Chapter 5

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Lin Yi lagged a half-step behind Qin Siyuan, his mouth never ceasing to chatter. As Qin Siyuan walked, the sounds behind him suddenly quieted. Not completely silent, however—scattered groups of people resting nearby murmured softly, cicadas chirped, and a few small dogs barked. An old tricycle clattered along with a rhythmic clunking noise.

Qin Siyuan turned to see Lin Yi’s bright eyes fixed intently on the slowly moving tricycle. Although Lin Yi had ridden in cars before, his horsemanship made him favor ‘open-air’ vehicles.

“Do you like it?” Qin Siyuan asked.

Lin Yi jumped slightly, like a startled rabbit. Qin Siyuan didn’t wait for an answer; his face plainly spelled out two words: “Want to ride.”

He waved at the woman driving the rickety tricycle, and soon it came to a stop in front of the two boys.

“Hey kids, what’s this about?” The middle-aged woman wiped the sweat from her brow with a cloth hanging around her neck. It was noon, the heat oppressive, and she was just about to head home for a rest, planning to return when the afternoon sun was less harsh. Their orchard wasn’t just scientifically managed—it also treated workers humanely.

“If you’ve finished your work, could you give us a ride?” Qin Siyuan asked politely. “We can pay.”

The woman waved off the offer of payment with a hearty laugh. “No need to pay, giving you two kids a lift is no trouble at all. Hop on!” She sounded as if the rickety tricycle was a luxury car.

Lin Yi looked at Qin Siyuan with wide eyes, wondering if his master was asking this favor just for him. Qin Siyuan took Lin Yi’s wrist and approached the woman. “Can he sit in front?”

“Of course!” she said, tickling Lin Yi’s ribs before settling him beside her. “Hold onto my clothes tight, don’t fall off.”

Qin Siyuan climbed into the back cargo area. It was his first time riding a tricycle, and despite the noon heat, a faint breeze brushed past.

Lin Yi’s heart raced with excitement. Wow! It really moves! People in this world sure are clever. Unfortunately, the orchard and the meeting point were so close that Lin Yi barely warmed his seat before they arrived.

The woman pinched Lin Yi’s cheek gently. “If you want to ride again, come find me.” Lin Yi’s cheeks flushed deep red. Before she left, he took two of the biggest apples from his basket and quietly handed them to her.

In a soft voice, as if sharing a secret, he said, “I asked the older kids if I could eat some apples I picked. I won’t eat these—I want to give them to you.” He had no idea that the wheat grain he carried had already transmitted his ‘little secret’ live to the streaming room.

The woman, already fond of Lin Yi’s cute face, felt her heart melt at his words. Where could such a well-behaved child have come from? Which direction should she pray to have such a beautiful and thoughtful little one?

Viewers in the live chat wished they could become that woman, hold Lin Yi tightly, and shower him with affection.

[This passerby is smitten—Lin Yi fans, do you sneak snacks?]

[Even I, a hater, can barely stand it...]

[I rarely follow entertainment news; why is this little kid being universally bashed?]

[When Lin Yi was a child model, he was rude and uncooperative; what made him famous was when he hit his older brother...]

[Setting aside truth or falsehood, even adults have bad moods at work, right? Was Lin Yi even three then?]

[Lin Yi’s fans are here to defend again!]

The director’s assistant frowned deeper as she read the live comments. Something felt deliberately orchestrated. Lin Yi was just a child, new to the entertainment industry, with no chance to have stepped on anyone’s toes yet.

She shook her head in puzzlement.

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Because of the shared ride, Lin Yi and Qin Siyuan arrived early at Da Ping, waiting a while before the others gradually returned.

When Zhong Qi came back, he shot Lin Yi a resentful glare.

Lin Yi scratched his head—he had left Zhong’s father back at the orchard.

In contrast, Xie Yu was much more composed. She often wondered if her son had drunk some mythical potion that made him far more mature than other kids his age.

When Ian returned, he immediately ran over to Lin Yi to check out the apples in his basket.

Wow, so many! But not as many as his own. He was sure he would win.

No, his real rival was Qin Siyuan. He wasn’t relaxed yet.

He didn’t even have to lean over to Qin Siyuan’s basket—just a glance showed Qin’s apples were already peeking over the rim.

Wait, that’s about the same amount as what he and Yang Bo picked?

Ian grew nervous.

Jiang Xuan was oblivious to his son’s little thoughts. He was trying to chat with Xi Lan, but looking at the sparse basket of apples, it was hard to say anything complimentary.

A few scattered apples, some with bite marks and already oxidized.

After pondering for a long time, Jiang Xuan only managed to say, “Sister Xi, Mianmian’s teeth are really neat.”

[Laughing] “So Jiang Xuan is quite the comedian!”

[Xi the Empress: If you can’t compliment, better to stay silent.]

“Little Ian flits about like a butterfly.”

“Those who doubted Lin Yi, where are you? Apologize now!”

“Lin Yi’s fans have no shame. Mianmian is four years old—how old is your Lin Yi?”

The six children’s apple baskets were lined up side by side. At a glance, Mianmian’s basket was clearly the smallest.

