Traveling with Four Girls, Let's Go

Soon enough,

Cao Cheng agreed to let Little Zifeng become a permanent cast member on a variety show.

In reality, having an actor commit to a long-term variety show isn’t particularly beneficial for their acting career—it might even harm their craft.

Especially when it comes to reality shows.

Prolonged exposure can easily cement a fixed image of you in the audience’s minds.

Take Huang Xiaochu, for example.

Back in the day, he was versatile—he had the theory down, his practical skills weren’t lacking, and he could play scholars, blind men, thugs, sons, fathers…

He could do a bit of everything.

But later on, he could only play chefs.

No matter what role he took on, even if it was a provincial party secretary, audiences would still fear he’d suddenly put on an apron and start cooking green beans.

This had something to do with reality shows, but it was also his own fault—he got way too into the role.

Plus, the crowd latched onto the "culinary god" persona for him.

And with personas comes the risk of them crumbling.

So in the end, he nearly crashed and burned.

As for Little Zifeng,

Cao Cheng hesitated for a few seconds but ultimately decided to let her go.

She’s young, so the impact won’t be too severe.

And with her sweet looks, even if her acting range narrows, she can always play a villain.

Her performance in Detective Chinatown stunned countless people.

That one chilling smile of hers was voted the most terrifying shot in the entire movie—that’s her talent.

The sweeter she looks, the easier it is to subvert expectations.

The kinder she appears, the scarier she becomes when she flips the script.

In his dream memories, there was another actor—what was his name… Wei Daxun!

That guy didn’t exist in this world, but in the dream, he later starred in a few villainous and suspenseful roles that were downright terrifying.

So,

variety shows won’t affect Little Zifeng too much.

...

Cao Cheng asked, "How’s Little Jinmai doing these days?"

The Fourth replied, "She’s on summer break. Her scenes for Nirvana in Fire wrapped ages ago."

Little Jinmai had joined the cast of Nirvana in Fire alongside the "Fairy Sister," who played Princess Nihuang, one of the female leads.

Little Jinmai’s role was a young noblewoman.

Not many scenes.

She wrapped up in a few days.

It was mostly for experience.

On the other hand, Lin Zhi and Wang Yue had more substantial roles—either imperial concubines or princesses from the Hua tribe—adding quite a bit of flair to the series.

Cao Cheng asked curiously, "Is Nirvana in Fire almost done filming?"

The Fourth rolled her eyes. "It’s Nirvana in Fire, not whatever you just called it. But yeah, it should be wrapping up soon. They said late June, and now it’s early July. Probably just a few scenes left—should be done in the next few days."

The Fourth had a lot on her plate, so she couldn’t micromanage every project.

Even if this one had decent investment and Cao Cheng was optimistic about it.

"I’m heading to the set tomorrow. You coming?" Cao Cheng asked.

The Fourth shot back, "What for? To see your little sweethearts? Ah—"

Before she could finish,

Cao Cheng pinched her calf hard.

That spot hurts like hell when pinched.

The Fourth yelped and kicked at his face with one foot.

Cao Cheng dodged slightly and pinned her other leg down.

The Fourth pouted. "Let go."

Cao Cheng smirked. "Cut the sarcasm. You know damn well whether they’re my sweethearts or not."

"Who knows? They keep calling you ‘Young Master’ so sweetly it makes even me blush."

"Enough. You coming or not?"

"Fine."

The Fourth huffed. "I’ll keep an eye on you."

Cao Cheng then turned. "Third Sister, you coming? It’ll be a nice break. We’ll take a big RV—treat it like a road trip. Bring your laptop, so you won’t fall behind on work or training."

Third Sister seemed tempted.

Before she could answer,

Little Six came running over. "I wanna go too! I wanna go!"

Cao Cheng chuckled and poked her forehead. "No way. You stay home and take care of your little… nephew."

"Nooo! No no no!"

Little Cao also ran over, not understanding a thing, and started chanting, "No no no!"

"Oi, this temper of mine—I won’t hit Little Six, but you’re fair game." Cao Cheng hauled Little Cao onto his lap, ready to spank him.

Third Sister stopped him.

She scolded, "You’re way too biased. He didn’t even do anything wrong."

Cao Cheng just smiled and let it go.

He wasn’t actually going to hit the kid—just teasing.

When it came to fatherhood, Cao Cheng had plenty of experience.

A hundred years in his dreams, he’d been a father—and even a grandfather—several times over. Fathers and sons were natural rivals. A little roughhousing was far better than cold, oppressive discipline.

...

The next day,

Cao Cheng got his hands on an RV.

A big one!

Free of charge.

All he had to do was mention it, and an RV company would provide one. The only thing Cao Cheng had to do was parade it around.

A single photo later would suffice.

That was the advertisement.

Any vehicle the richest man rode in would automatically gain prestige.

Cao Cheng packed light, but The Fourth and Third Sister each brought a small suitcase.

Women and their extra baggage.

As for Little Six and Little Cao, despite their protests, they were no match for the strongest member of the household. One glare from Ren's mother, and they fell in line.

