Chapter 25
Xu Gui's fan base is growing rapidly, and so is his haters. These haters hadn't found an opportunity to openly mock Xu Gui before, but now that they finally have something to attack, they're naturally going all out.
Does Xu Gui have absolutely no sense of her place? Doesn't she even look at her current ranking? She's at least outside the top forty! And she still wants to be number one? That's just wishful thinking.
[That's incredibly arrogant. The number one spot belongs to actor Zhao Yang, whose livestream has over three million viewers. Xu Gui's viewership is probably only a fraction of that.]
Although the final ranking of the show is mainly based on how much money the guests make, the movie star has already made over two million yuan through stock trading. What does Xu Gui have to compare with him? Does she really think she can earn two million yuan in the remaining two weeks with her roadside stall?
This person has absolutely no self-awareness!
The haters in Xu Gui's live stream finally found a point to attack her, and they seized on it relentlessly, mocking her for being "wishful thinking" and "daydreaming."
Xu Gui's fans were furious, but they didn't know how to refute her—Xu Gui was indeed quite a distance from the number one spot... well, a chasm. She had only earned a little over 30,000 yuan so far, which was actually quite fast, but it depended on who she was compared to.
Therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, she has absolutely no chance of getting first place.
However… instead of fighting for a steamed bun, Xu Gui’s fans couldn’t help but chime in with their rebuttal:
Until the very last moment, who knows who the final winner will be? Maybe Xu Gui will make a surprise overtake on a curve and suddenly snatch the championship?
[That's right, our daughter is so amazing! She used to only earn 150 a day, but now she earns 2,000 to 3,000 a day. Her income has increased more than twenty times! Who knows, maybe one day her income will double again?]
[I've memorized the IDs of all of you who swore to eat shit live on stream. If Xu Gui actually wins first place, I'll tag you all one by one. No verification needed, I'm not a fan, I just enjoy watching the show. After all, once you set a flag, it's bound to fall!]
[Whether my daughter wins first place or not, we will support and love her. How about that, you haters, aren't you furious? Who cares about you anyway!]
They're just being overly protective of their mothers, so what? They're proud of it!
The "mommy fans" launched an attack that was off the charts, and the haters had to admit that they were being attacked. Their adrenaline surged, and they couldn't help but continue typing to refute and mock the attacks.
However, while the comments were noisy, notifications of donations kept popping up in the lower right corner. The special effects of each gift looked extremely dazzling and brilliant. Occasionally, there were donations flooding the screen and announcements across the entire platform, and the IDs of the donors were also very familiar.
[Stop arguing! Haven't you all noticed? High school students have already spent almost 500,000 yuan on virtual gifts!]
Are high school students these days really that rich?!
One netizen couldn't help but type: "High school student, do your parents know you're spending so much money on online rewards? Aren't you afraid they'll beat you up if they find out you're spending so recklessly online?"
I suspect she stole her parents' card...
In response, the high school student said: "My mom knew I had a favorite celebrity, so she gave me two million yuan to tip as a hobby. I still have one and a half million yuan left to tip, which I'll gradually spend later."
Now, the live chat was filled with question marks.
Finally, someone posted a heartbreaking message: "The whole world owes me a father and mother who look exactly like me!! Mom and Dad, look at your long-lost daughter!"
So what if there are so many rich people in the world? What difference does one more make? It's outrageous!
At this moment, a high school student posted another comment: "[Xiao Gui is my daughter, my parents' granddaughter. Isn't it normal for grandparents to give their granddaughter a tip?]"
Comments: ? ? ?
No, do your parents know they have a granddaughter who is older than their own daughter?
At this moment, a comment suddenly appeared on the screen: "So, do your parents need a 32-year-old, single, and self-sufficient granddaughter? #shy#"
Others: The truth has finally come out, sister.
*
At this moment, Xu Gui, through the tactful yet straightforward explanation from the photographer, realized the gap between himself and the first place winner.
