What’S Wrong With Just Eating His Majesty’S Soft Rice? Chapter 10

Chapter 10: You Two Have a Problem.

Fang Cheng talked to him for a while before suddenly remembering something. Wait a second.

After saying that, he ran into his grandmother’s room and rummaged through the cabinets for a while. He pulled out an old senior phone and found that it actually still worked when he turned it on. These kinds of senior phones were incredibly resilient.

He handed the phone to Zhou Yinli. Use this for now.

Zhou Yinli took the device curiously, holding it cautiously as if he were afraid that touching the wrong spot might make it explode. He clearly had no idea how to use it. No one could act this convincingly.

How can he not know how to do anything? Fang Cheng pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed. He remembered how he used to teach his grandmother, and with a touch of nostalgia and melancholy, he told Zhou Yinli that there was a shortcut key he could press to call him.

Zhou Yinli followed his instructions and tried it out.

The buttons on the senior phone had very loud feedback sounds. Every time he pressed a key, a loud female voice would announce the number. Zhou Yinli seemed to be suppressing the urge to throw the thing away; Fang Cheng could even see the veins bulging on the back of his hand.

It’s just a phone, is that really necessary? Fang Cheng was speechless again.

Once Zhou Yinli finished pressing the buttons, the phone in his hand suddenly blared out: Calling Eldest Grandson, 137-xxxx-xxxx!

Fang Cheng’s phone buzzed right on cue: Grandma is calling! Grandma is calling!

Fang Cheng’s eyes grew a bit misty, but seeing Zhou Yinli looking like he was facing a great enemy made him want to laugh.

A strange mix of bitterness and relief welled up in his chest. No matter how sad things had been, they were in the past now. His grandmother had always said she wanted him to be happy in the future.

He pulled out his own phone, waved it in front of Zhou Yinli, and tapped to answer. Then he told Zhou Yinli to put the phone to his ear while he walked into the bedroom.

Hello. Can you hear me?

There was silence on the other end for a good while. He could only hear a faint trace of breathing before a soft “Mhm” finally came through.

Through the phone, Fang Cheng said, Hello, hello, hello?

Another faint “Mhm” followed.

Fang Cheng hung up and walked out of the room. He saw Zhou Yinli still standing there blankly with the phone to his ear. Despite having such a cold and stern face, he was making such a silly gesture.

Zhou Yinli suddenly pointed at the buttons and asked, These… these… these… are one, two, and three?

Fang Cheng was dazed for a moment when he asked, not quite understanding. 1, 2, 3 are one, two, three?

Seeing that he didn’t understand, Zhou Yinli used his finger to trace the traditional characters for one, two, and three.

Fortunately, Fang Cheng was literate. He nodded and said, Yeah, what you wrote are the formal characters for one, two, three, four, and five. Nowadays, we usually use these: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. These are Arabic numerals. How do you not even know these, yet you can write those complex traditional characters? Those are so hard to write; even I don’t know how.

He explained them to Zhou Yinli, and Zhou Yinli quickly memorized all the digits. It was strange—he had just said he didn’t recognize them, yet he remembered them perfectly after being told once.

Fang Cheng didn’t think he had a photographic memory. How could he just stumble upon someone with a photographic memory?

It was more likely that he used to know these things, but after becoming a mental patient, he selectively forgot parts of his past, and now he could remember them as soon as they were mentioned. Otherwise, there was no way he could remember them so quickly after supposedly never seeing the numbers before…

So, he was definitely a mental patient and not some other kind of supernatural thing. Right? Fang Cheng couldn’t help but shiver.

The two of them got along quite harmoniously after that. Their specific way of interacting was: Fang Cheng slept or played games, while Zhou Yinli watched TV.

They stayed out of each other’s way.

When he was hungry, Fang Cheng would make some instant noodles or order takeout. He always included a portion for Zhou Yinli. He wasn’t stingy in that regard.

After Zhou Yinli had lived off him for two days, the day of the shoot finally arrived.

To save money, Fang Cheng took Zhou Yinli on the bus again. This time, Zhou Yinli didn’t get as motion sick. Since they left during the early morning shift, there were seats available, and they sat all the way to their destination.

