The Scumbag A Really Doesn't Want to Become Famous [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 12

Jiang Musheng actually gave her the coat.

Gave it to her!

But what about Jiang Musheng?

Realizing this, Yu Youqing immediately tried to take off the scarf around her neck to give it back, but Jiang Musheng said, “I’m not cold.”

“How can you not be cold? Even if you’re bundled up, your hands are still freezing.” Seizing the chance, Yu Youqing explained about the scarf, “Oh right! This scarf is Zizi’s, not the one you gave me.”

Afraid the cameras might pick it up, she lowered her voice, “I couldn’t bear to wear yours.”

Yu Youqing thought her excuse was pretty solid.

Jiang Musheng didn’t seem in a hurry to return to camp. She nodded, “I know.”

The scarf she had given Yu Youqing had a special detail the brand had embroidered a label with her name on it, making it one-of-a-kind. A single glance told her this wasn’t the one she’d gifted.

“Teacher Jiang, this came with your task,” a staff member hurried over, holding a bowl of tofu with an awkward expression. “But it’s so cold, it’s frozen solid.”

He tapped it, and the tofu let out a crisp, hollow sound.

Yu Youqing blinked. “Came with it?”

Staff: “Yes, this was included with the beef task. Teacher Jiang, is this alright?”

Yu Youqing thought, wasn’t tofu something she’d mentioned wanting in the group chat? Was this a coincidence?

Jiang Musheng turned to her. “Is this alright?”

Yu Youqing froze for a second before nodding eagerly. “Yes, yes!”

So was there even the slightest chance Jiang Musheng had taken this task to get the ingredient she wanted?

Yu Youqing felt a little flustered at her own bold assumption. Coincidence, surely.

But somehow, the suffocating feeling she’d had upon seeing Liang Yitang wrapped in Jiang Musheng’s coat had completely vanished.

Walking slowly back through the snow, Jiang Musheng led the way, carrying the small bag of tofu.

“Teacher Jiang,” Yu Youqing called out, her throat dry and aching. “Wait for me a second.”

She wanted water, but they were still a short distance from camp, where would she find any? Taking matters into her own hands, Yu Youqing eyed the snow.

Wasn’t this the perfect solution?

When Jiang Musheng turned back, she saw Yu Youqing struggling to crouch down, pushing the scarf aside. Bundled in thick layers, her arms looked like little lotus roots, barely able to move.

Jiang Musheng knelt, removing her gloves.

“What do you need?”

Snowflakes clung to the tips of Yu Youqing’s lashes. She blinked, tilting her head up slightly. “I’m so thirsty wanted water.”

Jiang Musheng’s hands were slender, and Yu Youqing’s gaze was instantly drawn to them. She had expected Jiang Musheng to laugh at her childish idea, but instead, Jiang Musheng scooped up a handful of snow. The crystalline flakes melted against her skin, dripping away.

“Still staring?” Jiang Musheng brought her hand to Yu Youqing’s lips. “It’ll be gone soon.”

Yu Youqing leaned down and took a sip, the icy sweetness spreading across her tongue.

Jiang Musheng was feeding her snow.

For a moment, Yu Youqing felt dazed. The heat in her lungs seemed to rush to her skin instead. She didn’t even notice the snow in Jiang Musheng’s palm had nearly melted away and Jiang Musheng didn’t stop her. So when Yu Youqing bent down again, the tip of her tongue lightly grazed Jiang Musheng’s palm.

!!!

Yu Youqing sprang up like a coiled spring, her face flushed as she stammered, “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know,” Jiang Musheng replied, glancing at her palm before standing up.

Yu Youqing wanted to fetch Jiang Musheng a tissue, but she had already put her gloves back on.

Her heart pounded with anxiety, wondering if Jiang Musheng might think she had ulterior motives. The tension lingered as they returned to the campsite in silence.

The ingredients had already been delivered, so Yin Zi was helping in the kitchen, while Liang Yitang had retired to her room, claiming to have caught a cold.

In the living room, a fire crackled in the hearth. Li Rongcheng waved Jiang Musheng over to warm herself.

“Why aren’t you wearing your coat? You young people never take care of yourselves.”

Just as he finished speaking, Yu Youqing entered behind her, the snow on her shoulders melting instantly in the warmth. The moment Li Rongcheng saw her, he understood.

Yu Youqing didn’t waste a second, she immediately busied herself boiling water for tea. Without a word, she prepared two cups and handed one each to Jiang Musheng and Li Rongcheng.

As she bent down, she avoided Jiang Musheng’s gaze, murmuring softly, “Drink something warm.”

She noticed Jiang Musheng still hadn’t removed her gloves, wisps of steam rising from them as they warmed by the fire.

“Thank you,” Jiang Musheng accepted the cup.

Li Rongcheng gave Yu Youqing a curious look.

In just two years, Yu Youqing seemed completely reborn nothing like her former self. The spoiled young miss of the past would never have bothered with such trivial tasks, let alone shown concern for others. Back then, not causing trouble was already a blessing. Yet throughout this program, she hadn’t displayed a trace of that old attitude.

Yu Youqing smiled. “What are you looking at me for, Teacher Li? Don’t let me interrupt keep talking.”

“That time you filmed in the freezing cold, didn’t you get frostbite on your hands? Are they better now?” Li Rongcheng asked with concern. “The weather here is harsh, I even told Director Wang you probably wouldn’t come.”

“They’re fine. Of course I’d make time for you and Director Wang.” Jiang Musheng took a sip of tea, warmth spreading through her stomach and then her body.

She removed her gloves, revealing faint redness around her knuckles. Tilting her hand slightly, she kept it out of Yu Youqing’s sight.

