Chapter 24: The Movie Emperor Keeps a Black-Hearted Fox Spirit at Home

Song Heqing watched the two of them with a suppressed smile. Anyone with eyes could understand the subtext of Su Tang’s words; after all, what had happened earlier that day made it clear that Wen Tian’s eyesight was indeed a bit problematic.

Wen Tian smiled. "Is that so? So, it’s just a matter of practicing more, right?" She didn’t seem embarrassed in the slightest.

Su Tang nodded. "Right."

They kept dinner simple, just reheating the leftovers from lunch. When everyone was ready to eat, Wen Tian had already claimed a seat next to Song Heqing.

Su Tang arched a brow and sat down beside Shen Lü.

Seeing that Song Heqing and Su Tang had been chatting all afternoon, Wen Tian had hoped to sit next to Song Heqing to get closer to him. However, throughout the entire meal, Song Heqing kept talking to Chang Qinghua. Wen Tian tried her best to interject, but in the end, she only managed a few words, and those were only because Chang Qinghua had addressed her.

Since a grueling day awaited them tomorrow, everyone went to bed early after finishing dinner. They each had their own room; although the spaces were small, they offered good privacy and were free of cameras.

The next morning, Su Tang rose early. If she wanted to shake off her "infamous" reputation, she needed to win over the audience's favor. Besides, given the current situation, she didn’t think the others would be learning to hunt anytime soon.

Because the facilities were primitive, there was only one bathroom and a restroom, so washing up had to be done at the sink in the courtyard. When Su Tang walked out with her toiletries, she saw someone already standing there.

It was Song Heqing.

She walked up and greeted him, "Morning, Brother Song."

Song Heqing was washing his face and turned to look at her. "Morning."

Su Tang felt a brief moment of distraction; he looked truly handsome even with his hair in disarray from the water.

"Brother Song, let me get some water." With her towel slung over her shoulder, she filled her basin and crouched down next to him to brush her teeth.

After washing his face, Song Heqing crouched next to Su Tang. "Little Su, could I borrow your towel?" He was squinting at her, having not brought one himself.

Su Tang felt her nose grow hot again. Without a second thought, she pulled the towel from her shoulder and pressed it directly onto Song Heqing’s face.

Song Heqing stiffened for a moment before taking the towel. "...Thanks..."

As Su Tang finished washing up, Song Heqing draped the towel back over her shoulder and asked, "Is my morning appearance really that unbearable to look at?"

Since they had just woken up and weren't wearing their microphones yet, they were speaking softly, and the others couldn't hear them.

Su Tang covered her face with the towel and murmured, "No, it’s just too handsome."

She heard Song Heqing let out a low chuckle in her ear before he walked away. "That’s good then."

After finishing her morning routine and applying some basic skincare, Su Tang went to the kitchen to find something to eat, planning to grab a quick bite before heading out to hunt. To her surprise, Song Heqing was already in the kitchen prepping ingredients for breakfast.

"Brother Song, is there anything to eat?" Su Tang wanted to see if there were any leftovers from the night before.

Song Heqing shook his head. "Nothing right now. Are you hungry?"

Su Tang nodded honestly. "Mm."

Song Heqing pointed to a box of cereal on the table. "Why don't you have some cereal to tide you over?"

Su Tang looked over and realized it was a sponsor's product. She grabbed a bowl, quickly prepared a serving, finished it in a few bites, and headed out.

Song Heqing had assumed Su Tang was just hungry, but he was surprised to see her walk into the storage room and emerge with her hunting gear. Seeing her about to leave, he called out, "Little Su, where are you going?"

Su Tang pointed toward the mountains. "I'm going hunting. I'll be back in a bit."

As she walked toward the mountain, she spoke to 001.

Su Tang: [001, can you lock onto the locations of the prey?]

001: [Simple.]

Su Tang was very satisfied. [Then help me lock onto them.]

She was ready to make a big move. As she walked, she suddenly sensed someone beside her. She turned to see it was Song Heqing.

"Brother Song?" Su Tang paused, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Song Heqing smiled helplessly. "If I left you to go hunting all by yourself, wouldn't that make me a terrible person?"

Su Tang thought to herself that it was important to build good relationships on variety shows, even if Song Heqing might return to his previous attitude once the show was over.

She blinked, tilted her head, and gave him a mischievous smile. "Brother Song, are you worried about me?"

Song Heqing hadn't expected her to be so direct. He pursed his lips into a smile and looked straight at her. "What if I said yes?"

A faint flush appeared on Su Tang's cheeks. "Cough, Brother Song, if you act like this, I might mistake it for you having a crush on me."

Song Heqing laughed. "Do you talk to other young men like this too?"

Su Tang hadn't expected him to be so petty; he had clearly taken to heart her comment from the day before about having seen many men’s abs.

How could she be that bold? She usually only dared to look at such things on her phone, and while she liked to tease young men, she never dared to actually cross the line. She always felt it wasn't right, and besides, she hadn't accumulated enough merit yet, so she should keep things low-key.

"Oh, those guys are all so shy; they aren't as open-minded as you, Brother Song," she said nonchalantly.

Song Heqing chuckled. "Is that so?" He gave her a meaningful look.

Soon, the two of them reached the middle of the mountain. Su Tang asked, "Brother Song, weren't you prepping breakfast? Is it okay for you to be here with me?"

"What could be the problem? They probably won't even be awake by the time we get back."

Su Tang nodded. "That's true." She had thought she was early, but it turned out Song Heqing had risen even earlier than her.

Su Tang bent down, picked up a few stones, and put them in her pockets, then began to walk toward the locations 001 had marked for her.

"How about you teach me how to hunt now?" Song Heqing followed behind, observing his surroundings.

"Sure," Su Tang said, grabbing his arm. "Wait, don't move forward."

"What's wrong?"

Su Tang pointed in a certain direction and whispered, "Look over there."

"A pheasant?" Song Heqing whispered back. "How did you spot that?"

Su Tang handed him a stone. "I just happened to see it. Give it a try."

Song Heqing was a bit unsure, but he tried to aim at the pheasant. "Like this?"

"Yeah," Su Tang moved closer and reached out to adjust his posture. "Try it. Aim in that direction and pull back as far as you can."

"Alright." Song Heqing obeyed, pulling back with force.

"Screech!" The pheasant fell on cue.

Song Heqing stood stunned, surprised by how smoothly it went. He looked at Su Tang, who was watching him with a bright smile, and knew it was because of her help.