Chapter 153: Entering The Town
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Ruan Yesheng had already talked with the production crew beforehand and Zhang Zhiyin even contacted her privately, chatting a lot and looking out for her. When the three of them came out of the airport, two cars from the crew had already arrived at the agreed spot to pick them up.
The weather was damp and cold, with a biting wind blowing against their faces. The sky was gray and the weather forecast said it was going to snow soon.
The driver was a young man in his twenties, wearing black wide-rimmed glasses, looking rather frail. As soon as he got out from the driver’s seat, he hurried over to greet them and had his colleague help load their suitcases into the car.
"Hello, Sister Xi, Sister Ruanruan, Sister Tinghuan." The driver’s nose was red from the cold. He stepped forward to introduce himself politely, "My name is Dong Zhiyuan. I am Sister Zhiyin’s assistant. She asked me to pick you up. You can call me Xiao Dong or Zhiyuan."
Even though he had never met the three of them before, his tone was friendly, like he had known them for a long time. It immediately made the distance between them feel smaller. Probably Zhang Zhiyin specifically told him to speak like that.
"Hello, Xiao Dong." Yan Tinghuan was naturally familiar, standing on the steps and smiling at Dong Zhiyuan.
"Hello, Zhiyuan." Ruanruan also smiled.
Xi Mo, wearing a mask, nodded at Dong Zhiyuan, "Hello."
Dong Zhiyuan looked at Xi Mo, his eyes a little excited. He hadn't been in the industry long. Although he often saw Xi Mo online and on TV, and knew about her hot search news, this was the first time he saw her in person.
Working under Zhang Zhiyin, Dong Zhiyuan had met many celebrities, but Xi Mo was the biggest name among them. To him, she was like a legend.
He couldn't show his excitement openly. Twisting his fingers, he said to Xi Mo, "...Sister Xi, before you came out, the director specially told me to tell you not to feel any pressure. Just enjoy yourself in the town. Don’t worry, our team won’t film you randomly. You didn't bring an assistant this time. If you need anything or want to go somewhere, just tell me and I can drive you anytime."
"Thank you." Xi Mo said lightly.
But she already guessed what Dong Zhiyuan was about to say.
What he was about to say now was basically the production crew's words, he was just the messenger.
Sure enough, Dong Zhiyuan continued, "Direct...director also said that although this time you’re only accompanying Sister Ruanruan and not participating in the show, the production crew still prepared a house for you like the guests. The town has limited good places. The nice houses are all rented by our crew. If you want to stay in town, it might be hard to find a comfortable place, so it’s better to stay with Sister Ruanruan and the others, in the production house. Everything you need is there. No cameras are set in your house. Treat it like a normal tourist inn. The owner is nice. Of course, if you don’t like staying with the owner, you can stay in a house alone. I can tell the owner, they can stay elsewhere."
Xi Mo knew exactly what this was, the production crew was trying to please her.
First, they cater to all her needs. When the time comes, the director will probably ask her to film a behind-the-scenes clip, to use as material for the show later. Or they might ask for her consent to shoot some footage of her and edit it into the program.
The production crew wants attention, which is understandable.
As long as the crew behaves properly and informs her of things, she’s happy to help. She has higher standards for this crew than other shows. For other variety shows, she would refuse without hesitation and never participate. But for this crew, as long as they respect her and don’t ask for anything unreasonable, she’s willing to help.
After all, this is Ruan Yesheng’s first variety show. Xi Mo hopes the show will be a hit.
So far, her impression of the crew is good. If they do well, it will benefit Ruan Yesheng.
"Director Ning and the production crew work hard," Xi Mo said politely. "I haven’t arranged my own place, so I’ll stay in the house you prepared. Thank you."
“Sister Xi, you’re too polite. This is our honor.” Dong Zhiyuan was overjoyed. He had been nervous, afraid Sister Xi would refuse.
Luckily she agreed. That way, when the director goes to her later, it would be easier to talk.
All the luggage was loaded into the trunks of two cars. Dong Zhiyuan led the three of them to the spacious nanny van in front and opened the door for them.
The three sat inside, while Dong Zhiyuan drove up front.
Ruan Yesheng saw that Dong Zhiyuan let the three of them sit together. There was no camera set in the car and no script given to her. She understood what this meant and smiled as she asked Dong Zhiyuan, "Zhiyuan, does this mean we don’t need car shots along the way?"
Car shots mean filming the guests while they’re in the car, either for interviews or casual chats.
