After that, Ruan Tian clambered out of the car and then stood there thinking for a moment. After a while, she decided to just go back to her old way of picking up junk.
The moment the director saw her make a beeline straight for a nearby trash can, there was only one thought in his mind: He had actually driven her crazy.
How could a normal girl be driven crazy so easily!?
Seemingly from nowhere, Ruan Tian pulled out a pair of tongs and leaned forward over the trash can before judging that it wasn't too stinky. After working for a long time, she managed to dig a few plastic bottles out of the trash can and, after she did that, she just stood right next to the trash can waiting for someone to happen to pass by. Whenever they did, she would shamelessly ask them for the bottles they were going to throw away.
It didn't take long for Ruan Tian to get a dozen plastic bottles, which she exchanged for money that she used to buy a big steamed bun to fill her belly with.
The cameraman looked at the girl who was eating with a satisfied look on her face with confusion. Eventually, he walked to the director's side, scratched his head, and said, "Director, Ruan Tian seems to be a little different from our usual guests, what should we do now?"
Somehow it felt like their film crew were the ones getting beaten up this time.
The director was so mad his teeth itched and eventually he growled, "I don't believe that she can walk to Xiaobei Village with just her legs!"
After she finished her bun, Ruan Tian began to think about how to get to Xiaobei Village.
She squatted down in a nearby corner dazedly to ponder on this problem when, suddenly, she heard an angry voice from nearby.
It turned out that another guest who had come to record for the show had arrived.
Ruan Tian raised her eyes and looked in the direction of the sound only to see that the new guest was actually an acquaintance.
It was Qin An, the youngest member of the Qin family, and a genuine 'little ancestor'. His elder brother Qin Yu was the same age as Shen Shu and they had been friends for more than ten years because the Qin family and the Shen family were relatively equal well-known wealthy families in the capital.
"I'm so freaking hungry. I don't want to walk to Xiaobei Village. I'm here to film a show, not to suffer."
Qin An spoke until his mouth was dry but no one gave him any money or offered him a ride.
The director quickly led him over to Ruan Tian and introduced, "This is Mr. Qin An."
"And this is Miss Ruan Tian. You two can form an alliance and think about how to get to the destination."
When Qin An saw Ruan Tian's face, he felt his scalp turning numb.
He had a very good relationship with his elder brother so he had more or less heard about the matter between Shen Shu and Ruan Tian. He only felt disgusted by this Ruan Tian, a shameless woman who used drugs to crawl into someone's bed.
So he just rudely put on a sullen face and didn't say anything.
Of course, Ruan Tian didn't bother trying to take care of this temperamental young master.
She didn't say anything, but for some reason, Qin An decided to come over and bother her.
"You really would do anything in order to be popular, even come onto a show like this." Qin An sneered and then said: "You both have the same parents, so why is Sister Xiaoqiao so kind and pure, unlike you?"
"You should know that Brother Shen Shu will never like you. You can't compare to Sister Xiaoqiao at all. It's useless for you to chase him, you know? So don't waste so much effort. Wouldn't it be better to just learn to be a kind person?"
Ruan Tian rubbed her brow with her had, let out a long sigh, and said, "Shut up, you noisy moron."
This was the first time Qin An had been scolded like this in his whole life so he flinched back, suddenly unsettled by Ruan Tian's pale and indifferent face that seemed completely devoid of anger even as she cursed.
"It's useless for you to yell at me. You'll never be able to compare to Sister Xiaoqiao in Brother Shen Shu's heart."
Zhou Xiaoqiao was indeed the Mary Su female lead of this world. Everyone would jump out to defend her, and everyone would immediately like her.
In the past ten years, Ruan Tian had often reflected on why her life had always been so miserable. She had wondered why all of these rich second generation little ancestors would never like her or be nice to her.
However, now she understood that it was all because she wasn't the female lead.
And, dammit, the more she thought about it, the angrier she felt.
She had always had to fight for anything that she wanted, and there had never been a convenient golden finger falling in her lap.
While she was silent, Qin An's assistant suddenly walked over to them and said with a smile: "Brother Qin, our group drew lots this morning and happened to get a tractor. If you don't want to walk, you can drive the tractor."
Qin An sneered, "Really, a tractor? Are you trying to humiliate me?"
If he really drove a tractor, would he have any face left?
"If you don't want to drive the tractor, you can only find another way."
Ruan Tian, who had been silently standing to the side, suddenly raised her hand and said: "Give me the key."
After hesitating for a moment, the assistant really gave her the key to the tractor in a daze, as if overpowered by her forceful tone.
Five minutes later, Ruan Tian familiarly started the tractor up and began to drive away down the road.
Qin An was stunned for a moment and just dazedly watched her handsome back driving away amidst the cloud of black exhaust.
Even the director and the film crew couldn't react on time, they just dumbfoundedly watched as she drove away.
After a while, Qin An recovered and started to shout angrily, "Ruan Tian, **** your mother! I'm still here! You are driving this young master's damned tractor!"
An hour later, a marketing account suddenly broke the news on Weibo: 【Tian Ruan drove a tractor to the place where 'Star Transformations' is being recorded. It makes me laugh to death. The director is now terrified that he's met his nemesis. 】
The comments below quickly devolved into quarreling netizens.
"Ruan Tian can drive a tractor? What kind of joke is this?"
"Can this dead marketing account please not post about Ruan Tian? Does she deserve it? She knows nothing but how to play tricks. I checked and that Ruan Tian dropped out of school before graduating. She's practically illiterate!"
"Actually, it seems to be true. My house is in Xiaobei Village and I saw it myself." This comment was followed by a blurry picture of a girl on a tractor.
The crowd of melon-eaters were a bit dumbfounded. Suddenly many random passers-by swarmed in and overwhelmed Ruan Tian's usual black fans.
"Which little sister is this? She's so funny. She can even drive a tractor."
"She looks pure and bright~ Such a great beauty, ah."
