Chapter 131: Unboxing the Gold Trophy

Although they had said they were going out on a date, Bai Renjun and Han Jiayi did not actually have much time to spare that day.

They had lunch at Willow Pavilion, but that evening they still had to go to He Guang’s home to film an unboxing video.

What was more, Han Jiayi seemed distracted throughout the meal, which left Bai Renjun a little annoyed.

“Mu Mu, what are you thinking about? You’re distracted even on our date.” Bai Renjun gently pinched her ear and asked in displeasure.

The touch seemed to tickle her. She shrank her neck with a little shiver and raised her hands to push at his arm, like an adorable cat being tickled.

“I… was just thinking about the ‘soup’ in the set menu,” Han Jiayi muttered as she rubbed her ear.

“Because I said Yang Hua’s soup is almost finished?” Bai Renjun asked, lowering his eyes.

“Mm…” Han Jiayi nodded. “If he finishes before I do…”

“Then he finishes first. So what?” Bai Renjun said, unconcerned. “Your bet is about whose soup tastes better. It never said anything about who could make theirs first. Even if he finishes ahead of you, you still have to finish yours before you can compare them, right?”

Han Jiayi stared at him for a moment before bursting into helpless laughter. “You’re so devious!”

“How is that devious? It’s called being clever.” Bai Renjun frowned. “All right, stop worrying about that. Relax and enjoy yourself today.”

“Mm!” Han Jiayi nodded brightly, secretly relieved. Having a boyfriend with such a silver tongue was wonderful. It just happened to make up for her own awkwardness with words.

After lunch, they went to a cinema, picked a movie at random, and entered the theater.

“It’s not very good…” Han Jiayi leaned against Bai Renjun’s shoulder and complained lazily. “We would have been better off finding a movie at home and watching it sprawled across the sofa. Then I could curl up in your arms…”

“Good idea.” Bai Renjun patted her head and smiled. “Let’s do that next time.”

“Mm!” Han Jiayi answered, then yawned and looked up at him.

Bai Renjun lowered his head to look at her. A glimmer shone in her beautiful eyes.

He naturally understood the hint, so he leaned over and gently pressed his lips to hers, savoring their softness.

“Mmm…” Han Jiayi let out a soft hum and actively responded, but neither of them took the kiss any further.

There were still plenty of people in the theater, after all. They had to be mindful of appearances.

“Hee hee…” Han Jiayi giggled and nestled closer into his arms until she was almost sitting in his seat.

Her head rested against his face as she leaned against his chest, and a powerful sense of security swept over her.

*This is so comfortable…* Han Jiayi thought. She rubbed her head lightly against his face, adjusted herself into an even more comfortable position, and nestled completely into his embrace.

After she rubbed against him, Bai Renjun reached out and gently stroked her head.

“Mmm…” Han Jiayi’s mind gradually grew hazy. Combined with the dimness of the theater, it soon left her drowsy.

After witnessing an especially absurd plot development, Bai Renjun could not help commenting, “The most terrifying thing in the world is opening a door and seeing Edogawa Conan standing outside. Seriously, wherever someone dies, he’s there.”

Han Jiayi did not answer him. Bai Renjun lowered his head and found that she had fallen asleep against his shoulder, her head resting against his cheek. A faint smile still lingered on her face, accompanied by a soft snore.

“This silly girl…” Bai Renjun chuckled. “And she claims she isn’t a cat. Just stroke her head a little and she falls asleep.”

Still, he did not disturb her. He simply sat beside her in silence and watched the Conan movie alone.

Han Jiayi only stretched and woke up after the film ended and the audience began leaving.

“Feeling refreshed?” Bai Renjun asked, gently pinching her nose.

“S-Sorry…” Han Jiayi covered her mouth and spoke with some embarrassment.

“It’s fine.” Bai Renjun smiled and put an arm around her slender shoulders. “You really have been working too hard lately.”

“Actually… I’m fine,” Han Jiayi said awkwardly.

It was not that she had been working too hard. She had simply been far too comfortable in Bai Renjun’s arms.

The air conditioning in the theater had been a little chilly, but his embrace was warm and comforting. Before she knew it, she had simply…

“All right. Now that you’ve had a good sleep, get ready. We’re heading over to Old He’s place,” Bai Renjun reminded her.

“Mm…” Han Jiayi nodded as she tidied her hair.

