Chapter 2 The Deceptive Production Team
The production team chose Chenxi Village, the most remote village in Qiushui County, Qingcheng City, as the filming location. This small village, nestled at the foot of Qingshan Mountain, still retains its original rural features. Apart from the main road being a cement road, the rest are all uneven dirt roads.
"The road conditions are even worse than I imagined," the accompanying producer exclaimed, looking out at the dust billowing in the air. Driver Lao Zhang gripped the steering wheel tightly, carefully avoiding the deep potholes. "If it rains, this road turns into a mud pit; the wheels will get stuck and won't be able to pull out."
After several hours of bumpy travel, the car finally stopped at the threshing ground at the entrance of the village at 6 p.m. Everyone got off the car one after another, dragging their luggage. A spring breeze carrying the fragrance of soil and wheat seedlings greeted them.
"Look!" Wu Xiaojia suddenly exclaimed in surprise. She ran to the edge of the wheat field by the roadside and gently lifted a green wheat stalk. "The wheat has already sprouted ears!" Sunlight filtered through her slender fingers, casting dappled shadows on the wheat stalk.
Zhou Yan approached with a smile, her fingertips gently tracing the plump wheat grains. "When the April wind blows, the wheat ears sprout up." She looked up at the distant, rolling waves of wheat, the golden sunset casting a warm glow over the entire field.
"Everyone, please gather together. I'll explain the upcoming tasks and accommodation arrangements," Director Han Yang clapped his hands, his voice particularly clear in the empty threshing ground.
The group gathered around, dragging their luggage, their shadows stretched long by the setting sun. Han Yang turned and pointed to the scattered houses behind them, "Besides that two-story building where the staff live, the remaining five courtyards will be your homes for the next six months."
Su Tangtang looked in the direction the director was pointing and saw six farmhouses standing quietly in the twilight.
There were three houses in the front row and two in the back row, with a narrow dirt road in between. The most eye-catching building was a two-story house covered with white ceramic tiles, which gleamed with an orange-red light in the setting sun. The other five mud houses, built of rammed earth, looked simple and unadorned.
“These courtyards were carefully selected by the production team,” Han Yang explained. “They are close to the village road for easy filming, and they are also next to farmland, so you can truly experience farming life.”
"Director, are we really going to live in a house like this?" Wu Xiaojia couldn't help but ask again, her voice filled with obvious hesitation. She looked at the mottled mud walls and the slightly crooked wooden door, and unconsciously bit her lower lip.
Han Yang nodded firmly, a meaningful smile on his face.
Wu Xiaojia wrinkled her nose and sighed dramatically, "This is too..." She carefully chose her words, "...too primitive, isn't it?"
Although the others did not speak out in agreement, their eyes revealed the same thought. Zhou Yan gently stroked the crack in the courtyard wall, while Su Tangtang stared blankly at a clump of weeds in the corner.
"For the sake of the show, everyone please put up with this," Han Yang clapped his hands, his tone gentle yet firm, "Trust me, this kind of environment actually makes it easier to shine."
Wu Xiaojia took a deep breath, then flashed her signature sweet smile, "Got it, Director~" She shrugged playfully, but unconsciously gripped the suitcase handle as she turned around.
Wu Xiaojia gazed at the wheat field in the distance, her eyes gradually hardening. She had actively sought out this variety show. Everyone knew that Han Yang was a master of making money in the industry; shows he worked on always managed to launch the careers of several newcomers.
If she can stand out here, she might get better scripts and better endorsements... By then, the picky elders of the Zhao family should no longer object to her being with Zhiyi, right?
Han Yang's gaze inadvertently fell on Su Tangtang, and he couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast a soft golden edge on the girl's profile. She quietly gazed at the mottled mud houses, her long eyelashes casting shadows beneath her eyes. Unlike the reactions of others, her eyes showed neither disdain nor reluctance, but rather a thoughtful focus.
Seemingly sensing the gaze, Su Tangtang suddenly turned her head, her clear eyes meeting Han Yang's directly. Han Yang quickly looked away, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily. He had expected this notoriously difficult young lady to throw a tantrum upon seeing such accommodations, but to his surprise, she remained remarkably calm.
"That's good," Han Yang breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as she doesn't cause trouble, the show can continue filming smoothly."
As for how she performs on variety shows, that's another story.
"Today's task is simple," he said, raising his voice to everyone. "Everyone, take a good rest, and tomorrow we'll officially begin our pastoral life."
He pointed to the several almost identical courtyards, "The houses are all in similar condition, so you can discuss and allocate them yourselves."
The evening breeze carried the scent of cooking smoke from afar, and a few sparrows fluttered down onto the courtyard wall, curiously observing the group of unfamiliar visitors.
