The staff hadn't even stepped forward when Lin Qinghe strode forward and stood before You Rong, greeting him with a dazzling smile, "You Rong! What a coincidence! We meet again!"
Her greeting made it sound as if they were old acquaintances.
You Rong frowned, "Why are you here?"
His unspoken meaning was rather "Why are you still haunting me?"
Lin Qinghe felt a surge of triumph. Of course, it was all her doing!
Lin Qinghe said with a smile, "I'm also one of the guests for this season of 'Simple Life'. I just heard from the director that you were a guest, and I was very surprised. But I'm so happy to see you here again."
You Rong's brows furrowed. He still vividly remembered the incident where they trended on hot searches. If there weren't other people around, he might have lost control and directly questioned Lin Qinghe about what mischief she was up to again!
He couldn't afford to be picky about which variety shows to join given his current status. As for her, it was impossible that she didn't know he was one of the guests, nor could she refuse the program team's invitation. She chose to come, which meant she definitely had an agenda.
You Rong felt extremely disgusted with Lin Qinghe.
He had said that he just wanted to act properly and didn't want to get entangled in her publicity stunts. Why did she keep bothering him again and again? Was there no bottom line to being human for the sake of popularity!
The atmosphere between the two was very delicate. The program director walked over, breaking the tension, "You Rong, you're finally here. This is our recording schedule. Take a look first. If there are no problems, we'll start recording immediately."
You Rong collected his emotions, nodded to the director, and took the recording script handed to him. After a brief glance, he said, "Okay, I have no issues."
"Alright then! Get ready, we'll start recording soon. Also... listening to Qinghe's tone, did you and she film a drama together recently?"
Just as You Rong was about to give a vague answer, Lin Qinghe interjected, "We were filming together in the crew of 'The Timeless Year'. We haven't seen each other for long. I didn't expect to run into you again on this show. What a coincidence."
The director suddenly realized, "Oh, so that's how it is... When the camera focuses on you later, we can mention it. It can also help promote your drama when it airs."
"Okay, thank you, director."
"You're welcome. Then... get ready, and let's start filming from when You Rong walked in!"
The director walked away to prepare for filming. You Rong looked at Lin Qinghe with complex eyes. Lin Qinghe thought he would ask her something, but he didn't. He turned and, following the director's instructions, cooperated with the filming.
As You Rong walked over, the crew members, as per custom, checked the items he brought. Apart from confiscating his phone, You Rong had no other prohibited items.
After the inspection, Lin Qinghe walked over with a smile to greet him, "You Rong, what a coincidence! It's only been a little over a week, and we meet again."
You Rong, being a professional actor, was adept at controlling his emotions in front of the camera. He also wore a faint smile, "Yes, we meet again. When we wrapped up filming at the 'The Timeless Year' set last time, we said we should have dinner together, but the timing didn't work out... I didn't expect to run into you here."
"Hahaha... indeed."
Lin Qinghe chatted with You Rong, secretly thinking: He's truly good at acting. He probably wishes he could strangle her, yet he can still calmly chat with her on the surface.
Meanwhile, the surrounding staff were astonished, their jaws practically dropping.
They... seemed to have a pretty good relationship. Was the rumor about them not getting along really true? And the rumor about You Rong having assaulted Lin Qinghe? Lin Qinghe certainly didn't look like she had.
After a few pleasantries, the two arrived at the farmhouse courtyard prepared by the program team. After putting their things down and greeting the other five guests, the program team gathered them in front of the courtyard to issue tasks.
The positioning of the five guests was also subtle. Among them, Lin Qinghe was undoubtedly the most popular and currently the hottest. Therefore, the program team would surely give her the most screen time. As soon as Lin Qinghe arrived, except for You Rong, the others came forward enthusiastically to greet her, trying to stand closer to her to get more screen time when the show aired.
In contrast, You Rong, standing on the side, seemed to be neglected.
Lin Qinghe subtly walked towards You Rong and stood next to him. Seeing others trying to push You Rong aside, she smiled and said, "The director is about to issue the tasks. Let's listen to what the director has to say first."
Wen Qianyi and the others, seeing this, couldn't act too obviously in front of the camera, so they smiled and said, "Qinghe sister is right. Let's listen to the director issue the tasks first. Today we..."
The director said, "It's like this: to get the ingredients for tonight's dinner, you'll have to exchange them through physical labor. Now, there are several tasks with corresponding ingredients. You can choose based on what you see. After you complete the tasks, we will give you the ingredients. Otherwise, you'll go hungry tonight."
As soon as the director finished speaking, Wen Qianyi joked, "If I had known this would happen, I would have eaten my fill on the way here. We can start working tomorrow, and the program team won't be able to trick us. Let's see what they do then, right?"
The others laughed and chimed in. The director began to announce the tasks corresponding to the ingredients.
Lin Qinghe and the others looked at them. Zheng Yi, the oldest, suggested, "How about we split into two or three groups and choose a task to complete together?"
Zhou Cheng'en smiled and nodded emphatically, "I agree! I'll go with... Brother Yi! We'll go to the fields to pick corn, which can be exchanged for a fish. For our first meal on 'Simple Life', shouldn't we make it sumptuous? How can the dining table be without meat!"
The others laughed and agreed. Wen Qianyi had intended to suggest teaming up with Lin Qinghe, with the two girls choosing a simpler task, like feeding chickens and ducks in the yard for some vegetables.
Before Wen Qianyi could speak, Lin Qinghe's eyes flickered, and she preemptively said to You Rong, "You Rong! Let's be a team, okay? What task do you want to do? I'm fine with anything! You choose."
Everyone present was a little surprised, and so was You Rong.
In front of the cameras, Lin Qinghe had made such a request to be a team, and You Rong couldn't refuse. However, in his heart, he did not want to be on a team with Lin Qinghe.
You Rong lowered his eyes slightly, concealing the thoughts in his eyes. He said in a flat tone, "Alright, we can."
Lin Qinghe was about to be happy, but You Rong glanced indifferently at the task list and then said, "Director, I'll be with Qinghe. We choose to carry sewage to fertilize the vegetables in the fields."
As soon as You Rong finished speaking, the expression on Lin Qinghe's face froze. She could hardly believe her ears.
You Rong chose to carry sewage?!
Wasn't this clearly a deliberate attempt to mess with her!