Chapter 60 - Picking Up Waste

Li Zhao turned his head and met Yan Ting’s eyes filled with curiosity.

“A big sister I used to take care of when she was in the hospital. In the last few days, she has transferred to work in your company and you are colleagues.”

A big sister, how big? A colleague? Zhao Zhao sending him food, was it for him or was it to see his big sister while bringing him food as well.

“She and her husband are settling down here in Beijing. Once I finish recording the next episode of the program, I will invite them to dinner. Do you want to go with me?” Li Zhao was still chatting about his friends and didn’t notice Yan Ting’s expression changing. “I want to introduce you to him.

“We’ve been friends for many years and it is time to introduce you.”

It was the clouds moving to reveal the moon and the sun shining after the snow. Everything returned to spring.

“You aren’t familiar with Beijing so I’ll take care of the arrangements.” Yan Ting’s eyes like up when he heard that the words ‘introduce you.’

“What do they like to eat? I can book a top chef…”

“Stop, stop.” Li Zhao waved his hand. “Why book a top chef? We can just do hot pot. The hotpot store where we met is very nice, fresh and reasonably priced.” Li Zhao chapped his hands. “That’s it. How about it?”

“Okay.” Yan Ting was silent for a moment. “What hobbies do they usually have? I…”

“Ting Ting, you are my buddy and they are my friends. You just need to go to dinner happily and come back with me happily.” Li Zhao suddenly realized that Yan Ting had few friends other than him.

Thus, Ting Ting attached great importance to him and was a bit cautious in this friendship. This was unfair to Ting Ting.

“Okay.” Yan Ting lowered his eyelids. It was fine as long as they didn’t take Zhao Zhao away from him.

Yan Ting asked, “Are you going to record the show again?”

“We will start early tomorrow.” Li Zhao explained. “The original plan was to film three days later but there were a few guests who couldn’t arrange the time. Thus, it is two days ahead of schedule.”

“I will ask the housekeeper to help you pack your luggage.” Yan Ting was silent for a moment. “No matter what you encounter outside, don’t let yourself be wronged.”

“The program group gets along well with the rest of the guests, rest a.s.sured.”

Li Zhao thought that it wasn’t certain who would drive who crazy. He had dinner with Yan Ting in the evening and lingered until 11 o’clock. Then he dragged his suitcase back home.

At around 5 o’clock in the morning, the crew knocked on his door again. This time, he had a lot of experience. He entertained them for breakfast and went out with this suitcase.

“Mr Li, be safe on the way.” The housekeeper stood outside the gate and smiled as Li Zhao entered the car.

“Thank you, housekeeper uncle.” Li Zhao looked up at Yan Ting’s room where a light was on and a figure stood in front of the window. He poked out his head and waved at the shadow. The program group’s car slowly drove out of the community. The staff members were smiling as they looked at Li Zhao like he was a gold doll.

“Zhao Zhao, this program is very successful. Although only the first part of the previous episode has been broadcasted, many viewers have been looking forward to the next episode tomorrow morning.”

“Does the audience enjoy how miserable the guests are?”

Was this a decline of human nature or morals…

“The audience loved your performance on the show. How do you feel?”

Li Zhao took out the milk provided by the sponsor and waved it in front of him. “If you get up early and drink a gla.s.s of milk then you can also carry a piglet like me.”

The staff, “k2026;k2026;”

The sponsor father would probably like Li Zhao’s answer.

“Where are we going this time? Will it be as fun as last time?” Li Zhao was full of interest in the new journey and couldn’t wait.

The staff felt that the felt brought about by tossing the other guests in the previous episodes had been consumed by Li Zhao. Where was the fun last time? Was it fun to sell sweet potatoes or to be chased by a rooster?

“We won’t let you down.”

The program group what definitely make him understand what the rules and decorum were. The goal was to make the guests look bitter and cry! Soon, Li Zhao knew the program group’s arrangements. This time, their destination was the Loess Plateau.

Maybe they were afraid Li Zhao would take a pig or a donkey cart again. The program team directly removed this link and asked Li Zhao to pick up 30 drinking bottles outside the airport before taking the program team’s car to the village.

30 drinking bottles?

Li Zhao felt it was no problem but when he went outside the airport, a group of young people wearing red scarves were outside as volunteers to protect the environment. Forget bottles, there wasn’t even one piece of paper.

“Are you the devil?” Li Zhao stared at the scene in a stunned state and his mind only returned after a long time. “What about human nature?”

The crew were stunned as well. They hadn’t expected this accident to happen because these people weren’t arranged by them.

However, once they saw Li Zhao’s collapsed expression, the staff member forced a smile and patted him on the shoulder. “We don’t want this type of thing to happen. Everyone has a responsibility to care for the environment. Seeing these beautiful flowers of our motherland, aren’t you more motivated?”

Li Zhao’s face had no expression. “Curse your motivation.”

“Good actors can’t swear.” The staff member smiled. “Come on, I believe in you.”

“Do you think this is hard for me?” Li Zhao walked to the flower bed, took off his coat, used all the ashes on the ground onto his grey coat and put his mask on his face. “Wait for me.”

The program group, “……”

This guest was too cruel to himself, too cruel.

No need, there was really no need.

Five minutes later, a young man in grey clothes appeared on the street. He had a broken snakeskin bag in his hand and once he saw other garbage on the ground, he picked it up and threw it in the trash can. If it was a plastic bottle then he picked it up and placed it in his snakeskin bag.

Two young girls pa.s.sed by and one of them whispered to her friend. “I must love my baby too much. I see that trash picker and think of him.”

