Chapter 20

Chapter 20

No one else noticed the exchange between Shen Dongqing and Zhou Ming; they were simply gathered around watching Shen Dongqing take photos.

"Is this a celebrity invited by the scenic area to promote it? He's way too good-looking."

"I don't know, but he probably isn't a big star."

"Why?"

"How would the city have the money to hire a big star?" The person answering shut that down with one line.

Mingshan Wetland Park had decent scenery, but only locals from Ningchuan would come to visit. People from nearby counties and cities weren't about to bus all the way out here for a wetland park that wasn't really anything special.

Under such circumstances, even if the park management submitted a request, the city government wouldn't agree to spend a lot of money.

The staff member snapped photos for a good while before finally stopping, still not satisfied.

Looking at the photos she had taken, she felt a bit dazed—had she gotten that much better? Why did these come out so beautiful!

But the moment she looked at Shen Dongqing standing in front of her, she snapped back to reality. Her skills hadn't improved at all; the photos looked great purely because his face was doing all the heavy lifting.

If these photos were posted up, how much extra business would these bring in!

The staff member quickly opened her computer to edit the photos, but looking at them, she felt like there was nothing to retouch.

Normally, people retouched photos to remove facial flaws—acne, spots, dark circles—but Shen Dongqing's skin was in such great condition that any more editing would just be over-smoothing his skin, which would actually take away from his natural look.

"A guy this hot hasn't been scouted yet? No wonder we don't see handsome men on the big screen anymore. Is the industry just not scouting regular guys anymore?" the staff member muttered.

She usually enjoyed watching TV dramas and movies, mainly for the attractive actors and actresses. The actresses were fine, decent quality, but the actors...

Recalling the sharp-featured male lead from a drama she watched two days ago, she shuddered and looked down at Shen Dongqing's photo to wash the image out of her eyes.

...

The looks-only fans in Shen Dongqing's livestream were going absolutely wild, gifts flying in nonstop.

When random accounts tipped, Shen Dongqing just said thanks, but when a familiar account sent a two-hundred-yuan small plane, he frowned slightly.

He recognized the account—it was a looks fan from when he'd first started streaming. She'd often mention stuff about her real life in chat. If he remembered correctly, she'd said just two days ago that she'd blown through her living expenses and would have to scrimp for the rest of the month.

"Please only tip what you can afford. Don't short yourself just to send me gifts, or I'll feel bad taking your money."

"That tone, that voice—Daddy! I'll do whatever you say!"

"Whoa, that one's a total weirdo!"

"That's what they call a masochist moment, but the streamer's giving off major sadist energy right now."

The second class let out, Peach Is Delicious opened the stream and was blown away by Shen Dongqing's face. She couldn't help but top up her account and throw a small plane at him. Though she regretted it a little right after—that one gift meant she'd have to watch her spending for the next week.

But soon, she heard Shen Dongqing's reminder, and Peach Is Delicious somehow felt like he was calling her out specifically.

She thought she might be reading too much into it, but then a notification sound came from her phone—Shen Dongqing had sent her two hundred yuan, telling her to spend it on herself and just enjoy the stream and chat instead. No need to blow money on him.

Peach Is Delicious's face went red. After hesitating for a moment, she accepted the money, though she felt a little embarrassed. The platform took half of every gift, so Shen Dongqing only got a hundred out of it. And now he was giving her two hundred, so he was basically down a hundred.

After mulling it over, Peach Is Delicious decided she wasn't going to just let it go—she'd clip Shen Dongqing's streams and make a burner account to promote him all over social media. A hidden gem like him deserved to be seen by everyone.

Seeing that Peach Is Delicious had accepted the money, Shen Dongqing thought about it and added a reminder to the stream: only tip what you can afford.

Before he'd reported Liang Xinghua, Shen Dongqing hadn't dared to add that line. Back then, he really had no money. But now he had a decent chunk saved up, and once that two-hundred-thousand-yuan bounty hit, he still couldn't call himself financially free, but he was pretty comfortable.

