The Film Queen Is Cold and Ruthless, Only Sends Money - Chapter 20.1
When they stepped out of their rooms, they saw the other guests in a similar state.
The sound of yawns connected seamlessly with the rooster’s crow outside, almost forming the accompaniment for a new song.
Su Yun noted this inspiration, planning to discuss it with Jing Chaochao when she had the chance.
They wouldn’t even need to think of a title, just call it Sleepy.
Short and to the point, making people want to sleep just from the name.
As the director watched everyone emerge, he cheerfully raised his megaphone and said, “I trust all our guests had a good night’s rest.”
Liu Yangran and Ye Ying, rubbing their necks, interrupted him. “Director, be precise exclude us from that statement.”
Though Su Yun and Lin Yan had fetched them two extra blankets, neither was used to sleeping on such a hard wooden bed. By morning, they felt like their bodies had fallen apart.
Now, as they rolled their necks, they could practically hear their bones creaking just like the sound of their wind-battered door the night before.
“Had a good night’s rest” definitely didn’t apply to them.
Su Xue also raised her hand, drowsily adding, “We only managed to fall asleep after huddling close together, and the crew started waking us up at 5:30 AM. How could we have slept well?”
Lin Yan, yawning, cut in before the director could respond. “Director, exclude me and Ye Ying too. We spent the whole night guessing what today’s mission would be, it practically gave us insomnia.”
Director: “Alright, then I assume Su Yun and Jiang Zhi’s group slept well.”
Su Yun, who had been called “clueless” the night before: Let’s not.
Jiang Zhi: “Director, just skip this part.”
[The livestream started so early! I thought it’d be at 9 AM like yesterday!]
[Hahahahaha, director, take note, don’t mess with people who just woke up!]
[Everyone’s up so early too. Honestly, last night I dreamed about the Pythagorean theorem fighting with McDonald’s!]
[Glad I turned on notifications wouldn’t have wanted to miss this. Even Jiang Zhi couldn’t take it anymore, hahaha!]
“Alright, yesterday we spent a fulfilling and joyful day together,” the director continued, completely unfazed by the guests’ resentful stares. “A new day begins now, are you all ready?”
“Not ready! The guests showed no mercy.
“…” The director. “Since everyone’s ready, you may now go eat breakfast.”
What a smooth and flawless exchange.
Only when they sat down at the table did the guests realize the breakfast prepared by the crew was unusually lavish.
Yet, without exception, not a single one of them touched their chopsticks.
Xu Zhi asked warily, “Director, you’re not going to make us pay 30 yuan to recreate these dishes after eating, are you?”
“I think you’re right. There’s no way the crew would give us such a good breakfast for free,” Lin Yan agreed.
The lesson from yesterday had been too harsh, leaving them all on high alert.
Su Xue nodded too. “Director, just tell us what the mission is upfront. We can’t eat in peace if you stay silent.”
The misunderstood director: “Don’t worry, the mission has nothing to do with breakfast. Feel free to eat.”
After the director finished speaking, the guests stared intently at her face, making sure there wasn’t a trace of guilt or smugness before they finally picked up their chopsticks with relief.
Lin Yan took a bite of her meal and asked the others at the table, “What do you think the director has planned for us today?”
Liu Yangran replied, “Probably another task related to Herong County, right?”
Su Xue leaned in curiously, not even bothering to finish chewing her food as she mumbled, “That makes sense. Yesterday, we only got to make some local specialty dishes, so we barely scratched the surface.”
“Just as we guessed,” Lin Yan said. “The only question is whether the director will be kind enough to go easy on us.”
Director: “I’m still right here.”
Su Yun only chimed in occasionally, seemingly uninterested in speculating about the production team’s plans, but she polished off every last bite of her breakfast.
Jiang Zhi even began to wonder if there would be any food left on the table by the time they finished their discussion.
“This is delicious,” Su Yun said, not forgetting Jiang Zhi as she pointed to the pale green pastry in front of her. It was likely made from a local specialty of Herong County, though she didn’t know its name.
After yesterday’s ordeal of torturing each other’s taste buds, they were practically moved to tears by the simple pleasure of normal food today.
Hearing Su Yun’s voice, they finally stopped their discussion and focused on enjoying their breakfast.
Jiang Zhi noticed Su Yun putting down her chopsticks. “Full already?”
Su Yun nodded. “The breakfast the production team prepared was delicious just a bit too early in the day.”
The director, who had just started smiling at the first half of her comment, froze again.
As they ate, the sun gradually rose, and more viewers began trickling into the livestream.
Many who tuned in caught Su Yun’s remark.
[Hahahahaha, classic Su Yun!]
[As a fellow sleep enthusiast, I wholeheartedly agree!]
[Is it really the breakfast’s fault for being served in the morning?!]
The livestream buzzed with activity as the director prepared to announce the day’s task.
