On the Hengcheng production set, Bao Ruanruan was sitting on a small stool, sipping warm water from her flask and watching PD Li...
On the Hengcheng production set, Bao Ruanruan was sitting on a small stool, sipping warm water from her flask and watching PD Liu Qiu's tablet.
PD Liu Qiu had originally placed the tablet on the small chair next to her, but Bao Ruanruan got up again anyway.
She stepped out of shot.
She asked the props master for a few cardboard boxes and stacked them on the small chair.
Only after raising the tablet to the height of a small television, level with her eyes, did she nod in satisfaction.
"PD, you shouldn't stand beside me to watch either. Bending your neck like that is like hanging a watermelon from your neck."
"You'll develop problems with your cervical spine, and get wrinkles on your neck too~"
Bao Ruanruan hooked a little stool over with her left foot and positioned it beside her.
She patted the seat.
Liu Qiu jolted.
Originally, she hadn't wanted to sit down.
But she immediately felt as though her neck were about to snap... Then, at the mention of neck wrinkles, she sat down immediately!
She was afraid that even a second's delay would cause wrinkles to appear.
[ Hhhh1 ]
[ The PD lost her nerve in a second. ]
[ Bao, with your frightening little fact of the day, you're still you~ Even after joining a production, you haven't changed by a single thread or hair2. ]
[ Finally, we get to hear Kiddo Ruan's health advice again. So satisfying. ]
Liu Qiu did not appear on camera. Only the edge of one sleeve showed in the livestream.
Before long, however, everyone heard her voice.
"Teacher Bao, give us a prediction. How long do you think it will take everyone to find all your gifts?"
Bao Ruanruan immediately studied the screen earnestly, attempting to make a prediction, but soon wore the same expression as the old man looking at his phone on the subway.JPG🖼️
On the main livestream, the twenty lucky viewers and seven members of the Red and Blue Teams were scattered throughout the village. Some were digging. Some were sweeping out chicken coops, and others were chatting to the elderly villagers to draw out information... The entire place was brimming with vitality, and everyone was giving it their all.
In the bitter winter shown on camera, they all wore down jackets, thick padded coats or windbreakers, working diligently and breaking into a sweat.
All of this was to find fifty-six gifts.
They looked ready to turn Hengshan Village upside down.
Bao Ruanruan extended her index finger and pressed it against her temple.
[ Hahahaha, sorry, I laughed. ]
[ Kiddo Ruan: "I've actually been stumped."]
[ Even she has questions she can't answer. Oh my, give these twenty people an extra chicken drumstick3~ ]
[ Kiddo Ruan: "Everything's in the sunroom. What are you lot doing~"]
[ Kiddo Ruan wasn't trying to make things difficult for anyone, but they've managed to make things difficult for themselves. ]
[ ... That's our Kiddo Ruan. Everyone thought she was on the fifth level, when she was actually on the first4~ ]
[I'm really laughing myself to death! One of those twenty is even a mom fan... Must be a fake fan! ]
[ Now I remember. She really is called Fake Mom. 233335. ]
Bao Ruanruan had no idea what she was looking at, yet somehow she was completely blown away.
Her mom fans sensed an even greater crisis.
Their little darling and her moms didn't understand each other at all.
This was shown to viewers nationwide.
The mom fans' Waterloo Day6: 1 January.
The mom fans' group chat fell silent.
Only then did someone timidly suggest, "Does anyone have Fake Mom's mobile number? Or should we message her on Koukou7?"
"Would that be all right? If we tip Fake Mom off, wouldn't that be unfair to the other viewers?"
"I know... but if we don't tell her, I'm afraid this shoot will drag on until January 1st next year."
After all, Hengshan Village was quite large.
There were roughly a hundred households.
As a developing tourist destination, it also had hills, water, and fields, which allowed visitors to experience working in the fields and woodlands, as well as picking fruit and vegetables.
One of the tourist activities even involved hiring bicycles from villagers and cycling around Hengshan.
Twenty-seven people had to find fifty-six objects throughout Hengshan Village.
It was truly like fishing for a needle in the sea8.
Of course, they couldn't keep fishing until next year.
But fishing them all out in two days and one night was utterly impossible too.
Surely they weren't going to have the second season of this variety show pick up where it left off and go right back to digging dirt, were they?
Then Director Zheng Mingchang would have got away with his scheme!
He wouldn't even have to think of content for the next season!
The viewers couldn't bear to think about it.
They could not endure such injustice. Director Zheng would have to swallow it himself9.
And so the livestream soon showed the lucky holiday participants answering calls and checking messages, one after another.
"Huh? It's right there in the dream house?"
"What? You mean the sunroom?"
"Huh?!"
The camera captured the fleeting shock on the faces of all twenty viewer representatives: Tang Qian, Lu Wenhao's fans, Xiaoxiao's fans... and the casual viewers.