"Wow, I seem to remember seeing her squatting at the door of the shop opposite of my house this afternoon and eating steamed buns. She took small bites like a little rabbit, looking soft and cute."
The netizens were so noisy that Ruan Tian's black fans weren't able to wrest control of the chat back from the sudden influx of passers-by for a while.
Meanwhile, the director was also having a headache because of Ruan Tian.
And Qin An, who was ruthlessly left behind, only felt that Ruan Tian really was a damned jinx of a woman. Back when they had been in school he had seen Ruan Tian doing various odd jobs, so he had always known that she was different from other ordinary girls. But he would never have expected that Ruan Tian could actually drive a tractor! Sure enough, she was a country bumpkin to her bones.
The more Qin An thought about it, the angrier he became, to the point that it felt as if there was something hot and burning in his chest. However, the heat wouldn't go away and he couldn't vent it at all.
The director of the program was also a ruthless person, so when this happened he just directly forced Qin An to walk for ten miles before finally agreeing to let him into the car. The exhausted Qin An had no choice but to get in the director's car and ride the rest of the way to Xiaobei Village.
Meanwhile, Ruan Tian, who drove the tractor, graciously picked up an elderly couple halfway to the village and took them with her together.
The film crew had already set up in Xiaobei Village well ahead of the arriving guests. Suddenly, they heard a loud rumbling sound and soon a big tractor came into view. When the crew saw Ruan Tian jump down from the driver's seat of the tractor they all just stared at her in a daze. After a long time, the assistant director cautiously went forward to confirm, "Are you Miss Ruan Tian?"
Ruan Tian, who was carrying a packet of bacon that the kindly elderly couple had given her as thanks for giving them a ride, nodded, and said, "It's me."
Just then, the assistant director received a call from the director and, after he hung up, the way he looked at Ruan Tian changed. Suddenly, there was some admiration in his gaze.
He had thought they had hired a delicate young miss who had never lifted a finger type of actress but, unexpectedly, Ruan Tian was very powerful.
"Miss Ruan, follow me, I'll take you to where you'll be staying for now."
"Alright."
Ruan Tian and three other guests were all told that they would be living in the same courtyard. So far everyone except Qin An had arrived.
Ruan Tian put the bacon away in her room and then went out to greet the other two actors.
One of them was an old Movie King who was about to retire, and the other was a sunny-looking young man.
The young man seemed to be a little shy and he blushed after she said hello to him. Then he stammered, "Big Sister, I recognize you."
Ruan Tian: ?
Was she already so famous! ! ?
Had she already catapulted to the top of the entertainment industry so soon?
The young man's face was pale, tender, and beautiful. His expression was full of shyness as he went on to say: "You and Xu Jing have a scandal right now."
He blushed and asked: "Big Sister, did you really deliberately cling on to him to gain heat?"
It seemed that this young man had grown up well-protected by his family and he was actually this innocent and naive, not just pretending, because after asking that question he frowned and continued, "Big Sister, Xu Jing is one of the hottest male stars right now. His fans will definitely be scolding you all the time because of this matter. You shouldn't go out and read the comments."
Ruan Tian felt that this young man was quite likable. She pressed down the urge to pinch his cheeks that well up inside her before saying shamelessly, "If you're going to cling to someone for heat it might as well be the hottest star, right?"
"…"
The sky outside was almost dark when the car with the director and his group finally arrived in the courtyard.
When Qin An got out of the car, he had an expression of deep hatred etched across his fine features. His eyes were like twin swords, stabbing coldly at Ruan Tian. Suddenly, he raised his hand and threw out a slap.
Fortunately, Ruan Tian was quick to dodge.
"Tsk, what are you doing Mr. Qin? If you have something to say, use words."
Qin An had a belly full of anger and when he heard those words he got even angrier. He was used to his life as a pampered young master and he had never suffered the way he did today in his whole life.
He sneered, "I have nothing to say to you."
Fuck, what a coincidence.
Ruan Tian also felt that she had nothing to say to Qin An, ah~.
"You stole my transportation this afternoon and left me behind, causing me to have to walk more than ten miles, so watch out!" Qin An raged.
Ruan Tian raised her eyes and gave him a faint look. "I'm a scheming white lotus bitch, remember? This is just what I should do." Her eyes were filled with careless indifference as she continued, "What did you expect?"
Qin An was disgusted by her look and he retorted, "Aren't you afraid that I'll tell Brother Shen Shu about what you've done?"
Ruan Tian put on a face like she was seriously considering his words before slowly saying, "Shen Shu? Who's that? Do I know him?"
Qin An turned around and stomped away angrily, feeling as if he would die of anger if he exchanged one more word with her.
Then, before the program group officially started recording that evening, Qin An really called Shen Shu and ranted for ten minutes about all the 'terrible things' Ruan Tian had done to him.
"Brother Shen Shu, you don't know how vicious that woman is. She even took my tractor and drove away with it."
"Hey, you tell me, isn't she supposed to be a woman? Why is she so good at driving a tractor?"
"Brother Shen Shu, when are you going to divorce that woman? Sister Xiaoqiao's illness has already recovered, so aren't you…"
Shen Shu suddenly interrupted him, "Did Ruan Tian make trouble for you on purpose?"
Qin An thought for a while before responding, "It's not like that. I'm just afraid that she will try to cling to me for hype. If I had known she was also on this show, I would never have agreed to come."
Shen Shu sat at the desk in his study and gave a low hum while boredly twirling a pen between his fingers. Suddenly, he remembered how Ruan Tian had signed the divorce papers without hesitation, and also the words he had overheard her saying while he was in the car that night.
He felt a bit curious, was Ruan Tian just playing hard to get? Or, maybe, did she really disdain to continue on with their marriage?
Either way, Shen Shu somehow felt extremely unhappy in his heart.
He was aware that the Zhou family had long stopped giving Ruan Tian any money, and he also knew that she wasn't doing very well in the entertainment industry for various reasons.
