Chapter 10. Jing Yitong was standing at the door, his face filled with...
In the preparation room, Fang Xin sat in front of the blue background wall.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xiao Li, the staff member in charge of the interview, asked him the first question: "First of all, welcome to 'The World Is So Big'! My first question is, why did you want to come to 'The World Is So Big'?"
The word choice is very precise; it's "want to come," not "agree to come."
A group of staff members sat around the camera, each with a focused gaze, but the room was actually unusually quiet.
Their team could be described as a "makeshift crew," with most members being newcomers that Yan Tu had recruited from schools. The team was formed entirely by everyone's enthusiasm.
Previously, they had limited funds and almost couldn't even gather enough guests. It was only with the arrival of top star Fang Xin Gu that the team's funds became sufficient. However, since it was their first time working with a popular artist, everyone was a little apprehensive, fearing that Fang Xin Gu might not cooperate with the work.
Fang Xingu sat casually on a high stool, tapping his feet on the ground, and gave the answer he had prepared long ago: "Ten years ago, I watched a movie directed by Maurice Landot, called 'The Polar Messenger.' One of the filming locations for this movie was Antarctica. After watching this movie, I longed for the scenery of Antarctica and always wanted to see it with my own eyes, but unfortunately, I never had the opportunity. So when I saw the invitation from 'The World Is So Big,' I was immediately interested."
Fang Xingu and the production team had already reviewed the script for this interview, and both sides were fully aware of the questions and answers. However, when Xiao Li heard Fang Xingu's words, he was still a little curious. Fang Xingu's answers were so specific and serious. Was this Fang Xingu's true thought, or just a set of prepared statements?
But at least they weren't just given a perfunctory response. Xiao Li also took out a prepared gift from the side: "Director Maurice Landot's 'The Polar Messenger' is indeed a classic masterpiece. Today, we've also prepared a surprise for Xin Gu—a DVD of 'The Polar Messenger,' which has the signatures of director Maurice Landot and the two lead actors."
"ah?"
This was not part of the script, and Fang Xin Gu had not expected this to happen. His slightly widened eyes revealed his surprise.
Fang Xingu stood up and accepted the gift. He carefully unwrapped the disc, looked at it carefully several times, and a smile appeared on his face. This was a commemorative edition disc released this year to mark the tenth anniversary of the film "Polar Messenger." Fang Xingu also owned a copy, so he was well aware of how valuable this disc, signed by the director and lead actor, was.
The production team definitely put a lot of thought into it. Fang Xin picked up the disc and showed it to the camera, saying, "This is such a big surprise. Thank you so much. I will definitely treasure it."
"You're welcome, I'm glad you like it." The atmosphere in the interview room was obviously more harmonious. Xiao Li continued to ask questions, "Xin Gu likes 'Polar Messenger' so much, so is it our destination that attracted you to 'The World Is So Big'?"
Fang Xingu nodded: "Yes, you could say that."
Xiao Li joked, "Luckily, we chose Antarctica as our destination. If we had chosen a different place, Xin Gu might not have come."
A burst of laughter erupted off-camera. Fang Xin, recalling the scene where he stubbornly insisted on taking on "The World Is So Big" in the hospital, readily admitted, "There is indeed such a possibility."
“It seems that fate brought our ‘The World Is So Big’ program team and Xin Gu together,” Xiao Li asked. “So, what are Xin Gu’s expectations for this trip?”
"I'm looking forward to seeing different scenery, and I hope to immerse myself in the purest beauty of nature during this trip."
"Yes! Our journey is about to begin. I hope Xin Gu has a great time. One last question: what do you hope to gain from this trip?"
The production team couldn't possibly make things difficult for Fang Xin Gu, this benefactor who saved people from suffering, so the questions they asked were basically based on the interview transcript.
Fang Xin gave his prepared answer as usual: "I'm currently preparing a new album and hope to gain some inspiration from this Antarctic trip. Of course, the production team also entrusted me with the important task of writing the theme song for the show, and I hope I can finish writing this song before the trip ends."
Originally, the interview could have ended after answering this question, but when Fang Xin looked down at the disc of "The Polar Messenger" in his hand, he suddenly remembered the scene when he watched "The Polar Messenger" ten years ago.
He watched the movie with Jing Yitong at that time. As soon as they came out of the theater, he excitedly told Jing Yitong that he must go and see the mysterious continent of Antarctica with his own eyes if he had the chance in the future.
At that time, Jing Yitong, still worried, pulled him across the road and chimed in, saying, "Okay, then I will stay by Fang Xingu's side just like this, and go wherever he wants to go."
But ten years have passed, and Jing Yitong must have long forgotten the promise he casually made back then.
