Bao Ruanruan took a red-eye flight 1 to Bingcheng, with the intention of completing filming for the variety show 'Sister a...
Bao Ruanruan took a red-eye flight1 to Bingcheng, with the intention of completing filming for the variety show 'Sister as Assistant' and the film 'Snow Mountain Rescue' back-to-back.
This movie offer was introduced to her earlier by Sister Lan Zhi.
Just from hearing the name, she had already decided she definitely wanted to take the role.
However, once the role was confirmed, she discovered she would be playing a college student tourist stranded on a snowy mountain.
Bao Ruanruan was reluctant to be trapped on a snowy mountain.
But the title of the film gave her hope… 'Rescue' — surely someone would come and save her!
The more she thought about it, the more energised she felt.
Therefore, Bao Ruanruan pushed herself, determined not to be late, even if that meant taking a red-eye flight1 at dawn, and arrived at the set early.
#Snowmen Group#
[GroupOwner: @Grandpa Snowman, do you know anything about Sister Xueni's recent situation? She's joined a film crew, and we've heard that it's been really tough. We're all worried.]
That, she knew.
Bao Ruanruan immediately recalled the moment she met Yang Xueni.
She remembered the dark circles under her eyes that not even makeup could cover up in the morning.
– [Yes, I saw her. She does look a bit tired.]
[GroupOwner: !]
[CarrotSnowman: !!]
[PeppermintSnowman: Grandpa, are you in the same crew as Sister Xueni?!]
Bao Ruanruan never lied.
– [Yes, that's right.]
The group chat was instantly filled with exclamations of admiration.
Even many lurkers were blown out of hiding.
[GroupOwner: Grandpa, are you a staff member at Sister Xueni's studio?]
– [IAmGrandpaSnowman: Nope, I'm not.]
[PeppermintSnowman: Then, Grandpa, can I ask about Sister Xueni's new variety show? She's about to start recording 'Sister as Assistant'. Do you know whose assistant she'll be? Will it be exhausting? Please give us a little inside info.]
– [IAmGrandpaSnowman: Bao Ruanruan.]
[GroupOwner: !]
[CarrotSnowman: !!]
The whole group was flooded with exclamation marks.
Everyone was completely stunned.
The production team had kept it a secret until now, only revealing the identities of the 'sisters' who would be doing assistant internships.
However, they had never announced who would be paired with whom, preferring to maintain an air of mystery.
This left everyone in the Snowman group feeling quite worried.
Their Sister Xueni didn't have many friends in the entertainment industry and was always a bit unsociable.
From the few variety shows she had appeared in, it was clear that she was fiercely competitive in private — someone who would 'slap her face until it was swollen just to look fat2'.
With this kind of personality, she could become friends with someone suitable.
If it just happened that she met someone who was like a needle tip against awn tip3, then they would part unhappily.
The Snowmen all feared that Yang Xueni would meet an unsuitable mentor.
This was especially the case since she was going to be an assistant — if someone made things difficult for her, their hearts would ache to death.
But— it turned out to be Bao Ruanruan?
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Wait… were they really that close?
It took a long while before someone finally squeezed out a sentence in the group.
[CarrotSnowman: Is this gossip real…? When does it start airing?]
– [IAmGrandpaSnowman: Official filming began this morning at 7:30.]
[!]
This gossip was way too real!
And it even had details!
Grandpa really lived up to his name!
In an instant, the Snowmen spread the news from ten to a hundred, and from a hundred to a thousand4.
Some Snowmen from other groups all expressed disbelief.
Their Sis Xueni was clearly good friends with Teacher Yuxin—how could she possibly be holding hands with Bao Ruanruan on the show?
But when these Snowmen flooded Weibo supertopics with posts, the Core Group No. 1 leader jumped out to lecture them.
[Mic off5. When you eat melons6, don't believe the melons. Stop discussing this.]
[Also, even if Grandpa is wrong this time, you mustn't attack him casually.]
The group owner was protecting his own shortcomings7.
[Also, don't go setting up flags8 for Sis Xueni. Why can't she hold hands with Bao Ruanruan?]
[She has the right to make friends with whoever she wants. She can hold hands with whoever she likes!]
"How are they getting along?"
Inside the crew's rest hotel.
Outside Bao Ruanruan's room.
Jiang Zhengle paced back and forth nervously.
If someone didn't know better, they would have thought he was like an anxious father waiting outside the delivery room for his wife to give birth.
When his assistant Xia Xia came running out, Jiang Zhengle, sweating all over, hurriedly asked:
"Did Xueni manage to keep her temper under control?"
This variety show wasn't live but pre-recorded and edited.
He was very worried that Yang Xueni wouldn't be able to control herself on camera, and that she might explode if she ran into Bao Ruanruan.
The danger of pre-recording was that the TV station could cut and splice the footage however they wanted.
Even a justified outburst could be edited to make Yang Xueni appear unreasonable and hot-tempered, and that would be impossible to explain away.
Her popularity wasn't very good to begin with.
