Reborn as a comedic artist

Chapter 110 Human Relationships

The atmosphere in the back row was indeed a bit strange.

The usually carefree "female knight" Zhao Yufeng was now huddled in the corner of the car door.

A pair of long, awkwardly placed legs were crossed and tilted to one side. He held a small round mirror in his hand, looking at his face again and again with a furrowed brow, as if flowers had sprouted from the handsome face in the mirror.

"Yiyi..."

'

Zhao Yufeng's voice was extremely low, carrying a feigned strength that would never normally be present: "Do you think my makeup is too heavy? Will Auntie think I'm being indecent?"

"And this outfit... Should I change into that floral dress? Won't these jeans make my butt look too big?"

As she spoke, she nervously tugged at the jeans that were actually very form-fitting and perfectly accentuated her amazing waist-to-hip ratio.

Lin Yiyi, sitting in the middle, wasn't much better off.

This usually innocent and sweet little princess wore a cute beige dress today, with her hair flowing smoothly over her shoulders, looking every bit the perfect obedient girl that any parent would love.

Upon hearing Zhao Yufeng's plea for help, Lin Yiyi mechanically turned her head, her eyes blank and pupils unfocused, clearly not fully awake: "Huh? Oh... it's fine, really."

"Um—Yu Feng, what do you think should be the first thing I say to Auntie if I see her?"

Her lips trembled: "Would calling me 'Auntie' be too formal? Would calling me 'Auntie' be too polite?"

Cheng Ming glanced at the two nervous people beside him, and his lips twitched involuntarily.

As a transmigrator, aside from filming that depressing video and privately helping the original owner's parents resolve their financial crisis, he didn't really have much interaction with the family in this world.

The core strategy for this trip back to the ancient city is to incorporate a bit of "stockpiling grain" into the social interactions.

As for the original family matters, people are obliged to help those who provide food, so it's just a symbolic formality and there's not much complicated stuff involved.

Unexpectedly, Lin Yiyi and Zhao Yufeng actually gave off a "the ugly daughter-in-law must eventually meet her in-laws" vibe.

"I'm talking to you two!"

Cheng Ming couldn't help but speak up: "This time our cooperation is mainly a business collaboration. My family's visit is just a symbolic stopover. Instead of worrying about that, let's think about how to improve the later scenes and the soundtrack!"

Seeing his adoptive father's great righteousness, Wang Shuo was also moved.

Sitting in the passenger seat, with half a sausage dangling from his mouth, he gave a mischievous smile and a thumbs-up.

"Look at Old Cheng's awareness! What does it mean to pass by one's home three times without entering? He's a modern-day Yu the Great!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two people in the back row, before adding with a sly grin, "But seriously, weren't you two a little overreacting?"

"We're going there to film a movie, not to propose marriage. Hey lady, could you please stop clenching your legs like that? It looks really uncomfortable. People who don't know better might think you're practicing some kind of virginity-training technique."

"roll!"

Zhao Yufeng cursed out loudly without thinking.

But as soon as the word left her mouth, she immediately realized something was wrong. As if to prepare herself, she then forced herself to say in a low voice, "Um... I mean, Fatty, please watch your words."

A brief silence fell over the carriage.

Li Feng's hand holding the steering wheel trembled slightly.

Wang Shuo laughed so hard he slapped his thigh: "Old Zhao, stop pretending, okay? Your gentleness is giving me goosebumps all over, scarier than watching a horror movie!"

"Wang! Shuo!"

Zhao Yufeng's forehead veins throbbed, her fists hardened and loosened repeatedly, clearly engaged in a fierce internal struggle between "maintaining a ladylike image" and "killing Wang Shuo on the spot."

Ten hours.

It took a full ten hours to traverse the mountains and valleys.

When the black SUV finally came to a stop in the courtyard of the Ancient City Culture and Tourism Bureau, the sound of the car door opening seemed to carry a weary sigh.

"Click".

Cheng Ming was the first to get out of the driver's seat, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he couldn't help but complain.

"This long distance is really not something a human can do..."

"7

Cheng Ming stretched his neck, looked at the ancient and imposing office building in front of him, breathed in the familiar hot and dusty smell in the air, and smiled slightly.

came back.

Having lived two lives, this rural charm etched into his DNA brought him a strange sense of relaxation.

