Looking at Luo Tian's appearance just now, Xu Baichang felt a strange sense of pity and guilt. Xiao Shulang's words brought him back to his senses: "That's right, he didn't do anything bad, what's there to feel guilty about?"
Xu Baichang frowned slightly. It was true that Luo Tian was pursuing him, but his relationship with Luo Tian... was something wrong?
Using soft persuasion and manipulative tactics is one of Luo Tian's specialties. People who don't know his true nature can easily fall into his trap without realizing it. What seems like soft silk is actually spider silk that tightens around its prey.
Luo Tian had been trying to coax Xu Baichang in a humble manner for a long time, and just when it was starting to have some effect, Xiao Shulang arrived and brought him back to square one. Luo Tian, who was already holding back his anger towards Xiao Shulang, finally exploded.
"Xiao Shulang, you just can't stand to see me doing well, can you?"
The sudden outburst of anger from the docile man startled Xu Baichang.
Xiao Shulang remained calm and readily admitted, "Yes, you're only just realizing that?"
Xu Baichang finally realized what was going on, and he looked back and forth between the two of them: "You... knew each other all along?"
Xiao Shulang: "We know each other—"
"Bai Chang! Let's go over there and talk!"
Luo Tian quickly interrupted Xiao Shulang and even grabbed Xu Baichang's wrist to lead him away. There was only a small area in the public area not covered by cameras, and he only let go of her hand when they were almost in the camera's field of view.
Once you're within the camera's range, there are some things you just can't say.
Before turning around, Luo Tian gave Xiao Shulang a warning look.
He knew that the Xiao family was not doing well these days, and that Xiao Shulang must have started appearing on shows to make money. Since he was going to work in the entertainment industry, he felt that Xiao Shulang would not expose his affairs.
After all, fortunes change, and he is now more successful than Xiao Shulang. He can easily make it impossible for Xiao Shulang to survive in the industry.
Besides, he was also careful. Luo Tian broke up with Xiao Shulang face to face, and things like "just a substitute" didn't appear in the chat history. At most, Xiao Shulang would expose their relationship. If he wanted to call him a scumbag, Xiao Shulang couldn't produce any evidence.
He dares to make such claims without any evidence. Given the disparity between his and Xiao Shulang's fans, Xiao Shulang would be relentlessly attacked without him even needing to do any public relations.
Xiao Shulang wasn't annoyed by being interrupted; he just found the warning look from Luo Tian amusing.
Luo Tian was probably very confident, thinking that he couldn't make a splash on the show and that there was nothing anyone could do about him.
It's good to be confident, because the higher you climb now, the harder it will hurt when you fall.
His plan can begin now; let Luo Tian see if he dares to do it.
Xiao Shulang deftly twirled the photo in his hand with his finger before happily returning to his room.
After reviewing the development of relationships among everyone during their trip to the aquarium, the director issued a new task the next day. This time it sounded simpler: to throw a welcome party in a cozy little home.
However, he divided the six guests into two groups, and the grouping was as follows:
Group 1: Qin Shuang, You Ziang, and Xu Baichang;
Group 2: Xiao Shulang, Luo Tian, and Yin Xingzhi.
When the group assignments were announced, the audience exclaimed that this was simply outrageous.
Yesterday, Qin Shuang only had obvious interaction with Xiao Shulang. Today, they separated, which clearly indicates that the intention was to let Qin Shuang and Xiao Shulang interact with other people more in the early stages.
As for the remaining four, You Ziang has the potential to join the three-person battleground and evolve into a four-person free-for-all.
After all, Xu Baichang and You Ziang exchanged messages last night!
The director really understands how to create a good program.
It's quite a coincidence that they split up like this without knowing the past entanglements between Xiao Shulang and Luo Tian.
When they went out, the first group was responsible for purchasing props and supplies, and the second group was responsible for purchasing ingredients.
Luo Tian was not very happy after parting ways with Xu Baichang, but Yin Xingzhi was happy and thought it was a good opportunity. Xiao Shulang had not shown any interest in Luo Tian before, so it should not be an obstacle.
But yesterday, Xiao Shulang almost embarrassed him at the aquarium. After that, Xiao Shulang's reputation on the internet improved a lot, and some people started saying bad things about him. Yin Xingzhi was very unhappy about this.