Sigh.
The more Jiang Zhengle thought about this, the more anxious he became. "Is she getting along well with Bao Ruanruan? Is the atmosphere relaxed, or tense?"
The little assistant had an expression that was impossible to describe. "Uh… the atmosphere… is rather serious?"
It's over!
Jiang Zhengle's vision went black.
No, he had to go inside.
With him there, Yang Xueni would remember that this was being filmed and would restrain herself.
With that thought, Jiang Zhengle immediately went to knock on the door.
The one who opened the door was the assistant director following the filming of 'Assistant'.
Jiang Zhengle nodded and was about to explain his purpose quietly.
A girl's soft voice could be heard coming from inside the room.
She spoke gently, as though she was telling a story, and in a manner far from serious.
Honestly, it was warm and kind. If you listened carefully, you could even hear a delicate, touching sweetness in her voice — the kind that made you want to protect her.
"Nini, I'm going to play you a short video now."
"It explains why we have to wash our hands before meals."
Jiang Zhengle nodded repeatedly as he listened.
Bao Ruanruan was still being very polite.
She was actually telling Xueni… to wash her hands?!
Jiang Zhengle's eyes widened instantly.
What?
"Brother Le, did you need something?"
The assistant director asked curiously through the crack of the door.
There is…
"I…"
For a moment, Jiang Zhengle couldn't react at all.
The atmosphere was very serious, because they were showing a kindergarten short film about why one should wash hands before meals?
This… should it count as something happening or nothing happening?
Even Jiang Zhengle didn't know anymore.
In the next second, the video's sound rang out in the room.
"Children, do you know how many germs are on your hands? Experiments will show you the truth!!"
Jiang Zhengle: ……
Children, do you have a lot of questions?
Anyway, he certainly did.
"Uh, carry on."
Jiang Zhengle hurriedly gestured.
Sorry to bother.
He immediately closed the door.
Inside the room, Yang Xueni had seen her manager poke his head in, and she was about to take this chance to slip away.
But in the next instant, she saw him mercilessly retreat.
He had mercilessly abandoned her.
"Listen carefully."
Bao Ruanruan's face was filled with seriousness.
"Later, I'm going to test you."
Yang Xueni: "???"
Bao Ruanruan quickly pressed the play button again and continued to play the video about the tens of thousands of bacteria on hands for Yang Xueni.
Just earlier, when Yang Xueni handed her a straw, she had pinched the opening directly with her fingers.
Before that, she had been playing with her phone the whole time and hadn't washed her hands afterwards.
Bao Ruanruan thought back for a moment and then put on a pain mask9.
There are lots of bacteria on a phone.
This was one of the reasons why she hadn't wanted an assistant before.
Firstly, she wasn't used to strangers — sharing a space with unfamiliar people made her feel unsafe.
Secondly, her standards of personal hygiene were different from those of many other people.
They surely thought she was too obsessed with cleanliness to the point of blowing on fur just to find flaws10.
But in the game, she had witnessed many terrifying infectious diseases.
Some deadly viruses could infect someone in as little as a dozen seconds.
Even wearing a mask over the mouth and nose, one could still become infected by touching contaminated surfaces with unwashed hands.
Once contracted, those vicious, merciless viruses were almost impossible to cure and brought unbearable suffering.
Bao Ruanruan closed her eyes; just thinking about it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
"Nini, have you remembered it? Do you now know what you have to do first the next time you want to take a straw?"
Bao Ruanruan guided her patiently and gently.
She spoke with tolerance, as if to say it was fine even if she couldn't answer.
Except… if Xueni failed, the 'punishment' would be having to watch those fierce kindergarten educational videos again!
Yang Xueni: "……!"
She was terrified now.
"I remember."
She could even put on elementary school lesson videos now (just kidding)!
After lunch, Yang Xueni finally staggered out of the room, her legs feeling like jelly.
The whole morning had been more exhausting than filming or attending professional snow-mountain rescue training!
And she couldn't even escape.
Inside the room, at least four cameras were focused on them.
Yang Xueni's head was spinning, and her brain felt as if it was full to the brim with hygiene knowledge!
She wore two small, red handmade flowers by Bao Ruanruan and went to settle her accounts with her agent.
"Uh, Sister Xueni, these little flowers of yours look really nice — they're so unique!"
Of course—they're *purely handmade.
She had passed Bao Ruanruan's test on hand-washing and disinfection procedures, so Bao Ruanruan had made them personally for her, even embedding a tiny bead in the centre of each flower.
*This urban–rural fringe11 kind of aesthetic.....
Yang Xueni propped her head in her hands and looked at her assistant's envious expression, feeling utterly bewildered inside.
Child, what has the fashion industry done to you?
"Pfft—what is this? Is it what I think it is, those kindergarten little red flowers?"
Jiang Zhengle really couldn't hold back.
Yang Xueni: "……"
Go ahead, laugh louder.
She wanted to switch jobs, too.
Jiang Zhengle quickly coughed twice. "Xue, why are you back? Is Bao Ruanruan taking a nap?"
