No. 63 Melon
The love-hate relationship between Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen can be traced back to more than ten years ago when the two just debuted.
The two debuted very close to each other, and their styles were similar after their debut. Their resources often conflicted, and their fans quarreled and threw dirty water on each other.
Later, both became directors due to their acting prowess, one focusing on comedies and commercial films, the other on tragedies and arthouse dramas. At this point, their paths and styles diverged, and it seemed they wouldn't have any overlap. However, over the past decade, at least ten of the dozen films they've directed have overlapped.
During the interview, Liang Hongshen scoffed at Liu Mingqian, "Using tragedy to express the suffering of life? How pretentious! If the box office can't even support it, how can you promote the core value of the work?"
Liu Mingqian refuted without hesitation, "This kind of silly comedy culture that is forgotten after watching it has no depth. How can it be called film art?"
Despite being on completely different paths, the two of them just keep arguing. Liang Hongshen would even boast about his box office success on Weibo, tagging him with @Liu Mingqian. Liu Mingqian wasn't to be outdone, and whenever he was nominated for various awards, both domestically and internationally, he would retaliate by tagging him with @Liang Hongshen.
"I remember about three years ago, Teacher Liu and Director Liang appeared on a variety show together," Lu Yanyan whispered to Zhou Zexu, "and they actually got into a fight backstage! So after that, the organizers didn't dare let them perform together at any event!"
"Huh? Is it that serious?" Zhou Zexu debuted later and wasn't aware of these old rumors. He smacked his lips in amazement. "I thought Teacher Liu was pretty indifferent on the show. I didn't expect her to become so ambitious after meeting Director Liang!"
"This is probably a man's desire to win!" Lu Yanyan concluded.
Lin Cha stood in the back row, listening to the gossip of the people in front, stroking his chin and thinking for two seconds.
Is this really the case?
[They're still sworn enemies over such a small matter? They're even fighting? That's too much!]
Lin Cha remembered that the guests last time also said that Zhu Mingzhi and Bao Wenhan were sworn enemies, but people in the circle thought that the two were in conflict because of a woman. Lin Cha looked at the system and found out that it was actually because of a p!
What about Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen? Is there another reason?
Lin Cha curiously browsed the "Eating Watermelon" system, and as expected, she found the real reason for the conflict between the two. Her heart instantly burst into uncontrollable laughter.
【Hahahahahahahahaha! 】
[So this is the real reason why the two became sworn enemies? ]
Are these two just elementary school kids? Hahahaha! They can even argue over something like this!
The guests' ears pricked up instantly.
There's melon?!
They must eat this melon~!
Liu Mingqian, who was glaring at Liang Hongshen, also heard Lin Cha's thoughts and trembled.
not good!
He immediately turned around, trying to stop Lin Cha's brain! But with Jiang Mingkai's previous experience as a lesson, Lu Yanyan immediately stood in front of Liu Mingqian!
"Tea……"
Before Liu Mingqian could finish his words, Jiang, Zhou and Chen took quick action. Two of them controlled Liu Mingqian's limbs, and one grabbed the rag that had just been used to wipe the table and stuffed it into his mouth!
“Wuwuwuwuwu…”
Liu Mingqian was unable to move his limbs and could only stare with his round eyes and cry.
Liang Hongshen looked at this scene in shock.
What what what what?
What on earth are the guests on this show doing?
He and another guest, his son Liang Yibo, stood blankly at the courtyard entrance. For a moment, he didn't know whether he should be surprised to suddenly hear Lin Cha's thoughts, or surprised that the guests had treated Liu Mingqian this way?
The next second, they heard Lin Cha's clear voice filled with "hahahaha" again -
[Help! This is killing me!!!]
[The reason why Teacher Liu and Director Liang became sworn enemies was because during a variety show appearance, Teacher Liu glanced at Director Liang's younger brother and smiled while going to the bathroom!]
Director Liang's pride was greatly bruised. Seeing that Teacher Liu finished in two seconds, he also laughed and said, "Kidney deficiency~!"
[From then on, the two of them started to argue completely! ]
[Not to mention, the two of them constantly compare themselves to each other in terms of film: one has higher box office revenue than the other, and the other has won more awards than the other. When they appeared on the same variety show, to prove they didn't have kidney deficiency, they even competed to see who could hold their breath the longest without going to the bathroom!]
[Even when they bump into each other in the restroom, they compete to see who can pee the longest and the farthest!]
