The Entire Entertainment Industry Knows the Best Actor Has a Crush on Me - Chapter 35

The plane took off, and it wasn’t until then that Qiaoqiao’s excitement began to subside. She couldn’t believe that as an assistant, she was actually sitting in business class with the artist. My first internship job is just too lucky!

The person beside her had already closed his eyes to rest. Qiaoqiao carefully checked the bag in her arms one last time, and after ensuring everything was in order, she closed her eyes too.

Qiao Zhiyu searched his mind for memories regarding the variety show.

My Countryside Courtyard was a “healing and warm” farming-style variety show. Six celebrities gathered in an old, dilapidated house with bare walls, working together to transform it into their ideal countryside courtyard. The pace was moderate, the visuals were comfortable, and it had its share of laughs. While it wasn’t a mega-hit, its popularity was solid.

Among the six current permanent guests, there were award-winning veteran actors, A-list idols, and a comedian who made people laugh just by standing there. One of the original six was currently under investigation for legal issues, so the production team chose the “guest” method to ensure the show could air normally.

Qiao Zhiyu had specifically caught up on the previous episodes. In his past life, he had crossed paths with everyone involved, so he knew them fairly well. Furthermore, he knew that the investigated artist would likely never return.

After a three-hour journey spent in a half-dreaming state, he opened his eyes to find they had arrived. It was 11:00 AM by the time they reached the village just in time for lunch.

Qiaoqiao couldn’t appear on camera, so Qiao Zhiyu got out of the car alone. Dragging his modest luggage, he gently pushed open the wooden picket gate. The courtyard was a hive of activity, filled with the bustling atmosphere of daily life.

“Ah! It’s you!!!” A girl was the first to spot Qiao Zhiyu. She immediately dropped the vegetables in her hand and jogged toward him with sparkling eyes.

“You really look just like your photos! Heavens, you’re so beautiful!” “My name is Yuan Zi! Just call me Yuanzi!!!”

Qiao Zhiyu looked at the familiar face and replied with a gentle smile, “Hello, I’m Qiao Zhiyu.” In his past life, they had participated in a program together; she was a blunt, cheerful girl. Coincidentally, she belonged to the same company as Pei Yuan.

Yuanzi’s exclamation successfully drew everyone’s attention. The guests put down their work and swarmed over.

“Yuan, you undersold it. He looks even better than the photos!” The man speaking introduced himself: “Hong Yu. Looking forward to working with you.”

“Hello, Senior Hong. It is I who will be in your care.”

Hong Yu waved his hand with a smile, acting like a reliable older brother. He was 45, a very famous singer whose voice was behind many viral clips on Douyin. Since Qiao Zhiyu was a late addition, he took the initiative to greet everyone rather than waiting for them to come to him.

As the crowd dispersed, Qiao Zhiyu noticed a woman standing at the back.

“Senior Chu, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He reached out to shake her hand. Chu Shuihan’s reaction was lukewarm; he felt she looked very tired. In his past life, they had never collaborated; by the time Qiao Zhiyu was established enough, she had already stepped away from the public eye.

Chu Shuihan remarked flatly, “Seeing is believing. If you didn’t speak, I’d have thought you were a painting.”

Qiao Zhiyu smiled shyly. “You’re exaggerating, Senior.”

After putting away his luggage, Qiao Zhiyu joined the workforce. Yuanzi, being naturally social, paired up with him one picking vegetables, the other washing them.

“By the way, Zhiyu, I overheard the crew saying there will be seven guests today!” She glanced at the camera and continued in a whisper, “Tell me the truth, who is it?”

Qiao Zhiyu was stunned. “There’s another guest?”

“Yeah, you didn’t know? I thought you and the crew had discussed it. But there was no promotion for a seventh guest on Weibo. Maybe I misheard?”

His movements slowed. Regarding this uncertain seventh guest Yuanzi mentioned, he felt a strange, unsettling feeling in his heart.

