Recording begins for Chapter 236
The program was filmed in a relatively remote town on the outskirts of Yuming. They specifically chose a location where there were no other houses or residents within a hundred meters, because only in this way could they ensure that the filming site would not be disturbed.
Now, if you want to film a reality show, you have to find a place like this.
After Li Zhenzhen and her team completed the final confirmation on site, they began to follow up on the progress of each group.
"All the groups have already set off and are on their way. We expect Li Zhibai and his group to be the first to arrive," assistant director Zheng Hesong told Li Zhenzhen.
Li Zhenzhen nodded.
The estimated arrival time was also carefully adjusted by them.
Having Lu Yanhe and the other two arrive first will greatly benefit the first meeting of everyone.
Based on Li Zhenzhen's understanding of them, Yan Liang is the most gentle and kind, and will not let anyone feel awkward. Lu Yanhe will help Yan Liang liven up the atmosphere. Li Zhibai is rather arrogant and may not look down on others. Their personalities may clash.
Li Zhenzhen didn't give each of them a detailed performance script, but the production team did have a script for how the artists should be arranged and how the scenes should be set up.
They were all carefully designed.
Chen Biqiu, wearing sunglasses, stood next to Li Zhenzhen, keeping watch for her.
This is Li Zhenzhen's first time in charge of a variety show, and today is the first day of recording.
Li Zhenzhen took a deep breath.
“The show has already started recording, trust your team,” Chen Biqiu said to Li Zhenzhen in a low voice. “Even if any problems arise on set, it’s normal. We’ll solve each problem as it comes up.”
Li Zhenzhen nodded and said okay.
At this moment, someone reminded them: "Li Zhibai, Lu Yanhe, and Yan Liang are expected to arrive in ten minutes."
Li Zhenzhen immediately perked up and said, "All departments, get ready. Artists, get ready to enter."
There were quite a few staff members on site, but every fixed camera position showed no one.
In reality shows, there is a principle that, apart from staff members who play NPC-type roles, they should generally not appear on camera, as it would affect the audience's immersion.
When Lu Yanhe and his two companions arrived, there were only cameras on site, and no staff members.
This is an atmosphere deliberately created by the production team.
The cameraman responsible for filming them got out of the car, but the PD did not.
The three people looked at each other in bewilderment.
Before me stood a small building with a courtyard, next to which was a lake.
The lake water shimmered in the sunlight.
"What's going on? What should we do?" Lu Yanhe turned around and looked around, asking.
There were many cameras on site, but no instructions.
Can they just go in like that?
At this moment, Yan Liang pointed to a door in front of him and said, "There seems to be something hanging on it."
The three of them dragged their suitcases over.
There was a sign hanging at the entrance that read "Check-in Guide".
"Welcome to the Young People's House. Please choose a question and answer it honestly. Only honest people can stay in the Young People's House."
On the side of the entrance, there was a stand with eight questions posted on it.
Lu Yanhe and the others immediately looked at those questions.
Upon closer inspection, wow, they were all tricky questions, including one that asked, "Are you single now?"
This is a common question, but it's not for celebrities.
Many celebrities keep their relationships secret and don't make them public.
"Eight questions, does that mean there are eight people in total?" Yan Liang asked.
Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "It should be."
"What question do you want to choose?" Yan Liang asked.
Lu Yanhe looked around and chose the question, "What kind of person do you least like to live with?"
He turned and looked around, then asked, "Who should I answer?"
Li Zhibai answered the question, "Are you single now?" and said, "Just say it directly. There are definitely dozens of people watching us from somewhere we don't know. After we answer, someone will use a remote to open the door and let us in."
After saying that, he waved the question card in his hand and said, "Single, as single as can be."
However, after he answered the question, there was no sound from the doorway.
Li Zhibai looked puzzled.
Lu Yanhe asked, "Does the door only open after all three of us have answered?"
After he finished speaking, he immediately added, "I dislike living with people I hate the most."
Li Zhibai: "Isn't that obvious?"
“But he didn’t specify how I should answer,” Lu Yanhe said. “Of course, I dislike living with the person I hate the most.”
"So who is the person you hate the most?"
"Someone as handsome as me as you?" Li Zhibai asked immediately.
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath and spat!
Yan Liang laughed, took the question "Do you snore when you sleep?", and said, "No one has ever heard me snore when I sleep, but based on my own feeling, I don't think I do."
After he finished answering, the door remained completely still.
Li Zhibai immediately accused Lu Yanhe: "Look, it's because your answer was too perfunctory that they think your answer is unacceptable and won't open the door for us. You guys just don't participate in enough variety shows, especially reality shows like this. Let me tell you, the directors of these reality shows are really bad. They're holding back and want to get some feedback from you. If you don't say something real, they won't let you off the hook."
