Chapter 423: Arriving at Xiao Gang’s Home… 

The glance exchanged between Brother Hu and Wang Yun wasn’t just about their shared helplessness at Mao Hongping’s theatrics—it was also filled with admiration.

Whether it was intelligence, endurance, or sheer composure, Wang Yun had everyone beat.

But now they truly understood what it meant to call a deer a horse—to twist reality into whatever suited the narrative.

Mao Hongping, meanwhile, was all praise.

“Teacher Wang, you really do think ahead! A humble village woman like me just can’t compare to your vision and wisdom. Just follow this road to the end. That newly-built house up ahead belongs to Xiao Gang,” she said, pointing ahead.

“If I may ask boldly… do you already have a way to resolve the triangle between those three? Are you really planning to bring that Mao Yan guy onto your show? Actually, Xiao Gang’s a pretty decent candidate too.” Mao Hongping started probing.

In her eyes, Mao Yan and Mao Xiao Gang weren’t all that different—either way, she was going to get paid once this was all settled.

Whether or not Wang Yun got involved, if she didn’t get her cut, she’d lose face in the whole village.

“Let me meet Mao Xiao Gang first. I’ll choose between the two after that. Like you said, at least Xiao Gang’s the more decent one,” Wang Yun said with a smile.

Mao Hongping quickly echoed his sentiment with eager agreement.

Brother Hu, on the other hand, was already done with the conversation. He hit the gas to speed things up.

But the village road was lined with neighbors, and they weren’t going anywhere.

Cars were rare here, especially one as flashy as Wang Yun’s black Benz. The villagers swarmed to the roadside to gawk, their faces practically glued to the windows.

Mao Hongping was absolutely reveling in it. She rolled down the window and basked in the envious stares of the crowd.

“Sister Ping, off matchmaking again?”

“Whose car is that? Who’s the young man inside?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve struck it rich, riding around in a Benz now?”

The villagers called out, practically yelling over each other.

Mao Hongping tried to respond, but Brother Hu was driving too fast.

She couldn’t even finish replying to one greeting before the next one shouted. By the time she was ready to answer, the car had already pulled away.

All that was left behind was a cloud of dust floating in the air.

“Ahem, Sister Ping, about our show’s casting, we’d appreciate it if you kept things low-key for now. We’re still in the planning phase. Don’t want word getting out and causing a leak.”

Seeing her glance at Brother Hu with visible annoyance, Wang Yun offered a polite explanation.

Mao Hongping was silent for a moment, then nodded hesitantly.

“Oh, I get it now. You mean like spoilers?”

Spoilers?

Wang Yun was momentarily stunned before realizing what she meant.

“Exactly! Spoilers. Didn’t think you’d be so in the know, Sister Ping. If I didn’t already know you, I’d never believe you were just a rural housewife.”

Wang Yun’s flattery flowed smoothly.

Brother Hu sucked in a deep breath. This was the first time he’d seen his boss butter someone up like that.

‘Xiao Gang, the boss is really going all out for you!’

“Oh please, I just picked that up from my daughter,” Mao Hongping laughed. “These young ones are always fangirling over celebrities. One of them took a secret photo, spoiled something, and got sued or something. Don’t worry, I get it. My lips are sealed!”

With that, she finally rolled the window up.

The car fell silent again.

The noisy roadside was cut off, but Mao Hongping couldn’t bear to keep a low profile for long. She pressed her face against the glass to make sure the villagers still had a clear view of her.

What should’ve been a twenty-minute ride, Brother Hu managed to cut down to fifteen.

Xiao Gang’s house was easy to spot; it was the only one still under construction on the block.

Three stories tall, about the same height as the neighboring houses.

Just from that, it was obvious that Xiao Gang’s family was honest.

He could’ve easily afforded to build a six-story villa, but chose not to.

“This is Mao Xiao Gang’s place,” Mao Hongping explained after getting out of the car. “They started building earlier this year but had to stop because of money. Whenever they have a bit saved up, they build some more. I heard after Xiao Gang finished the show, he made some money, so now they’ve started again.”

The front gate was wide open. In the courtyard stood a three-wheeled scooter and some plastic tables and chairs—your typical rural setting.

“Brother Liang! Sister Liang! You home?”

Mao Hongping stepped in and called out.

The ground floor looked finished. From the wooden door and furnishings, it was clear the family lived on the first level.

The place might look like an unfinished construction site from the outside, but inside it was clean and cozy.

“Sister Ping’s here!”

There was no response from inside the house.

Instead, a woman holding a baby stepped through the front gate.