“I didn’t realize you were doing me a favor?” Li Rongcheng chuckled, his tone fatherly. “You’re not so young anymore haven’t you found someone you like? It’s about time you started looking.”

“Teacher,” Jiang Musheng sighed, sounding resigned. “If the right person hasn’t come along, there’s no rush.”

“Your parents seem quite anxious about it.” Just as Li Rongcheng was about to continue, Yu Youqing suddenly gasped, scrambling to pick up the teacup she’d dropped. “It’s fine, it’s fine! Please, carry on. Would you like more tea?”

She swiftly refilled Li Rongcheng’s cup and added lightly, “Romance is usually just a fleeting interest for the young. Maybe our Teacher Jiang is only focused on her career.”

Her voice carried amusement, she hadn’t expected someone like Jiang Musheng to be so helpless against parental pressure. She couldn’t resist stepping in to help.

Just then, she caught a glimpse of Jiang Musheng’s hand was it slightly red?

But Jiang Musheng quickly tucked it away, leaving Yu Youqing unsure if she’d imagined it.

Yu Youqing poured herself a cup of tea as well. Just as she brought it to her lips, Li Rongcheng asked, “So, does this mean you’re looking to date someone?”

“…Cough.” Yu Youqing nearly choked on her tea. Logically speaking, she had joined this variety show precisely to gain exposure and build popularity for her next dating show appearance. This was the perfect opportunity to play along, yet for some reason, the words wouldn’t come easily now.

Her gaze instinctively sought out Jiang Musheng, only to find the woman wasn’t looking at her she was staring at the tea instead.

Yu Youqing nodded. “If the right opportunity with the right person comes along, of course I’d like to try.”

“I’ll head back to my room first.” Jiang Musheng set down her teacup and left without staying longer.

After Jiang Musheng had entered her room, Li Rongcheng teased, “If you want to date someone, isn’t the perfect candidate right here?”

“Not at all.” Yu Youqing laughed and spoke an honest truth, “My standards are high, I’ve never actually dated anyone before.”

This was true.

After all, with such an extraordinary idol existing in the world, ordinary mortals simply couldn’t compare.

Their afternoon schedule was light. After their nap, they took a walk around the campsite with the two hosts to film some footage.

Night fell early in the mountains, so they wrapped up and brought everyone back before long.

The evening grew even colder. After dinner, everyone retreated to their rooms to rest.

The tea set Yu Youqing had used at noon was her personal one, so she went to the living room to retrieve it. There, she spotted Jiang Musheng’s assistant Yangyang hurrying in from outside, carrying a basin of hot water.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Youqing stopped her.

“Youqing-jie, do you know any good remedies for frostbite itch?” Yangyang’s anxious expression was unmistakable when she looked up. “I specifically warned Sheng-sheng to be careful about the cold before we came, but somehow the frostbite flared up again in just one day… sigh.”

Yu Youqing frowned. “Frostbite?”

Yangyang nodded. “Yes. She’s so dedicated to her craft this is an old injury from filming in extreme conditions before. It tends to flare up whenever she gets cold. I remember there was this particularly effective ointment, but Teacher Jiang said she ran out. I thought soaking it in hot water might help first.”

Yu Youqing suddenly remembered the tube of ointment Jiang Musheng had given her before she left, and the redness she’d noticed on Jiang Musheng’s joints by the fire earlier it hadn’t been her imagination after all.

“I have the medicine. I’ll take it to Teacher Jiang right now.” Yu Youqing took the basin of hot water from Yangyang. “I’ll handle this.”

When Yu Youqing entered with the water, Jiang Musheng was pressing a hot water bottle against the back of her hand. Looking up in surprise at the visitor, her expression froze for half a second before she tried to hide her hand behind her back. But Yu Youqing had already stepped forward, set down the basin, and knelt before Jiang Musheng to gently take hold of her hand.

“Still trying to hide it?”

Yu Youqing’s voice was soft.

Her movements were equally gentle as she brought Jiang Musheng’s hand forward, careful not to cause any pain.

As she thought back, Yu Youqing finally realized from the moment they’d met, except for that time Jiang Musheng had fed her a handful of snow, the woman had always been wearing gloves.

Snow was cold; she knew that better than anyone. Yet when they were together, Jiang Musheng had never said a word about it.

The room had tatami flooring, so when Yu Youqing crouched down, she was at just half Jiang Musheng’s height. She tilted her head up to look at Jiang Musheng’s face and said, “Since frostbite ointment is so hard to come by, you should keep some for yourself.”

When she took Jiang Musheng’s hand, she noticed the fingers had already turned red. Though the fingers themselves weren’t swollen yet, the joints showed slight protrusions.

Yu Youqing had researched the condition, the symptoms matched what Jiang Musheng had described. Pain in the cold, pain in the heat, which explained why soaking in hot water didn’t bring much relief.

With a sigh, she pulled the ointment tube from her pocket and guided Jiang Musheng’s hand into the hot water.

“Try to bear with it a little.”

Jiang Musheng remained silent, quietly watching Yu Youqing’s every move.

“Teacher Jiang, does it hurt?” Yu Youqing’s voice was thick with guilt. If she hadn’t suddenly wanted water, Jiang Musheng wouldn’t have had to,

She submerged Jiang Musheng’s hand with extreme care, her gaze fixed as if performing a solemn ritual.

The cameras in the room were off there were no filming requirements for the evening.

Seeing Jiang Musheng’s hand soaking in the hot water, Yu Youqing thought the pain must be intense. Maybe a gentle massage would help. But the moment her fingers brushed Jiang Musheng’s hand, Jiang Musheng suddenly turned her palm over and grasped Yu Youqing’s hand.

“Yu Youqing,” Jiang Musheng’s gaze locked onto her, steady and intense, “if you keep this up, I might misunderstand.”

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