CH 80

What kind of feeling is it to be stared at by two pairs of clear and expectant beautiful eyes?

Cai Jingfeng couldn’t describe it accurately, but if he had to, it would probably be like being scratched by a kitten’s claws in the heart—not painful, but very itchy.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t satisfy the two of them at the moment. Cai Jingfeng regretfully said, “Not now. The production team doesn’t allow me to spend my own money. The travel fund they prepared is very limited, so we need to plan how to use this money wisely.”

Their dreams were shattered, and the light in the eyes of the little monk and the little junior monk disappeared along with it. The two monks looked pitiful, like abandoned little puppies.

Cai Jingfeng couldn’t help but pat the little junior monk’s bald head, smiling gently. “Be good. After we finish recording the program, I’ll treat you to a feast, okay?”

Lian Qing quickly regained his smile and said, “Okay, then I’ll thank you in advance, Big Brother.”

But Lian Qing shook his head. “No, I’ll still treat you then, Cai Tou. You probably haven’t started working yet, so let’s save money where we can.”

He had just said that because he wanted Cai Jingfeng to treat him to a meal first. After they finished recording the program, he would return the favor and treat Cai Jingfeng, taking back his own wallet. Cai Jingfeng, on the other hand, was working, while Cai Tou was still a student.

Little did he know that Cai Jingfeng smiled and said, “I have money. You know, my family background is pretty good, and on top of that, I have scholarships and some prize money from competitions. I’m not short on money at all.”

Lian Qing didn’t continue to argue with him and thought to himself that if worst came to worst, he could just pay in advance when the time came! He raised his thumb at Cai Jingfeng with a smile. “You’re still amazing.”

Cai Jingfeng shook his head. “No, you know, other than studying, I’m not really good at anything else.”

After saying that, he turned to look at the little monk Lian Qing and said softly, “I remember, your name is Lian Qing, right?”

“Yes, Big Brother,” the little guy smiled openly at him.

“You’ve grown up so much… I saw you once before. Back then, you were just a little baby. You laughed when I teased you. Do you remember?”

The little monk tilted his head, thinking earnestly, then raised his small hand. “Sorry, Big Brother, I was too little, my… my…”

“Brain capacity,” Lian Qing reminded him silently.

“Yes!” the little guy continued, “I was too little, my brain capacity was small, so I don’t remember.”

That sentence caused everyone to burst into laughter. Fu Miao even came over and hugged the little monk, laughing and saying, “Oh my, you’re so cute!”

The little one shyly struggled out of her embrace and ran to his Shixiong, burying his head in his arms and staying still.

This shy little appearance caused everyone to laugh even more. They all thought that with this little guy on the trip, it was destined not to be too boring.

After the family reunion, Cai Jingfeng dutifully took out an envelope and poured out the pounds inside. He said, “This is the money the production team prepared for us. From now on, this is all the money we can use. So, I will roughly plan how to allocate the money for transportation and food. If there’s any surplus, I will distribute it to everyone.”

As the eldest guest present, Fu Miao naturally spoke up first: “Xiao Cai, we trust you. You can make the arrangements. If there’s any leftover money, you don’t have to distribute it to us. Just keep it for yourself. That way, if anyone needs something, they can ask you, and you can decide whether to give it to them.”

Sister Sha also smiled and said, “You’re the tour guide, so you can plan everything. If there’s anything wrong or unsatisfactory during our trip, feel free to point it out. We will do our best to cooperate with you since you’re the most familiar with this place.”

“I feel so much pressure with that responsibility…” Cai Jingfeng laughed and said, “Well, everyone, I’ll just be straightforward. Based on the money provided by the production team, if we want to eat better, we’ll have to save on other things. It means that besides essential items, we might not be able to buy things we like. Of course, even if we don’t eat that well, we won’t be able to buy much anyway.”

Zhao Cheng immediately chimed in, “Well, I would choose to eat better. It’s more enjoyable when we have good food.”

Lian Qing and Little Lian nodded in agreement. They also hoped for that.

Seeing their stance, the other three sisters agreed as well. They could simply note down the things they liked and have their assistants or go themselves to buy them after finishing the program.

“Then, how about the sisters enjoy the villa’s private hot spring or go to the public hot springs at the hotel? I think everyone could use some relaxation or rest, considering the jet lag. Then, in the evening, we can go to Piazza Trilussa, also known as Pigeon Square, one of the world’s top five pigeon squares.”

“Ah, that sounds great. I was just worried about getting tired,” Fu Miao got up with a smile. “I’ll go adjust to the time difference. Have fun, and call me in the evening.”

“Sister, wait, I ordered takeout, it should be here soon,” Cai Jingfeng said, and right after he finished speaking, the doorbell rang. He quickly got up and went out, followed by Lian Qing, each carrying a bag of takeout.

After having some casual food, they began to plan together. After discussing, except for Fu Miao, who wanted to go back to sleep, everyone else decided to contact the villa’s housekeeper and have them prepare the big hot spring.

In fact, everyone wanted to go to the public hot springs at the hotel because it was livelier and had better facilities. However, considering the filming arrangements by the production team, they had to give up on that idea.

Lian Qing couldn’t soak in the hot springs, but seeing the little junior monk’s subtle anticipation and disappointment, he made up his mind to go together. He wouldn’t get in the water himself and would just stay by the shore. As for the little guy, he entrusted Cai Tou to take care of him.

