The Film Queen Is Cold and Ruthless, Only Sends Money - Chapter 21.1

The shopping mall was considered a landmark building in Herong County, so any events happening inside were common knowledge among the locals.

Getting information about it was easy, which was why Liu Yangran and her group arrived at the same time as them.

However, gathering intel on the second check-in point proved more challenging.

Most of the answers they received pointed them back to the mall, with no mention of any other locations.

After thanking yet another passerby, Su Yun turned to Jiang Zhi. “I think the production team must have given us other hints.”

If they had to rely on blind luck and ask around one by one, the director might not even see them today.

Jiang Zhi pondered for a moment. “Should we take a look at the map?”

Su Yun opened the navigation app and marked the locations of the folk museum and the mall they had just visited. “They’re on the same main road.”

But when they connected the dots, the landmarks along the way were mostly residential areas hardly the kind of places where a check-in point would be set up.

Su Yun glanced at Jiang Zhi. “Should we go anyway?”

Jiang Zhi nodded. “Let’s go. We have a car, so even if there’s no check-in spot, it won’t be a problem.”

“You’re right!” Su Yun climbed into the car and declared, “Pikachu, let’s go!”

Jiang Zhi: “I know I shouldn’t, but I have to say, I’m endlessly amazed by Su Yun and Jiang Zhi’s tacit understanding.]

[Agreed! I have all four couples’ live streams open, and Su Yun and Jiang Zhi are the only ones with clear goals and planning. Plus, they’re currently the fastest!]

[Lin Yan’s group and Su Xue’s group also made it to the mall, but after checking in, they decided to go busk for money!]

–

Meanwhile.

Lin Yan’s group and Su Xue’s group.

The two teams had been competing since before the mission even started.

Since they set off around the same time, they ran into each other again at the mall.

The only moment of silence between them was when they each pulled out their paper-cutting artworks in front of the other.

“Honestly, should we form an alliance?” Lin Yan asked Su Xue and Jing Chaochao after taking their check-in photos. “With both our teams working together, we’d definitely have an advantage over the other two teams going solo.”

Su Xue glanced at Jing Chaochao, hesitating. “Should we agree?” she whispered.

Jing Chaochao lowered her gaze, thinking for a moment before looking back at Lin Yan. “But there’s still the matter of first and second place. If we team up, how do we split the ranking?”

Lin Yan had already discussed this with Xu Zhi. “Judging from yesterday, the difference between first and second place isn’t huge like the first and second rooms assigned. So if you’re willing to ally with us, we’re happy to let you take first.”

At this point, they were surprisingly generous and easy to negotiate with, not insisting on fighting for the top spot.

After all, what they wanted was a more stable victory.

Hearing that Lin Yan and Xu Zhi were willing to concede first place, a clear sign of sincerity Jing Chaochao quickly agreed. “Alright, but we need a written guarantee first.”

Having learned from past missions, she had grown wiser. She knew better than to trust the grand promises of other guests otherwise, she’d only end up starving herself.

Lin Yan clutched her chest dramatically, feigning heartbreak. “What kind of relationship do we have? Do we really need a written guarantee?”

“Of course!” Su Xue smiled and took out the mobile phones they carried with them. “It’s hard to find paper and pens right now, so let’s just write it in the memo app.”

The trust between them could be perfectly described as “walking on thin ice!”

[I feel like Lin Yan and Xu Zhi are quite smart. Forming an alliance means each team only needs to find one location from now on, saving a lot of time.]

[Their little boat of friendship feels like it could hit a huge wave at any moment! The fact that they need to sign a written agreement is hilarious!]

[Will these two teams win? Even if Su Yun and Jiang Zhi’s team came in first for all three tasks yesterday, they can’t compare to such strong opponents!]

[Agree with the above! A third of the tasks are already over!]

Most of the viewers watching these two teams are their fans, naturally hoping their idols will win.

There are also a few wandering netizens who hop between different livestreams. Seeing the two teams form an alliance, they commented:

[If I hadn’t watched Su Yun’s livestream, I might really think they could win.]

[Don’t speak too soon. The chances of these two teams winning probably aren’t that high.]

[What do you mean by that?]

[I recommend checking out Su Yun and Jiang Zhi’s livestream. You’ll understand once you see it!]

After the netizens pointed the way, many clicked into Su Yun’s livestream.

Less than a minute later, they returned utterly stunned.

[Can someone tell me why they have an electric scooter? So cool! For a second, I thought I was watching a different variety show from Su Yun’s!]

[Lin Yan and Zhao Zhao’s team feels like cavemen, while Su Yun’s team has already advanced to the industrial age, they magically produced a vehicle!]

[Starting to worry for Xuexue and Zhaozhao. Even with their alliance, it doesn’t seem like they’ll win.]

[Director Lin, step up your game! Shouldn’t you get a vehicle too?!]

