Chapter 21 Reunion (Bonus Chapter)

The chat in the live stream erupted in laughter, scrolling at an even faster pace:

"Hahahaha, help! What kind of bizarre rural behavior is this?!"

"Zhao Xiaohe: A hidden rapper with superhuman strength! Can he plow the fields with a human?!"

"Sister Wei's high notes... I felt the glass next to me vibrating!"

"Are you even going to weed anymore? Is this even acceptable?"—A soul-searching question! I laughed so hard I almost died!

"Director He: I was terrified at the time, and almost sacrificed my dignity for the team (not really)."

One second: Stop fighting! The next second: The homeroom teacher yells at me like I'm back to being a primary school kid.

"I could watch this scene ten times! Li Li's crying while dancing is both pitiful and hilarious!"

"Goodbye to the main group's live stream, now I'm here to Sister Wei's team's live stream!"

"Am I the only one who noticed that villager's muscles? Uncle, respect!"

The chat was filled with a joyful atmosphere. Clearly, although this unexpected farce interrupted the work process, it inadvertently contributed a series of exciting moments, causing the live stream's popularity to rise rather than fall.

The points tally results were released quickly. Several groups were far from the center of the conflict and joined in a bit late, but overall they were far ahead in progress.

Although Zhao Xiaohe's individual efficiency was amazing, Ling Wei's team was affected by the chaotic battle in the middle and ultimately only got fourth place.

The rankings naturally brought joy to some and sorrow to others. However, it was comforting to see that thanks to the explosive program effect brought by this unexpected "field battle," the live broadcast popularity and discussion of the entire Group A skyrocketed that day, ultimately securing second place among all groups.

The production team clearly didn't hold back after that, assigning them very real tasks.

For the next three days, similar physical tasks followed one after another: they were woken up at the crack of dawn to pick blueberries in steep terraced fields, squatting for hours at a time; under the scorching sun, they used shovels to clear the silt from the irrigation ditches, sweat mingling with the muddy water; there was even a task of carrying organic fertilizer, which tested everyone's physical strength and olfactory tolerance.

The intense work completely exposed the glamorous aspiring idols, leaving them exhausted after work every day, and any thoughts of vying for the spotlight were long forgotten.

The only people left in the canteen were those who buried themselves in their food and ate ravenously. Back in their temporary dormitories, they slept soundly. This made everyone wonder: Was the production team using the guise of an idol variety show to actually bring these young people in their prime to work as free laborers?

Fortunately, the production team retained some humanity. After a series of arduous pre-production efforts, they finally arranged for them to do a live-stream sales event for the local specialty blueberries. The cunning officials really made the most of their popularity and energy.

However, there is more room for improvisation in front of the live camera, and each group has used all their unique skills and tricks to attract viewers to stay.

Moreover, after working together through thick and thin for the past few days, these teams have developed a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect.

Dan Huai's team was the most active among them. They even made a promise to the audience in front of the camera, saying that they wanted to have all the tricks that other live streamers had.

Dan Huai himself fully utilized his cunning nature, acting like a diligent scout, sneaking into other groups' live streams every now and then to learn new ideas. As soon as he learned something new, he would immediately run back to implement it with his friends. His enthusiasm was so great that it was almost annoying.

At this moment, in Ling Wei's team's live broadcast room, Sha Jing, who is usually not very talkative, is showing off her dance moves in front of the camera.

Her neat wolf-tail short hair and cool dance moves drew enthusiastic cheers from fans who love this style in the live chat.

At that very moment, Qu Mingyuan, accompanied by Secretary Sun and led by village officials, was walking towards the live-streaming area.

With a warm smile on his face, the village official introduced the young leader beside him, who had an impressive air about him, saying, "Leader, look, our village has become so much more lively since these young people came! With this online live streaming, the reputation of our Qinghe blueberries is growing stronger and stronger!"

Secretary Sun followed behind the leader. This arrangement was made to avoid alerting anyone during the inspection. He deliberately chose this place as the first stop so that the director could see the fruitful results of the project and the leader could see the people he wanted to see. The more Secretary Sun thought about it, the more he felt that the arrangement was flawless, and he couldn't help but praise himself for his intelligence.

As the group was talking, a handsome, cheerful young man, accompanied by a hearty laugh of "Oh ho ho ho," swept past them like a gust of wind.

As he passed by, the boy didn't forget to take a moment to greet the village secretary: "Hello, Secretary! Hahahaha..."

Because Secretary Sun and Qu Mingyuan both looked very young, especially Qu Mingyuan, who was simply wearing a hooded sweatshirt with a white shirt underneath, in a very casual style, Shan Huai just treated them as ordinary staff members and didn't pay any attention to them.

He had just learned a new skill from someone else and was eager to rush back to his own live stream to show off his abilities.

The village secretary wanted to call him over to ask him a few questions, but Shan Huai disappeared in a flash.

He could only turn to Qu Mingyuan with a slight apology, and try to smooth things over with a smile: "Leader, look at these kids, they're so energetic, they've really livened up our village!"

Qu Mingyuan glanced in the direction Shan Huai had run off into, then nodded thoughtfully.

As the village secretary led them forward, he enthusiastically introduced the local specialties he had prepared for them at noon.

Qu Mingyuan stopped and politely declined, "No, I have other plans."

Secretary Sun couldn't help but glance at her boss in surprise.

Leaving already? You're leaving without even seeing me?

But then he saw the leader's indifferent gaze sweep over him, as if he had already seen through all the little schemes in his heart.

Secretary Sun's heart skipped a beat: Uh... it seems the situation is not quite what he thought?

Could it be that everything was just a coincidence, and that he misunderstood and acted recklessly?

Moreover, his superiors have already discovered his reckless actions.

Secretary Sun remained silent; the sky had fallen for him.

As they spoke, they did not stop walking.

Just as they were passing a tile-roofed house with a courtyard, the enthusiastic village secretary was gesturing wildly and trying to persuade them to stay. In a moment of carelessness, his arm slammed into the half-closed wooden door.

The next second, a wet rag that looked like it had just been used to wipe something fell from the sky.

Then, a smiling female voice came from inside the door: "Oops, sorry, my hand slipped, Shan Huai..."

The door in front of her was pulled open, and Ling Wei's smiling face appeared. Then, she stared wide-eyed in shock at the scene outside the door.

At that moment, the system that had just issued a warning in her mind also let out a "whoosh," covered its face in despair, and was a step too late.

Ling Wei's hand was still frozen on the doorknob. Her gaze swept over the group of people outside the door: Secretary Sun, an old acquaintance; the village party secretary; Director He; and...

A person with a dripping dirty rag covering their head, yet still possessing a familiar and unique demeanor, stood before me.

Ling Wei watched as a hand with distinct knuckles slowly pulled down the still-wet, dirty rag, revealing a handsome and refined face.

She almost completely lost consciousness.