As the sun set and twilight gradually enveloped the tranquil village, at Qu Xian's suggestion, everyone quickly decided on their accommodations by drawing lots.
Shen Yingying took Gu Qingke's arm and said in a low voice, "It's like the sun rose in the west today. Su Tangtang is actually behaving so well."
She kept glancing behind her, afraid of being overheard.
Gu Qingke, dragging two suitcases in one hand, gazed tenderly at Shen Yingying, "Who knows what she's plotting this time."
His voice was soft, but tinged with wariness.
"She's like a shadow I can't shake off, so annoying," Shen Yingying pouted, then suddenly grabbed Gu Qingke's sleeve as if she had just thought of something. "Do you think she might be plotting something bad?"
Gu Qingke stopped and gently patted the top of her head, his eyes firm yet tender. "Leave it to me. Soon no one will bother us anymore."
"Mmm!" Shen Yingying looked up, her eyes filled with trust.
Not far away, Su Tangtang was struggling to drag two oversized suitcases. The heavy wheels kept getting stuck on the bumpy dirt road, making a screeching sound. She bit her lower lip, and fine beads of sweat were already seeping from her forehead.
Huo Yizhou, who was walking ahead, didn't turn his head and pulled his light carry-on suitcase. Su Tangtang looked at the couples in front of her, each with someone helping to share their luggage, while she was all alone.
"How ironic..." she thought to herself with a bitter smile.
To maintain a perfect image in front of Gu Qingke, the original owner practically brought her entire wardrobe, but she never expected to end up in such a sorry state. Her suitcase sank into the dirt again; she pulled hard, and a sharp pain shot through her wrist.
Su Tangtang's fair cheeks were flushed from exhaustion, and fine beads of sweat slid down her delicate jawline. She had to stop and wipe the glistening sweat from the tip of her nose with the back of her hand.
Just then, she felt a gaze and looked up to see Huo Yizhou had stopped and was looking back at her.
The man stood against the light, his tall figure casting a long shadow on the ground.
His sharply defined face revealed no emotion, only his deep eyes gleamed with a cold light.
"Hurry up," he said in a low, distant voice.
Su Tangtang was slightly taken aback, then quickened her pace to catch up.
She keenly noticed that although the man's tone was indifferent, he still stopped and waited for her, a discovery that surprised her.
According to the original owner's memories, this heir of the Huo family was always arrogant and never stayed for anyone.
"It's probably just for the camera," she thought to herself with a self-deprecating laugh.
As Su Tangtang walked up to Huo Yizhou, she gave him a perfectly timed smile. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on her face and making the smile appear exceptionally bright.
"Thank you, Mr. Huo," she said softly, her voice deliberately ingratiating. After all, the man before her was not only a business tycoon, but also one of the key figures in the original story who led to the original owner's tragic end. In this unfamiliar world, she had to proceed with extreme caution.
Huo Yizhou suddenly stopped and turned to look at Su Tangtang, "Give me one."
His voice remained cold and clear, yet it momentarily stunned Su Tangtang.
Before she could react, Huo Yizhou had already deftly taken the suitcase from her left. In the sunlight, his slender fingers stood out sharply on the suitcase handle. Su Tangtang blinked and quickly followed him.
"The production team is too ruthless!" Wu Xiaojia's exclamation came from not far away. She and Zhao Zhiyi ran out of the house, frantically brushing off their clothes. "The house was full of cobwebs, and the dust was at least half an inch thick!"
Zhou Yan, who lived next door, peeked into her own house, shook her head with a wry smile, and said, "It seems we're all in the same boat."
Zhao Zhiyi frowned as he examined the mottled walls. "This house has probably been vacant for several years, hasn't it?"
At this moment, the production crew appeared and said, "Everyone, today's task is to clean your own residences."
"Huh?" Lin Lang's face fell. "Didn't you say you were off today?"
Her husband, Qiu Nan, smiled and put his arm around her shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, honey, I'll take care of the cleaning."
“No,” Lin Lang shook his head, but his eyes were smiling. “We’ll go together.”
-
Watching Huo Yizhou carry her suitcase towards the house, Su Tangtang unconsciously quickened her pace to follow him.
Arriving at their residence, an earthen house next to Shen Yingying and Gu Qingke, the two families shared a narrow alley, and inevitably had to pass in front of each other's doors every time they went in or out.
Pushing open the mottled wooden door, the interior came into view: the simple wooden bed prepared by the production team was the only clean place, while the rest of the corners were covered with thick dust. The 60-square-meter main room was divided into two spaces by an old-fashioned wardrobe. Two wooden tables of different heights were placed in the front, and a single bed was placed against the wall on the right. Going around to the back of the wardrobe, another bed was quietly placed by the window.
