicken drumstick. This chicken was hard won. Ji Xingyu had earned it by ‘busking.’ To catch the chicken, he was nearly attacked in the rear by the combat goose the family raised. The sacrifice was truly great.

Luo Tong and Qin Lei were in charge of dinner. Tang Shuxia provided the fruit and a pile of small snacks.

After eating, she went upstairs to change clothes and received a phone call from an unfamiliar number. She hesitated for a moment, then put it on speaker and searched through her suitcase for a change of clothes, preparing to take a quick shower while the others chatted.

“Hello, is this Miss Tang Shuxia?”

“Yes, who is this?”

“We are from the customer service department of Renxin Hospital. We are calling to inform you that your father, Tang Mingcheng, is currently in our hospital’s emergency room after accidentally falling from a building. His condition is critical. Please come over as soon as possible.”

Tang Shuxia’s hand paused while packing clothes, “Tang Mingcheng is dying?”

The person on the other end was probably not expecting her to say that and choked for a moment. They quickly expressed politely, “He is still undergoing emergency treatment, and his condition is critical. We are currently notifying his other family members.”

Tang Shuxia nodded, then realized the other person couldn’t see, so she stated, “I’m busy. You can notify his other daughter, Tang Wenjing, to go to the hospital. Also, you don’t need to call me again in the future. Whether Tang Mingcheng lives or dies, it has nothing to do with me.”

After saying that, Tang Shuxia hung up the phone without waiting for a reply.

Tang Shuxia patted her clothes and said sharply, “Come out.”

A figure shuffled in with small steps from outside the door. Seeing Tang Shuxia’s calm face, You Yixuan’s initial guilt turned into righteous indignation. She couldn’t help but say, “Your father is in the operating room being rescued! How could you say something like that? If you go downstairs now and ask the director for leave, maybe you can still make it to see him one last time.”

Tang Shuxia, “Did no one in your family teach you, ‘If you don’t know the facts, don’t comment’?”

You Yixuan was speechless, “I certainly don’t know what unpleasant things happened between you and your father, but he is still your father! Even if he made the biggest mistake, he is connected to you by blood, an unbreakable bond! Don’t you want to see him one last time? Otherwise, you will definitely regret it later.”

Tang Shuxia didn’t even blink, “No.”

Nor would she regret it.

She and Tang Mingcheng had already said their goodbyes. After that, whether Tang Mingcheng was rich or poor, good or bad, it had nothing to do with her.

You Yixuan was truly exasperated by Tang Shuxia. She had originally wanted to ask about the incident during the filming of the show. After she fainted, she vaguely remembered seeing someone come over in a semi-conscious state, feel her pocket, and feed her a pill. In that dimly lit room, she couldn’t see the person’s face clearly, but the scent on that person was very similar to Tang Shuxia’s.

But now she was certain it couldn’t have been Tang Shuxia. How could such a cold-blooded woman save her?

You Yixuan angrily stomped downstairs. After she regulated her emotions, she found the surroundings a bit too quiet. Everyone’s expressions seemed strange, “What’s wrong?”

Pang Tingrong waved her over, “When Teacher Tang comes down, let’s try to find some cheerful topics.”

You Yixuan, “I don’t want to! Why should I accommodate her?”

Cheng Ziqiong saw her throwing a tantrum again and had to quietly explain, “Xuan Xuan, something happened in Teacher Tang’s family.”

You Yixuan knew! She had heard everything just now! It was just Tang Shuxia’s father being rescued in the hospital. If she wasn’t worried, why were they so anxious? Truly, the emperor wasn’t worried, but the eunuchs were. Phooey, phooey, phooey, she was not a eunuch. You Yixuan was about to publicly expose Tang Shuxia’s wickedness when a phone was extended in front of her. The screen was still on a news report:

#Tang Technology declares bankruptcy…

You Yixuan’s eyes widened in surprise, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Tang Technology is bankrupt!”

Tang Shuxia happened to hear this when she came downstairs. She thought, no wonder Tang Mingcheng fell from a building. It was probably because the company couldn’t be saved, and in a moment of anger and dizziness, he might have fallen down the stairs. That made sense. She had thought that with Tang Mingcheng’s lifestyle, he could at least cause trouble for another twenty or thirty years.

She didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

When everyone saw Tang Shuxia standing at the staircase entrance, the whole room fell silent, and the atmosphere was so awkward that you could carve a castle out of it.

Tang Shuxia curved her lips at them and went to the restroom with a normal expression.

Cheng Zihan couldn’t help but slap You Yixuan’s back lightly, “You little brat, why are you so loud?”

You Yixuan pouted, uncaring, “Even if I didn’t say it, she would know sooner or later. Besides, didn’t you all see? She heard her family went bankrupt and is still smiling. She’s a cold blooded animal.”

The others looked at her disapprovingly. They knew about her conflict with Tang Shuxia, so it was normal for her to be emotional, but they didn’t continue the topic.

