"Okay, this is where you'll be living for two weeks. We've already prepared beds, cabinets, and basic tools you might need."
The director clapped his hands and announced to the eight trainees in the open space in front of an old wooden house.
Eight trainees, wearing their own branded sweatshirts, disembarked from the bus and looked at each other in bewilderment. Hearing that the company had decided to launch a new outdoor variety show and would be taking them to film it elsewhere, the trainees were excited for days. Especially since they heard that the company would be taking them away for a full two weeks, allowing them to experience the beautiful natural scenery and the leisurely lifestyle.
Everyone was extremely excited to escape the clutches of school teachers and company teachers.
This summer vacation, I can finally rest and have some fun!!
The result, is this it?
Everyone looked back at the two-story, old-fashioned wooden house behind them. Its tiled roof gave it a sense of history, imbued with the solemnity, stability, and neutrality characteristic of Chinese wooden architecture. The director's team had just explained that this house was nearly eighty years old, and at its peak, it housed five families, spanning three generations, making it a truly convenient place to live.
In the middle of the house is a hall, with rooms of different sizes on both sides, and an abandoned breeding shed.
The open space in front of the house was a dirt field, with a small ditch surrounding it. The trainees took a look around the house. It was fully equipped with all kinds of farm tools, and the bedrooms were clean and tidy. However, the only modern amenities were overhead light bulbs and two electric fans. Nothing else!
How could this variety show be worse than going back to my grandparents' house?! Is this the beautiful, leisurely life?! Several trainees couldn't help but wail on the spot.
"My grandmother's house was similar to this one, with a TV and a refrigerator!"
"Have we been deceived?"
The production team ignored their howling and gestured for them to quiet down before announcing, "Staff will be checking and confiscating the snacks in your luggage. You will have to find your own meals here for the next two weeks."
The wailing that hadn't stopped yet intensified. Yin Haoran immediately stopped his forced groaning expression, raised his hand high, and asked, "How do you solve it yourself?"
The director held up a small loudspeaker and smiled: "It means you have to do it yourself. You have to light the fire and cook your own food."
Hearing this, everyone stopped and looked at each other.
"Is there anyone who can make a fire?"
“Can anyone cook?”
Wang Jiazhen whispered to the team, "I can boil eggs!"
Fan Yao rolled his eyes and retorted, "I can also cook instant noodles!"
Shi Haoxuan stood up and said, "I can cook, but my cooking is just average." Yin Haoran, Fan Yao and others immediately came out from the side and hugged him on the left and right, occupying the best position to hug his thighs, and several people hugged each other and made a lot of noise.
After asking around, about three or four teenagers said they could cook one or two simple dishes, but after the director team pointed out that there were no modern furniture such as gas stoves here.
The eight people discovered that none of them knew how to burn firewood.
Fan Yao even specifically asked the director team, hoping they could add some water: "What if our dishes don't cook well and the kitchen burns down?"
The director team calmly stated that they had prepared sufficient firefighting measures and plans, and that all firefighting equipment was available. They had also contacted the local fire department, and if they saw any signs of a kitchen fire, firefighters and floodwaters would immediately descend from the sky, so they didn't need to worry.
Shi Haoxuan was left speechless by his companions and the director team, and asked the key question: "Where do we get the rice, vegetables, and meat needed for cooking?"
The eight teenagers were told the rule: each person had to do something they had never done before every day. They then anonymously scored each other, and based on their total score, they were given money to live on for the next day. This money could be used to buy food at the market or from neighbors, with the purchases generally in line with local prices.
The program team will also temporarily add small games to the day according to the situation to provide them with some extra entertainment.
Here, just as the director team finished explaining the rules, Yin Haoran patted Wang Jiazhen, who was standing next to him, on the head and immediately shouted to the camera, "I just patted Wang Jiazhen's head first for the first time!"
The trainees next to him immediately started chattering and complaining: "I've never done this before! You've filmed this several times before, don't try to cheat!"
"That's right! You think others don't know, but we've all seen it!"
"Don't try to fish in troubled waters!"
Yin Haoran was furious and grabbed Zuo Jiashi, the first person to expose him, and started to pull his hair: "Well, I haven't pulled your hair before! Now I will pull it out!"
"I'll pull it out too!"
"Well, I've never pulled your ears before, so hurry up and pull them for me!"
The group of teenagers suddenly became a mess.
The eight people joked with each other and jokingly decided to do eight things on the first day that no one had done before.
The filming crew looked at the boys hugging each other, doing various little actions of harassing each other, and seeming to be closer. They thought that although this beginning was a bit unexpected, it seemed pretty good.
By the evening, everyone knew who performed which actions, and they gave each other scores with a chuckle, and then went to the director team to ask for their living expenses with a smile.
The director handed out an envelope to each person. When they opened it, they found that everyone had a different amount. From highest to lowest, Fan Yao got the highest amount, 35 yuan, while Wang Jiazhen got the worst, an empty envelope!
"Is this our dinner money for today?"
"Hey, I have 30 yuan. Jiazhen, give me a leg pat and a back rub tonight, and I'll buy you a bucket of instant noodles!"
"Oh! Someone come to help me!"
