53 Going abroad

The packing and departure process went very smoothly during filming, as everyone had worked together many times before and became increasingly adept at it.

Mr. Gu's ability to handle household chores has been widely praised through the "Travel" program, so it's nothing new for the audience.

The photographer focused more on the interaction between the three people and the dog, collecting footage.

The Peach Blossom Couple has a huge fan base, and their adorable children and pets are also favorites among fans. Director Jiang is well aware of the secrets to making his show a hit.

Seeing the increasingly intimate interactions between Gu Ye and the other person along the way, I was overjoyed. I knew that once the show aired, the CP fans would be screaming with excitement!

Fans were indeed having a lively discussion in the comments section.

After several episodes of the trip to northern Xinjiang aired, it became incredibly popular.

The previous live stream went viral, raising viewers' expectations. When the full episode aired, the ratings skyrocketed, crushing all other programs in the same time slot.

The guests' hilarious and heartwarming interactions were turned into GIFs and went viral, and the filming locations for the show also became popular tourist destinations.

In summer, Northern Xinjiang is so beautiful it resembles a series of vibrant oil paintings. Any screenshot from the program could be used as a screensaver; it's unbelievably beautiful.

Populus euphratica city on the northern border and Tata village deep in the grasslands have become popular tourist destinations, attracting countless inland tourists to these exotic towns and grassland villages, boosting the local tourism industry.

Grape Valley and Flaming Mountain are already popular tourist destinations in northern Xinjiang. A live broadcast directly boosted the popularity of the film and television city. Not only did the number of tourists increase, but long queues formed for Journey to the West themed cosplay, and even the Journey to the West series of merchandise produced by the program team sold out.

The Northern Xinjiang Culture and Tourism Bureau was overjoyed. Taking advantage of the program's popularity to promote the local tourism industry, they sincerely invited the "Travel" program team to come back in winter to experience the different seasons of Northern Xinjiang.

Jiang Wei suddenly became a hot commodity, with all sorts of people vying to contact him. Even the opinions of the company's senior executives regarding the filming location for the next episode could not be agreed upon.

He actually had a plan, but due to numerous external interferences, he was unable to make a decision for a while.

Just then, he received a mysterious phone call.

Fans were arguing fiercely under the official Weibo account, recommending filming locations all over the country.

The official Weibo account remained silent, pretending not to see the posts, and occasionally released some previous materials to appease fans.

It wasn't until leaked photos of the production crew disembarking at the airport in country Y surfaced online that the official Weibo account posted a brief teaser, saying, "Stay tuned."

Good grief, no wonder they didn't announce it for so long. Everyone was guessing it was domestic; they went abroad!

Why bother going abroad when there are so many famous mountains and rivers in China?

[Could you please be a little more efficient, Director Jiang? We love the exotic scenery too! Quick, start another live stream!!!]

[Live, live! I can't wait to broadcast every two weeks anymore!!]

[Holy crap, breaking news! They went straight to Savile Row after getting off the plane! Are they going to use public funds for shopping??]

[Holy crap, where did you get this news from upstairs? Is Director Jiang going to do a live stream over there and take us shopping at luxury stores?]

[Heh, don't try to guess what the director is thinking; you'll never understand.]

...

Ye Zhenzhen and her group were unaware that their whereabouts had been exposed.

After disembarking from the plane, the group was taken by a bus that traveled through the city and brought them to Savile Row.

Since the early 19th century, this place has been a renowned center for haute couture, bringing together many of the top tailoring studios and haute couture brands from Y country and even the world.

These people from the entertainment industry were all familiar with this place; several had even had gowns custom-made at a studio here. They were simply baffled as to why their first stop on their trip was here.

Jiang Wei led them straight to a studio in the middle of the street, with a large and eye-catching A&W sign on the door.

Guided by the staff, the group walked through a spacious hall full of foreigners and arrived at an empty room.

In the center was a long table with several trays on it, and a cardboard box that looked like it was used for a lottery, with a small hole in the top so you couldn't see what was inside.

"What kind of trouble is the director up to now? Is he taking us shopping for clothes?" Zhang Siqing whispered to Ye Zhenzhen from the back of the line.

"Are we going to have to do a makeover again?" Ye Zhenzhen's mouth moved slightly.

She had some impression of this studio; it seemed to be a rising designer brand that had emerged in recent years, with a rather diverse style. The original owner of this body was quite familiar with these things, but she hadn't paid much attention to them since she transmigrated here.