Almost every variety show has car shots. Since there will always be travel time, the crew makes use of it.
Some shows even start shooting from the moment they pick up the guests. That way they can introduce the new guest and also add a short interview during the ride. Many programs even play tricks with it, like covering the guest’s face with special effects and changing the voice, so the audience won’t know who it is right away.
But while this works once or twice, with the flood of variety shows coming out, audiences have gotten tired of it.
In the end, it’s always the same old routine.
Therefore, some variety shows always try to find a new way at the beginning and do whatever they can to attract attention, but they often seem to be scripted.
To achieve a more natural effect, Zhang Zhiyin's variety show "Me and My Dear Friends" was scripted, but most of the time, it was filmed without prior consultation, allowing for the most authentic performances. During the car shots, the guests chatted freely and comfortably, full of life. However, Zhang Zhiyin respected the guests very much and would inquire about the editing process during post-production. Inappropriate shots would be cut, and there has never been a case of malicious editing by the production crew.
The guests have a very good impression of Zhang Zhiyin. After each recording, many guests spontaneously want to come to the next season.
“No need, I’ll send you straight to the house in town,” Dong Zhiyuan said. “The town is really far from the airport. Sister Zhiyin said you’ll be tired after sitting in the car so long. So there’s no car shots today. You can drop your luggage and rest first. Car shots can be made up later and edited in.”
Hearing this, Ruan Yesheng felt warm inside.
Zhang Zhiyin was always so thoughtful.
It was because of this sincerity that her variety show had built up such a good reputation.
Dong Zhiyuan drove steadily. Ruan Yesheng relaxed her body, leaned against the seat, and looked out the window at the scenery.
Xi Mo sat in the seat beside her. After watching her for a moment, she finally withdrew her gaze.
The place they were filming this time was Heizhugou Town, in the Ebian Yi Autonomous County of Leshan, Sichuan.
Though Heizhugou Town was remote, among adventure travel lovers it was quite famous, because it was home to Heizhugou National Forest Park.
Heizhugou had the name “China’s Bermuda.” The primeval forest spread wide, and adventurers who went in often could not find the way out and died inside. Over time, this mysterious reputation spread, and it only drew more adventure lovers.
With national support policies for Heizhugou, the local area developed part of it as a scenic spot to attract tourists, but only around the outskirts. As for the deeper parts of the vast forest, people rarely set foot there. Without a local guide leading the way, it was very easy to get lost. Those areas were not part of the scenic zone, and anyone who went in had to bear the risk themselves.
Thanks to becoming a national forest park, it did attract many tourists. The once deserted Heizhugou Town slowly grew lively.
This time, the production crew made an agreement with the local leaders. They filmed in Heizhugou Town, and the town fully cooperated, providing many houses and calling on the townsfolk to take part. In return, the production crew would show and promote the local scenery, products, and people during filming. Once the show aired, it could help boost tourism and support the local economy.
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Zhang Zhiyin’s variety show carried a touch of public welfare. Each season, they went to remote towns, mountain villages, rural areas, or islands. These places all shared one thing: they were underdeveloped. But after the show aired, many viewers would go check in, and sometimes those places even received donations.
The drive from the airport to Heizhugou Town was too long. Gradually, the three of them fell asleep.
No one knew how much time had passed until Ruan Yesheng felt a sudden hard brake. Her body leaned forward, and the seatbelt cut into her uncomfortably.
Xi Mo and Yan Tinghuan were also startled awake by the sudden stop.
Both cars stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Ruan Yesheng quickly asked Dong Zhiyuan.
Dong Zhiyuan stared out the front windshield, still shaken. “The ground’s full of nails. They punctured the tires.”
“Nails?” Ruan Yesheng hurriedly opened the door and got out.
Xi Mo frowned and followed her.
Yan Tinghuan lowered the window, glanced out, and clicked her tongue. “That’s strange.”
After driving for so long, the sky had already grown dim, and the road looked as if it was covered with a thin layer of frost. Up ahead, the ground was littered with nails, spread across several meters. Dong Zhiyuan’s car and the one behind had run over them before they could react.
Dong Zhiyuan got out and quickly said, “Sister Xi, Sister Ruanruan, please be careful where you step. Maybe it’s better if you stay in the car?”
“It’s fine.” Ruan Yesheng carefully avoided the nails by the car and walked to the roadside with Xi Mo.
Dong Zhiyuan bent down to check the tires. Even a refined man like him couldn’t help but curse. “Who’s so shameless to scatter so many?”