[ Outside your expectations, was it? ]
[ The most dangerous place is the safest place! ]
[ Clearly, none of you has ever watched a spy film... ]
The scrolling comments all mocked their own allies.
But the laughter only lasted about a second.
Tang Qian raised her head on camera. "Is that information genuine? In the sunroom?"
"I already searched the sunroom just now."
[ ? ]
"Me too. When I found out the gifts were from Xiao Bao, the sunroom was my first stop."
Teacher Lan Zhi's fan looked utterly incredulous.
"I didn't find anything."
[ ?? ]
"+110 ."
This was a Lu's fan.
You could tell straight away that this person was pretty active in online discussions.
"I'm one of Lu Wenhao's auntie fans11. Knowing Xiao Bao had set the challenge, I wanted to go to the sunroom first, but it was too crowded. Everyone was searching there, so I had to go to our Lu Wenhao's dream library instead."
"After all, Xiao Bao helped him furnish it. But I didn't find anything, so I went back to the sunroom afterwards. There were fewer people by then, so I had a look."
"But I thought everyone had already searched it, so I didn't hold out much hope. In the end, I didn't look very carefully!"
[ ??? ]
That was a lot of information to take in.
How could a whole group have searched without finding anything?
If this Lu's fan had been careless, thinking the previous group had already searched the place thoroughly, and therefore searched half-heartedly...
Then what about that first group?
Even Bao Ruanruan, who was watching the livestream on camera at the filming location, couldn't help but ask a rather pointed question.
"There are auntie fans too?"
Good grief! She had focused on entirely the wrong thing.
However, PD Liu Qiu nodded and explained, "It's a long story, Teacher Bao. Have you ever heard the saying, 'My daughter is so daft that I want another family to adopt her'?"
Bao Ruanruan: "..."
[ Lu's fan here. This is what happened: after Bao Ruanruan gained mum fans, many of the mom fans in our fandom started to change their mindset. About half gradually became auntie fans. ]
[ ? ]
[ You know how it is. We're both moms, so how come your child is so much cleverer than mine? Every time those of us who treated Lu like our own son saw Ruanruan's devoted motherly fans, we felt utterly defeated. And gradually, somehow... that's how I became an auntie fan. ]
[ Pfft. ]
[ Of course we wouldn't turn our noses up at our own children. Work hard, Nephew Lu. Once you've become smarter, Auntie will gladly welcome you back into the family~~ ]
[ As long as I'm an auntie fan, I can't lose to the other celebrities' mom fans (Dog-head emoji12! ]
The audience was thoroughly amazed, while the live chat was practically howling with laughter.
Once safely within their own fan groups, Lu's mom fans threw caution to the wind, gleefully calling him their 'precious son' whenever they pleased.
But wouldn't the twenty lucky ones be meeting up today? They'd have to greet one another, especially since they'd be on TV, right?
—Hello, I'm Kiddo Ruan's mum.
—Oh, your child really is clever. Brilliant at games too.
—Oh, not at all, not at all. They're all lovely children. And you're...?
—I'm Lu... his...
And just like that, the auntie fan club was born, loud and proud.
The viewers could picture the whole scene!
"Teacher Bao, it seems the places you put those little gifts are all very mysterious. Everyone's searched around without finding anything."
While the livestream was recording, Liu Qiu sneakily tried to sweet-talk Bao Ruanruan into spilling a few details.
[That's right! Everyone failed. ]
[ Just what you'd expect from the woman at the top of the gaming food chain13. ]
[ So today's contest is 27 vs 1? ]
[ 2333335. Suddenly, those twenty seem both lucky and unlucky. ]
[Don't forget, at least half of them are academic aces selected through the Blue Team's exam! ]
[ ! ]
"Teacher Bao, could you give us some clues?"
Liu Qiu asked the question everyone wanted answered.
Bao Ruanruan waved a hand. "80% of the areas have something to do with helping people live healthier, safer lives. I didn't deliberately hide things to make it harder."
[ ! ]
Liu Qiu was surprised too. "So that's it."
Clearly, she had also taken part in the preliminary discussions with Bao Ruanruan.
She was even the one who had told the production team's prop master where Bao Ruanruan kept so many of her things, but somehow, she'd never made the connection!
"Xiao Ruan—oh, you're livestreaming. Lunch is ready."
"All right, all right, coming~ Shall we go and eat first, PD?"
It was time for Bao Ruanruan's midday meal.
Liu Qiu couldn't keep her any longer.
After all, Bao Ruanruan was filming with her current drama production team, and a late lunch would affect her work that afternoon.
The Dreams team had been allowed on set only after speaking with Director Mu Xun and promising not to disrupt the filming schedule.
Liu Qiu immediately nodded and apologised to the livestream camera.
"Teacher Bao will go and eat first. Keep it up, our twenty treasure hunters. I'm sure you'll have found something by the time she returns."
[ Don't speak too soon. 233335. ]
[ That's by no means certain. (Spreads hands14). ]
Bao Ruanruan went to eat, and the livestream camera did not follow her.