In the passenger seat, Wang Shuo stretched and turned to look at the back seat with a mischievous grin: "Old Cheng, be content. If those two female drivers in the back had taken over, we might not even have made it to the ancient city. We might be stuck in that ditch waiting for the crane."

The rear door was pushed open.

Zhao Yufeng jumped out of the car with a dark face. His long legs were a little numb from sitting for a long time, and he staggered when he landed.

She glared at Wang Shuo fiercely: "You fatso, no one will think you're mute if you don't speak! So what if I failed my driving test? It's because the examiner was targeting me!"

"Yes, yes, yes, the examiner is targeting you: three nods at the start, then a burst of acceleration when turning!"

"It's only because the examiner sits in the passenger seat and there are brakes, otherwise the driving school's wall would have to be rebuilt. Yiyi drives the car like a bumper car, while you drive it like a tank. A perfect match."

Lin Yiyi, who had just gotten off the bus, wanted to retort, but upon hearing this, she blushed deeply, lowered her head, and pretended to straighten her skirt, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

Li Feng was the last to get off the bus.

After stretching their bodies a bit, it was fortunate that all three brothers from the photography department could drive; otherwise, one or two people might not have been able to handle such a long journey.

Just then, the glass doors of the office building, which had already been notified, were suddenly pushed open.

"Oh my! Teacher Cheng! The brilliant Cheng!"

Before you see him, you hear his voice.

A middle-aged man wearing a white shirt and black trousers, with his hair neatly combed, strode out, followed by a young clerk.

The person leading the group was Zhang Jianguo, the director of the Ancient City Culture and Tourism Bureau.

Although the bureau chief was over forty years old, he had no airs of authority whatsoever, and his expression at that moment was more excited than if he had seen his first love.

"Director Zhang, you're too kind. Just call me Xiao Cheng or Xiao Ming."

As soon as Cheng Ming reached out his hand, Zhang Jianguo's warm, large hands gripped it tightly and shook it vigorously, as if he wanted to break Cheng Ming's hand.

"Don't call me 'Director'! That's too formal! It's far too polite!"

Zhang Jianguo's voice was loud and clear, carrying the straightforwardness of a man from Northwest China: "We don't do that kind of thing here! If you don't mind, just call me Uncle Zhang!"

"I watched that video last night, wow, that song 'Norwegian Wood'..."

""

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

"That kind of heart-wrenching pain, that kind of excruciating agony... I was alone in my study last night, listening to it over and over again, and I went through half a pack of cigarettes!"

Wang Shuo leaned over and chuckled, "Uncle Zhang, it seems you have quite a story to tell."

Hey, who hasn't suffered heartbreak when they were young?

Zhang Jianguo laughed heartily, his gaze sweeping over Wang Shuo, then looking at Li Feng and the two girls behind him. He waved his hand and said, "Don't just stand at the door! Come on, come on, I've already booked the restaurant! The most luxurious private room. Tonight, we'll drink until we drop! I want to give our great hero a proper welcome!"

As he spoke, he tried to pull Cheng Ming toward an Audi A6 parked nearby.

"Uncle Zhang, wait a minute."

Cheng Ming stood rooted to the spot, completely motionless.

Zhang Jianguo was taken aback and turned to look at him: "What's wrong? Don't you think it's high-class enough?"

That's not what I meant.

Cheng Ming smiled and shook his head, then grasped Zhang Jianguo's arm, his tone sincere: "Uncle Zhang, we're back this time with important business to attend to. Time is tight, the task is heavy, and our team is small. There's really no need for us to go to a fancy hotel and waste our time!"

Zhang Jianguo was stunned.

Having worked in this position for so many years, I've seen my fair share of demons and monsters!

But this young man in front of me...

Having just brought a massive influx of visitors to the ancient city, and riding high on its success, it surprisingly declined the welcome banquet.

"So... what do you mean?" Zhang Jianguo asked tentatively.

"I finally got to come back, and all I could think about was eating some local specialties..."

""

Zhang Jianguo stared into Cheng Ming's eyes for a full three seconds.

Those eyes were clear and open, without any pretense or hypocrisy.

"Good! Good lad! You're a man of action. I'll take you to sample some of our hometown's specialties in a bit!"