Fang Xin brushed the disc over his shoulder and murmured in front of the camera, "I also hope to let go of some knots in my heart during this journey."
.
Time flew by, and the day arrived for the recording of "The World Is So Big." Fang Xingu arrived in Beijing early to prepare. That morning, Qi Qiu and his assistant Zhou Xiaoyou knocked on Fang Xingu's door.
Fang Xingu went back to Jiangcheng for a break a while ago, and Zhou Xiaoyou also took a long vacation. After a full month of paid leave, Zhou Xiaoyou returned feeling full of energy: "Hello Xingu, good morning."
Fang Xingu's eyes were bloodshot, and he opened the door listlessly: "Good morning."
Qi Qiu looked at Zhou Xiaoyou and then at Fang Xingu, feeling that one was full of energy and the other was lifeless. He questioned Fang Xingu: "What did you do last night? You look so pale."
Fang Xin pinched the bridge of his nose: "I've been busy writing songs and haven't been sleeping well."
Qi Qiu wanted to scold him, but felt it would be a waste of breath, so she said, "Never mind, I'll have the makeup artist cover your dark circles later."
Time was of the essence, so Zhou Xiaoyou took Fang Xingu's luggage and went downstairs.
Fang Xingu followed behind and handed a packaged express box to Qi Qiu: "Please send this express for me in a couple of days. I'll send you the address later."
Qi Qiu agreed and took Fang Xin Gu and Zhou Xiao You to the airport.
Reaching Antarctica was no easy feat. The production team had to depart from Beijing, undergo two transfers, arrive in Ushuaia to board the ship, and finally reach the Antarctic continent.
Fang Xin arrived at the airport at 1 p.m. The production team booked a VIP lounge in the airport as a recording studio. The main content of the first day's recording was the gathering of all the guests. The production team had already released a preview online yesterday, informing the audience that today's gathering would be broadcast live. At that time, not only would the identities of the seven guests be revealed, but there would also be an opportunity to interact with the guests in the live broadcast room.
The hype surrounding the live stream, coupled with the widespread rumors about the guests, immediately attracted a large number of people to wait in the live stream room until 3 o'clock today when the live stream officially started.
When Fang Xin stepped into the recording studio, it was almost 3:30. The room was not big, and you could see the director and others behind the camera, as well as the seven empty seats in the middle of the room.
Fang Xingu paused in his tracks. He was actually the first one to arrive?
Very well, things are starting to get awkward.
Meanwhile, the viewers in the live stream were getting impatient.
"The live stream was supposed to start at 3 PM, and it's almost 3:30 PM, and there's still no one in the chat room???"
"I came here specifically to see Fang Xin's story, but I've wasted half an hour of my precious time here [angry]"
"Are they really going to do a live-streamed travel variety show? The production team is really brave, completely unafraid of a live-streaming accident?"
"Haha, thankfully things have been strictly controlled in recent years, otherwise I'm really afraid that sasaeng fans would surround their production crew."
"We already know that Fang Xin Gu, Li Wen Yu, Wang Pei Yang, Meng Hui, Liang Ji Yan, and Luo Da are the six who are known, so who is the last one? They are so mysterious, there is still no news about them, and no official photos have been released."
"I'm speechless. Who exactly is in Antarctica? Who gave him permission to send my brother to the frontier of Earth?!"
"Balloon = [redacted] = penguin = Antarctica, understand?"
"It's already good that Fang Xin is able to come out and participate in activities. After all, he just graduated. It doesn't matter where he goes; just treat it as a graduation trip."
"May Chengfeng Entertainment go bankrupt! They made Li Wenyu turn down a hugely popular variety show to come to this crappy travel show. I'll never regret it!"
"The other day, I was watching the gossip and they said this show is only keeping us going thanks to FXG. They were so broke before that they could only invite a disgraced artist like Liang Jiyan. Just let it go [laughing and crying emoji]"
"What? Liang Jiyan is still around? Wasn't she blacklisted after she was a mistress who drove the wife to suicide? How can she still be active now?"
"Holy crap, is the production team crazy? How could they invite someone like this? fxg disappeared for two months and finally came out to record a variety show. Don't let him die before it even airs!"
"Is this really a new story? I always thought the production team lent him the warm cakes."
"I didn't believe it at first either, until the official photos leaked yesterday..."
In the empty live stream room, the fans were already chatting amongst themselves when suddenly, a soft footstep sound came from outside the screen, followed by a voice: "Am I the first one?"
Director Yan Tu replied, "Yes."
The chat in the live stream cooled down for a moment upon hearing this conversation, but then the comment section was completely replaced by a chorus of "Ahhh!" as thousands of people flooded into the live stream.
"Fang Xin has arrived!"