Li Zhenzhen and the others, who were watching the live broadcast from a small backstage room, were speechless.
"Li Zhibai's temper is really something else."
When Li Zhibai said that, Lu Yanhe couldn't help but wonder if his answer was too perfunctory and the production team thought it was unacceptable.
Lu Yanhe said with some doubt, "Then let me give you a different answer: I dislike living with hypocritical people the most. Is that direct enough?"
Li Zhibai looked towards the door, but there was still no movement.
"What do we do about this door?" Yan Liang said, trying to push the door open, but it opened easily.
"Huh?" Yan Liang was taken aback.
Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai were also dumbfounded.
"The door is already open?"
The three of them pushed open the door and went inside. Inside, there was another sign that read, "Actually, you can just come in by pushing the door open. You don't actually have to answer the questions. You didn't obediently answer the questions to get in, did you?"
Lu Yanhe: "..."
That tone is so sarcastic.
Both he and Yan Liang immediately looked at Li Zhibai.
Li Zhibai also turned his head and glanced at them immediately.
Li Zhibai's words that he would only open the door after the questions were answered still ring in my ears.
At that moment, no one spoke, but what they wanted to say had already been expressed in other ways.
-
Inside the "dark room," a screen was displaying the situation of the three of them in real time. This scene made many people at the scene unable to help but laugh, covering their mouths and laughing.
"Director, is this design really okay?" someone asked while laughing. "Li Zhibai's face, hahaha, I reckon it'll become a meme when it airs."
Li Zhenzhen smiled and said, "Isn't this the effect we wanted?"
"No wonder Li Zhibai is the most popular of the three of them, he has so many funny stories about him."
“Yeah, he clearly had the worst temper, and I thought he was the least cooperative one, but I didn’t expect that out of the three of them, he was the most effective.” Chen Mo, Lu Yanhe’s PD, also said in this “little dark room”.
Li Zhenzhen said, "Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang are recording a reality show for the first time, so they are bound to be a little reserved. Li Zhibai is much more familiar with the routines of reality shows and knows how to create the right effect. But don't speak too soon. This is only our first time recording. They will become more and more interesting in the future."
“Yes, I’ve already gotten a feel for it,” Chen Mo said. “When we picked them up this morning, it was clear that the three of them had a really good relationship. As long as Li Zhibai was around, Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang were much more relaxed and teased each other in a very amusing way.”
Li Zhenzhen nodded and said, "Just watch the three of them. This is just the tip of the iceberg."
-
After being "mocked" by the production team, Lu Yanhe and the others remained silent and decided to go inside.
As soon as they left, a staff member suddenly pushed open the door of a small cubicle next to them and closed it.
Hearing the noise, Lu Yanhe turned around in surprise and saw that the staff member had covered his face with a sign that read "Pretend I don't exist".
Lu Yanhe looked on with disbelief, then watched in disbelief as the staff member went back into the secluded cubicle.
"Uh..." This was Lu Yanhe's first time filming a reality show, and he didn't know these routines. Now he understood that although there were various signs on the surface, making it seem like they were supposed to follow the signs themselves, there were actually staff members on set doing some improvisational things.
Lu Yanhe and his group crossed the courtyard and entered the house.
The house is very large and looks very new; it must have been built specifically for filming this program.
They put their suitcases aside, looked around, and were about to explore the house when suddenly they heard the sound of a door opening outside.
A figure appeared at the doorway.
Lu Yanhe and the others immediately looked over.
"Huh? Song Linxin?" Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised to find that the figure looked familiar; it was someone he knew.
The person who walked in was none other than Song Linxin, the female singer who became an overnight sensation this year, and an "old acquaintance" of Lu Yanhe.
"Hi!" Song Linxin's eyes lit up instantly when she saw Lu Yanhe standing at the gate across the yard, and she waved to him.
Seeing Song Linxin dragging two large suitcases by herself, Lu Yanhe immediately went out to meet her and helped her with one of the suitcases, saying, "So you've come too."
Song Linxin was overjoyed and said, "I'm so happy to see you. I thought everyone here was a stranger, and I was very nervous before I came."
-
Inside the "dark room," the production team members looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Are Lu Yanhe and Song Linxin really that close?" Assistant director Zheng Hesong asked.
Li Zhenzhen said, "They've only met at some gala performances, right?"
"Song Linxin first gained recognition for singing 'Remembering,' a song composed by Lu Yanhe. They must know each other well," Chen Biqiu said. "How come you guys don't even know that?"
