Chapter 22
After filming ended, the middle-aged woman and her son returned home to find their neighbors pointing and staring at them strangely.
At first, they were a little confused, until they reached their front door and saw some unknown foul smelling liquid splashed on it.
When they opened the door, their daughter-in-law and granddaughter's terrified faces were revealed.
The middle-aged woman's son immediately contacted the director, who, upon learning of the incident, immediately posted on Weibo to clarify the matter, urging everyone to be rational and stop attacking the middle-aged woman's family.
Huang Yong then spoke to Xu Wan about the incident again, explaining that the elderly woman would throw a tantrum like that no matter who she met, and that it was all part of the production team's plan, a common trope in variety shows these days.
He also apologized for not informing her beforehand and causing her distress.
Xu Wan gently told Huang Yong that she no longer minded, but still didn't stop the online trolls.
If it was deliberately incited, netizens these days don't care who's right or wrong.
So, a few days later, the middle aged woman stepped on a rotten egg thrown at her door, slipped, and hit her head on the hard steps.
Because her son and daughter-in-law were at work and her granddaughter at school, she couldn't get to the hospital immediately.
By the time she arrived at the hospital, it was too late; the elderly woman was paralyzed and bedridden.
The production team paid compensation. Her son and daughter-in-law spent the money and got friends to investigate and found out that Xu Wan was the one hiring the online trolls, and immediately threatened to expose her.
In the end, Xu Anguo managed to suppress the matter by spending money.
However, Xu Wan, at this point, didn't realize the seriousness of the situation. After Huang Yong left, she merely pursed her lips and her face was expressionless.
The next day, the show continued filming as scheduled. This format was still quite popular with netizens.
The glass restaurant remained open.
In addition, the guests had a new task: food delivery.
They not only had to deal with the customers in the restaurant but also had to ride the electric scooters provided by the production team to deliver meals to those who had placed orders.
For the guests, it was still a novel experience.
Lu Bei was responsible for delivering meals to Grandpa Dong's family, who made hand-woven bamboo baskets.
Besides delivering meals, they reached an agreement with the town mayor to promote the various specialties of Wanhua Town.
Hand-woven bamboo baskets were one of these promotional items.
The camera slid across Grandpa Dong's weathered hands, clearly showing the various new and old scars on them.
Still, his basket-weaving was remarkably skillful. The bamboo strips seemed to come alive, transforming into various shapes under his hands.
Lu Bei delivered the meal, which was picked up by Grandpa Dong's grandson.
He first blushed and introduced himself as a fan of Lu Bei, asking for an autograph.
Seeing Lu Bei preparing to leave, he awkwardly produced a small, elegantly packaged box and asked if Lu Bei could give it to Tang Yao for him.
"She brought me and Grandpa some snacks last time; this is my return gift. Thank you, Elder Brother Lu."
Lu Bei stared expressionlessly at the blushing Dong Hua, finding the gift utterly irritating and even wanting to throw it away on the spot.
"Elder Brother Lu?"
Seeing Lu Bei's lack of response after a while, Dong Hua called out in confusion.
"Okay," Lu Bei said, then rode away on his electric scooter.
"Looks like Boss Tang's quite popular. Even God Lu runs into admirers while delivering food."
"I don't know if it's just my imagination, but Elder Lu seems a bit unhappy."
"You're overthinking it. Isn't our God Lu always expressionless in front of outsiders?"
"Yeah, how can a small guesthouse owner be worthy of our God Lu? Just watch the variety show quietly, don't speculate."
After the variety show ended today, Lu Bei knocked on Tang Yao's door.
Tang Yao, who had been staying home all day, opened the door with her hair down and in a bunny-themed loungewear and slippers.
Lu Bei's eyes widened for a moment before he spoke, "Did I disturb your rest?"
Tang Yao quickly shook her head, "No, I was just watching a movie. Come in."
She stepped aside to let Lu Bei into the house.