Shen Shu was pretty sure that Ruan Tian wouldn't be able to go very far in the entertainment industry, and the thought caused his lips to slowly curl into a smile.
Since it was like that, sooner or later she would have to come back and beg him not to divorce her.
"Since Ruan Tian hasn't deliberately caused any trouble for you, you don't have to call and tell me about it." Shen Shu finally replied, "I don't really care to manage her affairs."
—
At eight o'clock that night, the program officially began recording.
The guests were told they would have to find dinner by themselves. They could try to cook for themselves or they could go to beg from the villagers.
However, not mentioning if any of them knew how to cook, they had no ingredients to cook with in the first place.
Movie King Liu and Qin An put down their pride and went from door to door trying to find something to eat. The villagers were simple and honest and, although they had mostly all already eaten dinner, they were very kind and gave the two actors some large steamed buns.
Qin An held a cold steamed bun in his hand and felt liked he just wanted to die on the spot.
Qin An wasn't the only one who couldn't stomach it, even Movie King Luo and the young actor Haui Mo couldn't manage to swallow down these cold buns.
The three men exchanged uncomfortable glances, all of them feeling hungry to death.
Meanwhile, the film crew was very happy to record their pitiful appearances. With a bit of editing, this scene would definitely be able to create a big wave of heat once it was broadcast, so they were feeling confident that they definitely wouldn't lose any money on the show this time.
Then, just when the three people were feeling hungry and wondering what to do, a tempting aroma suddenly wafted out from the kitchen.
Qin An smelled the aroma of food and felt even more hungry all of a sudden!
He turned his head and asked one of the cameramen: "Is your film crew cooking?"
The cameraman shook his head and replied, "No, we in the crew all eat boxed lunches."
Meanwhile, by the kitchen stove, Ruan Tian was pouring out her freshly cooked meal of bacon and rice. The meat in the pot glistened and made a person hungry just looking at it.
As it turned out, the elderly couple that Ruan Tian had given a ride to the village on the tractor earlier in the day had not only given her some bacon, they also came over later and gave her some rice.
For Ruan Tian, who had spent the first seventeen years of her life growing up alone, cooking wasn't something difficult for her at all. In fact, her skills as a cook weren't half-bad.
At the very least the director was almost drooling because of the pot of bacon and rice she had made.
The director couldn't help but swallow, and at the same time he really felt desperate.
How could this Ruan Tian be so good at everything! ? Didn't netizens all scold her for being a useless bloodsucker who couldn't do anything! ?
Just how was she anywhere near the word useless?
The director was unresigned, ah.
However, his prejudice against Ruan Tian also became a bit less because of this. After all, he was long used to seeing the big celebrities from the entertainment circle who all had plastic surgery and relied on their backgrounds and connections to get ahead. A star like Ruan Tian was actually very rare.
He suddenly felt that this little girl was actually pretty good.
Ruan Tian quickly ate two bowls of the bacon and rice and then burped. After that, there was still more than half of the pot left uneaten so the director thickened his skin and said. "You can't finish all this food, so why don't you let us on the crew have a taste?"
However, before Ruan Tian could respond, Qin An and the others had all come into the kitchen from the yard and they were staring straight at the pot of food.
Movie King Liu spoke to her for the first time, "Did you make that?"
She nodded, "It was me."
Movie King Liu was a little bit embarrassed but he still asked, "Can I have some?"
Ruan Tian nodded, "Go ahead."
Huai Mo also walked over, blushed, and said, "Big Sister, I'm hungry, can I also eat some…"
This young man was very sunny and beautiful, and when he spoke softly like this a normal person really couldn't bear to refuse.
Ruan Tian was the same, she liked this warm and soft little brother very much, so she said, "Of course, you should eat."
Huai Mo served himself a bowl, took one bite, and then put down the spoon. He looked over at Ruan Tian with eyes full of sincerity and said, "Wow, this is really delicious! Big Sister, this is the best meal I've ever eaten."
Although Movie King Liu didn't speak, he secretly agreed with Huai Mo.
This bacon and rice cooked by Ruan Tian not only smelled appetizing, it also tasted very good.
He suddenly felt that this little girl couldn't be as bad as how she was said to be online.
Meanwhile, Qin An, who was watching on the side, clenched his teeth so hard they were about to break.
However, Movie King Liu didn't forget about him, and he raised his head and asked, "Xiao Qin, you should sit down and eat some as well."
Qin An wanted to stubbornly say 'I won't eat her handouts' but, in the end, his hunger overpowered his pride.
He didn't think anything Ruan Tian cooked would taste good, so he sat down unwillingly and then ate three bowls with an expressionless face.
Damn, it smelled good and it tasted good too.
After eating his fill, he struggled internally and wondered if he should say thanks to Ruan Tian, when she suddenly glanced at him and said, "You wash the dishes."
Qin An's rare feelings of goodwill immediately disappeared, "You want me to wash the dishes? Do you know who I am? I'm the young master of the Qin family! Not only have I never washed dishes in my life, I don't even know what detergent looks like!"
Ruan Tian had no expression as she replied, "Remember to wash them clean."
Qin An sneered, "This daddy won't wash."
Ruan Tian finally looked over at him, nodded, and said, "Alright, then you can spit out the food you just ate. Choose one."
Her eyes blazed and seemed to be saying 'If you can do it, go ahead!' or maybe 'If you can't spit the food out, go and wash the damn dishes.'
Qin An: ?
Mommy, he wants to go home.
Movie King Liu took the initiative to come out, "Qin An, you…"
But Ruan Tian interrupted him midway with a serious expression, "Teacher Liu, how can you call Qin An's name directly? Please address him with proper respect. After all, that's the noble young master of the Qin family who can't recognize detergent that you're talking to."
Movie King Liu: …
Director: …
Qin An: **** your mother.