Today he wants to see if he can find an opportunity to trap Xiao Shulang and make him lose face.
However, when Xiao Shulang saw the group assignments, he also felt that there should be an opportunity to cause trouble today. What a coincidence!
Chapter 9: I have issues with exes who didn't have a peaceful breakup.
Everyone had prepared the party menu in advance, and Xiao Shulang's group needed to purchase the corresponding ingredients.
Even with a shopping list in hand, buying groceries is a skill. You need to know how to compare prices, check the freshness of vegetables, and assess the quality of meat.
The production team found a large farmers' market. Yin Xingzhi was eager to interact with Luo Tian, but Luo Tian was not interested. He was wondering if Xu Baichang was interacting with You Ziang, which made him unhappy. However, when he saw Xiao Shulang skillfully stepping forward to negotiate the price, his mood suddenly improved a bit.
Things change every thirty years; even the young master Xiao, who never looks at prices when buying things, has to haggle over every penny when buying vegetables.
Luo Tian was feeling down and didn't want to make others feel comfortable, so he went up to the stall and interrupted Xiao Shulang's conversation with the owner.
"Let's not haggle anymore," Luo Tian said. "It's a small business, and making money isn't easy for them."
The boss was naturally happy to make more money. He was about to lower the price, but as soon as Luo Tian spoke, he immediately changed his tune and said to Luo Tian, "Boss, come and see, our goods are definitely worth this price."
Immediately, someone in the live chat agreed.
Yes, doing business is hard work. It's just a matter of a few dollars or ten dollars, there's no need to be too fussy.
Life is tough, and Xiao Shulang is being way too stingy.
Just as they were about to reach an agreement, Luo Tian interrupted them. Xiao Shulang coldly lifted his eyelids and said, "The production team has a limited budget, and we need to buy all the necessary items. No bargaining, you'll pay."
Luo Tian was stunned for a moment, but Xiao Shulang hadn't finished speaking before he launched another attack: "Who doesn't have to work hard to make money? What, did your money grow on trees?"
Yeah, who isn't a working person and a consumer?
[That's right, I'm on Xiao Shulang's side. Haggling at the market is perfectly normal, you guys have clearly never experienced the harsh realities of life.]
[Luo Tian is generous, so let him figure out a way to buy the groceries. He wasn't interested in picking out vegetables earlier, but he's very proactive now.]
I had suspected before that Xiao Shulang disliked Luo Tian, right?
If it were just a matter of not being attracted to each other, one could simply maintain a polite distance. However, Xiao Shulang's words were so blunt and rude that he didn't hold back at all when speaking to Luo Tian.
Luo Tian was stunned, unable to believe that Xiao Shulang would embarrass him in front of the camera.
Yin Xingzhi was firmly on Luo Tian's side. Seeing that things were not going well, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Hey, we still have enough funds. We don't need to cut corners now. Boss, just give us two jin at the original price."
The boss was naturally delighted: "Great!"
Xiao Shulang raised his hand in a "please" gesture: "Okay. I think it would be better if we split the money, then go our separate ways and each buy our own things. That would be more efficient, what do you think?"
Although Yin Xingzhi wanted to embarrass Xiao Shulang, he was even more eager for him to leave so that he and Luo Tian could have some alone time. He immediately agreed, "Okay!"
He could also see that Luo Tian's heart was with Xu Baichang, so he had to seize the opportunity to win her favor!
They quickly decided to split up, and Luo Tian finally snapped out of his daze: "Wait!"
He subconsciously raised his hand to grab Xiao Shulang, which was his old habit. There was always someone waiting for him in the past, but this time Luo Tian grabbed nothing—Xiao Shulang turned aside and avoided him.
"how?"
With his back to the camera, Xiao Shulang looked at him coldly, and Luo Tian's fingers twitched as he felt a chill inexplicably run down his spine.
On the day of the breakup, after he finished speaking, Xiao Shulang looked at him with anger and pain in his eyes, but never like this. Xiao Shulang's eyes were cold and devoid of any other emotion, as if he were looking at trash that had already been thrown away.
He didn't even bother to look back.
Luo Tian was so startled by the stare that he involuntarily took a half-step back, unable to utter a word. Xiao Shulang lowered his head and smiled slightly: "Let's meet up after we've finished shopping."
