80: Chapter 80 He manages three thousand people perfectly.

Li Li was pushing the wheelchair, but as soon as his left foot stepped past the security cordon of the arrival gate, he immediately pulled it back.

Three thousand people.

In his past life on construction sites, a project department at most had five hundred people, and when it was time to eat, they could crush the tin doors of the cafeteria out of shape.

The three thousand people in front of him were all in a state of high excitement.

The arrival hall was packed to the brim. Fluorescent signs, LED placards, and handwritten banners in red, yellow, and green flashed until one's eyes blurred.

This wall of people—let alone pushing a wheelchair, even an excavator couldn't clear a path through it.

Push through by force? Jiang Rumu's plastered leg would be crushed into a comminuted fracture.

Retreat and wait? If this crowd didn't see anyone for a long time and their emotions snapped, they could blow the roof off Terminal 3.

Fortunately, there were a few sensible ones among Jiang Rumu's die-hard fans who managed to form a human cordon on the right side, leaving a one-meter-wide passage for travelers.

Otherwise, the airport SWAT team would have already charged in with riot shields.

Li Li turned his head and looked at a ground staff member nearby who was sweating profusely from anxiety.

"Buddy, don't you have security here?"

The ground staff wiped his forehead.

"Big brother, we didn't receive any notification! You guys are on an evacuation charter flight; who knew so many fans would drop from the sky! If we call for backup now, it'll take at least half an hour."

Half an hour.

Li Li looked down at Jiang Rumu in the wheelchair.

After flying for over ten hours, the painkillers had worn off, and she was relying entirely on sheer willpower to hold on. Let her be gawked at like a monkey by three thousand people here for half an hour?

No way.

His gaze swept over and locked onto the high-power megaphone clipped to the ground staff's waist.

"Let me borrow this."

He snatched it off, flipped the switch, and turned the volume to the max.

"Hello. Hello. Can you hear me?"

The screeching feedback exploded in the hall, its physical piercing power so strong that it drowned out all the screaming.

The fans in the front row covered their ears, and the scene went eerily silent for a moment.

Li Li held the megaphone in one hand and cleared his throat.

"Hello everyone, let me introduce myself. I am Li Li—"

Before he could finish.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

"Li Li!! Brother Li!!!"

"Li Li is with Mumu!!!"

The screaming was ten decibels higher than before, causing the glass curtain wall to vibrate.

Li Li's hand holding the megaphone froze in mid-air.

What was happening?

He was just a bricklayer, a nobody—why did he deserve this treatment?

Jiang Rumu, sitting in the wheelchair, couldn't help but laugh out loud at his rare, bewildered expression. She rested her chin on one hand and just watched him.

A dozen fansite photographers in the front row were frantically clicking their shutters. The flashes went off like a continuous burst of gunfire.

In the livestream chat, this segment was immediately clipped into a GIF.

[ Li Li: Who am I? Where am I? Why do I have fans? ]

[ An ordinary husband and his top-tier celebrity wife—what a divine script! ]

Li Li brought the megaphone back to his lips.

"Stop! Quiet!"

A sharp, long blast. The crowd quieted down.

"Listen to me. You came to pick her up; we appreciate the gesture. But—"

He pointed to the narrow passage nearby.

"This is the airport arrival hall. You blocking this affects passengers trying to pass and hinders the staff from doing their jobs."

His gaze swept over the professional photo-takers in the front row, holding their long lenses.

"Whether you are real fans, onlookers, or paid photographers here to make money—if you block the way like this, and a stampede occurs, or you get forcibly evicted by security, Jiang Rumu's reputation will suffer."

He paused, his tone leveling out.

"If her reputation suffers, these photos you've taken won't be worth anything. Understand?"

The professional photographers lowered their lenses. The fans looked at each other in confusion.

He struck where it hurt. He went straight for their interests.

"So, listen to my instructions now. Everyone keep order, don't push, and follow me to the open space outside the terminal."

A few experienced fansite managers immediately turned around to organize.

"Move outside! Don't block the way! Listen to Brother Li!"

"Don't push! Leave a path for Mumu!"

The crowd of over three thousand people miraculously began to move. The crowd receded to both sides, opening up a passage.

Li Li pushed the wheelchair and dragged the suitcase, walking steadily in the middle.

Jiang Rumu leaned back in the chair and looked up at him. An old, pilling white T-shirt, dragging a beat-up suitcase with one hand, and a large megaphone hanging from his shoulder. He looked incredibly uncool.

Yet, he had managed to command a crowd of three thousand people.

The paparazzi sent by the Company to observe secretly hid behind a pillar, slapping their thighs in anger. They had hoped to capture the miserable sight of Jiang Rumu being left unpicked up and making a fool of herself, but Li Li had turned it into a military parade.

The passing passengers and ground staff were stunned.

Which star in the entertainment industry didn't have bodyguards clearing the way and causing chaos during airport pickups? This guy, with just a megaphone, managed everything clearly and orderly.

——

The group moved to a secluded exit outside the terminal. Outside the door was a large open space, enough to accommodate three thousand people.

Li Li parked the wheelchair on the steps, looking down from above.

"Listen up. There are too many people; signing autographs is impossible. But—we can take a group photo."

The cheers blew the roof off half the airport.

"Follow my rules. Groups of fifty, line up and come over in turn. After the photo, leave from the right, no loitering. I'll post the photos on TikTok; go claim them yourselves. If anyone runs back to queue again after taking a photo—"

He patted the megaphone.

