Taking Without Asking

Seeing Ling Miaohan's displeased expression, the male star quickly realized his mistake. However, being accustomed to the constant praise and adoration that came with stardom, he awkwardly forced out an apology, "Sorry, that was out of line." The sincerity of his words was questionable, though.

Ling Miaohan remained standoffish, clearly not in the mood to engage further.

The third male star, noticing the growing tension between them, attempted to diffuse the situation with a light-hearted comment, "Alright, let's just focus on getting the fire started and make some breakfast. I'm starving."

With that, they redirected their attention back to the stove. But despite their efforts, none of them knew how to start the fire. Without a fire, breakfast was out of the question.

Frustrated by their failure, they decided to seek help. Yu Shuman and Zeng Qian had gone to the village market, leaving only the two senior cast members behind. One of them had gone to tend to the garden, while Wang Laoshi (Teacher Wang) was feeding the chickens and ducks.

The three of them approached Wang Laoshi, who smiled kindly, "No problem, I'll get the fire going for you." When Wang Laoshi inspected the stove, he noticed that Yu Shuman had wisely left some embers burning after breakfast. A little coaxing was all it took to rekindle the fire.

At that moment, Wang Laoshi realized they hadn't even attempted to start the fire themselves.

But as an experienced entertainer, Wang Laoshi knew better than to ruffle any feathers, especially with someone as well-connected as Ling Miaohan. So, he simply got the fire going, made a casual remark about Yu Shuman's foresight, and left them to it.

Relieved, the three of them finally got around to making breakfast, with Ling Miaohan taking charge of cooking. Though her movements were a bit clumsy, she managed to prepare some basic vegetable and egg noodles. However, she had only cooked two eggs, forgetting that there were three people.

Despite this oversight, the male star who had made the sexist comment earlier quickly offered his egg as a peace gesture, saying, "Consider this my apology for what I said earlier."

Ling Miaohan nodded in acceptance, and the incident seemed to blow over. The three of them then carried their bowls to the outdoor dining area, where they ate under the shade. But the noodles were bland, especially since Ling Miaohan hadn't even added any sesame oil.

One of the male stars, noticing a jar of beef sauce on the table, decided to help himself. The sauce was stored in a jar that had previously held chili paste, with the label removed. He scooped a large spoonful into his bowl, mixing it with his noodles before digging in.

As the three of them ate, the last person who had slept in finally came downstairs. After being told there was still some soup and noodles left in the pot, he grabbed a bowl and joined them. Seeing the others enjoying the beef sauce, he too took a generous helping.

While they ate, someone casually asked, "Did this beef sauce come out yesterday? I don't remember seeing it."

"Who cares, let's just eat," another replied.

They continued eating heartily, finishing off nearly the entire jar of beef sauce. Afterward, the last to arrive offered to clean up the dishes, while Ling Miaohan suggested using the remaining firewood to boil some water.

As they busied themselves, the other two male stars lounged under the shade, chatting. From a distance, they saw Yu Shuman and Zeng Qian returning from the market. Wang Laoshi joined them to inspect their haul.

"Oh, you even bought a big fish," Wang Laoshi remarked.

Yu Shuman smiled, "We ran into an elderly man who said he caught it this morning. It was still lively, so I bought it. We can have braised fish for lunch."

"Braised fish? Sounds good," Wang Laoshi agreed.

As they talked, they began preparing the vegetables under the shade. Yu Shuman noticed the beef sauce jar on the table, intending to put it away, but as soon as she picked it up, she realized something was off. The jar, which had been nearly full when she left, was now almost empty.

She looked at the two male stars who had stayed behind, asking, "Did you guys eat my beef sauce?"

One of the male stars, surprised by her tone, answered, "Yeah, we did. It was pretty good. Where did you buy it?"

Yu Shuman's brow furrowed. "Why didn't you ask before eating it?" Her voice carried a hint of annoyance.

She was genuinely upset. She had only brought two jars of this homemade beef sauce, intending to use it to enhance the bland meals during the show. But now, one jar was almost gone, and the fact that they had taken it without asking irked her.

The male star, sensing her frustration, became defensive. "It was just sitting there. I thought it was something the staff provided, so we ate it. I didn't realize it was yours."

His dismissive attitude only fueled Yu Shuman's irritation. "If you thought it was provided by the staff, you could have asked them first. And even if it was, you shouldn't have just taken it all without considering anyone else."

Her straightforward nature left no room for misunderstanding. The male star, already annoyed, snapped back, "Can you stop being so petty? It's just a jar of beef sauce. Why are you girls always so uptight about these things?"

Yu Shuman's eyes narrowed at his response, her gaze piercing. "What do you mean by 'you girls'? Are you saying all women are petty? You took something that wasn't yours without asking and now you're blaming me for being upset? How about you stop being so rude?"

The male star, now visibly irritated, had assumed Yu Shuman was an easy target. Unlike Ling Miaohan, who had powerful backing, Yu Shuman seemed like just another small-time actress from a modest background. He knew about 99 Entertainment's reputation but wasn't too concerned. He was a top-tier idol with a massive following, backed by a powerful family and his own independent studio. He had no reason to fear any repercussions.

He knew about what had happened to the other young starlet who had crossed paths with 99 Entertainment and had been forced to back down. But Yu Shuman wasn't in the same league, and he was confident that he could handle whatever came next.

Male Star: Not worried at all.

* * * *

[Note From The Author: (I really hate it when people take things without asking. Someone took my Sprite from the office fridge... In the middle of summer! Even though it's just a soda, it's maddening to open the fridge expecting a cold drink and finding it gone!)]