Chapter 150
Although the Luochen Charity Gala has long since concluded, it's still resonating deeply with the Star 101 forum. They've been discussing everything from the gala's costumes and makeup to the members' official photos, and then, based on videos leaked on various platforms, they've begun speculating about which members are most popular with their fans.
There was a heated debate on the forums over who should explain the meaning of Liang Wendao's name to Lu Shi. But soon, netizens' attention shifted to the variety show filming schedules revealed by various fan clubs.
Zhou Xiao is currently outside a villa in Shanghai. A large number of fans and passers-by have gathered at the gate of the villa not far from her. These people are waiting for Ji Shao and other guests to participate in the recording.
What made everyone sure that this was the variety show recording location was that there was a long banner hanging inside the gate of the villa - "Warmly welcome the crew of "Take a Meal" to film in Fanxi Community"
Fanxi Community is located in District C of Shanghai. Although it's far from the city center, its proximity to Zhejiang Province makes it a prime location for Shanghai's villa districts. The crew of "A Meal for You" also favored this area because of its lower traffic volume, which allows for better cost control.
As Zhou Xiao was kicking fallen leaves with her head down, someone behind her gently tapped her shoulder. Before she could turn around, a voice rang out, "Xiaoxiao! I'm here!"
Zhou Xiao knew who it was the moment she was photographed. She turned and saw it was Yu Du, who, like her, was carrying a camera. She looked especially energetic and excited today, a beaming smile on her face. The two had last met at a fashion dinner last month, so this was a rare opportunity to meet in person.
"Then let's go to the door?" Zhou Xiao pointed to the gate where the crowd was gathered not far away and suggested.
“Eh—”
Just as Zhou Xiao and Yu Du were heading for the door, a woman with a raspy voice called out to them. Zhou Xiao turned and looked in the direction of the voice. She saw a woman, about fifty or sixty years old, wearing the orange reflective vest of a sanitation worker. She was pushing a small cart, atop which lay a stack of neatly-stacked cardboard boxes, secured with ropes.
Zhou Xiao, seeing this, thought the man needed help and quickly went over to help push the cart. Yu Du, who was standing nearby, also came over to help hold onto the cart's metal frame.
"Hey, hey" The aunt didn't seem to expect that the sound she made would cause misunderstandings among the two children. She smiled happily, with a kind smile on her round face.
Zhou Xiao, who had just started working here, immediately realized that the other party did not want his help, because the cart was obviously still firmly controlled by the aunt.
"Squeak—" She simply stopped the cart and said with a smile, "You two are so kind-hearted! Auntie, I just want to ask, do you know why so many old people are blocking the gate today?"
At this moment, more and more people were waiting at the gate of the community, but they were still quite tactful. Whenever a car entered or left, they would organize people to clear the way for the car without the security guards coming out to shout.
"There's a variety show shooting in this neighborhood today." Yu Du looked at the growing crowd and sighed. At this moment, her eyes were looking up at the tree, as if she was thinking about something.
"So you're here for this too, right?" Auntie pushed the cart back up and headed towards the gate of the complex. "No wonder there's been that news every day lately. It's the first time I've seen it so lively at this time of year."
It was already around three in the afternoon, and the number of cars entering and leaving the complex was limited. Zhou Xiao and Yu Du chatted with their aunt as they walked toward the gate. Once they reached the crowded area, their aunt didn't even bother with the gate. Instead, she pushed her cart straight toward the gatekeepers.
Apparently, they knew each other well. The security guard quickly opened a small door to the side and let the aunt in. Zhou Xiao and Yu Du exchanged glances, each sighing that the aunt had connections. Although many people at the entrance had noticed the open door, the orderliness of the crowd was relatively good, and no one rushed in without a second thought.
"Nannan, come in!" The aunt, who had already entered the complex with her car, waved at the two of them. Zhou Xiao looked around and saw many people looking at him and Yu Du. After realizing they were calling him, Zhou Xiao tentatively pulled Yu Du, who was still confused, toward the open door.