It was Lu Bei's first time stepping into Tang Yao's home. He was immediately struck by a faint, comforting fragrance that filled the room.
Tang Yao went back inside and put on a coat, then poured Lu Bei some water.
Lu Bei took the small box Dong Hua had given him and placed it on the coffee table. "This is from the grandson of the elderly person whose meal was delivered today. He asked me to bring it over as a thank-you gift."
Tang Yao instantly got it and accepted the box, "Thank you, Teacher Lu."
"Boyfriend?" Lu Bei asked all of a sudden. Then he realized he'd been a bit abrupt, as it was such a private matter.
Tang Yao shook her head frankly. "No, he just graduated from university and is still a kid."
Tang Yao's mature-sounding manner amused Lu Bei, even though she herself was quite young.
However, Tang Yao's answer made Lu Bei subconsciously breathe a sigh of relief.
It was getting late and Lu Bei didn't want to stay any longer, so he got up to say goodbye.
Before leaving, he said to Tang Yao, "Actually, we're friends now, so you don't need to keep calling me Teacher Lu. I'm not that much older than you; you can just call me by my name."
Tang Yao paused slightly before nodding, "Okay, Lu Bei."
The name Lu Bei, spoken by Tang Yao, carried a different feel.
After leaving Tang Yao's three-story house, Lu Bei looked back one last time. The warm yellow light inside remained.
On the last day of filming for this episode, the guests enjoyed a rare moment of leisure and sat chatting in the glass-walled restaurant. The director asked everyone to call the person they considered most important, guiding them to say a line he had given them.
The first was Shen Wentao, who called his wife.
On the other end of the line was a gentle female voice. The emotions between them were subtle and natural. Without deliberate prompting, she said, "I miss you too."
The second was Du Meijuan, who called her eleven-year-old son. Her son, a sweet and caring boy, easily uttered the line the director had instructed.
The third caller was Zhang Qing, making a video call to her deaf-mute father.
This was the first time she had revealed her family situation on camera, yet she showed no signs of distress.
Zhang Qing's father used sign language as his face beamed with smiles, while behind him lay her mother lying in a hospital bed.
Zhang Qing responded in sign language as well. Although their words were unreadable, the atmosphere was warm and comforting.
"I never imagined Darling Qing's family to be in such dire straits. How has she managed all these years?"
"No wonder Darling Qing is so much thinner than she was ten years ago. It breaks my heart."
"Zhang Qing once said that her favorite thing was money and netizens criticized her for days. Now, thinking about it, she wasn't wrong."
"Can I donate? Darling Qing's mother looks very ill; she must need a lot of money."
"She didn't ask for a single penny during her most difficult times. Do you think she would accept it?"
Amidst the various comments from netizens, Zhang Qing ended her call with her parents, completing her task.
A silence fell over everyone present.
"I didn't know. Your father and mother, they…" Shen Wentao frowned, seemingly searching for the right words.
He had interacted with Zhang Qing a few times ten years ago. Because of their compatible personalities, they became close friends despite their age difference. After Zhang Qing's mishap, Shen Wentao was also going through a period of decline and couldn't offer much help. Now, knowing the heavy burden she carried on her family, he couldn't help but feel guilty.
"It's alright, Teacher Shen, it's all in the past."
Zhang Qing's casual remark seemed to skip over the pain and despair she had endured over the years.
In the comments section, both new and old fans of Zhang Qing expressed their sympathy, but felt they couldn't do anything for her. They then flocked to music platforms to buy Zhang Qing's latest single.
Soon, the single's sales soared to number one.
The company's back office was stunned. The main song they promoted hadn't become a hit, while the one that was at the bottom had suddenly become a sensation.
On the variety show side, the phone calls continued.
Next up was Lu Bei. His task was to get the person on the other end of the phone to say something like, "Are you short of money?"
Everyone thought this task would be very difficult for Lu Bei, the movie star, but Lu Bei only raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw the script in the director's hand.
Then he took out his phone and made a call.
