Chapter 46

Qin Wei felt a headache coming on. She had thought that handing over financial control and promising to make up the 500 euros would allow her to steal half a day's leisure. She didn't expect Liu Xin to stir up trouble again in less than half an hour.

Qin Wei looked helplessly at Li Hanming and went downstairs:

"We still have a balance though! I'll make up the difference later, right?"

Liu Xin put the ledger on the table:

"You just lost money, so I'm worried. What if I lose it again and we end up homeless? So I went down early to pay the rest of our lodging. We don't have much money left now."

They were already short on cash, and this was clearly just to make things difficult for Qin Wei...

Was she set on harming others without helping herself??

"I don't care, you have to make up for your mistakes. That's your responsibility," Liu Xin said righteously.

"We're still going to the Plaza de Espa?a this afternoon. With this money gone, who knows if we'll even get a full dinner."

"We might have had enough if you hadn't paid the hotel in advance."

Qin Wei had barely finished speaking when Liu Xin stood up angrily from the sofa.

"Qin Wei, are you blaming me? Is it wrong of me to do this but not wrong of you to lose money? I did it for all of our sakes so we'd have a place to stay, and yet you blame me! Don't take advantage of your senior status to bully people so much, Qin Wei!"

The director felt this was a rare open conflict worth including in the final cut.

Viewers commented:

[Wow, no need to go that far. The viewers can see who's trying to bring the drama, Liu Xin is clearly picking a fight.]

[Is Qin a late bloomer? She seems to have just gotten past some rebellious years, she hasn't been this meek and compliant in so long. Liu Xin is scolding her, poor girl...]

[That was painful to watch. Any more and she'll turn me into a mom fan, I'm starting to feel bad for the kid. She did her best to get the money back.]

[The one above me too! Take me with you, let's collect scrap together to support her!]

[Qin the spendthrift jerk, poor Weiwei baby. Go argue back, I'm with you if you want to tear into her!] ...

Qin Wei gave a cold laugh.

"The Plaza de Espa?a, huh? There's a restaurant there famous for its red wine braised oxtail. Please go get us a table. Dinner's on me tonight!"

The Plaza de Espa?a was the residence of the old Spanish viceroy in Rome near St. Peter's Basilica.

The star team came here for some sightseeing and a simple mission to visit the celebrity residences and learn about the famous people who lived in this area.

Everything had been going smoothly until they left the memorial hall and realized Chen Chen was missing.

She wasn't picking up her phone either. Sheng Lin went back to look for her, but Liu Xin didn't think it was necessary:

"She's a grown woman, she couldn't have wandered off! Let's just wait here at the exit for her. Going back would mean lining up and buying tickets again."

Qin Wei also thought just waiting was inappropriate. More and more tourists were arriving by the minute, and it would only get harder to find Chen Chen if they waited longer.

They had clearly seen her at the exit just now too, so she might not even be inside the memorial hall anymore.

Qin Wei suggested:

"Why don't we split up and look for her, and meet back here at a set time? Whoever finds her can let the others know."

Liu Xin gave her a sideways glance.

"That won't work! Weiwei, don't get me wrong, but I know you're afraid you won't make up the money today and you're just trying to buy time. Talked big last night, but now you regret it, right? You'll probably get lost too, and then we'll spend the whole day looking for people."

The viewers commented:

[Liu Xin is getting aggressive, Qin didn't even say anything! Chen getting lost was just an accident, right? Doesn't she know desperate times call for desperate measures?]

[No matter how you guys drag Qin, I'm starting to feel bad for her. She's been so giving this whole journey, everyone can see that, but some people just won't show gratitude. Come back Qin, I'll drive a tricycle around collecting wastepaper to support you!]

[Hahaha take me with you, let's collect scrap together to support her!]

[I think it could work, Qin is so capable, she can ride and fix tricycles.]

[You're killing me here!]

...

How petty was Liu Xin? She couldn't even prioritize properly, and Qin Wei was getting annoyed. She had wanted to argue at first, but then thought better of it since they were abroad and she should uphold China's image. So she held herself back.

"Then what do you suggest? Just keep waiting?"

Qin Wei threw the question back to Liu Xin. If this and that wouldn't work, then she could figure it out herself.

Liu Xin said, "Why don't we call the police?"

Qin Kaili sighed,

"There are too many people here. The police wouldn't be able to find her right away either. And we're not in China - the police back home could help find someone, but I don't know about foreign police. They might not want to help with such a minor issue."

Liu Xin was getting impatient.

"Then what should we do? She doesn't watch where she's walking, and she's a grown woman - who would expect her to get lost? There are just a few of us and thousands of people here in this huge place. How are we supposed to find her? Should I buy a sign and hold it up saying 'Chen Chen, come back here now'?"

Qin Wei nodded thoughtfully.

"That's actually a pretty good idea, it could work..."

The viewers commented:

[Why end here? Does that mean Chen Chen is lost for a week?]

[Haha don't worry, I paused it before Chen Chen wandered off, so she won't get lost now.]

[Why do I feel like Liu Xin is getting self-interested and petty now? The moment her own interests were harmed, she flipped personalities. She was still pretending before, now she can't even be bothered.]

[It's probably because she's tired. As the saying goes, "A long road tests a horse's strength; a long task proves a person's heart". Reality shows aren't scripted like TV dramas, even with an outline, being on camera for so long will occasionally reveal someone's true nature.]

[Based on your logic, doesn't Qin Wei still seem like a decent person? From Peach Blossom Spring to Star, I've barely seen her pick fights or lose her temper.]

[You guys didn't know? Qin already has a mom fan club, I joined it too. The people there keep shifting between passerby, hater, and mom fan roles. One second feeling bad for Qin, the next second cursing her out, it's pretty funny.]

[So you mean she has fans again now?]

...

Liu Xin thought there must be something wrong with Qin Wei's brain for her to think her joking suggestion was viable.

"Weiwei, there's nowhere to buy a sign now, custom or not. And it's light out, are you sure Chen Chen would even see a sign?"

Qin Wei said,

"I don't mean we should actually make a sign, just that your thinking is right. Rather than wandering aimlessly around this huge plaza, we should think of a way to attract people's attention, so Chen Chen is also more likely to notice us."

Liu Xin didn't think it was feasible.

"How could we attract people's attention so easily? You wanna lie on the ground and throw a tantrum?"

Qin Wei looked at her as if she were stupid.

"Have you forgotten what we do? We're bright stars by nature!"