Chapter 128: Encountering a Torrential Downpour Upon Arrival

The group finished their preparations and boarded the two buses prepared in advance by Tang Bin, heading toward the Changle County National Natural Forest Park.

"Mo Qi, would you like to ride in my car?" Tang Bin asked.

"Thank you for the offer, Director Tang," Mo Qi said with a polite smile, declining the invitation. "Since I’m new to the crew, I’d like to sit with everyone else to get to know them. It will make working together easier later on."

"That’s my oversight." Tang Bin didn't press her. "Just let me know if you need anything, or you can go directly to my assistant; he can take care of it for you."

"Okay, thank you." Mo Qi exchanged a few more polite words with Tang Bin, and only after he boarded the SUV nearby did she follow a crew member onto the bus.

The bus started smoothly and pulled away, leaving Changle County behind shortly after.

A young girl sat next to Mo Qi, sneaking glances at her for quite a while. Even for someone as composed as Mo Qi, being stared at like that eventually became uncomfortable.

Mo Qi turned her head and greeted her with a smile, "Hello."

The girl had just torn open a bag of chips and popped one into her mouth. At the sound of Mo Qi’s voice, she choked and spat it out.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Mo Qi quickly grabbed the juice box the girl had placed beside her, twisted off the cap, and handed it to her. "Drink some water, quickly."

The girl took the juice and took two large gulps before finally catching her breath, offering Mo Qi a sheepish, silly grin.

"I’m sorry, I startled you," Mo Qi apologized.

"No, no!" The girl waved her hands frantically, but since she was still holding the uncapped juice, it sloshed out, splattering both herself and Mo Qi. "Ah! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!"

She hurriedly rummaged through her bag for tissues. In her panic, she lost her grip on the entire bottle, which fell and soaked her shoes completely.

Mo Qi felt helpless—was this girl missing a few screws?

"I’m sorry, I’m always this clumsy." The girl annoyedly pulled out some tissues and handed them to Mo Qi. "Here, wipe yourself off. I’m so sorry."

Mo Qi chuckled, took the tissues, and handed a few back to her. "Wipe your shoes first, or it’ll soak through to the inside."

"Oh? Right!" The girl lowered her head to wipe her shoes, stealing glances at Mo Qi between swipes.

Mo Qi wiped the juice off her pants and shirt. She had intended to ignore the girl's peeking, but since the girl wouldn't turn her gaze away, she finally asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Aren't you angry?" the girl asked cautiously, straightening her back.

I wasn't, but after you asked that, I might be, Mo Qi thought. Convinced the girl was indeed a bit dim, she said helplessly, "I'm fine. You should wipe the juice off yourself first."

"I'm fine! Really!" Realizing Mo Qi wasn't angry, the girl grinned broadly. "It's the middle of summer anyway; it’s actually quite refreshing to have wet clothes."

So, was that a subtle hint that Mo Qi was being pretentious for wiping her clothes?

Mo Qi found it amusing. The girl was so socially inept—who knows how many people she had offended without even realizing it? But people like this were fine, too; at least she was honest and had no malicious intent.

"Mo... Mo Qi-jie, could I get your autograph?" Seeing that Mo Qi was gentle and easy to talk to, the girl took the chance to ask.

Mo Qi looked at her without speaking.

The girl grew a bit anxious. "Um, I’ve been watching 'Let Dreams Soar.' You are—you’re my favorite contestant. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you earlier, which is why I was staring. Please don't be mad."

Mo Qi smiled. "What’s your name?"

"Xi Miaomiao."

"Miaomiao?"

"It’s the 'miao' with the water radical." Xi Miaomiao looked deflated. "Forget it, you’re not the first person to mishear it."

"Miaomiao, that’s a lovely name." Mo Qi smiled. "We’ll be colleagues for the foreseeable future, so please take care of me."

"Ah? No, no, I’m just a junior makeup artist," Xi Miaomiao said, waving her hands in a panic, clearly flattered.

"That makes you even more important," Mo Qi replied. "It looks like whether or not I look beautiful on camera from now on depends entirely on you."

Where did this sudden excitement of being entrusted with a major task come from? Xi Miaomiao’s eyes lit up. She lunged forward, grabbed Mo Qi’s hand, and nearly swore an oath, "Mo Qi-jie, don't you worry! For you, I will give my all and never shirk from any hardship!"

"Never shirk from any hardship"—wasn't that a bit dramatic? Mo Qi’s mouth twitched slightly. Faced with such overwhelming enthusiasm, she found herself at a loss for words.

"I-I’m sorry, I get like this whenever I’m excited. I speak without thinking." Xi Miaomiao quickly let go of Mo Qi’s hand, bit her lower lip, and whispered, "Mo Qi-jie, do you think I’m a total airhead?"

"Not at all. I think your personality is quite cute," Mo Qi said, shaking her head. "People as simple and straightforward as you are rare these days."

"Mo Qi-jie, you don't have to comfort me. Actually, I know—just like my mom says, I’m just a fool, one straight pipe from the throat to the end."

Her own mother, certainly, hit the nail on the head.

Xi Miaomiao’s low mood didn't last two seconds. "Mo Qi-jie, you must be hungry since you rushed over from B-City. I have some cake here; have a little something to tide you over."

Xi Miaomiao fished a cream-filled cake and a carton of milk from her bag and handed them to Mo Qi, showing off a little. "I heard from the others that this shoot is entirely outdoors and will be very tough, so I secretly packed a lot of dry rations."

"Thank you." Mo Qi was indeed so hungry she felt faint, and her throat was dry enough to catch fire.

After thanking her, Mo Qi didn't stand on ceremony. She drank half the milk to quench her thirst, finally feeling like she had come back to life.

Mo Qi never liked to show weakness in front of others, which was why she hadn't asked Tang Bin for food or drink. It was fortunate she had met Xi Miaomiao; otherwise, she would have had to endure it until the crew started serving meals.

With her hunger eased, sleepiness began to creep in. Mo Qi leaned back against the seat and drifted off.

She didn't know how long it took to get from Changle County to the forest park. She slept deeply and only woke up when the bus had already stopped.

Mo Qi rubbed her eyes, feeling much more alert, only to notice that the sky outside the window was pitch black—a sure sign that a storm was about to hit.

When she got off the bus, she saw the crew busy moving equipment up the mountain; even makeup artists like Xi Miaomiao had joined in.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Mo Qi walked over and asked.

When the staff saw it was Mo Qi, they quickly shook their heads. "No, no, we’re almost finished. Miss Mo Qi, a storm is coming, you should head up the mountain first."

Mo Qi looked around and, seeing nothing she could easily carry, she lent a hand by steadying the heavy equipment a staff member was hauling on his shoulder as they headed up.

On a flat area of the mountain, the crew had already laid down waterproof aluminum sheets, and all the tents were set up there. A bit further up, there were four or five other tents where Tang Bin and the others stayed.

Mo Qi had been given special consideration by Tang Bin and had her own small, independent tent. However, due to the separation of genders, it was quite a distance from Tang Bin’s group.

Just as everyone reached the mountain and before the supplies could be properly organized, the downpour began to crash down!