Although viewers were keen to see the food the drama production team had prepared, Dreams had not arranged anything with the other actors. Even showing them in one-eighth of the screen would have been inappropriate.
Moreover, the main treasure-hunting storyline in Hengshan Village was still progressing like fire and flowering reeds15.
The atmosphere was tense, so a cheerful lunch break would have been out of place.
Tang Qian, who was currently on camera, had returned to the Dream Sunroom.
Everyone had received the news: the objects were in the sunroom.
All twenty treasure hunters had returned!
This time, the fully renovated sunroom finally appeared in all its glory on the livestream.
In the little courtyard, basking in the approaching midday sunlight, stood two rows of clothes rails and an old-brand bicycle.
To the left of the courtyard was a small kitchen where firewood was still used for cooking and boiling water. To the right was a washroom with all its vital organs present16.
Straight ahead, through the little courtyard, was a sitting room with a transparent glass roof.
The room's layout was simple.
All four walls were lined with lush, verdant greenery.
Beneath the glass roof were five straw mats and the large mattress that Bao Ruanruan had once brought out during the programme.
You could lie on the floor, sunbathe during the day and stargaze at night.
Beside the mattress was a suitcase serving as a temporary coffee table.
It all felt very basic.
Beyond the glass room, further inside, was the bedroom.
It was a tidy room containing a large iron bedstead. Unlike when Bao Ruanruan had only four bare walls, there was now an iron table and chairs.
This scene made the commenters want to laugh.
Because the room still looked a little like an unfinished shell.
The newly added wardrobe and chest of drawers did not look new either. They seemed to be old-fashioned pieces found in villagers' homes.
Last year's zodiac decorations were still stuck to them, brimming with festive cheer...
[ Kiddo Ruan's sunroom still has no fresh paint or new coatings. ]
[ Well done. It retains the original juice and flavour17 that she likes. Cross that out18: live a long life of a hundred years~ ]
[ I want to experience this Dream House too~ Xiao Bao's aura of safety is off the charts! ]
At this moment, everyone was eager to experience the sunroom.
It was impossible not to want it.
They envied the twenty lucky people on the livestream even more.
Meanwhile, on camera, Tang Qian, back in the sunroom, had joined forces with one of Bao Ruanruan's career fans.
They were hunting for treasure together.
"A mama understands her own child best."
Xiao Zhao, the career fan, had high hopes for Tang Qian.
"Think back over the child's inner journey."
Tang Qian sighed.
Career fans focused on an artist's achievements, professional development and future potential.
Compared to them, mom fans paid attention to every tiny detail of their child's life.
When it came to working out how Bao Ruanruan hid things, mom fans were certainly better qualified.
"Don't rush me. I've nearly got it."
Who was Tang Qian? She was someone who had spent time in close contact with Bao Ruanruan while planning the blue team's holiday itinerary!
What concerned Bao Ruanruan most?
—Safety!
Thinking of this, Tang Qian felt she had found a source of confidence from the very first moment she entered the courtyard.
"Right, let me think... The most dangerous place must be the kitchen. Fires can start easily."
With that, she strode towards the kitchen, unconcerned whether the camera was following her or if the other eighteen contestants had overheard and were now competing with her.
Xiao Zhao, the career fan, immediately followed.
Her eyes lit up, too. "At the opening ceremony for The Female Physician, after everyone lit incense, she even went looking for a fire extinguisher!"
Instantly, the two exchanged an understanding look.
They each saw the same certainty in the other's eyes: find the fire extinguisher!
"In the countryside, they use earthen stoves and burn dried grass and firewood. For beginners, controlling the temperature is harder than with a gas hob. Once the oil overheats..."
Tang Qian's reasoning was clear.
One look at the earthen stove, and memories of the restaurant variety show came flooding back!
They immediately scanned the stove.
The pot on the earthen stove had no lid.
"Where's the lid?"
If a pot caught fire, putting the lid on immediately would cut off the oxygen and quickly extinguish the flames.
A vivid scene from The Restaurant played out before their eyes.
Xiao Zhao, with her sharp eyes, looked around and slapped her thigh.
The pot lid was hanging on the wall!
[ So that's it~ I was wondering who would hang a pot lid on the wall. It looked so out of place. ]
[ Look closely, and this is practically a question that gives away marks19. ]
But just then, two young men passed the kitchen door. "We looked earlier. There's nothing behind the pot lid."
With that, they left.
[ ? ]
[ Huh? ]
On camera, Tang Qian had reached out and taken hold of the lower edge of the wooden lid, preparing to lift it away from the wall. Hearing this comment, she was bewildered too.
Xiao Zhao, however, was more determined. She insisted on seeing for herself.
She immediately moved closer.
The camera followed her.
A cord suspended the pot lid from a nail in the wall, roughly a person's height above the ground.
She lifted it with her hand. It was just the right height for her.
However, the wall behind it and the lid itself were indeed completely bare.