Peach Is Delicious's tip also reminded Shen Dongqing that fans could get carried away and do something impulsive, and he had some responsibility to look out for them.

The moment the reminder appeared, some fans who weren't well-off and had tipped on impulse cooled off. But some fans with money to spare saw it and thought even better of Shen Dongqing, and sent even pricier gifts.

With that one line, Shen Dongqing's gifts split into three tiers: a pile of free little stars, a pile of gifts under ten bucks, and a smaller pile of gifts worth two or three hundred or even more.

But when he tallied up the total gift revenue, the earnings after adding the reminder were actually higher.

Shen Dongqing didn't know what to say. He'd already warned them—it wasn't like he could stop people from sending gifts.

Still, he checked a few accounts and noticed that the ones who'd mentioned being regular students really hadn't sent anything big. So his goal had been met, and he dropped it, focusing on the boat ride and the photos.

Shen Dongqing knew exactly why these fans were tipping. Having received so much money, he needed to make sure they were happy.

With the Flying Camera's superb shooting skills, one stunning photo after another was produced, leaving many beauty fans too busy screenshotting to tip. Every image was gorgeous, and missing even one would be heartbreaking.

Beauty fans focused on his face, while many outdoor fans found the photo session a bit dull but still appreciated the scenery around the pond.

Those nearby considered making a trip to Mingshan Wetland Park, and while those farther away couldn't come, they were still inspired to get out and connect with nature.

After rowing back to the starting point, Shen Dongqing noticed his photos had already been posted on the shop's photo wall, and quite a few people were wearing the same outfit as him—clearly, the recommendation had caught on.

Shen Dongqing first went to the makeup room to remove his makeup, then headed to the changing room to take off the clothes.

His fans were reluctant to let it go, trying to persuade him to just keep walking around the park like that, but Shen Dongqing refused.

The makeup felt sticky and uncomfortable on his face, and with the weather this hot, he couldn't even wipe sweat vigorously for fear of smudging it. Not to mention the outfit was black—black's advantage was that it made you look slimmer, but its drawback was that it absorbed heat.

The temperature at Mingshan Wetland Park was indeed lower than in the city, and the breeze was fairly cool, but that only worked with light-colored clothing. Wearing black, you'd go straight into barbecue mode.

Hearing Shen Dongqing's explanation, his fans had to admit he was right. The outfit looked great, but it wasn't suited for strolling through the wetland park, and without the outfit, there was no need for makeup either.

After washing his face, Shen Dongqing came out feeling refreshed and secretly glad he hadn't considered becoming a celebrity.

Celebrities had even higher standards for their faces—regardless of gender, they all had to wear makeup. If he'd entered the entertainment industry, he wouldn't have the luxury of going makeup-free so easily.

But speaking of that, Shen Dongqing was curious about something.

"Everyone, when you watch male beauty streamers, do they wear makeup?"

"They do—makeup covers up a lot of small flaws, and with a beauty filter, someone mildly handsome can become super handsome."

"They definitely wear makeup, and they need proper lighting too."

"Compared to that, the streamer's looks are genuinely impressive. Are you really not going to the beauty section?"

"I feel like the streamer won't go to the beauty section. He was uncomfortable just wearing makeup earlier—he couldn't handle wearing it all the time."

"The streamer can stream without makeup. Others wear makeup because they're not handsome enough; the streamer wears it just to add extra polish."

"Ahem, don't change the subject—the streamer isn't going to the beauty section." Seeing several familiar accounts trying to drag him into becoming a beauty streamer again, Shen Dongqing quickly reminded them.

...

Leaving the lotus pond, Shen Dongqing and Huang Xin rented a bicycle and rode along the lakeside. When they got tired midway, they decided to sit on the ground and have a bite to eat.

But the grass in summer was quite lush, sharp and thin, and the pants Huang Xin was wearing were a bit thin. He had just sat down when he bounced right back up, clapping his hands over his butt.

"Use this plastic bag to sit on." Shen Dongqing took out the bread and handed the bag to Huang Xin.