It was rare for Fang Cheng to get up this early, and he kept dozing off along the way. It was actually Zhou Yinli who called out to him; otherwise, they would have missed their stop.

Fang Cheng was a bit surprised that Zhou Yinli could remember the stop after only riding the bus once.

The crew was already preparing for the shoot. Zhou Yinli just needed to get his makeup done and change his clothes before they could start.

First, Lin Er pulled Zhou Yinli aside to go over some precautions. After that, he was pushed into a chair by the makeup artist for a series of procedures.

The actors and actresses here were all young people. They were laughing and chatting, showing great interest in Zhou Yinli’s long hair, his looks, and his silent attitude. They gathered around like they were watching a monkey at the zoo, staring expectantly at Zhou Yinli’s tense expression, some even wanting to reach out and touch his long hair.

Fang Cheng could see that Zhou Yinli wasn’t happy. Fearing he might have an episode, he simply stood next to him and helped block the others.

When Zhang Yi came over, Fang Cheng told Zhou Yinli to be polite since they would be working together soon.

However, Zhang Yi didn’t even look at Zhou Yinli. She raised an eyebrow at Fang Cheng. Oh? What wind blew you here?

Fang Cheng said with a grin, I’m just helping out Director Lin by escorting your husband over.

Zhang Yi rolled her eyes at him. What do you mean ‘my husband’? He’s more like your husband.

There were very few girls Fang Cheng couldn’t win an argument against, but Zhang Yi was one of them. He was momentarily speechless. What are you doing here?

Zhang Yi leaned in toward Zhou Yinli. I want to take a photo with him. Help us out.

Fang Cheng’s eyes widened. Why do you want a photo with him? Are you boy-crazy too? The influence of that delinquent girl from the other day was too strong; Fang Cheng now felt like every woman had their sights set on Zhou Yinli.

Zhou Yinli seemed quite startled by the woman’s sudden proximity. He looked like he was about to jump up, and the makeup artist started yelling, Don’t fucking move!

Fang Cheng quickly held Zhou Yinli down and said to Zhang Yi, Five hundred for one photo. Transfer the money to me right now, and I’ll take it for you.

His tone was that of a street thug. Zhang Yi shrieked, Five hundred? You think he’s worth five hundred?

Fang Cheng said, Then fifty?

Zhang Yi said, Not even five.

Fang Cheng wanted to haggle more, but Lin Er came over and scolded him, Stop messing around on my set! Be careful or you’ll get it for bullying people. Xiao Yi needs to take a photo with every male co-star. We’re going to use them for behind-the-scenes footage later! If the drama becomes a hit, this is all promotional material!

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Fang Cheng took Zhang Yi’s phone and muttered under his breath, Sorry, I thought you were lusting after him too.

Zhang Yi was so angry her eyes nearly rolled out of her head. Who’s lusting? He’s just a man, isn’t he? I’ve seen more handsome guys than you’ve seen AVs.

Fang Cheng quickly said, I’m taking the picture now. Get in position. Smile! He used this to shut Zhang Yi up.

Zhang Yi immediately leaned in close to Zhou Yinli for the photo.

After the photo was taken, Zhang Yi’s gaze suddenly lingered on Fang Cheng. Let’s take one too.

Fang Cheng hated having his picture taken the most. He immediately tried to run, but Zhang Yi was quick and caught him, snapping several photos of him making distorted faces.

Once Zhou Yinli’s makeup was finished, Lin Er prepared to take him away.

Fang Cheng originally wanted to follow them to see how Zhou Yinli filmed, but he was tagged in a group chat. A few of his brothers were calling him to play Mahjong online.

He figured he hadn’t talked to anyone for a few days, and it wouldn’t be good to neglect his relationships, so he let Zhou Yinli go on his own while he lowered his head and agreed to play a few rounds.

He looked up and found Zhou Yinli staring at him, refusing to leave. It made him feel bewildered.

It’s not like I’m sending you to an execution ground. Why the long face? He waved his hand. Go film your scene. I’m busy making money.

Lin Er also urged Zhou Yinli to hurry up. Only then did Zhou Yinli turn and follow him away.

After a few rounds, Fang Cheng’s head was spinning from losing. He played another round and lost again.