[ Oh heavens, this baobao is baffled. Do they still need to find the fire extinguisher? ]
But Tang Qian drew in a sharp breath on camera. "I'll take the lid down and have a look."
As she spoke, she held the large lid and placed it over the pot on the earthen stove.
It sealed snugly and fit perfectly.
It could easily extinguish a fire if necessary.
But there was no fire present.
Tang Qian sighed, grasped the handle and lifted the lid to return it to its original place.
However, as she lifted it, her expression changed subtly.
[ ? ]
Xiao Zhao had noticed something unusual with Tang Qian's expression and hurried over.
On camera, Tang Qian looked unsure whether to laugh or cry, with a little delighted surprise mixed in.
"The pot lid's handle feels different to the touch."
"!"
[ !! ]
Tang Qian quickly put the lid down and felt inside the recess beneath the handle again. Picking up a few stalks of dry grass from the stove, she poked into the gap under the long handle.
Then, frowning, she inserted her index finger into the recess.
Two seconds later, she finally peeled off a piece of rubber adhesive tape!
The piece, about the size of a fingertip, looked as though it had been placed there to repair damage to the lid, stuck in a blind spot beneath the handle.
But once peeled off, it revealed tiny characters: #HomeCam#.
Tang Qian: "!"
The career fan: "!"
[ A home security camera, right? The one Ruanruan used in the sunroom! ]
[ !! Holy shit, they actually found it! ]
[ Oh my! So, you have to pick up the pot lid, demonstrate how to smother a fire, and reach inside before you can notice anything unusual? 66666620. ]
[ Those two young men who said there was nothing on the lid... Tsk, tsk. Their powers of observation... ]
Tang Qian and Xiao Zhao immediately hugged each other in excitement on camera.
"Shh! We must learn from Kiddo Ruan how to keep a low profile."
"Yes, yes. Don't show off your wealth21."
[ ........ ]
[ Ruan fans, having you in the fandom really is... a sight in itself22. ]
They tucked the tape away and began looking for other things.
"Could dry firewood catch fire in a dry place?"
They walked out into the courtyard and saw the midday sunlight falling directly onto the firewood stacked beneath the glass room's window.
Tang Qian: "! Xiao Zhao, you really are a career fan who scored eighty-six in Kiddo Ruan's exam!"
They hurried over.
However, before they reached the firewood, they heard two girls speaking quietly nearby.
"Any challenge Xiao Bao sets must have something to do with health and safety."
"Exactly. Oh dear! Why isn't this bicycle locked?? That's a security problem!"
Tang Qian froze.
The livestream camera following them swung around too.
They soon saw the two girls gathered around the bicycle, trying to operate its ring lock.
But the moment they moved closer, they cried out.
"There's writing on the lock!"
[ ! ]
The camera zoomed in.
Written in pencil on the ring lock were two extremely faint characters: #GinsengSlices#.
"Ah!"
Both girls screamed.
"A gift!"
Without looking closely, those two characters would have been impossible to spot.
The pencil marks almost merged into one with the metal ring lock.
Only at close range, with the light refracting, could they be seen clearly.
[ Holy shit! They really are little safety tips! ]
[ Don't forget to have the pot lid ready before cooking... Don't forget to lock your bicycle... We've cracked the code. Where's the next one? ]
The commentators were discussing this and hoping to make a prediction.
Then they heard two young men shout from off camera:
"Found it, found it! There's a note under the kettle!"
"Ah, the gift: a sports water bottle!"
[ ! You need to drink water every day. ]
[ Kiddo Ruan, whose insulated flask never leaves her hand. Of course it's so you! ]
[ This way of thinking... Honestly! ]
Tang Qian soon felt considerable pressure on camera.
All twenty people here were regular Dreams viewers.
They had watched the programme from the beginning and were familiar with the roles of the Safety Monitor23 and Bao Qingtian24.
Once they understood how to find things, everyone immediately became more efficient.
Bulletins of good news kept arriving.
[ Bao said there should be two pillows. Is there anything inside them? ]
[ Is the suitcase being used as a coffee table in the glass room outside locked? ]
[ You should shut the door and lock the windows before going out. Why not check the door lock? ]
[ Pay attention to the electrical switch too. ]
The commenters kept offering ideas and advice.
"Teacher Bao, everyone has found thirty-two gifts now."
An hour later, when Bao Ruanruan returned from lunch, PD Liu Qiu hurried to share the good news.
Surprise crossed Bao Ruanruan's little face. She glanced at her watch. "There are still twenty-four they haven't found?"
Liu Qiu: "..."
The contestants—no, the lucky viewers—had done their best!
[ Kiddo Ruan: "What? Twenty-seven people, one hour, one fixed location in the sunroom, and there are still twenty-four things they haven't found?"]
[ Ruan: "Did I hear that correctly?"]
[ Xiao Bao: "What should we do, then? Shall I give them some more clues?"]
