"Mom, let me explain to you,"
"No need, Qingyan, our family may not have money, but we can't harm that girl. Listen to mom, whatever money you've taken, return it promptly,"
"Mom, it's really not what you're thinking, I'm working,"
There was silence again on the other end of the phone.
"This illness of mine won't get better, you mustn't wrong yourself. Otherwise, mom will go back to her hometown today," Zhang Hongmei said, "You have a long life ahead of you. There's nothing I hope for more than for you to live well."
"It's really not that, I'm filming a movie. Stop having wild thoughts," Xu Qingyan was somewhat flustered, "There's a confidentiality contract, I'll explain in detail after work ends next week."
After hurriedly ending the call, a scent mixed with the smell of alcohol wafted up again.
"You're drunk, just lie down and rest,"
"I'm not drunk. Who were you just talking to?" Pei Muchan steadied herself, releasing him, and managed to stand still, "See, I can walk in a straight line!"
Having said that, the pop diva proceeded to walk a straight line in the room. Her steps were light and slow, but she indeed walked a straight line steadily.
Xu Qingyan, not wanting the chain locked between them to trip her, had no choice but to follow alongside, thinking to himself how troublesome it was to deal with a drunk person.
"See, I'm not drunk, very sober," Pei Muchan turned around, with her hands behind her back, "You... were you just talking to your mom? What about watching a movie?"
"Yeah, I'll take her to watch a movie after the show," Xu Qingyan fobbed her off with a reply, but the idea truly struck him. After finishing the show, he really could take his mom to see a movie.
Since he was about to earn the money soon and had no work on his hands, he might as well take his mom to a movie and have a stroll before Ms. Zhang Hongmei's surgery.
After paying the surgery and subsequent recovery costs, he estimated he'd have a few ten-thousand yuan left.
"I'm sleepy. I want to sleep now!" Pei Muchan suddenly said groggily.
This kind of disjointed conversation was normal for someone who was drunk. Xu Qingyan had gotten used to it, thinking to himself that she'd better really want to sleep.
He wasn't feeling particularly sleepy right now and wanted to take a nap, but they were chained together. For some reason, he suddenly felt the urge to have a detachable prosthetic hand.
Just when Chen Feiyu could no longer stand the suffocating atmosphere and was about to leave, the Yin Yang Master, the pioneer Bai Jinze, suddenly spoke up.
"Who do you think is the Money Hunter?"
The other three were taken aback and turned their heads to look at Bai Jinze. Chen Feiyu leaned back in the couch, inwardly guessing what Bai Jinze was about to say next.
"I don't know, we've only met for the second time today, we haven't gotten to know each other," Brother You Zijun hesitated a bit, he understood the subtext in Bai Jinze's words.
"What do you guys think?" Bai Jinze turned to look at Loyal Brother Chen Feiyu and Mature Brother Liu Renzhi.
"I don't know about others, but I think Xu Qingyan might be the Money Hunter," Liu Renzhi spoke frankly, "He might not make a million even after working for a decade."
"You can't say that though, although Brother Xu does seem a bit hard up for money," You Zijun felt a bit embarrassed; he had gotten along fairly well with Xu Qingyan during the day.
Furthermore, even if Xu Qingyan were to take possession of Pei Muchan, he almost didn't have any conflicts of interest with him. On the contrary, Bai Jinze in front of him had already competed with him once for Nian Shuyu.
"We're not saying he is the Money Hunter, we're just chatting," Bai Jinze looked down and smiled, his hand stroking the already cold teacup.
"But have you guys ever thought about why the production team set up the cast with five male guests and four female guests? Maybe they're hinting at something," he continued.
Hearing this, the three men simultaneously looked up at Bai Jinze.
"Hinting at what?" Chen Feiyu asked.
"What do you guys think, Love Hunter, Money Hunter, the show itself emphasizes the law of the jungle," Bai Jinze said, looking up, "and the law of the jungle is survival of the fittest, competition."
"You mean... the production team wants us to compete?" You Zijun asked, startled and doubtful.
In the living room's live broadcast, a few sporadic comments drifted by. After a burst of 'my brother is so handsome', there was no further reaction.
"Yeah, I think it's possible, love itself is a war," Bai Jinze said, "Voting is also a form of warfare, and the Money Hunter is the black sheep hidden among us."
You Zijun realized something and felt a chill down his spine.
"So what should we do?" Chen Feiyu lifted his head, gazing at Bai Jinze with a complex look, "We should think of a solution, right?"