My Wealthy Ex-Girlfriend Knelt and Begged Me to Come Back [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 42
Ji Jiayu bent down, got into the car, sat in her seat, and fastened her seatbelt.
Once the person beside her also got in and settled down, Ji Jiayu slightly turned her head to look at Lin Qiaoxuan sitting next to her.
“Thanks for just now.”
At this moment, there were no live comments visible to them. The live stream was being flooded by some CP (couple pairing) fans, causing chaos, and even Ji Jiayu’s dedicated fans and drama fans couldn’t contain themselves.
The black sedan slowly drove onto the highway.
Ji Jiayu looked at the guy in the front seat carrying the filming equipment. “Can we pause the live stream for a bit? I think Qiaoxuan and I need to touch up our makeup.”
The cameraman was momentarily stunned, clearly a typical straight man without much imagination. “You can film while touching up your makeup…”
Ji Jiayu blinked her long lashes softly, a faint smile on her lips. With her cherry-red fingertips, she gently brushed her jawline, appearing a little shy.
“But we don’t want to be filmed~”
—No one can resist a request from a pretty girl like her.
The cameraman gave an “OK” hand signal and adjusted the camera to film the scenery outside the car instead.
Ji Jiayu took out a compact powder from her bag, opened the lid, and slowly held it up in front of her face.
Lin Qiaoxuan, seeing Ji Jiayu take out lipstick, felt a little puzzled. She blinked, then also took out her own lip tint and a small makeup mirror, pretending to touch up her makeup.
She leaned slightly toward Ji Jiayu, lowered her voice, and silently mouthed, “Zii zii…”
“What are you trying to do?” Lin Qiaoxuan asked.
—Their phones had been taken by the production team, so any questions had to be asked face-to-face.
Ji Jiayu chuckled softly, lowered her voice, held her compact powder tightly, and leaned slightly toward Lin Qiaoxuan.
“Lin Qiaoxuan… are you trying to fake a CP with me? I don’t want to be a traffic magnet…”
She wasn’t exactly a top celebrity…
Why would Lin Qiaoxuan want to ride on such a tiny spike in attention?
“No, not at all…” Lin Qiaoxuan hurriedly shook her head.
Ji Jiayu asked in a low voice, “Then what about the trending topic you bought yesterday… what does that mean?”
“Bought a trending topic? Oh… you mean that one…” Lin Qiaoxuan turned her head. The sunlight reflected off her compact mirror onto her jawline, casting a faint golden glow.
“I just leveraged the show’s popularity to promote our newly opened Tongda Plaza, just some publicity,” she smiled, showing a tiny pointy tooth.
“Don’t worry… there’s nothing else behind it…”
Her smile was innocent, almost childlike.
Lin Qiaoxuan’s attitude was temporarily hard to read. Her gaze toward Ji Jiayu was strange, her behavior was odd, and even her words felt puzzling.
Whether she was a friend or a foe was unclear. Ji Jiayu decided to stay neutral for now.
“Oh… I see…” Ji Jiayu closed her compact, put the lipstick back in her bag, and spoke lightly. “I must have misunderstood…”
—Ji Jiayu had clearly expressed that she didn’t want to fake a CP. Smart people would get it; no need to continue performing “plastic celebrity friendship” for the audience.
Lin Qiaoxuan put away her lip tint, patted the cameraman in the front seat, and said, “Okay, we’ve finished touching up our makeup…”
The live stream switched back on.
Ji Jiayu opened the envelope she had just received from the crew and spread out the paper inside.
“Our assigned task is ‘Climb the Hill.’ There is an orchard behind Xiaozhu Village. Within the specified time, we need to help local farmers pick ripe fruits. Villagers will help verify and score our harvest. Today’s points will accumulate with yesterday’s points, and the points can be used to exchange for ingredients for the farmhouse meals. Let’s help the villagers harvest the summer fruits!”
“The production team doesn’t allow us to bring phones, bank cards, or cash,” Ji Jiayu said, tightening her grip on the card.
“They probably don’t want us buying ingredients ourselves. All the ingredients need to be earned through work or by actively participating in activities.”
“Hahaha,” Lin Qiaoxuan forced a commercial-style smile.
“The production team really knows how to tease us… I’m getting nervous! Looks like we’ll have to cook our own lunch today!”
Ji Jiayu suddenly asked, “Qiaoxuan, you don’t know how to cook, do you?”