To prevent the little one from feeling pressured, Lian Qing specifically helped him change into a matching swimsuit—a pair of Tom and Jerry swim trunks. He had asked Wen Ning to buy them for the little one before they left. He didn’t know what kind of taste the little guy had, but he ended up liking the same style, so he had to buy a matching pair for him and Yu Wenning

Yu Wenning didn’t object and directly bought them.

As a modern-day responsible man, what more could Lian Qing do? He wore them and, if needed, he could always take them off.

Arriving at the hot spring pool, Sha Jie and the others were already soaking. Seeing that everyone was dressed relatively conservatively, Lian Qing breathed a sigh of relief. He brought a duck-shaped sitting swimming ring and placed it in the water, then lifted the little junior monk and helped him sit on it.

The little one turned his head and asked, “Shixiong, aren’t you getting in the water?”

Lian Qing shook his head. “Shixiong will just soak his feet.”

The little one pursed his lips and replied with an “Oh.” He tightly held onto Lian Qing’s neck. He was not a good child, only concerned with his own enjoyment, forgetting that his Shixiong had an injury on his back and couldn’t get in the water.

Zhao Chengyi came to Xiao San’s side and made a reassuring gesture, saying, “Don’t worry, leave it to me.” He then supported the little duck and floated towards the center of the pool, occasionally teasing the little junior monk. Finally, the joyful voices of children filled the hot spring pool again.

From a distance, Lian Qing watched as the little junior monk was surrounded by Sha Jie and the others, being entertained. He couldn’t help but reveal a warm smile.

“You look much thinner than before,” Sister Sha said, approaching Lian Qing with two cups of juice in his hands.

Lian Qing accepted the cup and smiled, thanking him before saying, “It’s not too bad, just some things happened recently, which caused me to lose some weight.”

The things he mentioned not only referred to the accident that happened later but also included nearly two months of unrequited love before that.

Unrequited love was actually harder to bear than physical pain. Fortunately, he had overcome it.

Cai Jingfeng, however, was unaware of this and thought it was because of the accident. He hesitated for a moment, then sat down beside Lian Qing and whispered, “Have you considered changing careers?”

“Hmm?”

“If you’re willing, I can introduce you to other jobs. As you know, my family owns a company, and I’ll take over after I graduate. I can arrange for you to work there now. Working from nine to five, weekends off, earning tens of thousands a month won’t be a problem.”

Lian Qing blinked in confusion and asked, “Why are you suddenly saying this?”

Cai Jingfeng hesitated a bit, pointing to Lian Qing’s back, and said, “Being a celebrity is too difficult, and it seems like accidents can happen easily.”

God knows how scared he was when he saw the video of Lian Qing’s accident online. What if he had hit his head first? What if he injured his spine? What if the wire broke, and safety measures weren’t in place…

Regardless of which aspect went wrong, Lian Qing wouldn’t be able to sit in front of him intact anymore. At that time, his remaining life would probably be spent in regret…

Lian Qing stared at him for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter. He said, “But now, I no longer see being a celebrity as just a means to make a living. I have many fans who really like me. I can’t just abandon them easily. They would be very sad.”

Cai Jingfeng was taken aback for a moment, and after a while, he slowly said, “Alright then, if one day you have such thoughts, feel free to reach out to me.”

“Okay.” Lian Qing patted him on the shoulder with a smile and whispered, “Don’t mention what you just said in front of Sha Jie. I’m her employee now, you know? It’s like you’re poaching her talent.”

Cai Jingfeng couldn’t help but laugh and naturally patted his head, replying softly, “I won’t say anything, and you won’t either. Then she won’t know!”

In the distance, Zhao Chengyi unintentionally caught sight of the two boys sitting close together, talking quietly and smiling brightly. He couldn’t help but feel deeply moved and exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, “Their relationship is really good.”

Sha Man also looked over and furrowed her brows. She calmly approached the little junior monk and whispered to him, “Little one, will you have a video call with your big brother tonight?”

The little kid nodded, “Yes.”

Sha Man gently pointed to the two people on the shore in the distance and said, “Then remember to tell your big brother that your Shixiong has met a very nice friend on the show. Let him be happy too.”

The little junior monk, still somewhat confused, glanced at his Shixiong and the big brother who were having a lively conversation and nodded.

In the evening, everyone gathered in the villa hall as planned, and then Cai Jingfeng arranged for them to take cars to Traphaga Square.

When they arrived there, a flock of pigeons danced gracefully in the sunset glow, creating a beautiful scene.

Fu Miaoxing exclaimed excitedly, “Wow, how romantic…”

Sha Man couldn’t help but sigh, “If only I had brought my boyfriend…”

Zhao Chengyi couldn’t help but tease, “Because he’s good at taking photos, right?”

“Young man, you know too much!”

…

After some banter among the group, they realized that Lian Qing and Xiao Lian Sang hadn’t spoken. When they turned their heads, they found the pair standing still in the same pose, tilting their heads up and staring blankly at the pigeons.

Zhao Chengyi couldn’t help but ask, “Little junior monk, what are you thinking?”

Lian Qing unconsciously replied, “Roasted squab…”

Xiao Lian Sang licked his lips, “Pigeon soup…”