Afterward, Bai Renjun and Han Jiayi met Wang Bei outside. She had brought along the golden trophy. They bought some fruit, snacks, and other gifts to bring as a housewarming present, then headed to the apartment building where He Guang lived.

His home was not far from Bai Renjun and Han Jiayi’s place. It was only about a fifteen-minute drive, in an area roughly around the city’s inner ring.

The person who opened the door and welcomed them was naturally He Guang’s wife, Li Mohan. More than a month had passed since they had last seen her, and she looked somewhat healthier than before.

The moment she saw them, she greeted them with a smile. “Come in, come in! Have a seat!”

Then Li Mohan called out, “Yueyue, help push your father’s wheelchair!”

Soon, a little girl of seven or eight came out pushing He Guang. Li Mohan introduced her. “This is our daughter, He Yue.”

He Guang looked more energetic than he had the first time they met, and his attitude toward them was visibly… Well, it could not exactly be called warm, but at least he was no longer as indifferent as before.

“You’re here?” He Guang gave them a simple greeting, then turned to the little girl behind him. “Yueyue, what are you supposed to say?”

“Hello, Uncle and Auntie.”

The little girl wore her hair in twin ponytails. She was a little thin and not especially beautiful, but she had a bright, sweet, and lively appearance.

Seeing this, Li Mohan immediately smiled. “All right, all right, no need to stand on ceremony. Come in! Honestly, you shouldn’t have brought all these things. We’re the ones who’ve received so much help from you!”

“What help?” Bai Renjun asked, puzzled.

Li Mohan glanced at He Guang, then instructed him, “Honey, take these two young ladies inside. I’ll have a word with Little Bai.”

After the others had left, Li Mohan explained, “The video revenue last month was almost thirty thousand, wasn’t it? To be honest, that money helped our family tremendously. Things have been very difficult for us lately. Our child had just started school, and the tuition and other fees were already a considerable expense. Then there are your medical bills and the equipment you’ll need later on… I only earn three or four thousand a month, and before this, He Guang only made four or five thousand…”

“Oh, that hardly counts as help. He earned that money through his own work.” Bai Renjun smiled.

“Honestly, you…” Li Mohan patted him on the shoulder and sighed. “You really are such an innocent, good-hearted boy.”

Then she smiled and called out, “All right, go ahead and film your video. Since you’re here, stay for dinner too! Don’t refuse. It’s only some home cooking. While He Guang is still able to move around, you should commemorate this together.”

There was something heartrending about those words, and Bai Renjun could only nod. “Then we won’t stand on ceremony…”

Li Mohan went into the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Bai Renjun headed into the living room to set up the unboxing video.

“Do you need any help?” Bai Renjun asked, looking at He Guang in his wheelchair.

“Yes. If you can, help me sit in the chair.”

Bai Renjun understood that He Guang did not want to appear in the video sitting in a wheelchair, lest viewers notice that something was wrong with him. Sitting in an ordinary chair would make him appear more normal.

“All right, then. Ready?” Wang Bei said as she set up the camera. She then handed the box containing the golden trophy to Bai Renjun and smiled. “Come on, founder of the studio. You can do the unboxing yourself.”

“Good grief…” Bai Renjun accepted the box and sighed. “I can still vaguely remember the moment I received the silver trophy. It feels as though it all happened just last month…”

“It did happen last month,” Han Jiayi teased from the side.

“I know. I said it that way on purpose.” Bai Renjun reached out and pinched her little nose. “Don’t interrupt me.”

With that, Bai Renjun pointed the box toward the camera and briskly took out the golden trophy, displaying it before the lens.

“Everyone, take a look. This is the golden trophy! From today onward, I’m officially an uploader with a million followers! I truly have to thank all of you for your support. Today, I’ve also gathered everyone from White Rose Studio to film this video together.”

Bai Renjun turned the camera toward Wang Bei. “First up is the ‘mastermind’ everyone has been waiting for—Little Bei!”

Wang Bei’s nickname, “the mastermind,” came not only from her behind-the-scenes footage, but also from the fact that she was usually represented in livestreams by a hand reaching out from behind the screen.

Wang Bei sat upright with the poise of a proper young lady and smiled gracefully. “Hello, everyone. I’m your adorable Little Bei. Thank you for your support. We’ll continue working hard and bring you even more…”

“Can you stop pretending? I still have dinner to eat later,” Bai Renjun said coldly from behind the camera.

“What do you mean?” Wang Bei demanded angrily. “They’ve never even seen me before! Do you know what it means to cultivate an image?”