Lunch was prepared by Zhao Yunxiao, an excellent 39-year-old comedian. Among the five regulars, he was the only one whose cooking was actually edible. That said, the meal was surprisingly good. Qiao Zhiyu swallowed a green bean and praised, “It’s delicious.”

Zhao Yunxiao took an immediate liking to this handsome junior who spoke so politely. He kept piling food into Qiao Zhiyu’s bowl. “My cooking was average at first too; I learned on the show. Eat more if it’s good, look how thin you are. And Sister Chu, you eat more too you’re both far too skinny.”

Chu Shuihan agreed verbally but didn’t reach out her chopsticks much, while Qiao Zhiyu obediently ate several more bites.

Yuanzi asked, “Zhiyu, how much do you weigh? You feel thinner than me.” “Around 120 pounds. I haven’t checked in a while.” “You’re at least 175cm, right? Then you really are very thin.”

With the occasional laughter and chatter, Qiao Zhiyu officially integrated into the family. After lunch and cleaning up, the first task of the afternoon arrived. The group gathered in the courtyard, eyes still half-closed from their nap, to listen to the director’s mission.

Qiao Zhiyu scanned the area but saw no sign of a seventh guest. Maybe Yuanzi really did mishear?

However, just as the director finished announcing the task, the sound of footsteps and rolling luggage wheels came from outside the picket gate. The gate was pushed open, revealing the one person Qiao Zhiyu absolutely did not expect to see.

The director clearly knew this guest was coming at this time. He paused briefly before continuing, “This is the surprise the crew has for everyone. What do you think?”

The guests reacted quickly with surprised murmurs, complaining that the crew was “inhumane” for not telling them sooner. Only Qiao Zhiyu stood frozen and silent. The director’s voice echoed in his ears:

“Let’s welcome our second guest for today, Song Yuanjia!”

A ringing sound filled his ears; Qiao Zhiyu felt as though he couldn’t hear anything anymore. The other man seemed to glance at him he could feel it.

The director continued, “Arriving early isn’t as good as arriving at the right time! Congratulations to Yuanjia for successfully catching the crew’s ‘Kindness’ activity! New guest, please stand with the group so we can begin the team drawing.”

Qiao Zhiyu’s heart beat slowly; the entire courtyard seemed to be spinning. He instinctively used his hand to shield his eyes, a gesture that caught Chu Shuihan’s attention.

“Zhiyu, are you okay?”

He forced a smile, trying his best not to show any signs of trouble. This is a variety show, this is work… this is a variety show, this is work…

By the time he finally caught his breath, Song Yuanjia had already stepped over to stand beside him.

“What a coincidence, Zhiyu. I didn’t think we’d be on the same show.” The man wore a warm smile. Qiao Zhiyu told himself over and over: This isn’t the past life… this is work… work…

Suppreasing his nausea, he managed a smile in return. “What a coincidence…”

Because there was an extra guest and the crew couldn’t leave anyone out, one team would consist of three people. Fortunately, the draw didn’t put the two of them together, or Qiao Zhiyu really would have exploded.

Yuanzi happily trotted over, showing Qiao Zhiyu the number ‘2’ in her hand. “Zhiyu, we’re on the same team!” She leaned in and whispered, “See? I told you there was someone else!”

Qiao Zhiyu and Yuanzi were Team 2; Chu Shuihan and Hong Yu were another; Zhao Yunxiao and actor Bai Di took Song Yuanjia into their three-person team.

Once the teams were set, they headed for the vegetable plots. The “Kindness” activity was essentially helping the villagers with farm work. The team that worked the fastest and best could make one request of the production team like wanting a specific item, or wanting to swap rooms. Since there were animals in the yard that needed daily feeding, a team could also request to swap chores or skip work for a day.

The tasks weren’t particularly difficult, but they were exhausting. The work they faced now was: fertilizing and watering.