The Prime Minister Becomes a Global Sensation After Transmigrating into a Pariah - Chapter 20

“Huh?” Lou Yishu looked at the man before him with a face full of question marks. Qiao Yuxi looked decidedly guilty.

The two remained in a silent stalemate for half a minute until a staff member finally broke the strange atmosphere.

“Teacher Qiao, Teacher Lou, if there are no other issues, we are about to restart the live stream,” the staff member announced.

“Are you up for it?” Grabbing the opportunity to change the subject, Qiao Yuxi quickly asked if Lou Yishu was physically capable of continuing the shoot.

It was a comical sight: the grand Movie Star coordinating his schedule around a “nobody” celebrity, deferentially asking if he could get back to work.

Lou Yishu nodded, signaling he was fine.

Once the stream resumed, a staff member dropped a bombshell on them: “By the way, Teacher Lou, your medical expenses will be deducted from your gold coins~”

Qiao Yuxi suspected the workers on this crew had undergone special training; how else could one explain why their smirks were all identical? They looked like a bunch of greedy profiteers.

The staff member pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the lenses glinting. He spoke with the rapid-fire cadence of a tavern accountant: “One bottle of Yunnan Baiyao, emergency medical assistance, construction of the changing room, plus labor and time costs since this is Mr. Lou’s first time on our show, we’ll give you a discount. Let’s call it an even 100 gold coins.”

And just like that, Lou Yishu and Qiao Yuxi’s balance plummeted to -20 gold coins.

The audience, having been locked in the “dark room” for so long, finally saw the light. The comment volume spiked instantly:

• “I’m back! Your boy Hu Hansan is back!!!”
• “Qiao Yuxi changed his clothes, so Lou Yishu definitely fell in. Thank God everyone is safe.”
• “Wait, so Qiao Yuxi was the one who saved him! Argh, Qiao-Qiao is amazing! I knew I picked the right idol!”
• “From now on, I won’t allow anyone to cross my brother Qiao!”

Some viewers, hearing the staff member’s words, began to “mock” the duo’s misfortune:

• “Back to the pre-liberation days in one go. The directors are truly not human, hahaha.”
• “Pre-liberation? They’re literally in debt now.”
• “The real question: if they have no money, where are they sleeping tonight?”
• “The earth for a bed and the sky for a blanket (not).”
• “That won’t work. What if a wild wolf carries them off in the middle of the night? Especially Lou Yishu, he looks delicious.”
• “Upstairs, you’ve exposed yourself! You’re just lusting after his body! How lewd!”

Due to the previous heated debate, Qiao Yuxi’s supporters were out in force. The haters didn’t dare show their faces in this stream, choosing instead to spread rumors elsewhere, which at least gave this corner of the internet some peace.

Upon hearing the news of their debt, Lou Yishu’s ink-black brows knit together slightly. His tone was tinged with disappointment: “So we can’t stay in the villa.”

Qiao Yuxi stole a glance and immediately looked away. The flush that had finally faded from his face began to creep back toward his ears. Lou Yishu’s complexion was still a bit pale, which only served to emphasize his dark, striking features. Seeing him frown like that was truly a sight that would move anyone to pity.

Qiao Yuxi felt he was losing his mind. Every word Lou Yishu said or move he made now left Qiao Yuxi feeling hyper-sensitive.

“If we can’t stay, we can’t stay. Who cares about that crappy villa? I have several villas of my own” If you want, you could stay in a different one every day of the week. Qiao Yuxi kept those words to himself. After all, saying that would make it seem like he was desperately throwing himself at Lou Yishu, and Qiao Yuxi would never do something so “cheap.”

The PD (Program Director) was very perceptive, almost shoving the camera into Lou Yishu’s face. When the viewers saw his expression, their hearts shattered:

• “Baby, don’t be sad. Come to Mama for a hug.”
• “Yishu’s expression makes me, if he actually cried, I’d give him my life!”
• “Dammit, I hate that I’m not successful enough. If I had money, I’d buy him anything he wanted”
• “Waaaah, I’m really a fan of his face. I was afraid to say it before, but since everyone is being nice now, I’ll say it loud: Lou Yishu is the most beautiful!!!”
• “Until the Lin Chunyan incident is proven, I’m going to spoil you a bit more.”
• “I feel like Lou Yishu would smell really good.”
• “He’s so clean and fair with such a good personality, who wouldn’t like him? Yishu-baby, you’re just a soft, fragrant little cake”

On Qiao Yuxi’s side, however, the fans were busy mocking his “rich guy” energy:

• “Oooooh~ ‘I~ have~ several~ villas~’”
• “I’m going to fight all of rich people QAQ!!!”
• “Would it kill the world to make ME a rich person for once?”
• “Please don’t drop the phrase ‘several villas’ so casually”

They eventually tallied the fruit: 72 pieces. After subtracting their debt, the two of them were left with only 52 gold coins.