Unaware of the viewers’ shock or Su Yun’s situation, the two teams signed their agreement and officially formed their alliance.

After discussing, they decided to start by busking for money. Once they had enough for travel expenses, they’d plan their next move.

[Their plan is perfect, but the other team has an electric scooter. Wuwuwu.]

[Busking for money is a perfectly normal activity, but compared to the other team, they seem so pitiful!]

The director, silently watching the livestream, leisurely sipped her tea.

She had never said the rewards for first and second place were similar.

–

Su Yun and Jiang Zhi followed their route to a residential area, then parked their scooter and walked around, looking for any activities related to paper-cutting.

Su Yun stepped over a pothole and chatted with Jiang Zhi: “How do you think the show will design the rest of the route?”

There might be a pattern to the check-in locations, but they couldn’t be sure their guess was correct, so they needed to consider multiple possibilities.

Jiang Zhi: “Our current route is based on spatial reasoning, but it could also follow a timeline. For example, the final destination, the Folk Museum, could represent the culmination of time.”

“Our first check-in was the shopping mall, representing the modern development of paper-cutting. The next one might showcase its ancient origins.”

Su Yun glanced at the residential area nearby it did have an old-world charm. “Or maybe a combination of both?”

“Honestly, when they were analyzing it, I thought it made sense. But when we got here, it seemed unlikely there’s no way the production team would set the check-in point in a place like this, right?”

“Agreed. It’s just a residential area, and there’s nothing related to paper-cutting around here.”

“Are they still going further in? Isn’t that a waste of time?”

“Am I the only one who still believes in Su Yun and Jiang Zhi?! They’ve barely lost since the show started.”

Netizens were anxious on their behalf while keeping an eye on the live streams from other teams.

But Su Yun and Jiang Zhi were completely unfazed, strolling along with an air of ease.

As Su Yun walked, scanning for clues, she remembered this was a travel variety show. “Look, this little flower.”

Jiang Zhi stepped closer. It was indeed just a small wildflower, but its petals were a soft, dreamy purple, swaying gently in the breeze. Against the backdrop of withered weeds, it looked particularly beautiful.

“Should we plant some flowers on the lawn at home?” Jiang Zhi suddenly thought of something.

When she and Su Yun got married, the villa and the money she transferred were partly compensation for the arranged marriage and partly to ensure Su Yun would settle down without causing trouble.

Because of that, she had chosen everything about the villa the detailed decor, the design without ever consulting Su Yun.

Su Yun thought for a moment. The area outside the villa was so large, it did feel a bit empty. “Then after we finish filming, let’s find time to pick out some flower seeds together?”

“Sure,” Jiang Zhi replied.

[Your mission isn’t done yet stop chatting about gardening!]

[Mentioning the villa just reminded me of something else.]

[The prelude episode? Actually, now that you mention it, I remember something that still hasn’t been explained.]

[I was thinking about their villa too! It’d look amazing with flowers planted outside!]

[Production team, I believe you now, this is a romance show! I’m here for the sweet couple moments!]

At first, the people they asked in the residential area didn’t provide any useful leads.

But soon, they found someone who said, “If you’re looking for paper-cutting, there’s a girl in the building who, after graduating from college, didn’t look for a job but stayed home to learn paper-cutting from her grandparents. I don’t know if she’s the one you’re searching for.”

Su Yun’s intuition told her this was exactly who they needed. After getting the address, she and Jiang Zhi rode their electric scooter to the girl’s place.

[Oh my god, is this Su Yun and Jiang Zhi’s judgment and efficiency in action?!]

[Even if it weren’t part of the mission, I’d still want to meet that girl! She seems so determined and persistent!]

[Same! What an amazing college grad coming back to learn paper-cutting after graduation must’ve taken a lot of courage!]

Before Jiang Zhi and Su Yun could knock, the door swung open, revealing a girl with a braid. “You’re finally here! I’ve been waiting for you!”

The girl, Ye Zhu, had received an invitation from the production team long ago, asking her to participate in this episode set in Herong County.

When she heard the goal was to promote paper-cutting, she agreed immediately, only later learning that many celebrities would be coming to her place for check-ins!

So when she heard voices outside, she couldn’t resist inviting Su Yun and Jiang Zhi in.

The room they entered appeared to be Ye Zhu’s paper-cutting studio.

When Su Yun entered, she saw nothing but papers used for paper-cutting, along with many semi-finished and finished works on display. “This is amazing!”

Ye Zhu, excited to talk about something she excelled at and loved, eagerly introduced each piece to them: “This was my first paper-cutting work. Back then, I didn’t know anything, and when I finished it, I cried because it was so ugly. I wanted to throw it away, but my grandma stopped me, saying my first work should be kept no matter what.”

“So that’s why the director asked us to take a photo holding our own paper-cuttings,” Su Yun remarked.