"Brother Shen, did you know this would happen, so you went looking for that bag?" Huang Xin shot Shen Dongqing a resentful look. They'd parked their bikes together; Huang Xin had sat down, but Shen Dongqing hadn't moved yet.

Shen Dongqing crouched down, felt the lawn, laid the plastic bag down, handed Huang Xin a drink, and said with a smile, "I knew. Who'd have thought you'd be so quick."

Huang Xin gave Shen Dongqing a bitter look, then twisted off the cap and started chugging. Riding this far had made him hot, so he needed a drink.

Shen Dongqing also grabbed a drink, but he sipped it more slowly than Huang Xin, savoring the taste. Drinking too fast wouldn't do him any good anyway.

"Brother Shen, did we take a wrong turn?" Huang Xin asked, looking around with some confusion after finishing his drink.

"I don't think so. We were following the map..." Shen Dongqing frowned at that, then opened the map app on his phone and compared it with the park map, going quiet.

"No? Well then..." Huang Xin trusted Shen Dongqing a lot and went along with his words, but he trailed off when he noticed Shen Dongqing wasn't answering. "Brother Shen?"

"We did go the wrong way. We should've turned right back there, but we turned left." Shen Dongqing finally realized why they hadn't seen a single person along this stretch. It wasn't luck that few people came here; it was because they'd strayed from the main scenic area.

Mingshan Wetland Park was huge, with the main scenic area taking up only a small part. That area was the most developed and crowded, while the large surrounding area only had roads and nothing else.

If they'd noticed the mistake right after turning, the trip back would've been short. But they'd ridden this far before realizing it, so now whether they went forward or back, the distance was about the same.

Looking at the map, Huang Xin started to feel a bit nervous. Before realizing they were lost, he'd only felt the peace and quiet, the cool summer breeze, and comfort. But once he knew they were alone, his mind couldn't help but imagine some unpleasant scenarios.

"Brother Shen, are there wild animals here?" Huang Xin deliberately avoided mentioning the danger from people.

"There might be small animals, but no big predators. The ecosystem here can't support anything big enough to hurt people." Shen Dongqing shook his head.

"So what do we do now? Should we call for help?" Huang Xin asked.

"Actually, we're not that far from the main area. There's just a lake between us. Look over there, see those people?" Shen Dongqing pointed across the water.

Huang Xin squinted and could see figures, but because the lake was wide and they were far off, the people looked tiny. Still, seeing them instantly calmed Huang Xin.

"Brother Shen, you scared me to death. I thought we were lost in the wilderness." Huang Xin let out a long sigh of relief.

"Relax. If anything happens, the fans will be watching us." Shen Dongqing pointed at the Flying Camera nearby.

Since there was no one around, the Flying Camera didn't need to stay close to Shen Dongqing for close-ups; it could also capture the surrounding scenery.

Seeing the Flying Camera, Huang Xin suddenly remembered that Shen Dongqing was live streaming, so his scared and timid behavior from earlier must have been shown to everyone.

Huang Xin's face turned red. He didn't need to check the stream to know fans were laughing at him.

"Not at all. The fans think you're very alert and immediately thought about solving the problem." Shen Dongqing said.

"Really?" Huang Xin was skeptical and opened the live stream, only to find the fans were indeed all praising him.

"Alright, you want something to eat? If not, let's get going." Shen Dongqing said. Even though fans were watching, he hadn't forgotten about his own condition. In crowded places, he could run into thieves, and in deserted areas, if he ran into a criminal, the danger would be much greater.

So it was best to get back to people quickly.

"No, no, let's just ride. We need to get back quickly." Huang Xin shook his head. Although he wasn't as scared now, he had no appetite.

Shen Dongqing packed a few bread rolls into a small plastic bag and hung it on the handlebars, telling Huang Xin to grab some if he got hungry along the way. Since there was no one on the road anyway, riding one-handed was no big deal.

Huang Xin said he wasn't hungry, but on the ride, he couldn't help grabbing a few bread rolls to eat, since cycling burned a lot of energy.

The two rode pretty fast, managing to reach the edge of the main scenic area in half the time it'd taken them before.

