After kicking the person out, Cheng Ye said nonchalantly, “Looks like we’ve arrived.”

Jiang Shi looked out the car window and indeed saw the production team’s car at the entrance of the market.

The two got out of the car. Jiang Shi wasn’t carrying anything, just the four hundred yuan in his bag. He looked at the long street, a bit at a loss. “What should we buy? Should we have made a list?”

Cheng Ye, at some point, had adjusted the phone camera to face the blue sky again. A wave of wails went through the bullet comments. It wasn’t long before a staff member approached them.

“CEO Cheng, Teacher Jiang, your phone camera isn’t adjusted correctly.”

Jiang Shi looked at Cheng Ye and paused when he saw the familiar curve of his lips. Cheng Ye’s expression was still innocent. “I’ve never done a live broadcast before. I probably touched it by accident.”

“…”

What else could Jiang Shi say? He held out his hand. “I’ll hold it.”

Cheng Ye was reluctant. “It’s hot, you’ll get tired holding it.”

“How tiring can one phone be? If I don’t hold it, who will carry the things we buy later?”

Cheng Ye said, “Then don’t point it at your face. The live broadcast doesn’t have a beauty filter. The front camera is not flattering when it’s right up in your face. It’ll make you look ugly.”

[If you don’t want us to see, just say so. Stop making up excuses.]

[The status of a wife, the attitude of a mistress. I spit on you!]

[Once is a mistake, twice is purely intentional.]

[The act has gone too far. Is your wife some kind of celestial beauty? Who do you think wants to see her?]

[His wife is indeed a celestial beauty. After so many years, with so many people trashing him, no one has ever said he’s ugly.]

[Where is his wife? This is clearly my wife. Wife, come give me a kiss, muah muah muah…]

Cheng Ye backhanded the person who posted the latest comment out of the live broadcast room before giving the phone to Jiang Shi.

Jiang Shi held up the phone and looked. Without the beauty filter, the landscape mode did indeed make his face look wider.

He flipped the camera. “This is the market the director team was talking about. They sell everything here. Our task is to use our remaining four hundred to buy what we need…”

As he spoke, he saw the comments saying Cheng Ye was doing it on purpose. He couldn’t help but let out a soft, long, lazy laugh.

“Don’t talk nonsense. He’s very honest.”

[He’s~ very~ hon~est~]

[Redefining honesty.]

[Wife, I’m very honest too. Look at me.]

Jiang Shi didn’t look at the bullet comments anymore. Having been taken care of by Cheng Ye for all these years, he had almost no life skills. After thinking for a long time, the only thing that came to mind was Cheng Ye eating noodles out of a basin last night.

“Should we buy two bowls?”

Cheng Ye “hmm-ed” in agreement and asked Jiang Shi, “Are you thirsty? Are you hungry? Want to eat something first?”

“Eat what…” Jiang Shi said, “Didn’t we just eat? Besides, I’m talking to you about buying things, why are you always thinking about eating?”

Seeing that he really wasn’t hungry, Cheng Ye took him to the only place on the street that sold bowls.

The owner’s shop had all sorts of pots, bowls, and pans. Someone had probably already come to buy things earlier, so he wasn’t surprised to see someone with a camera.

“Here to buy something? See what you need, we have everything in the store.”

Cheng Ye walked past a row of bowls and saw a pumpkin-shaped bowl similar to the one at home. He squatted down and picked out a set.

“This one is for noodles or vermicelli, this one for rice, this one for soup, this one for fruit. Still missing a spoon…” He scanned the area, found a nicely shaped spoon, and the sound of it landing in the bowl was a crisp clink.

The owner stood behind them. “Young man, you have great taste. The set you picked is our bestseller. Feel the quality, isn’t it unbelievably good? And it’s pretty too. Seeing as you two are so good-looking, I won’t overcharge you. A flat price of 58 for this set.”

Cheng Ye said, “20.”

