Chapter Forty-Five: Hey, Brother, Are You Up to It?

However, speaking of this, it's actually a good thing for Bai Ling. At least at night, most people's attention wouldn't be focused on her. This way, she could relax a bit. After all, joining a reality show, especially knowing that Wen Yan and the others harbored ill intentions toward her, was no small source of pressure.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on these matters. Bai Ling had no desire to attract a flood of attention; those who deliberately sought the spotlight found it exhausting. Still, out of professionalism, she couldn't completely slack off. Even if she did, she couldn't let anyone notice. So, the straightforward thing was simply to get to work.

With tools in hand, Bai Ling made her way up the mountain. Whether in her previous life or this one, Bai Ling had grown up in the countryside. A little mountain like this was nothing to her. With a few brisk steps, she climbed up with ease, her movements light and nimble.

But soon, she realized something was off. Someone was already calling out to her from behind. Bai Ling turned to look back—goodness, whether it was Zhuge Ming or the few members of the filming crew, she had left them far behind. The camera could barely capture a blurry silhouette of her back.

“Hey, why are you all so far behind?” she asked, looking genuinely puzzled. But the viewers in the livestream chat saw everything clearly.

“Hahaha, Bai Ling is way too fast, no one can keep up with her!”
“Mountain paths aren’t easy to walk unless you’re used to them. The brush gets in the way.”
“And this mountain is pretty steep—takes real stamina.”
“The crew is carrying equipment, of course they're slow.”
“I understand the crew, but what’s up with Zhuge Ming? He’s supposed to be a tall guy.”
“Yeah, why can’t Zhuge Ming keep up with Bai Ling?”
“Wow, he’s handsome, but not exactly tough, huh?”
“So this is what a screenwriter and an author look like?”
“Sitting all day without exercise, this is what happens. Most regular people are stronger than them.”
“But to be honest, girls usually aren’t as strong as guys—Bai Ling is impressive.”
“Big sister Bai Ling is awesome.”
“She might look ordinary, but she’s given us quite the surprise.”

“At least among all the entertainers in the industry, she’s already standing out.”

At this point, the comments were simply casual discussion. Once Bai Ling realized she was moving too fast, she slowed her pace to accommodate the crew and Zhuge Ming. Drawing too much attention wasn’t good either.

They proceeded another hundred or two hundred meters, and Bai Ling was already going as slow as she could. Even so, she had to stop from time to time to look back. By now, the cameramen had adapted, but Zhuge Ming was not faring well. He was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through. Despite his good looks, which some female viewers found especially appealing in this state, Bai Ling’s reaction was pure disdain.

“Dude, are you alright? Want me to give you a hand?” she blurted out, not thinking much of it. Zhuge Ming was struggling, so she kindly offered to help—what was wrong with that? But Bai Ling forgot that, had she been a man, it wouldn’t have mattered. As a woman, especially a beautiful one, her words struck right at his pride.

Zhuge Ming, panting heavily, couldn’t reply. He was starting to regret joining the show. Why had he signed up when his stamina was lacking? He was much better suited for interview programs. But there was no use complaining now; he’d been asked by his family to look after Wen Yan.

To be honest, his opinion of Wen Yan had soured as well. If not for Wen Yan, would he be in a position to be “looked down on” by Bai Ling? If Bai Ling knew what he was thinking, she’d be utterly speechless and protest vehemently. She hadn’t looked down on anyone at all—how could he say that?

Still, Zhuge Ming wasn’t a petty person. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so devoted to Wen Yan in “Splendid.” He’d have turned villain long ago.

He glanced at Bai Ling, resigned. With a sigh, he finally said, “I’m a bit tired, let me catch my breath.” Then he asked, “Bai Ling, why are you so fast? Is it because of your background?”

Perhaps to mask his embarrassment, Zhuge Ming tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.

Bai Ling glanced at the sky and answered casually, “Background? Maybe a little. But after all, I’m an idol trained in singing and dancing—practices take a lot of stamina, so…”

As soon as she said this, the chat erupted.

“I knew it, Bai Ling works really hard.”
“Here’s the best proof.”
“In terms of stamina, she’s on par with most guys, maybe even better.”
“A beautiful and hardworking sister—I like her more and more.”
“Most entertainers are so lazy; they should learn from Bai Ling.”
“Exactly! Sis, show them all up!”
“I’m flying the flag for Bai Ling!”

Since the livestream audience had split, most of the viewers here were Bai Ling’s fans, making the support almost unanimous. If Ge Fenfen, Sister Ge, saw this, she’d probably shake her head. “You fans need to be more rational. The hardworking Bai Ling was the one from the Starlight days—what’s that got to do with the current Bai Ling? If they knew Bai Ling now only works sporadically, I wonder how they’d react after all this praise.”

Bai Ling said, “It’s getting late. You take your time; I’ll go pick some mushrooms first, or we might not make it.”

Before Zhuge Ming could respond, Bai Ling bounded ahead and vanished from the camera’s view.

Everyone was stunned. Was climbing the mountain really that easy for her? Apparently, Bai Ling hadn’t even used her full strength earlier.

The cameramen exchanged glances with Zhuge Ming, then looked back at the spot where Bai Ling disappeared, unsure what to do. They wanted to keep up with her, but simply couldn’t.

Zhuge Ming couldn’t help but cover his face with his hand. He regretted joining the show all over again.