CHAPTER 139: CHAPTER 125: ISN’T IT OVER YET? CONFLICT WITH FISH

"Damn it! Is this never going to end?"

The director was about to explode with anger. Was he cursed to have bad luck with fish today, or what? Earlier, Xu Qingqiu had sneakily taken two fish, and then he’d had to watch them steam and eat them. It was one thing that his goal of tormenting the guests hadn’t been achieved, but his own desperate wish to go fishing remained unfulfilled. Craving fish, he could only tearfully face the simple meal provided by the crew to fill his stomach. And now, some oblivious idiot was grilling fish nearby? Was this damn thing never going to end? Did they absolutely have to pick a fight with fish, huh?

Looking at the bowl of rice in his hand and the six dishes with soup on the small table in front of him, the director angrily slammed his chopsticks down, stood up, put on his hat, and stormed off.

"I’m going to see who it is!"

The others didn’t react immediately. Only when the director had already left the room did they realize what was happening. The more alert ones quickly scampered to follow him. Some were afraid the director might start a fight, while others, with a quick thought, packed up their boxed meals and followed along too. Who cares who it is? If it’s one of our own, we might even score some grilled fish, right?

The place wasn’t far to begin with. When renting the location, they had deliberately chosen this open area for convenience. Aside from a village in the distance, there were only a few guesthouses around. The guests resided in a separate one, and next to it was a row of single-story buildings where the production crew worked.

Heading west, there was a forest. Beyond the trees lay a road, and across from it were three houses. The parking lot, campsite, and the crew’s dormitory were all located there.

The director followed the scent, walking against the wind for a short distance until he reached the road.

Without even needing to cross the street, he saw Chu Tian in the open area in front of the houses opposite, attentively flipping a metal grill. A fish, sizzling and dripping with fat, was clamped in the middle.

"Yiyi, bring the tray. This one’s done."

"Alright! This one’s mine, I’m starving!"

"Sure, it’s yours. Be careful, it’s hot."

"Don’t worry! Ooh, this is delicious!"

Yiyi couldn’t wait to grab a piece of the fish and stuff it into her mouth, her eyes squinting with pleasure.

"Mmm... So delicious! It’s a shame Sister Qiu is still working and can’t have this tasty grilled fish..."

"Don’t worry. Your Sister Qiu is here to film the show. She’s a big star; she definitely eats much better than you."

"Really?"

Yiyi felt something wasn’t quite right. If Sister Qiu ate so well, why would she steal fish? Unfortunately, she couldn’t say it out loud and could only grumble to herself inwardly.

Meanwhile, across the road, the director had been watching for a while. He now recognized these two as the pair he’d seen fishing that afternoon. Weren’t they supposedly Diva Xu’s assistants? What was he supposed to do? They weren’t his crew; he couldn’t just go over and scold them, could he? But damn, that grilled fish smelled amazing!

He hesitated for a moment, his feet moving as though on their own, slowly wandering over.

"Um... grilling fish, huh?"

Chu Tian looked up at him. He didn’t recognize the man, but since the man had spoken, it would be awkward not to respond. So, he replied with a smile.

"Haha, just a little something I whipped up. Have you eaten? Why not try some? I’ve got plenty here, enough to go around."

Huh? He’s inviting me to try some? Since he invited me, why not give it a try?

"Can I?"

Chu Tian saw the man’s gaze fixed intently on the grill. He hadn’t expected the man to be so readily agreeable. I was just being polite, and he actually accepted? He glanced down. They had twenty-one fish in total, had prepared five, and had already grilled two. Adding one more person wouldn’t be an issue; there was definitely enough.

"Sure, of course you can. There are seats over there. This one will be ready in a moment, just wait a bit."

"Okay, great!"

The director no longer cared who the other person was at this point. With such a tantalizing aroma, trying a bit wouldn’t be too much to ask, right? As for his pride? He had come all the way from the city and hadn’t had a proper meal in half a month, busy with location scouting, renovations, and script adjustments. The crucial thing was that the grilled fish smelled utterly irresistible. Causing trouble? They weren’t his crew, so how could he? Besides, what was the rush? Better to taste the cooking first.

Yiyi, beads of sweat on the tip of her nose, was thoroughly enjoying her meal when she suddenly felt someone staring at her. Looking up, she saw a scruffy, bearded man in a hat eyeing her with what seemed like ill intent. No, wait. To be precise, he was staring at the plate in front of her.

"Do you... want to try some?"

"Er... no, no, it’s fine. I’m not in a hurry, no rush at all."

The director blushed with embarrassment at being called out. He surreptitiously swallowed and quickly averted his gaze. No matter how shameless he might be, how could he possibly stoop to snatching food from a young girl?

Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long; the second fish was soon ready.

Chu Tian felt a little frustrated as he brought the fish over. His own stomach was rumbling in protest. Oh well, the next one is mine, he could only console himself.

The director hurriedly mouthed his thanks as soon as he saw his fish arriving. When he turned and saw the crew sneaking around, he immediately frowned and glared at them.

But it was too dark; no one noticed at all.

Annoyed, the director sighed. He glanced at the small square table that could only seat three or four people. If the entire crew came over, wouldn’t the hosts be completely overwhelmed?

He was about to get up and send them away but couldn’t bear to part with the fish yet. He quickly grabbed a piece with his chopsticks. Blowing on the hot morsel to cool it, he then jogged across the street and launched into a tirade against his crew members lurking behind, not stopping until every one of them had retreated. All the while, he kept the piece of fish carefully in his mouth.