Fang Cheng sensed a yellow figure approaching beside him. He had a good idea of who it was. He didn’t expect the filming to be over so quickly; it really was just a walk-on part. A thought suddenly struck him. Have you ever played Mahjong?

Zhou Yinli shook his head. Fang Cheng smiled slightly and pointed at the screen while playing. This is called Mahjong. Since you don’t know how, let me teach you.

Zhou Yinli was a bit curious about this thing he had never encountered. Listening to Fang Cheng’s explanation and watching him play for a while, he quickly grasped the rules. Since Mahjong itself is easy to pick up, a rare look of eagerness appeared in his eyes.

Fang Cheng handed him the phone and taught him how to swipe and operate it. Zhou Yinli took the phone nervously, his fingers tapping timidly, afraid to use too much force. Because he was too gentle, the screen didn’t even react.

Fang Cheng got impatient. He reached out, grabbed Zhou Yinli’s finger, and pressed it onto the screen. Zhou Yinli flinched but didn’t move away.

Fang Cheng was always thick-skinned and naturally didn’t notice Zhou Yinli’s reaction. He said excitedly, This hand is great! You can go for a Full Flush!

Don’t take that one yet. Wait for something else.

This tile is good, keep it. Discard the other one!

At first, Fang Cheng could still give instructions, but once Zhou Yinli became familiar with the game, he didn’t want to listen to Fang Cheng at all. He started winning more and more frequently.

Fang Cheng was thoroughly satisfied. Looking at the points, he found that Zhou Yinli had won back everything he had lost at the start, plus a little extra.

They were playing for money, and whoever lost had to send red envelopes later.

Fang Cheng usually lost more than he won, so he wasn’t very keen on playing with them. If it weren’t for a tiny bit of guilt over neglecting his friends for a “pretty face,” he wouldn’t have spent the whole morning playing cards with them.

As expected, the newbie luck was very effective! Fang Cheng let out a triumphant smile. Why else would he teach Zhou Yinli Mahjong for no reason?

The others were fuming from their losses. They cursed him out in the group chat, saying he had dog-shit luck, and then they quit playing altogether.

Fang Cheng looked at Zhou Yinli expectantly. He felt like he had latched onto a God of Wealth; his luck seemed to have completely turned around since meeting him. Then he thought about how his financial luck might disappear once he eventually sent him away.

But he couldn’t exactly keep a grown man in his house as a God of Wealth and offer him three meals a day as sacrifices forever.

Lin Er filmed a few more scenes with others until it was time for a break. Someone shouted for them to come get their lunch boxes. Time to eat!

Fang Cheng sent Zhou Yinli to the distribution point. Zhou Yinli collected two portions from the person handing out food, and the two of them found a corner to sit down together.

Fang Cheng never sat properly, and since he disliked the food in the lunch boxes, he poked and prodded at his meal, picking out the things he didn’t want to eat. His lunch box ended up looking like a messy dog bowl.

Zhou Yinli sat upright and meticulous. He ate whatever was provided without being picky at all. His finished portions were neat and orderly, perfectly arranged except for the missing food.

The contrast between the two was stark. Fang Cheng stared longingly at Zhou Yinli’s box. He clearly had his eye on the chicken leg.

After he glanced at it a few times, a chicken leg suddenly appeared in his own rice. Very tactful! Fang Cheng was quite satisfied. He naturally gave the vegetables he didn’t like to Zhou Yinli. Zhou Yinli frowned slightly but said nothing in the end, finishing all the food.

Lin Er followed the same path as Fang Cheng. He couldn’t sit still while eating either, wandering around with his lunch box. He soon drifted over to them, squeezed in between the two, and started praising Zhou Yinli. I’m telling you, Little Zhou, you did great today. You were born to be an act—

He originally wanted to say “actor,” but then he realized the guy hadn’t actually shown any acting skills, nor had he given him a platform to display any. He changed his words mid-sentence. You were born to eat the Emperor’s bowl of rice! Hahahaha!

Lin Er thought his joke was hilarious and laughed first to show his appreciation. To his surprise, after laughing for a while, he saw Zhou Yinli looking at him coldly, while Fang Cheng was looking at Zhou Yinli with a very complicated expression filled with a hint of pity and regret.

Lin Er’s laughter stopped abruptly. You two have a problem.