Only after Cao Cheng promised souvenirs did the two little troublemakers stop their wailing.

Earlier that morning, The Fourth had called to confirm filming wasn’t completely finished yet—no wrap party yet, at least three or four more days. That put her at ease.

Otherwise, driving all the way there only to find the production wrapped would’ve been awkward.

That’s not how you visit a set.

...

Cao Cheng looked around the RV, then took out his phone and snapped a photo of The Fourth and Third Sister.

He posted it on Weibo immediately.

Caption: "Summer road trip! Borrowed a sweet ride—spacious and comfy… Bros and sis, let’s hit the road!"

"Absolute scum!"

"Worst human alive."

"Unfollow, report, block—three-step combo!"

"He’s so loud. Human joys and sorrows don’t mix."

"Is that… Third Sister and The Fourth?"

"Duh, twins. This is why Cao deserves to die. Takes both sisters on a trip? Doesn’t he worry they’ll get tired? Unlike me—I’d only pamper them."

"???"

"The one on the left is Third Sister, right?"

"Probably. Her eyes look gentler. Heard The Fourth’s more rebellious."

"Shut your mouth! My Fourth is sweet and lovely. Get lost with your nonsense."

"Every day, I envy Young Master Cao more!"

"If I could trade lives with him for a day, I’d give up ten years."

"I’d do fifteen."

"Sixteen."

"Eighteen."

"Twenty!"

"My whole life."

"..."

The engagement was off the charts.

Cao Cheng had his own fans, plus The Fourth’s massive following.

The Fourth was highly visible.

And then there was the elusive Third Sister.

The twin effect was unbeatable.

...

On the road now.

Before leaving Zhonghai, I made a stop at the apartment building near the company.

This was the dormitory rented by the company.

Some artists didn’t stay in the dorms, but having a place like this was necessary for rest and storing belongings.

Even Little Jinmai and the others lived here.

It was summer break, and they were waiting for the company to arrange schedules and allocate resources.

This was how they had spent all these years.

Cao Cheng had the driver come over to pick up Little Jinmai as well. Though her role in The Liangxie List wasn’t extensive and her scenes had already wrapped, she was still part of the crew.

This trip to visit the set was like a triumphant return for her, accompanying a big shot like Cao Cheng.

Plus, she could attend the wrap party.

Before long, Little Jinmai’s manager brought her downstairs, a backpack slung over her shoulder.

Little Jinmai thought there must be some schedule change—why else would she need luggage? Probably a trip out of town.

But then,

she saw an enormous RV parked outside.

Just as she was puzzling over it, her manager pulled her toward the vehicle.

"Come on, get in."

"Jie, where are we—?"

Before she could finish, she was already inside.

The moment Little Jinmai saw the people inside, she swallowed the rest of her words.

Her manager quickly greeted The Fourth, Third Sister, and Cao Cheng.

The young girl followed suit with polite greetings.

Though they’d known each other for five or six years and were quite familiar, it had been a while since she’d seen Cao Cheng, so she couldn’t help feeling a little nervous.

Back when she was younger, she’d been fearless—eating voraciously in front of Cao Cheng without a care.

Now that she was older,

and knew more about the world,

she wasn’t as lively as she used to be.

Or maybe she just seemed well-behaved around people she wasn’t close to.

"Alright, we’ll take care of Jinmai. You can go back to your work," Cao Cheng said with a wave, dismissing the girl’s manager.

Among the group, The Fourth was the most familiar with the young girl, having watched her grow up.

The Fourth pulled her over to sit down, and the girl sat stiffly, back straight.

The Fourth chuckled. "Why so well-behaved today? Where’s that usual noisy energy of yours?"

The girl gave an awkward smile, stealing a glance at Cao Cheng.

She couldn’t help but wonder.

Had it really been almost a year since she’d seen him?

Usually, she only caught glimpses of him in online news.

But honestly, she’d always been curious—how did this guy never seem to age?

When she’d first met him years ago, he’d looked exactly like this.

Now, after all this time, she was already in high school, grown up, yet he still looked the same?

Was he… waiting for her?

Heh heh heh…

Her mind swirled with bizarre thoughts,

but she didn’t dare show any of it.

The car didn’t move just yet.

Soon after,

Little Zifeng arrived with her manager, followed by Zhang’s mother.

The moment Little Zifeng appeared, Little Jinmai brightened up and waved excitedly. "Zifeng! Over here!"

Now that there was another girl around, Little Jinmai wasn’t as nervous anymore.

Because compared to her, Little Zifeng seemed even more tense.

Good, good.

At least I’m not the most awkward one here.

Little Jinmai pulled her into a lively chatter.

Zhang’s mother spotted the people in the car and was surprised to see Cao Cheng himself there. She quickly stepped in to greet them.

Cao Cheng nodded with a smile. "Hello. Don’t worry, we’re taking Little Zifeng to the film set. Everything will be arranged just like before. You can take this time to rest—we’ll take good care of her."

"Ah, of course," Zhang’s mother replied, nodding in reassurance.

With everything set,

just like that…

Young Master Cao set off on a trip with four girls!

Let’s go!