Chapter 41 The Two of You Are the Most Relaxed in the Whole Crowd...

Lin Yunyue was the most exhausted person in the room. She had singlehandedly done the work of two people and now felt as if she might collapse at any moment. This whole situation, truth be told, was caused by Si Shaozhe, but she couldn’t be bothered to complain. As a newcomer at the bottom of the ladder, sometimes you just have to swallow your hardships.

Aside from Lin Yu and Ji Ya, whose team enjoyed the champion’s treatment, everyone else returned utterly drained. As soon as Bai Yichu and Wang Fei walked back in, Wang Fei kept scratching at the red welts on his hands and feet, cursing under his breath, “Ugh, so annoying, mosquitoes everywhere, I’ve had enough…”

Bai Yichu shot him a glance, handed him back the jacket she’d been wearing around her waist, thanked him coolly, and headed for the sofa.

Everyone who witnessed this seemed to guess what had happened. Apparently, the two of them had gone to hunt in an area where poultry was being raised—a place the crew hadn’t cleaned before the show started. Where there are birds, there are bound to be mosquitoes. Judging by Wang Fei’s behavior since joining the group, it was likely he’d taken off his own jacket to give to Bai Yichu, shielding her from the mosquitoes while he was left at their mercy.

How astonishing—did such selfless fools truly exist?

Lin Yu brewed coffee and poured a cup for everyone. When thanked, he only responded with a mild, humble smile. His modest demeanor won over both the live audience and the guests.

“How did it go?” Ji Ya asked Bai Yichu.

She shook her head. “Not bad.” Then she produced a pale pink purse embroidered with cherry blossoms, dumped its contents onto the table, and flashed Ji Ya a smile tinged with pride.

“Fifty cards.”

“Fifty?! That’s amazing! Qiu and I climbed all over the place, took all kinds of risks, and only got sixty! The two of you each got fifty… I’m so jealous!”

Xu Mengbai, tending to her scrapes nearby, stared wide-eyed at Qiu Shishang, motioning for him to look at Bai Yichu.

“Come on, you’re jealous of someone else when you got thirty cards each? Give me a break! I nearly broke myself and only got ten!” Si Shaozhe, sprawled on the sofa after being jolted awake from a nightmare, widened his eyes at the discussion.

Are they targeting me on purpose? This production crew is too much!

Xu Mengbai snorted. “You only got hurt on the surface, that’s your own fault. Our group had to climb trees—that was genuinely dangerous. One wrong move and it could have been life-threatening. You just lost some skin. Ten cards is plenty.”

Lost some skin…

At first, no one caught her meaning, until Lin Yu couldn’t help but laugh. The men present exchanged glances and, understanding, struggled to keep straight faces. Who would have thought that Lin Yu, always so modest and unassuming, could be so sharp!

“Stop trying to outdo each other in misery! I had to chase chickens and get eaten alive by mosquitoes. I got twenty-five romance cards—do you think that was easy?” Wang Fei, still dousing himself in floral water, glanced speechlessly at Si Shaozhe. Lying around and still complaining! Without Lin Yunyue, you wouldn’t have earned a single card. No wonder everyone dislikes you—what a sorry excuse for a man.

“I nearly scratched myself to death, all right?!”

Bai Yichu glanced at Wang Fei again. Although he had helped her, now his constant whining grated on her nerves. Mocking others for being unmanly, yet yelping over a few mosquito bites—there wasn’t much difference between the two of them.

It wasn’t that Bai Yichu had anything against Wang Fei; she was simply devoted to her work, indifferent to matters of love—a romantic novice, incapable of understanding what it meant to care.

“The most comfortable ones must be the champions, right?” The guests’ attention shifted to Lin Yu and Ji Ya, who were now enjoying their coffee in peace. Noticing the sudden focus, they looked up, puzzled.

“What’s wrong? Do I have something on my face?” Lin Yu once again left everyone speechless.

“Don’t tease,” Bai Yichu said, her lips twitching. “How did you two do?”

“I think the boss and I each got over a hundred cards—not that many.” Ji Ya turned sharply to stare at Lin Yu. The “boss” he mentioned—was there someone else?

She exposed him mercilessly, her voice brimming with resentment. “I only got twenty-five cards, all right?”

Everyone: …

So after all their labor, not one of them earned as much as Lin Yu did by himself?

Goodness, Lin Jia, give us our money back!

Lin Yu took in the jealous and resentful looks directed at him and coughed lightly into his hand.

Well… If you want to ask, just ask. It’s not as if I’m hiding anything.

“How about… I treat everyone to lunch?” The looks he was getting were so intense, Lin Yu felt he’d be beaten if he didn’t step in. He tentatively offered, gauging everyone’s reaction.

“If someone’s offering, we won’t refuse,” Si Shaozhe chimed in with a raised eyebrow, trying to look suave, but this time, no one even glanced his way.

Serves him right—constantly clamoring for attention was just tiresome.

Si Shaozhe, frustrated and indignant, could only keep up the act of being in excruciating pain and lay back on the sofa.

The others quickly launched into a lively discussion about what to eat. As soon as food was mentioned, everyone perked up.

“Director Lin, how many romance cards does a lunch for this many people require?”

Lin Jia glanced at her assistant, who quickly did the math. “Twenty-five cards.”

That figure sent a wave of dismay through the artists. Most of them had slogged all day for barely ten or twenty cards—one meal would bankrupt them!

Lin Yu seemed unfazed. “Since I’ve promised, I want everyone to eat and drink their fill. If anyone’s still hungry, I’ll take responsibility.”

After all, the romance cards were meant to be spent, and generosity like this would win fans and pave the way for his debut. Why not seize such an opportunity?

If he truly intended to reach the top, connections were as important as talent.

“So, Director Lin, you mean the whole banquet, including service, costs twenty-five romance cards?”

Lin Jia rolled her eyes. “What are you thinking? That only covers the ingredients.”

Lin Yu: …

He’d guessed as much. With this production team, there was no way twenty-five romance cards would buy a full meal.

But since he’d started showing off, there was no stopping now. Lin Yu boldly took out a third of his card pouch. “If I offer double the romance cards, how will you respond, then?”