“Exactly. Although my current works are definitely better than before, I still remember the excitement I felt when I completed my first piece.”

Ye Zhu picked up her first work and looked at Su Yun and Jiang Zhi. “Do you two want to guess what I was trying to cut back then?”

Su Yun examined the paper-cutting in front of her. The four corners had protruding edges, and the center was square-shaped. Though not very clear, she ventured, “It should be a pagoda, right?”

Jiang Zhi spoke almost simultaneously, but their voices didn’t overlap. She guessed, “A piglet?”

Su Yun and Jiang Zhi exchanged glances: “…”

Hearing their answers, Ye Zhu wasn’t surprised but asked curiously, “How did you two come up with those guesses?”

Su Yun explained her reasoning, while Jiang Zhi had mistaken the four pillars of the pagoda for a piglet’s legs, and the square center seemed to fit a chubby pig’s body.

“Congratulations, neither of you guessed right,” Ye Zhu laughed as she revealed the answer. “I was trying to cut a rabbit back then.”

As a child, she just thought it was fun, so naturally, she wanted to cut something she loved most rabbits, cute and adorable, became her first choice.

Su Yun studied it for a few more seconds and still felt the fish in her own hand was better. She joked, “Good thing we weren’t friends back then. If we had guessed like this, would it have made you dislike paper-cutting altogether?”

Ye Zhu replied, “It’s possible! After seeing my own work back then, I swore I’d never touch paper-cutting again!”

As they walked and chatted, the studio was filled with Ye Zhu’s proud works and recent pieces, aside from that first attempt.

Compared to her first paper-cutting, the difference was so stark that one might wonder if it was even done by the same person.

Jiang Zhi recalled what they had heard on the way and asked, “So what made you decide to continue down this path?”

Despite facing others’ misunderstandings and the pressure of making a living, Ye Zhu remained so optimistic and cheerful.

“Actually, I’m like most people not that noble. Paper-cutting was just something I dabbled in occasionally, not even a serious hobby.”

Ye Zhu casually picked up a pair of scissors from the table, folded the paper twice, and effortlessly cut out a little pig, handing it to Jiang Zhi.

Completely unfazed that she was in front of her favorite movie actress, she joked, “Here’s the piglet you wanted. It should look more like one now.”

Jiang Zhi: “…”

But she didn’t interrupt, quietly listening as Ye Zhu continued her story.

She, too, wanted to know what had caused Ye Zhu’s change of heart.

“I didn’t want to learn, and my family didn’t force me. But they didn’t want to see the art of paper-cutting disappear, so they rented a place specifically to teach local kids for free,” Ye Zhu recalled, the memory still vivid in her mind. “Back then, I’d go along for the fun, guessing what the kids were trying to cut out.”

Su Yun could already guess how the story would unfold.

She blinked and glanced at the little pig in Jiang Zhi’s hand, feeling it still carried a childlike charm.

“But after a week, some parents came by and said their kids had weekend cram classes for upcoming exams and couldn’t afford to ‘waste time’ on paper-cutting anymore.

Others said their children had accidentally cut themselves with scissors or carving knives, so for safety reasons, they wouldn’t be coming back.

And then there were the kids who quit on their own, they felt like no matter how long they practiced, their cuts still looked ugly, and they just didn’t feel any sense of achievement.”

Ye Zhu’s voice grew quieter as she spoke. “In the end, the paper-cutting class only lasted two weeks.”

“By the third week, even though Grandma knew everyone had dropped out, she still went to the rented place. She waited there from morning till night before finally giving up the lease. That evening, I went with her to handle the paperwork.”

Su Yun patted Ye Zhu’s shoulder. “But now, your grandma has the best student she could ask for!”

[Now I get why Ye Zhu has kept at it for so long, my heart aches.]

[Honestly, if not for this show, I probably wouldn’t have even thought about paper-cutting, let alone known the stories behind it!]

[The production team might not treat the guests well, but they’re really putting effort into the content!]

[Agreed! They should go even harder on the guests! And feature more people like Ye Zhu!]

[LMAO at the comment above! Always ready to stir the pot! But count me in!]

The past was the past, and Ye Zhu had always been resilient. After sharing these memories, she felt lighter. “You’re right. At the very least, I’m now one of the most recognized paper-cutting artists in Herong County!”

Su Yun shook her head. “I think you’re about to become famous nationwide, not just in Herong.”

Before, people didn’t know these stories or much about paper-cutting at all.

But Ye Zhu’s journey was full of heart, and her choices were compelling. Plenty of viewers in the livestream were bound to be moved.

“Really?” Ye Zhu’s eyes brightened for a moment before she added shyly, “As long as more people come to love paper-cutting, it doesn’t matter whether I get famous or not.”

“They will,” Su Yun said confidently.

After their talk, they took a group photo in front of Ye Zhu’s display wall to mark the visit.

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