The driver stuffed a mouthful of rice into his mouth.
"She also said she was a fortune teller, that she specialized in telling fortunes, and insisted that you were pregnant, and even said you were having twin daughters..." The driver found it amusing, "A young girl like her, I don't know what's wrong with her, talking like a madman, seems unreliable."
"..." Hearing his words, his wife, who usually loved to talk to him, remained silent.
The driver couldn't help but look up from his bowl, looking at his wife with a puzzled expression: "What's wrong?"
His wife looked dazed, lost in thought. Hearing the driver's question, she looked at him and hesitated, "I, I haven't been feeling well lately... I always feel nauseous and vomit in the mornings, and I'm also very sleepy and can't seem to get enough sleep."
She had always thought that there might be something wrong with her stomach, otherwise why would she always feel nauseous and want to vomit? But now, hearing her husband say the word "pregnant," a thought flashed through her mind.
"Is it possible that I'm not just having an upset stomach?" she asked uncertainly, "but that I'm pregnant?"
The driver's chopsticks fell to the table with a clatter. He snapped back to reality, his eyes lighting up with a bright, eager gaze. "Really?" he asked his wife.
Seeing his strong reaction, his wife became even more certain. Afraid he was getting too excited, she said, "It might not be true. Maybe I'm wrong? Didn't the doctor say I have difficulty conceiving? How could I possibly have a child?"
The driver replied, "The doctor only said you have difficulty conceiving, not that you can't get pregnant!"
As he said this, he suddenly felt his words sounded familiar. In a daze, he realized—wasn't that what that young girl had said to him?
But at this moment, it wasn't about who had said those words; the most important thing was to determine whether his wife was pregnant or not.
Thinking this, the driver couldn't sit still any longer. He immediately stopped eating, stood up hurriedly, and said, "We need to go to the hospital for a checkup right now!"
"Hey!" His wife quickly grabbed him, glanced at the sky outside, and said with a slight twitch of her lips, "Don't you even know what time it is? The doctors at the hospital have long since left. What kind of checkup are you going to have?"
The driver: "Then, what should we do?"
His wife pursed her lips and gave a suggestion: "Go to the supermarket and buy me a pregnancy test."
"Ah, right, a pregnancy test!" The driver clapped his hands and rushed out, "I'll go buy it right now!"
His wife watched her husband's departing figure helplessly. Compared to her husband, she seemed very calm, but in reality, her heart was pounding like a drum, and her anxious anticipation was no less than her husband's.
She also wanted to know if she was pregnant.
The wife took a deep breath, her eyes filled with undisguised expectation: the two of them really wanted a child of their own.
Fifteen minutes later, the driver rushed back, still steaming from outside, carrying groceries from the supermarket. He waited outside while his wife went into the restroom with the groceries, feeling a jumble of thoughts, yet also a sense of emptiness.
In short, until his wife emerged from the restroom, his mind was a chaotic mess, unable to recall what he had been thinking. When his wife came out, he rushed to her.
"How is it!" the driver asked expectantly.
His wife looked up at him, her expression dazed. Seeing this, the driver's initial joy sank, realizing he already knew the answer.
"No, it's okay!" he tried to comfort her. "Actually, it's good that you're not pregnant. With our family, a child would suffer if born, we can't give her the best..."
"I'm pregnant!"
"Besides, isn't it nice just the two of us? Two people... huh?"
The driver, who had been about to say that their life as a couple was good, finally realized what his wife had said, his voice trailing off, staring blankly at her.
"What did you say?" he asked.
His wife looked at him, her eyes shining. "I said, I'm pregnant! The pregnancy test came back positive, two lines!"
The driver: "..."
The driver couldn't catch his breath, his vision went black, and he fainted.
"Hey! Dawei!"
...
Late at night.
The driver and his wife were so excited they couldn't sleep for a long time. They were both excited and felt a little dazed.
"Dawei, do you think the pregnancy test might be wrong?" After the initial excitement, the wife started to worry, afraid that she had tested wrong.
Driver: "Didn't you test several times? It definitely won't be wrong."
The wife's mind raced: "What if there's something wrong with the pregnancy test you bought?"
Driver: "..."
"No, it won't." He hugged his wife and gently patted her back. "Anyway, whether it's true or not, we'll go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow and we'll know... Now, you should get some sleep. You have to take care of yourself."
The wife nodded: "Okay."