[Let’s see what surprises the production team has in store for us today!]
[I think the guests guessed right, it’s definitely related to Herong County. But any game could incorporate that, right?]
Director: “Before we reveal the task, let’s take a look at a few things.”
With that, the staff placed the items in front of the guests.
Su Xue walked over. “Isn’t this the paper-cutting we did yesterday?”
After finding the corresponding stalls yesterday, they had to complete tasks to earn clues. These paper-cuttings were their handiwork.
Lin Yan picked up one at random, studied it for a few seconds, and asked curiously, “Were you guys supposed to cut out a radish?”
To be fair, the length and shape did resemble one. “But why does your radish have jagged edges? Was it gnawed on by a mouse?”
Jing Zhaozhao: “It’s not a radish. It’s a bird’s feather. The jagged parts are the fluffy edges.”
That was her creation from yesterday.
“Haha,” Lin Yan laughed awkwardly. “I really couldn’t tell.”
Jing Zhaozhao: “…”
Ye Ying picked up two unfamiliar cuttings, likely the work of Lin Yan’s and Su Yun’s teams.
“So, what are these supposed to be? Toy trucks?”
Lin Yan: “How does this look like a toy truck to you?”
“This looks like the front of a truck, with side mirrors here, and the hollowed-out part at the back must be the truck bed, right?” Ye Ying felt her guess was close to the truth.
“The ‘front of the truck’ is actually the fish’s head, the ‘side mirrors’ are its gills, and the hollowed-out part isn’t a truck bed, it’s the fish’s scales.”
Su Yun retrieved her paper-cutting before the others could start guessing, sparing herself the tragedy of having her “fish” mistaken for a “children’s truck.”
Fortunately, Liu Yangran’s paper-cutting retained its intended shape, avoiding any more bizarre misinterpretations.
[Hahahahaha, their guesses are completely off the mark!]
[Honestly, whether they guessed right or wrong, the fact that they managed to match every part is kind of impressive!]
[Looking at it now, maybe the production team was being kind to them after all, they still got clues despite cutting them like that!]
After a round of “warm” (misguided) and “friendly” (mocking) mutual guessing among the guests, the task hadn’t even started yet, and the camaraderie they’d built the night before was already on the verge of collapse.
Director: “Yesterday, you all got a preliminary understanding of Herong County’s paper-cutting culture. Today’s task is also related to the local paper-cutting tradition.
The county’s paper-cutting has a long history, but in recent years, it has faced the risk of fading away. The production team hopes that through your efforts, you can help promote it.
We’ve set up three photo spots around Herong County featuring distinctive paper-cutting designs. Each of you must take a photo with your own paper-cutting at these locations before gathering at the county’s folk museum. The first team to arrive wins.”
Jing Zhaozhao: “Do we have to take photos holding our paper-cuttings?”
Looking at the “radish”no, the “feather” in her hand, she suspected this wasn’t about promoting Herong County’s paper-cutting but rather about ruining its reputation.
Meanwhile, the anonymous creator of the “children’s truck” quietly hid their paper-cutting behind their back.
Director: “The production team has full confidence in your creations. We believe that after the photoshoot, everyone will come to love Herong County’s paper-cutting.”
In other words, no negotiations.
Su Yun: …
She didn’t feel the production team’s confidence in them, but their malice was certainly obvious.
[Hahaha, I remember during yesterday’s paper-cutting session, Lin Yan said: ‘Who cares about the shape? Speed is all that matters!’
Today: ‘I don’t want to admit this is my work TT’]
After learning the details of the task, the production team distributed the phones needed for the photoshoot.
Ye Ying looked at the phone in her hand, puzzled. “Director, is today’s morning task really this simple?”
Just taking photos even if it meant some embarrassment holding their paper-cuttings seemed much easier than yesterday’s challenge.
Xu Zhi: “Compared to yesterday’s task, it does seem simpler. But simple is better than complicated.”
After Xu Zhi spoke, everyone nodded in agreement.
The fiery determination from yesterday had faded today, they just wanted to take it easy.
Only Jiang Zhi seemed thoughtful. She glanced at the blazing sun and asked, “Director, is there a range limit for the photo spots?”
The moment she asked, silence fell over the group.
And now that they thought about it, the production team had only given them phones, no transportation.
[So this is where the real challenge lies! No range limit? That’s like searching for a needle in a haystack!]
【At least they got some direction and hints yesterday, but today there’s absolutely nothing, haha!】
【Am I the only one worried they might not make it back even by evening?!】
Lin Yan’s brows furrowed deeply as she asked hopelessly, “Director, you wouldn’t be this cruel, right? We’re all in this together, spare us today, and we’ll meet again tomorrow, right?”
【Hahahaha, Lin Yan’s even saying this now, she must be genuinely scared!】
【Director: That makes sense, but if you can’t even complete the task, where’s this ‘tomorrow’ you speak of?】
Support
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
