Wish to Get Rich But Wear a Scumbag A - Chapter 23

“Hey, hey, hey! Stop pulling my ear!”

Qi Xingwan, who had only reached out to pat Yan He’s shoulder, was speechless.

Yan He’s performance was so convincing that Qi Xingwan almost doubted herself, wondering if she had actually pulled Yan He’s ear.

No ear-pulling, huh? Yan He felt her confidence surge back. She crossed her legs and smirked, “What’s up? You want some melon seeds too? Too bad, they’re not for just anyone~”

Qi Xingwan: “……” What a jerk.

“What a jerk!”

Qi Xingwan jumped, thinking she had accidentally said it out loud.

Du Yihan cursed again and pulled Qi Xingwan away. “Xingwan, ignore her. Let’s go chat with the others.”

He Jiamu followed quietly behind, offering Qi Xingwan a friendly smile.

Yan He cracked open a melon seed. “Hmm, could it be that Director Han also enjoys a threesome?”

“What nonsense are you spouting?!” Du Yihan glared at her.

“Just kidding! Why are you getting so worked up? Did I hit a nerve?” Yan He clicked her tongue. “Oh my god, so Director Han—”

Qi Xingwan placed her hand on Yan He’s head. “…Yan He.”

The familiar tone and voice set off alarm bells in Yan He’s mind. “I already sent Shen Tinglan to buy them!”

Qi Xingwan’s eyes flickered at the mention of a gift. She had assumed Yan He had forgotten or was just joking again.

There really is a gift…

Yan He, frantic, pulled out her phone and called Shen Tinglan.

Good news: the gift has been purchased.

Bad news: the Miss has never personally waited for a flight in her life and is completely lost.

“You start snacking while I go find her!” Yan He pressed Qi Xingwan into a seat and hurried off.

Zhou Yunuo greeted them warmly, “Old Qi, want some sunflower seeds?”

Qi Xingwan groaned, “President Yu asked me to keep an eye on your weight management.”

Du Yihan, speaking from a director’s perspective, nodded in agreement. “Each sunflower seed adds a kilometer. Go ahead, I’ll keep track for you.”

President Yu was Zhou Yunuo’s manager, desperate to prevent his client from escaping her disciplined life and running wild. He had begged every former collaborator who hadn’t completely fallen out with her to keep an eye on her.

Unfortunately for Zhou Yunuo, she was quite popular, and both Qi Xingwan and Du Yihan had readily agreed.

Zhou Yunuo stuck out her tongue, remembering her manager’s dark face as he supervised her morning runs, and surrendered.

“Want some? There’s still a bit left. We can share—it’ll make the flight less boring.”

Ke Wenxin had come straight from her concert last night without even going home, and the pilot film had been shot in her hotel room.

Grandma Gray stood out vividly among the sea of black hair. Leaning against Li Jin’s shoulder with her baseball cap pulled low, she chuckled at his words. “We’ve never been in the same class, from kindergarten all the way to university, you know~”

Du Yihan: “Don’t listen to her nonsense. On set, she hands out sunflower seeds to everyone, even stuffing a handful into the pockets of the child actor playing a baby for him to take home to his family.”

Li Jin: “Then…?”

“Second Miss Yan? I’m just teasing her,” Zhou Yunuo scoffed, then dramatically threw herself onto Qi Xingwan. “Qiqi~ You’re not mad that I’m teasing your little Alpha, are you~?”

He Jiamu quietly took a step back and whispered to Du Yihan, “Does everyone know each other?”

“Yeah, we’ve all worked together before,” Du Yihan explained. “You know Xingwan and Yunuo. Wenxin often helps get concert tickets—the ones you went to last week were thanks to her.”

“Aiya~” Ke Wenxin covered her face with her cap and sang in a theatrical voice, “New love smiles, old love weeps. When Director Han was chasing after you, he called me ‘Sweetie’~ Now Jiamu doesn’t even know my name, waah~”

Du Yihan: “Stop making things up! When did I ever call you ‘Sweetie’?!”