"That's great..." Su Tangtang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, at least she didn't have to feel awkward about the accommodation arrangements.
She glanced cautiously at Huo Yizhou, who was looking around the room.
The man's sharply defined profile appeared even more aloof in the dim light, and his slightly pursed thin lips conveyed a sense of detachment.
"Huo...Yizhou," she said softly, "would you like to sleep inside or outside?"
Huo Yizhou turned his head, his deep gaze lingering on her face for a moment, "You'll stay inside," his voice calm and devoid of any emotion.
"Okay!" Su Tangtang's eyes lit up, and the corners of her lips unconsciously turned up.
Huo Yizhou seemed to be dazzled by her sudden smile, and turned his face slightly away. "I'll go fetch water," he said, and walked towards the courtyard.
"Huh? There's no running water?" Su Tangtang asked as she followed.
Huo Yizhou pointed to the old-fashioned hand pump in the corner of the courtyard, its iron handle gleaming darkly in the setting sun. He had noticed it earlier; this rather old-fashioned device was the only water supply facility in the courtyard.
A moment later, Su Tangtang stood under the eaves, watching Huo Yizhou's back as he pressed the water.
The man's strong arm muscles were faintly visible as he pushed the lever, and the veins bulged slightly under his tanned skin.
"Is this a persimmon tree?" she asked softly.
Huo Yizhou paused, turned his head, and frowned almost imperceptibly. "Hmm," he replied briefly, before continuing to press the water in silence.
Su Tangtang immediately understood, pursed her lips, and remained silent.
She recalled the description of this man in the book: taciturn yet ruthless, like a lurking cheetah, unassuming in ordinary times, but capable of delivering a fatal blow once provoked. The original owner of this body had been deceived by this cold exterior, which was why she had recklessly provoked him, ultimately...
She shook her head and found an enamel basin in the corner, placing it next to the bucket.
Huo Yizhou stopped what he was doing, his rolled-up sleeves revealing his well-defined forearms. He deftly lifted the bucket and placed the basin below the spout. As the lever rose and fell, water splashed into the basin.
Su Tangtang looked away and turned to walk towards the kitchen.
Pushing open the door, a damp, musty smell hit her. On the simple stove were two blackened earthen pots, and the small wooden table next to them was faded. Thinking about having to cook here in the future, she couldn't help but sigh.
When she returned to the main house, Huo Yizhou was taking a brand new towel out of his suitcase. He picked up a pair of scissors, cut the towel in half with a deft hand, soaked it, wrung it out, and handed her one half.
"Thank you," Su Tangtang said as she took the half-towel. Her fingertips accidentally touched his palm, which felt slightly cool. She looked down and wiped the dusty tabletop, catching a glimpse of the man's profile as he worked silently.
According to the original story, the original owner should have already stormed out by now, leaving Huo Yizhou to clean up the mess alone. When Huo Yizhou returned after painstakingly cleaning up, the original owner showed no gratitude whatsoever, instead finding fault with everything. It was precisely this repeated forbearance that emboldened the original owner, ultimately leading to...
Su Tangtang vigorously wiped away the last bit of dust from the corner of the table, secretly vowing in her heart: she would never repeat the same mistake.
Two hours later, the two houses were finally cleaned spotless.
After a long drive and two hours of non-stop cleaning, Su Tangtang was exhausted. She collapsed onto the newly made bed and closed her eyes to rest for a while.
When she finally came to her senses and stepped out of the room, she found that Qu Yizhou was nowhere to be seen. She walked to the front door in confusion and happened to bump into Shen Yingying and Gu Qingke coming out side by side.
The two houses' gates are only two meters apart.
Su Tangtang smiled brightly and greeted them gracefully, "Going out?"
Gu Qingke frowned slightly, pursed her lips and remained silent, while Shen Yingying maintained her polite demeanor and replied indifferently, "Mm."
"Where are we going?" Su Tangtang blinked, her tone light and cheerful.
Shen Yingying paused for a moment, then reluctantly replied, "Let's go to Sister Yan's house."
Despite her intense disgust for the woman, she had to maintain an elegant and dignified image in front of the camera.
“Perfect, I’ll go with you,” Su Tangtang suggested with a smile.
Shen Yingying: "......"
Gu Qingke: "..."
The two of them thought to themselves: Doesn't this woman realize how much we hate her?
Su Tangtang was well aware of the situation.
But she didn't care about any of that. It was their one-sided dislike for her, and it was the original owner who did something wrong, not her. As long as she behaved herself and acted uprightly, how could the male lead and Qu Yizhou possibly take advantage of her?
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