—
Even after working hard all day, Ruan Tian didn't really feel tired. Instead, she was in the mood to lie down under the courtyard's gazebo and idly look up at the stars.
Occasionally, she took out her phone and went to Weibo to read the news. At some point, she suddenly remembered that she had an alternate account that she hadn't used for a long time.
Feeling a bit curious, she logged into the alternate account and saw that everything she had posted on this account over the recent years was related to Shen Shu.
Every post sounded like it came straight out of some angsty teen romance story.
Just a bunch of hypocritical sentimentality.
However, she didn't plan to delete any of it. She could come back and look at this account from time to time to remind herself how stupid she was.
At ten o'clock that evening, the official Weibo of 'Star Transformations' released a group photo of the latest batch of guests who came on the show.
Ruan Tian stood in the middle while Qin An and Huai Mo stood on her left and right sides respectively.
In the photo, everyone except Qin An was smiling happily.
In an instant, the comment section under the Weibo exploded and quickly became a mess.
"It's as if I can see some words written across Qin An's face: 'Be smart, know when to retreat, and don't suffer from labor."
"This picture really makes me laugh. Ruan Tian probably didn't want to film properly which is why our young master Qin looks so angry."
"Does this mean Ruan Tian want to flip and create a CP with Qin An this time? I feel bad for that handsome little brother. When will Ruan Tian figure out that she is a married woman? (Even though in her case being married is about the same as not being married)"
Then, under that unremarkable hate comment, for some reason, a marketing account seemed to have smelled gossip and rushed forward to post some 'news'.
【Actually, Ruan Tian has a fake marriage with Shen Shu, that is to say, with the CEO of Huanshi Entertainment. Ruan Tian always had a beautiful dream of marrying into a wealthy family and securing her position by having a child. That's why, whenever she isn't working, she goes over to Shen Shu's office to kneel and lick his shoes like a madman, begging him not to divorce her. My source is reliable, if anything I post is fake I'll eat shit.】
When Ruan Tian saw this comment she just let out a sigh. When did humanity degenerate to this level, ah?
Was Shen Shu worth kneeling down and licking his shoes?
She had obviously agreed to their divorce very readily.
Ruan Tian was sprawled out under the stars as she slowly typed: 【This is so shocking, why didn't I know about it?】
【Actually, I really want to see you eat shit.】
After she made that post, the marketing account that had been so loud before suddenly shut up and played dead, and all the melon-eating netizens who had come to watch the excitement slowly dispersed.
Ruan Tian soon felt she had seen enough of the stars and went back to sleep inside the house.
The room arranged by the program group was actually very simple, to the point that when Qin An saw the shoddy and dirty little room he wanted to leave on the spot.
Even the more even-tempered Movie King Liu really couldn't bear it. In all his years working in the entertainment industry, he had never suffered like this. After all, he had made a big splash almost immediately after he had debuted, so he had never had to sleep in such a shabby place.
Ruan Tian only briefly glanced at the small group of people standing around in front of the doors of their rooms while holding the thin blankets issued by the crew, before immediately going into her own room without any hesitation. Once inside, she laid down, wrapped herself tightly in her quilt, rolled to the innermost part of the bed, and fell asleep soon after just like that.
Qin An saw that and snorted inside. It seemed that for this person, even if it were a pigsty, she would be able to sleep happily.
In the end, it wasn't like the guests could revolt in front of the cameras, so they suppressed the dissatisfaction in their hearts and took their quilts to go to sleep with great reluctance.
They were already very exhausted from everything that had happened, however, before it was even dawn the next day, the crew were already there waking them up again.
Ruan Tian had slept well, a dreamless sleep that lasted the whole night through, so when she got up she felt full of energy. After washing up, she cooked herself a pot of vegetable porridge using the leftover rice from last night.
She crouched in front of the small stove with the bowl of porridge in her hands and slowly drank it all clean. When she finished eating, thanks to the stove and the hot meal, her whole body felt hale and warm despite the cold weather.
Meanwhile, Qin An was watching from the side. Although he didn't like Ruan Tian at all and found her displeasing to the eye no matter how he looked, he couldn't help but admit that the food she cooked was not just edible but, rather, it could even be called delicious.
Of course, Qin An was very thin-skinned so he didn't want to ask Ruan Tian for anything. However, eventually, his hunger won out and he walked over and, with red ears, asked in a low voice: "Could I have some too? I will pay you for it when we get back."
Ruan Tian was busy warming herself in front of the fire. The red flames were dancing and casting a warm light across her pale face, causing her whole complexion to look a bit softer thanks to the light of the fire. When she heard his question, she tilted her head minutely to lazily look up at him. Feeling that gaze, Qian An somehow felt as if she were looking at him the same way she might look at a disabled person.
However, she eventually opened her mouth and said: "Okay."
With that, Qin An gladly ate two large bowls of her vegetable porridge without any further thought on the matter. The greens melted in his mouth, the rice was soft and sticky, and overall the taste was fresh and fragrant.
Once he finished eating, he strangely felt as if his displeasure with Ruan Tian had disappeared. He quickly stood up but, while he was doing so, he happened to catch a glimpse of her hand and saw that there was a small red blister on the pale skin of her hand, probably from cooking just now.
Suddenly, an inexplicable feeling began to bubble up in his heart.
However, considering his face, it was impossible for Qin An to say any words of concern to Ruan Tian, so he just awkwardly ignored the feeling.
After the guests all finished eating, the director appeared and cheekily drank the rest of the porridge himself.
By now, the director's impression of Ruan Tian had completely reversed. It turned out that this beautiful little girl wasn't squeamish or delicate in the slightest and, when faced with the challenges presented by the crew, not only did she not have any problems, she actually wowed them with her capability again and again.
At first, hadn't agreed to have Ruan Tian on the show. Although it was true that she had a little bit of heat thanks to the matter with Xu Jing, at the end of the day she was the unfavored wife of a big boss in the industry and was practically blocked wherever she went. Not only was the value of bringing her on the show dubious in the first place, there might even be a bunch of negative aftereffects for doing so.