“You weren’t so polite when you were begging for tickets. Waah~”

Zhou Yunuo rolled her eyes. “You whiny crybaby, shut up.”

“Eee~ Qiqi, she’s bullying me again~” Ke Wenxin whined.

Qi Xingwan shuddered, grabbing Zhou Yunuo to shield herself. “Speak properly! Stop using that theatrical tone.”

“Tasteless,” Ke Wenxin retorted, draping herself over Li Jin’s shoulder. “Hey, Old Qi, what’s the deal between you and Second Miss Yan? Qianshu asked me to look after you on the show, but what I’m seeing doesn’t match what she said at all.”

Mu Xu, who had been pretending to ignore them with his head down, spoke up to remind them, “The cameras are recording.”

“The cameras aren’t on,” Du Yihan replied, giving her a strange look. “Yan He is an outsider and wouldn’t know, but how could you not know? Are you too nervous?”

Ke Wenxin had arrived at the hotel earliest, citing exhaustion from the concert and demanding the production team turn off the cameras.

According to the contract, while the main episodes would be live-streamed in full, the pilot episode only covered the guests’ departure from their homes.

The live-streaming in the car was a favor to the director, a gesture of goodwill.

The waiting lounge was considered private time, and the production team had no right to record there.

In reality, Du Yihan had already dismissed the filming crew early, but Ke Wenxin, fearing a real fight might break out, had summoned the assistants of the others to put on a show, hoping to intimidate Yan He at least a little.

Mu Xu glanced awkwardly at Zhou Yunuo and apologized, “Director Han, I’m sorry…”

Du Yihan waved his hand. “It’s fine. Where were we?”

“Yan Qianshu also contacted me,” Zhou Yunuo said, her eyes darting around. She grinned at Qi Xingwan. “Old Qi, I think Teacher Yan has a thing for you—”

“She sent you here?” Qi Xingwan frowned, suspicion in her voice. “Wenxin is her aunt’s prized student, and Director Han is collaborating with her on a project. Why would you listen to her?”

The two had never collaborated before, and their personal relationship was lukewarm at best.

“Don’t even get me started! Rank trumps everything!” Zhou Yunuo wailed, pouring out her grievances. “I just found out Yan Qianshu owns shares in my company. Now I’m stuck working for her… But it’s perfect timing, actually. The company was planning to cut ties between Mu Xu and me anyway. Breaking up on a reality show will generate buzz—it’s a win-win.”

Li Jin remained silent, focused on shelling sunflower seeds and feeding them to Ke Wenxin.

“Stop talking about ‘cutting ties’ all the time. You’ll slip up on the live broadcast and scare yourself to death,” Ke Wenxin warned, gesturing for water. Li Jin immediately handed her a bottle.

“Enough! I said enough! Can you two go show off somewhere else? Give me back my sunflower seeds!” Zhou Yunuo turned away from the couple, only to see another pair whispering intimately. “…Director Han, give me back my sunflower seeds too!”

Qi Xingwan glanced at the silent Mu Xu and grinned mischievously. “You could show off with Teacher Mu too, you know. You’ll have to do it on the show anyway, and you’re still paired up.”

Zhou Yunuo chuckled. “Then why don’t you show off with Yan He? Don’t you want to?”

Du Yihan shot a worried look at Qi Xingwan, her voice sharp with anger. “Yunuo!”

Rumors had been swirling lately, all about Yan He’s manipulative behavior and frequent mistreatment of Qi Xingwan.

The group had gathered today to protect their friend.

Zhou Yunuo, realizing she’d spoken out of turn, stuck out her tongue sheepishly and handed the last handful of sunflower seeds to Qi Xingwan.

“Old Qi, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it…” Zhou Yunuo patted her chest reassuringly. “Just watch and see how we’re going to screw over—”

“Qi Xingwan!”

“Here, this is your reward for gathering firewood, mining ore, and fishing for me.”

Yan He skipped merrily over to the brilliant and mighty Female Lead, knelt down, took her hand, and placed a packet of lemon-flavored candies in her palm.

Zhou Yunuo: “???”