“Nonsense, how is our baby like this trash picker? It seems you miss him so much that everyone looks like Li Zhao. It is like a person who has been single for so long. They even think an orangutan is pretty when they see one.”

The program group that was secretly following behind her, “……”

Young girls, this person picking up trash in the street is your Zhao Zhao.

Life was always full of surprises, even for a show crew.

Just as Li Zhao was bending down to pick up the garbage on the ground, a popular Internet star doing a live webcast came to him.

“h.e.l.lo, I’m Potato Scrambled Egg, a broadcast of Green Pepper Live Broadcast. Jus t now, I saw you throwing the garbage on the ground into the trash can and you don’t care that you’re picking up trash.” Potato Scrambled Egg didn’t directly aim the camera at Li Zhao. “My fans are very interested in your behaviour. Can you answer a few questions?”

Li Zhao pulled up his mask, glanced at the staff shooting on the side and slightly nodded. “Yes.”

Hearing Li Zhao’s voice, the broadcaster was a bit surprised. This trash picker’s voice was… pretty nice.

“Are you a waste picker?”

Li Zhao hesitated before nodding.

Now he truly was one.

“You seem to care a lot about the rubbish on the ground.”

“It is because I am caring for the environment. Everyone has a responsibility.”

Potato Scrambled Egg was a hot person of Green Pepper Live Broadcast and had more than 100,000 viewers every time. He came to interview Li Zhao during the live broadcast because the fans noticed the unusual trash picker.

Fans laughed in the comments section when they heard the answer of the person picking up trash.

“Hahaha, this is a very socially responsible waste picker.”

“Based on his voice, he shouldn’t be very old. Perhaps he is young and can’t make money, so he wants to pick up trash?”

“If a person doesn’t steal, break the law or harm society, they can do anything. Besides, there are so many pa.s.sersby who don’t pick up garbage on the side of the road. Instead, a trash picker did it. Who should we look down on?”

“Why do I think the voice of the trash picker is familiar?”

“I suspect this man isn’t a trash picker at all. His hat is from a certain brand and is worth five figures. The coat is also the latest spring clothing from a certain brand. Not only is the price high, it is also limited. Personally, my guess is that he is cooperating with others to create hype.”

“So what do you want to say to the live audience?”

“The planet is our home. Loving the environment depends on everyone.”

After saying this, Li Zhao carried the snakeskin bag on his shoulder and walked away.

Potato Scrambled Eggs was shocked by this person’s atmosphere. He took a photo of this trash picker’s back and his mind didn’t return for a long time.

He wasn’t just someone who picked up waste, he was a philosopher.

It wasn’t until this person’s figure was no longer visible that fans suddenly sent messages.

“Ah, the voice of this trash picker is like a really hot artist recently!”

“Isn’t it that person from the variety show?”

“I’m not the only one who thinks so?”

Potato Scrambled Eggs stared at the fans’ comments and laughed at this absurd speculation. “How can a popular star come to the street to pick up trash? If he really is Li Zhao then I will broadcast myself eating my keyboard live.”

The fans laughed but no one took it seriously.

***

The guest was acting shameless and the staff of the variety show was embarra.s.sed to walk with him because their skin wasn’t as thick as him.

Li Zhao collected 30 bottles but then a fruit cart turned upside down on the road. He helped the driver pick up all the fruits and happily carried the apples the two drivers had forced on him back.

Halfway there, he met a grandmother picking up rubbish. Li Zhao gave her all the bottles he had picked up, took off his dirty coat and sat in the car of the program group. The eyes of the staff members were full of complexity. Was the fee that the program group paid Li Zhao too low?

There weren’t many shameless young actors. Was if he was s.n.a.t.c.hed by another show?

“Do you want one?” Li Zhao took out some apples from the bag and gave it to the staff member.

Their mood was complicated but they still ate the apples. During the time when Seclusion Mountain Forest had started recording, the Love program group was already worried about that night’s ratings.

The director hid in a small room and watched last week’s episode of Seclusion Mountain Forest several times. The word of mouth and reputation of Seclusion Mountain Forest had risen since this episode because there was Li Zhao who didn’t follow the normal routine at all.

The more he watched, the more uncomfortable he felt. If Li Zhao was a guest of his show then he would also be able to make more highlights.

Hey, how did Seclusion Mountain Forest pick up such a good seedling?

He was just feeling annoyed when the phone rang. The director saw the call display and felt a bit guilty. He dawdled before accepting the call. “Teacher Lu, congratulations on finishing your new drama and signing with a good company.”

“Li Zhao?” He heard Lu Hao take the initiative to mention Li Zhao and the director’s voice became somewhat bitter.

“Yes, I was very distressed when seeing Zhao Zhao suffering in Seclusion Mountain Forest.” Lu Hao joked on the other end of the phone. “If you had helped me maintain the previous quota then he wouldn’t have needed to work so hard. Don’t you think it’s your fault?”

“What did you say?” The director’s brain buzzed. “The quota you asked me to keep in the past was for Li Zhao?”

“There was no suitable person around me except for him.” Lu Hao sighed. “Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a fate with you…”

Lu Hao said something else but the director didn’t hear it. He could only hear his heartbreak.

“Director, Xu Bei’s team asked…”

“What nonsense request?!” The director wasn’t in a good mood. “If he wants to ask for so much then don’t shoot the show! The guests of Seclusion Mountain Forest have never asked for anything. Why does he keep making requests?”

If it wasn’t for Xu Bei then how could he miss out on Li Zhao?

The director’s a.s.sistant, “……”

The director who was also the producer was finally driven mad by the ratings.

The author has something to say:

Baby Ting Ting has been worried in recent days: When having dinner with Baby Zhao Zhao’s family, which bib is cuter?