But now he really had no opinion.
Ruan Tian was such a good girl, how could he not like her?!
Taking advantage of a free moment, the director quietly walked over to Ruan Tian and said, "Xiao Ruan, let's exchange WeChats, okay?"
Ruan Tian just looked back at him with a confused expression.
After getting along with her for a few days, the director felt more and more that this kid really suited his tastes, so he gave her a slightly wretched smile and said, "Aren't you having trouble finding work these days? I actually have a friend who is a producer and he will be filming a new drama pretty soon. You can go to the audition and see if he likes you."
Having! Trouble! Finding! Work!
Those words seemed to boom in Ruan Tian's ears. It turned out that her terrible situation was already well known in the circle?
Although she sensed something a bit off, Ruan Tian still happily agreed and exchanged WeChats with the director before thanking him politely, "Thank you, director."
After that, the recording of the second half of 'Star Transformations' ended up somewhat tragic.
The four guests were divided into groups, with one group planting rice seedlings in the field, while the other group had to collect manure to be used as fertilizer.
In the end, although Ruan Tian wasn't popular, she was lucky. Thanks to that, she ended up in a group with the little fresh meat, Huai Mo, and then when they drew she managed to secure the seedling planting job.
On the other side, Qin An, who had drawn the card for picking up manure to be used as fertilizer, had a face so smelly that it was comparable to the manure.
For her part, Ruan Tian just pulled on her rain boots and headed down to the field with great confidence.
After a few days of this, Qin An didn't expect for Ruan Tian to make a fool of herself anymore and, as he expected, she was very skillful as she moved into the field and began to plant the rice seedlings. She was so good that, while her partner Huai Mo was still struggling to free himself after stepping into the field and instantly getting stuck in the mud, she had already almost finished her half of the field.
She was a small and delicate-looking girl. Her hair was loosely tied up in a ponytail with a few unruly strands falling down over her forehead, and as she worked a few fine droplets of sweat slowly slid down her cheeks. As she stood in the field, her whole face seemed to glow white under the sun which caused her delicate features, slender neck, and dark eyes all to seem strangely emphasized. She was overflowing with an undeniable charm, beautiful like a doll.
Huai Mo stared at her blankly for a long time and, by the time he recovered, he found that his whole face had flushed red.
Eventually, Ruan Tian noticed this boy blushing and standing motionless in one corner of the paddy field and assumed that he was feeling bashful because he had gotten stuck.
She walked over and patted him lightly on the shoulder before saying, "If you move your feet like this, it should be easy to free your boots from the mud, don't worry." As she spoke she demonstrated the motion with her own feet.
Huai Mo struggled to imitate her movements for a moment and eventually barely managed to free his boots.
Seeing him like this, Ruan Tian began to feel that he was just a poor young man who had been forced to enter the circle to make money just like her. In her mind, she began to imagine that he was a kindred spirit of the same kind as her. Since the work was done, she took off her shoes and socks and motioned for him to do the same before rolling her pant legs and sitting down at the edge of the field.
Ruan Tian turned and started to chat, "Little bro, is this your first job in the circle?"
Huai Mo, worried that she might see the blush lighting up his face, lowered his head before responding, "En."
Ruan Tian sighed and said, "Well, don't be discouraged. This is just the way this circle is. If you aren't popular, no one will pay any attention to you. For people like us, the road may seem hard, but so long as you think about the money it will be a bit easier."
Although Huai Mo didn't really understand what she was talking about, he still nodded along.
After a moment, he whispered: "Actually, Sister Ruan Tian, I-I… I don't really plan to enter the entertainment industry." Huai Mo buried his face lower and lower, "I'm going to go back to school."
Ruan Tian was surprised, but just a little bit. She felt that it was a bit of a pity, after all, such a beautiful young man would definitely be able to blow up and get big with enough time.
But on the other hand, going back to school was probably better than joining the muddy entertainment circle.
She felt a little relieved, smiled, and said, "Then you must study hard."
When Haui Mo saw her smile, he couldn't help but feel a little shy, but he still nodded vigorously and replied: "I will."
Then, the young man suddenly raised his face and looked at her with bright eyes. He asked: "Sister Ruan Tian, are we friends now?"
"Sure."
"Then can I come to you for help in the future?"
"If it's something I can do."
Huai Mo was really good-looking and had a gentle temperament, so Ruan Tian could hardly turn down such a gentle and poor little brother's request.
In her mind, she had already created a whole dramatic backstory for him to explain why he had been forced into the entertainment circle to escape from poverty.
Once Haui Mo got her agreement, he smiled lightly and said, "Sister Ruan is really nice."
While Ruan Tian and Haui Mo were talking, Qin An, who was still shoveling manure in the field, had stopped working to stare coldly up at them. He looked at two people who were sitting by the side of the field and chatting and playing around and sneered disdainfully. At the same time, he felt an unknown stuffiness building in his chest. Since when did Ruan Tian and the young master of the Huai family get along so well together?
Actually, Haui Mo was the only heir to the Haui family.
He had been raised at home since he was a child, and had almost never appeared in any public events. However, the people who knew him all said that he had a strange and perverted personality, the type to play the pig to devour the tiger or to hide a knife in a smile.
He was well known for being a difficult person to deal with, but now he was happily playing the role of 'little brother' and following behind Ruan Tian's butt?
Qin An could only think that Huai Mo must have gone blind.
Eventually, he retracted his gaze and went back to work. Picking up the big wooden wheelbarrow and pushing it to the edge of the field, the word "disgust" written across his face in big black letters.
Qin An wanted to die.
He really wanted to die.
It stunk.
It stunk so bad.
Seeing him working, Ruan Tian quickly stood up and began barking orders, "Young Master Qin, you're not doing it right! When applying the fertilizer, you have to go more slowly, you can't apply too much of it or apply it too quickly."