"Oh oh oh, let's go to the convenience store!"
There was another round of screaming.
Then I heard the director's gentle yet cold voice: "This is your living expenses for tomorrow."
The boys, who had been dancing with joy, were stunned. A row of trainees looked down at the 0 yuan, 5 yuan, 10 yuan, 15 yuan in their hands... and fell into deep thought. A day's living expenses... couldn't even buy instant noodles.
The next morning, most of the trainees were still fast asleep. In the room, a boy got up, gently folded his quilt, and walked out. Shi Haoxuan naturally greeted the camera and walked out alone. Immediately, a cameraman with a camera followed him. As he walked, he asked him, "What are you going to do?"
"I'm used to getting up early, so I got up. I'll go buy some breakfast for everyone."
Shi Haoxuan is the oldest of the trainees, just two months shy of turning 16. Compared to the other young trainees, he's more reserved, sometimes seeming boyish, sometimes remarkably mature. Many viewers, upon first meeting the eight trainees, tend to overlook him because his personality isn't as distinct as Yin Haoran and Fan Yao's, and he often appears in videos focused on training.
However, in Su Yin's opinion, the best-looking of the eight trainees were Wang Jiazhen, Fan Yao, and Shi Haoxuan, and these three were completely different types. Wang Jiazhen's looks were more refined, with a youthful androgynous beauty. Fan Yao's appearance was relatively more aggressive and masculine, especially his more handsome features. Su Yin could already foresee how many girls would scream at him when he grew up. As for Shi Haoxuan's appearance, it wasn't that he was ugly, but he was good-looking without being shocking.
When you look closely, you will find that he is actually very attractive, and has a unique charm that is hard to find in ordinary people.
Su had been quite optimistic about this boy since the interview. The ambivalence between adult and child that he possessed, especially when his deep eyes gazed at you, made you realize that this rarity was actually not unusual at all.
Later training proved this boy's fortitude even stronger. Even after becoming famous, he remained the calmest and least transformed of all the trainees. You rarely see the impetuousness and fleeting enthusiasm often seen in teenagers of this age.
Over the past year of training, nearly all of his teachers and staff have confirmed that he is the most hardworking, driven, and self-disciplined of the eight. His academic performance is the best among the trainees, and his professional and academic abilities are perfectly balanced, which speaks volumes about the amount of effort he puts in.
Moreover, he is not as indifferent as he appears to be.
He appears to be noncompetitive, unlike some trainees who often strive for more screen time and express themselves during video recordings and performances. However, Su Yin and the other teachers can discern his subtle intentions. For example, while everyone else is performing in the center of the venue, he'll choose a spot to the left or right, or even sit down and sing. He uses this subtle shift in position to draw the audience's attention. During training, while he rarely competes for position or performance time, a plain, monochrome headband and a raised headband set him apart from the seemingly immature trainees around him.
Therefore, although he may seem introverted and unremarkable to some people, and his popularity and discussion among passers-by are not as high as the other members, he actually has many loyal fans.
He also captured the first shot of the variety show recording.
The crew filmed him and chatted with him: "You want to buy breakfast for everyone? But you only have 15 yuan today."
Shi Haoxuan glanced at the camera and said naturally, "The last three obviously can't afford to buy food on their own, so we must share." After saying this, he smiled a seemingly calm yet slightly cunning smile, "I bought them breakfast. They can't not share lunch and dinner with me, so it's all the same. We discussed this before we went to bed last night."
Su Yin gave him a thumbs up in her heart. She was quite satisfied with this answer. It seemed harmonious and friendly, logical and natural.
Now, since no one was awake and there was no material to shoot, the photographer was naturally willing to give him the camera.
They came across a breakfast stand selling pancakes on the roadside. Shi Haoxuan went up to ask and learned that the cheapest one, without egg or meat, was 2 yuan. He had 15 yuan in his hand, which was still 1 yuan short for eight people. He hesitated in front of the stall for a while, but finally left.
Turning around to continue looking for other breakfast shops, he happened to find a bun shop. Shi Haoxuan looked at the price list posted inside the shop and bought five bowls of porridge and five steamed buns. When he asked the boss for more porridge, he asked for more porridge and took away the free side dishes.
His hands were suddenly full. He left the money at the boss's shop and ran to an old woman selling eggs not far away. He bought 8 eggs for 5 yuan each and went home with all his money.
When he returned to the house, he happened to see Zuo Jiashi, Zhu Zhuo, and a few others who had just gotten up and were standing at the door, wondering how to eat breakfast. Shi Haoxuan waved to them from a distance, asking them to quickly take the breakfast in his hands. He then called them to the kitchen to figure out how to boil eggs. The group happily followed him into the kitchen and figured out how to light a fire.
The trainees are still young and still in school, training and living together after school. While some may have their own concerns, the company places great emphasis on moral education for the trainees, strictly prohibiting unhealthy competition, cliques, grouping, and bullying. They also strictly control their phones and computers.
Although they have become famous, the young men have not yet had much contact with society. Therefore, they have a good relationship with each other and their minds are relatively simple.
When they found out that Shi Haoxuan brought back breakfast, their attention was immediately diverted and they started the day's recording with laughter.
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