The owner’s smile froze on his face. He looked at the cameraman who was still filming, then squeezed out another smile. “You can’t say that. At twenty, I won’t even make back my cost.”

Cheng Ye held up the bowl in his hand. “The rim of the bowl is chipped, the glaze color is uneven, and even the shape is asymmetrical. It’s obviously a rejected, second-rate product.”

The owner had scammed two waves of city folks, but he never expected to meet an expert. His smile instantly became a bit more bitter. “20 is too little. Although this bowl has some flaws, it can still hold things. How about this, let’s each take a step back. 30, and you can take it.”

Cheng Ye said, “Twenty-five, and you throw in a large stainless steel bowl.”

The owner’s face turned green. “That large stainless steel bowl, I sell it for ten yuan.”

“Your bowl is so thin, it’ll burn through in two minutes on the fire. The cost price is no more than three yuan. How about this, let’s each take a step back. 27, I’ll take this set of bowls and the large stainless steel bowl, and you throw in a pair of chopsticks.”

Owner: “…”

I give up.

[I give up.]

[How is he getting more and more things thrown in? Hahahahaha…]

[It looks like he’s taking a step back, but in reality, he’s not budging an inch.]

[The two groups who spent 58 on a few broken bowls have finally put on their clown masks.]

[Don’t say it, I feel bad for Sun Jiayu. The kid is still grinning from ear to ear over there, happy that he got a treasure for 58.]

In the end, Cheng Ye spent thirty yuan and bought a set of exquisite pumpkin bowls, a stainless steel…

Jiang Shi took out a hundred-yuan bill from his bag and now had seventy in change in his hand.

After leaving the shop, he counted the change in his hand twice and couldn’t help but praise Cheng Ye, “You’re amazing.”

Cheng Ye replied nonchalantly, “It’s just common sense.”

Jiang Shi couldn’t help but curve his eyes into a smile, a smile that rooted Cheng Ye to the spot.

[What are you looking at?]

[Ahhh… I heard Jiang Shi’s laugh. It made half my body go numb.]

[Turn the camera around, I want to see my wife smile too.]

[That look in Cheng Ye’s eyes, it’s the same as my dog when it sees a bone. The overbearing CEO filter is shattered.]

[At least the overbearing CEOs on TV don’t bargain 60 down to 30.]

“What should we buy next?”

“A pot for stewing soup.”

Jiang Shi was stunned. “Didn’t that shop just now have them?”

People on the street were all looking at them. Cheng Ye walked beside Jiang Shi, shielding him on the inside. “The quality of his is not good. It sounds cheap, but the bottom of the pot is very thin. We’ll go to another one.”

The two went to the only small supermarket on the street, chose a medium-sized pot for sixty yuan, and also bought a cutting board and a kitchen knife. Suddenly, they only had two hundred and thirty left.

Only when you manage a household do you know the cost of oil and salt. Watching the money in their hands dwindle, Jiang Shi couldn’t help but sigh, “Do we have enough money to buy everything?”

“Enough,” Cheng Ye said. “We just need to buy some glass.”

“Huh? Glass? What glass?”

“The window at home is broken. We can’t just keep it covered like that. We’ll buy a piece of glass to replace it.”

“Doesn’t that mean we’ll have to spend money to hire a craftsman to replace the glass?”

“No need, I can do it.”

“…”

Jiang Shi felt like there was nothing Cheng Ye couldn’t do.

A piece of glass didn’t cost much. In the end, Jiang Shi still had nearly two hundred left.

Jiang Shi had been eyeing the starch sausages on the side of the road for a long time. He had wanted to buy one as soon as they got off the car, but Cheng Ye thought it was unsanitary and wouldn’t let him. Now that Cheng Ye had to take the things back to the car, Jiang Shi tugged at his clothes pitifully. “I want to eat that.”

Cheng Ye frowned. “People are coming and going on the street, it’s not clean.”

“So many people are buying it, how can it not be clean? I’ve been holding the phone all morning, and I can’t even have a sausage?”