Qin An's eyes narrowed and he turned a fiery gaze in her direction, three big words seemingly written clearly inside: **** your mother!
But Ruan Tian just acted innocent, "I was just worried that if you do it like this then you might overfeed the crops."
Qin An almost lost his grip on the wheelbarrow as he whipped his head around to glare daggers at her.
Ruan Tian snorted: "You want to stare at me? Then go ahead and stare."
Eventually, Qin An finished pouring the dung and they all began to head back. Qin An didn't seem interested in saying anything, and he just slowly walked down the road like a salted fish. However, Ruan Tian, who had been walking nearby, made a show of pinching her nose and moving a few meters away, her expression as if there were a dung pit walking by her side.
Qin An's face twitched, and if eyes could kill, then Ruan Tian would definitely have been turned to ash on the spot.
Ruan Tian saw his unhappy expression and felt that she needed to explain, "You're too stinky, sorry."
He was too stinky.
Too stinky.
…stinky.
Qin An clenched his fists and tried to endure, but eventually he couldn't bear it at all, "Get away from me then! Scram! Get!"
And like that, recording for this episode of 'Star Transformations' was finally finished.
For Ruan Tian the two days and one night were actually pretty easy, but most of the rest of the cast were all feeling relieved and joyful to be free. Meanwhile, Qin An just really felt that he must have had water in his brain to agree to come on the damned program in the first place.
The program crew ended up taking Ruan Tian out of Xiaobei Village with their car. However, she didn't sleep on the way, instead she fiddled with her phone as she waited for Shen Shu to call her and fork over the alimony from their divorce.
It had already been a while since they signed the divorce agreement, so where was the money? Did Shen Shu eat it?
But why would he want to eat money? Wasn't eating shit good enough for someone like him?
Ugh.
Of course, he probably wouldn't throw his face away and suddenly go back on his word.
But she was still uncomfortable because her wallet was so flat right now.
This feeling of poverty really made it impossible for her to sleep.
Eventually, out of boredom, she logged into her Weibo and saw that her followers had jumped from nine hundred thousand or so to a bit over a million.
Her Weibo was actually quite clean for a celebrity Weibo. It was mostly just boring announcements without many pictures or anything. However, today, among the usual sea of abusive comments, Ruan Tian happened to see some fans begging for her to post some selfies.
Seeing it was what the fans wanted, she randomly picked a photo from her time in Xiaobei Village and posted it.
It didn't take long for her post to start gathering comments and likes.
【Little sister is really energetic in the sun! 】
【Where's that marketing account from yesterday? Little sister has the best selfie I've ever seen amongst celebrities! 】
【TianBaby! ! ! Mommy finally got to see you taking selfies again! Don't pay any attention to those haters, your mommy-fans will always stand behind you! 】
【TianBaby, always fly with confidence! Happiness will always be with you! 】
【My TianBaby has really gotten more and more outstanding. There has been a lot of heat recently! Anyway, go ahead and get close if you want to get close! Don't back down. Your fans are behind you! ! ! 】
Seeing this support, Ruan Tian scratched her head uncertainly before giggling a bit and enjoying the strange new feeling.
After four hours, the program crew's car finally returned her to her rented apartment.
Ruan Tian dragged her luggage up to her unit before lazily flopping down on the sofa and picking up her phone to call Shen Shu.
After calling Shen Shu, no one answered after a dozen or so rings.
Ruan Tian raised her arm and glanced at the watch on her wrist. She saw that it was still pretty early, so she changed into a warm coat and headed outside.
It was already snowing in the capital and, although the snow-covered scenery was very beautiful, it was also freezing cold.
Ruan Tian took a taxi over to the Shen Group Building, a place that was considered the top spot in the business district. The building was huge, with dozens of floors that towered into the air before disappearing into the clouds. Ruan Tian looked up and tried to spot the top of the building for a while, but in the end all she got was an ache in her neck.
Eventually, Ruan Tian sighed, reorganized her thoughts, and slowly went into the building under the watchful eyes of the security guards.
However, before she could get on the elevator, Ruan Tian was stopped at the front desk.
The receptionist smiled at her, "Hello, who are you?"
However, the bit of contempt in the receptionist's eyes betrayed her, and Ruan Tian could tell that this woman definitely knew who she was.
In the end, she just said: "I'm looking for Shen Shu."
The receptionist asked: "Pardon me miss, but do you have an appointment?"
"No."
"Then please make an appointment first."
"I need to see him now."
I can't contact him on your behalf if you don't have an appointment."
Ruan Tian fell silent for a moment.
Then she pointed to her own face, "You recognize me, right?"
"?"
"The relationship between him and I, you should be very clear on it in your heart, right? Do I need to make an appointment with you when we roll in the bed?"
"…"
The receptionist looked at her with an expression that seemed to say 'Look at this abandoned woman who has gone crazy because of love.'
"Miss Ruan, I can only act in accordance with the regulations. Do you have an appointment or not?"
This receptionist clearly regarded her as a crazy woman who was obsessed with Shen Shu and had come to harass him, so she was determined not to let her go up.
Ruan Tian was speechless, "I don't have one."
She just came to ask for money, why would she make an appointment?
Fuck.
In the end, Ruan Tian was driven out by security.
The doors of the Shen Building slammed in her face, and she just stood there dumbly for a moment with an expression like she wanted to die.
However, she never expected that this scene would be photographed and then posted to an anonymous forum.
【Eating melons on the front line: The small 18th-line actress who married rich couldn't even see her husband's face and was driven out by the people below. The picture is her after being thrown out. 】
2L: Hahahahaha, WTF, I'm going to die laughing.
3L: I didn't expect it to be so funny before I clicked on the picture.
4L: Wow, this is Ruan Tian, right? I guess that the rumors that the Shen family are about to dump her were true.