The call was quickly answered, and a deep male voice came from the other end: "Lu Bei? What's up?"
Because the voice was so pleasant, the screen was filled with screams in the comments.
"Is that God Lu's elder brother? This voice is so beautiful!"
"Help, my ears are pregnant!"
"Elder Brother, I can!"
"Did you guys notice the tone of Elder Brother Lu's voice towards God Lu? It's so doting."
Lu Bei coughed lightly and called out into the phone, "Elder Brother."
There was silence on the other end of the line. Lu Nan seemed stunned. After a while, a cheerful voice reappeared: "Are you short of money? I'll transfer it to you."
The call was then disconnected. The next second, a mechanical female voice sounded: "Alipay received- One million yuan."
"Am I hallucinating? Is it one million or one hundred yuan?"
"Upstairs, you heard me right, it's one hundred yuan. Here you go, go get your ears checked."
"What does Elder Brother Lu do? How come he's so rich? He can just casually throw around a million?"
"I remember watching an interview with God Lu a long time ago where he mentioned his elder brother started a business, so he must have his own company."
"God Lu, I'm sorry, I'm switching allegiances. I've fallen in love with Elder Brother Lu."
The task was completed so easily and he even received pocket money from his own elder brother. Lu Bei frowned slightly.
He tapped the screen a few times before putting down his phone and continuing to listen to the others.
Meanwhile, Lu Nan, in a good mood, was listening to his assistant's report when his phone beeped with a transfer notification: "2 million yuan received via Alipay."
Lu Nan picked up his phone, glanced at it, and chuckled. His tone tinged with emotion: "My little Bei has grown up."
The assistant had been with Lu Nan for a long time and knew about the difficult time Lu Nan had spent raising his younger brother alone while building the business.
He had witnessed how the two relied on each other and the deep bond. It was just that both were reserved and not good at expressing themselves.
The next caller was Qiao Yunyun, who called her mom. Watching her softly act cute with her mom and easily complete the task, netizens expressed their envy.
After filming ended, the middle-aged woman and her son returned home to find their neighbors pointing and staring at them strangely.
At first, they were a little confused, until they reached their front door and saw some unknown foul smelling liquid splashed on it.
When they opened the door, their daughter-in-law and granddaughter's terrified faces were revealed.
The middle-aged woman's son immediately contacted the director, who, upon learning of the incident, immediately posted on Weibo to clarify the matter, urging everyone to be rational and stop attacking the middle-aged woman's family.
Huang Yong then spoke to Xu Wan about the incident again, explaining that the elderly woman would throw a tantrum like that no matter who she met, and that it was all part of the production team's plan, a common trope in variety shows these days.
He also apologized for not informing her beforehand and causing her distress.
Xu Wan gently told Huang Yong that she no longer minded, but still didn't stop the online trolls.
If it was deliberately incited, netizens these days don't care who's right or wrong.
So, a few days later, the middle aged woman stepped on a rotten egg thrown at her door, slipped, and hit her head on the hard steps.
Because her son and daughter-in-law were at work and her granddaughter at school, she couldn't get to the hospital immediately.
By the time she arrived at the hospital, it was too late; the elderly woman was paralyzed and bedridden.
The production team paid compensation. Her son and daughter-in-law spent the money and got friends to investigate and found out that Xu Wan was the one hiring the online trolls, and immediately threatened to expose her.
In the end, Xu Anguo managed to suppress the matter by spending money.
However, Xu Wan, at this point, didn't realize the seriousness of the situation. After Huang Yong left, she merely pursed her lips and her face was expressionless.
The next day, the show continued filming as scheduled. This format was still quite popular with netizens.
The glass restaurant remained open.
In addition, the guests had a new task: food delivery.
They not only had to deal with the customers in the restaurant but also had to ride the electric scooters provided by the production team to deliver meals to those who had placed orders.
For the guests, it was still a novel experience.
Lu Bei was responsible for delivering meals to Grandpa Dong's family, who made hand-woven bamboo baskets.
