Chapter 6
At one in the afternoon, the car finally came to a stop. Ji Wei opened his eyes to find himself resting on the man’s shoulder, a position that had shifted nearly half of his body weight onto Lu Shenxing.
He immediately shot up and asked, extremely embarrassed, “I’m sorry, I fell asleep just now! I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Lu Shenxing’s expression was indifferent. He squinted slightly as if pondering something, then lowered his voice and said, “It does hurt a bit.”
The man’s voice was already deep, but deliberately lowering it made it sound a little hoarse, betraying a hint of fatigue.
Hearing this made Ji Wei’s heart ache.
What kind of fan was he?
An effortless fan who just lies there… that seemed to fit…
Ji Wei quickly shook his head, pushing aside the strange thoughts, and looked at Lu Shenxing with immense guilt. How could he have chosen such a place to sleep?
Suddenly, Lu Shenxing looked up, his eyes meeting Ji Wei’s, and said unhurriedly, “It needs someone to rub it.”
“I’ll help you!”
Ji Wei offered proactively.
“That’s too much trouble for you.”
Lu Shenxing sighed softly, seeming a little embarrassed.
“No trouble, no trouble at all.”
Ji Wei quickly waved his hands, as if afraid Lu Shenxing would refuse. He immediately sat back down and began to massage Lu Shenxing’s shoulder.
He didn’t dare to use too much force, only kneading gently, bit by bit. He was especially aware of Lu Shenxing’s gaze, which remained fixed on him, making the spot where he was being watched feel as if it were burning.
This made him… even more nervous.
And the corners of Lu Shenxing’s lips curled up unconsciously.
The bullet comments in the live stream room began to scroll frantically.
[Hahahahahahahahahahaha, you were the one who let the little brother lie on you, what did the little brother do wrong!]
[Am I the only one who thinks Film Emperor Lu is… faking it? When he was filming Wind of Qin, a heavy steel bar fell directly on his spine and he didn’t even cry out in pain.]
[Hahahahahaha, you’re not alone, previous commenter. The fans are smiling but not saying anything. Old Lu didn’t win the Berlin Film Emperor for nothing, huh.]
After Ji Wei finished massaging Lu Shenxing’s shoulder, the two of them got out of the car. Looking up, they wondered how the production team had found this place.
Towering ancient trees soared into the clouds. Apart from a mountain village not far away, they were surrounded by layers of mountain ranges, with no sign of human life. They also didn’t see any of the other guests.
Ji Wei and Lu Shenxing walked side by side towards the village ahead. He wanted to check if there was still anything wrong with Lu Shenxing’s shoulder, so he kept stealing glances at it out of the corner of his eye.
A dead tree blocked the path ahead. He didn’t see it and almost tripped, but luckily Lu Shenxing grabbed his hand and pulled him up, saving him from a fall.
Before Ji Wei could breathe a sigh of relief, Lu Shenxing’s deep voice suddenly sounded by his ear, “Is brother that good-looking?”
They were standing very close. Ji Wei could feel the man’s warm breath rising and falling. The tips of his ears turned red, and he forced himself to look up calmly. “Just… average-looking, I guess.”
“Just average-looking, huh—” the man dragged out his words, a smile in his voice. He paused and asked, “Then why do you keep stealing glances at brother?”
Ji Wei was about to say, “I’m not, I didn’t!”
But before he could, Lu Shenxing reined in his casualness and gently admonished, “Focus on the road.”
He was being lectured by his idol…
Ji Wei had no choice but to swallow his words and nod meekly.
The bullet comments were filled with laughter.
[Little brother was clearly worried about your shoulder! How did it turn into stealing glances in your mouth? Film Emperor Lu, where’s your shame? Where is it? Where is it?!]
[Hahahahahahahahaha, little brother even nodded obediently. He’s so cute.]
[Aaaaaah, I’m dying from sweetness, what kind of ** entertainment novel plot is this.]