After Chen Biqiu said this, everyone else fell silent.
Indeed, failing to do this much homework when making a program is a dereliction of duty on their part.
"Speaking of which, the other guests on 'The Days of Youth' also have some connection with Lu Yanhe," Zheng Hesong said. "Qin Zhibai also recorded 'Little Song Gathering' with Lu Yanhe."
“They don’t have any personal relationship, I’ve asked them about that,” Li Zhenzhen said. “They just recorded a show together.”
"What about Peng Zhixing?" Zheng and Song said, "I saw a couple of days ago that the latest episode of 'Zhixing', which will air this Saturday, features Lu Yanhe as the interview guest."
Li Zhenzhen was somewhat surprised, "Huh?"
"Does Lu Yanhe know all the other guests?" someone immediately asked. "Didn't we say we were going to create a show about young strangers living together? If Lu Yanhe knows everyone, then there's no such thing as strangers."
“How could he possibly know them all? Even if he did, most of them would just be nodding acquaintances,” Zheng and Song immediately said. “Lu Yanhe has only been famous for a short time. Before that, he was studying at school and didn’t spend much time in the entertainment industry. It’s impossible for him to be familiar with so many people.”
After saying that, he glanced at Li Zhenzhen.
He knew that he, as the director, attached great importance to the positioning and concept of this program, which is why he immediately refuted the other party's statement when they raised questions.
He also believed that he was right.
Li Zhenzhen said with a smile, "Regardless of how many of them know each other and how many don't, the lineup of artists has been finalized. From now on, we can only film and see how the show turns out. We don't know what the final product will be like. The designs we made in advance are just designs on the desk. The final product will depend on the actual process. We don't need to always use the initial designs and expected goals to adjust our filming process. This is inherently unknown, and the unknown is what makes it so interesting."
Everyone was already very used to what Li Zhenzhen was saying.
She often says things like that.
However, as everyone knows, this is her first time officially directing a program, so she definitely lacks experience.
On the surface, people seem supportive of newcomers, but how much trust they actually have in their hearts is anyone's guess.
-
One by one, the guests who came to participate in this program appeared.
After Song Linxin came Qin Zhibai.
He is a singer who has just debuted. He is handsome but aloof. Everyone knows that his family is very wealthy and that he studied abroad.
This was the second time Lu Yanhe had met Qin Zhibai.
It's been almost a year.
On the contrary, Yan Liang was more familiar with Qin Zhibai. They had recorded "Little Song Gathering" together and had seen each other several times at work afterwards.
After Qin Zhibai, finally someone Lu Yanhe didn't recognize arrived.
Actress Xiao Yun.
After Xiao Yun, another figure appeared, leaving Li Zhi completely bewildered.
Not only Li Zhibai, but Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang also showed expressions of disbelief, unable to believe that this person would appear.
Encapsulated particles.
She walked over leisurely, holding a parasol and dragging a suitcase.
As the female lead in the summer hit drama "Take You to the End of the World," she may not be as popular as Li Zhibai, but she is still quite famous.
Song Linxin and Xiao Yun were immediately impressed and praised Mengli for her beautiful look today.
Meng Li greeted everyone with a smile, her gaze falling on Li Zhibai, and a smile appeared on her lips, "Li Zhibai, it's been a long time."
Li Zhi was at his wit's end dealing with this female celebrity who had been pestering him lately.
He swallowed hard, a rare look of embarrassment on his face.
Fortunately, in front of so many people and cameras, Meng Li did not say anything that would make the situation unbearable. She just smiled and said, "Li Zhibai is very popular now. Every time I try to contact him, he never has time to reply."
Li Zhibai was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to say.
Lu Yanhe had no choice but to step in and smooth things over, chuckling as he accused Li Zhibai: "So you really don't reply to anyone's messages. It's one thing if you don't reply to my and Yan Liang's messages, but you don't even reply to Meng Li's messages. Don't you ever look at your phone?"
Yan Liang understood and immediately echoed, "That's right."
What appears to be an accusation is actually a shift in the blame, turning the issue of Li Zhibai not replying to Meng Li's messages into Li Zhibai not replying to anyone's messages.
Meng Li glanced at Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang and said, "By the way, I haven't asked you yet, Lu Yanhe. Last time you told me that you were no longer living with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, but I just heard from my PD that the three of you are still living together. Are you living together or not? Why is it so ambiguous?"
Song Linxin and the others thought Meng Li was just teasing Lu Yanhe and the others, and they all smiled jokingly.
Only Lu Yanhe's pupils twitched.
I was covered in a cold sweat.
