Acquaintance

"Let me tell you, it seems like a celebrity came to our village today. So many people went to see them," Tang Duoduo excitedly explained. "I heard they're here to film a movie."

"A movie?"

Ye Shuang, who had been sitting nearby eating melon with Bai Yuyou, glanced out the window at the scenery.

Green trees encircled the village, and rolling hills stretched beyond the outskirts.

The view was beautiful—it made sense for a film crew to come here for shooting. A place like this would be perfect for a cozy rural drama or one of those "XX Life" variety shows.

"What kind of movie are they filming?" Ye Shuang asked.

Tang Duoduo thought for a moment. "Oh, I think it's a horror survival film."

Ye Shuang: "..."

He looked out the window again and fell into silence, utterly baffled at how such scenery could possibly fit a "horror survival" theme. No wonder there were so many terrible movies every year—clearly, the signs were there.

"Should we go check it out? Come on, let's go together!" Tang Duoduo, lively as ever, started clamoring to visit, but of course, the older folks refused.

"Your cousin hardly ever comes back home."

"Then Cousin can come with us!" Tang Duoduo immediately clung to Tang Keke's arm. "Keke, you're the best! Love you~"

"Fine, let's go." Tang Keke seemed helpless against her younger cousin and agreed.

"Brother, do you want to come too? There’s actually a huge tea field on the other side of the mountain—it’s really pretty," Tang Keke added.

Ye Shuang was intrigued. "A tea field? Let’s go take a look."

"Brother?" Tang Duoduo turned to Tang's father. "So he really is your secret love child?"

Tang's father: "SO?"

Do you want a spanking?

With Bai Yuyou in tow, the four of them had just stepped out of the yard when a big yellow dog came trotting over, wagging its tail excitedly.

"Woof!"

The fluffy golden retriever panted happily, its tongue lolling out in a friendly manner.

"This is our family dog, Dahuang. She just had a bunch of puppies recently," Tang Duoduo said. "But our dogs never stay with us for long."

"Why?" Bai Yuyou asked.

"Because there are so many dog thieves. They just loop a rope around them and drag them away," Tang Duoduo said, visibly upset. "But there’s nothing we can do about it. Sigh."

"I see..." Bai Yuyou lowered her head, murmuring softly,

"The dog... disappeared..."

"Taken away..."

"All alone..."

Ye Shuang noticed her expression but didn’t know what to say. Bai Yuyou suddenly looked up and asked him, "Where do the dogs go after they’re taken?"

"Maybe sold to other people as pets," Ye Shuang said, his throat tightening as he avoided mentioning dog meat markets. He just patted Bai Yuyou’s head and asked Tang Duoduo, "Is the tea field far?"

"Not at all! Follow me."

The group of four (plus one dog) walked along a rural path—no asphalt here, just packed dirt roads. A small stream ran alongside the mountain, its clear water teeming with tiny, tadpole-sized fish swimming in clusters.

Despite the summer heat, the shade from the trees and the chirping of cicadas made the walk surprisingly pleasant.

"We’re here," Tang Duoduo suddenly announced.

The others looked ahead and saw a small convenience store shaped like a shipping container, surrounded by farmland and scattered houses.

"Where’s the tea field?" Ye Shuang asked, confused.

"You have to eat ice cream first to unlock the tea field pass!" Tang Duoduo grinned.

She wore a light green tank top and beige hot shorts—only for her sister to promptly smack her butt. "Oh, so that’s why you took this route! You just wanted snacks!"

"It’s so hot out, what’s wrong with eating ice cream?"

As the sisters bickered, Ye Shuang stepped into the store, where an old man lounged in a wicker chair, half-asleep. Seeing customers, he lazily opened one eye. "What do you want?"

"Ice cream." Ye Shuang grabbed four popsicles from the freezer, but then felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned—Bai Yuyou was pointing at Dahuang, who sat on the ground, wagging its tail and panting eagerly, eyes practically sparkling.

Ye Shuang chuckled and grabbed another ice pop, this time a milder flavor.

Back on the move, all four of them (and the dog) now had treats in hand. Tang Duoduo cheerfully led the way, swinging her head as she walked—a rather amusing sight.

"Hm?"

Beyond the farmland, a vast tea field finally came into view—terraced layers arranged neatly like steps. It was clearly man-made, with quite a few people visible in the distance.

Ye Shuang asked, "Tea picking?"

"Nope, we’re here to see that celebrity! Let’s go check it out."

"Sure."

But as they approached, a staff member blocked their way. "Filming in progress. No entry."

"We can’t go up? How stingy! Part of that land is my family’s!" Tang Duoduo protested.

"Doesn’t matter if it’s yours—we’ve rented it. Now scram!"

The man waved them off impatiently. "Move along! Get out of here!"

"Ugh." Tang Duoduo puffed her cheeks.

"Let’s just go back," Ye Shuang said. If they weren’t allowed in, there was no point standing around.

Tang Duoduo grumbled under her breath, "The smaller the fame, the bigger the attitude. Probably some D-list nobody. So petty."

"What did you say?!" The staffer suddenly raised his voice. "Are you guys here to leak footage? Hand over your phones for inspection!"

"What’s ‘leaking footage’?" Tang Duoduo asked her sister.

"No idea," Tang Keke shrugged.

"It means spoilers for unreleased shows. When filming outdoors, random people sometimes take photos and post them online," Ye Shuang explained. "That’s what ‘leaking footage’ is."

Still, he swatted away the man’s pointing finger. "You have no right to check our phones."

"You—"

"‘You’ what? We haven’t even taken our phones out. What gives you the right?" Ye Shuang pulled Tang Duoduo closer, his tone calm but firm.

The staffer stiffened but quickly retorted, "How do we know you’re not hiding tiny cameras on you?!"

Ye Shuang rolled his eyes, not bothering to argue further.

But the man seized on his silence. "You do have cameras on you, don’t you?! Admit it!"

Ye Shuang: "..."

Are you stupid?

If I did have a hidden camera, why the hell would I tell you?

At that moment, perhaps due to the commotion, a tall, imposing man emerged from a tent in the distance and approached.

"What's going on here?"

Upon seeing the towering figure, the staff members seemed to regain their composure and immediately reported, "These people are here to cause trouble! They even have hidden cameras on them!"

"Huh?"

Ye Shuang locked eyes with the man, then appeared slightly surprised.

"Bobo?"

"Mr. Ye Shuang."