Yang Xueni rolled her eyes. "She went to film a scene."
"Filming? Doesn't she need an assistant to go with her?"
Her assistant, Xia Xia, blurted out in surprise, but immediately covered her mouth!
"Sister Xueni, I didn't mean it like that—you can rest if you're tired."
Yang Xueni: "……"
If Xia Xia hadn't added that last sentence, Yang Xueni might not have taken it the wrong way.
Did she usually come across as a villain who never lets her assistant rest?
Just now, after her lunchtime nap, Bao Ruanruan mentioned that she was going to film a scene, so she asked Yang Xueni to rest in the room and use the opportunity to review those health education videos.
Yang Xueni felt a bit suffocated.
But at the same time… it was as if she had caught hold of a faint crack in her own attitude.
Was Bao Ruanruan showing more consideration for her assistant than Yang Xueni usually showed for Xiaxia?
"It must be that she feels embarrassed to order me around on set."
Yang Xueni realised.
After all, she was the female lead, while Bao Ruanruan was only seventh in line… they weren't even on the same level.
If the lead actress went to the set to serve the seventh supporting actress, and Bao Ruanruan actually did it, the entire crew would probably laugh at her.
Unless… Bao Ruanruan could bring out acting skills strong enough to match!
"This… maybe she just doesn't know what an assistant's work includes,"
Jiang Zhengle reasonably guessed.
"After all, she's never had an assistant before."
"Xue, are you really going back to rest?"
"On your very first day as an assistant, are you going to leave your celebrity teacher alone on set? When the variety show airs and your performance is compared with the other assistants, the whole country will know you were slacking off."
Yang Xueni: "!"
The snow's surface created a dazzling glare; without sunglasses, one's eyes would eventually feel scorched.
While waiting for their scenes on the snowy mountain, the cast would usually stand under the crew's large sunshades or have assistants hold umbrellas to shield them from some of the ultraviolet rays.
Wearing sunglasses and carrying the large parasol given to her by her assistant, Xia Xia, Yang Xueni took the cable car to the filming location.
At first glance, she couldn't find Bao Ruanruan anywhere.
Until she saw several photographers of 'The Assistant' circling around a bear-like figure from a distance.
The person's face was almost completely hidden.
That person wore an exaggerated hat that covered everything from head to neck to collarbone, looking almost like an Eskimo.
The whole head was covered, except for the eye area, which was covered by sunglasses.
On top of the hat was a flashy, peach-pink reflective strip.
It was the kind of eye-catching colour that would stand out in the snow... making it easy for rescuers to spot if someone was calling for help!
Yang Xueni: "..."
She walked over with a hint of hesitation.
Sorry, even up close, she still couldn't tell that this person was Bao Ruanruan.
A few photographers from 'The Assistant' were filming her from a distance of two or three metres, clearly just grabbing some long shots before pulling back.
But as soon as Yang Xueni arrived, the photographers waved to her.
"Teacher Yang, you're here? Shall we keep recording then?"
Yang Xueni nodded. "Just make sure not to get the movie shots in."
"No problem."
Yang Xueni led one of the photographers closer to Bao Ruanruan.
She was just about to open the umbrella when she heard Bao Ruanruan talking to Director Xu.
"Director, I have an idea. According to the script, my character, Song Lingchun, keeps getting colder and finally closes her eyes…"
"I don't think she's dead. I think she's just conserving her strength while waiting to be rescued. What do you think?"
Yang Xueni froze for a moment.
She remembered Song Chunling, a young female college student who was one of the seven donkey friends12 initially trapped in the snow-capped mountains, awaiting rescue.
Because she was too scared and didn't want to 'sit and wait for death', she broke away from the group of seven.
Alone, she searched for a way out.
As a result, she ventured deeper and deeper into a remote area. By the time the rescue team found her, she was no longer alive.
"After walking alone for so long, I think she already knew she had made the wrong decision."
"She was exhausted, her strength failing… So when she collapsed here, she didn't faint—she chose not to get up."
"She was afraid and regretted leaving the main group, but didn't dare waste any more energy turning back. So she just lay there, trying to conserve her strength and wait for rescue."
Bao Ruanruan tilted her small face as she spoke to Director Xu.
Although her expression was hidden behind the 'mask', the earnestness of her voice was apparent to all.
Even though Yang Xueni had always been prejudiced against her, she couldn't find fault with that voice.
"Director, what do you think? She still has some will to survive at this point—regretful, fearful, but still clinging to that sliver of hope… so she isn't dead yet, right?"🦊
Bao Ruanruan's question was sincere, and her reasoning was clear.
She had grasped the nuanced shifts in the stranded student's psychology as time passed.
Even Yang Xueni couldn't help glancing at the back of Bao Ruanruan's head again.
Director Xu nodded in approval. "Your interpretation is fine. When you perform this scene later, just act it that way—but when you collapse, make sure to show the sense of complete loss of strength."