[ Honestly, how confident must those twenty-seven people have been at the start, wanting to search the whole of Hengshan Village? Hhhhh1 ]
The enemy was not too strong. Everyone's safety awareness was simply inadequate!
Bao Ruanruan looked curious on the livestream too.
"Let me see. What has stumped them? Has the director secretly made things harder again?"
Liu Qiu: "..."
A director's life was spent carrying the cooking pot on his back25.
"No, but Teacher Bao, you hid a few things in rather obscure places. They can't find them straight away, though I expect they will soon."
Bao Ruanruan immediately tilted her little face, looking mildly astonished, as though asking, "What thingies are you talking about?"
"PD, please look after yourself properly."
She solemnly hugged Liu Qiu's arm.
"I hope that when I'm a hundred, I'll still see you active at Jiangcheng Television."
Liu Qiu: "...!"
[ 233335 ]
[ Which ones are hidden in obscure places? PD, you're falling short. You need to pay more attention in class! Have you taken any safety notes? Have you memorised your little health facts? ]
[ Ruan: "PD, I can't bear to see you like this. If you can't look after yourself, how will we be able to film Dreams together when we're a hundred?"]
[ Ruan: "It looks as though we'll need a different PD by the time I appear on Dreams at a hundred. This PD probably won't be up to it by then."]
[ I think I finally understand why Kiddo Ruan doesn't have an assistant. Guess. ]
[ Thanks for the invitation26: I wouldn't live long enough for that. ]
[ Thanks for the invitation26: I failed the safety exam. ]
[ I'm laughing myself to death! Will you lot stop it? ]
The scrolling comments were practically an ocean of joy.
However, when Bao Ruanruan saw Tang Qian on the screen, she was taken aback.
"I think I've seen her before."
Question marks immediately flooded the scrolling comments.
Bao Ruanruan clearly remembered. "Once, after I finished shooting an advert, I ran into her on the street. I think she was holding a camera and taking pictures of me."
When Tang Qian turned around, Bao Ruanruan suddenly realised something.
"Oh, it's her."
She was the girl from Jingtian who had taught them how to plan tourist routes—the staff member who had accompanied them to Yurong Village for two days and one night.
She knew that figure from behind very well.
"So she watches the programme too."
Bao Ruanruan suddenly understood what Xue Jing had mentioned not long ago: Dreams' audience was growing.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the livestream grew increasingly exciting.
With fewer than half of the gifts still missing, the twenty participants became even more excited.
Although they had plenty of time—two days and one night—everyone still felt unable to stop.
Fun.
Interesting.
A competitive challenge.
...It was addictive.
"Stay calm. Everyone has searched the entire room at least three times, and there are still more than twenty items left to find."
Tang Qian stood with her hands on her hips, completely unaware that Bao Ruanruan had recognised her.
"We need to change our approach to finding things."
"There probably aren't any clues or gifts left on the household objects out in the open."
Xiao Zhao agreed.
"Our Ruanruan's always been clever. She wouldn't use the same tactic the whole time. She might have changed her battle plan partway through."
"But she's very kind. She wouldn't make things difficult for us. Since she called them gifts, she must have decided to give them to us. She wouldn't hide them in an unreasonable place."
Tang Qian's analysis was clear, logical, and convincing.
In her one-eighth portion of the livestream screen, Bao Ruanruan's little face reddened, and she covered both her ears with her hands.
Oh dear, she was hardly that wonderful.
Being praised like this was rather embarrassing~
She even wanted to give them a little hint.
But Liu Qiu stopped her. "Teacher Bao, from here on, we'll have to see how clever everyone is."
Disappointed.JPG.
Bao Ruanruan gave a tiny shrug.
However, before long, Tang Qian found a new approach on the livestream.
She remembered the time in Yurong Village when their whole group, led by Bao Ruanruan, had fully experienced the rural scenery from a tourist's perspective.
Tang Qian caught Xiao Zhao's arm. "Let's go back to the entrance and enter the house again as though we're on holiday."
Xiao Zhao paused, then quickly nodded.
Soon, they stepped outside and closed the sunroom courtyard gate behind them.
Tang Qian thought for a moment, then mimed pulling a suitcase. "We've just got out of the car, so we must still have our suitcases with us. Now we need to open the gate."
"We can only put the suitcases down," Xiao Zhao continued.
[ ? ]
[ Ah, I've got it. ]
[ What? What? ]
Watching the livestream, Bao Ruanruan immediately nodded, a trace of gratification crossing her fair little face.
Sure enough, the next moment, Tang Qian 'put down her suitcase', stepped forward and pushed open the sunroom's courtyard gate. Then, as she prepared to take the suitcase inside, she frowned.
"The suitcase has been rolling along mountain roads outside. Its wheels will be dirty when we bring it indoors."
"Ah, the disinfectant that Bao uses all the time!" As a career fan, Xiao Zhao immediately thought of Bao Ruanruan's endorsement.