Cheng Ye: “…”

Cheng Ye couldn’t win against him and finally bought one for him.

The sun was strong, so he didn’t let Jiang Shi run back and forth with him. He bought the sausage and then settled him in a small restaurant, ordering a bowl of wontons.

The pots and pans were piled on the floor. Cheng Ye squatted beside him. He took a small fan out of his bag and set it up in front of a sweaty Jiang Shi, took off his hat, and looked at his revealed eyebrows and eyes.

“You just sit here and eat. I’ll take the money, bring the things here, then I’ll go buy some vegetables, and then we’ll go back.”

It was the tail end of summer. It was still hot when the sun was out. Jiang Shi couldn’t stand the heat. Once the sun hit him, he wilted like a flower that had been deprived of water.

The small fan revived him somewhat, but once his butt hit the stool, he didn’t want to get up. Only his mouth was still feigning, “This is not good. Should I go with you?”

Cheng Ye let out a soft laugh.

Jiang Shi was immediately displeased. “What are you laughing at?”

Cheng Ye said, “Alright, then you come with me.”

Jiang Shi’s face fell.

Cute, want to kiss, and also want to…

Cheng Ye collected himself, his fingertips rubbing the hand of the young man hidden under the table. He stood up and took all the things with him, and also took the live broadcast phone along the way.

He didn’t even eat with Jiang Shi; others could forget about it.

Without Jiang Shi, Cheng Ye walked very quickly, reaching the car in a few minutes under the sun.

Having bought the necessities, the rest were just things to eat. With Jiang Shi not around, Cheng Ye was always silent. Apart from bargaining with the vendors, he didn’t speak at other times, let alone interact with the audience.

Having watched for a whole morning, the viewers in the live broadcast room had gotten used to it. They even found watching him bargain with the vendors quite enjoyable.

[No wonder Sun Jiayu wanted to follow him. His life skills are maxed out.]

[Brother Ye, I apologize for my previous rashness.]

[Really, he’s so amazing. How did he find the freshest one from so many fruit stalls, and how did he find the most suitable cut from so much pork?]

[He looks like someone who often buys groceries and cooks. I never thought the dignified overbearing CEO would be a househusband in private.]

[Has anyone noticed that although Brother Ye is stingy when buying things, he always buys the expensive ones for Jiang Shi?]

[Those mangosteens are so fresh, twenty-one a jin, and he paid without blinking. The grapes too, he chose the most expensive and sweetest variety.]

[The bowls are for his wife, the pot is for making soup for his wife, and the meat and fruits are probably for Jiang Shi to eat too… Four hundred yuan, I haven’t seen him buy anything for himself…]

[How could he not? Isn’t that thirty-something stainless steel bowl his?]

[Wife: Exquisite pumpkin ceramic. Himself: A large stainless steel bowl that can burn through in two minutes.]

[That’s so real life.]

[To be fair, among the five groups, Cheng Ye is the best to his wife. From beginning to end, the most tiring thing Jiang Shi has done is hold the phone.]

[It’s an act. Who doesn’t act a little on the first day? After a while, his true colors will show.]

Cheng Ye couldn’t be bothered to glance at the phone. After buying the necessary vegetables, he had ten yuan left. He went to a small shop and bought the most expensive ice cream, which was exactly ten yuan.

When he returned to the restaurant, Jiang Shi had just finished eating. He then placed the cold ice cream in front of him. “Dessert after the meal.”

Jiang Shi’s eyes lit up. “How much was it?”

“Not expensive.”

[Not expensive. Your husband just spent the last of your family’s assets.]

Jiang Shi hadn’t yet realized the gravity of the situation and happily opened the box, even wanting to give the first bite to Cheng Ye.

“So how much money do we have left?”

The first bite Jiang Shi offered, Cheng Ye would definitely eat. He took the spoon and said, “Not much, not little, just spent it all.”

Jiang Shi: “???”

He snatched the ice cream back. “Wait, how did we spend two hundred just buying vegetables?”