"Ahhh, both new and old!"
Fang Xingu braced himself and walked into the recording room, silently sitting down in the far side. He wondered to himself what the production team was thinking, daring to let him in first. Were they really not afraid of an awkward silence?
Yan Tu reminded: "Since you're new or old, you can first say hello to our viewers in the live broadcast room."
Fang Xin then turned his attention to the live stream screen that was frantically displaying vertical images. He leaned closer with a hint of doubt and discovered that the live stream was already filled with exclamations of "wow."
Fang Xingu nodded at the camera: "Long time no see, everyone."
"You rascal, you finally decided to come back! Waaaaah!"
"Long time no see, Gugu!"
"You look so much thinner now [crying] How are you feeling?"
Fang Xingu touched his face: "Is it alright? The weight has come back, and I'm feeling okay."
"Good, good, it's good that you're alright!"
"Welcome back, missing person!"
"Bro, don't get so close to the screen, he's so handsome I can't breathe! [licking screen]"
Fang Xin Gu had nothing to do while sitting alone, so he started chatting with his fans in the live stream.
Just when Fang Xin felt that the live stream was almost turning into his personal live stream, the second guest finally arrived. It was Wang Peiyang, a new actor who had just turned eighteen. Fang Xin stood up and took the initiative to extend his right hand to greet him: "Hello."
Wang Peiyang looked flattered and hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and grasped Fang Xingu's hands with both of his, shaking them vigorously up and down: "Teacher Fang, hello."
Fang Xingu looked at his hand, which was being held tightly: "...There's no need to be so polite."
Wang Peiyang immediately withdrew his hand and stood up straight: "Oh, okay!"
Fang Xin Gu: ...
The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere was a little awkward. Wang Peiyang was a newcomer to the industry. Fang Xin Gu had learned from Qi Qiu that he was a bit shy, but he did not expect him to be so reserved. However, Fang Xin Gu himself was not a very good social person.
After a moment's thought, Fang Xingu repeated what Yan Tu had just told him: "Say hello to the viewers in the live stream."
Wang Peiyang stiffly turned his head and said to the live broadcast camera, "Hello everyone, I am Wang Peiyang."
The live stream chat was filled with playful banter: "Xiao Pei, what are you doing! Ahhh, you've completely embarrassed your mother!"
“My brother looks like a soldier just by standing there.”
"Is Fang Xin his instructor? Hahaha."
"Reporting, Instructor, Xiao Pei is already red-hot!"
Fang Xingu saw Wang Peiyang's bright red ears and thought that if the kid watched the comments any longer, he would evaporate on the spot. He came to the rescue: "Sit down for a while."
Wang Peiyang breathed a sigh of relief and happily followed Fang Xingu to sit in an empty seat in the recording studio.
After Wang Peiyang, Li Wenyu, Meng Hui, Luo Da and Liang Jiyan arrived one after another, and the scene finally became lively. However, one of the seven seats remained unoccupied.
Li Wenyu curiously raised her hand and asked the production team, "So who is the other guest? You've been keeping us in suspense for so long, can you tell us now?"
Yan Tu laughed off-camera, "Everyone, come and guess!"
Rhoda slapped his thigh: "How can you guess if you don't even know if it's a man or a woman? At least give us a range!"
Li Wenyu chimed in, "That's right, now that the number of men and women is the same, it feels like the seventh person could be either male or female."
Luo Da laughed: "We're not doing a dating reality show, so we don't need to worry about the balance of men and women."
Meng Hui also joined the discussion with a smile: "I guess it's a male guest. What do you think?"
Liang Jiyan, who had been silent all along, chimed in, "...Then let me guess who the female guest is?"
Just as the group was breaking the ice with this topic, a voice suddenly came from the recording studio door: "Sorry, I'm late."
The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, but the recording studio fell silent. In an instant, everyone's eyes were drawn to the mysterious seventh person at the door.
A tall man was standing in the doorway. He was wearing a black suede collared jacket and hiking boots, which made him look tall and long-legged. His handsome face was smiling, which was very pleasant.
But the moment he heard the voice, Fang Xingu was completely stunned. He didn't even need to turn his head to look; just by listening to the voice, he could already recognize who it was.
Thump, thump.
Fang Xin heard his own heartbeat. For the first time in his life, he deeply felt what it meant to have a heart pounding like a drum. He realized that a human heart could beat so fast and so powerfully.
For a moment, Fang Xin even forgot to breathe, his heart pounding wildly as if it would burst out of his chest.
He stiffly looked in the direction the sound came from—
Jing Yitong was standing at the door, smiling, looking straight at him.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Jing Yitong: ^ ^
Fang Xin Gu: ...Haha, this dream is quite original [eyes closed]
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