Bao Ruanruan nodded. "Okay, no problem. Director, how much weakness do you want? Three parts cooked or five parts cooked? I think three parts cooked is about right—just staggering and falling."
Is this a steak?
Three parts cooked or five parts cooked?
Yang Xueni couldn't help but laugh.
Could Bao Ruanruan really act out such subtle differences in 'levels of weakness'?
Director Xu was also a bit surprised. In all his years of filming, this was clearly the first time an actor had asked him if he wanted the scene cooked like steak... no, not cooked, but performed in degrees.
"Show me then—what does three parts cooked look like, and what does five parts cooked look like?"
That works.
As long as the character doesn't die, anything's fine.
Bao Ruanruan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and moved out to the open space.
But then a troubling thought struck her.
This d@mned production crew and Director Xu Xuguang—he had such an infuriatingly wilful personality. He liked to see genuine, spur-of-the-moment reactions from actors, so he only ever gave them the first half of the script.
She had always thought her character would survive to the end.
After all, the movie was called Snow Mountain Rescue, not Rescue Failure.
But just now she saw the words in the second half of the script: ————"Song Lingchun, finally powerless, collapses; the cold deepens, and she closes her eyes…"
She was dumbfounded.
Life had finally stretched out its devil's claws towards this little kitten!
Now, Bao Ruanruan had no choice but to close her eyes!
But she could still struggle on.
The script didn't specify what came next.......
For example, your heart can still be beating even if your eyes are closed.
For example, CPR can still be performed even on a person without a heartbeat.
She could still be saved!
"Director, look, this is my interpretation of three parts drained of strength."
Bao Ruanruan closed her eyes and walked two steps.
She recalled a time in the game when she had wandered endlessly through a boundless no-man's land, walking and walking, unable to find a way out.
It was a desolate expanse — it seemed both familiar, as if she had been there before, and unfamiliar, as if she had never passed through it.
She was filled with despair and fear.
Her legs gave way beneath her, and she fell to the ground.
When she closed her eyes, she was consumed by regret.
Why had she come alone to this no-man's land?
Yang Xueni was stunned.
She saw that bear-like figure walking forward, and then that figure suddenly seemed to trip and fall to the ground.
That figure didn't even show any expression.
When Yang Xueni looked at its face, all she could see was that Eskimo-style hood.
However, from the figure's body language, it was clear that each step was slower and heavier than the last.
There was an unspoken sense of despair in its back.
The figure fell to the ground and rolled half a turn, ending up face upwards.
It lay there motionless.
It was as if all the strength had left its body.
It wasn't about unable to express through words.
Its real problem was that the strength and support it had once felt had now disappeared from its heart.
"Director, how was that? Ah, I forgot to take off my hat." Bao Ruanruan sat up, touched her face, and then remembered.
Director Xu laughed heartily. "It's fine, I just wanted to see how you'd fall. Go on then—next will be five parts exhaustion, right?"
Bao Ruanruan immediately got up. "Five parts exhaustion means both your body and mind have reached their limit."
This time, her clumsy, bear-like figure staggered forward.
Unable to walk straight through the snow, she had to lean forward and use her hands to support herself. Then, with a whoosh, she tumbled down several times before finally stopping.
"That's what five parts exhaustion looks like—once you fall, you can't control your body anymore."
Yang Xueni opened her mouth in surprise.
Director Xu narrowed his eyes with a smile, nodding repeatedly. "And what about seven parts—what's that like?"
Bao Ruanruan furrowed her brows.
Seven parts exhaustion… she'd encountered that in the games too.
But those were all 'nine chances of death, one chance of life14' situations.
At seven parts exhaustion, the outcome was almost always death.
"Well, yes, there are examples."
Director Xu had never met such an interesting young actress before.
He hadn't previously heard that Bao Ruanruan was particularly skilled at acting.
When Lan Zhi recommended her this time, he had only watched a clip of her performance in Dawn and thought she could handle the role of the female university student. He hadn't expected that not only could she handle it, but she would bring him pleasant surprises as well.
The description for the fall was the same.
Yet she could still perform it with three-, five-, or seven-part intensity.
This demonstrated how much she strived for detail in her acting.
She was precisely the kind of actor the big screen needs!
The cinema screen was far larger than a television.
Every single frame of an actor's performance would be magnified several times over on the big screen.
That was why it needed to be even more detailed.
"Then later, use the version at five parts intensity," Director Xu finally decided.
Only then did Bao Ruanruan cheer up. She immediately climbed out of the snow and brushed it off her clothes.
With just five parts of exhaustion… the hope of survival would be much greater!
She was happy.
However, they didn't film the follow-up scene.
Ultimately, there would just be a shot of the young female student being found by a rescue team member.
Whether she was saved or had already died would be left to the audience's imagination.
Bao Ruanruan was already very satisfied with this outcome.
Turning her head, she saw Yang Xueni and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Eh, Nini! How come you're here?"
Ni… Ni…
Even though she had heard that disgusting name countless times in the room just now, Yang Xueni still couldn't withstand the embarrassment of being addressed by it.