“Of course I can. I’m a great cook,” Lin Qiaoxuan said, counting on her fingers, “For example, boiled instant noodles, sugar-tossed tomatoes…”
“Wow, a top chef indeed,” Ji Jiayu clicked her tongue and casually asked, “Do you wash the dishes too?”
Lin Qiaoxuan nodded repeatedly, lightly touching her nose with her fingertips. “Yes. Isn’t it just using water? No need for anything else, right?”
Apparently, she had been spoiled by Lin Wan and had never washed dishes.
Ji Jiayu curled her fingers slightly on her lap. Lin Qiaoxuan’s childhood was so different from hers…
“Oh, so you don’t wash dishes either?” Ji Jiayu asked softly. “Looks like you never really entered a kitchen~”
“Don’t say that… washing dishes and cooking are different things. After the task, once we have the ingredients, my cooking… will definitely surprise you~” Lin Qiaoxuan pouted lightly, snickering.
“Do you use a gas stove or an induction cooker?” Ji Jiayu asked. “Do you know how to make fire? What do you normally use to cook?”
Lin Qiaoxuan hesitated for a while before answering, “We use a pot… what else could we use?”
Sounds… unreliable.
Ji Jiayu squinted slightly, facing the camera, tilted her body toward the window, gesturing at Lin Qiaoxuan with her fingers. “So everyone, look at Qiaoxuan, and remember—”
“If your new friend can cook, then I’m a golden little chef~”
The two sat in the backseat, chatting casually for the cameras. The chat room still erupted in excitement:
【Hahaha, these two are bickering like schoolkids!】
【Bet fifty cents, their cooking skills—total newbies fighting!!】
…
The car drove along the mountain road for over an hour until they reached the mango orchard behind the village.
“Oh… it’s mango picking,” Ji Jiayu said, looking up at the trees full of mangoes, heavy and ripe, both green and yellow.
Lin Qiaoxuan was slightly surprised, “So mangoes grow on trees…”
“These are mango knives and bamboo baskets…” said the orchard worker, handing them over. “Place the harvested mangoes in the baskets. We’ll verify the quality and weight to calculate points.”
Both thanked the worker.
Ji Jiayu and Lin Qiaoxuan cooperated, one picking, the other catching the fruits in the basket.
At first, they could pick the large, good-looking mangoes from low branches and outer edges.
But as they went deeper into the orchard, most remaining mangoes were small and didn’t meet the requirements.
The large, ripe mangoes were mostly at the treetop or inner branches.
Ji Jiayu looked up at a mango high in the tree, hesitated for a moment, and said, “I’ll go up… You just wait below. Be careful not to hurt your hands.”
“Huh? You’re going… climb the tree?”
Lin Qiaoxuan frowned, shaking her head repeatedly. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Better not… you can’t climb, don’t force it. Filming a show and falling would be bad…”
Before she could finish, the sound of rustling branches came. Ji Jiayu had grabbed a low branch and climbed up swiftly, moving like a monkey, her movements agile and quick.
In the blink of an eye, she was among the branches.
It was hard to imagine that a female celebrity could climb trees so skillfully!
【Oh no, the tree is so high, be careful Jiayu, don’t fall!】
【Ahhhh Jiayu really climbed the tree, she’s like a little monkey! So cute!】
【Even if a monkey, she’s the prettiest little monkey~】
【Why is she so skilled at climbing? Could she be the village’s hope… village flower sister… hehe…】
Ji Jiayu picked many mangoes, and Lin Qiaoxuan caught them one by one in the basket.
At one point, a mango fell, and Lin Qiaoxuan failed to catch it with her slightly curved fingers. The heavy mango hit her hand.
“Ah…” she gasped softly.
Ji Jiayu immediately stopped picking, climbed down in a few quick moves, and leaned over, “Are you okay?”
“It… hit my hand? Does it hurt?”
Lin Qiaoxuan instinctively replied, “It hit… but it doesn’t hurt…”
Seeing Ji Jiayu’s concerned expression, she quickly corrected herself. “No… it does hurt a little…”
Ji Jiayu leaned closer, gently pinching Lin Qiaoxuan’s fingers.
Her rolled-up sleeve revealed a delicate wrist, fingers slender and refined, slightly reddened from being hit.
Ji Jiayu blew gently on Lin Qiaoxuan’s fingers, a warm breeze passing over, making the skin tingle slightly.