The wife closed her eyes and fell asleep, but the driver himself was wide awake, his mind completely filled with the thoughts of "My wife is pregnant" and "I'm going to have a daughter."
That night, he didn't sleep a wink. He got up early the next morning, and despite not having slept, he seemed to be in good spirits, looking energetic and vibrant.
He and his wife both took leave from work and went straight to the hospital early in the morning.
After a series of tests, the two sat nervously in the doctor's office, anxiously awaiting the diagnosis. Holding hands, their palms were damp with sweat, it was hard to tell whose sweat it was.
Under their tense gazes, the doctor nodded and said, "...It is indeed a pregnancy, and the fetus is about eight weeks along."
Hearing this, the driver and his wife were somewhat dazed. Several seconds later, they gradually came to their senses, and then, they were overcome with excitement. Their hands clenched tightly together, and for a moment, they could
n't speak. The doctor, seeing their excitement, understood and remained silent, letting them process their emotions.
It took the driver a while to recover. He composed himself, looked at the doctor, and asked worriedly, "But doctor, we had a check-up before, and my wife had some health issues, making it difficult for her to conceive... Now that she's pregnant, will there be any problems with the baby?"
The doctor replied, "You can rest assured. Difficulty conceiving simply means the probability of getting pregnant is very low. I've looked at Ms. He's medical report; her health is generally good. So, as long as you take good care of her and prevent her from falling or bumping into anything, the baby will be fine."
Hearing this, the driver and his wife felt much relieved.
Afterward, the driver asked the doctor many more questions about pregnancy. In the end, if there weren't other patients waiting outside, he would have had many more questions to ask... The driver thought with some regret.
He helped his wife out of the doctor's office, his careful manner making his wife both amused and exasperated.
The couple were talking softly when they passed a girl watching a live stream. The driver glanced at her casually, then... his gaze snapped back, his eyes fixed on the girl's phone screen, his expression excited.
"Hello!" The driver couldn't help but step forward and call out to the girl watching the live stream, then pointed to the person on her phone screen and asked, "Excuse me, do you know who this person is?"
The girl: "Huh?"
She glanced at the driver, then at her own phone screen, and asked uncertainly, "Are you asking about Xu Gui?"
Driver: "Xu Gui?"
The girl pointed to the person in the live stream: "That's her, Xu Gui! Aren't you asking about her?"
The driver glanced at it, confirming that the person on the screen was the one he was looking for, and immediately nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, yes! I'm asking about her... Xu Gui, is that her name? Do you know who she is?"
The girl found it strange and asked doubtfully, "Since you're asking who she is, don't you know who she is?" If you don't know, then why are you asking who she is?
The driver's wife was also confused and asked, "Dawei, what's wrong?"
The driver, holding his wife's arm, said excitedly, "Didn't I tell you yesterday that I met a strange customer who said she was a fortune teller and even predicted you were pregnant... That customer, it's this girl!"
The driver's wife suddenly realized and was surprised. She glanced at the person on the girl's phone screen: "Ah, is that her?"
The driver nodded vigorously and said, "It's her! I was thinking that if I had the chance, I would definitely thank her properly, but I didn't know who she was. But I didn't expect to see her like this!"
The girl watching the live stream was a fan of Xu Gui, otherwise she wouldn't have watched Xu Gui's live stream. Hearing the driver's words, her eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but ask excitedly,
"You mean, you met Xu Gui yesterday, and Xu Gui even told your fortune?"
The driver nodded, and then said with some emotion, "She told me that my wife was pregnant, and I didn't believe it, but today when we came for a checkup, my wife is actually pregnant!"
This is simply divine.
Hearing this, the girl glanced at the driver's wife, then said with some envy, "You guys are so lucky to have met Xiao Gui..."
The driver asked curiously, "So, who exactly is she? She told me she's a fortune teller, is that true?"
Hearing this, the girl perked up immediately and excitedly began explaining Xu Gui's identity to the driver and his wife: "Of course our Xiao Gui is a fortune teller, let me tell you..."
Meanwhile, the person the girl was referring to, Xu Gui, was filming the second episode of "360 Trades" live.
Early that morning, Xu Gui was taken by Kuang Ming to the filming location, which was the hotel where the production team and guests had stayed during Xu Gui's previous filming. According to the procedure, they first gathered at the hotel, and after the director's "rally," the guests would then film their respective live streams as before.
Seeing Xu Gui yawn widely, Kuang Ming said, "You're a local from City A, which already gives you a huge advantage. Many of the guests have to fly in from other places for the shoot."