At her exclamation, Tang Qian's eyes lit up, too. She hurried over to the programme staff beside the sunroom. "Excuse me, do you have any hand wash or disinfectant that we could borrow?"
[ So that's it? Some of the missing props are with the production team! ]
[ Soga27! ]
Sure enough, Tang Qian got the disinfectant and hand wash, and found a red envelope attached.
Opening it revealed:
—Twenty-four bottles of Diwang handwash.
—Twenty-four bottles of Diwang disinfectant.
[ Hahahaha, twenty-four bottles! Oh mama, wouldn't that last a family a whole year?! ]
Entering the glass room, Tang Qian pulled Xiao Zhao towards the mattress on the floor, which many people had already searched, intending to lie down.
But before doing so, she asked the production team, "Do you have a fresh, newly washed sheet?"
The young production crew member nodded without a shred of sympathy.
He soon returned with a fresh sheet and pillowcases, as well as a red envelope containing a boxed three-piece bedding set.
[ Pfft. ]
[ Like, like. ]
[ Aaaaah, I regret it so much! This is genuinely so much fun! Why am I not in Hengshan Village today? I want to play too! ]
[ Isn't this a real-life immersive game? ]
[ Boohoo, I'm one of the two thousand. I chose to go during Spring Festival week. Will there still be games then? Sob, sob, I want to play too. ]
All the viewers could feel the fun!
This variety show, which let viewers participate, felt like an enormous amusement park!
Inspired by Tang Qian and Xiao Zhao, everyone soon followed their lead and found the sunroom's 'shortcomings'.
"Excuse me, this socket looks a little scorched. Could you ask an electrician shifu to replace it with a new one to make it safer?"
An electrician arrived immediately and unscrewed the scorched socket in full view of everyone.
He then replaced it with a new one.
"Ah, if we lie beneath this glass roof all afternoon, the sun will be rather strong. Wouldn't we get sunburnt? Do you have one of those parasols they use on beaches?"
The lucky person who thought of this received a large beach parasol, along with a complete little care package containing a sun umbrella, sun-protective clothing and a hat.
Throughout the afternoon, right up until dinner, everyone threw themselves into the treasure hunt and enjoyed the process.
By sunset, after dinner, only the final gift remained undiscovered.
Tang Qian suggested timidly, "How about we rest for a while, then follow Xiao Ruan's example and go for a walk after dinner?"
The moment she finished speaking, a staff member passed over a red envelope to her.
—A voucher for a full year's gym membership.
Tang Qian: "!"
[ !!! ]
[ Sob, sob, great fulfilment28. ]
[ Awooo, this final night is wonderful. A perfectly rounded full stop29! Scatter flowers30~ ]
Back on set, Bao Ruanruan returned to the camera after finishing her yoga session with the production team and taking her post-dinner walk.
"See you next season!"
"Happy New Year. May you all live as long as the Southern Mountain31."
The Red and Blue Team members also held a bonfire party on camera with the twenty lucky viewers.
"Bye-bye. See you after the Spring Festival~"
"Thank you for the gifts, Teacher Bao!"
"Goodnight, everyone. Goodnight, Bao Bao."
"Happy New Year!"
The livestream ended on a high note, but comments kept floating across the screen.
[ Boohoo, I miss it already. ]
[ After the Spring Festival, we won't leave until we meet32. Otherwise, I'll burst into tears. ]
[ Not a single member can be missing! @DirectorZhengMingchang! ]
[ I'm watching the entire series again to relive it! ]
[ I'm going to visit Hengshan Village! ]
[ Bye, everyone. Wishing you all good health~ May Bao Bao and everyone live long lives~ ]
New Year's Day finally passed amid laughter and happiness.
Yet, once everyone was asleep, two tall figures arrived at the Dream Sunroom, carrying torches through the darkness.
"So, Bro, why are we coming at this hour?"
"Did the production team invite us over to play? It's all dark lamps and blind flames33 here!"
The Dream Sunroom's courtyard gate opened. An electrical switch was right beside it.
The tall man reached out and easily switched on the room's lights.
"Where's it dark?"
“? ? ?”
"Bro Xue, you really have been getting stranger and stranger lately."
Chen Feng grumbled, but followed him anyway.
Standing in the courtyard, Xue Jing asked, "Did you watch today's livestream?"
"No." Chen Feng spread his hands. "Xiao Bao was only joining remotely today, and Liu Qiu was with her. Everything was fine. I asked Liu Qiu, and she said everything went smoothly."
Agents in the industry rarely monitored their artists' engagements in real time.
And an agent often managed several artists.
Although they only had Bao Ruanruan, they also had other business investments to follow up on.
At first, they had worried that she might not be able to manage everything, but more than six months later, she had put their minds completely at ease.
"Xiao Baozi has always been careful. The word 'crisis' has nothing to do with her."
Chen Feng muttered.
"Of course, I always contact her PD and director as soon as an engagement ends."
