QKYJ - 35

The season was nearing summer.

The reality show was being filmed in a rural area. Shen He and Shen Zhi started preparing for the camera shots on the road. They discussed their luggage and asked each other if the water and electricity were turned off—in reality, the luggage was packed by their assistants, and their house had a smart system, so there was no need for them to do any of this.

Once the required content was filmed, they immediately turned off the handheld camera. Those who needed to sleep slept, and those who wanted to look at the scenery did so.

Another group of guests was doing pretty much the same thing.

Before this, Cheng Ruiyi and Ji Luoluo had filmed a family TV series together. They played two younger members of a big family, and their characters were siblings. At that time, for promotional purposes, the official account had also posted a photo of them, and the attitude in the reposts and comments was not bad. Since they had to form a couple for the show, it was better to be with someone they had a family relationship with before, as it would be easier for the fans to accept.

Both teams had also reached a private agreement.

They would first interact as friends and siblings, and not be overly intimate. If the response was good, they would then consider showing affection and operating as a couple.

Cheng Ruiyi didn’t deny that when he heard the Shen couple was participating, he was interested. But work matters were not up to him.

Fortunately, his manager agreed.

For the sake of fashion resources, Ji Luoluo had missed the peak of the reality show trend. Now that the popularity had stabilized, and with innovations being introduced, she seized this relatively safe resource in all aspects.

The other senior couple, Qu Xiao and Wang Ruilan, were also in charge of the main MC work, so they were on set earlier than everyone else.

The show was filmed all at once, and any additional filming would be done as needed.

They would be living in this village for five days.

To keep up with the schedule, the production team would film and edit at the same time, producing twelve episodes and ensuring that the show could air in a short amount of time.

The pressure was not small, but the benefits were huge.

At the beginning, the director personally gave them a heads-up: “We can certainly cut corners in post-production, but at the beginning, some shots need to be genuine, so we might have to make you all suffer a bit.”

As seniors, Qu Xiao and Wang Ruilan naturally led by example, unhesitatingly guaranteeing their professionalism.

As juniors, Cheng Ruiyi and Ji Luoluo had no room to negotiate. Regardless of whether they were willing in their hearts, they would certainly agree a hundred times.

Shen He and Shen Zhi also had no objections.

Before the official filming began, everyone greeted each other privately.

When Cheng Ruiyi came, Shen Zhi was reading the newspaper while having an apple as a snack. Shen He had a whim and went to look for the cameraman, so Shen Zhi was alone.

The assistant brought a chair for Cheng Ruiyi, but he was met with a brilliant, flawless smile. He said, “Thank you, but I won’t sit.”

“Have you eaten?” Shen Zhi asked.

She generously turned sideways, rummaged through the pocket of the jacket on the rack, and pulled out some mints.

“Be careful of low blood sugar,” she said.

Cheng Ruiyi vaguely held out his hand, and a piece of candy had already fallen into it. He hesitated for a long time before finally managing to say, “Thank you, Shen Zhi.”

He didn’t call her “Sister,” and she was a little unaccustomed to it.

Then she thought, I was the one who allowed him to call me by my name. The distance in her heart disappeared.

Shen Zhi continued to read the newspaper, with no intention of making small talk. But Cheng Ruiyi inexplicably stood there, silently watching her focused expression.

The sound of an assistant’s voice came from outside the door.

He knew it was time to leave.

His footsteps were heavy. Cheng Ruiyi took a very slow step back. Just as he turned around, he saw a man leaning against the door. Shen He was holding his arms. For today’s filming, his and Shen Zhi’s clothes were of the same color scheme.

Cheng Ruiyi wanted to say hello, but he saw Shen He smile.

“It’s been a while since we last saw each other, busy man,” he said.

“About the show,” Cheng Ruiyi said. “I really didn’t handle it well. I’m so sorry—”

Shen He quickly shook his head, took a glass kettle from the tablecloth-covered table, poured a full cup of water, and then put it in front of Cheng Ruiyi, not allowing him to refuse: “It’s fine.”

