Reborn as a comedic artist

Chapter 121 A son does not despise his family for being poor

The plane pierced through the clouds, its landing gear slamming onto the runway with a roar.

Zhengding International Airport.

As the provincial capital airport closest to Beijing and Tianjin, it is not as busy as one might imagine; instead, it exudes a ruggedness and emptiness unique to the North.

The hatch opened, and a blast of dry air, thick with the smell of dust, rushed out.

"call"

Zhao Yufeng took a deep breath, and his handsome face instantly became radiant, as if a fish out of water had finally returned to the pond.

She suddenly tossed her high ponytail behind her, and her magnificent breasts, which seemed about to burst out of her sun-protective clothing, heaved violently, attracting the attention of passengers disembarking from the plane.

"That's right!"

Zhao Yufeng slammed his hand on the railing, making a crisp "bang": "This is the taste of home! It's filled with the aroma of steel, coal, and donkey meat sandwiches!"

Wang Shuo, who was following behind, was startled and pulled his baseball cap down even lower, wishing he could shrink into a crack in the ground.

"Hey lady, can you be a little more discreet?"

Wang Shuo peered warily through the gap in his sunglasses, his voice hushed: "You've arrived at your happy old home, but I've entered enemy-occupied territory. If anyone recognizes me as that red-clothed female ghost, I'll definitely expose you on the spot."

"Look at you, you coward!"

Zhao Yufeng glanced at him disdainfully, then reached out and pulled Lin Yiyi, who was still a little dazed, to his side: "Yiyi, do you see? This is the land of Yan and Zhao!"

"Those people used to say this place was a cultural wasteland," but they were blind! Today, we're going to follow Brother Cheng and reclaim the face of this land!"

Lin Yiyi nodded obediently, but her eyes involuntarily drifted to Cheng Ming, who was walking behind her.

Cheng Ming had one hand in his pocket and the other holding a simple suitcase, walking steadily.

Li Feng, at the very back, was holding his equipment and ready for battle.

Exit.

The staff from the Hebei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism were eagerly waiting at the airport.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a Mediterranean hairstyle, wearing an ill-fitting shirt, holding a handkerchief that was already soaked with sweat in his hand, wiping his forehead from time to time.

He is the head of the Hebei Culture and Tourism Publicity Department. His surname is Zhao and his name is Zhao Guochang.

These past few days, Zhao Guochang has been unable to eat or sleep.

Seeing Shaanxi Province go viral online, with its data exploding and its GDP soaring, he was green with envy.

Especially when I see comments online like, "Yan and Zhao? What's in Yan and Zhao? Smog?"

"Going to Hebei for tourism? That's just going to suffer!"

Every comment felt like a knife stabbing into Zhao Guochang's heart.

That's why, when he learned that Cheng Mingzhen had accepted the invitation and immediately flew to Changshan, he was even more excited than if he had seen his own father come back to life.

"They're here! They're here!"

The secretary next to him, with sharp eyes, pointed to the entrance of the passage and shouted.

Zhao Guochang felt a jolt, stood on tiptoe to look, and instantly locked onto the handsome man whose good looks couldn't be hidden even with a mask on.

"Professor Cheng! Director Cheng!"

Zhao Guochang disregarded his leadership image and strode over, looking as if he was about to kneel down and kowtow to Cheng Ming at any moment.

As soon as Cheng Ming stepped out of the passage, he was tightly grasped by a pair of warm and damp hands.

"Director Cheng! We've been waiting for you like the stars and the moon!"

Zhao Guochang was so excited he was incoherent, his eyes reddening: "You are the savior of our Yanzhao Culture and Tourism! You have no idea how...hard our lives have been!"

Cheng Ming subtly withdrew his hand, casually wiping it on his trouser leg, a professional smile on his face: "Director Zhao, you flatter me... I'm just an internet celebrity, I don't have that much influence..."

"Oh, you're too kind!"

Zhao Guochang nodded repeatedly, then waved his hand grandly, exclaiming, "The motorcade is already waiting outside! Let's head to the Hilton first! I've arranged the highest-level welcome banquet in Changshan! Zhengding's Eight Great Bowls, Golden Lionfish—everything's ready! Several city leaders also want to meet you..."

He who eats another's food is bound to him!

After the welcome banquet, everyone was still a little dizzy and was driven by the driver to Zhao Yufeng's house.

"Godfather, why are we doing this to ourselves?"

"Why would you choose Changshan over all the tourism and cultural bureau chiefs in Shandong province who'd be eager to curry favor with you? I've heard that this place is notoriously obscure."

"It's all over the internet that the capital of Anhui Province is Anan, and the capital of Hebei Province is Jinshi. Changshan is sandwiched in between, so it's basically a giant train station."

"Since we're already here, let's not waste any more time on small talk."

Cheng Ming sat on the right side of the back row, twirling his phone in his hand, but his gaze wasn't on the rapidly receding poplar forest outside the window. Instead, he stared thoughtfully at the person next to him.

Zhao Yufeng.

This "heroine of Yan and Zhao," who could change bottled water with one hand and was on friendly terms with Wang Shuo, was eloquent when she got off the plane, but now she looks like a wilted eggplant.

The worst part is that she had put on lipstick on her face, which was usually bare-faced, right after she finished eating.

Although the color was a bit pale, it surprisingly revealed a charm rarely seen on her normal days, set against her healthy tan skin.

However, this allure is now being completely destroyed by an emotion called "sitting on pins and needles".

Zhao Yufeng's hands were tightly clasped together, and his handsome eyes would steal glances at Cheng Ming every few seconds. Once their eyes met, he would jump away like a startled rabbit.

"I'm talking about Yu Feng."

Lin Yiyi sat between the two, looking at the abnormal Zhao Yufeng, and said, "Are you running a fever? You were so lively when you got off the plane, able to argue with Wang Shuo for three hundred rounds. What's wrong with you now?"

"If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute!"

Zhao Yufeng glared at Lin Yiyi with annoyance, but his voice was clearly lacking in confidence, revealing a hint of bluffing.

She was suffering inside.

In the past, if I brought a few classmates home to play, it would just be a matter of adding a pair of chopsticks.

But now?

The first stop was surprisingly their own venue.

And what about my own home?

A steel factory in the suburbs was bustling with activity, filled with the roar of machines and the loud voices of her father, whose behavior was even more unrestrained than hers...

What a contrast!

not to mention..

Although the official reason for returning was to film, the real reason was to help his family's factory resolve its business crisis.

But in her hometown, a close-knit community, what does bringing a man back mean? Even a fool knows.

"That... Cheng Ming."

Zhao Yufeng took a deep breath and finally mustered the courage to turn around, his voice hoarse: "How about... we find a hotel to stay in first? Look, Li Feng is getting a bit cocky. My hometown... the environment is really not good, and there's no decent place to stay."

"Who's getting cocky? I'm not. I feel great right now!"

Li Feng, who had been in a daze and somewhat silent, was about to prove himself when he heard Zhao Yufeng's words, but Cheng Ming stopped him.

"What? Afraid I'll dislike it?"

"No...it's not that I'm disgusted."

Zhao Yufeng felt his cheeks burning, his eyes darting around: "It's just... I just feel a little sorry for you, having to stay in a hotel and go to that run-down factory..."

'

"A run-down factory? Shuo'er, tell her where we come from."

Wang Shuo chuckled: "Heroine, you're being too polite."

"Back in our school days, we even enjoyed those cheap, 'hanging noodles' (a type of instant noodle). No matter how run-down your factory is, can it smell any worse than the noodles in our boys' dorm?"