CH 38

Unfortunately, it was just a chain department store. There were several of them in the city center. This information isn't useful.

Wen Li had no choice but to continue walking with the cameraman.

Along the way, she noticed some small sceneries of the city that was different from what she usually saw through the camera lens. For example, when others mentioned Yancheng, they would talk about the soybean juice, but Wen Li wasn't a fan of it. Besides, Yancheng had many other delicious foods, so there was no need to focus only on soybean juice.

Using their walkie-talkies, she and Song Yan communicated to determine each other's location. As they spoke, Wen Li had finished eating the sugar painting with her name on it.

As the time gradually approached noon, the sunlight cast shadows that shrank toward their feet. Wen Li put on the sunglasses she had prepared beforehand. Afraid that the sunlight would melt the sugar paintings, she found a department store and stood at the entrance, enjoying the cool air from the air conditioning.

The department store was crowded, so Wen Li decided not to go inside.

Inside the department store, although she could be recognized, there was a lot of space for movement. Even if a few fans followed, it wouldn't cause much commotion. Moreover, there were staff members following them in a car behind, so they didn't have to worry about any accidents.

Along the way, some people recognized her, both fans and passersby. Some greeted her, while others requested a photo. When they heard she was filming a show and was doing a task, they would make a "victory" sign to the camera and then continue on their way. Compared to other celebrities who would have four or five bodyguards surrounding them, everyone within tens of meters could easily spot where the celebrity was and gather around.

The production team of this show was clever. They only assigned one cameraman for filming, while the rest of the staff members followed in the car, ready to assist if needed. Nowadays, with so many people carrying cameras in public places and capturing various videos, it was difficult to identify a celebrity just by their simple attire while walking on the street.

Fortunately, there were signs near this department store. Song Yan had taken a taxi and informed the driver of their destination, heading towards Wen Li's location.

"Hurry up. You're melting in my hands. Over."

"Please protect me, Teacher Wen. Over."

Wen Li stood at the entrance of the department store, her eyes darting around from behind her sunglasses. She looked inside through the glass door and saw that the ground floor of the large department store was filled with cosmetics, skincare products, and jewelry counters. She spotted a poster of a brand she endorsed.

It was a Japanese cosmetics brand, and in the poster, Wen Li held their famous moisturizing essence, her complexion flawless and radiant. Not a single pore or fine line could be seen.

Wen Li crossed her arms and looked at her own poster, sighing and jokingly saying, "If only my skin looked as good as it does in that poster. Why do I spend so much money at the beauty salon?"

The cameraman didn't know how to respond. He glanced at the celebrity in front of him, with most of her face hidden behind sunglasses. The visible part, whether due to makeup or not, appeared fair and smooth. In his opinion, there was not much difference compared to the poster.

Wen Li accidentally noticed the cameraman and realized she had just said something that could ruin her image in front of the camera. She quickly said, "Cut that part out."

It was well-known that scenes requested by celebrities to be cut were definitely going to be emphasized in the final edit.

The cameraman remained silent, feeling guilty.

Wen Li extended her neck to look inside and saw a poster of a luxury brand endorsed by Song Yan. It was a men's section, featuring their flagship fragrance "Midsummer Moonlight" with Song Yan as the model, displayed prominently in the center.

At that moment, several staff members dressed in oversized mascot costumes came out of the department store, holding leaflets. Wen Li quickly moved aside and pressed against the wall, positioning herself inconspicuously. A group of parents followed these mascots, their children clamoring for the balloons in their hands.

Wen Li suddenly found a new source of entertainment. She adjusted her sunglasses, lowered her head, and went inside.

One of the staff members sitting in the car on the side of the road saw Wen Li enter the department store and asked in confusion, "How did Wen Li get in?" They immediately contacted the cameraman, "Xiao Zhang, can you hear me? Don't let Wen Li go in. We didn't inform the mall management in advance. It would be troublesome if it caused an incident."

Usually, when an artist visited an indoor venue with a dense crowd, the production team would definitely inform the venue staff in advance, either clearing the area or arranging security personnel. This was not only to ensure the normal operation of the venue but also for the safety of the artist.

Considering that Wen Li had participated in many variety shows, some of which were recorded outdoors, it was strange that she made such a mistake.