Guests: ???
What kind of elementary school behavior is this!
I thought the two directors had different values in film, so they became rivals and competed with each other, but it turns out it was because of this?
Lu Yanyan looked at Liu Mingqian with disdain, "You two are over eighty years old combined! How come your IQ is less than eight years old?"
"Saying they are eight years old is flattering them," Chen Xianzhi teased, glancing at Liu Mingqian who was continuing to battle with Liang Hongshen next to him.
——Just after Lin Cha explained the reason why the two became sworn enemies, the three of them let go of Liu Mingqian.
I thought Liu Mingqian would be a little restrained and embarrassed, but the next second he started battling with Liang Hongshen.
"My last time was two minutes!"
"I'll take two and a half!"
"I can reach 2.5 meters!"
"Are you kidding me? You were only 1.67 meters tall last time!"
Guests: “…”
Look! These two are only three years old at most!
On the other side, the director's studio of "Leisure"
After the guest stars arrived, Director Yu gave everyone a half-hour break. The variety show's recording seemed to be going well. Although Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen didn't get along, their tit-for-tat exchanges actually made the livestream audience even more amused.
As expected, the corn that had been stuck on their show for four episodes can finally be pulled out today!
Director Yu excitedly took the task card and headed to the cabin to assign tasks. Halfway there, he suddenly felt a stomachache, the pain so severe that his facial features contorted.
Lu Yanyan just came out of the room and saw Director Yu looking distressed. "Old Fish Head, are you okay?"
——Old Fish Head is what familiar friends call Director Yu privately.
Director Yu's face turned pale, and his chrysanthemums were faintly full of energy. He stuffed the task card into Lu Yanyan's arms, "Boss Lu, I have a stomachache. You go announce today's tasks!"
After saying that, Director Yu felt his stomach churning again. Without waiting for Lu Yanyan's answer, he picked up his chrysanthemum and ran to the bathroom!
Lu Yanyan: ???
"No? Why are you in such a hurry? The toilet is only two steps away..." Before she could finish her words, Lu Yanyan heard the sound of diarrhea from the toilet next to her, and instantly, a strange smell came out.
Lu Yanyan: “…”
What a mistake! Why didn’t the toilet be built further away?
Lu Yanyan trotted to the gate of the courtyard, fanned out the task card in her hand, opened it, and saw the words "Pulling Corn" on it.
"Why are all the events so boring? The variety show planning is terrible, there's no creativity at all!"
Lu Yanyan looked uninterested.
Looking up, I saw Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen still battling in the courtyard. The content of their argument had ranged from kidney deficiency to movies and now to whose belly was rounder.
Lu Yanyan: “…”
She looked at the card in her hand, then looked at Liu Liang and the other man who were battling.
Suddenly, a sly smile appeared in her eyes.
Ten minutes later, the eight guests, led by Lu Yanyan, arrived at the cornfield in Qingchuan Village.
Looking at the endless cornfield, Lu Yanyan was full of fighting spirit. "Friends! Director Yu said that our mission today is to compete in pulling corn! Whoever pulls the most will get..." Lu Yanyan's eyes rolled, "The title of the Strongest Corn King!"
Guests: “…”
[Director Yu has really run out of ideas, right?]
[King of Corn? Would anyone really work hard to pull corn just for this title?]
[That's impossible! We're not stupid—]
Before he could finish his thoughts, Lin Cha saw Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen rushing to the cornfield, their eyes burning with anger.
The game hasn't started yet, but the two of them are already competing.
Lin Cha: “…”
Next, the cornfield became a battlefield between Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen. At first, the two were equally fast at pulling out the corn, but Liang Yibo immediately gave all the corn he had pulled to Liang Hongshen, and Liang Hongshen instantly outnumbered Liu Mingqian!
Liu Mingqian was also not vague. He looked at Jiang Zhouchen and the other two with fierce eyes. The three of them were frightened and gave all the corns they had picked in their hands to Liu Mingqian!
The competition on site has entered a white-hot stage.
On one side, there was Liu Mingqian and three male guests with little fighting power, and on the other side, there was the Liang family father and son with high morale. In comparison, although Liu Mingqian had the advantage in numbers, the two groups were still moving forward in parallel, and it was difficult to tell who was winning or losing.
Lu Yanyan took a small fan and brewed a pot of fragrant flower tea, and sat leisurely on the edge of the field with Lin Cha.
——Fishing.