After he finished speaking, he turned and left. The production team did not expect that the three of them would actually split up. The director coordinated the overall situation and asked one person from the second group to follow and film Xiao Shulang.
Although they were supposed to be acting separately, it was clear that Yin Xingzhi and Luo Tian were still together, while Xiao Shulang was alone.
Why does it seem like Xiao Shulang is being ostracized?
[After all, Yin Xingzhi's romantic intentions are too obvious, but when it comes to grocery shopping, I'm on Xiao Shulang's side.]
They divided the money and the items they bought. Xiao Shulang was in charge of his own items, carefully selecting from each stall. He chose fresh and plump vegetables and good cuts of meat, and he bargained when necessary.
Without anyone holding him back, Xiao Shulang's purchasing task went smoothly, and the audience also learned a lot from his bargaining skills, such as what high emotional intelligence bargaining is!
[Wow, you can do that! I used to be too shy to haggle and always got ripped off. I've learned something new!]
[A master at saving money! I'm increasingly skeptical of Xiao Shulang's so-called scandals these days]
Exactly! People who act like divas are usually bad-tempered and brainless. How could they possibly be so patient and skillful in dealing with street vendors? With that kind of brain and temper, why would they bother offending the director? It wouldn't do them any good at all!
While things went smoothly for Xiao Shulang, they didn't for Luo Tian and Yin Xingzhi.
Since Luo Tian said he felt sorry for the small business owners and wouldn't haggle, he had no choice but to stick to his persona. After buying a few things, they finally realized that they didn't have enough money. It turned out that Xiao Shulang wasn't just saying it casually; he had actually seen through the trap set by the production team.
Since they hadn't bought everything yet, Yin Xingzhi had to negotiate the prices when they went to buy more.
Although Yin Xingzhi started his own business, he didn't do very well. In addition, commercial negotiations are different from one-off transactions in the mobile market. His bargaining skills were easily shut down by the vendors with their street-smart tactics, and were completely useless.
The contrast in split-screen situations is so striking, doesn't that create a great program effect?
[Yin Xingzhi is the boss himself, how can he be so inept at handling people?]
[Big bosses are different from us ordinary workers.]
Xiao Shulang not only bought everything he needed, but also had some money left over. After confirming with the production team that this money could also be used, he bought a few extra side dishes to give everyone a treat.
Xiao Shulang waited for a long time at the entrance of the farmers' market, sipping milk tea. Yin Xingzhi and Luo Tiancai returned disappointed. Seeing Xiao Shulang so carefree, the two of them felt uncomfortable.
Looking at Xiao Shulang, Yin Xingzhi said sarcastically, "Today's weather is really nice with a cup of milk tea."
He was trying to subtly mock Xiao Shulang for only buying for himself, but the audience, with their God's-eye view, all laughed when they heard this, because they knew that Xiao Shulang had bought six cups!
Sure enough, Xiao Shulang raised an eyebrow and nodded upon hearing this: "Indeed."
He casually shoved the bag containing five cups of milk tea into Yin Xingzhi's hands so he could carry it himself: "Drink up."
Yin Xingzhi: "..."
The screen was immediately filled with "hahaha" comments, and even the staff next to them couldn't help but laugh, wanting to laugh but too embarrassed to do so.
After taking stock of the items and confirming that Yin Xingzhi and Luo Tian hadn't bought enough, Xiao Shulang added a little more to ensure that the overall shortage wasn't too significant.
Xiao Shulang didn't say anything, but his "I knew it" look was like a slap in the face to Yin Xingzhi and Luo Tian. Unfortunately, they couldn't find any point to refute him. After all, they asked for it and had to split up with the only bargaining expert.
If you're angry, just bear it yourself.
When Xiao Shulang and his group returned to their cozy home, the first group of three had already returned and set up the barbecue grill in the yard.
Compared to the second group, the atmosphere in the first group of three was much more harmonious. It was comfortable with no one causing trouble, and they quickly bought all the barbecue equipment and other party supplies.
They were having an outdoor barbecue today, and the ingredients they bought needed to be prepared. Xiao Shulang tied on an apron and got ready to start, and Qin Shuang also picked up an apron.