"Possibly," Wang Liqing chimed in, guessing. "Are they going to do another live stream?"

"Dear guests, on this journey we will embark on a magical time-travel adventure in a foreign land, returning to ancient Europe to experience true classical life," Jiang Wei said with a smile, standing in the center of the room. "Therefore, we will change out of our modern clothes here."

Everyone looked at each other, their expressions revealing their agreement. Then the director continued, "First, please place your phones and other personal belongings on the tray. Staff will be there to store them properly for you shortly."

"Huh? We have to hand over our phones?" Liu Wei protested, "Why? Director?"

“We’ve all traveled back to the 19th century, where would we get electronic devices?” Jiang Wei waved his hand. “Take them all out, so they don’t end up in the time tunnel.”

What the hell is this time tunnel? Do you think you're Doraemon?

Why doesn't a time warp sweep you away?

Ye Zhenzhen glanced at Gu Tingshen, holding her phone and hesitating for a moment. Although Tao Yao and Feng Ming had Sister Chengcheng with them, there was still work that needed her to handle personally.

Not to mention the workload that President Gu Tingshen has to handle every day.

“It’s alright,” Gu Tingshen said calmly, taking out his phone and whispering in her ear, “Director Jiang definitely needs to set aside time for everyone to handle their personal matters.”

Ye Zhenzhen watched as everyone put things into the tray, even the children handed in their smartwatches, and she quietly put down her own phone as well.

"Next, each family will select a representative to draw their new identity from this box," Jiang Wei continued, explaining the rules of the game. "Once chosen, you can only do things that are appropriate for your new identity after you travel through time. Please choose carefully."

When it came to this kind of random selection, every family unanimously sent their child.

Kang Kang and Lele played rock-paper-scissors, just like always.

Gu Sinan drew a plastic ball with the number 1 written on it.

Jiang Wei's assistant, who had been watching quietly, picked up his phone and quickly sent a text message upon seeing the numbers.

Once all the children had returned to their parents with their balls, the production crew brought out a magnetic blackboard. Each number on the blackboard had a label with a brief description of its corresponding identity.

Once everyone saw the words on the blackboard clearly, they became quite agitated.

"What does 'high-ranking military officer who marries into another family' mean???" Liu Wei pointed at the blackboard, exasperated.

"Hahaha, good, Lele, well done!" Zhang Siqing lifted Liu Lele high in the air, making the clueless little girl laugh uncontrollably, completely unable to comprehend her father's grief and indignation.

"A noblewoman and a kept painter?" Lanno squinted and read the small print on the label in a low voice.

"Daddy, what is being kept as a sugar daddy?" Jingyi asked in her sweet voice.

"Um, it means Mom earns money for us to spend," Zhou Haitao explained to the child after thinking for a moment.

"These are just the rules of the game, the ball you just drew, and the role we need to play," Lano explained softly, patting his daughter's head.

After finding her number on the blackboard and reading the introduction, Wang Liqing smiled at Yan Feng and said, "Xuxu's number is the most normal one, a local gentry and his art-loving wife."

"Director, what kind of setup is this? Is this really a lottery? I suspect it! There's something fishy going on!!" Liu Wei rushed up to the director and protested loudly.

"The entire lottery process was filmed, there were absolutely no problems," Director Jiang said with a righteous and stern expression. "It was absolutely fair and just, and there was no deception of the young or old."

He added in his mind, "As for the rest of the process, that's not my concern..."

"What are you yelling about?!" Zhang Siqing poked his stomach and pulled Liu Wei, who was wincing in pain, back away.

After violently suppressing Liu Wei, Zhang Siqing looked at Ye Zhenzhen, who was unusually quiet beside her, and asked, "Zhenzhen, what's your number? What's your identity?"

“Number 1,” Ye Zhenzhen showed her the sphere in her hand, “a noblewoman and her personal male servant.”

? ? ?

Zhang Siqing looked at the two of them with a strange expression, feeling that the result of the draw was full of malice no matter how she looked at it.

Liu Wei glanced at the silent Gu Tingshen, then quietly shut his mouth, and suddenly felt less heartbroken...

Ye Zhenzhen looked at the man with some worry. His appearance and demeanor were completely unrelated to that of a personal male servant.

Besides, what young married woman would use a personal male servant?

Shouldn't she be a personal maid?

Gu Tingshen, on the other hand, seemed completely unconcerned, his arm around her waist as he calmly listened to the director in the center of the room explaining the precautions.