Xu Gui nodded, "Mmm-hmm."
Kuang Ming continued, "Yuan Lu will be with you during filming. You can let her do anything, but if you encounter anything difficult, remember to call me."
Xu Gui nodded again, "Mmm-hmm..."
Kuang Ming added, "Also, if any brands ask you to promote them during your live streams, remember not to sign anything randomly. You must notify me first! Understand?"
This time, Xu Gui's head wasn't nodding, but pecking at the ground, only mumbling, "Mmm-hmm... mmm."
Seeing her eyes closed, as if she'd already fallen asleep, Kuang Ming thought, "..." So, was she even listening to him properly?
Kuang Ming sighed, telling himself not to worry. After all, their Xu Gui wasn't some normal celebrity—which celebrity could have their fortune told? With Xu Gui's abilities, even if someone wanted to bully her, they'd have to think twice before they fell into her trap.
Thinking this, Kuang Ming felt reassured and at ease.
Xu Gui had slept the whole way, finally waking up when she got off the bus. She stretched, and after getting off, she remembered something and told Yuan Lu and Kuang Ming to wait in the lobby, while she slipped away to the hotel kitchen.
"Auntie, Auntie~"
The kitchen staff were preparing breakfast when they heard the familiar yet unfamiliar voice outside. They paused, their eyes falling on the auntie standing in front of the stove.
The auntie's expression seemed normal, but those who knew her would notice a slight relaxation and a hint of pleasure on her face.
After finishing her work and having someone watch the heat, she wiped her hands and left. As soon as she left, the kitchen staff huddled together, whispering amongst themselves.
"Wow, this feels familiar, it must be Miss Xu..."
"Miss Xu should be here soon for the filming."
"Great! Miss Xu is here, we're saved... Waaah, I really miss the time when Miss Xu was here! You don't know, I ruined my bok choy yesterday, and the old lady almost froze me with her eyes!"
The man was practically in tears.
Sigh, how hard their lives are. Back when the film crew was still filming here, they never suffered like this. Back then, the old lady was so kind. Although you couldn't tell from her expression, she no longer spoke harshly to them, and even her eyes weren't cold and sharp anymore.
But since the filming ended, their misfortune has returned, or rather, it has come back. The old lady has reverted to her cold and extremely stern self. But as the
saying goes, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. They've experienced the "good-tempered" old lady, and going back to the sharp-tongued one is just too much to bear.
"...Aunt Luo may not say it, but she really likes Miss Xu, doesn't she?"
"Nonsense! Who doesn't know Aunt Luo likes Miss Xu? Do you even need to tell me?"
"Sigh, I hope Miss Xu and the others film for a while longer, so Aunt Luo's good temper can last a little longer... In the end, it's all your fault for being so useless! Look how close Miss Xu is to Aunt Luo, no wonder Aunt Luo likes her! And you? You act
like you're nothing when you see Aunt Luo, how can Aunt Luo be happy?" Others: "...Aren't you the same?"
Ultimately, Miss Xu is the one who's amazing. Aunt Luo looks so fierce, yet she can still be so affectionate, calling her "Auntie" so sweetly, even acting coquettishly. It's perfectly normal for Aunt Luo to like her.
While everyone was whispering, the old lady who had gone out returned. The people in the kitchen could tell that she returned with light steps, clearly in a good mood.
And that morning, when someone's food was ruined, the old lady only frowned and criticized them a few times, but wasn't very harsh. The people in the kitchen exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with a strange light.
Who said Miss Xu wasn't good? Miss Xu is so wonderful! They are definitely her most loyal fans.
...
Xu Gui greeted the elderly woman and exchanged a few words before returning to her seat in the lobby.
The lobby had been cleared out, and the remaining ten guests participating in the filming gradually arrived. Those who knew each other chatted and laughed, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
Of course, some were more solitary, or didn't know any of the guests well, and stood with their assistants.
Xu Gui belonged to the latter group.
She looked around, a hint of regret rising in her heart—in the previous two gatherings, she had sat with Fu Xia, the two of them secretly chatting, but this time, Fu Xia wasn't there, and she was all alone.
Xu Gui sighed.
However, there were naturally some guests she knew, such as Su Ya, Qiu Nai, and the movie star Zhao Yang… Although the former two had been roommates, they weren't close at all, and their relationship wasn't very good, so Xu Gui naturally wouldn't approach her to talk. As for the latter two…
Qiu Nai and Lin Xu were initially criticized online because of the Tang family incident. Lin Xu eventually withdrew from the show, but Qiu Nai persevered and even made it into the top ten, entering the second episode.