She then released her hand. “Go rinse it with some cool water quickly.”
“There’s probably no ice pack here, only cold water…” Ji Jiayu looked around, waved to the crew, “Is there a tap nearby? She just got hit.”
She didn’t notice Lin Qiaoxuan watching her intently, her dark eyes growing darker…
Lin Qiaoxuan lightly touched a leaf stuck to Ji Jiayu’s shoulder. “Just a leaf… fell on you.”
Ji Jiayu saw the leaf, nodded, and looked back at Lin Qiaoxuan’s slightly reddened hand.
“Just go rinse it at the tap up ahead on the left…”
“Okay,” Lin Qiaoxuan said, lightly rubbing her fingers, walking a few steps, then turning back, smiling brightly, “Thanks for your concern~”
【Ahhh so lovely! Holding the basket and picking mangoes, Jiayu looks so beautiful~】
【That profile shot… her jawline, side profile… I’m stunned!!】
【So pleasing to the eyes, this scene is perfect.】
【Lin Qiaoxuan: QAQ, does anyone remember my hand got hurt~】
Meanwhile, in another live stream, A Yang and amateur male guest Kai Kai were tasked with “digging,” helping villagers harvest yam.
A Yang, dressed in a khaki suit and shorts with polished shoes, looked disdainful at the idea of digging in the red soil of Kun City. He squatted nearby, occasionally helping but mostly avoiding work.
The chat was sparse:
“Go A Yang, mom loves you!”
“Dig, A Yang, dig the big yams~”
Yet A Yang barely moved, making the comments seem sarcastic.
In a third stream, Yu Hu and Xiao Tao were tasked with “fishing” in Xianzi Lake.
It was calm except for a humorous moment—Yu Hu tried rowing, but the boat didn’t move. He looked back at Xiao Tao, her round face covered in water, hair stuck to her cheeks, looking like a pitiful little ghost.
【Xiao Tao: Yu actor rowed so hard, splashed water on my face!】
【Hahaha, Yu actor takes on my year’s worth of comedy!】
Back in Ji Jiayu and Lin Qiaoxuan’s stream, a comment popped up:
【Someone found Jiayu’s childhood photos, so tiny and skinny… QAQ…】
Fans dug up old photos of Ji Jiayu at around 11–12 years old.
She looked even smaller than her peers, dressed in oversized clothes, a grayish little backpack, neat but worn-out.
【Ahhh my little Jiayu had such a hard time…】
【Wish I could protect the little Jiayu back then…】
Among many comments, one stood out for being unusually critical:
SunshineSuperBright: 【So Jiayu was tempted by money because she was poor, right?】
Responses came instantly:
【What proof?】
【Spreading rumors is illegal!】
【Protect our little Jiayu!】
SunshineSuperBright got buried under replies but finally responded:
【There’s really some gossip about this little flower~ stay tuned!】
About thirty minutes later, they shared a post:
“Shocking! Jiayu, a rising star, was allegedly ‘sponsored’ for years, rising through sleeping around! Stone-cold proof with photos!!”
Qiu Miaoran, at the office, scrolled to the post, hands trembling…
She had just registered a Weibo account, followed Jiayu’s fan club and her official account, without verifying as CEO of Qiushui Ventures, and yet she found the trending topic #JiayuSponsoredGate and related news.
Her brow furrowed. The photos seemed to be taken two and a half years ago at a party, deliberately blurring Qiu Miaoran’s face, showing Jiayu closely with another man, subtly intimate, holding a wine glass.
The timing of the release was precise—right after Jiayu and Qiu Miaoran broke up.
The article suggested that Jiayu got the female supporting role because she had been sponsored for over two years, and the capitalist dumped her after being tired of her.
Qiu Miaoran’s chest tightened—was this the supposed “stone-cold” female companion contract? Impossible, that contract was only in her study, not seen by anyone…
She clicked the article—just a few photos, yet the headlines claimed Jiayu had been “sponsored.”
Rubbish. Qiu Miaoran immediately replied using her new account:
[Qiu Miaoran]: “False. The person involved says—we were never in a sponsorship relationship, just girlfriends. We are equals.”
One minute passed. Two minutes…
Few replies appeared:
【‘Person involved’ what nonsense? New account, only following Jiayu, obviously making it up!】
【Fans, don’t make things worse, just watch! No one dares spread rumors about the Qiu family!】
【Ridiculous…】
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