"I'll just push Jiang Rumu away, and the people behind won't get a photo."

The rules were set. Fansite managers pulled lines to organize the queue, fifty people per group.

The first group stepped forward.

There was a large empty space in the middle of the back row, and a few girls didn't move. One girl with pigtails plucked up the courage and shouted, "Brother Li, that's a spot left for you!"

Li Li pointed at himself. "I'm not a celebrity, why would I take photos?"

Jiang Rumu turned her head and waved at him. "Come over. Don't waste everyone's time."

He walked behind the wheelchair and stood in the spot.

"Three, two, one—"

"Li Li is with Mumu!!!"

His "Cheese" was drowned out without a trace.

He looked down at Jiang Rumu in the wheelchair. She was smiling, showing eight teeth.

The group photos proceeded in an orderly manner. One group finished and left, the next group stepped forward.

There were constant interruptions in between.

"The one holding the sign that says 'Li Li, I want to have your babies,' put the sign down; you're blocking the people behind you."

The female fan blushed and put away the sign.

"The one in the dinosaur costume, aren't you hot? Move to the side; your tail is hitting people."

The crowd burst into laughter.

By the twentieth group, Jiang Rumu tugged on the corner of his shirt.

"Li Li, I can't smile anymore."

"If you can't smile, then don't. A straight face is fine too."

"The fans will say I'm acting like a diva."

"You are a big star, after all." He raised the megaphone. "Everyone, pay attention. Teacher Jiang's face is cramping. She won't be smiling from now on, so you all should smile more to balance it out."

The crowd roared with laughter.

Jiang Rumu kicked his calf with her plastered leg, making a dull thud. "You're the one whose face is cramping!"

[ Hahahaha, what the hell, 'balance it out'! ]

[ Brother Li, you really know how to piss off a top-tier celebrity. ]

[ Company, come out and get beaten! You didn't send anyone to pick her up, but Brother Li handled it all by himself! ]

[ Fact check: His name is Li Li, an ordinary person. His main job is bricklaying, his side job is soldier king, and he works part-time as a top-tier celebrity's bodyguard. ]

Sixty groups of photos, finished in one hour.

After the last group left, the open space became empty instantly.

Li Li tossed the megaphone back to the ground staff who had followed the whole process.

"Thanks, buddy."

The ground staff gave a thumbs up. "Awesome. I've been working here for ten years, and this is the first time I've seen an airport pickup go so smoothly."

Li Li turned around.

"Job done. Should we take a taxi?"

Jiang Rumu took out her phone and glanced at it.

No missed calls. No unread messages.

The Company had completely treated her as invisible.

She stuffed her phone back into her pocket. "Let's take a taxi. Go to my place."

Li Li gripped the wheelchair handles.

"Let's go."

The wheelchair had just moved two steps forward.

A white Mercedes-Benz G-Class with a black license plate roared over from the distance, braked sharply, and stopped steadily at the bottom of the steps.

The car door opened. A man with a buzz cut, wearing a black suit and sunglasses, jumped out, walked quickly to the steps, took off his sunglasses, and bowed slightly.

"Mr. Li, Ms. Jiang."

Li Li narrowed his eyes. He didn't recognize him.

The buzz-cut man took out a gold-stamped business card and handed it over with both hands.

"I am Prince Fahd's private assistant in China. His Highness has instructed that I am to be in full charge of all your itineraries while in the country."

Jiang Rumu raised an eyebrow. "Fahd has a private assistant in China?"

"His Highness has logistics teams in forty major cities around the world." The man with the buzz cut opened the back door. "Please get in. A medical team is already on standby at Ms. Jiang's apartment and can re-treat the cast at any time."

Li Li pocketed the business card and pushed the wheelchair down the steps.

"The grandeur of Middle Eastern tycoons is certainly something."

——

The G-Class drove off the airport expressway. The car was quiet.

Li Li sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window.

Jiang Rumu was in the back seat, her plastered leg resting in the spacious area.

"Li Li."

"Hmm."

"At the airport, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for? I'm gaining followers because of you."

The car drove into the city.

At the intersection ahead, a huge LED billboard was playing a loop of Shenghui Entertainment's press conference. Gu Zeyan and Yin Ruoying were wearing formal attire, standing in the center, with subtitles scrolling below—[ Shenghui Entertainment invests heavily to create brand new twin stars, opening a new era for the entertainment industry ].

Jiang Rumu stared at the screen.

She took out her phone, opened WeChat, and found the chat box with Zhou Hui.

Her fingers quickly typed a line of text. Sent.

Then she blocked him.

In the passenger seat, Li Li saw her actions in the rearview mirror.

"What did you send?"

Jiang Rumu tossed her phone onto the seat and leaned back, closing her eyes.

"Flipping the table."

——

The Company, top-floor president's office.

Zhou Hui's phone lit up.

He was holding a teacup and tapped on WeChat.

Jiang Rumu sent a photo—a neat group photo of the three thousand people outside the airport.

Below it was a sentence.

"See you in court in two months."

Zhou Hui stared at the text and slowly placed the teacup on the table.

He didn't smash anything, didn't slam the table.

He picked up the desk phone and dialed a number.

"Legal department? Go over all of Jiang Rumu's contract terms again."

He paused.

"Every clause, every word."