High-Altitude Worker, Unfortunately a Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role - Chapter 22

Even after hearing from Wang Ran and Li Minjing that her popularity had soared since filming the variety show, and that many netizens had changed their impressions of her, Zhao Ke still hadn’t imagined that simply exiting the high-speed rail station on her way home would draw live fans to the station to see her.

Live fans.

A brand-new, rare phenomenon.

Zhao Ke cherished them deeply, so much so that Wang Ran even thought she was being a bit ingratiating.

“Would you guys like something to drink?”

For some reason, her fans weren’t like others who would swarm her the moment they saw her. From Zhao Ke’s perspective, they huddled together in a corner like a group of ducklings, their eyes only lighting up when she looked at them.

Left with no choice, Zhao Ke took the initiative.

“Milk tea? Anyone want milk tea?” Zhao Ke approached the group of ducklings.

“Ah, no, no thanks… wait, yes, we’ll have some!”

The girl at the front, who looked quite young with a round face, blushed crimson the moment Zhao Ke drew near.

Zhao Ke nodded and turned to buy the milk tea.

“Wait, wait, hold on!”

The group of fans, momentarily stunned by the close-up impact of Zhao Ke’s strikingly aggressive features, scrambled to react as she turned away.

The little girl wanted to reach out and tug on Zhao Ke’s sleeve, but her reason restrained her from crossing that boundary.

The group felt like crying but had no tears left. They hadn’t come here to beg for handouts.

Zhao Ke stopped and turned back to them. “Signatures? Photos? Sure, just wait for me to come back.”

Fans: Happiness.jpg

During a mid-shoot break for Four Frames of Life, Zhao Ke had been granted a week’s vacation.

In real life, Sun Yue was a food science student at A University. After consuming her own disastrous culinary creation, she fell ill and was forced to be hospitalized for treatment.

Naturally, the reunion between the two former patients took place near the hospital.

In the restaurant, Zhao Ke huddled in a corner, completely bundled up, yet Sun Yue recognized her instantly.

Overwhelmed with excitement, Sun Yue dropped her bag and began chattering nonstop. “Have you checked your Super Topic? You’ve got data fans now!”

“I can’t believe you treated your fans to milk tea! That’s so rare. Who was the one who used to borrow two hundred yuan from me?”

“Do you manage your own Weibo account? Who takes your photos? The quality is amazing!”

Zhao Ke could only manage to answer the last question. “My assistant manages my Weibo.”

Wang Ran had only recently been promoted to full-time status and was still performing ordinary assistant duties, but her photography skills were a refreshing and eye-catching talent.

Zhao Ke stared blankly out the train window, yet the photos evoked a sense of desolate provincial literature. Leaning against the hospital wall to examine her wound, the photos resembled a professional assassin reviewing their work.

Fans flooded the Weibo comments, declaring that such “content” was always welcome.

With this in mind, Zhao Ke felt compelled to treat Wang Ran and Li Minjing to a meal again.

While she had survived her wilderness ordeal without going hungry, the two young women had been stuck in the village, eating poorly and sleeping fitfully, both losing several pounds.

Sun Yue finally got to enjoy the milk tea Zhao Ke had ordered and the grilled meat she had cooked. Curious, she asked, “Are you getting any other job offers now?”

Zhao Ke nodded solemnly. “Yes, I’m shooting for a magazine.”

Liu Tiande had secured her a magazine spread.

To be honest, Zhao Ke was quite nervous about it.

Leaving aside the original owner’s acting skills, she herself had virtually no experience with magazine shoots, or even with being photographed.

Yet the shoot went surprisingly smoothly.

The photographer, upon seeing Zhao Ke, immediately began shouting, “Keep the arm wound visible! Makeup artist, listen to me—light makeup! I want to preserve the… the rawness of her face!”

Rough, too rough.

Zhao Ke had been completely thrown into the deep end.

Fortunately, the photographer’s instructions were based on familiar rock climbing techniques. Zhao Ke quickly grasped the principles and adapted, her body gradually relaxing.

“Good, good, good!” the photographer exclaimed three times in a row. “Zhao Ke, your face, your skin—this is exactly the kind of edgy, fashionable vibe we need, you understand?”