The cameraman responded, "Um, she directly found the staff members and borrowed a mascot costume from them by taking a few photos and giving autographs. Can we proceed like this?"

The staff members in the car were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Indeed, she was the experienced variety show guest, "Sanli".

"Okay, as long as she isn't recognized, it's fine. It will actually add to the variety show effect."

On her end, Wen Li successfully borrowed a mascot costume. The mascot for this department store was a small cartoon fox, completely white. After putting on the headpiece, she took a few seconds to adjust and asked the cameraman, "Now I can freely walk around, right?"

Wen Li confidently walked through the department store, with the cameraman following closely, which still seemed strange. Passersby glanced curiously, thinking that maybe they were filming a live-action cartoon. No one paid much attention.

She strolled through the ground floor, where she found her three endorsements: two beauty brands and one jewelry brand. Wen Li even went to her own poster and made a "victory" pose, as if she were checking in at a tourist attraction.

As for Song Yan's endorsement, she only found one—the men's fragrance. In the poster, Song Yan bathed in silver moonlight. Wen Li looked closely and commented, "Not as good-looking as me."

After she finished scanning the ground floor, Wen Li took the elevator to the upper levels.

A few floors up was the luxury brand section of the department store, which had fewer people. Wen Li spotted the storefront of the watch brand Song Yan endorsed and stood at the entrance, peering inside several times. She couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

In the camera's frame, she appeared as a silly fox, eagerly trying to see what was inside but hesitating to enter.

The cameraman thought that if she took off the mascot costume, she wouldn't be so hesitant.

At this moment, a prompt sound came from the walkie-talkie, and Song Yan finally arrived, asking her where she was.

"Fourth floor, over."

Song Yan sounded somewhat puzzled, "Weren't you been recognized? Over."

"I have the art of disguise," Wen Li said playfully, thinking that she shouldn't let him come in, "Don't come in, wait for me outside. I'll come down and find you now, over."

Then the voice on the walkie-talkie became unclear.

Wen Li then heard very muffled noise.

"I thought that the area would would cleared out in advance since you went in," Song Yan said helplessly, "I'm now surrounded."

He didn't even say "over". He was probably accidentally pushed and the conversation was cut off. Wen Li regretfully scratched her head. She shouldn't have impulsively played this endorsement game. Song Yan had participated in very few variety shows and lacked experience in this regard. The staff members following him probably thought that Wen Li had gone in and there wouldn't be any problems.

Without thinking about anything else, she could only rush downstairs wearing the mascot costume, clumsily moving through the crowd.

As soon as she reached the ground floor, Wen Li saw a group of people gathered at the entrance.

Many people were pointing their phones at Song Yan's face, but the man surrounded by the crowd had no bodyguards protecting him. He had difficulty moving and the scene was chaotic.

Wen Li pushed through the crowd while holding onto the bulky mascot headpiece. Thankfully, her large size made her stand out, and she squeezed into the middle of the crowd in no time.

Suddenly, Song Yan felt a pair of furry hands grabbing him.

He turned around to see a fox with blue eyes.

"I'm here!"

The panicked tone couldn't hide the sweetness in her voice. Song Yan was momentarily stunned as the fox forcibly led him a few steps to the entrance of the mall, just as several staff members and mall security were rushing over.

In full view of everyone, this large-headed fox pressed the headpiece with one hand and pulled the dazed man with the other. They slipped away in a comical yet agile manner.

After running for dozens of meters, Wen Li couldn't take it anymore. It was fine inside the mall with the air conditioning, but now she was running outside under the sun. Although she only ran a short distance, wearing this non-breathable mascot costume exhausted her stamina. She led Song Yan to the side entrance of the mall's parking lot, fearing that someone from the crowd might catch up. As a result, she lost the two camera guys who were following them.

The parking lot was spacious and deserted, with no one around. Wen Li let go of Song Yan and bent over, supporting her knees as she gasped for breath.

When she finally caught her breath, Wen Li straightened up and realized that Song Yan had been staring at her, his gaze probing, mixed with indiscernible emotions.

Even with the headpiece on, Wen Li felt uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

He doesn't think I'm a human trafficker, right?

Wen Li placed her hands on either side of the headpiece and raised her arms, separating the fox head from the body, revealing a human head.