Seeing the streetlights up ahead, Huang Xin felt his whole body relax.

But just as he started to relax, his gaze drifted to the water, and he gasped in shock.

"Whoa, Brother Shen, look at that—what is that?"

Shen Dongqing followed his pointed direction, slammed on the brakes, and maneuvered the Flying Camera over there.

A small head was bobbing up and down on the water's surface, and the person seemed about to lose consciousness.

No, it wasn't just her. The little girl wasn't floating on her own; her mother was struggling to hold her up, otherwise, she would've already sunk.

The woman probably knew a bit of swimming, but her technique wasn't great, and she was running out of stamina. She clearly couldn't hold out much longer.

"Isn't that the mother and daughter?!" Huang Xin recognized them from the live stream.

The entire lake was shaped like a gourd, and this was the narrow end. The water was relatively narrow here, and across it, Huang Xin could even hear someone on the opposite shore shouting for help. But this place was somewhat remote, and there was only one person standing on the other side, shouting without managing to get anyone's attention.

"Is this person scared out of their mind? There's no one here, what's the point of standing there shouting? They should go get help!" Huang Xin was annoyed by the person's stupidity.

The comment section exploded.

"Seriously, someone fell into the water, and they're just standing on the shore shouting? There's no one around here, why not walk a bit further to get help?"

"At the very least, find some branches and try to pull them back. It's not that far from the shore. If they keep wasting time, the current will carry them off."

"Can the streamer swim? Can he jump in and save them?"

"Don't give random advice. The streamer is a distance away from the person in the water, swimming over would use up a lot of energy. There are two people there. If you're not professionally trained, don't act impulsively. You might end up in danger too."

"Yeah, the best thing is for the person on the opposite shore to help. Also, swimming over from the streamer's side takes too long. By the time he gets there, they might've already sunk and can't be saved."

"Brother Shen, can you swim? I can't swim." Huang Xin looked at the mother and daughter bobbing in the water on the screen and asked in a panic.

"Yes."

Did Shen Dongqing know how to swim?

No.

He'd never been in water and couldn't swim, but he could.

Shen Dongqing quickly opened the system store. After this live stream, his Fame Points had increased quite a bit, back up to over forty thousand.

Enough.

Shen Dongqing glanced at the swimming skill. The cheapest beginner swimming skill only cost five thousand Fame Points, but Shen Dongqing didn't even look at it and directly chose the highest-level one.

In short, with this skill, aside from not being able to breathe underwater, he'd be no different from a fish in the water.

The only problem was the cost. An ordinary life skill cost a whopping forty thousand Fame Points.

After buying the swimming skill, Shen Dongqing also bought a physical item from the store: a rope.

Shen Dongqing knew very well that having the skill was one thing, but his stamina was another matter. With his current stamina, even with the best technique, swimming over would take some time, and the mother and daughter in the water might not last that long. He needed to give them a hand.

He clicked to use the skill, and countless swimming techniques instantly flooded into Shen Dongqing's mind. The advanced skill's information was much more than the beginner's, causing a sharp pain in his head. But he didn't let it show on his face. He turned and opened his backpack, pulling the rope out.

When Shen Dongqing gave him a definite yes, Huang Xin got a quick thrill—but the risk quickly hit him and he hesitated.

Sure, the mother and daughter in the water were pitiful, and if it were up to him, Huang Xin would save them in a heartbeat. But was it really okay to let Shen Dongqing risk his neck?

On top of that, Huang Xin recognized the guy yelling for help across the river—it was Zhou Ming. The husband was standing right there, just hollering, not lifting a finger. Why should Shen Dongqing put his life on the line when the kid's own dad wouldn't even try?

"Brother Shen, when did you bring a rope?" When he saw the rope Shen Dongqing pulled out, Huang Xin perked up—they could toss it over, have them grab on, and haul them in.

"No good, Brother Shen. We're too far—the rope won't make it, and even if it did, we couldn't aim it. Why not hand the rope to her husband? He's right there, so he'd have a much easier time throwing it."

As for getting it across, Huang Xin eyed the flying camera. The rope wasn't heavy—they could tie it on and fly it over.