By the time Ji Wei and Lu Shenxing unhurriedly walked into the village, they discovered that they were indeed… the last to arrive. The other guests were already busy with their tasks.
The village consisted of a square and the residential houses surrounding it, arranged in a circular shape.
On the bulletin board in front of the square, there was only one sentence posted.
—Knowledge is wealth.
Nowadays, most variety shows had scripts, and even a major production like National Style was no exception. Therefore, when Ji Wei read the script, he already had a general idea of today’s program flow.
The guests needed to go door-to-door, answering villagers’ questions to exchange for necessary living supplies. If they couldn’t answer, they could get hints by fulfilling the villagers’ wishes.
This episode’s theme happened to be his major—traditional Chinese painting. The show’s style was very love and peace.
However, as a game streamer.
The thing he disliked the most was… following a walkthrough.
***
What’s the most important thing in a variety show? Screen time, of course.
Zhao Yue had it all beautifully planned out.
There were a total of one hundred and fifty households in the village, with three hundred and seventy-five people. It was impossible to ask everyone one by one in a single day.
So he started from the village entrance and ran as fast as he could, asking as many questions as possible. He went through a series of chaotic tasks like delivering love letters for villagers, lighting fires, and feeding sheep.
Along the way, he ran into Du Ruosong’s team. Although old Sir Ma Liqing was knowledgeable, Zhao Yue saw his old, frail body and figured he didn’t have much longer to live. He walked so slowly!
He was definitely no match for him.
Zhao Yue was full of confidence, ready to show off. After the show aired, he was sure to gain a large number of casual fans.
But Du Ruosong, as a famous CCTV host, was exceptionally good at talking. He rambled on about this and that, and Zhao Yue couldn’t find an opportunity to show off his superiority, which made him a little impatient.
Finally, Du Ruosong asked the key question, “How many questions has your group answered?”
Zhao Yue’s face immediately lit up as he said, “I’m just a graduate student from the Central Academy of Drama. Although I like to read in my spare time, I don’t know much about traditional performing arts. I’ve only answered 69 questions.”
As expected, Du Ruosong looked at Zhao Yue with surprise. “69 questions? That’s amazing. You truly live up to your reputation as a Central Academy of Drama graduate.”
Even old Sir Ma cast an appreciative glance at Zhao Yue. “Don’t be overly modest. Young people like you are rare these days.”
Zhao Yue was secretly pleased and casually brought the topic to Ji Wei. “I wonder how many questions Film Emperor Lu and that non-celebrity have answered. It should be more than me, right?”
Du Ruosong shook his head. “I just ran into them. They seemed to be borrowing something. They said they hadn’t answered a single question.”
Zhao Yue feigned surprise. “Are they that unmotivated… It can’t be.”
The bullet comments in Zhao Yue’s live stream immediately became active.
[Seriously, this is a bit much. If you’re going to be on a variety show, you should at least be enthusiastic. No one forced you to participate if you didn’t want to.]
[Seriously. From now on, I don’t think people should judge influencer celebrities with prejudice. Zhao Yue is working so hard, constantly trying to complete tasks. Compared to the other group, Zhao Yue is really great.]
[+1.]
But Zhao Yue’s happiness was short-lived. Suddenly, he heard a clear voice from the village broadcast: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, the program will undergo a major adjustment. Everyone, please gather at the village square immediately! Everyone, please gather at the village square immediately!”
The urgent voice of the broadcast echoed melodiously above the village.
“Did something happen?”
Old Sir Ma Liqing leaned on his cane and asked worriedly.
Zhao Yue was a little flustered and was already walking out. “Let’s hurry over and see.”
He couldn’t fall behind.
And the bullet comments in his live stream exploded.
[Why adjust the program all of a sudden? Is it because Film Emperor Lu’s group isn’t even trying to answer any questions? Isn’t that a bit too domineering? I’m not even a fan of Zhao Yue, but I feel bad for him. I can’t imagine how badly he’ll be edited in post-production.]