In some ways, Qiu Nai was quite ruthless.
As for the movie star Zhao Yang, Xu Gui was even less familiar with him. She had at least interacted with the first two, but she hadn't met this one. They were only on the same show, though he was He Yuan's idol…
Xu Gui's mind was racing. Seeing Su Ya chatting happily with the other female guests, she glanced at her and involuntarily frowned.
This Su Ya…
Before Xu Gui could think further, someone called her name.
"Teacher Xu!" The person's voice was excited and loud.
Xu Gui turned her head, her first thought being that she saw a wall. She looked up and finally saw the face of that wall.
"Yang Haolin…" she exclaimed in realization.
Yang Haolin, Xu Gui's cameraman, grinned broadly when Xu Gui called him, saying, "Teacher Xu, long time
no see!" Xu Gui replied, "It has been a long time." More than two months.
She looked Yang Haolin up and down, asking with a hint of doubt, "You seem even more muscular than you were two months ago?"
"Really?" Yang Haolin's eyes lit up. He was only wearing a white T-shirt, revealing his strong, muscular arms. He raised his arms, showing off his very defined biceps, and said proudly, "These past two months, I've been going to the gym every day. My muscles are much more defined than before!"
Not only his biceps, but also his pectoral muscles.
Xu Gui looked on curiously, and Yang Haolin eagerly asked, "Teacher Xu, would you like to touch them?"
Xu Gui looked at him, "Is that alright?"
Yang Haolin nodded, "Of course! Teacher Xu, feel free to touch them!" He had worked so hard to build those muscles; if he didn't show them off, wouldn't it be like wearing fine clothes in the dark?
He was being so eager to invite her; it wouldn't be right to refuse. Xu Gui, without any hesitation, reached out and touched it.
Seeing this, Yuan Lu gasped, feeling like she desperately needed oxygen. She looked around, searching for her manager: Brother Kuang! Teacher Xu was letting loose again!
Yang Haolin, noticing her eager gaze, misunderstood her and generously asked, "Yuan Lu, do you want to touch it too?"
"Huh?" Yuan Lu's gaze fell on his firm muscles, her mouth stammering, "...This, this isn't appropriate, is it?" But her face was full of eager anticipation.
Xu Gui looked at her and invited, "Yuan Lu, you should touch it too! Yang Haolin's muscles feel really good!"
Yang Haolin: "Really?"
Yuan Lu was tempted.
I, I'm just curious about the feel of muscles, just curious, after all, she'd never touched such big muscles before… If it were just Yuan Lu alone, even if she was tempted, she wouldn't have the courage, but now, Xu Gui was here.
Yuan Lu: How could I resist?
Finally, she chose to honestly confront her desires and reached out her "ruthless hand" towards the muscles before her.
When her fingers landed on Yang Haolin's biceps, her eyes practically lit up—wow, so this is what muscles feel like!! I've learned something new!
Just as the artist and his assistant were enjoying themselves, a timid voice rang out from the side: "Can I touch this too?"
The three people present instinctively turned their heads and saw a slender figure. It was a young woman with extremely beautiful features, though her face seemed somewhat sickly. She wore a white dress, her expression timid and shy, appearing very reserved.
But…
thinking of her words, "Can I touch this too?", the thought immediately popped into their minds: Don't judge a book by its cover!
"I, I'll just touch it for a little while!" the woman said, extending her finger with a reassuring expression.
Xu Gui and Yuan Lu looked at Yang Haolin—the muscles were his, so naturally it was up to him to decide.
"...Is it, is it okay?" Yang Haolin scratched his head.
Upon hearing this, the woman's eyes lit up. Her long, beautiful, and delicate fingers decisively touched Yang Haolin's muscles. The more she touched him, the more excited and agitated she became, completely dispelling any trace of her previous frailty.
Yang Haolin looked bewildered: ...Something felt off.
At this moment, the director, who thought it was his turn to appear, straightened his clothes and confidently strode into the hotel lobby. However, when he saw the scene inside, he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Yang Haolin!! What are you doing?! What are you guests doing?! What are you staff doing?!
In the lobby, Yang Haolin was surrounded by countless people, their hands curiously and excitedly touching him.
The director roared inwardly: This is a legitimate variety show! A legitimate filming! Not some pornographic program!!