The four of them searched themselves thoroughly and found only a little over twelve hundred yuan.
After all, everyone used mobile payments now, who carried so much cash?
Looking at the scattered bills in their hands, the group discussed and finally decided their first stop would be the neighboring Xing’an City.
Their phones had been handed in, so they had to go to the train station to buy tickets.
Four handsome men with distinct styles walking on the street naturally attracted a lot of attention.
Initially, they were walking leisurely, looking around as they went, and occasionally greeting fans. However, the director couldn't stand it anymore. He gave Chu Yunqing a mission through his earpiece:
"Get to the train station and buy your tickets within ten minutes, or your group fee will be cleared."
Chu Yunqing relayed this to the four of them, and seeing their relaxed expressions freeze with satisfaction, they immediately took off running.
"This, phew, director, that's, too, phew, much?!" Young Master Lu Gaozhuo, though he exercised regularly, never ran. It was his least favorite sport, bar none.
No one replied to him. They all knew that talking while running would make you gasp for breath, so everyone maintained their own pace.
Fortunately, their location wasn't far from the train station, and they reached it in just six minutes.
Jing Luan held everyone's ID cards. After entering the ticket hall, everyone stopped to rest, but he alone, without stopping, rushed to the counter to buy tickets.
Fortunately, there were no other passengers ahead of him. Jing Luan secured the tickets at the last second of the ten-minute deadline.
In the morning, except for Shen Jianxi who ate a bowl of instant noodles, the other three hadn't eaten anything at all. Jing Luan, in particular, had just finished exercising when the program crew arrived.
As their spirits relaxed, hunger surged through them.
"Gurgle~" a long, drawn-out sound, and He Yi's face turned red.
"Sorry, I'm hungry..."
Lu Gaozhuo licked his lips, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the remaining money in Jing Luan's hand.
The tickets to Xing'an City weren't expensive. Jing Luan bought high-speed rail tickets, which cost eighty yuan per person. However, five tickets still cost 400 yuan, leaving them with 800 yuan.
Some of this money would have to be set aside for booking rooms in the evening.
Jing Luan pondered for a long time and reluctantly took out a hundred yuan, preparing to buy four bowls of instant noodles from the station shop. However, Shen Jianxi stopped him. She wasn't hungry at the moment, so there was no need to waste her portion of the money.
"Here, eat."
Lu Gaozhuo looked at the instant noodles in his hand and twitched his mouth. "Brother Luan, can I have a sausage?" He had eaten fewer instant noodles in the past decade than he had in these past few days after they became a group.
"No." Jing Luan shook his head seriously. "A sausage costs three yuan, it's too expensive. We still have many places to spend money."
Shen Jianxi, holding a disposable cup and drinking the free hot water provided by the train station: ...
How did it come to this?
The comments section was also stunned by Jing Luan's statement:
"Jing·Penny-pincher Luan."
"The brothers are too miserable, hahahahahaha."
"Help, a sausage, give it to the child!"
"......"
Lu Gaozhuo stared at Jing Luan with pitiful eyes, trying to melt his heart. To his surprise, Jing Luan directly turned his back and quietly ate his noodles.
Lu Gaozhuo: ...
There was nothing he could do. He could only eat the noodles in his hand with tears in his eyes, not even leaving a drop of soup.
He couldn't help it; with Brother Luan being such a miser, he was worried they wouldn't have food at night.
As soon as they finished their instant noodles, they heard the broadcast. The staff installed the GoPros, which would later be edited into the program as a special edition. The four of them, plus one extra, boarded the car.
Only Chu Yunqing was there at this moment. Jing Luan and Lu Gaozhuo had him sit in the middle seat to prevent escape, placing their shoulders on either side of him with "friendly" smiles.
"Let's discuss something, Brother Chu."
Seeing them getting closer, Chu Qingyun hugged his arms tightly and shook his head in fear, "I don't like men, and I don't accept under-the-table deals!"
The veins on Jing Luan's forehead twitched. He closed his eyes, suppressing the urge to retort. When he opened them again, he smiled at Chu Yunqing, "Brother Chu, look, your food, lodging, and transportation all depend on us. So, let's team up. If the director team makes any moves, you inform us in time, okay?"
Chu Yunqing's eyes rolled. He quickly nodded and replied, "Okay."
Anyway, to prevent the guide and the guests from forming an alliance, the director had already issued a rule not to tell the guide anything. It didn't matter if he agreed.
But Jing Luan and the others didn't know. Hearing Chu Yunqing agree, they gently patted his shoulders, brushing off nonexistent dust. "Brother Chu, you're such a good person." Su Dan Novel Network
Chu Yunqing chuckled twice, accepting the compliment.
He also thought he was a good person, deliberately not telling them the truth, just to prevent these children from despairing.
Alas! There weren't many seniors like him who doted on their juniors these days.
...
When they arrived in Xing'an City, the program team was already waiting at the high-speed rail station.
The sun outside was dazzling, and they had no protection against UV rays. They could only envy the staff wearing arm sleeves, sunglasses, hats, and carrying portable fans.
"Let's find a place to stay first and drop off our luggage," He Yi suggested.
Jing Luan checked the time. It wasn't even noon yet, so eating lunch now was impossible. He nodded, "Alright."
Although they had already decided to find accommodation first, without their phones, they had no idea where to go.
Shen Jianxi sighed and decided to ask 77, "77, search for a clean chain hotel nearby, with prices under 200 yuan."
77 had already started preparing when their phones were confiscated. When they decided which city to go to, it had already prepared a guide. As soon as Shen Jianxi finished speaking, it provided the answer.
Seeing the four of them still confused in place and the growing crowd of fans, Shen Jianxi quickly said, "I've been here before. There's a hotel with a pretty clean environment, 188 yuan per night. We can go check it out."
This price was acceptable. Jing Luan and the others immediately agreed. To save money, they decided to walk there.
On the way, they greeted fans along the road. Lu Gaozhuo, in particular, kept making heart gestures and blowing kisses. He Yi finally had to hold him back to make him behave.
There were soft gasps from the surrounding crowd.
The comments section also erupted with a small number of CP fans celebrating.
"Gao Yi is real!"
"They're giving us candy, giving us candy!"
"He only listens to him ahhhhhhh!!!"
"The Sausage CP is unhappy!"
"......"
Although they couldn't see what was being said in the comments, they could hear the fans on the roadside.
He Yi and Lu Gaozhuo exchanged glances. The next second, they moved away in disdain, especially Lu Gaozhuo, who wished he could engrave the words 'I am straight' on his forehead.