When the two of them followed the aunt obediently and reached a place where they could no longer see the door, Zhou Xiao glanced at Yu Du, and then they both thanked the aunt who brought them in.
"Haha," my aunt said with a smile as she pushed the cart steadily, "This is what you young people often say is a piece of cake, a piece of cake! Go play, kids, I have to go home too."
Looking at the graceful figure waving his sleeves and pushing the cart away, Yu Du looked at the figure and couldn't help but sigh to Zhou Xiao, "We are so lucky! If I had known before I met you, I would have kept the bottle for Auntie. No... I won't throw it away..."
As they watched, they watched the aunt, dressed as a sanitation worker, approach the door of one of the villas. Before she could ring the doorbell, the door was opened by a well-dressed woman. She quickly ushered the aunt in. Soon, they heard the woman's soft complaints, "Mom, let's not collect the cardboard boxes next time. They take up too much space!"
Zhou Xiao looked at Yu Du, who was swallowing her words, and laughed heartily. He patted her shoulder and said, "Luckily, our aunt is here to experience life, so the two of us can take her 'ride' and come in. Let's go and wait for Ji Shao in the front!"
…
The crew of "Please Donate a Meal" basically arrived on time. After the cars drove into the community, the fans who had been waiting at the door for almost an afternoon finally regained their anticipation and excitement.
"One, two... eight." Zhou Xiao, leaning against a nearby wall, counted silently as he watched the crew members disembark from the car. Just as he was lamenting the lack of crew time for outdoor variety shows, four more crew members, also wearing black shirts, disembarked from the car next to him.
Ji Shao stood out in the crowd, especially in his white shirt and blue jeans, appearing youthful and energetic. Before the show even began, Ji Shao joined the others, standing beneath the banner at the entrance. He held his head high while a staff member adjusted his microphone. While he was being asked to select the microphone, he waved to the fans gathered at the entrance.
There were four guests this time, all of whom had attended the press conference before. Besides Ji Shao, Tang Yuan, the host of a children's program, was also in his forties. His youthful face made him appear very approachable. He held his head high and chatted with Ji Shao, the two of them seemingly enjoying a pleasant conversation.
The leader on the other side was the shrewd-looking Li Moying. In the sunlight, he was squinting and turning his head to talk to Shi Jin, who had just finished filming a costume drama and had shaved his head.
Zhou Xiao held up her camera, filming Ji Shao while explaining the situation to Yu Du. Before arriving for the recording session, she had already researched all the guests. She even watched the first episode of "A Meal," which didn't include Ji Shao, for the simple purpose of understanding the production team's attitude toward the filming.
Based on a lot of Reuters information, Zhou Xiao could tell that the production team was relatively friendly. As long as they didn't film against the artists, they didn't do anything about it. Of course, this could also be because there weren't any popular artists in the first recording. The fact that they filmed in a villa area this time suggests they've taken this into consideration.
Soon, equipment like microphones were adjusted. As Tang Yuan started to tune in, the four cameramen in the front row crouched down, their cameras pointed at the four guests. Two or three more staff members were carrying booms and lighting equipment, and the rest of the group hovered close around the guests.
Ji Shao stood beneath the banner, delivering his opening remarks along with the other three MCs, following the script provided by the production team. However, the venue seemed overly lively, with much of the incoming audio coming from outside the door. The production team hadn't expected so many fans to show up, given that the villa area had already been screened.
So, during the host's speech, Zhou Xiao saw Ji Shaozheng, who was standing next to Tang Yuan, slowly move closer. When he was a certain distance away, he placed his raised index finger to his lips, signaling for silence. Then, in the moment when the other party calmed down, he clasped his hands together and bowed again.
As a result, the production crew and guests present only knew that the fans had gone quiet. Little did they know that at that moment, everyone was so excited that they couldn't speak. Moreover, after being comforted by Ji Shao inside, they felt that it would be really rude to shout again.