Xu Gui was stunned. She glanced at the number one live stream, then at her own, and sighed—the gap was as vast as the ocean.
However, she wasn't without a chance... Although she was indeed far from first place, the competition wasn't over yet, so she still had a chance. After all, until the very end, no one knew if she could turn the tide.
Xu Gui thought to himself.
But now, she should pack up and go have dinner.
She carefully put the accounting notebook back into her bag and prepared to pack up her stall. However, just as she finished packing up, a person appeared in front of her stall. At that moment, she was bending down to put the stool on the ground, so she didn't see the person, but she first smelled the fishy smell in the air.
Fishy smell?
Xu Gui subconsciously looked up and saw a figure covered in moisture, followed by a big smile.
"Master, hello there! Do you remember me?" the visitor asked cheerfully.
Xu Gui looked at his very special and distinctive attire, nodded, and said, "You're the old gentleman from this morning!"
The old man, also known as Mr. Wu, grinned and said, "It's me!"
Xu Gui looked at the large fish he was carrying on his shoulder and asked hesitantly, "Old sir, what's this?"
Old Wu said, "I'm back from fishing... Master, look! Thanks to the divination you gave me this morning, it was truly amazing! I caught such a big fish today, just as you said! I caught the biggest fish among all of us!"
Old Wu never imagined that he would have this day, that he would catch a fish, and such a big one at that.
Not only did it open other people's eyes, it opened his own as well. However, he was also very clear that the biggest reason he was able to catch fish was because of the master in front of him.
"Master, I caught so many fish today! Here, let me give you a few. These are all wild fish; they're delicious for making soup!"
As he spoke, he put down his fishing gear and took out a string of small crucian carp from the bucket. There were about five or six of them, all strung together with water plants. Because they were wild, each crucian carp had a golden hue, and they looked to be of very good quality.
A string of crucian carp was handed to Xu Gui, who exclaimed in surprise, "Is this for me?" Although she didn't particularly like eating fish, mainly because she had eaten too much of it, but...
"Thank you, Grandpa!" she said with a smile, taking the fish without hesitation. Then she asked, "Grandpa, can I share this fish with someone else? I can't cook, so I'll have to ask someone to cook it for me. I'd like to give her two fish."
Old Wu waved his hand generously and said, "It's alright, since it's a gift for you, then do with it as you please!"
As he finished speaking, he packed up his fishing gear and said, "It's getting late, I have to go back now. Master, see you later."
Xu Gui: "Okay, take care."
She watched as Old Wu strode away, fish on his shoulder, his back straight, looking just like a victorious general. In other words, among anglers, catching such a big fish is like a victorious general returning home.
Xu Gui glanced down at the fish in his hand and counted them. "There are eight..."
They were strung one by one on the long reeds. You wouldn't notice there were eight if you didn't count them carefully. But since they were all small fish, only slightly larger than a human hand, they weren't very heavy.
"Hey, do you want two takes, buddy?" Xu Gui asked the cameraman.
The person filming asked, "Me?"
Xu Gui nodded and said, "That grandpa said that the fish he gave me are mine, and I can give them away as I please. If you want them, I'll give you two... That way, there will be six left. I'll give two more to the aunt in the kitchen, and I can eat four myself!"
She has already arranged everything for these fish perfectly.
I've been filming her for a while now, and I've gotten to know her quite well. Hearing this, I didn't stand on ceremony and said, "These wild small crucian carp are hard to find now. They make a really delicious soup, so fresh it's unbelievable."
Xu Gui's mouth watered at the thought.
So when the two returned to their temporary hotel, they had eight small crucian carp in their hands, and they still smelled faintly of fish. It was evening, and the guests were returning one after another. When Xu Gui returned, he encountered many people on the way.
She couldn't help but glance at one of them, because that person was the one who came in first place.
Xu Gui muttered to himself: To get first place, I have to suppress this person.
Perhaps it was because her gaze was too direct, but the person who was about to enter suddenly turned their head and glanced in her direction, and the two made eye contact instantly.