“You’re talking about cultivating an image when you spend all day secretly filming other people for behind-the-scenes footage?” Bai Renjun said irritably. “You’re the creepiest person in the entire studio! I’ll deal with you sooner or later!”

“You’re killing the donkey once the millstone is removed!” Wang Bei pointed at him in disbelief.

“And now, the accomplice who helps Little Bei with her behind-the-scenes footage.” Bai Renjun turned the camera toward himself and put on a mysterious expression. “Perhaps you’re wondering, ‘What? The uploader can’t even decide what goes into his own videos?’ That’s right! Because this man has been silently controlling everything from behind the scenes. This man is… our post-production editor, Old He!”

He immediately turned the camera toward He Guang.

“Ahem.” He Guang cleared his throat, then gave a faint smile. “Hello, everyone. I’m the team’s post-production editor. I’m responsible for adding special effects, background music, and narration to the videos. Occasionally, I also help Little Bei add some behind-the-scenes footage.”

The introduction was nothing special, but Bai Renjun could hardly ask for more.

“And then, naturally, we have your adorable Jiayi.” Bai Renjun turned the camera toward Han Jiayi with a smile.

“Hello, everyone.” Han Jiayi waved sweetly. “Thank you for your support. Starting today, Yijia Pavilion is also a two-star Michelin restaurant. Next month, we’ll be giving away some discount coupons and free-meal vouchers, so please be sure to keep an eye on our updates.”

“All right, that’s everyone.” Bai Renjun put down the camera. He and the others gathered in front of it, all holding up the golden trophy as they bowed their heads.

“Thank you all for your support! We’ll continue working hard to bring everyone high-quality review videos!”

After a moment of silence, Wang Bei asked in a small voice, “Is that enough?”

“That’s fine. We’ll leave it at that.” Bai Renjun sighed. “This level is already my limit. I’m really not the kind of person who’s good at livening up an atmosphere. Go back, edit the video, and upload it.”

In truth, the unboxing video was not really made for the fans. It was more for D-Station—to show the platform some respect and demonstrate that he took the golden trophy seriously. It would neither attract more followers nor produce much of an effect as a video.

With that, the unboxing was effectively finished.

However, once the filming ended, the room immediately fell quiet. The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. He Guang said nothing, and the others had no idea what to say to him.

After a long silence, Han Jiayi spoke first.

“Old Bai, stay here and chat with Old He. I’m going to help in the kitchen.” She smiled brightly.

“Hey!” Bai Renjun felt his heart tighten. *I’m socially awkward too!*

At that moment, He Guang turned to his daughter. “Yueyue, didn’t you say there was homework you couldn’t do? Why don’t you ask this big sister to teach you?”

“Oh, okay! Big sister, teach me!” Wang Bei seemed relieved and immediately took He Yue back to the bedroom.

Bai Renjun knew that He Guang intended to speak with him alone, so he sat up straight and waited for him to begin.

“Thank you,” He Guang said quietly, lowering his head. “I have to thank you for everything. To be honest, when we first met, I never imagined you would make it this far.”

“There’s no need to say that. You earned your pay through your own work.” Bai Renjun smiled.

He Guang shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. The thing that crushes a camel is never the final straw, but the burden that has accumulated before it. Ever since I fell ill, the financial pressure on our family has grown worse by the day. I accepted this job from you because, at the time, we were genuinely being crushed by our financial burdens. We had no choice but to take it.”

As he spoke, He Guang glanced toward the kitchen.

“To ease that pressure, my wife had to find a part-time job in addition to her regular work. I searched everywhere online for jobs I could do as well. But a person’s energy is limited. There are only twenty-four hours in a day, and to gain something, you have to give something up. We not only neglected our child, we also spent every day arguing over a few dollars. Several times, we both came close to breaking down…”

He Guang covered his forehead and sighed before continuing, “But the money we received last month really helped us enormously. If we can earn roughly the same amount this month, I’ll be able to quit my other jobs and spend some time with my wife and daughter.”

“There shouldn’t be any problem with that, but I should warn you that your workload will increase as well.” Bai Renjun gave him a mysterious smile.

At that moment, he noticed Wang Bei and Han Jiayi peeking over from the bedroom and kitchen respectively. He glared at them irritably, then continued with the good news.

“We’re planning to sign a contract with a livestreaming platform. The one-year contract is worth twelve million yuan!”