"Miss," Lin Cha said worriedly, holding her teacup, "Is it appropriate for us to sit here? Didn't Director Yu say we'd have a corn-pulling competition?"
"Does being ranked last have any impact on you?" Lu Yanyan asked suspiciously, "You don't want to be the 'King of Corn' too, do you?"
"Ah? Of course not!"
The purpose of doing farm work in leisure time is actually to exchange for food, but in the end, the food we exchanged is also what we cook and eat together.
Judging from the amount of corn Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen have pulled now, it should be no problem to exchange it for a table of dishes tonight. It seems that they really don't need Lin Cha and the others to go up and help!
Thinking of this, Lin Cha sat next to Lu Yanyan with peace of mind.
——Watch Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen battle in pulling corn.
I used to think pulling corn was boring, but now watching others pull corn... I find it quite interesting!
Lu Yanyan put on her ultra-black sunglasses and glanced at the endless cornfield in front of her: "This cornfield is really huge! Did Old Yu contract it all for us to work with?"
Lin Cha glanced at the system and said, "Yes, this is all Grandma Xia's land. Director Yu contracted it and asked us to do farm work in exchange for delicious food."
"It seems like if we don't finish pulling out all the corn today, we'll have to do it ourselves later!" Lu Yanyan rubbed her chin and thought, "It's all Teacher Liu and Director Liang's fault for not pulling out all the corn here today!"
After that they can relax and unwind!
Hehehe~
Lin Cha didn't dare to speak, but was thinking in his heart——
[Actually, it wouldn't be hard to finish it today. Liang Yibo came with his classmates. He's a senior at the Hai City Drama Academy. A dozen or so boys from his class are traveling together and staying at the RV campground...]
If I could get someone here...
[Oh, forget it, it's too unethical to fleece college students... And they might not be so obedient to help us with the work...]
Lu Yanyan's eyes lit up.
Aren’t college students meant to be exploited?
There is so much wool to be fleeced. If you don’t fleece them now, you will have no chance once they enter the circle and become shrewd!
Lu Yanyan immediately shouted at Liang Hongshen, "Director Liang! Teacher Liu's corn is already three times as much as yours! You're really not good enough! You're going to lose the title of Corn King to someone else!"
Lin Cha: ???
She glanced at two similar-sized piles of corn nearby: [How can this be three times as much...it's clearly about the same size!]
But from a distance, the guests in the cornfield couldn't hear Lin Cha's inner voice. They only heard Lu Yanyan shouting, "Director Liang! Do you want to lose your title of King of Corn? Do you want Liu Mingqian to laugh at you every time you see him? Director Liang! Show your courage! Call everyone you can!"
Liang Hongshen's eyes suddenly burned with rage.
I can lose to anyone but not to Liu Mingqian!
What's more, isn't Liu Mingqian relying on the fact that he has more people?
If you want heads, he has them too!
Soon, a large number of innocent college students were invited to the cornfield by Liang Yi Bo.
"We can't lose! We absolutely can't lose!"
Liang Hongshen, with a "Win" forehead scarf tied around his head, clenched his fist and loudly canvassed for votes, "Anyone who helps our team, Team Liang, pull out the corn will have the opportunity to audition for my new drama!"
The college students were overjoyed to hear this.
With graduation approaching, who wouldn't want to appear in a film by a great director like Director Liang? Even an audition opportunity is so rare!
A large number of college students immediately flocked to Liang Hongshen's camp!
College student: Anyway, all I have to do is pull out some corn. The threshold is so low, it’s easy!
Liang Hongshen immediately gained the advantage in numbers and the amount of corn also increased.
But Lu Yanyan noticed that even though there were more people, the college students were slacking off, their efficiency far inferior to that of the Liang family father and son. So she raised her voice and yelled at Liu Mingqian, "Teacher Liu! Director Liang has surpassed you tenfold! Ten times! His movies are ten times more profitable than yours. Are you going to lose to him even if it means pulling corn?!"
Liu Mingqian's eyes turned red instantly!
The shame of ten times the box office revenue cannot be washed away in the past, will it continue to be so in the future?!
Liu Mingqian stood up, patting the corn stalks and shouting, "Children! Our Liu team welcomes you too! Anyone who helps our Liu team pull more than 30 stalks of corn will get an audition! Whoever pulls the most corn will get the role of the heroine's best friend!"
Wow wow wow wow wow!!!
The naive seniors can't stand the temptation of offers and opportunities.