5L: What kind of married rich is this? Isn't she just an abandoned woman.
6L: I can't wait to see Shen Shu's new woman after this. He's a rich businessman so the delicate sisters will flock to him. I'm laughing to death.
This photo of Ruan Tian was continually roasted in the entertainment section of the forum.
The screen was full of posts about her.
【WTF, why is this so funny! ! I'm still laughing half an hour later. 】
【After seeing this picture of Ruan Tian I had to install a new head to get out all the laughter. 】
【Ruan Tian's left eye says 'I want to die' and her right eye says 'Let me die'. Her expression like 'No really, I'm not here to harass my husband' is just too funny. 】
As for Ruan Tian herself, who was inexplicably generating heat again, she still had no idea about any of it.
Right now, she was sitting in a coffee shop nearby the Shen Group Building, with an icy expression on her face. She rested one hand on her palm and casually sent a few WeChat messages to Shen Shu, "I, my cat, and your mother all miss you very much."
"Oh, wait! I forgot!"
"I don't have a cat."
"And you don't have a mother!"
—
Inside the Shen Group Building, the meeting had been ongoing for two hours, and all the senior managers of each department were on edge.
Shen Shu was sitting at the head seat of the conference table. His black suit emphasized his pale complexion and his expression seemed cold at a glance. However, if you looked closely, you could see a detached smile playing about the corners of his lips.
For a man, his hand was extremely beautiful, with fingers that were slender and pale. Currently, those fingers were idly twirling a pen. Gradually, the spinning motion began to slow and slow until it finally stopped, the black pen held upright in front of him. From around the table, everyone looked at him with bated breath, waiting for him to make the final decision.
He slowly said: "We'll finish this meeting here for now."
A huge breath of relief seemed to escape all at once, and everyone began to pack up and leave. When the people in the conference room finally dispersed, Secretary Xu silently stepped forward and told Shen Shu about Ruan Tian's visit.
Shen Shu raised an eyebrow and gave a slight smile, "Did she come to make trouble again?"
Secretary Xu hesitated. He thought for a while, and then replied: "The Madam didn't make any trouble, rather, it seems that she was looking for you for something."
Shen Shu assumed that Ruan Tian only wanted to pester him as usual, but perhaps she had dreamed up some new method this time. His face showed a faint sneer, not taking it seriously at all.
Secretary Xu's eye twitched and he debated whether to say anything more. Before speaking with the boss, he had checked the surveillance and he felt that Ruan Tian really didn't seem to have come to make trouble or pester the boss this time. On the contrary, when the president's name was mentioned, there was clear dislike on her face.
Shen Shu took out his phone and saw that there were a dozen or so missed calls from Ruan Tian, but his face remained indifferent. He fiddled with the phone for a moment, opened WeChat, and what he saw-
"You don't have a mother!"
The five words were large and extremely conspicuous.
Shen Shu smiled thinly. It was a cold smile that would make a person shiver to see.
Ruan Tian wasn't at all surprised that Shen Shu didn't pick up her calls, and it also wasn't surprising that his staff would humiliate her and drive her out.
During the time when she had been his wife, she had only been able to find out Shen Shu's phone number from a third party. Once she had the number, she had called him over a hundred times.
However, each one of her calls was ruthlessly hung up on by Shen Shu.
Her stubbornness had been no match for Shen Shu's cruel heart.
Right now, Ruan Tian was sitting beside the large glass window of a coffee shop and looking outside. The city was clear and bright after the recent snowfall, and the trees were blanketed with a vast carpet of white. In that wintery world, there were several children in school uniforms having a snowball fight in the square.
Ruan Tian propped her chin up in her hand, and the lazy sunlight shone down on her pale skin. In her dark pupils, the image of those school uniforms were reflected.
Looking at them, she suddenly felt that she really hadn't thought about her time in high school for a long time.
She sighed in her heart. She had really gone blind too early. Back in high school, it seemed like her whole life had revolved around Shen Shu.
Her love had been passionate, and she had never learned to hide it.
In fact, the Ruan Tian back then probably would have been happy to let the whole school know that she liked him. She had been thick-skinned and probably wouldn't have felt ashamed at all even if everyone had known.
There had been no skill in the way she had pursued him. She had only awkwardly tried to give him all the best things she could the only way she knew how.
Every day, she had stuffed hot milk and fresh bread into his desk and, every day, those things would end up in the trash can.
The sincere confession letter she wrote was posted up on the school bulletin board by Shen Shu's good friend Qin Yu, which caused the whole school to come to spectate and join in on the excitement. Overnight, she became a terrible, shameless woman who was pointed and laughed at by everyone.
Then Qin Yu had taken the letter down and read out every word for Shen Shu.
Meanwhile, Shen Shu had stood on the sidelines and watched her being wantonly humiliated, never even thinking to stop Qin Yu's behavior. Only when he finished reading did Shen Shu finally smile and say one word: "Scram."
And before Christmas, Ruan Tian had stayed up late every night for a month knitting a scarf for Shen Shu. When it was finally done, she had solemnly packed, tied it with a beautiful bow, and delivered the gift. But that night, when Ruan Tian walked by the garbage bin at the school gate, she saw that same knitted scarf.
The white cotton had been soiled by garbage and muck, and it smelled of rotten food.
Ruan Tian had stared at it for a long time before slowly picking it up out of the garbage and putting it into a paper bag. That had been perhaps the most precious and honest expression of her heart at that time. She had stayed up late every night to slowly make it, one stitch at a time, until her fingers had been red and raw.
But to Shen Shu it was worthless.
Even Ruan Tian herself was nothing to him.
That's why, later on, he just watched on indifferently when some hoodlums had cornered her outside the school gate and tried to drag her away into an alley.
Ruan Tian could remember the look in Shen Shu's eyes back then, alienated and indifferent, as if he were mocking her from high above. His gaze had been like a cold knife, stabbing her, and chilling her heart.
