CH 19.3

The group waited in the lobby for about twenty minutes until the others slowly came down with their luggage, all looking tired from being woken up forcibly. The girls had only thin layers of makeup on their faces, while the boys simply walked down with messy hair.

The guests participating in the program were not well-known in the entertainment industry, so they naturally had no pressure.

Soon, the program team arranged for them to board the car.

Before getting on the car, Su Chengyang handed his luggage to Xiao Lu and sat in the same car with Han Songxue and Song Mingan. They were exactly nine people, three people per car. The program team probably saw that the three of them could chat together last night, so they arranged them together.

“I wonder where the program team will take us,” Han Songxue sighed.

“Don’t worry, ladies…”

Han Songxue glanced at him and said, “Wake up, it’s already early morning.”

Song Mingan: “…”

One is too deep into the role, the other has no filter, and Su Chengyang became the person to warm up the atmosphere between them.

“And there were no hints before we left,” Su Chengyang sighed.

Song Mingan said, “Do you know a saying?”

The two looked at him in confusion and asked, “What saying?”

Song Mingan sat in the passenger seat, turned to face them, and said, “This should be a hidden rule in the variety show industry. If a variety show fails to invite popular celebrities, it cannot guarantee ratings, so the program team will sacrifice some unknown guests to create explosive points.”

“Ah…”

“Get to the point.”

“To entertain the public, the program team will deliberately arrange some plots to make guests look bad, in order to satisfy the audience’s twisted psychology.”

The two looked at each other and asked, “What twisted psychology?”

Song Mingan said, “Building one’s own happiness on the suffering of others is similar to a clown. The funnier and more ridiculous the clown is, the happier the audience is. This is the inferior nature of ordinary people.”

Han Songxue rolled her eyes and said, “Don’t talk nonsense. Variety shows are meant to entertain the public. If you don’t let the audience see your funny and pathetic side, do you want them to watch you eat, drink, poop, and sleep?”

Su Chengyang nodded in agreement and said, “Also, speak normally. The Qing Dynasty is really over.”

Song Mingan closed his mouth, turned his head, and looked out the window without saying a word.

Han Songxue said seriously, “You spout so many grand theories but none of them are useful.”

Su Chengyang wanted to nod in agreement but saw Song Mingan’s tense jawline and refrained from speaking.

“You can’t gang up on me just because I’m a man.”

After a moment, Song Mingan turned his head and looked displeased at the two of them.

Han Songxue said seriously, “No, even if you were a woman, I still think your words are unreasonable.”

Su Chengyang nodded and said, “Yes.”

“Chengyang, you can’t team up with her against me. Our relationship is deeper than hers,” Song Mingan looked at Su Chengyang.

Han Songxue frowned and asked, “Do you two know each other before?”

Su Chengyang thought for a moment and nodded, “I’ve known him for about ten minutes longer than you.”

“Then from now on, you break off your relationship with him for ten minutes, and our relationship will be the same.”

“Are you childish?” Song Mingan was angry.

“Are you not childish for talking about relationships like that?” Han Songxue retorted.

Su Chengyang sighed and quickly changed the subject, asking the driver in front, “Mr. driver, do you know where the program group is taking us?”

The driver looked at her through the rearview mirror, pointed to his mouth, and then waved his hand.

Song Mingan looked regretful and said, “We were rude, Mr. driver. We shouldn’t have asked.”

Han Songxue sighed, “So Mr. driver is a mute.”

Su Chengyang said, “I apologize on behalf of her.”

The driver’s mouth twitched, “What I meant was that the program group doesn’t allow me to reveal it.”

Along the way, the driver master occasionally used the rearview mirror to observe the sleeping passengers in the car, wondering if they had noticed the cameras inside.

Their conversation gradually shifted from “variety shows entertaining the public” to how to secretly eat without getting caught by their managers.

Su Chengyang listened carefully to this topic, almost taking notes on all the key points. After all, both people present were her seniors, and they surely had the authority to manage their physique.

At first, Su Chengyang intended to follow the company’s regulations and manage her figure properly, but after struggling for a month, she thought she had succeeded, only to be met with a negative response. For someone who loved meat as much as Su Chengyang, this was definitely a heavy blow.

Su Chengyang was originally very curious about the filming location of the program group, but after more than three hours of driving on the highway without reaching their destination, all three of them became tired and stopped talking, taking a nap in the car.

After waking up, the bright sunlight outside the window and the stuffy smell inside the car made them all feel groggy.

“Mr. driver, haven’t we arrived yet?” Su Chengyang rubbed her eyes and asked.

The driver responded with an “um” and said, “We’ll be there soon.”

“Oh.”

Upon hearing this, Su Chengyang sat up and looked out the window.