Besides, even if she doesn't get the chance to audition for Liu Mingqian's movie or play a supporting role, she might be able to attract some fans by showing up in the live broadcast room of such a popular variety show!
The university students instantly became excited and rolled up their sleeves!
Damn it! If we don't finish this cornfield today, we're not drama school students!
In a blink of an eye, the sun sets and it is almost dusk.
Director Yu solved the major issue in his life, humming a little tune and leisurely walking towards the cornfield.
The stage manager just reported that the guests have gone to pick corn. Their variety show is finally on the right track and in line with the theme of "Leisure Life" instead of some weird "Life of Eating Melons"!
After a day of hard work, the guests will surely realize that hard work is not easy, but the food is delicious!
I will definitely work harder in the future!
The variety show planning of their director team is finally of some use!
However, when Director Yu arrived at the cornfield, he saw that the corn stalks were all empty. There were piles of corn on both sides of the path in the field. The hardworking college students had sweat on their faces and were still working hard to carry the corn.
As for his guests, some were squatting on the edge of the field eating sunflower seeds; two were cheering on the college students:
"Kids! There's still one spot for an extra! Come on! Go for it!"
"The corn in your hands isn't just rice; it's your future! Every time you pull one more corn, you're one step closer to fame!"
"Today's hard work is tomorrow's harvest!"
"Pulling corn in the cornfield today, and walking on the flower path together tomorrow!"
Director Yu: ???
What is this?
Could it be that his guest had strayed into some pyramid scheme den again?
This style doesn’t match their variety show!
Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen, who were dedicated to motivating college students to work harder, turned around and saw Director Yu appear, and their eyes lit up.
Liang Hongshen said excitedly, "Director Yu, look at this mountain of corn! This is the result of my hard work today! I am definitely the king of corn today!"
Liu Mingqian retorted loudly, "Liang Hongshen, you are blind! It is obvious that the corn mountain on my side is higher, Old Fish Head, see clearly! This corn king is definitely me!"
"It's me, it's me, it's me!"
"No…it's definitely me!"
Director Yu looked dazed.
A question mark slowly appeared on his head.
"King of Corn? What is it?"
Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen's movements obviously faltered.
The two looked at Director Yu and asked tentatively, "Isn't that the variety show mission you announced today? Let's have a corn pulling competition, and the winner will get the title of 'King of Corn'?"
"Huh?" Director Yu's question mark grew even bigger. "Am I that bored? Would I issue a mission like this?"
Immediately afterwards, Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen heard Lin Cha's gloating voice:
【Hahahahahahahahaha! 】
[Have these two finally realized this mission is fake? This is hilarious! There are actually people who would work so hard for such a ridiculous title! King of Corn? That sounds so stupid, hahahahahahahaha!]
[The point is, the young lady had just excitedly made a helmet out of half a watermelon, with the words "King of Corn" engraved on it. The winning King of Corn will have to wear such a stupid watermelon helmet!]
[I don’t know who this big idiot is! ]
【Hahahahahahahahaha! 】
The laughter in Lin Cha's heart seemed like petrified words, especially the three words "big idiot", which hit Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen on the heads.
The two looked at each other.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
Liu Mingqian took a deep breath, and in an instant, his attitude changed 180 degrees. He suddenly became humble and said, "Looking at it this way, I think the corn I pulled was too little. Or is it that Director Liang's corn mountain has a larger base? You are worthy of the title of King of Corn!!!"
Liang Hongshen quickly waved his hands, "No, no! Director Liu, what are you talking about? Your mountain is obviously higher, so you must have more corn. You are the true King of Corn!"
"No, no, no! It's you, it's you, it's you!"
"It should be you! It's you!"
Director Yu was watching from the side, stunned.
What is going on?
The key point is that now all the corn has been picked, what will they do with the remaining episodes of their show!
In the end, Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen both wore the "King of Corn" helmet.
——A kind-hearted college student helped and made a watermelon helmet.
Liu Mingqian and Liang Hongshen were wearing helmets and were completely silent, with gloomy expressions on their faces.
Let’s stop with the battles and sworn enemies! We don’t want to battle anymore!!!
Liu Liang and the other man looked miserable, but the rest of the guests were very happy. They exchanged corn for food and returned home with a full load.
All the extra corn was stored. Lu Yanyan roughly calculated that from this episode to the end, the stored corn would be enough to exchange for food, and they would be able to lie down for the next few episodes.