"I've also made arrangements. If anything happens during recording, they'll definitely contact me."
She had been on set lately, so he could not accompany her either.
But the man beside him soon said something that made Chen Feng question his life.
"Mm. You didn't watch the livestream. Good."
"?"
"Then let's begin."
"??"
Begin what?
Chen Feng's head was full of question marks.
"The exam for you, as her agent, and me, as her investor, begins now."
As he spoke, Xue Jing removed his suit jacket and hung it on the coat stand by the door.
"Fifty-six items. Two hours."
Chen Feng: "???"
"Below eighty per cent counts as a fail. You'll need to undergo retraining before you can return to work."
"Returning to work?"
Chen Feng grew nervous.
Xue Jing fell silent.
If they didn't even know and understand her as well as her fans did...
"Then you can stop doing the job."
Chen Feng: "............"
"If I call Xiao Bao now and ask for some safety books to study, will there be time, Bro?!"
Xue Jing gave him a sideways glance and slowly entered the glass room.
Starting from this very doorway.
Xue Jing followed in her footsteps, tracing the path she had once walked and getting to know her a little better.
Filming for The Female Physician continued as scheduled each day, with Bao Ruanruan always present on set.
From New Year's Day, she remained in seclusion34 until February.
With the Spring Festival fast approaching, and her fans waiting with smiles even when they wanted to cry, Bao Ruanruan finally reached the production's holiday break.
The drama production would be on holiday from Little New Year's Eve35 until the second day of the Lunar New Year.
Bao Ruanruan could finally leave the set and get some fresh air!
She was invited to appear on the long-running variety show I Bring the Fridge and Let Me Treat You to a Meal for its New Year special, which aired on Little New Year's Eve before the Spring Festival.
Her fans were so happy that they had practically ascended to heaven36.
They had refrained from pestering her on Weibo every day, for fear of affecting her condition on set.
They had learnt this from Yang Xueni's fans, the Xueren37.
However, the mom fans, career fans and safety fans38 waited in their own little groups, silently tapping their bowls39 day after day.
— Please be kind. Give us a bowl of hot food40.
— This child is really hungry.
— Before the Spring Festival, can we have a mouthful of Bao Bao41?
Everyone secretly flooded the chats, venting their loneliness, solitude and cold42.
Who would have thought that the studio would seem to have heard their innermost wishes?
It actually served them up with a meal43!
And it even carried Bao Ruanruan's fridge into a variety-show livestream!
Their heart's wishes had really come true. Happiness had arrived so quickly.
The fans collapsed in intoxication44 in an ocean of happiness45.
On the set of Let Me Treat You to a Meal on Little New Year's Eve, presenter Dong Xingwen turned towards the camera with a smile.
"Today, we're delighted to welcome two actresses to our studio, along with their fridges!"
"Welcome, Bao Ruanruan and Yang Xueni!"
[ Awoooo, welcome! ]
[ Welcome, the Baoxue CP46~~~~ ]
[ Bao, as in 'full'? Xue, as in 'study'? ]
[ Bao Ruanruan (饱) VS Yang Xueni (学)—the Baoxue CP, who start studying whenever they meet. Give them a hand, everyone! ]
[ Pfft, pfft, pfft. Genius. ]
[ Boohoo, long time no see, Xueren. ]
[ Long time no see, boohoo, Ruan moms. ]
Apart from the bizarre CP name, the two fandoms were actually like hometown folk meeting hometown folk, both with tears brimming in their eyes47.
Since the previous assistant-themed episode, both actresses had joined their respective drama productions and worked hard filming, never emerging.
Both fandoms were starving to death48.
Seeing them again was truly like welcoming a sweet rain after a prolonged drought49!
Regular viewers of Let Me Treat You to a Meal were left not knowing how to react.
When had they ever seen two fandoms behaving like actual sisters?!
Author's Note:
Nini: It's time to study again (crying).
