With the 9:00 AM flight, Li Mubai arrived at the airport early, afraid he might miss it.
To his surprise, the flight was delayed. Li Mubai felt a bit helpless; he never imagined that the very first time he took a plane in his life, it would end up delayed.
It wasn't until 11:00 AM that Li Mubai finally boarded his flight. After a journey of over four hours, he had a wonderful sleep on the plane.
When he opened his eyes, the plane had already landed.
Dragging his luggage out of the terminal and looking at one of the top airports in the world, Li Mubai had a distinct illusion of a country boy entering the big city.
"Li Mubai?"
Just as Li Mubai was browsing a travel guide on his phone, a charming voice reached his ears. He looked up, and his eyes lit up instantly.
She was a woman in her early thirties, dressed from head to toe in designer brands. With round, alluring eyes and an ample bosom, she was clearly the kind of woman oozing with mature charm.
Furthermore, Li Mubai felt this great beauty looked somewhat familiar, though he couldn't place her for a moment.
"Hello, who are you...?"
Seeing Li Mubai's nervous and perplexed look, the beauty covered her mouth with a chuckle and said, "My name is Wang Xin. Fool Doesn't Say Sarcasm is my Douyin handle."
Li Mubai was instantly astonished. He never expected that not only had she secured him a contestant spot on Idol Producer, but she had even come to the airport to pick him up in person.
"Sister, you look even better than you do online—I almost didn't recognize you!" Li Mubai quickly apologized, recalling something a classmate next door used to say: no matter what kind of girl it is, as long as you don't know what to say, showering her with compliments is always the right move.
Sure enough, as soon as Li Mubai spoke, Wang Xin was grinning from ear to ear.
Following Wang Xin, Li Mubai walked up to a red Ferrari. Li Mubai asked in surprise, "Sister, is this your car?"
Wang Xin nodded and asked with a smile, "Well, what do you think? Do you like it?"
Li Mubai nodded. "No guy can resist the temptation of a red Ferrari!"
With that, the two of them got into the car.
The roar of the Ferrari engine echoed down the highway, instantly drawing the attention of many passersby.
"She really is a wealthy woman!" Li Mubai thought to himself.
After a long silence prompted by his astonishment, Li Mubai asked Wang Xin about her background.
That was when he learned that Wang Xin wasn't a native of Shanghai either; she had only moved there in recent years. She originally came just to visit, but found Shanghai so much fun that, in her delight, she went ahead and bought an apartment there.
As for Wang Xin's family, they were in the dairy business, owning massive pastures in Inner Mongolia and possessing the kind of wealth where they could casually whip up tens of billions of yuan. It was extravagantly, inhumanely rich.
Ah, having cows in the family really makes a difference!
You don't have to do a thing, yet massive piles of cash roll in every day—just because her family has so many cows!
Seeming to sense the inner sigh of emotion from Li Mubai, Wang Xin smiled and said, "Actually, having too much money isn't necessarily a good thing. Nowadays, whenever I buy anything, I don't feel that excitement that comes with shopping anymore. Life is so boring!"
Li Mubai took another critical hit.
"Sister, why would you invest in a variety show like Idol Producer?" Li Mubai asked with some curiosity, figuring that since her family was in the milk business, she would naturally be more familiar with that industry.
Wang Xin said helplessly, "My family has been breathing down my neck to get married, so I had no choice but to use starting a business as an excuse to buy myself some more time."
"I asked my family for over ten million in seed capital. If I can't make three million within a year, I'll have to obediently go back home and inherit a tens-of-billions business!"
Wang Xin sounded utterly helpless, leaving Li Mubai gaping in astonishment beside her.
Before long, the two of them arrived at Shanghai Tower.
Wang Xin led Li Mubai into an upscale restaurant. "Let's grab a casual bite to eat first."
After sitting down, Wang Xin began ordering. Once done, she handed the menu to Li Mubai. "Order whatever you like to eat. Everything here is pretty good."
Li Mubai took the menu and was instantly stunned by the prices—even the cheapest plate of pasta cost over thirty thousand yuan.
"Sister, you order. It's my first time here, so I don't know what's good!" Li Mubai handed the menu back to Wang Xin, entirely unpretentious, with everything he did looking completely sincere.
Wang Xin smiled and nodded, her gaze lingering on Li Mubai's smile for a few extra moments before she asked, "By the way, you've been working out lately, right? The food here is quite high in calories!"
Li Mubai smiled and explained, "Actually, it's not like high-calorie foods can't be eaten. As long as your exercise volume is sufficient, you don't have to pay too much attention to your diet."
Li Mubai thoroughly enjoyed the meal. It wasn't because the food was particularly delicious, but mainly because there was a great beauty sitting right across from him.
As the saying goes, beauty is feast enough for the eyes; Li Mubai finally understood the true meaning of that phrase.
Leaving the restaurant, Wang Xin took him to a clothing store next.
"Sister, there's no need to buy clothes. I heard the production team will provide uniforms for everyone," Li Mubai said.
Wang Xin wore an utterly resolute expression. "How can that do? Since you're the one I, Wang Xin, am sending into the program, dressing you properly means dressing me properly."
"Just leave everything to me, and you won't go wrong!"
With that, Wang Xin grabbed Li Mubai and began having him try on outfits one by one.
I must admit, Wang Xin's taste in fashion was genuinely impressive. After trying on several outfits and standing in front of the mirror, even Li Mubai found it hard to believe his own eyes.
The saying "clothes make the man" had truly been mastered by Wang Xin.
"Looking good—truly, really good!"
"Mubai, I never would have imagined your adaptability could be this strong. You can actually pull off so many different styles!"
At that moment, looking at Li Mubai, Wang Xin looked rather like a high school girl with a crush, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the shooting location!"
Once the clothes were selected, Li Mubai carried the numerous bags and followed Wang Xin.
Before long, the two arrived at the filming set.
The director was a man in his thirties, slightly balding. Upon seeing Wang Xin, his stern face finally broke into a long-overdue smile.
Wang Xin pulled Li Mubai forward to introduce him. "Director Zhao, please take good care of him for me. Everything should follow the competition schedule, of course—no backstage rigging or anything like that."
"Just make sure he isn't mistreated in his daily life."
Director Zhao glanced at Li Mubai, then said to Wang Xin with a flattering smile, "President Wang, what are you saying? You can rest easy!"
Afterward, Li Mubai bid farewell to Wang Xin and was settled into a room prepared in advance by the production team.
Thanks to Wang Xin, his entire journey had been smooth sailing all the way, and even his room was the best available.
Lying on the soft, spacious bed in the room, Li Mubai couldn't help sighing with emotion.
"The feeling of pulling strings... is really amazing!"