Chapter 18 [Updated] A street performer offered me a meal of pork...
The pilot episode went viral, and the director of "Let's Travel Together" was overjoyed in his dreams.
Within two hours of the recording ending, hundreds of companies came to offer sponsorships, not to mention those who offered high prices for advertising to have Su Yunruo as their spokesperson.
The director is an idealistic and ambitious person who has worked in the entertainment industry for many years and has missed good opportunities due to various external factors.
But things are different now. "Let's Travel Together" is currently being filmed, so they definitely won't suddenly change the director. If he does a good job with this season and builds a good reputation, will he have to worry about not being able to attract investment to make new shows in the future?
With this lofty ideal in mind, the director called everyone in the work group together for a video conference and made temporary changes to the game content for the next day.
*
The next morning, at five o'clock.
The production team notified the guests at 8:00 AM, but the staff had to set up the venue in advance, so they arrived at the filming location before dawn.
Wen Qingleng arrived no later than them.
Last night's show was incredibly popular, attracting sponsors. Although they were all there for Su Yunruo, there are still eight episodes to go. There are many examples of shows that shine in the first episode but then flop immediately. Xie Xiaofeng told her to build a good relationship with the director, hoping that the director would favor LY's artists in the later episodes.
But Wen Qingleng failed.
The director was too busy to give her a chance to speak, and Wen Qingleng inadvertently incurred everyone's dislike, so she had no choice but to slink back to the van.
Xie Xiaofeng was furious, his face trembling with rage. "Useless! You can't even handle a middle-aged man!"
Wen Qingleng wanted to say something, but remembering that she still had four years left on her contract with LY, she silently held back.
When she was abroad, she heard that actors in China had high status and a good environment, and several of her colleagues who returned to China bought villas within a few months. Wen Qingleng had the same illusions when she returned to China, and when she signed with LY, she never imagined that there would be no difference between being here and being abroad.
They all wanted her to sell her beauty like a prostitute.
"In the end, it's because you're fucking ugly."
Wen Qingleng: "..."
"You said you wanted to be prettier, like Su Yunruo..." Xie Xiaofeng paused mid-sentence, then thought for a moment, "I've realized that Su Yunruo isn't that pretty either. With that face, I wouldn't even be able to get an erection if I actually saw her."
Wen Qingleng found it disgusting yet also used to it; Xie Xiaofeng was just that kind of person, only thinking about those vulgar things in bed when he saw a woman.
Bang bang
There were two knocks on the car window.
Wen Qingleng was startled and hurriedly turned around, only to see a tall woman leaning down and peeking her face down.
"Hey fat guy, if you can't get an erection, go see a urologist."
Su, Su Yunruo.
"Can you find a beauty as stunning as me? Can you even have a face as perfect as mine? Do you dare get out of the car and compare your height with mine? You can't even match my height genes, so what right do you have to babble about what I look like?"
Wen Qinghan looked at Xie Xiaofeng in horror, and sure enough, his fleshy face was as red as a roasted pig.
He turned back to look at Su Yunruo, who looked like a naive and clueless young girl. Her assistant behind her turned pale with fright.
Wen Qingleng was pondering how to handle this situation when she suddenly realized that Su Yunruo had called on her.
"And you too."
Wen Qingleng: "???"
"Didn't you say I wasn't responding to you through my connections?"
Wen Qingleng suddenly remembered what she had told the reporter as instructed by Xie Xiaofeng, and thought she would be questioned.
"He said those things about me and you didn't even say a word for me, yet you expect me to hang out with you?"
"..."
"What's even more ridiculous is that this impotent guy said you're not good-looking. My assistant clearly said you have a divine face, although..."
Before Su Yunruo could finish speaking, she was suddenly choked and had her mouth covered by her small, thin assistant behind her.
"I'm so sorry! Miss Su doesn't know how to speak properly."
The air grew quiet, and Wen Qingleng dared not look at Xie Xiaofeng, shrinking back slightly.
But she felt a strange sense of joy in her heart.
Su Yunruo said she had a divine face.
Who can resist being praised for being beautiful?
Xie Xiaofeng got out of the car and spat on the ground, saying, "I thought she was so high and mighty, but she still came to see the director first thing in the morning."
From afar came the director's voice, "Ms. Su Yunruo, you've finally arrived! The vice president of Silver Crown has come all the way here to discuss cooperation with you."
Xie Xiaofeng shuddered.
Wen Qingleng found it hard to believe.
Silver Crown Group isn't just wealthy and powerful; it's also a long-established company in S City, representing the elite at the top of the pyramid. Unlike foreign brands that barely pay for endorsements and just throw money on magazine covers, their collaborations involve real money flowing into your bank account. A successful partnership could very well lead to being added to a new social circle.
...
8 o'clock
The live stream room was packed with people even before it started recording, and according to the data in the backend, the number of viewers was twice that of yesterday.
The broadcast begins with a camera panning to an ancient town on the outskirts of S city.
Green tiles and stone walls are built along the river, with a bridge in the middle, adorned with red lanterns. When viewed from above by a drone, this area resembles a clam shell split in two by a fisherman, with blood-red pearls hidden inside.