Director Yu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He did not have time to argue with the guests about the foul of asking outside help to pull out the corn. He quickly called the variety show planner to modify the content of the next variety show.
The guests returned to the leisure courtyard.
Lin Cha rolled up his sleeves and prepared to cook as usual.
But before I even entered the kitchen, I could smell the aroma of food.
A fair and lovely girl walked out of the cabin carrying plates of delicious food.
"Are you all tired, teachers? Come and have dinner!"
The regular guests looked at each other, not knowing who this strange girl was.
Only Liang Yibo blushed and scratched the back of his head embarrassedly, "This is Xiaotao, my girlfriend!"
"Whoa! Whoa!"
"Xiao Bo already has a girlfriend! Not bad!"
"Sure, sure! My girlfriend is such a sweet girl! She knows you're tired after a long day, and she even cooks for you!"
Xiao Tao is an amateur. In order to protect her privacy, Director Yu photoshopped a cute avatar for her in the live broadcast room to cover her real face.
At the scene, Liang Yibo happily hugged Xiaotao's shoulders and said, "Yeah! My Xiaotao is the best!"
Xiao Tao smiled shyly, "Yi Bo, the food is ready! You've been tired all day, I won't disturb you! Take your time to eat!"
"Don't you want to stay and eat with us?" Liang Yi Bo felt a little disappointed.
"You're recording a show!" Xiao Tao said obediently, "I don't want to disturb you."
Liang Yibo's eyes were even more moved, "Xiao Tao, you are so nice!"
After Xiaotao left, the guests sat in a circle around the dining table in the courtyard.
The table was filled with a variety of freshly baked delicacies: spicy boiled pork slices, fatty yet not greasy Dongpo pork elbow, springy and tender steamed eggs with minced meat, crispy barbecued pork, spicy and refreshing mouth-watering chicken, and shredded pork with rich Beijing sauce...
Everyone was very satisfied with the meal.
Xiao Tao’s cooking skills are impeccable. The other guests worked hard for a whole day and after having such a delicious meal, they all looked very satisfied.
Of course, the most comfortable ones are Lin Cha and Lu Yanyan.
What is a leisure life? This is a leisure life!
"Xiao Tao is a really good girl," Lu Yanyan whispered to Lin Cha, "It would be great if we could get her to join our show!"
Lin Cha's cooking is also delicious, but Lu Yanyan feels bad about always letting Lin Cha cook. More importantly, Lu Yanyan prefers to eat melons with Lin Cha when he has nothing to do.
Lin Cha’s melon tastes better than her food!
Lin Cha: "But Xiao Tao is not from the drama academy. She is an amateur and will not be a guest on our show."
"That's such a pity..." Lu Yanyan lamented, "Liang Yibo is so lucky to have found such a great girlfriend!"
Immediately, Lu Yanyan glared at Zhou Zexu, "Eat, eat, eat, eat! All you do is eat! Why don't you find a girlfriend as outstanding as this? You don't even have this ability!"
Zhou Zexu: ???
Can this be blamed on him?
"But..." Zhou Zexu took a bite of the pork elbow and said incoherently, "Xiao Tao just added me on WeChat! Can I be her friend and ask her to help with cooking in the future?"
"Xiao Tao added you on WeChat?" Liang Yi Bo instantly lost his composure, "How is that possible!"
"Here, isn't this it?" Zhou Zexu showed his mobile phone.
Liang Yi Bo's whole body tensed up, and he quickly leaned over to take a closer look. Suddenly, his tense shoulders relaxed and he let out a long sigh.
"What?! This isn't Xiaotao's WeChat at all!"
"Isn't it?" Zhou Zexu was puzzled. "Did I remember it wrong? But she clearly took the initiative to scan me just now!"
[Zhou Zexu has no reason to lie! What's going on?]
Lin Cha couldn't help but feel strange and opened the melon-eating system.
[That's right! Xiao Tao did add Zhou Zexu, but... she used a smurf?]
[Why use a smurf? Is there something shameful going on?]
Lin Cha looked carefully again, and suddenly, her eyes lit up like copper bells.
【Oh shit oh shit oh shit! 】
[This Xiao Tao is really good! After saying goodbye to Liang Yibo, she immediately went to another guy's RV and cooked a table full of delicious food for him!]
[No, no, no, this isn't the second place she went to! In the three hours we were eating, she actually went around and made dinner for three more boys!!!]
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