Both cars had good tires. Even though plenty of nails had pierced them, they hadn’t burst yet and could still move for now. But the situation isn't looking good. With so many nails still on the road ahead, if they kept driving over them, the tires probably wouldn’t last.
“This was on purpose, we’re almost at the town.” Dong Zhiyuan looked at the nails scattered across the road. “Could it be the local repair shops trying to scam us for tire fees?”
Ruan Yesheng asked him, “How many repair shops are in town?”
“Quite a few,” Dong Zhiyuan said. “This is a tourist spot. Lots of people drive here, so the repair business does well.”
Xi Mo studied the scene for a moment and said, “It can’t just be about scamming repair fees. Even if they spread so many nails, there’s more than one repair shop in town. You can’t be sure it was done by any specific one.”
“Then who’s pulling this prank?” Dong Zhiyuan sounded desperate. “This is awful. I thought the townsfolk here were all warm and hospitable. How can there be such sick people? This is illegal, they should be caught.”
Xi Mo looked around into the distance. “No other cars got hit. It looks like the person who spread the nails just left not long ago.”
“Sister Xi, Sister Ruanruan, don’t worry,” Dong Zhiyuan quickly said. “I’ll call another car to come pick you up. We’re almost there anyway. You can go ahead first, and we’ll clean this up here, then send your luggage over.”
As he spoke, he made a phone call.
“It’s too cold out here. You should sit in the car,” Dong Zhiyuan said after hanging up.
“Go in,” Xi Mo looked at Ruan Yesheng and said softly.
Ruan Yesheng nodded and sat back inside with her.
Yan Tinghuan had been frowning. When she saw them come in, she finally relaxed a little. With a half-smile, she said, “These nails showed up right on time. Could it be we’re just unlucky, and the townsfolk don’t welcome us?”
Ruan Yesheng knew what she meant and said, “I don’t know who spread the nails, but they must live in the town.”
Xi Mo frowned and said nothing.
The three of them waited patiently in the car until at last Dong Zhiyuan knocked on their window. “The pickup car is here. Be careful when you get out.”
When they got out, they saw a light-colored nanny van parked in the distance. But because nails blocked the road here, it couldn’t drive closer.
Dong Zhiyuan led them along the edge of the road, where there were no nails, and sent them to the nanny van before hurrying back to continue clearing the road.
The window of the pickup car rolled down.
When Ruan Yesheng saw the person inside, she froze.
She hadn’t expected that the one in the passenger seat was Shen Qingbie. The weather was cold, and Shen Qingbie was wrapped in a snow-white down jacket, which made her skin look even more delicate, like a peeled egg.
At the driver’s seat sat Zhang Zhiyin.
“Ruanruan.” Zhang Zhiyin leaned over, smiling as she greeted her. “Long time no see.”
Zhang Zhiyin’s looks were very fresh and clean. Her beauty carried no sharpness, only her unique warmth and clarity, like mint with a light taste.
“Zhiyin.” It really had been a long time since Ruan Yesheng saw Zhang Zhiyin in person. She had only seen her on TV before. Now that she caught sight of her up close, emotions surged in her heart, and joy naturally showed on her face. “Why are you here to pick me up? Weren’t you busy?”
As Ruan Yesheng spoke, she glanced at Shen Qingbie from the corner of her eye.
Shen Qingbie secretly smiled, then turned her face toward Xi Mo, her eyes sparkling.
Xi Mo: “…”
She didn’t know why, but she always felt unsettled under Shen Qingbie’s gaze.
It was strange.
“I had some free time. I heard from Zhiyuan that you ran into nails on the road, so I came to be your driver,” Zhang Zhiyin said.
Although Zhang Zhiyin was close with Shen Qingbie, she truly didn’t know about the private bond between Ruan Yesheng and Shen Qingbie. She thought they had only met a few times. “Qingqing arrived earlier than you. When she heard I was coming to pick you up, she wanted to tag along. She visited Yan Mu on set before, so you must have met her there, right?”
“We’ve met.” Shen Qingbie was overjoyed to see Ruan Yesheng, but on her face she acted distant. She stepped out of the car, graceful and ladylike, and waved. “Ruanruan, hello.”
“Teacher Shen, hello.” Ruan Yesheng was thrilled inside, but her smile stayed polite. “We meet again.”
Shen Qingbie: “…”
Nowadays, famous actors, singers, and so on, no matter their age, are all called “Teacher.” No one knew who had set that rule.