“Let’s eat something to tide us over first. We’ll figure out the rest later,” Qiao Yuxi said.

Little did they know, on the social media platform Boliao, the hashtag #QiaoYuxiSavesLouYishu had skyrocketed to the number one trending spot.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the city, Lin Chunyan was napping in a lounge chair in her attic.

Thump, thump, thump

Hurried footsteps raced across the wooden floorboards and up into the attic.

“Grandma! It’s bad! Something happened!” Lin Hui shook Lin Chunyan awake, her voice frantic and laced with anxiety.

Lin Chunyan was jolted from her dream by her granddaughter. She muttered groalily, “What is it, my sweet?”

“Something happened to Brother Yishu!”

“What?!”

Lin Chunyan bolted upright, her sleepiness vanishing instantly. She snatched the phone from Lin Hui’s hand. In that moment, the flashy icons on the screen blurred; the only thing she could see was the headline: “Lou Yishu Falls into Water.”

[Flashback/Memory]

“What did you say? What happened to the Young Master?”

“Speak! Weren’t you supposed to be by his side at all times!!”

The piercing scream echoed through the massive Lou Manor. It felt as though if she screamed until her throat bled, the young man who had once told her not to work so hard would return.

“He. he said, he told me to go to the market to buy him.”

The young man responding had a raspy voice. He was a man of few words and poor articulation, his sentences always halting. He wore a set of black tactical robes, he was a hidden guard raised by the manor to protect his master.

Halfway through his sentence, as if remembering something, a single tear fell from his eye. Trained as a beast since childhood, a hidden guard was meant to be a sharp blade, and a blade was not permitted to have emotions. He didn’t understand the meaning of that tear, but his body was already reacting with physical symptoms of immense regret and grief. This “blade” knelt on the ground, back arched and trembling, as he delivered the final verdict.

“The Young Master fell into the lake. He hasn’t been found.”

“Not found? What do you mean, not found?” Standing before the guard was an elderly woman. She had calmed down from her initial rage, but it was not a good sign.

She was the dowry maid of the Mistress, and she had essentially watched the Young Master grow up. She couldn’t understand it. One moment, he had been wearing the Suzhou embroidery she had hand-stitched for him, smiling and saying he would wear anything she made and that she needn’t stay up late sewing for him. Why, in the next moment, was everyone kneeling on the floor telling her the Young Master was dead?

Suddenly, the string in her mind snapped. A ringing sound filled her head, and her vision went black as she collapsed. A second before losing consciousness, she saw that young man in his long robes again, his dark eyes crinkling as he smiled: “Nanny, you truly have a deft hand.”

[Present Day]

“Grandma, don’t panic! Don’t panic!” Lin Hui didn’t understand why her grandmother was so invested in Lou Yishu, only that she was constantly told to report his every move. To this end, her grandmother had even given up living in a beautiful, high-end apartment to open a modest, affordable barbershop near Lou Yishu’s home.

That day was the first time Lin Hui had seen Lou Yishu up close. Unsure of how to handle the situation, she had rushed upstairs to get her grandmother.

“Brother Yishu is fine, Grandma. Qiao Yuxi saved him.” Lin Hui had simply been too frantic; she lost her cool the moment she saw the hot search.

Now that the live stream was running normally, Lin Hui pulled it up for Lin Chunyan. Lin Chunyan’s eyes filled with a thin layer of tears, like a fragile shell of light that would shatter at a touch. She stared at Lou Yishu on the screen; his smile and the way his eyes curved were exactly as she remembered.

“No, I’m not at ease.” Lin Chunyan stood up and began packing her things, instructing her granddaughter, “Call a helicopter. As fast as possible. I must see him with my own eyes.”

“Yes, alright! Oh, Grandma Lili has been dealt with.”

“Good.”

In other industries, Lin Chunyan might not have much influence, but this “Lili” had walked right into her crosshairs. Within her sphere of power, she would make sure anyone who hurt Lou Yishu paid the price.