Chapter 14

After we returned, the two teams began to cook. Xiao Xiao put on an exquisite apron and walked confidently into the kitchen prepared by the production team. The next moment, she ran out with a pale face: "Why is there so much dust everywhere? There are spiders on the wood!" No matter how much the director tried to persuade her, Xiao Xiao refused to go back in. The production team didn’t want to upset my brother, so they had to stand off with her. As mealtime grew closer, the audience grew impatient: "Wasn't Xiao Xiao supposed to be the sweet, understanding girl? She gets a million a day but can’t even cook in a countryside kitchen?" "Xiao Bao said there were spiders, and girls are scared of those. I feel so bad for her." "Are you kidding? A salary of three thousand a month, and you’re feeling sorry for a million-dollar-a-day celebrity?" After the staff cleaned the kitchen thoroughly, Xiao Xiao finally agreed to go back in. Meanwhile, our team had already started cooking. Li Meng washed the vegetables, my brother tended the fire, and I cooked. My brother didn’t care about his custom-made clothes, expertly breaking branches and stuffing them into the stove. He lit the paper with a match and tossed it inside. The firewood ignited instantly, making a subtle crackling sound. The warm light from the fire lit up his high nose bridge, making his sharp features look like a carefully carved sculpture. The barrage of comments grew quiet: "This stove is really hard to light. I’ve never managed to get it to catch in one go. He’s a pro, absolutely a pro." (Excessive screen licking) (Crawling) (Shouting) "I want to date someone like him in this life!" I was a bit curious. My brother had been through a lot in life, but never lacked money. Even at his most difficult, he still had millions of dollars in his account. A pampered prince who had never had to deal with a stove before. I had been to poor mountain villages, and I planned to show off my skills this time. The fire tongs were passed to my brother. "Let me handle it, you just relax." He looked at me with a calm expression. "All you need is hands." Just as he said that, we suddenly heard screams from the other group. Black smoke billowed, and a sharp female voice came from inside. From afar, Xiao Xiao came running out, her face covered in dust: "Help! There’s a fire! Help me!" She was crying so hard that her nose and eyes were all stuck together. The hem of her skirt had caught fire, and it was about to engulf her in an instant. The staff were in a complete panic, like ants on a hot pan, not knowing what to do. They couldn’t even use the fire extinguisher. I grabbed it, pulled out the safety pin, aimed the nozzle at the flames on her skirt, and pressed the handle down hard. The fire went out. She weakly collapsed to the ground. My brother couldn’t stand the chaos, so he snatched the megaphone from the director and took charge of the fire extinguishing. It wasn’t a big deal, and everything was resolved in a few minutes. I heard the staff say that at first, Xiao Xiao had refused to light the stove. In frustration, she had thrown a lit match on the ground, which caught some dry leaves on fire. The staff couldn’t help but feel some resentment. Xiao Xiao noticed the situation here, and her spirit seemed to return. She stood up with more energy. She walked over, arms crossed, and coldly threatened the staff: "I warn you, don’t spread lies online. Your little job doesn’t even pay enough to cover the penalty fees for breaking a contract. "And you." She looked at me without a trace of gratitude: "Stay away from Gu Jin. Do you know who he is and who you are? A toad trying to eat swan meat." I almost laughed in anger. Had she been burned so badly that she hadn’t noticed my mic was still on? Her voice was all recorded online. The barrage erupted again: "Wait, why is the screen black now? Did Xiao Bao start the fire?" "Didn’t you hear them say earlier? The fire almost burned her!" "Didn’t expect Xiao Xiao to be like this. Even dogs know how to repay kindness, but she’s an ingrate." "She’s talking about ‘petty wages.’ I guess people like us, with our measly salaries, are nothing in her eyes. I’m unfollowing her now."