Besides delivering meals, they reached an agreement with the town mayor to promote the various specialties of Wanhua Town.
Hand-woven bamboo baskets were one of these promotional items.
The camera slid across Grandpa Dong's weathered hands, clearly showing the various new and old scars on them.
Still, his basket-weaving was remarkably skillful. The bamboo strips seemed to come alive, transforming into various shapes under his hands.
Lu Bei delivered the meal, which was picked up by Grandpa Dong's grandson.
He first blushed and introduced himself as a fan of Lu Bei, asking for an autograph.
Seeing Lu Bei preparing to leave, he awkwardly produced a small, elegantly packaged box and asked if Lu Bei could give it to Tang Yao for him.
"She brought me and Grandpa some snacks last time; this is my return gift. Thank you, Elder Brother Lu."
Lu Bei stared expressionlessly at the blushing Dong Hua, finding the gift utterly irritating and even wanting to throw it away on the spot.
"Elder Brother Lu?"
Seeing Lu Bei's lack of response after a while, Dong Hua called out in confusion.
"Okay," Lu Bei said, then rode away on his electric scooter.
"Looks like Boss Tang's quite popular. Even God Lu runs into admirers while delivering food."
"I don't know if it's just my imagination, but Elder Lu seems a bit unhappy."
"You're overthinking it. Isn't our God Lu always expressionless in front of outsiders?"
"Yeah, how can a small guesthouse owner be worthy of our God Lu? Just watch the variety show quietly, don't speculate."
After the variety show ended today, Lu Bei knocked on Tang Yao's door.
Tang Yao, who had been staying home all day, opened the door with her hair down and in a bunny-themed loungewear and slippers.
Lu Bei's eyes widened for a moment before he spoke, "Did I disturb your rest?"
Tang Yao quickly shook her head, "No, I was just watching a movie. Come in."
She stepped aside to let Lu Bei into the house.
It was Lu Bei's first time stepping into Tang Yao's home. He was immediately struck by a faint, comforting fragrance that filled the room.
Tang Yao went back inside and put on a coat, then poured Lu Bei some water.
Lu Bei took the small box Dong Hua had given him and placed it on the coffee table. "This is from the grandson of the elderly person whose meal was delivered today. He asked me to bring it over as a thank-you gift."
Tang Yao instantly got it and accepted the box, "Thank you, Teacher Lu."
"Boyfriend?" Lu Bei asked all of a sudden. Then he realized he'd been a bit abrupt, as it was such a private matter.
Tang Yao shook her head frankly. "No, he just graduated from university and is still a kid."
Tang Yao's mature-sounding manner amused Lu Bei, even though she herself was quite young.
However, Tang Yao's answer made Lu Bei subconsciously breathe a sigh of relief.
It was getting late and Lu Bei didn't want to stay any longer, so he got up to say goodbye.
Before leaving, he said to Tang Yao, "Actually, we're friends now, so you don't need to keep calling me Teacher Lu. I'm not that much older than you; you can just call me by my name."
Tang Yao paused slightly before nodding, "Okay, Lu Bei."
The name Lu Bei, spoken by Tang Yao, carried a different feel.
After leaving Tang Yao's three-story house, Lu Bei looked back one last time. The warm yellow light inside remained.
On the last day of filming for this episode, the guests enjoyed a rare moment of leisure and sat chatting in the glass-walled restaurant. The director asked everyone to call the person they considered most important, guiding them to say a line he had given them.
The first was Shen Wentao, who called his wife.
On the other end of the line was a gentle female voice. The emotions between them were subtle and natural. Without deliberate prompting, she said, "I miss you too."
The second was Du Meijuan, who called her eleven-year-old son. Her son, a sweet and caring boy, easily uttered the line the director had instructed.
The third caller was Zhang Qing, making a video call to her deaf-mute father.
This was the first time she had revealed her family situation on camera, yet she showed no signs of distress.