Zhao Ke didn’t understand, but she nodded in agreement.

“Thank you for your guidance, Teacher.”

The photographer clapped Liu Tiande on the shoulder like an old friend. “She’s got it! If you ask me, keep her just like this. She might even land another endorsement. The Domestic Entertainment Industry hasn’t seen anyone like her. Your packaging is top-notch, Tiande!”

Liu Tiande: Packaging? Who, me?

Liu Tiande chuckled and bid farewell to the photographer. Turning to Zhao Ke, he asked seriously, “Do you want to act?”

Zhao Ke’s gaze drifted to the temples of Liu Tiande, which had grown noticeably paler from the stress of dealing with Qiao Qinglu’s petty affairs. “Just arrange it as you see fit, Brother Tiande.”

Zhao Ke likely wouldn’t be able to act for a while, as filming for the “Labor” segment of Four Walks of Life was about to begin.

Director Qu once again pushed the boundaries of creativity, delivering a project that would appeal to both refined and popular tastes.

“As you all know, the Production Team has selected three professions for you. The first requires exceptional artistic talent: a ceramic artist. The second, chosen for its proximity to Zhao Ke’s expertise, is a high-altitude construction worker.”

“And the third? It demands both aesthetic sensibility and skill with precision tools. Any guesses?”

“Stone or jade carving, obviously, Director Qu. Your puzzles are too easy,” Qi Xinshu teased with a grin.

“Hey, our show’s budget isn’t that extravagant! Jade? You’re dreaming!” Director Qu retorted with a laugh.

“Forget it, you’ll never guess. It’s a nail artist!”

This is too disjointed! I never imagined these three professions could appear in the same variety show.

Let me make a reasonable guess: Lao Huang will definitely challenge the high-altitude work.

Wait, wait, wait… if Zhao Ke sticks to her old job, that means one of the guys has to do nail art!

Worst-case scenario: what if Guan Guan isn’t interested in nail art?

“Zhao Ke, are you willing to step outside your comfort zone?” Director Qu asked.

“No,” Zhao Ke replied instantly.

As if! She had already planned everything. While filming, she’d ask Brother Kang for side jobs, earning double the money. Hehe.

“Director, I want to challenge high-altitude work!” Huang Sumu declared, raising his hand high.

Come on, a cool job like that is perfect for a macho man like me!

Zhao Ke merely glanced at Huang Sumu before coldly stating, “You’re not suitable.”

Huang Sumu’s face fell. “Why not?!”

Zhao Ke’s lips twitched. “You’re too bulky. We need slender workers for this job.”

“The space for installing air conditioner units on high-rise buildings is extremely cramped. You’d get stuck.”

Hahahaha, Lao Huang’s expression is priceless!

The world is ending!

Petition for Lao Huang to do manicures! (Heh heh heh)

Next, Guan Muya announced her interest in learning pottery, immediately tightening the atmosphere. The male celebrities exchanged uneasy glances.

Pottery was the preferred choice, while manicuring wasn’t particularly appealing. But high-altitude work was dangerous and involved prolonged exposure to the scorching sun.

Overall, it was a difficult decision.

In the end, Qi Xinshu volunteered for the manicurist group, Yu Huizhou won the mini-game and secured the pottery position, Yin Wenyuan was assigned to Zhao Ke’s group, and Huang Sumu successfully became a manicurist trainee.

Gagaga, this is so satisfying!

Manicuring isn’t bad! Men can do manicures too!

I agree with the comment above, but imagine Lao Huang lifting weights with those extra-long manicured nails!

Xiao Shu Bao wore short nails for his concert before, and they looked really good.

Hmm, why does Yin Wenyuan seem so reluctant?

Zhao Ke tilted her head to look at Yin Wenyuan.

His eyelashes fluttered slightly, but rather than reluctance or fear, he seemed to be suppressing his excitement.

Zhao Ke: ?

This is a little scary.

Yin Wenyuan was indeed very excited.

For years, the company had cultivated his image as a cold, aloof ice prince, burdened by an immense idol persona.

