"You have witnessed my performance, but I am afraid we haven't been formally introduced?"
Yu Ze noticed that the person in front of him wasn't wearing a staff badge, and cautiously inquired.
"Please don't misunderstand, I am Miss Yang Mier's personal assistant."
The person looked around and spoke in a lowered voice, "This is Miss Yang Mier's contact information, please keep it safe."
He handed over a note with a private mobile number written on it.
Yu Ze accepted it, and then stared at the person.
Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, the person couldn't help but say, "Please take it, don't lose it."
Yu Ze continued to stare at him.
"Do you have any further questions?" the person asked, puzzled.
"I also have a question for you. Is there anything else you need? Otherwise, you are blocking the way," Yu Ze replied.
As the corridor leading to the bathroom was indeed narrow, the man with gold-rimmed glasses felt embarrassed and stepped aside. Only then did Yu Ze walk out.
After the first recording of the program, it would be aired at 8:30 PM on Sunday, during the prime time slot. However, with fewer people watching television nowadays, the television station's prime time slot was not as popular as it used to be. In fact, the station now prioritized online copyrights.
In short, this had nothing to do with Yu Ze. The program's organizers did not provide a dinner for the participants, as it was still uncertain whether the contestants from the first episode would make it to the end. It wouldn't be feasible to invite such a large number of contestants for a meal. Everyone was left to their own devices.
However, Yu Ze seemed to be an exception. Shen Ran's assistant ran around asking questions before finding out that Yu Ze had already left. They hurriedly requested the program organizers for his contact information and called him, but his phone was switched off.
Yu Ze didn't turn off his phone on purpose; it just ran out of battery.
In this world, when a phone runs out of battery, it means being completely cut off from the world, and it also makes it difficult to move around because most young people are accustomed to mobile payments. Who would want to carry a heavy wallet, put a few hundred yuan in it, and wait for the change?
Without a phone, you couldn't even take the subway.
However, Yu Ze didn't mind. He stretched his legs and treated it as a workout, taking large strides back.
The old residential area where he rented an apartment was in Xuhui. It's nearly 13 kilometers from the television station, which is quite a distance. With his body in good shape, he briskly walked the entire way back. Despite not feeling tired at all in this hot summer night, sweat drops formed on his forehead due to body heat dissipation.
"Chen, Chen, give me ten skewers of beef, ten skewers of pork belly, and five skewers of potatoes..."
Without hesitation, Yu Ze plopped down and greeted Chen, the owner of the barbecue stall.
"Oh, Yu Ze, why are you back so early today? Are you about to strike it rich?"
Chen, a greasy middle-aged man in his fifties, fully lived up to the greasy reputation of his barbecue stall. His face could probably produce a few pounds of oil.
"Not yet, but it's not far off."
A brilliant smile spread across Yu Ze's face. "When I do strike it rich, I'll treat you to drinks and a feast."
"Thank you for your kind words, but let's skip the drinks and feast. I've been drinking this cheap alcohol and eating this frozen meat day in and day out," replied Chen.
There were no other customers at the moment, so Chen started rambling: "Young man, eat less barbecue. It's all carcinogenic substances. It's better to eat lean meat or frozen meat. Eating so much of this isn't good for your health."
"Enough, enough, don't let other customers hear you say that," waved Yu Ze. "Besides, don't even think about it. Your daughter and I are absolutely impossible."
"Ah, you insolent brat!"
Chen, annoyed, said, "Is my daughter not good enough for you? She's a top student and I have a car and a house in Donghai. What do you have? You have nothing, just an ordinary college graduate with no car, no house, and no job. You look down on my daughter? Tell me, why do you look down on my daughter? If you don't give me a satisfactory answer today, you won't be allowed to leave!"
"Because your daughter doesn't like me!"
Yu Ze, also annoyed, slammed the table. "Is that reason enough?"
"Huh?"
Chen was taken aback. "Have you two met?"
"After you gave me your daughter's phone number, I added her on a messaging app. But she completely ignored me. It's normal though. How many girls these days look highly upon someone like me without a good job?"
Yuz Ze stood up in frustration and went to get the vegetables and meat, which he placed on the electric grill.
Chen sat by the side and, feeling embarrassed, rubbed his bald head. "I can't believe my daughter would ignore you like that. She's so rude. I'll talk to her about it when I get back."
"No, Chen, why on earth are you interested in me?"
Yu Ze was puzzled. "You've even said I have no car, no house. I'm an outsider who has yet to make a name for himself here in Donghai. What attracted you to me? To the point of causing trouble for your daughter?"
Chen lit a cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, and the dim, aged yellow light reflected off his bald head, resembling a mirror reflecting the human heart.
The drifting smoke filled the shop, blurring Chen's face, and it seemed as if his appearance was also concealed by the smoke. He spoke slowly, "It's because I've never seen a handsome lad like you. In this lifetime, money can be earned again, but character is most important. After being around you for a while, I can see your true character clearly. You won't let me down in critical moments. A woman, you see, will only be happy if she has such a husband for life."
Chen stood up and walked over, not hesitating to lift Yu Ze's shirt and point at his abs. "Just look at your abs. So handsome and solid. I'm sure you work hard on them. How many young people nowadays can persist like you?"
Yu Ze looked at Chen with newfound respect. "You managed to discover this hidden aspect of my character? "
"Well, of course. How many people would dare to step up when a knife is involved?"
Speaking of that incident, Chen still felt deeply moved. Over a month ago, a group of people were drinking here when an argument broke out. One of them went to a nearby supermarket, bought a knife, and came back ready to attack.
Chen tried to intervene, but the intoxicated man returned with a knife, frightening everyone away. Not just Chen, but even people nearby fled. However, Yu Ze, who was having barbecue at the time, immediately stepped in, subdued the knife-wielding drunkard, and saved Chen's life. Unfortunately, he accidentally got cut in the process.
This was truly a life-saving debt!
How could Chen not be grateful?
Since then, Chen made a promise that Yu Ze could come to his stall for barbecue and drinks for free!
Damn it, this guy can eat like a horse. Chen soon regretted his decision and started advising Yu Ze to eat barbecue less frequently. It's harmful to health. It's not reasonable to treat barbecue as a regular meal.
"Boss, a grilled fish platter... Uh..."
As a few more customers came in, their first sight was Chen standing next to Yu Ze, lifting Yu Ze's shirt and placing his hand on his abs.
"Ahem, what would you like to order?"
Panicked, Chen quickly let go.
Yu Ze couldn't be bothered with Chen's trivialities and started seasoning the barbecue he grilled for himself. He carried it to an empty table and began eating, also opening a bottle of beer for himself.
In fact, when Chen enthusiastically introduced his daughter, Yu Ze had simply been going along with it. As Chen said, his daughter was a top student at Fudan University and their family owned two houses in Donghai, even if they were in an old neighborhood that Yu Ze couldn't "climb up to".