Zhang Qing's father used sign language as his face beamed with smiles, while behind him lay her mother lying in a hospital bed.
Zhang Qing responded in sign language as well. Although their words were unreadable, the atmosphere was warm and comforting.
"I never imagined Darling Qing's family to be in such dire straits. How has she managed all these years?"
"No wonder Darling Qing is so much thinner than she was ten years ago. It breaks my heart."
"Zhang Qing once said that her favorite thing was money and netizens criticized her for days. Now, thinking about it, she wasn't wrong."
"Can I donate? Darling Qing's mother looks very ill; she must need a lot of money."
"She didn't ask for a single penny during her most difficult times. Do you think she would accept it?"
Amidst the various comments from netizens, Zhang Qing ended her call with her parents, completing her task.
A silence fell over everyone present.
"I didn't know. Your father and mother, they…" Shen Wentao frowned, seemingly searching for the right words.
He had interacted with Zhang Qing a few times ten years ago. Because of their compatible personalities, they became close friends despite their age difference. After Zhang Qing's mishap, Shen Wentao was also going through a period of decline and couldn't offer much help. Now, knowing the heavy burden she carried on her family, he couldn't help but feel guilty.
"It's alright, Teacher Shen, it's all in the past."
Zhang Qing's casual remark seemed to skip over the pain and despair she had endured over the years.
In the comments section, both new and old fans of Zhang Qing expressed their sympathy, but felt they couldn't do anything for her. They then flocked to music platforms to buy Zhang Qing's latest single.
Soon, the single's sales soared to number one.
The company's back office was stunned. The main song they promoted hadn't become a hit, while the one that was at the bottom had suddenly become a sensation.
On the variety show side, the phone calls continued.
Next up was Lu Bei. His task was to get the person on the other end of the phone to say something like, "Are you short of money?"
Everyone thought this task would be very difficult for Lu Bei, the movie star, but Lu Bei only raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw the script in the director's hand.
Then he took out his phone and made a call.
The call was quickly answered, and a deep male voice came from the other end: "Lu Bei? What's up?"
Because the voice was so pleasant, the screen was filled with screams in the comments.
"Is that God Lu's elder brother? This voice is so beautiful!"
"Help, my ears are pregnant!"
"Elder Brother, I can!"
"Did you guys notice the tone of Elder Brother Lu's voice towards God Lu? It's so doting."
Lu Bei coughed lightly and called out into the phone, "Elder Brother."
There was silence on the other end of the line. Lu Nan seemed stunned. After a while, a cheerful voice reappeared: "Are you short of money? I'll transfer it to you."
The call was then disconnected. The next second, a mechanical female voice sounded: "Alipay received- One million yuan."
"Am I hallucinating? Is it one million or one hundred yuan?"
"Upstairs, you heard me right, it's one hundred yuan. Here you go, go get your ears checked."
"What does Elder Brother Lu do? How come he's so rich? He can just casually throw around a million?"
"I remember watching an interview with God Lu a long time ago where he mentioned his elder brother started a business, so he must have his own company."
"God Lu, I'm sorry, I'm switching allegiances. I've fallen in love with Elder Brother Lu."
The task was completed so easily and he even received pocket money from his own elder brother. Lu Bei frowned slightly.
He tapped the screen a few times before putting down his phone and continuing to listen to the others.
Meanwhile, Lu Nan, in a good mood, was listening to his assistant's report when his phone beeped with a transfer notification: "2 million yuan received via Alipay."
Lu Nan picked up his phone, glanced at it, and chuckled. His tone tinged with emotion: "My little Bei has grown up."
The assistant had been with Lu Nan for a long time and knew about the difficult time Lu Nan had spent raising his younger brother alone while building the business.
He had witnessed how the two relied on each other and the deep bond. It was just that both were reserved and not good at expressing themselves.
The next caller was Qiao Yunyun, who called her mom. Watching her softly act cute with her mom and easily complete the task, netizens expressed their envy.