The reason was simple: fans ate it up.

But now, his chance had finally come.

“Hello everyone, we’re currently on the rooftop of the 33rd floor.”

At the unremarkable hour of 7 a.m., drowsy viewers opened Zhao Ke’s livestream to be greeted by a dizzying view from hundreds of meters above ground, instantly jolting them awake.

Holy crap, I almost had a heart attack!

Who else jumped out of their skin when they suddenly clicked into this stream?

Thanks, streamer! I’m wide awake now!

Zhao Ke moved with effortless grace, circling the building’s edge to showcase the panoramic view.

 Put me down! Don’t take me with you!  The livestream chat erupted in panic.

“Sister Ke!” Zheng Yang bounded into the frame, his excitement palpable.

Having not seen Zhao Ke in ages, he was overjoyed. “Sister Ke, take a look! This is the empire I’ve built for you!”

Zhao Ke glanced Zheng Yang up and down. “You’ve been living the good life lately, haven’t you, kid?”

Zheng Yang feigned a mature demeanor. “Not at all, Sister Ke. It’s all thanks to Master and you.”

“But Sister Ke, how did you become a star so quickly? If my girlfriend hadn’t shown me your videos, I wouldn’t have even known.”

Zhao Ke struggled to explain. She simply turned the camera toward him. “Go ahead and greet the viewers. You could become a star too.”

Is this a colleague? He looks so young!

Where did this chuunibyou blondie come from?

“Greetings, esteemed viewers,” Zheng Yang said, completely unfazed. “I’m Sister Ke’s little brother.”

“And I have something important to say.”

Zheng Yang suddenly turned serious.

Zhao Ke looked at him, puzzled.

He took a deep breath and shouted, “Ding-Han-Nuo! I love you!”

???

His girlfriend, probably. He’s confessing his love!

This is so awkward I want to crawl into a hole and die.

Zhao Ke’s lips twitched. She quickly retracted the livestreaming stick.

She shouldn’t have trusted this little brat to say anything serious.

So childish.

Yin Wenyuan was a complete novice, so the Production Team had sent him for training. As a result, today’s high-altitude work was left to Zhao Ke and Zheng Yang alone.

Their task for the day was to replace the glass on the 24th floor.

Zhao Ke and Zheng Yang would break the glass from the outside and push it inward, while Lü Yikang and Xiao Liang would catch the falling shards from inside the room.

Zhao Ke secured her rope and began rappelling down.

The live stream chat erupted in panicked cries.

Wait, wait! I’m not ready yet!

Did I agree to this? Why are you taking me down with you?!

Zhao Ke, don’t look down!!!

If she falls, she’ll be covered in bruises!

The live stream pole was removed, and the camera was now mounted on Zhao Ke’s helmet, rotating with her movements.

Even without seeing the chat, Zhao Ke knew exactly what was happening in the live stream.

She reassured the viewers, “Don’t worry, everyone. We’re secured by double safety ropes.”

Zheng Yang, in a playful mood, deliberately teased the chat: “No need to panic! Watch a 15-second ad to revive yourself, and recharge for even more exclusive discounts!”

Zhao Ke was speechless. “You should play fewer games.”

The two descended to the twenty-fourth floor.

Zhao Ke pulled a roll of black duct tape from the tool bucket hanging at her waist, tore off a strip, and firmly taped it to each pane of glass.

“This is to prevent shards from falling when we break the glass later, creating a high-altitude hazard.”

After completing this step, Zhao Ke retrieved a small hammer and began tapping the edges of the glass.

Her movements inevitably caused her to sway slightly in the air, but this subtle motion was amplified infinitely by the camera angle.

I’m done playing. I want to go up there. Let me up!

Everyone, what do you do when your hands are shaking like this?

Under the applied force, the tempered glass quickly shattered into fine fragments. Zhao Ke set down the hammer and pushed the glass inward, revealing Lü Yikang and Xiao Liang inside the building.

“Wow, it’s so cool in here,” Zhao Ke remarked.

July was the hottest month of the year. Even though they had avoided the midday heat by starting early, the sudden rush of cool air from inside the building still prompted her to exclaim in relief.