Chapter 34: Not Treating the Mouse Like an Outsider at All
Chi Fengxiao returned to the car with lingering dread. Good thing he hung up quickly—otherwise, his freshly warmed-up niece would’ve been snatched away.
Chi Qian sat there holding a bag of chips. “Uncle, was that Grandpa on the phone?”
“No, it was your second uncle. He…” Chi Fengxiao paused, then shamelessly badmouthed him in front of Chi Qian: “He’s drowning in debt. The bank won’t approve his loan, so he came to borrow from me.”
Chi Qian blinked. “Second Uncle… that miserable?”
“Of course! Who told him to play with antiques? That stuff burns through money. Next time you see him, stay far away. Otherwise, he might just kidnap you to squeeze ransom out of the old man!”
“…But we’re family. He wouldn’t do that, would he?”
“Not so sure. Your second uncle eats children!” Chi Fengxiao widened his eyes to scare her.
Chi Qian stared at him, speechless. “Uncle, do I look like an idiot to you?”
Chi Fengxiao coughed. “Anyway, just keep it in mind. If he ever tells you to go with him, you run. Got it?”
Chi Qian nodded with full confidence. “I definitely won’t go with him.”
That satisfied Chi Fengxiao greatly.
Second Brother trying to steal her away? Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
*
The live broadcast of Escape, the Idol’s Way had ended, and on the first day, the Online Poll opened.
Only viewers who had watched the livestream could vote, one vote per person, to choose the most popular guest of the season.
Chi Fengxiao’s popularity went without saying. Veteran actor Shen Jing, known for multiple classics, was also a strong contender.
Gu Hua and Ling Qian’s CP fans were powerful too—not to be underestimated.
Yet somehow, Chi Qian, an unknown amateur, was leading the votes by a landslide.
The reason was simple—
Yuan Yaya had fallen from grace.
Qin Yue had fallen from grace.
The fans of a top actress and a rising star, left brokenhearted, turned their frustration into revenge voting—and stuffed Chi Qian’s ballot box.
When Chi Qian heard the news, it was as if the five-million-yuan grand prize had suddenly moved a step closer.
The only downside was that her salted-fish lifestyle was now interrupted.
These two days, whenever she went out for work, Chi Fengxiao personally tagged along.
Chi Lisen had ordered him to keep an eye on Chi Qian, forbidding her from holing up at home and ruining her health at such a young age.
So today, Chi Fengxiao hauled her off to an ad shoot.
It was set in a bamboo grove.
While Chi Fengxiao studied the script, Chi Qian crouched under a tree with her hands in her pockets, listening to the bamboo rats gossip.
“Yesterday, my fourth uncle’s daughter’s son got caught. Poor thing… wonder whose pot he’ll end up in.”
“Just saw two humans kissing—oh my eyes.”
“Did they take their clothes off?”
“No, but the man slipped his hand under her clothes and said, ‘Little minx, I’ll have you today…’”
“The woman said, ‘No, you already have a wife!’ And then things got all steamy…”
Chi Qian and the other bamboo rats were wide-eyed: Whoa! Spicy drama!
Having a quickie in the bamboo forest—guess they really didn’t see the rats as outsiders!
“I overheard someone say they tampered with the wire rig. They want to cripple that guy with the surname Chi.” One bamboo rat muttered.
Eating melon gossip was one thing—but now it was about her own family. Chi Qian choked.
There were only two people with the surname Chi here!
She bolted.
Today’s shoot required Chi Fengxiao to descend from the bamboo canopy on wires, dressed in flowing robes for that immortal-like aura.
When Chi Qian arrived, she saw a body lying in the clearing, covered with a white sheet.
She rushed to Manager Zhao, who was standing nearby. “My uncle…?”
Manager Zhao gave her a heavy nod.
Chi Qian ran up to the sheet and shook the body beneath it. “Uncle, wake up! How can you just be gone—”
“Who was it? Who harmed my dashing, elegant uncle?! I’ll break his wings and burn his paradise to ashes! Show yourself!”
Everyone on set stared, struggling painfully to hold back their laughter.
Only one man in the corner was sweating buckets.
Meanwhile, Chi Fengxiao came back from the restroom and froze at the scene.
He walked over, baffled. “How come my niece knows I’m dead before I do?”
The extra under the sheet couldn’t hold it anymore either. He flipped the cloth back. “Uh, sorry, I’m not your uncle.”
Chi Qian: “…Uncle, let me explain.”
“You don’t need to explain.” Chi Fengxiao pinched her cheeks. “Can’t you ever wish me something good?!”
Chi Qian’s words came out muffled. “It was Manager Zhao, he said you were gone!”
Manager Zhao waved his hands. “No, no—I just meant he had a runny stomach! Couldn’t exactly spell it out, so my face looked grim.”
Chi Qian was nearly strangled.
Her eyes darted around, trying to spot the suspicious figure. She wasn’t sure if her little performance had managed to scare the culprit.
Just in case, she whispered what she’d heard to Chi Fengxiao.
His expression instantly changed. “Where did you hear that?”
“Uh… from some chatter,” Chi Qian replied vaguely.
Manager Zhao’s expression grew grim. “Whether it’s just someone running their mouth or the real deal, I’ll have people check the wire rig again.”
Sure enough, after inspection, there was a problem.
The screws on the wire were loose.
If Chi Fengxiao hadn’t suddenly left because of stomach pain just now, he would have been on that rig—at best, he’d have a broken leg, at worst, he’d be dead.
Chi Fengxiao’s face turned iron-dark as his sharp gaze swept over everyone present.
Who?
Who was jealous enough of his looks to want him dead?
Manager Zhao then asked Chi Qian if she knew who was behind it.
Chi Qian pointed straight at a shifty-looking man in the corner. “It’s him!”
Manager Zhao immediately told his assistant to bring the man over.
Realizing something was wrong, the man bolted.
Chi Qian ran after him, but there were too many props and equipment in between, and the distance widened quickly.
So she stepped onto the bamboo poles nearby, leaping from one to another, swiftly closing the gap!
In the next instant, she bent down the top of a bamboo stalk beneath her and launched herself like a slingshot—
Whoosh!
Thud!
Her flying kick landed squarely on the man’s back, sending him crashing to the ground!
Chi Qian: “Why can’t we just sit down and talk it out? Calmly stab each other if you must. Why bother running?”
The man lay there like a dead duck, unable to say a word.
The staff standing around burst into applause.
“Amazing! How did she move through the bamboo forest like a wuxia heroine?”
“No wonder—she’s Film Emperor Chi’s niece. No ordinary girl!”
“Isn’t that guy from the props team? What did he do?”
Chi Fengxiao and Manager Zhao squeezed through the crowd, relieved to see Chi Qian safe and sound.
The man was soon dragged off to the police.
With such a dangerous accident happening, the director and production lead rushed over to apologize to Chi Fengxiao, admitting negligence.
If he didn’t want to continue filming today, they would reschedule.
But Chi Fengxiao didn’t want to hold up the work over this.
The director glanced at Chi Qian, eyes lighting up like he’d found treasure.
“Brother Chi, would you be willing to let Qian Qian join the commercial? There’s a little fairy role that suits her perfectly.”