[+1, I can’t watch this anymore. Variety shows are supposed to be fun, right?]
[A Zhao Yue fan speaking up. A-Yue has had it really rough today. We silently endured him being compared to a non-celebrity in terms of looks, and now all his hard work on the tasks has gone to waste. Yancheng Television Station has no heart.]
Only Du Ruosong, walking at the back, muttered to himself, “Why does that sound like Ji Wei’s voice?”
***
In the center of the village square, two chairs were set up. Lu Shenxing sat lazily, while Ji Wei stood at the table, counting the villagers’ heads.
After counting and seeing that almost everyone had arrived.
He held the borrowed megaphone and spoke to the villagers who had rushed over after hearing the broadcast, “Please don’t worry. We’re just doing a simple question confirmation. Please register with us one by one.”
After calming down the chattering extras, Ji Wei returned to his seat and began to record with a pen and paper in a businesslike manner.
He asked the first villager, “Name?”
“Cui Dashi.”
“Question?”
“What are the three main categories of traditional Chinese painting?”
Ji Wei immediately answered, “The three categories are figures, landscapes, and flowers-and-birds.”
Next was the second person.
“The brushes used in traditional Chinese painting.”
“The brushes used in traditional Chinese painting are collectively known as writing brushes. They are made of soft, hard, or mixed bristles, and the tips come in long, medium, and short lengths.”
…
The questions that would have taken at least a day to ask were finished in just one hour, saving the time of visiting each household.
Ji Wei returned the megaphone to Qi Ke, who was filming behind him, and thanked him politely, “Teacher Xiao Qi, all the questions have been answered. Thank you for the megaphone.”
Qi Ke gave him a resentful look. “…I wouldn’t have given it to you if I had known.”
The bullet comments collectively bowed down to Ji Wei’s maneuver.
[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! There’s a way to do this? I’m stunned by the little brother! Look at the staff’s expressions, they’re completely dumbfounded. How is the show supposed to go on now?]
[That’s so slick, so slick. When I think about Zhao Yue painstakingly feeding animals and delivering love letters just to answer 69 questions, I just want to say it wasn’t worth it!]
[But did anyone notice that the little brother answered all the questions instantly!! Others couldn’t copy him even if they wanted to! The difference between people is too damn big. He’s good-looking and an academic ace!]
[Just got here, what happened! Why is everyone spamming 666666?]
[To summarize: little brother went god-mode, production team is dumbfounded.]
Zhao Yue and his group, who had rushed over, were dumbfounded. It wasn’t until Ji Wei had finished answering all the questions that Zhao Yue recovered from his shock. “I was wondering why the broadcast suddenly came on. So it was you, impersonating the production team to gather the villagers.”
He turned to tattle to Director Zhang. “Director, he’s openly violating the rules of the show!”
Just as Ji Wei was about to speak, Lu Shenxing’s gaze shifted to the young man’s slightly dry lips. He twisted open a bottle of mineral water and handed it to him. Then he looked up at Zhao Yue and retorted in a gentle tone, “The rules didn’t say we couldn’t.”
Zhao Yue was at a loss for words.
Although Lu Shenxing’s tone was light, it was non-negotiable. He didn’t dare to talk back to Lu Shenxing, so he resorted to making a pointed remark at Ji Wei. “But for Ji Wei to leave you hanging on the side, isn’t that a bit too…”
They were all in the entertainment industry. Who would be happy playing second fiddle to someone else? Film Emperor Lu was probably not happy about it either.
“That’s a good point.”
Lu Shenxing rested his chin on his hand and nodded, a playful look in his eyes.
Zhao Yue thought he had a chance and was about to chime in, but then Lu Shenxing chuckled softly and asked thoughtfully, “What, are you jealous?”
Zhao Yue: “…”