Especially in public, right in front of the director!
Her face flushed red in an instant!
"Oh, oh, is it that assistant variety show of yours?"
Director Xu immediately recalled.
He glanced at Yang Xueni, who had no scenes to film today and was dressed casually with sunglasses on.
No matter what she wore, she couldn't hide her flamboyant aura.
This had always been her trademark.
But it was also the cage that restricted her acting career.
However, Yang Xueni was unexpectedly carrying an umbrella and a thermos today. When she heard Bao Ruanruan speak to her, she looked slightly embarrassed.
All her sharp edges had softened, giving her a softer, more rounded appearance.
Director Xu laughed, pointed at them, and said, "Not bad—you two actually match quite well."
"If there's ever a script about a pair of sisters, you two should give it a try."
Yang Xueni: "???"
Suitable? Sisters?
With who?
She, with whom?
However, Bao Ruan-ruan didn't take the director's words seriously. She looked at Yang Xueni's face behind her sunglasses, then turned back and rummaged through her backpack.
She pulled out a matching Eskimo hat in 'Death Barbie Pink15'.
"???"
Yang Xueni glanced at her.
Do you really think that's suitable?
She didn't need Bao Ruaruan to show fake concern for her in front of the cameras.
Ugly rejection16.
Bao Ruanruan blinked.
Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.
If she wanted to hire an assistant, she couldn't risk them sustaining an occupational injury.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to justify it to others.
"Nini, come here for a moment. You need to watch these videos — they mainly explain the dangers of ultraviolet rays and red-violet radiation on snowy mountains, as well as how to protect yourself."
"……"
Three days later.
'Sister as Assistant' was broadcast for the first time on Pineapple TV.
The production team had kept everything shrouded in mystery — even in the promotional material, they only released photos of the three sisters who would be acting as assistants.
They didn't reveal a thing about who the sisters would be assisting over the past few days.
Rumours only started to spread once filming began, and passers-by inevitably saw them.
[PineappleTV V: Leave a message for your favourite assistant sister. The one who receives the most comments will continue as an assistant in the next episode!]
This show was such a dog17.
The fans of the sisters taking part all desperately wanted to vote and leave comments… because they wanted to see more fresh clips of their idols.
But their idols themselves might not feel the same way.
On the day the full episode aired, Yang Xueni got up early and told her agent Jiang Zhengle to inform her fan club not to vote for her or leave her any comments.
"I want to focus seriously on acting."
She never wanted to be an assistant again!
Jiang Zhengle didn't know whether to laugh or cry18. "Director Xu really supports you doing this variety show. He's already arranged the later filming schedule to avoid clashing with Bao Ruanruan as much as possible."
Yang Xueni: "……"
"Brother, I believe my Snowmen would never just stand by and watch me suffer."
"If they see how Bao Ruanruan has treated me over the past two days, they might start attacking her, which could lead to unnecessary quarrels between fans."
"One recording of this show is already enough."
Jiang Zhengle's expression shifted.
If a massive fan brawl broke out, the losses would outweigh the gains.
"All right, I'll talk to the fan support club and tell them you've been busy filming lately, so they shouldn't vote you into first place."
Yang Xueni nodded in relief.
After finishing that day's shoot at 8 p.m., Director Xu let her go back. She returned completely exhausted.
But when she reached the door of her room, she saw familiar faces — the cameraman and the assistant director from the show Assistant.
"?"
"Sis Xueni, your group with Bao Ruanruan has gone viral — your popularity has exploded beyond the fandom circle!"
"?"
"Compared with you two, the other groups are lagging by a cliff-like gap19!"
"!"
Pineapple TV launched this programme mainly as an experiment — they never expected it to take off like this.
In fact, no similar format existed in the country before, with a big celebrity acting as someone else's assistant.
Could these celebrity 'big sisters' really lower their postures20 for others?
Could they truly understand the hardships faced by ordinary workers, such as assistants?
Even the TV station itself had no confidence.
Because they themselves couldn't handle these actresses who already had status.
Take Yang Xueni, for example. Before joining the show, she made plenty of demands. She refused to do any dirty work and insisted that her assistant's daily working hours could not exceed six.
In addition, the filming schedule for the variety show had to be constantly shifted around her acting schedule.
She also had strict requirements about whose assistant she would be.
Firstly, the other person could not be male. Secondly, they could not be in direct competition with her (i.e. other actresses contending for the same year-end awards). Thirdly, they could not be juniors from her own company.
Fourth—and most importantly—the person couldn't be a 'fussy mom21'; they had to be easy-going with a good temper.
She also demanded that the other person had never lost their temper with anyone on a show before, and was ideally well-liked in the industry, naturally funny, and good for variety-show chemistry.
This would ensure that Yang Xueni would not feel awkward when they interacted privately.
When Pineapple TV received this list of demands, which was so long that it could not fit on one page, they honestly felt like crying.
The requirements of the other two actresses were more or less the same as those of Yang Xueni.
So… even before filming started, the staff had already lost confidence.