The tour guide announced: “Mianmian picked eight apples. Let’s see how many Xiao Bo has—it’s the same amount.”

Yang Xing looked surprised at his son. Why so few?

“Next is Nora, with thirteen apples.”

Mianmian gave Nora a thumbs-up. “Sister, you’re amazing!”

“Now let’s see how many Ian has: one, two... twenty-three,” the guide praised. “Well done, Ian!”

Ian held his head high, proud as a victorious goose. “It’s nothing special.”

The guide moved to Lin Yi’s basket, counting: “Eighteen—Xiao Yi has quite a few apples too.”

Finally, Qin Siyuan’s turn. Hearing Lin Yi only had eighteen, Ian had been cocky.

But now, counting Qin’s apples made him nervous.

“Twenty,” Qin Siyuan said calmly.

Ian’s eyebrows jumped with excitement. His tense fingers relaxed. Yes! Fewer than me! I’m first!

“Twenty-five,” Nora suddenly squatted beside Qin Siyuan’s basket.

Because there were so many apples, some even placed on the ground, Qin Siyuan’s apples were uniform in size and color, arranged five per row, four rows in total—a clear display.

Ian rushed over to Nora, like a little firecracker. Not knowing multiplication yet, he pointed and counted, “One, two... it’s definitely twenty!”

Nora remained steady. “There are five more in the basket.”

Ian’s face fell in disbelief. He glanced at the basket, and his expression cracked.

There really were five more!

It was as if the number one prize had sprouted wings and flown straight to Qin Siyuan.

“My big reward!” Ian thought.

Qin Siyuan said, “Those were picked by Lin Yi.”

Then he added, “He gave them to me.”

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Nora ignored Qin Siyuan’s last sentence and asked the guide, “Sister guide, do these five count towards the total?”

The guide glanced at the rules: [The child who picks the most apples in the orchard wins a grand prize.]

He Tong didn’t know why her daughter was so particular about this. Clearly, she wouldn’t be the winner.

But as a mother, she could tell her daughter probably didn’t want Ian to take first place.

He Tong immediately supported her daughter: “Since the rules say the apples must be picked by the child, and these five were definitely picked by Xiao Yi, it shouldn’t matter whose basket they were carried back in, right?”

Fortunately, these were local specialty apples, only about fist-sized. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure if Xiao Yi and Qin Siyuan would have complained about the weight and refused to carry them back.

Ian half-understood. He figured the five apples must count, but wasn’t sure if they belonged to Qin Siyuan or Lin Yi.

If they counted for Qin Siyuan, then he had no chance at first place. But if for Lin Yi...

Ian immediately looked toward his father.

Jiang Xuan disliked competition, even if it was for his son’s benefit.

When He Tong finished speaking, Jiang Xuan’s eyes flashed with displeasure. Busybodies!

Though annoyed, he still smiled: “If Xiao Yi picked the apples, of course they belong to him.

“But then that means Xiao Yi has twenty-three, tying with Ian. Does that mean two first-place winners?”

Yang Xing quickly followed: “Is this a loophole to cheat the show? I wonder if the producers planned for two prizes?”

Ian wasn’t fully satisfied with this result. What, that Lin Yi guy has as many as me?

But if there were two first prizes, he could accept that.

The tour guide clearly hadn’t anticipated a tie but quickly recovered and announced: “The winner of the first apple-picking contest in ‘Baby Travels’ is...”

“Lin Yi! Dad and I came to bring you apples!” a little girl ran up to Lin Yi.

Xie Yu and He Tong exchanged looks—there seemed to be more to come.

Behind the girl was a young man with a bronzed, glistening torso under the sun, his muscles on his abdomen and arms well-defined.

He Tong whistled softly.

Having worked in modeling for years, she knew this man had an excellent physique.

Xie Yu pointed at He Tong with a resigned smile. “You, you...”

He Tong replied, “What’s wrong with me? Men can ogle beautiful women, but we can’t admire handsome men?”

Her words earned hearty agreement from many in the live chat, who now focused on He Tong and the young father.

Only Qin Siyuan noticed Lin Yi’s nearly broken expression.

Lin Yi understood that women in this world wore less restrictive clothing and enjoyed more freedom compared to his own world.

But seeing this up close still surprised him.

Surprised though he was, Lin Yi quickly accepted He Tong’s mindset.

Before, he thought his purpose was to protect his master and struggle to survive.

Many things couldn’t confine him.

Otherwise, would he be such a little stickler now?

Jiang Xuan cared most about his son’s first-place title. Clearly, the arrival of this mother and daughter threatened his son’s standing.

The prize wasn’t important; the title was!

Jiang Xuan pointed at the bamboo basket nearly as tall as his son’s calf. “You’re saying Xiao Yi picked all these apples?”

“Even if you’re fans of Xiao Yi, you can’t help him cheat like this.

“Look, Xiao Yi isn’t much taller than this basket!”

It had to be fake!

Jiang Xuan’s words effectively branded Lin Yi as aided by fans cheating.

Though the dark-skinned man smiled amiably, he was no fool and spoke firmly: “Your production team installed many cameras in the orchard the day before. Since this gentleman doubts it, why not review the footage?”