The next day, Tang Shuxia continued her daily practice as usual. Soon, the group of old ladies gathered together again. The familiar tune from yesterday played on the square, even louder, and the whole village seemed to wake up to the rhythm of the song. Tang Shuxia practiced for a while, planning to leave quickly before the aunties had a chance to become idle.

“Little girl, what were you practicing just now? It looks a bit like Tai Chi, but the movements don’t seem quite right.”

Tang Shuxia felt a headache whenever she saw an elderly person. What she feared most was them endlessly pestering her with questions and staring at her as if they were appraising merchandise. So, she perfunctorily nodded at the white haired old man in front of her, “It’s Tai Chi.”

The old man looked thoughtful, “But why do I feel the moves are wrong? Look at mine; it’s like this. Why does it become different when you do it? Is there some special meaning to it?”

Tang Shuxia: “…”

Here we go again, it’s going to be endless, isn’t it?

She waved to the cameraman collecting material on the side and quickly slipped away. The old man called out a few times behind her but didn’t see her turn back. He couldn’t help but wonder, “Why is this little girl running? I’m not going to eat her.”

After finishing her meal, Tang Shuxia went out again, this time without the book.

She realized that the book was a sleep inducing tool for her. She couldn’t read two pages without feeling sleepy, but she still felt obliged to carry it.

No one asked where she was going; they assumed she was in a bad mood and going out for some air.

The cameraman watched her stroll leisurely through the village, wandering aimlessly, not at all like a poor socialite whose family had gone bankrupt. Instead, she resembled an elderly person who had settled down here to focus on health, taking a hundred steps to aid digestion after a meal, “Teacher Tang, are you picking fruit again today?”

He still remembered the few children from yesterday who had desperately tried to set a time with Tang Shuxia. They were about the same age as his son, the age where they were a nuisance to both cats and dogs.

Tang Shuxia had seen a few plants in the vegetable garden that were somewhat similar to the medicinal herbs she knew from the past, but the villagers here seemed to treat them as weeds, “I’m going into the mountains today. If you want to follow, follow. If you can’t keep up, wait for me at the foot of the mountain.”

The cameraman: “…”

He had climbed mountains before. He could do it. No problem.

Then, the cameraman, who thought he could do it, couldn’t carry the camera anymore halfway up the mountain. His legs felt like they were filled with lead, and the camera on his shoulder felt heavier and heavier. In contrast, Tang Shuxia was walking easily. He had only rested for a little while, and she was already out of sight. Never mind, the footage for this time would have to be just this much.

The mountain was lush after the heavy rain. Tang Shuxia even smelled the scent of new life after the rain. She wandered around and noted a few locations, then descended the mountain.

The cameraman had rested enough. Seeing her come down, he quickly picked up his equipment and reminded her, “Teacher Tang, have you prepared today’s ingredients?”

Tang Shuxia let out an ‘ah,’ “We’ll talk about it when we get down the mountain.”

When the two reached the foot of the mountain, they heard women’s wailing, shouting, and general noise coming from nearby. The sound was quite loud and chaotic, as if something major had happened.

“My child also fell in! Have you found them?”

“No.”

“Er Bao, my Er Bao!”

“My Xiao Xi.”

The cameraman understood immediately. He exclaimed, “It sounds like some children accidentally fell into the water!”

Zhao Village only had one river, and the water level had risen due to the rain a few days ago. In the summer, many children liked to play by the river to cool off, and some brave ones even liked to jump in to swim, but many children also drowned in the river. It was reported in various places every year.

Upon hearing this, Tang Shuxia quickly ran forward with big strides. The cameraman didn’t care about anything else and started jogging.

There were many people gathered by the river, and some people were repeatedly diving into the river, having to surface for air after diving for a while. Seeing this situation, the cameraman’s heart sank, “It looks like more than one child. Could it be the group from yesterday”

Before he finished speaking, he saw a shadow quickly flash past, kicking up a gust of wind.

Plop.

“Teacher Tang!”

“Why did she jump in?”

“Villagers, what exactly is happening?”

A non-swimmer on the bank was so anxious he was nearly crying, “Xiao Xi, that little girl, accidentally fell in, and Er Bao was holding her hand and got dragged in too. Xiao Zhuang saw them both go down and went to pull Er Bao, and well, this one dragged the other. Oh my, we’ve only found one child so far. What are we going to do?”

The cameraman understood after hearing his explanation: the three children had been in the water for quite a while. He anxiously paced by the river, “Teacher Tang!”

Several people in the river had already given up. They couldn’t see the children in the river, meaning they had likely drifted downstream with the current. The children’s mothers saw them preparing to come ashore and were crying hysterically on the side. The cameraman was also worried. He hadn’t seen Tang Shuxia at all. He kept checking the time, finding that the time on his phone was passing incredibly slowly, “Teacher Tang, please come up quickly!”

It was as if heaven heard his plea.

The next second, Tang Shuxia emerged from the water!