Because everyone already knew these 'big sisters' hadn't let go of their celebrity baggage22, and that their demands were even greater than those of their future 'bosses'.
This reality show had already lost its meaning.
So, during the station's meeting, they decided to broadcast this variety show as soon as possible to make room for the upcoming winter holiday programmes.
They even scheduled it for Friday at 6 p.m., a non-primetime23 slot.
But unexpectedly, it blew up in popularity.
Especially Yang Xueni and Bao Ruanruan as a pair — they directly made it into the top three trending searches that night.
They became the fire that went beyond the circle24!
As for how that had happened.
It all began at the awkward timing of 6 p.m.
It was dinnertime.
Fans from every group showed up on time, camping out on Pineapple TV and its app, with quite a few families still eating dinner.
[The Snowman is here!]
[Jiajia is the prettiest!]
[Sis Min, charge ahead!]
The three older sisters' segments were pieced together and edited into one.
Liu Jiajia and Li Min are both at studios and ad shoots, each assisting a singer and a model, respectively.
Only Yang Xueni's group was a little different, as she was paired with Bao Ruanruan on a drama set.
That segment just happened to show them eating on set.
[Wow! It feels so warm, like I'm eating together with my idol.]
[Baby-girl, eat more!]
[Xuexue has really lost weight—Grandpa was right after all.]
Many fans started sending a barrage of comments, and to boost their idol's statistics, they also typed out her full name.
But very soon, disharmony broke out into family quarrels.
Some of the older 'career fans25' had settled down and taken on the roles of wives, mothers, or husbands and fathers.
So, while at home looking after the children and eating, they still had to watch TV?
Moreover, simply watching TV wasn't enough—they also had to pull out their phones to scroll through bullet comments and send messages?
This situation made their other half26 feel unhappy at home.
And children would imitate what they saw—how was that even okay?
Some fans were younger, still unmarried and living with their parents. Some were even younger, still at school and barely into their teens.
When their parents saw it, they weren't happy either.
You can't study properly, and now you can't even eat properly? Can't you put the phone down even for a moment?
Why aren't you this serious when it comes to studying?!
And so family conflicts broke out!
"Can we put down our phones and seriously focus on eating?"
"Otherwise, we'll get indigestion and our bodies won't absorb the nutrients."
Yeah, exactly.
Did you hear that?
In every household embroiled in such disputes, someone heard that gentle voice and nodded vigorously.
They couldn't agree more.
It was exactly what they had been thinking!
Huh?
But, halfway through nodding, the angry parents froze, and the displeased spouse paused in surprise.
They looked towards the family TV, or the child's phone—
On the screen, a beautiful, fair-skinned girl was putting down her chopsticks.
She then looked at the person opposite her with a serious yet warm and approachable expression.
She spoke with heartfelt earnestness.
"Nini, I'm only doing this for your own good."
"Well, maybe you're not hungry yet. Why don't you finish the work you've got on hand first? Then we can focus on eating properly."
All the families who usually quarrelled over watching TV during the 6 o'clock dinner slot suddenly fell silent.
Even parents who normally disapproved of their children's idol-chasing, fearing it would affect their grades, were momentarily speechless.
This show actually seems pretty good.
What show is this?
This actress is so sensible and positive!
In that instant, parents seemed to have found a strategic ally, and they all turned to look at their children, or their spouses, who were eating while watching TV.
"Just one more bite—finish it, and then we'll watch this show together."
"So this is the idol you're following? Not bad! Did you hear what your idol just said? Eat first, watch later."
"Xiaobao, this is the 'big sister' your mom likes. Quickly tell your mom to listen to her and focus on eating!"
Countless families' 'snowmen' had only ellipses in their hearts.
This wasn't their idol-sister!
This is Bao Ruanruan—
But right now, their family members, who once feared that idol-chasing would ruin their lives and studies, were actually approving of the show, instantly making them a little happy.
"Dad, this isn't the one I like. But it's almost the same—if they can be friends and appear on shows together, it means they have similar interests and characters. So they're all good, right?"
"Well, anyway… after dinner, let's watch the replay together."
"Mom, guess which one here is my favourite?"
Suddenly, the Snowmen had a shared topic with their families, and they could even watch TV together—idol-chasing openly and with complete legitimacy.
The same thing was happening in the homes of other fans, too.
'Sister as Assistant' instantly went viral because it was broadcast at 6 pm, right at dinnertime.
Its audience, initially limited to 18 to 25-year-olds, suddenly expanded to include parents aged 35 to 65!
Even the parents and spouses of Liu Jiajia and Li Min's fans were drawn in by the interactions between Bao Ruanruan and Yang Xueni's group.
After dinner, these families would either watch the replay or open the Pineapple TV app and start again from the beginning.
As soon as they started watching, they couldn't help but laugh.
When Bao Ruanruan corrected Yang Xueni for using her phone, Yang Xueni looked slightly defiant.
That expression really resembled that of their own children, or even their spouses!