Afraid that he might mistake her for a stranger, she gave him an extremely friendly smile and humorously added a BGM to her appearance.

"Dang dang dang, it's me."

Drenched in sweat, her meticulously styled curly hair stuck to her forehead and temples, her face flushed. Because she had just run so hard, her deep amber eyes glistened.

Song Yan just stared at her, his eyes seemingly immersed in warm water, unwilling to leave even for a moment.

This little fox, with a disheveled appearance, seemed to have dug a big hole in his heart.

Wearing such a cumbersome outfit made her head appear even smaller. Wen Li hugged the headpiece with both hands, like cradling a basketball, and shook her head like a puppy, trying to shake off the hair sticking to her face.

The man, who had been silent the whole time, raised his hand and helped her tuck the hair behind her ears.

Wen Li felt extremely hot and didn't want to move at all. It was even better that someone helped her fix her hair, so she just tilted her head back and enjoyed it.

"Could you also wipe off my sweat while you're at it?" she asked.

Song Yan used his fingertips to gently wipe off her sweat, being careful not to rub off her makeup.

"On such a hot day, you're running around in such thick costumes under the sun," he said softly, "Aren't you afraid of heatstroke?"

Wen Li was still tired and hadn't recovered yet, so she remained silent.

"With this outfit, you have limited mobility and unclear visibility. You were squeezing into the crowd like that. What if you fell?" Song Yan said while wiping her sweat, "Is it worth it to get injured for a TV show?"

Wen Li wrinkled her nose, dissatisfied, and retorted, "But I didn't fall, did I?"

Hearing her rebuttal, his tone softened a few degrees. His handsome face remained stern, with furrowed brows, but his eyes were filled with tenderness and helplessness.

"I did all this to save you," Wen Li whispered.

Song Yan let out a deep sigh.

The two of them stood face to face without saying a word.

Then Song Yan said, "I'm sorry."

Normally, such a commotion wouldn't have happened in such a short time. But when he entered the mall, several young girls happened to come out, and Song Yan wasn't wearing any disguise. Since he was filming a show, his simple attire was carefully chosen, making him look outstanding. His face, large and exposed, stunned the young girls for a few seconds before they screamed his name.

There were several mascots at the entrance of the mall engaging in promotional activities, so there were many people around, mostly children and their parents. Such a big commotion naturally attracted attention.

Hearing his apology, Wen Li's initially rebellious heart softened in an instant. She felt a slight pang in her heart and awkwardly said with the headpiece still in her hand, "Well, it's not your fault. I should have told you in advance, considering your limited experience in variety shows."

"It's me who caused trouble for you and the production team."

"... It's fine. This kind of thing doesn't just happen to us."

There were plenty of other artists who experienced similar situations.

"... If you had gotten hurt just now," Song Yan paused, lowering his eyes and speaking softly, "I would have been scared to death."

Wen Li comforted him, "With this fox costume on, even if I fell, it wouldn't have mattered," Then she thought of something and said confidently, "I just rescued you from the crowd. Don't you want to thank me?"

Song Yan nodded. "Okay, thank you, my little fox hero."

In reality, even if she hadn't rescued him, the staff and security would have maintained order. But when she heard that he was surrounded on the first floor, she didn't have time to think and rushed down instinctively.

Only afterwards did she realize that she had acted somewhat recklessly.

But she had no regrets and was proud of herself.

"Teacher Song, counting that time in high school, I've saved you twice now," she proudly made a "two" gesture in front of him.

Song Yan looked at her, feeling that she had forgotten his earlier admonishment the moment she gained an advantage. He almost wanted to grab her fingers and give them a firm bite to see if she would still be so arrogant.

That's what he thought, but he didn't say it out loud. He just reached out and ruffled her hair.

——

The two of them didn't stay in the underground parking lot for more than a few minutes. When they came out, they ran into the cameraman who was looking for them. Song Yan apologized to the staff members, but they waved it off, saying it was nothing. The commotion at the mall had already subsided, and even if someone took pictures and posted them online, it wouldn't be a big deal. At most, it would be an early leak. The program team's visit to Rong City to record the show wasn't a secret in the first place. They just needed to have the PR team monitor and control the public opinion.

