The Prime Minister Becomes a Global Sensation After Transmigrating into a Pariah - Chapter 9

Did I hear wrong? It sounds like someone is shouting for help.

Lou Yishu’s footsteps faltered. At that moment, the viewership in his livestream plummeted then spiked as people flocked in:

• “I’m dying, watching the excitement from a different perspective is hilarious hahaha.”
• “My god, Qiao Yuxi’s cries for help are practically inaudible.”
• “Wait?! Why did our room suddenly get so crowded?”
• “Hahahaha sister, go look at Qiao Yuxi’s stream and you’ll understand.”
• “Lou Yishu’s expression looks like he’s seen a ghost.”
• “Watching on two phones is the ultimate way to enjoy this.”

Lou Yishu had excellent hearing, yet even he was unsure if it was a hallucination. He was carrying coils of vines over his shoulder and had collected some wood and bamboo, intending to find a clearing to start a fire.

He stopped and asked softly, “Did you all hear that?” But the forest was now deathly silent, as if the cry for help had truly been a phantom sound.

The comments in Lou Yishu’s feed were more anxious than Qiao Yuxi himself:

• “Can the production team let the guests see the comments please!”
• “Baby Qiao, forget your pride!!! Once Lou Yishu leaves, there won’t be another one coming!”
• “I wish I could reach through the screen and shout for him.”
• “Qiao Yuxi looks like he’s about to overheat from embarrassment, haha.”

Lou Yishu listened intently once more. Feeling certain no one was there, he raised his foot to leave.

The comments surged:

• “DON’T GO!!! Waaaah—”
• “Hubby don’t leave!!! [Crying] [Hugging his leg]”
• “I’m only friends with him! [Not really]”
• “Why is everyone meme-ing? Does no one care if Qiao Yuxi can actually get out? I’m wheezing.”
• “He brought this on himself, hmph. Face before grace.”

On the other side, Qiao Yuxi was in despair. He looked at the PD beside him, feeling a deep sense of embarrassment. Although he could act out anything in a script even bark like a dog when it came to being himself, he couldn’t let go as easily.

“Stupid trap. It can’t catch prey, but it caught me just fine,” Qiao Yuxi grumbled, his expensive leather shoes scuffing against the yellow mud.

Just then, he heard a faint rustle. He looked up and locked eyes with Lou Yishu, whose head was peeking over the edge of the pit.

“Oh? There really is someone here,” Lou Yishu said with surprise, a faint smile playing on his lips.

From Qiao Yuxi’s perspective, it looked like Lou Yishu was mocking him. Moreover, Lou Yishu hadn’t smiled like this before, he had smiled at Shen Mo with such warmth and openness, yet for him, it was only this shallow, polite curve of the lips.

“I shall rescue you,” Lou Yishu said. He was glad he’d brought the vines, which he’d originally intended to use as rope for his wood.

“I don’t want you to save me,” Qiao Yuxi muttered, his voice lacking conviction, sounding more like he was throwing a tantrum.

“If you don’t want me to save you, who then shall?” Lou Yishu asked with a chuckle. His eyes curved, softening the sharp glint in his gaze.

Qiao Yuxi seemed to have dug his heels in, acting tough: “Just not you.”

Lou Yishu arched an eyebrow and turned to leave without hesitation. Before he went, he didn’t forget to remind the man in the pit: “I’m leaving, then.”

He appeared resolute, but in his head, he was counting: Three. two.

Sure enough, before he hit three, a weak voice drifted up from the pit: “You…!”

“Do you want me to save you now?” Lou Yishu turned back, one foot braced against the slope as he peered down at Qiao Yuxi. He had no idea how captivating he looked in that moment.

Even though those tactical clothes were supposed to be ugly, they looked mesmerizing on him. The breeze stirred the hair on his forehead, and his eyes were like whirlpools, seemingly capable of swallowing all impure thoughts.

“Yes…” Qiao Yuxi blurted out. He immediately regretted it, falling into a spiral of self-loathing. Fooled by that face again! Qiao Yuxi, you’re so pathetic! Haven’t you learned your lesson yet? He cursed himself silently.

The atmosphere in the comments turned strange:

• “Wait… this development is a bit off… why does the air feel like it’s filled with pink bubbles?”
• “It’s a bit ship-able, can I say that???”
• “No!!! No shipping! Lou Yishu has a record!”
• “Waaaah, it’s so painful. It feels like eating something gross but finding out it tastes delicious.”
• “But Lou Yishu’s face is so good QAQ.”
• “Who can argue with that? Hahaha.”