But soon, Bao Ruanruan on the screen pulled up a video—'Little Knowledge, Big World'.
It was full of kindergarten-style cartoons.
"Can you watch TV while eating?"
"No, you can't, because when people eat, they need a lot of digestive fluids and blood. If you keep doing this over the long term, you'll get stomach inflammation🖼️
and dropped stomach🖼️
~"
 |
| Image Credit | Dr Sarmed Sami, Dec 3rd, 2021, DigestiveHealthUK |
 |
| Image Credit | Curlyfe Biosciences Pvt Ltd, Linkedin |
The one-minute video played three times in a row.
Yang Xueni looked utterly defeated and eventually put her phone on the table.
Fine, I won't watch, okay?
Stop chanting the Headband Tightening Spell27 already.
But just as she picked up her chopsticks to focus on eating, Bao Ruanruan shot her another glance.
Yang Xueni suddenly shuddered and uttered, "I'll wash my hands right now."
She stood up and walked off stiffly, moving her hands and feet in sync28, like a child.
Bao Ruanruan walked over and stood behind her, occasionally giving instructions.
"Rubbing between the fingers, 80 points."
"Rubbing the knuckles, 75 points."
"The wrist…!"
After giving out the scores, Bao Ruanruan personally demonstrated the standard and efficient seven-step handwashing method to Yang Xueni.
Only when she was satisfied that everything was thoroughly clean did she return to the dining table.
She then lifted the covers off the plates and bowls.
Chewing carefully, she ate with relish and was not at all picky.
All the parents watching saw her as a model child!
Fans who already had families and children immediately took Bao Ruanruan as a living example to teach their own kids.
Some fans who were kindergarten and elementary school teachers also saw it as a ready-made teaching plan.
News of this show Assistant quickly spread to mothers' chat groups, class assignment groups, and school groups.
It fiercely gained a whole batch of 'mom fans' and 'teacher fans'.
—Bao Ruanruan teaches you the seven-step handwashing method.
—Bao Ruanruan teaches you not to talk or watch TV while eating.
—Bao Ruanruan teaches you not to play with your phone all the time.
Short clips from the show spread everywhere overnight.
None of the production staff expected that Assistant would suddenly blow up and become 'the fire that went beyond the circle24' like this.
Yang Xueni's agent, Jiang Zhengle, was also taken by surprise.
When Yang Xueni saw the online popularity voting results and was told she still had to continue being Bao Ruanruan's assistant, she practically started doubting her whole life.
"I just went and asked a few of the admins from the Snowman fan club."
Jiang Zhengle shrugged.
"They all said the votes weren't from them, but from their parents."
Yang Xueni: "……"
"Oh, and some votes were from their kids, who said they wanted to keep watching the cartoon clips posted by Miss Bao Ruanruan."
Yang Xueni: "……"
She was just about to speak when she noticed her phone vibrating nonstop.
She checked and saw that it was her family group chat.
When she opened it, the chat history was filled with her own memes and stickers.
She was famous for being glamorous, but a few gloomy expressions she had made on the show were now Photoshopped into memes of someone 'daring to be angry but not daring to speak'.
—Oh my god, being a kid is so exhausting.JPG
—Rebellion? Not that I'd dare. All I can do is secretly go 'bleh bleh bleh' like this.JPG
—I once dreamed of roaming the world with sword in hand, but gave up because I was too dumb.JPG
Yang Xueni: "……"
Do you people have any manners?
[DaBomu29: Xueni, your show is pretty good, it's educational for kids.]
[ErSao30: +1, I downloaded it and watched with my eldest. @Xueni, my kid says next time you come home, he'll check to see if you've washed your hands before eating.]
[ErBo31: Nini, how come you're worse than a kid? Mind your hygiene next time you're on TV—our Yang family's reputation has taken a hit.]
Yang Xueni: "……"
I should just leave!
*
On the other side, Bao Ruanruan received several endorsement offers from hand sanitiser brands.
Despite her busy filming schedule, she was pleasantly surprised to hear the news.
She carefully did her homework, consulting the data that Xue Jing had given her.
Ultimately, she chose 'King of Clean', a domestic household-care brand she already used.
Even before flying back to Jiangcheng from the snowy mountains, she heard that the sponsor boss had very generously mailed her a box containing 24 250 ml bottles of hand sanitiser and two boxes of mini portable bottles of alcohol-based gel.
Furthermore, the brand even promised to supply her with hand sanitiser for the entire year.
If she runs out, she can simply request more from them.
This made Bao Ruanruan so happy that she couldn't keep her mouth closed from smiling.
She was also very generous.
"We three will use it together!"
She told Xue Jing and Chen Feng not to be polite and sent them a schedule for washing their hands seven or eight times a day.
When Bao Ruanruan, who was unable to hold back her excitement, dragged her luggage back to Jiangcheng to unpack her deliveries, she hadn't expected—
The first big task awaiting her there would be to move house.
Author's Note:
During the pandemic, it is important that everyone washes their hands frequently.