Xu Gui instinctively wanted to dodge, but then she remembered that she hadn't done anything wrong, so she stopped herself from turning her head and instead widened her eyes, staring back defiantly at the other person without flinching.
"Heh~" The other person seemed to let out a soft chuckle. Seeing him suddenly laugh, the person next to him couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zhao, what are you laughing at?"
Zhao Yang said casually, "It's nothing, I just saw a rather interesting kid."
The speaker asked curiously: "Little kids? What little kids? Are there little kids here?"
The man looked around.
Xu Gui walked into the hotel lobby and immediately saw that there were many people standing or sitting in the lobby, including the number one winner. Everyone looked fresh and beautiful, giving people the illusion of being dazzling at first glance.
"...?" Xu Gui paused, almost backing away to check if he had gone to the wrong place.
So why are there so many people in the lobby today?
"Ugh, why does it smell so strongly of fish here? Anyone who didn't know better would think they'd stumbled into a wet market."
Suddenly, a voice that was both familiar and jarring to Xu Gui rang out. Xu Gui looked over and, sure enough, saw a familiar face.
Su Ya crossed her arms and looked at her critically, asking, "What, you couldn't be a dishwasher, so you switched to cleaning fish at the market? Why do you smell so strongly of fish? Don't you find it disgusting?"
As she spoke, she dramatically covered her nose with her hand, as if the air smelled terrible.
Xu Gui subconsciously sniffed himself. "Does it smell bad? Then I'll take the fish to the kitchen first... Sorry, this fish was a gift from my guest. It's completely wild and very nutritious!"
She looked at Su Ya and said, "But I'm sorry, I've already divided up all the fish, so I don't have any left to give you."
She said this as if Su Ya had just picked a fight over the few fish in her hand. Su Ya was so angry that she almost fell over, and said in a fit of rage, "Who cares about your few fish?"
She sneered as she looked Xu Gui up and down, and said disdainfully, "Why do you act like a country bumpkin? A few fish and you're all that excited about you? Haven't you ever seen anything good before?"
She kept talking, but Xu Gui's mind was no longer on her. She was looking in one direction when her eyes suddenly lit up, and she shouted in that direction, "Auntie! I'm here!"
People in the lobby subconsciously looked in the direction she was calling out, and just then they saw a middle-aged woman wearing an apron and with a serious expression walking out of the kitchen. When they saw this woman, many people felt their skin tighten, especially the artists' assistants—so many of them had run into a wall in front of this old lady, and now they felt panicked just seeing her.
However, compared to the constipated expressions of the others, Xu Gui immediately greeted the other person with a beaming smile.
"Grandma, look what I have here!" she said with a smile, holding up a small crucian carp in her hand. "Wild crucian carp, I heard it makes a really good soup..."
Her voice was crisp and clear, not harsh at all, and her natural and cheerful tone made it very pleasant to listen to.
The old lady seemed to be a serious person with deep nasolabial folds on her face. However, when she looked at Xu Gui, the nasolabial folds on her face seemed to have faded a lot. Although she was not smiling, she was indeed less serious.
The others watching this scene practically had their eyes popping out—this script was completely different from what they had imagined!
Xu Gui wasn't afraid of the old lady at all. From the first time she met the old lady, she called her "old lady" all the time. She was cheerful and had a pure heart. The old lady thought she was heartless and found it hard to be stern with her.
At this moment, Xu Gui kept saying, "Auntie, didn't Uncle hurt his leg? Take two back and make soup for him. The brother who filmed me said that wild crucian carp soup is very nourishing."
The uncle she mentioned was the old lady's husband. He used to be one of the head chefs at the hotel. He was one of the head chefs because he had recently fallen in the kitchen and twisted his bones. Now he can only stay at home to recuperate.
The old lady had only mentioned it to her once, but she didn't expect her to remember it. She felt a sense of comfort and her expression softened even more when she looked at Xu Gui.