"Next, please follow the staff to complete the costume preparations before the time travel."

"Please note that once you have changed clothes and left the dressing room, you will have successfully traveled through time. In front of all the NPCs dressed in ancient times, you must speak in a manner appropriate to your identity, otherwise you will be punished."

"Director, are there any detailed settings for our identities?" Zhou Haitao raised his hand. "Just one sentence is too simple. It's hard to define what kind of words are appropriate for our identities."

"The detailed settings for the identities need to be perfected by everyone themselves. As long as they conform to the labels and logic, it's fine," Jiang Wei replied with a smile, clearly anticipating that everyone would have questions.

Zhou Haitao thoughtfully put his hand down, feeling that the program's setup was rather strange.

---

Men, women, and children went to different dressing rooms.

Ye Zhenzhen and her group of four were stunned when they opened the door to the women's dressing room.

Eight girls dressed as maids lined up in two rows, smiling, and curtsied slightly, bowing their heads gently. "Good morning, Madam."

These girls are all foreigners, yet they speak fluent Mandarin.

"Uh, good morning." The group looked at each other, somewhat at a loss for words.

The maids dressed in vintage attire, the antique-style furniture in the room, and the dazzling array of vintage gowns on the clothes rack against the wall, all seemed to open a door to 19th-century Europe.

"Wow, is this for real? What kind of sponsorship did Director Jiang get?" Wang Liqing said in a low voice.

"It actually looks quite convincing, huh? We're not going to be wearing those over-the-top Rococo dresses, are we?" Zhang Siqing looked at the dresses on the rack full of lace, jewels, and ruffles with awe in her eyes.

"Look at those crinolines over there, are they really replicas of 19th-century clothing styles?" Lanno gasped in surprise. The production team was really going all out!

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and uncertainty, two foreign ladies dressed as maids came over and led them to the clothes rack.

The two maids serving Ye Zhenzhen were a sweet-looking girl with brown hair and blue eyes, and a girl with brown hair and brown eyes and sharp features.

"Miss, please choose an outfit for our visit to Conde Castle this afternoon." The sweet-looking woman with brown hair and blue eyes stepped forward and curtsied.

"Um, how should I address you both?" Accustomed to the equality of modern society, Ye Zhenzhen was not used to this identity as an exploitative class, so she bowed in return and asked.

“Miss Ye, I am your maid Lily, and this is Nancy.” The sweet-looking girl with brown hair and blue eyes smiled, revealing two dimples, and introduced the girl next to her. “You don’t need to be shy. We will serve you wholeheartedly throughout this journey.”

In the monitoring room, the director looked at the footage from each room on the monitors and reported to the director: "Everything is going smoothly, and no one is questioning the lottery results for now."

Jiang Wei breathed a sigh of relief. Heaven knows how nervous he was just now. When President Gu looked over, sweat poured down his back.

"But director, where did you find so many foreigners who can speak Chinese?" the director asked with admiration.

"These are all employees of the Y Country Leisure Tourism Development Group. They have long-term contact with tourists from all over the world, and they have many talents who speak various languages," the producer interjected from the side.

"Our show has become popular overseas? A corporation from Country Y has offered to collaborate with us?"

"They're planning to develop the Kande Castle as a comprehensive cultural and tourism project. I guess they chose us because they're targeting the domestic market, since more and more Chinese people are traveling abroad these days."

"Yes, it just so happens that our show is a travel variety show, so it's a perfect fit."

...

The two hit it off as they talked, and their analysis became increasingly logical and insightful.

Jiang Wei listened from the side, her eyes glancing towards the male guest's dressing room.

Mr. Gu, please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me. I was just doing this because I was being taken advantage of...

Jiang Wei silently apologized to President Gu a thousand times. He racked his brains but still couldn't figure out why the young master of the Swire family would make such a strange request.

It's understandable that the four groups of guests were assigned different roles, as it was meant to showcase the roles that tourists could play.

But he simply couldn't understand why President Gu had to play the role of a male servant.

Do the two have some kind of grudge?

But in the photos that went viral at the charity auction, they were sitting at a table chatting happily, so I thought they had a good relationship.

When you gods fight, I, a mere mortal, suffer the consequences.

Sigh, these days it's really tough: money is hard to earn, and food is awful!

[Author's Note]

I've been doing a lot of research lately, and the skirts from 18th and 19th century Europe are so beautiful! Thank you all for your comments and support, I love you all!! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]