The car was driving on a winding mountain road surrounded by lush forests, with one mountain peak after another in the distance, resembling a spine.

Su Chengyang widened her eyes in amazement, opened the car window, and a refreshing breeze rushed in.

The air was filled with the fragrance of grass and soil, which was refreshing and invigorating.

Han Songxue and Song Mingan woke up one after another, and looking at the beautiful scenery around them, they also opened the car window, letting the fragrant air blow away their fatigue.

“The air here is so fresh,” Han Songxue exclaimed.

Song Mingan said, “The program group has thoughtfully arranged it.”

“Look, there are squirrels!” Su Chengyang pointed to the trees on the roadside, shocked.

“Where? Where?” Han Songxue immediately leaned over and looked out through the car window.

“Over there, can you see it? Two of them!”

Before, Su Chengyang never had the chance to come to a place like this. Even when some scenes required filming, most production crews would take the easy way out and use post-production editing.

“Wow! It’s really there!” Han Songxue exclaimed in surprise.

Because there were many curves in the mountain road, the production team’s fleet was traveling relatively slowly. The car that Su Chengyang was riding in was behind them. Perhaps Xiao Lu had heard Su Chengyang’s voice, she stuck her head out of the sunroof and shouted ahead, “Chengyang, what did you see?”

Su Chengyang heard the voice and stuck her head out of the window. “Pine squirrels!”

“Pine squirrels? Are there pine squirrels here?”

“Yes, there seem to be a family of three.”

Xiao Lu glanced in the direction she was pointing and saw many figures bouncing and running around in the forest. She said to Su Chengyang, “There should be more than just pine squirrels here. There are many other small animals too.”

“Really?” Su Chengyang held onto the window with both hands and stuck her head out a little more.

Han Songxue also leaned over to her side. “What other small animals? Let me see.”

“I haven’t seen any yet.”

Just then, Xiao Lu seemed to have been called by someone in the car. She retreated back into the sunroof and seemed to have exchanged a few words with the other people in the car before crawling back out.

“Chengyang.”

“Huh?”

Su Chengyang was carefully looking for other small animals in the forest when she heard the voice and looked back in confusion.

“Ahem…” Xiao Lu cleared her throat and then shouted, “Boss Lin told you to put your head back in.”

Su Chengyang was stunned and instinctively turned her head to look out the back window. She saw a familiar figure sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, frowning at her through the windshield.

Su Chengyang: “…”

She hadn’t seen Lin Yu since she got up in the morning. She thought he was too busy to join her on the show, but she didn’t expect him to come along.

To be honest, when she didn’t see Lin Yu in the morning and thought he wouldn’t be going with her, Su Chengyang felt a tiny, tiny bit happy.

“Oh.” Su Chengyang smirked and pulled her head back in.

Upon hearing that Lin Yu was coming along, Han Songxue immediately turned her eyes back and exclaimed, “Chengyang! Why didn’t you tell me he’s coming too? If I had known, I would have dressed up a bit. He’s the perfect husband in my heart!”

However, Su Chengyang was a bit listless and replied, “I didn’t know either. I thought he wasn’t going.”

This made SU Chengyang’s excitement in vain. She had planned in her mind how to win over Xiao Lu so that she could occasionally indulge herself in the sixth episodes of the show.

Seeing her downcast, Han Songxue couldn’t help but ask, “Is Mr. Lin very scary? Does he have any special fetishes? Why does he seem unhappy about coming along?”

Su Chengyang shook her head and said, “No, Mr. Lin is not scary, but…”

Su Chengyang looked conflicted.

“But what?” Han Songxue asked curiously.

“He’s good to me, helped me clarify things, helped me get compensation, hired a lawyer to fight the lawsuit for me, and found me a place to live. But…he doesn’t give me freedom.”

“What kind of freedom?” Han Songxue asked.

“Freedom to eat!”

“…”

The driver and Song Mingan remained silent.

Su Chengyang continued to complain, “You can’t imagine that since I signed with Starlight Entertainment, I haven’t had a normal meal for a whole month! But Mr. Lin is really good. Last night after the show, he said I did a good job and rewarded me with a sumptuous feast.”

Han Songxue stared wide-eyed and scolded Su Chengyang, “Don’t you know how lucky you are? Do you know how many people want to sign with Starlight Entertainment? Do you know how expensive the hotel booked by the show is? Mr. Lin paid for your meal out of his own pocket last night. Su Chengyang, I warn you not to be ungrateful. If you don’t like it, terminate the contract and recommend me instead…”

Song Mingan interjected, “You can recommend me too. I can stop eating meat from now on.”

Su Chengyang whispered, “I never wanted to be famous.”

The driver almost said, “If it doesn’t work out, you can recommend me too,” after listening to their conversation.