She glanced at the small crucian carp in Xu Gui's hand, examined it for a moment, and nodded slightly, saying, "It is indeed a wild small crucian carp... Are you really going to give this to me? If you sell this fish outside, it can sell for about twenty yuan a pound."
Crucian carp are common, but these small, golden-yellow, wild crucian carp are rare. If you have a pregnant woman who has just given birth, these are a real treat.
Xu Gui glanced down and said, "...With so few fish, I can't possibly set up a stall to sell them. Let's just clean them up and eat them!"
The old woman smiled, glanced at the number of small fish, and said, "There are eight in total. Give me two, and I'll cook the remaining six for you."
Xu Gui immediately smiled and said, "Auntie, thank you so much. You're so kind to me. It's really too much trouble for you to cook fish for me. I'll treat you to milk tea later!" That's right, she now has a new hobby: drinking milk tea.
"However, two of these fish are to be given to the guy filming me, and only four are for myself!" she added.
The old lady glanced at it and nodded: "Okay, I understand. I'll go get ours and bring them to you when they're ready... By the way, have you had dinner yet? If not, I'll make you something."
Xu Gui looked at her expectantly and said, "No, I just got back and haven't had a chance to eat yet."
The old lady replied, "Okay, luckily we have some pigeon soup and chicken rice in the kitchen today. I'll get you some fruit too, to make a set meal..."
"Wait a minute!" A person who had been eavesdropping on the two couldn't help but speak up, saying, "Ma'am, this isn't how you treat us. Does your hotel discriminate?"
His tone was quite dissatisfied.
The old woman glanced at the other person and said, "If you're unhappy, you can complain about me. I have no objection."
After saying that, the man took the small crucian carp from Xu Gui's hand and walked away with an arrogant expression, leaving the speaker standing there dumbfounded, looking completely bewildered.
"No, how can she be so arrogant?" the man couldn't help but ask.
The person next to him patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "It's okay. If your son were the hotel owner, you could be just as arrogant."
The young man, who was clearly unaware of the old woman's background, was stunned upon hearing this.
"...This old lady is so down-to-earth!" Instead of being a perfectly good old lady, she likes to work in a hotel kitchen. What kind of fun is that?
Is this the kind of happiness that only the rich can have?
At this moment, Xu Gui was probably the only one who wasn't thinking about anything, completely immersed in the joy of being able to eat delicious food.
Just then, Su Ya suddenly narrowed her eyes and looked at her, questioning, "You knew about this old lady's background all along, which is why you went to great lengths to please her and get closer to her, right?"
Xu Gui, feeling her gaze fixed on him, couldn't help but point to himself and ask, "Are you talking about me?"
Su Ya seemed certain of her thoughts. She looked at Xu Gui warily and said, "You're really cunning. You seem so innocent on the surface, but I never expected you to be so complicated behind the scenes. Are you trying to curry favor with this old lady so that she'll give you preferential treatment? Or are you trying to get close to her son so you can marry into a wealthy family?"
"Isn't it you who wants to marry into a wealthy family?" Xu Gui asked sincerely. "As far as I know, you've been in contact with five men, but two of them are your backup options. The remaining three are your first choices. One of them is surnamed Chen, and another is surnamed Hong..."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Su Ya couldn't help but shout, her face flushed red. "Don't slander me."
Xu Gui looked at her innocently: "I'm not making this up. You're paying so much attention to me, you must know what I do, right? I don't have any other special skills, but I'm pretty good at fortune telling."
As she said this, she glanced innocently at everyone present and smiled, saying, "If anyone has anything they want calculated, feel free to come to me. I can calculate anything, and I can give you a 10% discount!"
"Sending a heart!"
While saying "make a heart shape with your hands," she raised her hands and actually made a heart shape with her hands for everyone.
Everyone: "..."
It has to be said that this scene was incredibly shocking, so this person must be threatening them, right?