Lou Yishu lowered the vines to give Qiao Yuxi leverage, but Qiao’s shoes were ill-suited for climbing loose, soft earth and stone. He slipped several times.

Finally, after another attempt, Qiao Yuxi caught a point of support.

There was a slight accident however, the “point of support” happened to be Lou Yishu’s neck.

Just as everyone held their breath, fearing Lou Yishu would be dragged into the pit as well, Lou Yishu acted with lightning speed. He hooked his arms under Qiao Yuxi’s armpits and hoisted him upward with brute force. Qiao Yuxi, caught off guard, instinctively wrapped his legs around Lou Yishu’s waist.

What kind of arm strength was this? Qiao Yuxi was a man standing at 1.88 meters; though he didn’t look fat, he was lean-muscled and certainly not light. Yet there he was, clinging to Lou Yishu like a koala to a tree trunk.

Qiao Yuxi looked down slightly and saw the snow-white neck beneath him. Lou Yishu’s skin was exceptionally pale not the pasty white of cosmetic cream, but a translucent ivory with a hint of pink from the capillaries beneath. Qiao Yuxi was dazed, losing himself in the sight.

“Why did you not change your clothes?” Lou Yishu asked, snapping Qiao Yuxi back to reality. His voice was curious but remained extremely gentle. “Would you like to get down now?”

To emphasize, he gave Qiao Yuxi a little bounce in his arms.

Qiao Yuxi’s ears turned beet red. He scrambled down from Lou Yishu’s body as if hiding something, quickly launching a new topic: “Those clothes were too ugly.”

Lou Yishu simply began picking up the supplies he’d dropped, replying casually, “Not at all. You look good in anything.”

Qiao Yuxi froze for two seconds. He fought desperately to suppress the corners of his mouth, lowering his voice to sound “cool”: “Not really… anyone would probably look okay in these. I didn’t say you look good! Don’t misunderstand but I suppose you look alright.”

The comments were shocked by the interaction:

• “My god, Lou Yishu just used a basic attack and forced out Qiao Yuxi’s ultimate.”
• “He’s got Brother Qiao hooked and smiling.”
• “That ‘trying-not-to-smile’ face is hilarious. Screenshotted for memes.”
• “Brother Qiao is secretly loving this.”
• “Lou Yishu’s praise sounds so natural. You can tell he’s not flattering him [Crying], he truly means it. Let me ship it just once, just one sip.”
• “Let me taste if this is salty or sweet!”

The two leads were unaware of the renewed war in the comments. Lou Yishu didn’t dwell on Qiao Yuxi’s reply; he finished gathering his resources and prepared to find a clearing. It was nearly 12:30 PM, and he needed to secure lunch.

“Where are you going?” Qiao Yuxi asked. He tried to act indifferent, but his feet followed Lou Yishu like a little tail.

“I have an airdrop coming later. Do you, want to come with me?” Qiao Yuxi peeked at Lou Yishu’s expression. Seeing him unmoved, he scrambled to save face: “Forget it if you don’t want to. I have plenty of supplies anyway.”

That lie might work on others, but not on Lou Yishu. If the value of items was determined by their utility, the most useful things were Shen Mo’s enamel mug and Ye Qi’s flint. Fire was essential, and Shen Mo’s mug could boil water and hold food; Lou Yishu couldn’t think of any natural resource in the woods that could replace a boilable container.

He didn’t believe Qiao Yuxi’s “airdrop” would contain enough food for two adult men that would be too unfair.

The fact that he ran into Qiao Yuxi suggested the others would likely meet as well. Those with fire and a container would surely use them to trade for other goods.

Lou Yishu knew Qiao Yuxi was having a secret tantrum. He explained softly, “I simply feared I would be a burden to you. If I take a bite of your food, will you not have one less for yourself?”

His manner of speaking was a bit archaic, yet it was unexpectedly endearing rather than annoying. This gentle phrasing suited his aura perfectly, as if even if the sky fell, he would stand beside you and smile, saying: If we must enter an eternal sleep, I hope we meet in our dreams.

“Why are you worrying about that? If you’re a burden, I’ll obviously just throw you away!” Qiao Yuxi tilted his head back, clearly unaware that his “airdrop” might not be as grand as he imagined.

“Very well.” Lou Yishu didn’t mind having Qiao Yuxi along. “We shall find a riverbank, start a fire, and see if we can find something to eat.”