Last time, Meng Li waited outside Li Zhibai's dormitory. Lu Yanhe unexpectedly ran into him when he returned. Meng Li asked Lu Yanhe to check if Li Zhibai was there. In order to help Li Zhibai cover up the fact that he was in the room, Lu Yanhe had to lie and say that he did not live there either, and then turned around and left.
"We—" Lu Yanhe hesitated to explain, but Yan Liang suddenly stood up and said, "He moved out for a few days, but he moved back because he had to record this program. Have you been to our place before? When?"
Mengli: "Not long ago."
As soon as she finished speaking, someone else arrived.
Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief.
Very good.
This topic can finally be put to rest for now.
However, a dark cloud loomed over the area.
Mengli actually participated in this program!
The prospect of living together as a couple... Lu Yanhe was filled with pessimism. He turned to look at Li Zhibai, whose face was expressionless and whose eyes seemed vacant. It was hard to tell what he was thinking at that moment.
-
Inside the "dark room," the production team members looked at each other in bewilderment.
According to their initial plan, Meng Li's appearance should have created a reunion topic with Li Zhibai after the broadcast of "Accompany You to the End of the World". However, the expected hugs and memories did not happen. Instead, an indescribable atmosphere emanated between the two.
"Those two seem a bit strange?"
"Why does it feel like Meng Li's arrival has been a bit sarcastic and hostile towards Li Zhibai and the others?"
"have no idea."
“My radar tells me there’s a story between these guys.”
"Meng Li seems to harbor some resentment towards Li Zhibai?"
Li Zhenzhen carefully observed the details of the expressions on the faces of the people in each camera position.
She didn't participate in the discussion, but she also sensed that there were some more complicated issues between Li Zhibai and Meng Li.
The relationships between them seemed to be more complicated than they had imagined from the start.
Li Zhenzhen remained silent, a sudden sense of panic and unease creeping into her heart, worrying that the recording of the show might take an unexpected turn.
-
At this point, eight artists have appeared.
A few people were sitting or standing in the living room, and it was unclear whether there were any other people there.
However, based on the question cards they saw at the entrance, there should have been eight guests.
Just then, Peng Zhixing arrived.
"Hey everyone!" Peng Zhixing walked in wearing a straw hat and dressed casually.
At this moment, the advantages of being a host became immediately apparent; everyone recognized Peng Zhixing.
Peng Zhixing also greeted everyone warmly.
Another round of pleasantries ensued.
By the time we reached Lu Yanhe, it was the last one.
Peng Zhixing gave Lu Yanhe a brief hug and said, "I didn't expect to see you again so soon."
Lu Yanhe nodded with a smile.
"Did you just meet?" Xiao Yun asked curiously.
Peng Zhixing said, "He just came to record my show. He's the one who will be in the latest episode of 'Zhixing' this Saturday."
Xiao Yun exclaimed "Wow!" and glanced at Lu Yanhe with envy.
After the pleasantries, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
Peng Zhixing said, "Let's choose rooms first, okay? Has everyone looked at the rooms?"
"Not yet." Xiao Yun shook his head.
"Let's take a look together, and then we can decide how to divide the rooms." Peng Zhixing automatically started the process.
No one had any objections.
“If anyone has any special requirements about the rooms, please let us know in advance. We’ll probably be staying here for quite a few days, so don’t force yourselves and make yourselves uncomfortable,” Peng Zhixing said. Then, he turned around and suggested, “How about we be chivalrous and let the three ladies choose first?”
Lu Yanhe and the others naturally had no objections, and Qin Zhibai also nodded silently.
Xiao Yun exclaimed happily.
After she exclaimed "Wow!", Mengli glanced at her, seemingly surprised by her reaction.
This house has three floors and more than a dozen rooms.
After the group walked around the house, Mengli said, "Let's not be so picky. It's a three-story building, so we girls can stay on the third floor and you boys can stay on the second floor. If any guests come, we can also arrange the rooms by gender. That way it will be more convenient."
“Okay,” Peng Zhixing nodded. “This is the most convenient way to divide it.”
The three girls prepared to take their suitcases upstairs.
“We’ll help you carry it up; you can go straight up,” Peng Zhixing said immediately.
Xiao Yun was still being polite, saying, "It's alright, we can carry it up ourselves."
Meng Li glanced at her, then let go of her hand and said, "Okay, then I'll leave it to you. You're reliable."
After finishing her sentence, Mengli went straight upstairs.
Xiao Yun was a little embarrassed and didn't know what to say.
Song Linxin patted Xiao Yun, smiled, and turned to Peng Zhixing and the others, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble you for help."
Peng Zhixing: "It's nothing, you're too kind."