After briefly recording the opening remarks, fans in the crowd saw Ji Shao following the program crew as they walked deeper into the villa area. After raising his left hand to greet the fans, he casually made a half-heart gesture.
Even Yu Du, who was filming inside, couldn't help but say, "Wow, my son is so charming, he really wins my heart!"
Zhou Xiao seemed to think about it and felt that what he said made sense. He gave Yu Du a thumbs up to show his agreement.
The two of them waited until more onlookers gathered behind Ji Shao and his group before they quietly joined the filming team.
Just then, the four people ahead encountered their first household. The door was already open, revealing a family of three. Zhou Xiao could see from his camera that a child, huddled behind his mother, was secretly watching Ji Shao. When he heard his mother say that the three of them were going out for dinner, the child was already tugging anxiously at her sleeve.
Although the family of three later planned to stay home and entertain Ji Shao and the others after seeing the recording, they abandoned the idea after Tang Yuan explained the concept of the program. Before closing the door, Zhou Xiao saw Ji Shao seem to notice the child's gaze and squatted down to touch his head.
This head-patting kill was truly remarkable. Even the young people following far behind Su De couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow!" Ji Shao, crouching on the ground, tilted his head to look behind him, a helpless smile curling up at the corner of his mouth. As if he had seen something, he narrowed his eyes slightly and raised his index finger to point at the crowd behind him twice. At this, there was only a chorus of "wows."
Zhou Xiao, who was in the crowd, felt that this might be the day she heard the most "woc" sounds. She softly asked Yu Du beside her, "Did they click on your camera?"
There was no response, but the next second Zhou Xiao felt the grip of his arm being tightened by the person next to him. Having rescued his arm, Zhou Xiao could only sigh helplessly, shaking his head and pulling Yu Du behind him as they followed the crowd ahead.
…
The filming of this meal wasn't going smoothly. Either the host wasn't home or they were eating out. Of course, this scene was excellent material for the production team, as celebrities being rejected is a major attraction of the show. The first episode was a case of the amateur family agreeing too quickly, so if they wanted more material later, they would have to make up for it during the meal segment.
By this time, the sky had darkened, and the crowd of onlookers had grown. Neither group had succeeded. Zhou Xiao was filming when he heard a few girls in front of him whispering, "This production team is really good at choosing. There aren't many roads with lights on at night!"
The next second, a surprised scream came from the front, "Are you really Ji Shao?" It turned out to be a student who happened to be returning home and ran into the program crew at the door. After confirming Ji Shao's authenticity with surprise, after hearing Ji Shao's request and the program team's requirements, he even forgot to pick up the schoolbag that he dropped in surprise, and rushed into the room to seek his parents' approval.
Tang Yuan couldn't help but sigh as he watched this scene, "This is the ability of young artists. Let's just take advantage of the popularity of these two young people!" Li Moying on the side also cooperated and laughed loudly, which made Ji Shao and Shi Jin look at each other and lower their heads in embarrassment.
But this image was shattered the next second. The girl poked her head out, carefully took the schoolbag from Ji Shao's hand, and cried, "Ahhh, my mom won't let me!"
…
"And then? And then?" Qi Sisi kept asking, tugging at Zhou Xiao's arm. Fans had already compiled a collection of the afternoon footage of Ji Shao going to the taping of "A Meal for You." But the relevant news had essentially stopped when the student said his parents wouldn't let him, and the rest of the story was treated as if it had never happened.
Zhou Xiao shrugged helplessly. She had just told Qi Sisi that Ji Shao and the production team had asked them to keep the rest of the story a secret. For the sake of the show's recording, they hoped to leave some suspense; after all, this was a recorded variety show.
But, Zhou Xiao narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling that this episode might be put first by the production team. After all, she had already thought of the title for the production team - "A Troublesome Meal, a Big Failure Day"
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