The guests will gather here at Pearl.
Last night, Su Yunru stole the show, and the four members of Wen Qingleng's team didn't look too good.
They already lost the game, and now their popularity has been stolen too. Who can accept that?
So as soon as they met, Zhou Kantian looked up at the camera with a smile and asked the director, "Director, shall we start following the rules for our game today?"
They were all old foxes. The director quickly realized Zhou Kantian's intention to lead Su Yunruo to "break the rules." Just as he was thinking about how to defuse the awkward situation, Su Yunruo suddenly exclaimed, "Huh?"
"Can we follow the rules again today? Why didn't anyone tell me that we didn't have to follow the rules yesterday?"
director:"……"
Zhou Kantian: "..."
Su Yunruo's sincere gaze didn't seem feigned.
She was genuinely confused!
"Did someone tell me but not me?" Su Yunruo turned around and questioned the three people behind her.
The three of them: "..."
Especially Fu Huai, sometimes he really couldn't figure out who Zhou Kantian, that idiot, was targeting.
"Ahem, ahem." The director coughed twice. "Let me first explain the rules of today's game."
The production team brought out a large whiteboard, displaying a sumptuous seafood feast and a rather meager egg fried rice.
Such prizes pale in comparison to the spectacle of the tents and hotel last night. The production team had actually considered this, but to highlight the difference, they would have to elevate the seafood feast while downplaying the fried rice. Fried rice is a common dish, and excessive downplaying it could easily provoke backlash from viewers. Therefore, they ultimately abandoned highlighting the prizes and instead focused on the game segment.
The competition events are ancient entertainment activities that are almost forgotten: horseback riding, archery, polo, and pitch-pot.
The rules are quite simple: each of the two groups sends one person to each game, and one point is awarded for each game won. The group with the highest score at the end wins.
After the director explained the rules, he let each group discuss their own team members.
The two teams were not far apart, and a child's voice came from next door, "I want to eat a seafood feast, who would eat such a meager egg fried rice?"
"Indeed, I don't like fried rice either. It's usually leftover from the previous day, which isn't very hygienic."
We must win!
"come on!"
...
Su Yunruo listened attentively, then scratched her head, "Are you all proficient in any of these four skills?"
Lin Xingsen: "..."
Fu Huai: "..."
Zheng Chengcheng: "I don't know how, I don't know any of them."
Su Yunruo nodded, "Actually, fried rice is quite delicious. My high school classmate's mother makes it very well, and she even runs a stall to support her family."
"..."
"..."
"I don't mind eating fried rice with eggs."
Fu Huai usually speaks up when neither of the two children is saying anything.
"Okay! Let's go play. If we can win, great. If we can't, we'll try this fried rice to see if it's as good as the ones I've had before."
With the game strategy finalized, Su Yunruo raised her hand to signal to the director that her group's discussion was over.
As the victors of last night, we have the right to see the order in which the other side appears today.
Wen Qingleng stood under the whiteboard where the participants were to be selected, and said as she wrote, "Zhou Kantian is currently filming a period drama. In order to play the role well, he systematically learned horseback riding and archery, so he will be the one to participate in these two activities. I used to play golf, so I will participate in Chuiwan."
Finally, in the section for pitch-pot, Wen Qingleng wrote her name but didn't provide any introduction.
It's obvious to anyone with eyes that this was done to deliberately make the audience overlook the fact that one of the children on Wen Qingleng's team didn't participate.
The two kids themselves weren't very popular, and had even fewer fans. A few people in the live stream complained about their idols not getting much screen time, but those complaints were quickly brushed aside by Zhou Kantian's fans.
Zhou Kantian plays the deeply affectionate yet cunning second male lead, Dong Xue, in the drama "The King's Power," which premieres next month. Stay tuned!
[Waaaaah, Zhou Kantian is so dedicated! These days, not many actors can ride horses and shoot arrows.]
Zhou Kantian is the real-life embodiment of Dong Zhongshu! He's mastered all six arts of a gentleman, and even copied the Four Books and Five Classics specifically for this role. He's a true treasure!
[Family members, trust me, investing in Zhou Kantian is a sure thing. I believe Zhou Kantian will definitely ascend to the throne of the most popular celebrities.]
The director couldn't say anything, since it was the captain's choice, and the rules hadn't mentioned that they couldn't participate in the same competition repeatedly, which allowed them to take advantage of the loophole.
Moreover, this is because Su Yunruo broke the rules yesterday, which brought her popularity but also posed a challenge to the production team.
Wen Qingleng stepped down from the stage, and Su Yunruo went up to her.
“Our team can have fried rice with eggs.” Su Yunruo shrugged, wrote her name under the equestrian sign, and then looked at her three teammates. “The other three can choose for themselves. I don’t know what they are good at.”
The director was taken aback when he saw her choose equestrianism.
Unlike the other three projects where you can try even if you don't know anything, this project is different. Equestrianism is not as simple as it looks in videos. The actual horses are very tall, and you have to overcome psychological barriers to even get on them, let alone ride them at a gallop.
