However, seeing the setup below, Director Huang's worries were clearly unnecessary.
A long bluestone path led straight into the village. Due to its age, moss grew between the cracks in the stones. High mountains surrounded the area, and a babbling stream flowed in front of the village, with a wooden bridge spanning it. As the group arrived, the sun was setting, painting half the sky crimson. From here, amidst the verdant green mountains, a wisp of smoke rose from a chimney.
Everyone was captivated by the beauty of the scenery. Brother Qiao, who had been dozing in the car, was instantly energized upon getting out. "So beautiful!" "Too beautiful!" "Pretty!" "So pretty!" Looking at the tranquil village, Xia Weiliang and the others approached Director Huang. "Director Huang, did you communicate with them before coming?" "Yes, we did! All the procedures are complete!" Director Huang was also puzzled. Even if there wasn't a grand welcome with firecrackers, someone should have come out to greet them. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!!" The man who aimed to be the King of the Pirates seemed a bit too enthusiastic today. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked in, the others following. After all, this wasn't an ordinary variety show, and while their other skills were unknown, self-sufficiency was guaranteed!
They walked into the village and finally spotted a young boy in traditional ethnic clothing. Huang Yanyan grabbed him and asked, "Little friend, where is your village chief?" "The village chief? Delivering a baby!" With that, the boy ran off. Delivering a baby? Everyone exchanged glances. The village chief's skill seemed rather impressive. Since the chief was busy with important matters, it wouldn't be good to disturb them. Director Huang made a decisive call: they would look for accommodation first.
Previous variety shows arranged accommodation in advance, and guests would check in directly. But their show, "Courage," was different. Forget accommodation, they might even have to find their own food. The guests were used to this. However, after asking around, they discovered that outsiders rarely visited the village, so there were no inns, guesthouses, or hotels. The sun was already setting, and everyone was carrying luggage and equipment, feeling quite weary. Finally, Xia Weiliang made a decisive move. "Children, get your gear ready!" The group then found an open space and distributed the portable self-heating pots they had brought.
Wai Shao's eyes widened. "Sister Wei, you're so well-prepared!!" Xia Weiliang waved her hand. "It wasn't me. Xiao Le's father was afraid I wouldn't eat enough. Someone was waiting for me at the airport right after we landed and insisted I take these boxes." "Wuwu~~ Xiao Le's father is so heartwarming!" In a situation with extreme limitations, the shrewd Xiao Le proved to be a great help. Xia Weiliang, mindful of her endorsement duties, took a photo of herself sitting on the ground eating from a self-heating pot and uploaded it to Weibo. She didn't show her location or anyone else's face, so it didn't violate the contract. Yet, this single photo reached the trending list within minutes.
Especially when the shrewd Xiao Le opportunely chimed in, claiming it, "Wow wow wow, that's Xiao Le~ Xiao Le is being held like a treasure by Miss Sister~~" To everyone's surprise, the netizens didn't criticize it. Instead, they expressed a relieved "We've been waiting for you." But the shrewd Xiao Le wasn't idle. After retweeting Xia Weiliang's Weibo, he deliberately provoked the popular CP, Modie. "@Modie Sharing, hey? Why is only Xiao Le in the photo? Wow, I know! It must be because you're too big, and Miss Sister couldn't fit you in her backpack!!" Soon, Modie replied, "Scram." The netizens gave the shrewd Xiao Le a thumbs-up, thinking, "As expected of you – spit!"
Inside the recording studio, Xiao Yi took off his headphones to rest. He looked up and saw Yan Zhi staring intently at his phone, then smiling like a fanboy. "My Empress is so beautiful!" Xiao Yi picked up a bottle of mineral water, took a sip, and put it down. Seemingly casually, he moved closer and glanced at the photo on the phone. The young girl was smiling at the camera, her eyes wide open, holding a bowl of self-heating pot. She was wearing a simple white T-shirt, with green mountains behind her and the setting sun overhead. This casual snapshot was so beautiful it was hard to look away. It was clear they were likely still outdoors, perhaps even sitting on the ground.
The director came in to announce that recording would resume. Xiao Yi raised his hand and signaled, "Please give me two more minutes." "Okay, okay, no problem." He walked aside, took out his phone, and made a call. "Have someone wait outside the village, don't go in and disturb them, but provide assistance if necessary... Also, bring some snacks." After hanging up, he swiped his screen a couple of times, finally opening the Weibo editing function...
In Gumo Village, a group of over twenty people sat on the open ground, eating from self-heating pots. The scene was quite spectacular. Curious villagers came out to watch, but they didn't even know why this group was here! "Sis! Sis, sis!" Ah Ning, who was scrolling through her phone, ran over excitedly. "Yi Shen posted on Weibo!" As soon as Xia Weiliang heard those words, she felt a headache coming on. "What did he post again, again, again?" Ah Ning stared at her phone and read word for word: "There is a beauty, whom once seen, can never be forgotten." "Ahhhh!!!" Ah Ning felt like she was about to explode with joy. Xia Weiliang's heart stirred, and a warmth spread uncontrollably across her cheeks. She had just posted, and he followed so quickly. Wasn't that too obvious, too ostentatious, too high-profile? She was still in her rising phase, and she couldn't afford to be held back by the film emperor!
Under that Weibo post, within moments, there were tens of thousands of shares. The most liked comment expressed the public's sentiment: "The second line of this poem is 'One day without seeing her, I miss her madly.'" The film emperor wasn't just subtly revealing his feelings; he was making sure everyone knew! Their Empress posted only one Weibo, and he was already posting "once seen, can never be forgotten." Did they think netizens were new to this? They were all ready to arrange compilation videos of them together, showering everyone with sweetness!
Xia Weiliang couldn't bear to look any further. This kind of secret dating was bound to cause problems! She looked up and saw Su Yuxi hadn't touched his pot. She suddenly remembered that her previous action had injured his hand, so she quickly went over. "Does your hand hurt again? Then don't eat this. I have other food here." She opened her backpack, using the space saved from cosmetics to pack it full of snacks. "What do you want to eat?" Su Yuxi smiled and shook his head. "We're staying here for seven days. Save it for yourself; I'm not hungry." "Then, after we find the village chief, I'll figure out a way to get you something to eat!" She patted her chest and promised, "Let me be your assistant for these few days!" He raised an eyebrow. "Really?" "Of course!" He smiled. "It's a deal."
Just then, a young girl wearing a blue cloth tunic and a headscarf was seen running from a distance. "Are you Director Huang? Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I was delivering a baby and didn't have time to come greet you!" Everyone was stunned. They hadn't expected the village chief of Gumo Village to be such a young girl! She smiled as she approached Director Huang and extended her hand. "Hello, my name is Lang Yue." The girl's cheeks were rosy, her eyes large and bright, and her graceful demeanor was truly endearing. Director Huang looked at her and couldn't help but blush. "H-hello, I'm Huang, Huang Yanyan." Everyone was surprised to find Director Huang stammering!!