Chapter 50 Retaliation? (Bonus Chapter 2)

In this still largely undeveloped landscape, the members of Zoothys learn to create exquisite straw paintings, stroll along new tourist trails, stay in unique guesthouses, and savor local cuisine, capturing the dormant beauty and potential of this land through their firsthand experiences.

There were a few tourists in the village, some curiously taking pictures, and some recognizing them, but the interactions remained within a friendly and restrained range, with only surprised whispers, taking pictures from a distance, and sincere "Go for it!"

Ling Wei and the others responded with smiles, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Everything proceeded smoothly according to the production team's plan.

However, on the afternoon of the third day, during a break in the recording session.

Taking advantage of a break from touching up her makeup and changing scenes, Ling Wei went to the second-floor terrace of the guesthouse to get some fresh air and look at the distant, rolling green hills.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of several conspicuous figures on the side of the village road below, wearing wide-brimmed sun hats woven from golden wheat straw, waving vigorously at her.

The hats, featuring distinctive local intangible cultural heritage characteristics and adorned with exaggerated floral decorations, looked both fashionable and somewhat comical on the heads of these energetic elderly people.

Ling Wei stared intently, her pupils dilating slightly: ? ? ?

The one standing at the very front, waving the most enthusiastically and laughing the happiest, who else could it be but her grandmother, Ms. Yu Xiufen?!

She was surrounded by her regular group of friends, which made Ling Wei both amused and exasperated. She quickly ran downstairs to greet them.

"Grandma, what are you doing here? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Grandma Yu smiled mysteriously: "Hey, someone from our group won a grand prize: an in-depth tour within the province! They can choose their own destinations, and all food, lodging, and transportation are free! We thought, since you're here, Grandma will travel with you on your itinerary!"

ha?

Ling Wei's heart skipped a beat after hearing this. Could this be a new type of scam specifically targeting the elderly?

Her expression immediately turned serious, and she anxiously pressed for details: "Which friend won? How was the draw conducted? Which organization is the organizer? Did they ask you to provide your ID cards? Did they register your bank card numbers? Did they sign any contracts?"

She fired off a barrage of questions, her gaze sweeping across the faces of the elderly people, as if afraid they might have been taken advantage of.

At the same time, she dispatched a useless person: "Commander, help me check if my grandma has been scammed!"

If they are criminals, we must find a way to eliminate them.

After saying that, she turned to her grandmother, adopting a rare serious tone: "Ms. Yu Xiufen, I must seriously criticize you. How could you not discuss this with me beforehand? What if it was some kind of criminal using the free trip to steal your information, or what if there were hidden charges later? You..."

Before she could finish speaking, someone stuffed a peach shortbread into her mouth.

"Oh, don't worry, it wasn't us who drew it, it was Xiao Qu who drew it. Xiao Qu is a top student, how could she not know about scams?"

Ling Wei froze as she chewed the peach shortbread, and her lips twitched involuntarily.

"Little Qu?"

The system, which had just returned from a call, chimed in with a "Hmm."

As if to confirm her guess, the elderly people surrounding her smiled knowingly and stepped aside, revealing the scene that they had just blocked behind them.

A figure was squatting on the ground. He wasn't wearing a fancy straw hat; instead, he had his back to her and was intently tidying up several small, uniquely shaped, and sturdy storage baskets woven from golden wheat straw that were scattered all over the ground.

Judging from the way they were doing it, it seemed like they were repackaging the odds and ends that the elderly had bought or brought with them on the way.

Hearing the noise, the crouching figure paused, then slowly turned its head.

The afternoon sun was quite strong, shining down on his face without any obstruction, gilding his originally pale skin with a light gold hue.

He squinted slightly, his long eyelashes casting small shadows beneath his eyes, and his gaze appeared clear and unmistakable in the bright light.

Qu Chen looked up at Ling Wei, who was standing in the light, and walked towards her step by step.

"Um, can I come with you for a moment? I'd like to ask you about the situation in more detail."

She smiled brightly in the sunlight, as if there were no shadows in her eyes.

"Grandma, let me confirm the specific arrangements with him."

Ling Wei hurriedly left a message and led the group toward the temporary rest room assigned by the production team. To prevent anyone from taking photos secretly, she even sent out the system to patrol for her.

The other team members understood immediately and went downstairs to chat with Grandma Yu and the others, leaving the small lounge on the second floor entirely to them.

Qu Chen silently followed Ling Wei into the room, watching her close the door behind him, and even heard a soft click as the door was locked from the inside.

His hands remained in his coat pockets, his fingertips repeatedly twisting the edge of the lining fabric, as he considered how to begin.

Without warning, a force slammed him against the wall. Before the dull thud of his back hitting the wall had even faded, his collar was grabbed and he was roughly pulled down.

He was forced to lower his head and met a pair of eyes. The bright smile that had been there in the sunlight was gone, leaving only a chilling coldness.

"What exactly do you want!" Ling Wei's voice was low, but it carried an extreme amount of suppressed anger.

"When did you become so close to my grandma?"

She has always been emotionally stable, and at most, she ignores people she doesn't like unless they keep provoking her.

The person in front of her had clearly chosen the most foolish option: to harm those around her, especially her grandmother.

All the words Qu Chen had prepared got stuck in his throat when he met those cold eyes.

He lowered his eyelashes, his gaze falling on her hands that were tightly gripping his collar. He pursed his lips and remained silent.

Receiving no response, Ling Wei grew increasingly agitated: "If you want revenge, come at me!! If you dare do anything to my grandma, you're dead, you know that?!"

She didn't believe in the lottery winnings at all; it was most likely this person playing tricks.

Upon hearing her words, Qu Chen's eyelashes trembled violently, and he said in a hoarse voice, "I have no reply."

"No retaliation?" Instead of loosening her grip on his collar, she tightened it even more, her hot breath almost hitting his Adam's apple.

"You've been possessed? Before, it was all so inexplicable. The pervert who used to be so eager to get close to you that he even installed surveillance cameras on people was now hanging out with a bunch of grandparents and even paying out of his own pocket to take them on trips?"

Are you crazy or am I crazy?

What exactly do you want?!

Qu Chen's lips pressed into a pale line, remaining silent.

Seeing his seemingly resilient and unyielding appearance, Ling Wei simply let go of his collar, then used both hands to grab his neck and began to tighten her grip.

The system screamed in her mind in terror: "Aiya! Weiwei, calm down! Calm down!"

Ling Wei remained calm; she had no intention of actually getting herself into legal trouble. She was just inexplicably angry at the other party's attitude.

No reply? And then what? What's he after? Is this silent guy just making her play guessing games?

Her grandmother is the absolute bottom line she can never cross!

However, just as she was about to let go and interrogate her in a different way, a warm touch unexpectedly dripped onto the back of her hand.

One drop.

Then, another drop.