Shen Qingbie was famous, and she had won awards. Her acting skills were sharp. Many young juniors or actors without fame didn’t dare to call her by her nickname. Some were so distant that they didn't even dare to call her Sister Qingqing. They were afraid they were not close enough, so they cautiously called her Teacher Shen.
And before their bodies switched back, when Shen Qingbie went to visit the Sui Ting crew, Xi Mo met her using Ruan Yesheng’s identity. She didn’t know about their relationship. She wanted to call her Qingqing but could not, so she didn’t call Shen Qingbie anything at all.
“I’m not some old veteran with virtue and respect. Don’t call me that. I don’t deserve it. You can just call me Qingqing, like Zhiyin does.” Shen Qingbie complained that Ruanruan was teasing her, but she spoke quickly.
She really wasn’t used to people calling her Teacher Shen. She felt she hadn’t reached that level. But there were still quite many people who were not close to her that called her that. It gave her a headache. Now that she saw Ruan Yesheng was making fun of her, she naturally had to speak up for herself.
“Okay, Qingqing.” Ruan Yesheng followed her wish and called her sweetly.
Only then did Shen Qingbie smile.
Ruan Yesheng then introduced Yan Tinghuan. Yan Tinghuan isn't reserved at all, she warmly called her Qingqing. Shen Qingbie directly followed Ruan Yesheng and also called her Tinghuan.
Xi Mo stood silently on one side.
Shen Qingbie was nervous. She walked up to Xi Mo and stretched out her hand. “Teacher Xi, hello.”
Xi Mo: “…”
Shen Qingbie’s hand hung in the air. Her face pretended to be calm, but in her heart she was very excited.
She was about to shake hands with her idol!
Shen Qingbie felt like fireworks were bursting in her heart.
Idol!
Handshake!
Xi Mo looked at Shen Qingbie, then followed her words just now, faintly said: “I’m not some old senior actor, I don’t deserve that.”
Shen Qingbie: “…”
She blamed her own stupid mouth. Good thing A’Yu wasn’t here, or she would get scolded again.
“Just call me Xi Mo.” Xi Mo’s mood was subtle.
“…Xi Mo.” Shen Qingbie gathered courage, called her name, the hope in her eyes couldn’t be hidden: “You call me Qingqing too, okay?”
Xi Mo: “…”
She really wasn’t used to calling people with double-syllable nicknames, she couldn’t force it out.
Ruan Yesheng stood by, smiling as she watched the fun.
Zhang Zhiyin saw through Xi Mo’s awkwardness, then came over smoothly to ease the moment: “Xi Mo, welcome, thank you for coming.”
“Zhang Zhiyin.” Xi Mo had long heard of Zhang Zhiyin’s cleverness, she followed her lead, nodded: “Thank you.”
Shen Qingbie wasn’t stupid. From that sentence she heard Xi Mo’s habit of addressing people, and she knew she said something that made things awkward again. But she herself didn’t feel awkward, she quickly and openly added: “If you’re not used to calling me Qingqing, you can call me Shen Qingbie.”
This kind of straightforwardness from Shen Qingbie did surprise Xi Mo a bit.
Before, she watched many of Shen Qingbie’s interviews, Weibo and so on, only seeing the image Shen Qingbie built outside. She thought Shen Qingbie was very pretentious, purposely acting so quiet.
But now she saw Shen Qingbie’s response, and felt she was open and frank, expressing what she thought very directly. Instead, it was herself, who wasn't quick as Shen Qingbie, even getting troubled over such a small matter like forms of address.
“Shen Qingbie.” This was the first time Xi Mo, in front of her, called her name.
Shen Qingbie smiled.
But in her heart, fireworks were exploding everywhere.
Idol!
She called her name!
Even if it wasn’t Qingqing, it was still worth it!
They met, and politely greeted each other. The group got in the car and headed toward Heizhugou Town.
It gets dark early during winter, by the time they reached the town, the sky was already completely dark.
Author's Note:
Variety show recording begins, Heizhugou trip~
In Exploring the Empty Tomb - Modern times, Heizhugou is a big chapter. But later Shishi and Luo Shen went there around Lunar New Year. Here, the time is earlier. I already told everyone before, it’s mid-December on the Gregorian calendar, earlier than Shishi and the others’ New Year trip. If you look carefully at Exploring the Empty Tomb, you’ll know during this time only Luo Shen came alone. Luo Shen came a few times first to check things inside Heizhugou. Later she went again with Shishi and the others for the New Year trip. The timing and places of the two books cross over, I wrote it very clear. If you read carefully, you can understand.
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