The group arrived at the mountain top amidst their bickering.

When the convoy stopped at an open field, Su Chengyang saw the area that the production team had already set up with several machines and an advertiser’s sign.

“You can get off now,” the driver reminded them.

“Thank you,” Song Mingan nodded towards the driver.

The driver’s mouth twitched.

“Thanks for the ride, but to be honest, the fragrance inside the car is not pleasant. It smells like rotten fruit,” Song Mingan added.

The driver’s face turned dark.

Su Chengyang was the last one to get off, and she told the driver, expressionless, “Don’t take their words to heart.”

The driver waved at her, signaling to get off quickly.

After Su Chengyang closed the car door, the driver stepped on the gas and drove away as if he had a headache from staying one second longer.

Once they got off, the guests were arranged to stand in the middle of the open field, and the staff brought their luggage to them. After everyone arrived, Xiao Lu and the others were taken to a nearby village to store their luggage, while Lin Yu and the director sat on the side, chatting about something.

“Hello everyone, welcome to our beautiful Wangjing Mountain. We are in a village on the mountain called Wangjing Village, where generations have lived. This is the village head.”

Standing opposite was an elderly man with white hair, in a white fisherman’s hat, with a thin body and a straight posture, giving an inexplicable feeling of immortality.

“Welcome to Wangjing Village,” the village head said calmly, facing a group of strangers.

“Wangjing Village has always been isolated from the world, and there are not many modern facilities in the village. Most of them still retain the most primitive living habits. Electricity and gas were gradually introduced into the mountain in the last decade, so it is not very developed. For the next two days of filming, everyone will have to live and feel the historical atmosphere left in the village.”

When they heard that electricity was not well-developed, some of the guest’s faces turned ugly, including Jiang Shanqi, who was from the same management company as a certain young actress.

“Director, is there electricity here? I have to have a light on when I sleep at night,” Jiang Shanqi frowned.

As soon as she spoke, everyone’s attention turned to her.

Su Chengyang saw a woman with a grim face standing opposite, who must be Jiang Shanqi’s agent.

Jiang Shanqi seems to have a strong background and all the resources that come into her hands are of high quality. She has worked with many big names in every drama she has appeared in, and has even acted in two very popular films and TV shows. However, for some unknown reason, while other supporting and lead actors in the crew are becoming popular, she remains unremarkable. Her agency may have taken a desperate move by choosing to have her try her hand at variety shows.

Upon hearing her words, Su Chengyang felt that Jiang Shanqi was probably not being sarcastic towards her earlier, but rather simply expressing her thoughts. After all, the staff had just mentioned that the village had underdeveloped electricity, and she immediately made a request for lights to be able to sleep. Wasn’t she just ruining her own image?

In this sense, Jiang Shanqi and Han Songxue’s blunt speech are similar in nature.

Han Songxue is simply straightforward, and this person probably doesn’t have much emotional intelligence.

“You need to be more rational. This isn’t your home. You came here to work, not to find a different place to sleep,” Han Songxue said bluntly.

Su Chengyang: “…”

Su Chengyang quietly touched Han Songxue’s arm and whispered, “Do you believe that the sentence you just said will be edited into the trailer and you’ll be criticized for it?”

Han Songxue: “…”

Based on the current situation, the reality show is likely to receive unexpectedly good feedback after airing. With an intriguing and controversial concept and celebrities engaging in verbal fights, it’s hard for it not to become popular.

The program team doesn’t intend to stop or warn the celebrities from creating their own buzz; they prefer that the celebrities make headlines on their own instead of having to rely on post-production editing.

However, Su Chengyang plans to retire and take it easy after her contract expires. She doesn’t want any extra publicity, and she’s afraid it will affect her reputation if she later acts unprofessional.

Thinking this way, Su Chengyang discreetly moved a few steps away.

The program team then explained some history about Wangjing Village, and Su Chengyang stood silently in the crowd, showing little interest.

It wasn’t until the staff said, “Please open your luggage and we will temporarily keep any unnecessary items for you,” that Su Chengyang suddenly straightened up, surprising Song Mingan next to her.

“Di…Director, isn’t this inappropriate?” Su Chengyang asked.

The director looked at her doubtfully, “What’s inappropriate?”

Su Chengyang felt guilty and a cold sweat dripped down her forehead, especially when she saw the meaningful smile on Lin Yu’s face, she felt even more nervous.

Why!

Why didn’t anyone tell her that they would be checking their luggage for a reality show?

She remembered the large bags of snacks she bought alone last night after returning to the hotel with Xiao Lu, which were now hidden in various corners of her luggage. Su Chengyang couldn’t stop the cold sweat from dripping down her forehead.

If she had to pay a penalty, could Lin Yu possibly give her a discount?