This project was originally designed for Zhou Kantian and Fu Huai.
The production team designed this segment because they considered that Fu Huai had visited a horse farm in other programs.
However, Fu Huai didn't say anything, and the director didn't know what to say either. He thought to himself that at least Su Yunruo wasn't deliberately trying to steal the spotlight from her teammates. In contrast, Wen Qingleng's group had a solo dance for two people yesterday, but today one person was taking up two segments, which was too obvious.
The four events started with equestrian competitions. The production team briefly explained the rules: horse racing, the one with the shortest time wins.
It takes almost twenty minutes to walk to the horse farm, crossing the main street and traversing the entire ancient town.
They're all celebrities, and they were trending on social media last night, attracting a lot of attention.
Zhou Kantian and Lin Xingsen, in particular, have the most fans on this variety show, with young girls holding up their phones and screaming.
Zhou Kantian is known for spoiling his fans, always raising his hand to greet them. Lin Xingsen is known for being aloof, ignoring them completely.
Fans have gotten used to it, since those who weren't have become haters.
Suddenly, Su Yunruo ran to an old shop and stopped.
It's like an inn from an ancient costume drama, with wooden tables and chairs inside. There's a front desk for the innkeeper at the entrance, with a wooden board that introduces the restaurant's specialties: roasted pig's trotters, fried rice noodles, and stinky tofu.
His throat bobbed, and he swallowed.
Zheng Chengcheng took a few steps before realizing something was wrong, and turned back to call out, "Captain, it's time to go."
Su Yunruo sniffed and suddenly raised her hand to cover her eyes. "I haven't seen pig's trotters in almost 10 years. I heard that the pig's trotters in this ancient town are especially delicious. The skin is roasted until crispy, and the meat inside is very tender. When you eat them, sprinkle some chili powder mixed with peanuts and scallions on top. Mmm, they are especially delicious."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The three remained silent. Suddenly, Su Yunruo exhaled a breath and choked out, "My lifelong dream is to eat a roasted pig's trotter."
"You cried?" Zheng Chengcheng stared blankly at Lin Xingsen, then stepped forward and leaned close to Su Yunruo's face, asking in a straight-man manner, "You really cried?"
"Waaaaah"
"Don't cry. It's just a pig's trotter, why are you crying? It's not like you can't afford it."
Su Yunruo's sudden and inexplicable actions have left everyone else in a difficult position.
Now that she's the only one wanting to eat and is crying, how can the competition proceed?
This kind of behavior of setting difficult questions for people on the show is simply providing netizens with fodder for criticism. Fu Huai noticed that Zhou Kantian was eager to speak and spoke up first: "We haven't eaten breakfast yet, so why don't we try the local flavors of the ancient town before the competition? Aren't we here for tourism? Experiencing the local cuisine should be a key part of the trip."
The live stream chat was flooded with question marks.
【？？？】
Am I blind and deaf, or has the world changed?
That's true, but Fu Huai is actually cleaning up Su Yunruo's mess?
Does Fu Huai really have such high emotional intelligence?
Is this really the Fu Huai I know? He's always giving his teammates the cold shoulder, never even bothering to be polite, and yet he's actually defending Su Yunruo and making excuses for her?
[OMG! So sweet. The stern and aloof guy dotes on the little princess of the entertainment industry. Su Yunruo is Fu Huai's exception, his only indulgence.]
[Don't come here with your romantic fantasies. Fu Huai and Su Yunruo are completely mismatched. How could they possibly have developed feelings for each other in just one night?]
Zhou Kantian teased, "We ate at the hotel this morning. Doesn't Su Yunruo's family have three chefs? Didn't they make you breakfast?"
Fu Huai, who had actually eaten but claimed he hadn't eaten breakfast, gave Su Yunruo's strange behavior the reason: "Eating smaller, more frequent meals helps maintain weight."
Su Yunruo pulled her face away from her hands, completely oblivious to the back-and-forth between the two of them, and muttered foolishly, "I really want to eat, but I didn't bring any money."
Fu Huaidu fell silent.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Su Yunruo's eyes swept across everyone's faces, then suddenly landed on the person who hadn't spoken yet, "Lin Xingsen."
The taciturn, even runaway, cool guy: "..."
"You said last night that you would perform for me."
The cool guy's eyes widened in disbelief. "??"
"You earn money by performing and then buy us breakfast."
Lin Xingsen firmly refused, "No."
Su Yunruo turned around and walked straight into the store. "Boss, bring me one of every specialty item on your menu! And that kid... that kid with the grumpy face, pay the bill."
The boss knows celebrities, and his wife and daughter even watch Su Yunruo's dramas, but no one told him about this script!
I was completely bewildered.
Two more people entered the shop and sat down on either side of Su Yunruo.
Fu Huai looked at Lin Xingsen and said, "Thank you for the treat."
Zheng Chengcheng pointed to the fans outside and said, "Boss, don't worry, the whole place outside is full of that kid's fans. He can earn enough for this meal just by singing a few songs."
Lin Xingsen: "…………"
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