In the present, a sudden noise yanked Ruan Tian from her memories.
Jiang Lili, her agent, was sending her messages one after another:
LiliOnTheGrass: 【Did you go to Shen Shu? Didn't you two already get divorced!?】
TianBaby: 【He hasn't given me money! He still hasn't paid the compensation for the divorce! 】
TianBaby: 【Shen Shu, that son of a bitch, he thinks he can get something for nothing. He really thinks the world is a beautiful place. 】
LiliOnTheGrass: 【Shen Shu shouldn't be that kind of person, right? 】
TianBaby: 【Tch, person? Is he even a human? 】
LiliOnTheGrass: 【…】
After spending half an hour or so in the coffee shop, Ruan Tian took a taxi home.
However, when she returned to her small apartment and saw Shen Shu standing outside, she was more than a little surprised. After repeatedly confirming that the unit number of the apartment was, indeed, her own unit, she felt even more shocked.
Compared to this situation, Ruan Tian would have been much less shocked if Old Wang's infertile wife next door suddenly said she was giving birth to a baby.
Shen Shu was there. He was just standing there with one hand in his suit trouser pocket, his expression cold and flat. But that was the kind of man he was, even when mocking people, you could barely see any expression on his face.
Eventually, Ruan Tian couldn't help but blurt out: "Why are you here?"
Shen Shu smiled thinly at the question and replied: "Weren't you looking for me? Tell me then, what did you come to find me for?"
Ruan Tian scratched her head, "Didn't we already sign the divorce papers?"
Shen Shu hummed a sound of acknowledgment.
Ruan Tian blinked uncomfortably, but then pressed on: "The agreement says that you have to pay me 5 million in alimony per year."
As she spoke, she held up five fingers as if to say: '5 million, like this!'.
Ruan Tian looked at his indifferent face and tried to keep calm, "So where's the money?"
Where was her damn money! ! !
Shen Shu looked at her slightly askance, and the curve of his lips turned slightly cold, "You came to find me about the money?"
Ruan Tian looked at him confusedly, "If not that, then what?"
Shen Shu lowered his eyes and examined her face with his cold gaze. Looking carefully, there was nothing in her expression except a desire for money.
At this moment, he suddenly understood.
Ruan Tian really wanted to divorce him this time. This wasn't just some new method of pursuit.
Shen Shu's eyes didn't move for a long time, he just stared down at her face. This pure and beautiful face was no different now from how it was two years ago. Her round eyes were like two shining chips of crystal, her face was palm-sized, but bright and healthy. And right now, her lips were a bit pursed, as if she were feeling a little impatient.
Shen Shu suddenly felt a bit upset.
He said indifferently, "I changed my mind."
Ruan Tian's big eyes were filled with doubts: "?"
Shen Shu was a good-looking man, even if he was expressionless, it still looked good. He put a hand in his pocket and said slowly: "I suddenly recalled that we had signed a prenuptial agreement before. However, you haven't fulfilled any of the obligations between husband and wife over the past two years, so I don't plan to give you any money."
Ruan Tian: "?"
Shen Shu, it turns out you really don't have a mother! She cursed in her heart.
In Ruan Tian's memory, Shen Shu had never really been a stingy person.
In fact, he could be called very generous to almost everyone. It was only when he was facing her that he would suddenly transform into a miser.
But Ruan Tian really couldn't understand: why had he suddenly changed his mind?
After thinking about it seriously for a moment, she could only come to one conclusion: Shen Shu had a sickness in his brain.
Of course, Ruan Tian felt a bit heartbroken to see her windfall disappearing, but since it was Shen Shu's decision she knew there was nothing she could do.
After that, Shen Shu seemed unwilling to say even another word and he strode away from her old apartment building with a grim and frosty expression.
He sat in his car for a while and looked up at her balcony with his indifferent eyes. There were green potted plants lining her windowsill that were vibrant despite the cold weather, their green tendrils growing upward in search of the sun. Looking at them made him feel that they really resembled the woman herself, humble maybe, but also stubborn.
An inexplicable irritability surged in Shen Shu's heart as he looked up at the balcony. His jaw tightened, and his expression turned even more sullen.
After a few seconds, his slender fingers tightly clasped around the steering wheel and he stepped on the accelerator, leaving without looking back.
Ruan Tian, who was finally at home, called Jiang Lili to vent. In the end, the main premise could be summed up in five words:
Shen Shu was a bastard!
Jiang Lili asked uncertainly, "So you don't like him now?"
Jiang Lili could still remember how Ruan Tian always used to relentlessly pursue She Shu no matter how much he acted like a bastard.
Moreover, Jiang Lili really didn't know whether Ruan Tian had truly drugged Shen Shu back then to start their relationship in the first place.
Of course, after seeing Ruan Tian's crazy obsession with Shen Shu at the time, she felt that it was a possibility. She felt that there was nothing Ruan Tian couldn't have done for that man.
Ruan Tian sat cross-legged on her sofa and took a bite of her apple before saying joyfully: "In truth, I'm a very noble personage, and he just isn't worthy of me."
Unfortunately, Jiang Lili's next question struck directly at her soul: "Anyway, does this mean you have money now?"
Ruan Tian froze before muttering, "No."
After a moment, she regained her vigor and asked, "Well, you say, if I went to set up a stall, what should I name it? The Cold Noodle Stall?"
Jiang Lili fell silent for a moment. She suddenly realized that Ruan Tian still didn't seem to know that she was already at the center of an 'incident', after what had happened at the Shen Group Building today.
"Tian baby."
Ruan Tian took another bite of her apple and her cheeks bulged, but she still made a curious grunt into the phone.
Jiang Lili said, "Do you know that people are all calling you a crazy woman right now?" After a pause, she continued: "If you go to set up a stall, it won't be a joke anymore, they really will think that you are crazy."
Ruan Tian's sprouting dream of becoming the owner of a noodle stall suddenly crumbled to pieces.