Cheng Ye honestly reported to him. The more Jiang Shi listened, the more confused he became.

“We were already broke, and you still bought mangosteens?”

“You like to eat them. If we don’t buy them now, they’ll be out of season soon.”

“Our family only has four hundred yuan. If they’re out of season, they’re out of season. Why do we have to eat them now?”

“You like to eat them.”

Jiang Shi: “…”

Jiang Shi slowly took a deep breath. “Alright then. Then you tell me, what kind of grapes cost ten yuan a jin?”

“The one you said was delicious last time, but this is the low-end version.”

Jiang Shi wished he could hit him a couple of times. “You’ve spent it all now. What are we going to do in the future?”

Cheng Ye wasn’t worried about this. “The other groups must have spent all their money too. The production team will figure something out. Besides, earning money is my job. You just need to be happy.”

After speaking, he looked at Jiang Shi pitifully. “Can I have that first bite you were going to share with me?”

“…”

“Eat my ass!” Jiang Shi said. “You can eat air.”

Though he said that, after a few bites, he still stuffed the ice cream into Cheng Ye’s arms. “It’s disgusting. You eat it yourself.”

Cheng Ye held the ice cream in one hand and the phone in the other, following behind Jiang Shi.

He took a bite. Although it was the most expensive one in the small shop, it was completely different from what Jiang Shi usually ate at home.

It really wasn’t good.

After a whole morning of running around, everyone was exhausted. The production team only provided breakfast. For the rest of the days, the guests had to fend for themselves.

The weather was hot, and the fruits and meat wouldn’t last. The house Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye were staying in had no refrigerator. Cheng Ye went to Sun Jiayu next door, who had one.

Sun Jiayu’s group was poor and miserable. Their money had all been scammed away, and they hadn’t bought much. Forget food, they hadn’t even sorted out the basic infrastructure of their home.

But Sun Jiayu had a big heart. While Zhao Chuan was sighing with worry on the side, he took the one yuan he had scrimped from their funds to buy a popsicle and was squatting at the door sucking on it when he saw a tall figure approaching from a distance.

He stood up and greeted Cheng Ye, “Brother Cheng, have you bought enough things?”

“It’s alright.” Cheng Ye rarely tried to get close to Sun Jiayu. “How about you guys?”

At the mention of this, Sun Jiayu’s entire face scrunched up. “Don’t even mention it. The director team isn’t even providing meals. We don’t even have lunch.”

As he spoke, he looked at Cheng Ye pitifully. “Brother, can we get a meal from you? Please, I’ll do anything you ask.”

He had seen them when they came back just now. So many vegetables and so much meat.

“Well…” Cheng Ye was in a bit of a predicament. “Our funds are also very tight.”

Sun Jiayu was about to cry.

Cheng Ye paused. “Jiang Shi quite likes you. I don’t want to make things difficult for him. How about this, I see you have a refrigerator in your house. You can have lunch and dinner with us, and you let us use your refrigerator. How about that?”

A refrigerator, that’s all. Sun Jiayu and Zhao Chuan were so poor, that refrigerator was probably empty all day.

The two discussed it and agreed without a second thought, even feeling that Cheng Ye was kind-hearted.

Originally, if he had asked to use it, they would have given it. Now he was even letting them have two free meals. It was very kind.

So Cheng Ye swaggered away.

Zhao Chuan looked at his back, and the more he looked, the more he felt something was wrong.

“Damn! I think we got scammed by him?”

Sun Jiayu was still grinning from ear to ear. “What’s wrong?”

Zhao Chuan’s face was full of regret.

“His house doesn’t have a refrigerator. It’s so hot now, the vegetables and meat he bought won’t last. Our house is the only one with a refrigerator. This was a matter of him asking us for a favor.”

“We should have used this as leverage to scam him hard. But in the end, not only did he solve the problem with two meals, he even made us feel grateful to him.”

“A cunning businessman, a cunning businessman…”