Shen Zhi, who was reading the newspaper next to them, didn’t even lift her head and only felt amused. Anyone could say comforting words. She didn’t know what had happened between them. In any case, with Shen He’s temper, “it’s fine” meant “if ‘sorry’ was enough, why would we need the police station?”

The water was forced into his hand.

Cheng Ruiyi wasn’t thirsty at all, but he still finished it.

Shen He poured another cup. A series of crisp laughs came from outside the door. The assistant brought another guest in. In reality, Ji Luoluo wasn’t that lively behind the camera, but for the sake of her work and to fit the image of a young girl, she had to constantly pretend to be bubbly and energetic.

“I’m sorry I’m late. Ruiyi,” she greeted him very politely, and then specifically said hello to Shen He and Shen Zhi. “Mr. Shen, and Mrs. Shen.”

Shen He was concentrating on urging Cheng Ruiyi to drink another cup of water and didn’t have the mind to pay attention to her. It was Shen Zhi who looked up and gave her a generous smile: “Hello. Want a piece of candy?”

With that, she turned around.

Just like before, she expertly rummaged for candy in the pocket of the jacket on the rack.

But she only found the car keys.

“There’s none left,” Shen He said.

Shen Zhi didn’t give up and rummaged through it a few more times.

“There’s really none left,” he said with a half-smile. “I was wondering why the snacks disappeared so quickly. It turns out you were the one stealing them.”

This time it was a hair clip, and there was even hair tangled on it. After taking it out, Shen Zhi immediately turned around and questioned him—”Why do you have mine?” She had looked for it for a long time and had to buy a new one.

“You threw it under the vanity table, and I picked it up for you,” he was being stared at by her but only found it amusing.

Shen Zhi took another yogurt stick and gave it to Ji Luoluo.

This time, she didn’t read the newspaper and didn’t stand up, just carefully examined Ji Luoluo.

Ji Luoluo didn’t open it and eat it right away. Instead, she put her hands behind her back. She also smiled.

Some things didn’t need to be said out loud.

They left a long time ago. Shen Zhi was still sitting there, lost in thought.

In the entertainment industry, it was a dog-eat-dog world.

There was competition everywhere, but there was no such thing as fairness.

The order here was disgusting.

But only by adapting to this disgusting order could one survive.

She had been aware of this for a long time, so she had made all sorts of choices over the years. The contradiction was that all of this was to stay true to herself.

Anyone who wanted to step on her had to work a lot harder.

It wasn’t until Shen He walked in that Shen Zhi looked up, her gaze following him around the room. Shen He didn’t say a word. After he was done, he turned around. He stopped by the table, as if he had already guessed what she was going to say, but he was giving her the opportunity to say it.

Shen Zhi smiled.

Her beautiful face was like a lake, with ripples slowly appearing on it. She just curved her lips. The look in her eyes was less like a smile and more like a long-brewing cruelty.

Shen Zhi said gently, “Let’s work hard, okay?”

The three words “work hard” were like a wedge being driven into something.

Shen He looked at her and showed a faint smile.

“With pleasure,” he said.

During the opening credits filming, the senior couple was generally more relaxed. Cheng Ruiyi and Ji Luoluo had both prepared beforehand, so they were getting the hang of it, showing a youthful but harmonious interaction. They were a young, handsome man and a beautiful woman. It was believable that if a neutral bystander saw them, they would smile knowingly.

There was no need to mention the level of professionalism of Shen Zhi and Shen He’s act.

If there were a license for showing affection and acting like a couple, Shen He and Shen Zhi would definitely be at the expert level. To say they were perfect at it would be an understatement.

They weren’t overly intimate, and their communication wasn’t too obvious, but whenever there was a funny moment, they would always look at each other first.

Such details were everywhere.

Everyone was doing their job and had their own highlights, which made the production team feel very at ease.

In fact, Cheng Ruiyi didn’t care much.

