OSM Chapter 42: Variety show

Translator: Abo Dammen

The quilt that Li Yuze had soaked with water was hanging on the balcony. By the time He Zhiqiu left to record the show, it still hadn’t completely dried. The main reason was that the weather had been quite bad recently, and he had also spilled a bit too much water on it. The down filling was thoroughly soaked. After He Zhiqiu left, Meng Lin packed up the quilt. Although he brought over a new one, Li Yuze didn’t take it and instead asked Meng Lin to take the old one away as well.

He Zhiqiu wasn’t sure how Li Yuze handled the matter afterward. He had gone to the recording site for his new job, which was about 500 miles away from A City. Before officially joining the team, Xu Sui had asked him to take some time to catch up on the first two seasons of the show.

The show itself didn’t have many dramatic ups and downs. The recording site was set in some picturesque, secluded natural villages. The invited guests would spend a leisurely seven days and nights in these small villages, chatting with the regular cast members, cooking, and completing small tasks assigned by the production team. The tasks were generally not difficult and were mainly designed to add humor and fun.

He Zhiqiu looked at the invitation letter from the production team, which was filled with slogans about embracing nature and enjoying life. The main idea was to let the usually glamorous stars shed their halos and reveal their most “authentic” selves in the leisurely rural life.

Xu Sui mentioned that the show didn’t have a script, but many celebrities brought their own. So, whether this so-called “authentic self” was genuine or not was anyone’s guess. He Zhiqiu didn’t understand the intricacies of all this, and Xu Sui didn’t elaborate much, simply telling him to act as he normally would and not to try too hard to stand out. After all, their future career direction wasn’t focused on this. They were just there to gain some exposure.

The production team’s shuttle bus drove for three hours before finally stopping in a small, scenic village. He Zhiqiu got off the bus with his luggage and saw a newly built wooden cabin not far away. The entrance was decorated with transplanted flowers and plants, and there were some construction tools scattered around. This was likely the recording site.

He Zhiqiu had already familiarized himself with the regular cast members of the show. Aside from him and Zheng Zike, there were two other well-known celebrities in the industry. One of them, Han Zheng, was quite a familiar face to the public. He had acted in many popular TV dramas, hosted shows, and even sung. At one point, his status in the industry was similar to Gao Kui’s, but in recent years, his career had started to decline. The entertainment industry doesn’t have many evergreen stars, and as one reaches a certain age, they often face the awkward situation of having fewer roles to play. Han Zheng was 40 but looked like he was in his early 30s, with strong versatility. However, since he wasn’t a “traffic” star, he couldn’t land many of the currently popular roles. He didn’t want to lower his standards just to make a living by taking on fatherly roles or playing second fiddle to younger actors.

So, in recent years, he had started to pivot, focusing more on variety shows and rarely acting anymore.

The other regular cast member was He Yang. He was relatively young, only 25 years old. As an idol, he had a relatively large fan base, but his popularity was mostly confined to a specific circle. Outside of that, he wasn’t widely known. Before watching the show, He Zhiqiu had been unfamiliar with the name, but after seeing itt, he realized he had actually met He Yang once before.

About ten minutes later, Zheng Zike arrived. He Zhiqiu had been in touch with her on the way and knew roughly when she would arrive, so he waited at the entrance for her instead of going in early. Xu Sui had mentioned that he owed his participation in this show to a word from Zheng Zike. Otherwise, the few bottles of wine he had sent wouldn’t have been enough to secure the spot.

Zheng Zike was dressed simply today, with light makeup to match the show’s theme. She was two years older than He Zhiqiu, but to avoid drawing attention, she didn’t let him call her “sister.” Even though they were quite familiar with each other, He Zhiqiu always addressed her as “senior.”

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two walked into the courtyard set up by the production team. The courtyard had a rustic farmhouse style, with a pergola, a well, and lush grapevines. The interior was mostly decorated in natural wood tones, with a kitchen, living room, and everything else you’d expect. However, only the regular cast members lived here. The other guests stayed in separate locations and only gathered together for meals or activities.

Before the recording began, the director called all the staff together, introduced the two new members, and held a small meeting to go over the basic flow of this episode. During this time, He Yang never showed up. Han Zheng, on the other hand, was quite friendly and chatted with He Zhiqiu for a while. Aside from being a bit aloof in certain situations, Han Zheng was generally easygoing, especially with newcomers, and didn’t put on airs.

By 10 PM, the director had finished going over the recording details. Zheng Zike, treating the job like a vacation, took the opportunity to relax, found her room, and went to sleep. He Zhiqiu wasn’t in a hurry to rest. He helped the staff clean up the tea and snacks left from the meeting and took a few teacups to the kitchen to wash them.

On his way to the kitchen, he ran into someone. The person walked straight toward him, blocking his path. “Are you He Zhiqiu?” He Zhiqiu met the person’s disdainful gaze and politely acknowledged him. This was He Yang. He Zhiqiu had seen him once before, on the day of his second audition for Pingsha. He was the one who had been on the phone in the hallway, complaining about how the villain role wasn’t appealing and that he didn’t want to play it.

“I thought you were some big shot, stealing my role,” He Yang said, circling He Zhiqiu once before letting out a mocking laugh and walking away.

He Zhiqiu didn’t understand where this accusation of “stealing a role” came from. The only time they had crossed paths was at the Pingsha audition. If He Yang was referring to the villain role in Pingsha, hadn’t he himself said he didn’t want to play it? So how could it be considered stealing?

He Zhiqiu didn’t dwell too much on the hostility in He Yang’s words. He simply carried the cups into the kitchen.

The next day, the invited guests for this episode began to arrive. The production team usually didn’t inform the regular cast members in advance about who was coming, to maintain some mystery and capture genuine surprise when they met. Most of the invited celebrities had collaborated with the regular cast members to some extent or were at least well-known enough to avoid awkward or unfamiliar interactions.

Although Zheng Zike had just joined the show, she was quite popular these days, so everyone knew her. Han Zheng, as a veteran, was even more familiar, and anyone who came by could strike up a conversation with him. He Yang, despite being a young idol, had been a regular on the show for the entire previous season, so anyone who had watched the show would recognize him.

The only completely new face was He Zhiqiu, whose sole purpose seemed to be filling a spot and acting as a background character. Fortunately, Zheng Zike took him under her wing, making sure to include him in activities and preventing him from being too marginalized.