Chapter 37: Tit for Tat

“You went shopping for groceries and fruit, but why did you buy only imported goods?” Li Wanbai’s tone held no trace of mockery; she was utterly sincere.

She truly found herself bewildered by this question.

Especially given that Ye Xiruo was well aware of their limited funds, yet still insisted on buying imports—it was no wonder things were so expensive.

Ye Xiruo looked genuinely puzzled, as if Li Wanbai’s question made no sense to her. “Of course I bought imports. Would you dare eat anything else? Isn’t this what we always eat?”

“Are you an idiot?” Li Wanbai enunciated each word perfectly. “Everyday life is one thing—when you’re spending your own money, do as you please. But this is a reality show; the money in your hands doesn’t belong to you alone. You blew through all our funds in one day. What are we supposed to do tomorrow and the day after?”

“Why so serious? I was thinking of all of you. I really don’t see the problem. Don’t you usually eat this? It’s just a reality show, there’s no reason to lower our standard of living for it.” Ye Xiruo’s tone was righteous, as if she was establishing her own disciplined, rational persona.

[Ye Xiruo is right. She’s on this show to team up with others, not to accommodate them. Why should she lower her quality of life just because it’s a group setting?]

[Everyone should thank her. If Li Wanbai went shopping, who knows what kind of cheap produce she’d bring back.]

[Are you serious? No matter how you look at it, Ye Xiruo is at fault, isn’t she? If Quan Hao or Yu Baichuan had bought these, I’d accept it. She earned only 100 yuan but spent 1,200! And for so little. Are they supposed to survive on air for the next two days?]

[Can we stop harping on about that 100 yuan? It’s not like she did it on purpose.]

[I don’t care if it was intentional. The result is, she made no money and spent a pile.]

[Isn’t it enough that they enjoyed today? The production team said today was the only day they could earn money—who would believe that! They’re not really going to starve the cast. Don’t take it so seriously.]

[I just want to ask, what are you people thinking? The camera cut away before we saw what Ye Xiruo actually bought. I thought they were going to another store. She spent 1,200 on that little?]

[Did you see the other team? To save money, they bought disposable toothpaste, skipped face wash and towels, and their most expensive purchase was a medicated patch for Teacher Wang. Then compare that to this fiasco.]

[…]

“What’s going on? Did you come to a decision?” Quan Hao stepped past the crowd, approaching with a slight frown, his gaze landing on the scattered shopping bags and the grim faces of the others. A quick deduction told him everything, and impatience flickered in his eyes.

Ye Xiruo again! Always Ye Xiruo!

In his life, he’d never worked with someone so foolish.

Quan Hao glanced warily at a nearby camera, reined in his anger, and spoke in a low voice, “This is a joint supermarket between China and the US. It’s in a lower-income neighborhood, but yes, the prices are a bit high. Some of the items are like those ‘ice cream traps’—it’s easy to make a mistake. It doesn’t matter; we didn’t buy much. Let’s pay and buy the rest elsewhere.”

Li Wanbai looked at him, amused. Anyone else saying this would be fine, but not him.

Didn’t he feel embarrassed, playing the peacemaker when he was usually so explosive?

She recalled seeing Quan Hao on the phone recently—she hadn’t thought much of it then, but it was probably his agent calling him repeatedly. Not everyone was like Yu Baichuan, who owned his own company. Quan Hao didn’t even have his own studio; he worked with his mother’s company and had to listen to his agent. That evening, during shopping, he was visibly more docile and even took the initiative to smooth things over.

Any other time, Li Wanbai would have applauded him, but not now.

“We might end up in the police station if we try to shop elsewhere after the checkout counter,” Li Wanbai said, still able to smile.

Yu Baichuan shot her a helpless look, then turned to Ye Xiruo, his expression much cooler. “I don’t want to be harsh, but I can’t agree with your purchases. Don’t use me or Quan Hao as a shield. Whether the produce is imported means little to us. What matters is how we survive the next two days.”

Ye Xiruo opened her mouth, but she wasn’t truly foolish. She quickly closed it, nodded obediently, and even offered an earnest apology. “I’m sorry, everyone. I didn’t really think you only ate imported food. I just thought that, since we’re here for a reality show, we should relax, especially with our diet… Sorry, I made a mistake.”

With that, she hurried off to return the goods to the shelves.

[Now that’s more like it—admitting your mistakes and correcting them is admirable.]

[Why is it only commendable when Ye Xiruo does it, but not Li Wanbai?]

[The main thing is, we’ve never seen Li Wanbai change—she always looks cold and indifferent.]

[So Ye Xiruo just says sorry and it’s over? Has anyone thought about what would’ve happened if Li Wanbai hadn’t stopped her? The next two days would’ve been a disaster!]

[Are you kidding? The production team can’t seriously be giving them money for just one day. Only a fool would believe the rules are set in stone.]

[If it were a recorded show, the rules could change at will, but this is live. With the world watching, the production team can’t change anything without consequences. I can already imagine how the gossip accounts would edit this for drama.]

[You said it—gossip accounts. Just don’t believe them. Why be so hard on Ye Xiruo?]

[I actually like Ye Xiruo. At least she apologizes when she’s wrong, unlike a certain someone who clings to my idol for attention and has never said anything decent.]

[I just don’t get it. Why does everything have to be about Xiao Bai? Can’t my girl shine on her own?]

[Well, well, Li Wanbai has fans?]

[…]

Yu Baichuan’s brows furrowed deeply, as if he could already see Li Wanbai being attacked online through the camera lens. He gave the cameraman a look.

The crew, not daring to offend him, directed most of the cameras to follow Ye Xiruo, leaving only a few to capture wide shots.

Quan Hao raised an eyebrow and asked casually, “What’s wrong? Is it necessary for Ye Xiruo to return everything? She’s a big star, after all. It must be embarrassing to do this on camera. You two might have made an enemy of her.”