The manager of the mall came forward and didn't mind this little incident. He was even a bit grateful. When he saw Wen Li still wearing their mall's mascot costume, his business instincts kicked in. He directly gave the mascot costume to Wen Li as a gift, along with another set for Song Yan.

"If you're afraid of being recognized when you come to our mall next time, wear this together. I guarantee no one will recognize you."

This was indeed one of the benefits of being a celebrity.

After all the commotion in the morning, they had no idea where the sugar painting with Song Yan's name had gone. Wen Li took off the mascot costume and threw it on the back seat of the car, then she and Song Yan got into the car and headed to the meeting point.

When they arrived at the meeting point, a guest immediately said they were hungry and wanted to eat.

The director nodded, "Guests, you've worked hard. We have prepared a sumptuous local cuisine to reward you."

Wen Li's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

"But..." the director said with a smile, "Whether you can eat it or not depends on your luck."

Truly a variety show director, always tormenting the guests with different tricks.

The program team had prepared lunch for them at the restaurant, but it was a distance away. They had prepared four types of transportation for the four guest couples. The guests would decide which type of transportation to use to go to the hotel by drawing lots.

The first guest to arrive would have the first pick of the dishes, and so on. The last guest would have no choice but to eat boxed lunch.

Wen Li couldn't believe it, "Are we really going to eat boxed lunch?"

The staff nodded, "Yes, you're really going to eat boxed lunch. We've prepared boxed lunches for the last guest."

"...Why do we have such bad luck? Can't we just have a good meal?" Wen Li exclaimed, feeling frustrated.

The guests angrily called out the director's name.

The director remained unfazed, "Draw lots and good luck to you."

There were four types of transportation: luxury SUV, electric scooter, tricycle, and shopping cart.

When they saw the last mode of transportation, the guests had big question marks on their faces.

Wen Li couldn't bear to watch and nudged Song Yan, "You go and draw. I'm an unlucky person. I've never drawn an SSR card in gacha games."

So Song Yan went to draw and brought the slip to her.

Wen Li thought that Song Yan's luck must be better than hers. She clasped her hands together and prayed to Buddha with anticipation as she opened the draw.

"..."

Song Yan saw her expression freeze, "What did we draw?"

Wen Li handed him the draw slip with a defeated look.

"Tricycle."

"..."

"You look like the luckiest person, but why are you so unfortunate?" Wen Li's tone was complicated.

"..."

On the other side, Qi Sihan looked at their tricycle with envy and said with a sad tone, "Teacher Wen Li, Teacher Song Yan, you both have such good luck."

Wen Li wore an expression of "Are your standards for being a lucky person really that low?" and asked her, "What transportation did you draw?"

Qi Sihan had an almost tearful expression as she handed her draw slip to Wen Li.

"Shopping cart."

Suddenly, Wen Li felt like Song Yan's luck wasn't that bad after all.

But when they actually got on the tricycle, Wen Li hesitated. Her riding the bike with Song Yan sitting behind her or Song Yan riding the bike with her sitting behind him, both scenarios were embarrassing for them.

Wen Li had a brilliant idea, "Teacher Song, we can wear the mascot costumes that the mall just gave us. That way, no one will recognize us!"

And so, a beautiful sight appeared on the streets of Rong City. A slightly larger white fox rode a tricycle, with a smaller fox sitting behind. There was a car resembling an old turtle following beside them. Wherever they went, passersby couldn't help but cast complex and curious glances at them.

Song Yan didn't say a word from beginning to end, but Wen Li cheerfully shouted to him, "Teacher Song, it's okay. Both of us are wearing headgear, so no one can recognize us."

...

"Hello, everyone. Welcome to today's [Tang Talks Traffic]. I'm Officer Tang. Let's see which citizens are not following the traffic rules on the road today. Ah, I see a tricycle ahead, a white fox. It appears to be male, and there's a little fox sitting behind, likely female. I guess it's his wife. These two foxes are recklessly roaming the streets, completely disregarding fox lives. Their attitude is very arrogant. Ladies and gentlemen in the audience, it's not safe to have someone sitting in the back of a tricycle. Let's go up and have a talk with these two foxes."

"Hey! Stop the tricycle up ahead!"