So this is all there is to it. It wasn’t too tricky, and he didn’t feel there was anything particularly difficult to deal with.

Ji Luoluo also took everything in.

As long as they showed that they weren’t betraying their fans and were working diligently, the numbers would naturally be guaranteed.

There was only so much airtime. It was like cutting a cake. If one person got more, another would get less. The senior couple had their own share and wouldn’t fight for more. They would probably just be mediocre.

Their competitors were undoubtedly the other couple.

Shen He and Shen Zhi didn’t seem so amazing either.

The first segment was choosing their living quarters.

First, they went to visit three different options. The good house was bright and clean, with all the necessary facilities. The bad house had almost nothing, with very basic conditions, and there were even chickens raised by the original residents flying around in the yard.

Everyone naturally wanted to live in the good house.

The order in which they chose their living quarters would, of course, be determined by a competition.

There was a patch of early-ripening tomatoes in the area, and the production team had put Married Men and Women stickers on ten of the tomatoes. The team that found the most within the time limit would win.

The early competitions were not scripted.

However, if they got into a stalemate, the staff would give them a reminder.

Everyone set off and started their search.

Ji Luoluo didn’t like outdoor activities.

She had been wearing high-heeled sandals when she arrived today, and had only changed into sneakers for this part. The sneakers didn’t match the red dress, and because of those mismatched shoes, Ji Luoluo couldn’t climb the ladder.

She said, “I’m a little afraid of heights.”

“It’s okay,” Cheng Ruiyi said very considerately. “The difficult things are what the guys should do.”

“I’m so sorry—”

Ji Luoluo stood at the bottom of the ladder, couldn’t help but fold her hands, and showed a look of shame.

“It’s because we’re a ‘fake couple’ today. The husband definitely has to protect his wife.” With that, Cheng Ruiyi happened to find a tomato with a sticker on it. As he showed it to the camera, the brilliant smile on his face was like the sun.

Even the professional production team couldn’t help but applaud.

How brilliant.

Is this the level of a ten-year trainee and a top-ten finalist from a national talent show?

He’s a genius for variety shows.

The production team brought sponsored sodas over. Cheng Ruiyi once again promptly opened one for Ji Luoluo before drinking one himself. He didn’t drink much. When asked why, he smiled shyly: “I’m afraid I’ll have to go to the bathroom.”

This kind of genuine sincerity would probably attract a wave of new fans.

Ji Luoluo was not to be outdone.

She fanned Cheng Ruiyi and also found another tomato with a sticker on it while looking around. The show’s interludes were also filmed by her.

Both of them were performing exceptionally well.

One was a man in cargo pants, the other was a woman in a plaid skirt. The two of them were completing the task in the fields, looking as picturesque as if they were shooting a magazine cover.

They also found four sticker tomatoes.

“At least we won’t be in last place,” Cheng Ruiyi said.

Ji Luoluo said, “It’s all thanks to Ruiyi.”

They continued to walk forward and finally met the first members of another team in today’s filming.

Shen Zhi was wearing a woven straw hat. The light purple sun protection jacket and white denim skirt made her look even more fragile. She was sitting alone next to a ladder, saying something to the camera.

Upon meeting their competitors, Cheng Ruiyi and Ji Luoluo’s alarms went off.

When two groups of guests met, the chances of the content being used would increase. At this moment, they had to pay more attention. It would be best to probe for information about the enemy and see what Shen He and Shen Zhi had accomplished.

However, no matter how much they looked, there was no sign of Shen He in sight.

Shen Zhi was still talking to the camera.

Then, she stood up while talking, dusted off her clothes, and pulled out the newspaper she had been sitting on.

This time, her voice was much louder.

It was as if she wanted to convey a message through the camera.

Married Men and Women was a reality show that showcased the beautiful lives of married couples.

“Shen He, do you know?” Everyone present witnessed Shen Zhi, with her anger suppressed and her murderous aura overflowing, saying to the camera, one word at a time, “How dare you leave me here alone? You’re a dead man when I find you!”