A stranger's male voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Hello."
Zhao Yan followed the director's instructions: "Hello, I'm this episode's guest star, and I'd like you to cook a meal for me."
"Cook? Oh! What do you want to eat!"
The director held up a sign, gesturing for Zhao Yan to read from it.
"I want to eat minced pork with eggplant."
"I need a pound of pork, minced, with absolutely no fat on it."
The middle-aged man's voice sounded confused, "No fat at all?"
Zhao Yan hummed in agreement, "No fat at all."
On the other end of the line: "What's wrong, Teacher Zhang?"
"We have a guest star here who doesn't want any fat. I suspect they're not a guest star, but Lu Zhishen."
"If I mess this up, will they beat me like Xi Guanxi?"
"Haha, let me guess who it is?"
A very gentle male voice came through, taking over the call.
"Hello."
Seeing that the person had changed, Zhao Yan said, "Oh, hello."
Hearing the voice, he paused for a moment and said to the man next to him, "I haven't heard this voice before."
"I suspect it might be Lin Lu, doesn't she have a movie coming out soon?"
"I'm not sure."
The two men were Zhang Lei and He Jing.
They held high positions in the entertainment industry.
Zhang Lei had been a teacher, and many actors were his students.
He Jing was the host of a popular variety show, a household name with high recognition.
They knew every celebrity of any repute in the industry.
This show, "Travel Home," was hosted by these two veterans, along with two young male actors.
"Okay, I understand. When will you arrive?" Zhang Lei asked.
Zhao Yan glanced at the director, who shook his head.
"That's a secret."
"A secret? Alright, I understand."
After the call ended, Zhang Lei smiled at He Jing, "This show is quite mysterious."
"Can't be helped, this is the second season of 'Travel Home.' A bit of mystery is needed for ratings."
Zhang Lei, also known as "Zhang the Oracle," began to divine with his fingers.
"I estimate it's not someone from our circle."
"Likely from outside."
"How can you tell?" He Jing asked.
Zhang Lei said seriously, "If it were someone from our circle, when I said 'Hello,' they should have replied, 'Hello, Teacher Zhang,' instead of just saying 'Hello.' They probably don't even know who I am!"
He Jing gave him a thumbs-up, "You're still amazing, Teacher Zhang."
Zhao Yan handed her phone back to the director.
The director noticed the small bags Wu Jiaxin was carrying and asked doubtfully, "Miss Zhao, what is your assistant carrying?"
Zhao Yan replied, "Oh, they are gifts for them."
She had a general understanding of the variety show; guest stars usually stayed for about a day, or at least one night.
Since they would be spending time together, it was only natural to bring gifts.
"May I see them?" the director asked.
Zhao Yan shook her head, "The director will see them later."
The director nodded and said no more, understanding that maintaining an air of mystery would also contribute to the show's appeal.
Zhao Yan picked up her phone and watched the first season of "Travel Home" with Wu Jiaxin.
Though she didn't usually watch variety shows or television, the more she watched, the more she found it interesting.
Watching the show was very relaxing, and she grasped the core of the program.
"The first season had 700 million views, that's amazing," Wu Jiaxin praised.
Director Long said with some pride, "The total viewership across the entire network is over ten billion."
Although Zhao Yan had never been on a variety show, she knew that with her current standing, she shouldn't be appearing on a show of this caliber.
She wondered what the boss who sold pork was thinking.
After watching three episodes continuously, Zhao Yan wanted to watch the fourth. Wu Jiaxin said to Zhao Yan, "Sister Zhao, we've arrived."
Zhao Yan put away her phone and looked out the car window. The car had slowed down considerably.
"Miss Zhao, from now on, your assistant cannot accompany you. She will stay with our assistants. You may proceed alone," Director Long said.
Zhao Yan agreed. Wu Jiaxin handed her the small bags.
She walked forward, towards some steps, and pushed open a wooden fence.
A courtyard appeared before her.
Behind the courtyard was a rectangular thatched house, built with red bricks, its roof covered with straw. The house looked quite interesting.
A handsome young man in his early twenties was vigorously chopping wood. Hearing the sound of the gate opening, he turned to look behind him.
The moment he saw Zhao Yan, he froze, his face filled with surprise.
Seeing the four cameramen behind Zhao Yan, he immediately knew she was this episode's guest star.
He picked up his axe and walked towards Zhao Yan. As he approached her, he extended his hand halfway, then realized something and quickly wiped his hand vigorously on his sleeve.
Zhao Yan had watched three episodes of "Travel Home" and knew the young man's name. He did the most work on the show.
"Hello, Liu Peng. My name is Zhao Yan, I'm this episode's guest star."
Liu Peng: "Hello, Sister."
"This is a gift for you." Zhao Yan handed him a small gift box.
Liu Peng glanced at it, finding the box quite attractive. He didn't open it immediately and politely asked, "May I open it now?"
Zhao Yan nodded.
Liu Peng began to open the small box.
Director Long gave a signal to the cameraman beside him, who immediately aimed his camera at the gift box in Liu Peng's hands.
As Liu Peng opened it, he expected to find various items inside.
However, he was surprised to find a talisman in the gift box.
Looking at the paper talisman, he was stunned and looked up blankly at Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan said, "This is a stress-relief talisman."
"Wearing it by your side can alleviate a certain amount of stress."
Drawing a stress-relief talisman was very difficult; at her current speed, it took over an hour to draw one.
Stress-relief talismans were not usually sold. When she was struggling to make ends meet and under great pressure, she had drawn many. After she could afford to eat, she kept the previous talismans in her bag.
"I know you all face public scrutiny, so this kind of talisman should be able to help you."
Seeing Zhao Yan's earnest expression, Liu Peng nodded and smiled, "Thank you, Sister Zhao. Let me get your luggage."
Zhao Yan said, "No need, I can manage myself."
Liu Peng said "Okay," put down his axe, and quickly ran towards the house, shouting, "Teacher Zhang, the guest has arrived!"
Zhang Lei, who was cooking, heard this and said, "Isn't she from our circle?"
Liu Peng shook his head, "No, she's a very special person, and she gave me this."
"She said it's a stress-relief talisman!"