Shen Dongqing shot Huang Xin a look, not sure if the guy was sharp or just dense.

He was fast with ideas, sure, but had Huang Xin really not picked up on anything off about Zhou Ming?

If someone really wanted to save lives, why would they just stand there yelling?

The yelling from across the water sounded desperate, but the guy wasn't making a single move. That act was way too familiar.

"Dump out the drinks and hand me the bottles." Shen Dongqing tossed the order over his shoulder and started tying the rope.

Huang Xin was puzzled but did what he was told.

Shen Dongqing tied the rope tight to the flying camera, making sure it wouldn't get in the way of the rotors, then pulled out a few drink bottles and strapped them onto the rope.

They were bottles they'd finished along the way—no trash cans on the road, so they'd just been sitting in a bag. Who knew they'd actually come in handy?

Huang Xin had already drained a few bottles, and Shen Dongqing quickly tied those on too. Without waiting for Huang Xin to finish the last one, he flew the camera over to where the mother and daughter were.

The camera shot off at full speed and soon hovered right above them.

...

Shu Xueyu figured today might be the day she died. After snapping photos at the lotus pond and playing with her daughter for a bit, they'd somehow wandered over here without realizing it.

Maybe because splashing around in the lotus pond had been so much fun, her daughter was begging to play in this water too. She'd said no at first, but Zhou Ming pointed out she'd been with their daughter all day, so this time he'd take over—he wanted some bonding time too.

Shu Xueyu thought about it and agreed—she was genuinely beat from all the walking, and figured a little play near the edge wouldn't hurt.

But before she could even catch her breath for a few minutes, her daughter slipped and fell into the water.

She was about to chew Zhou Ming out when he dove straight in to save their daughter. Seeing that, Shu Xueyu couldn't really complain—she remembered Zhou Ming had been a decent swimmer since college, so saving their daughter should've been a piece of cake.

But who'd have guessed Zhou Ming would get a leg cramp the second he hit the water? Lucky for him, he was still close to shore, and she managed to haul him back up with some effort. By the time that was handled, their daughter had already been swept further out by the current.

Shu Xueyu could swim too—Zhou Ming had taught her. With their daughter in danger and Zhou Ming unable to get back in, she told him to go find help fast while she went in herself.

The second she hit the water, Shu Xueyu realized she'd overestimated her swimming. In a calm pool, her skills were fine, but out in open water, they were only good enough to get her to her daughter and keep them from going under.

Swimming back to shore? Not a chance—the current just kept pulling them further out.

And Zhou Ming? What the hell was Zhou Ming doing?

Fighting to keep her head above water, Shu Xueyu looked toward the shore and only saw Zhou Ming standing there, yelling nonstop—though she couldn't make out a word he was saying.

Go get help!

Shu Xueyu wanted to yell at him, but the second she opened her mouth, she went under. All she could do was hold her daughter tight, desperately keeping both their heads above water, praying someone would come.

But nobody came.

Shu Xueyu felt her body getting heavier and heavier. In a haze, she almost felt like she was lying in a warm, comfy bed, and all she wanted was to drift off.

But the sunlight was way too bright!

Shu Xueyu was jolted awake by a beam of light stinging her eyes, and realized there were several transparent drink bottles at her side.

Without a second thought, she grabbed one and discovered they were all strung together with rope, with a pull coming from above.

Tilting her head back, she saw the flying camera at the end of the rope.

As she pulled, the flying camera dipped down slightly—clearly, its lift wasn't enough to haul her out of the water, but that little bit of force was enough to save her life.

Catching her breath, Shu Xueyu recalled the water-safety tips Zhou Ming had taught her. Holding the rope with one hand and supporting her daughter's head with the other, she did her best to keep just their mouths, noses, and eyes above the surface.

Shen Dongqing's flying camera was here—he must have seen them fall in and would definitely find someone to rescue them.

As for Zhou Ming...

Shu Xueyu looked at the man on the shore. From this angle, she couldn't make out his expression, but she had a feeling he must be panicking.