I'm in Wuha, and the whole internet is shipping me and Song Yuqi as a couple.

The stone steps of Shibatidi Old Street are steep and narrow.

Jiang Che walked in front, with Song Yuqi following behind, separated by two steps.

The camera, carrying a stabilizer, walked sideways on the steps beside it.

Red lanterns hung on both sides of the old street, the walls were mottled, and several grocery stores had their doors half open.

Jiang Che looked down at the task card.

"Find a local resident over seventy years old, learn a phrase in the local dialect, and use the dialect to bargain."

He looked around.

An old man sat at the entrance of the small shop on the left, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, with a basket of loquats in front of him.

Song Yuqi saw it too.

"Should we ask that old man?"

"Should you go or should I go?"

Song Yuqi tilted her head slightly: "You go, I'll keep an eye on things."

Jiang Che put away the task card and headed towards the convenience store.

When the old man saw the camera following him, he paused for a moment with his palm-leaf fan, then continued fanning himself.

"Hello sir, are you a local?"

The old man sized him up, then blurted out a string of Chongqing dialect at a rapid pace.

Jiang Che didn't understand a single word.

He turned to look at Song Yuqi.

Song Yuqi covered her mouth from three meters away, her shoulders shaking.

The live stream chat is already flooded with comments.

[Haha, he doesn't understand a word!]

To Shanghainese, the Chongqing dialect is like a foreign language!

The old man was saying, "What kind of program are you filming?"

Jiang Che turned back and changed his approach: "Sir, I'd like to learn a phrase in Chongqing dialect. Could you teach me one?"

The old man slowed down this time and stared at him for three seconds.

Which phrase do you want to learn?

"Simple, something you can use to bargain."

The old man slapped his knee with his palm-leaf fan and laughed.

"Want to haggle? You could say, 'Boss, don't rip me off, give me a discount.'"

Jiang Che repeated, "Boss, don't rip me off, give me a discount... Huh?"

The old man shook his head: "What! It's not what, it's what!"

"spread."

"The tone is wrong. That's how people from the North say it, but we Chongqing people say it like this!"

Jiang Che tried again: "Boss, don't rip me off, give me a discount?"

The old man listened with his head tilted to the side and commented, "Barely. Like a stranger who's only learned Chongqing dialect for three days."

Song Yuqi walked over.

She squatted down in front of the old man and spoke with a smile.

"Grandpa, he's not doing well, let me try."

She immediately blurted out in perfect Chongqing dialect: "Boss, don't rip me off, give me a discount!"

The old man's eyes lit up: "Oh! You're from Chongqing?"

"No, but I've filmed here before and learned a little bit."

The old man nodded in satisfaction, then gestured towards Jiang Che with his lip: "See? That girl learns things much faster than you."

Jiang Che's lips twitched.

The live stream chat was filled with mocking comments.

Even the "Word God" has his day! His dialect blind spot has been exploited!

[Qi is awesome! Her language talent is on point!]

[The old man's one sentence completely shut Jiang Che down, haha!]

Jiang Che was unconvinced and practiced with the old man twice more.

On the third try, the old man finally nodded reluctantly: "Alright, alright."

Jiang Che thanked him and turned to look at the fruit stand across the street.

The stall owner was a woman in her forties, who was arranging mangoes with her head down.

He walked over.

Song Yuqi followed beside her, a string of candied hawthorns that had appeared in her hand at some point, which she ate as she walked.

"How much are the mangoes, ma'am?"

The older woman looked up, glanced at the camera first, then at him, and said rather unenthusiastically, "Fifteen yuan a pound."

Jiang Che cleared his throat, paused for two seconds, and then spoke.

"Boss, don't rip me off, give me a discount!"

The older sister looked at him expressionlessly.

three seconds.

Five seconds.

The older woman spoke up: "Where are you from?"

"Shanghai."

The older sister chuckled: "I knew it! Your Chongqing dialect sounds like you're reciting a textbook. Fourteen, no doubt about it."

Song Yuqi couldn't hold back any longer and almost choked on a candied hawthorn.

She leaned closer and smiled at her older sister.

"Sister, is ten yuan okay? He's here today to sincerely learn Chongqing dialect."

The eldest sister glanced at Song Yuqi, then at Jiang Che, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"Are you his girlfriend?"

Neither of them spoke.

Song Yuqi paused, biting into a candied hawthorn.

Jiang Che clutched the plastic bag containing the mangoes in his hand, remaining silent.

The live stream chat screen was instantly flooded with comments.

[Sister, you're amazing! You asked the question that concerns the entire nation!]

Their expressions are absolutely hilarious!

[Jiang Che, speak up! Stop pretending to be mute!]

Song Yuqi recovered first and smiled, "No, friend."

The older sister gave an "oh" and glanced at the two of them meaningfully.

"Friend, how about twelve?"

Jiang Che took out his phone and scanned the QR code to pay.

After leaving the fruit stand, Song Yuqi bit into the last hawthorn on her candied hawthorn and turned to look at him.

Why didn't you say anything just now?

"I'm wondering if twelve yuan is expensive."

Song Yuqi threw the bamboo skewer into the trash can: "You're thinking about this?"

"What else are you thinking?"

She didn't reply, but quickened her pace and walked ahead.

The cameraman winked at his colleague.

The live stream chat was already in an uproar.

[Jiang Che, are you made of wood?! Someone asked if you two were a couple, and you were thinking about whether mangoes were expensive?]

[Haha, I totally understand him. It's normal to freeze up when asked face-to-face.]

[Song Yuqi's voice changed when she said "friends," was she unhappy?]

Serves him right! Straight men deserve it!

I bet ten packs of spicy strips that they'll confirm their relationship before the show ends.

Jiang Che glanced at the system panel.

Current Reputation Value: 1,456,820

[Reputation points are being gained... +12400/minute]

He picked up the bag of mangoes and followed Song Yuqi.

The steps of the Eighteen Steps extend downwards, and various little GGs are pasted on the old walls on both sides.

After walking about twenty steps, Song Yuqi suddenly stopped.

"Is mission one complete?"

Jiang Che glanced at the task card: "Learn the dialect, use the dialect to bargain. Done."

"Is the next mission in Shancheng Alley?"

"Yes, we'll hike there and then start."

Song Yuqi nodded and turned to look at the old stone steps that were curving downwards.

"We'll have to climb up first."

Jiang Che followed her gaze.

On the opposite hillside, the entrance archway of Shancheng Lane is faintly visible.

There are about three hundred steps in between.

It's all uphill.

Song Yuqi rolled up her sleeves and turned to look at him: "Let's go, Lyricist. Let's see if you have the stamina."

After she finished speaking, she started walking upstairs.

Jiang Che stood there watching her leap upwards.

Physical strength?

He looked down at his white sneakers.

I started walking and followed.