But how could she use that innocent face to say such threatening things...? So, maybe they've got it wrong? Maybe what she said was just her introducing herself?
While everyone was still in a daze, Xu Gui strode towards the elevator, ready to go upstairs to take a shower.
After Su Ya said that, she now felt as if she was emitting a fishy smell all over her body.
"Does it smell bad?" She looked down and sniffed herself.
The person filming her suddenly asked, "Teacher Xu, were you just joking with everyone? But your joke sounds like a threat, hahaha."
“No,” Xu Gui said, “I was threatening them.”
The cameraman: "..."
His silence at that moment was a wake-up call.
How to describe the feelings of the guy following the camera at this moment? It would be: How come this good kid suddenly seems to have gone astray?
Their teacher, Ms. Xu, isn't like that!
Xu Gui continued slowly, "They all look down on me. If I don't show some intimidation, they will only look down on me more and more, and they will bully me more and more..."
This way of survival is exactly what the saying "a kind person is bullied" means. Xu Gui knew this principle when he was a turtle. Whether in the sea or on land, this approach applies. And survival in nature is even more cruel than this.
“That Suya is a very obvious example. She targeted me before, and because I didn’t react at the time, she became emboldened and her actions against me became more and more unscrupulous.”
She spoke clearly, but the person filming was quite surprised—he had always thought that Teacher Xu was a naive and innocent girl who wouldn't say a word even if she was bullied.
But now he realizes that he seems to have made a mistake.
At this moment, Xu Gui raised his voice and laughed, "Of course, it would be best if everyone could get along amicably. I'm a peace-loving tortoise..."
The photographer's mind went blank for a moment: A peaceful return? A peaceful tortoise?
A few seconds later, the cameraman realized what he was thinking and was speechless.
Xu Gui looked at his camera and asked in a friendly manner, "Can the live stream end now? I need to go back and take a shower."
The photographer, snapping out of his daze, quickly said, "That's enough... Teacher Xu, you can say hello to everyone and then we can wrap up."
Xu Gui smiled at the camera, waved, and said, "That's all for my work today. See you all tomorrow!"
Meanwhile, the viewers in the live stream, especially those who had been following Xu Gui's live stream for several days, were somewhat dazed.
Looking into Xu Gui's clear and bright eyes, they felt a strong sense of unreality.
How to put it... It's like the little white rabbits they raise suddenly turn into little white rabbits with steel teeth, capable of biting through steel with a single stab.
[...What should I do if I suddenly like Xu Gui more? The little white rabbit is cute, but the steel-willed little white rabbit is even cooler!]
At this moment, your online friends will give you a like +1, +N.
That's right, the steel little white rabbit, how cool and stylish!
*
Xu Gui went upstairs to take a shower. At this moment, the program director was standing in the lobby, looking at the guest who was missing one person, and couldn't help but call out:
"Where's Xu Gui? Where's Xu Gui?! Where did Xu Gui go?!"
Thanks to Xu Gui's constant antics, he was deeply impressed by her, and now he can spot her in a crowd at a glance.
Now, she could tell at a glance that Xu Gui was missing from the crowd.
"Where's Xu Gui's cameraman? Didn't you tell her to meet here today?" The director was furious and started making trouble for the cameraman.
He searched all over but couldn't find the person filming him.
The assistant director whispered, "Director, the cameraman went home after get off work. He was carrying two small crucian carp with him when he left."
Director: ?
So, these two guests who were filming him stood him up?
"Fire him! Fire him! Our production team doesn't need this kind of irresponsible filming!" The director was even angrier.
The assistant director kindly reminded him, "Have you forgotten? That's your nephew. Your sister repeatedly told you to take good care of him."
Director: ? ? ?
The director fell silent and closed his eyes.
At that moment, Xu Gui, who was taking a shower, suddenly sneezed loudly: Achoo!
Her eyes widened in surprise, and she exclaimed in horror, "Does this mean that after becoming human, I can still catch a cold and get sick? Did I catch a chill?"
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