Li Zhibai bypassed Meng Li's suitcase and picked up Xiao Yun's instead.
-
Lu Yanhe really had a lot to say to Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, but the house was full of cameras, there wasn't a single safe corner, especially since everyone was wearing a microphone, so whatever they said would be heard, there was absolutely no privacy—of course, the toilet and bathroom were okay, but it was too strange for several men to run to the toilet and bathroom together.
He sat down in a chair and sent a message in their small group chat, @Li Zhibai, asking: Surprised?
Li Zhibai: Surprise my foot, it's a complete shock. Zhou Pingan told me he had already taken care of Mengli, but who knew she would suddenly appear today? I was almost dumbfounded.
Yan Liang: What about the rest of the recording? I felt like she was targeting you as soon as she came in.
Li Zhibai: Who knows, I'm so annoyed right now, I wish I could just take my suitcase and go back.
Yan Liang: The penalty for breach of contract is very expensive.
Li Zhibai: I'd rather pay the penalty for breach of contract than suffer here.
Lu Yanhe: Actually, if we disregard Meng Li, everyone else is quite good.
Li Zhibai: But with her around, it's no use no matter how good the others are. I need to discuss it with Zhou Pingan. I want to quit this show. This lousy program can't continue.
Lu Yanhe: Take it easy, this has only just begun. It would be strange if you suddenly left.
Li Zhibai: Isn't it even stranger for me to be like Meng Li?
Lu Yanhe couldn't really refute what Li Zhibai said.
Everyone probably sensed the strange atmosphere between Li Zhibai and Meng Li just now.
Just then, Lu Yanhe suddenly received a message that he had joined a new group chat.
Peng Zhixing created a group chat for the eight of them.
Peng Zhixing said in the group chat: Everyone, please pack your things quickly. We'll meet downstairs in 10 minutes and go have lunch together.
It's almost noon now. According to the production team's arrangement, this lunch is also the first formal gathering of the eight of them since they checked in.
Ten minutes later, Lu Yanhe came downstairs. He was the fourth to arrive. Peng Zhixing was chatting with Song Linxin and Xiao Yun, while Yan Liang stood aside listening.
"Let's discuss what to do this afternoon when we have lunch," Peng Zhixing suggested. "The production team didn't provide us with any script, so we'll have to find something to do ourselves."
Song Linxin was still a little surprised and asked, "Won't the production team design some segments for us later? So we can just do whatever we want?"
"I think so?" Peng Zhixing was also a little unsure. "That's what they said when I asked them before."
Song Linxin nodded, "Okay."
People seem to be a little unaccustomed to this shooting mode.
Li Zhibai and Qin Zhibai also came down one after the other.
When these two appear together, they give the impression of being brothers.
Both had a stoic, expressionless demeanor, but the former's expressionless face carried a hint of irritability, while the latter's expressionless face carried a hint of aloofness.
The most outrageous thing is that the two of them got off one after the other and walked together without saying a word.
"Only Mengli is left. Has she come down yet?" Peng Zhixing asked.
Song Linxin said, "We looked for her when we went downstairs, and she said she would come downstairs right away."
So they continued chatting and waiting.
Another ten minutes passed.
"Why haven't they come down yet?" Peng Zhixing asked. "Should I go up and check?"
Just then, Mengli arrived late.
She had changed her clothes, donned a bohemian-style long dress and a sun hat, and appeared gracefully before everyone.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," she said with a smile.
Although she was apologizing, Lu Yanhe didn't sense that she was truly sorry.
Peng Zhixing smiled and said, "It's alright, it won't be long. Now that everyone's here, let's get ready to go. Does anyone else know how to drive?"
Li Zhibai said, "I'll drive."
So, Peng Zhixing and Li Zhibai each took a car and drove everyone to the restaurant.
The restaurant was chosen by the production team.
The production team had given prior notice and arranged the camera positions.
After the nine people went in, the dishes were already laid out on the table. The table was full of dishes, and the aroma was very enticing.
"I'm really hungry," Peng Zhixing said. "So hungry."
A group of people sat down one after another, and Lu Yanhe sat with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang.
Peng Zhixing was indeed a great host, never letting the atmosphere become dull. As soon as he sat down, he immediately said, "Although we all know each other, let's do a simple self-introduction later. We'll be living together for several days, so we can introduce our personalities and hobbies. Also, if there's anything we need to pay attention to, we can tell you directly. This way, we can get to know each other more quickly."
“Okay,” Xiao Yun immediately agreed.
"Isn't that unnecessary?" Meng Li suddenly frowned and said, "Introducing ourselves is so tacky."
(End of this chapter)
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