Footnotes Full List
- hhhh — hahaha; typed laughter
- 一丝一毫 (yī sī yī háo) — one thread, one fine hair; the slightest amount
- 加鸡腿 (jiā jītuǐ) — add a chicken drumstick; reward someone for doing well
- 第五层／第一层 (dì wǔ céng / dì yī céng) — fifth level / first level; elaborate strategic thinking versus a straightforward approach
- 23333 — online laughter; extra threes intensify the laughter
- 滑铁卢日 (Huátiělú rì) — Waterloo Day; a day of crushing defeat
- 扣扣 (Kòukòu) — a phonetic nickname for QQ; the messaging platform)
- 大海捞针 (dàhǎi lāozhēn) — to fish a needle out of the vast sea; to search for something almost impossible to locate
- 吞下去 (tūn xiàqù) — swallow down; accept something unpleasant
- +1 (jiā yī) — add one; internet shorthand for 'me too'
- 阿姨粉 (āyí fěn) — aunt fan; a fan who adopts an aunt's affectionate role towards a celebrity
- 狗头 (gǒutóu) — *dog's head; an emoji signalling teasing or irony)
- 游戏食物链顶端的女人 (yóuxì shíwùliàn dǐngduān de nǚrén) — woman at the top of the game food chain; someone overwhelmingly superior at games
- 摊手 (tān shǒu) — spread one's hands; a gesture of helplessness or uncertainty → 🤷♀️
- 如火如荼 (rú huǒ rú tú) — like flames and white flowering reeds; proceeding vigorously and intensely
- 五脏俱全 (wǔzàng jùquán) — all five internal organs complete; small but fully equipped
- 原汁原味 (yuán zhī yuán wèi) — original juices and taste; an authentic, unaltered character
- 划掉 (huà diào) — strike through; jokingly retract the preceding phrase
- 送分题 (sòng fēn tí) — a question gifting points; a very easy challenge
- 666666 (liù liù liù liù liù liù) — six repeated; online applause for impressive skill
- 财不露白 (cái bù lòu bái) — do not expose wealth; keep valuables or good fortune discreet
- 一道风景 (yī dào fēngjǐng) — a piece of scenery; a distinctive, here comical, spectacle
- 安全委员 (ānquán wěiyuán) — safety committee member; a nickname for Bao Ruanruan's vigilant concern for safety
- 包青天 (Bāo Qīngtiān) — Bao of the Clear Sky; the legendary upright judge, used as a nickname suggesting her discernment and surname
- 背锅 (bēi guō) — carry a cooking pot on one's back; take the blame for someone else
- 谢邀 (xiè yāo) — thanks for inviting me; a stock online opening, often used jokingly. 谢邀 is a popular Chinese internet expression that originated from the practice of responding to questions on Zhihu (知乎) (China's equivalent of Quora).
When users were invited to answer a question, they traditionally began their responses with "谢邀" to politely acknowledge the invitation.
Over time, the phrase evolved into an internet meme, frequently used in humorous, sarcastic, or deliberately exaggerated responses. - soga — a Chinese internet rendering of the Japanese phrase, そか (sō ka), meaning 'I see'; expresses sudden understanding
- 大圆满 (dà yuánmǎn) — great completeness; a perfectly happy outcome
- 圆满句号 (yuánmǎn jùhào) — a complete full stop; a satisfying conclusion
- 撒花 (sā huā) — scatter flowers; an online expression of celebration
- 寿比南山 (shòu bǐ Nánshān) — longevity comparable to the Southern Mountain; a traditional blessing for a long life
- 不见不散 (bù jiàn bù sàn) — do not disperse without meeting; a promise to be there
- 黑灯瞎火 (hēi dēng xiā huǒ) — dark lamps and blind flames; pitch-black
- 闭关 (bìguān) — to close the gates for retreat; to withdraw from public appearances to concentrate on work
- 小年夜 (xiǎo nián yè) has two principal interpretations depending on regional customs:- Little New Year's Eve: Associated with Little New Year, usually celebrated on the 23rd or 24th day of the twelfth lunar month.- The day before Lunar New Year's Eve: Particularly in Shanghai and parts of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it refers to the day immediately preceding Lunar New Year's Eve.
- 上了天堂 (shàng le tiāntáng) — gone to heaven; reached a state of extreme happiness
- 雪人 (xuěrén) — snowman. After this, I'm going to change Xueni's fandom name to Xueren in the older chapters.
- 安全粉 (ānquán fěn) — safety fans; fans drawn to her health-and-safety outlook
- 敲碗 (qiāo wǎn) — tap a bowl; signal an eager request for more content
- 热饭饭 (rè fànfan) — hot rice or food, expressed cutely; fresh celebrity content
- 吃到一口包包 (chī dào yī kǒu Bāobao) — get a mouthful of Baobao; enjoy a little new content featuring her
- 孤单寂寞冷 (gūdān jìmò lěng) — alone, lonely and cold; a melodramatic internet expression of feeling neglected
- 放饭 (fàng fàn) — distribute a meal; release new content for waiting fans
- 醉倒 (zuì dǎo) — fall down drunk; become overwhelmed by delight
- 快乐的海洋 (kuàilè de hǎiyáng) — a sea of joy; an abundance of happiness
- 饱学CP (Bǎoxué CP) — well-learned pairing; a fan-created duo name combining sound associations with their names (Bao (包 (bāo): to cover/to wrap) & Xue (雪 (xuě): snow)) and 饱学 (Bǎoxué: 'deeply learned')
- 老乡见老乡,两眼泪汪汪 (lǎoxiāng jiàn lǎoxiāng, liǎng yǎn lèi wāngwāng) — fellow townspeople meet, both eyes full of tears; the emotion of a warm reunion among people with shared roots
- 饿死了 (è sǐ le) — starved to death; desperately deprived of new celebrity content
- 久旱逢甘霖 (jiǔ hàn féng gānlín) — encounter sweet rain after prolonged drought; receive something desperately awaited
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