🦊: The original version of this chapter was posted on 15 October 2021, at a time when Covid-19 was still spreading in China. The virus is still around, so let's keep washing our hands!
Footnotes Full List
- 红眼航班 (hóngyǎn hángbān): A common slang/idiom referring to late-night flights that arrive early in the morning. Named for passengers' tired, red eyes.
- 打肿脸充胖子 (dǎzhǒngliǎnchōngpàngzi): A Chinese idiom meaning to pretend to be strong, capable, or wealthy even if one isn't — forcing an image of strength despite weakness.
- 针尖对麦芒 (zhēnjiānduìmàimáng): An idiom meaning two sharp, uncompromising personalities clashing directly, leading to conflict.
- 十传百,百传千 (shíchuánbǎi, bǎi chuán qiān): This idiom describes how news spreads rapidly, like word-of-mouth snowballing.
- (闭麦 (bì mài): Internet slang borrowed from livestreams, meaning 'shut up/stop talking'.
- 吃瓜 (chī guā): Internet slang for 'watching gossip as a bystander'.
- 护短 (hùduǎn): An idiom meaning to defend or shield one's own people even if they are in the wrong.
- 立flag (lìflag): Internet slang (borrowed from anime/games). It means creating an expectation or omen that usually leads to the opposite happening (e.g., "saying it out loud jinxes it").
- 痛苦面具 (tòngkǔ miànjù): Internet slang, originally a meme, meaning showing an expression of exaggerated suffering or dismay at something unbearable.
- 吹毛求疵 (chuīmáoqiúcī), literally 'to blow on fur just to find flaws', meaning to nitpick or be overly critical about trivial details.
- 城乡结合部 (chéngxiāng jiéhébù)– literally "the area where city and countryside meet" (urban–rural fringe, often implying something in-between, neither entirely urban nor fully rural, sometimes carrying a sense of tackiness or lack of refinement)
- (驴友 (lǘ yǒu) — literally "donkey friends." This is a Chinese slang term for amateur backpackers/hikers, comparing them to donkeys for their endurance and load-carrying spirit.
- She just doesn't want to die... acting or not... 😌
- 九死一生(jiǔsǐyīshēng) is a Chinese idiom, literally "nine deaths, one life." It means a situation with almost no chance of survival—barely escaping death.
- 死亡芭比粉 (sǐwáng bābǐ fěn) → slang: literally 'Death Barbie Pink', an internet slang colour term in Chinese. It refers to an excessively bright, almost garish shade of hot pink that can be hard to pull off, often seen as either bold or tacky. https://m.baike.com/wikiid/4889071769914343931
- 丑拒 (chǒu jù) → internet slang: abbreviation for "丑到拒绝" (chǒu dào jùjué: so ugly I reject it outright). Used sarcastically to refuse something, not literally about ugliness here, but her distaste for the act.
- "也是狗" (yě shì gǒu) literally "is also a dog." In modern slang, calling something "狗" can mean shameless, manipulative, or cunning in an annoying way. Here, it means the show is "so shameless" or "dirty trick" because it manipulates fans into competing with votes.
- The phrase, 哭笑不得" (kū xiào bù dé), is an idiom meaning to be in a helpless, awkward situation — both amused and exasperated.
- 断崖式差距 (duànyáshì chājù) → metaphor. Means "a dramatic, overwhelming difference," like falling off a cliff — the gap is huge and obvious.
- 放下身段 (fàngxià shēnduàn) — literally "lower one's posture." This idiomatic metaphor meaning "to humble oneself," "to let go of pride."
- 事儿妈 (shì'er mā) — slang, literally 'a fussy mom', but it means 'a drama queen', 'someone who makes a big deal out of everything'.
- 明星包袱 (míngxīng bāofu) — a metaphorical idiom for 'ego, airs, or self-importance tied to being a star'.
- 非黄金档 (fēi huángjīndàng) — "non-primetime," outside the "golden slot" (黄金档, golden hours for TV ratings).
- 火出了圈 (huǒ chū le quān) : Slang for a celebrity/topic going viral outside of their usual fandom or niche, reaching the general public.
- 事业粉 (shìyè fěn): slang for fans who support idols mainly for their career growth (data, exposure, professional image) rather than personal looks or relationships.
- "另一半" (lìngyībàn) is a common Chinese metaphor for one's spouse or partner, based on the idea that a couple makes up two halves of a whole.
- This phrase, 紧箍咒 (Jīn Gū Zhòu), comes from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. In the story, the monk Tripitaka uses a special spell (the 紧箍咒) to cause a magical headband to tighten around the head of Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), causing him immense pain. He uses it to discipline Sun Wukong and force him to obey.
- 同手同脚 (tóng shǒu tóng jiǎo) → describes clumsy, awkward movement, often like a child or someone nervous. Here it adds comedy: she's so flustered she moves awkwardly.
- 大伯母 (dà bómǔ): eldest paternal uncle's wife
- 二 èr: second, 嫂 sǎo: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law
- 二 èr: second, 伯 bó: father's elder brother
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