Chen Ran had a four-year-old daughter named Chen Tian. Tiantian had always loved pretty braids, but Chen Ran was hopeless at that sort of thing, and it was driving him crazy.
He wasn't allowed to ask anyone else for help, so he had no choice but to gingerly pick up a comb and put together a braid that looked like nothing in particular.
"Sweetheart, this is the best Daddy can do. I tried my best," Chen Ran said, looking utterly miserable.
Tiantian looked at her hair in the mirror, which seemed to be standing on end, and held back her tears. "It's okay, Daddy. This will do."
Seeing his daughter's expression, Chen Ran resolved to learn how to braid hair.
{"Hahaha, I'm dying. Tiantian really loves Chen Ran. Even with that hair, she says it's okay."}
{"Can't you see Tiantian's about to cry?"}
Next was Ge Qing, a young star currently enjoying immense popularity. He had brought his younger brother along for the show. Aside from Shen Zeyu, Ge Qing had the easiest time of anyone, since Ge Zhou was already six and could take care of himself.
Sometimes, Ge Zhou even helped him out.
{"That hopeless big brother and his little brother. Zhouzhou has it so hard."}
Last was the newly crowned best actress, Zi Yiting, who had brought her four-year-old daughter, Zi Feifei. It was clear that her husband usually did more of the childcare, so Feifei wasn't particularly close to her. Several times, she had picked the wrong things when trying to find what her daughter liked.
Compared with the other families, the award-winning actress really didn't know her own child very well.
{"I know she's busy with work, but this isn't good for her child. Hasn't she noticed Feifei already looks unhappy?"}
Shen Zeyu had set out early, so he was the first to arrive. As soon as he got out of the car, a staff member led him into the village. They were already far from the city center, out on the city's outskirts.
But the surroundings were certainly much nicer than in the city. The brilliant blue sky and clear stream made Shen Zeyu relax without even realizing it.
The same went for Lu Yu. He had grown up in the city and had never seen a place like this. "Papa, it's so nice here. I saw lots of little birds, too." After all, birds were rarely seen in the city.
"Yes, it really is nice. This is where we'll be staying for the next few days," Shen Zeyu replied.
The production team had clearly gone to great lengths to find a place like this.
After they reached a small courtyard, the staff member spoke. "Mr. Shen, not everyone is here yet. You can take a break first." People in the entertainment industry were generally addressed as "Teacher," but since this guest wasn't a celebrity, they had chosen a different form of address.
"Okay."
Before long, the sound of suitcase wheels rolling came from outside. Shen Zeyu looked up and saw two people dressed entirely in black walk in.
The older one greeted Shen Zeyu enthusiastically as soon as he entered. His dimples made him look very approachable.
"Hello, I'm Ge Qing, and this is my younger brother, Ge Zhou." The little boy nodded at them expressionlessly.
Shen Zeyu smiled. "Hello, I'm Shen Zeyu, and this is my son, Lu Yu."
At the same time, he marveled inwardly at how different the two brothers were.
Ge Qing acted like they were already old friends. "Wow, you're really good-looking." Then he launched into a stream of chatter about himself, as though he intended to recount his entire life.
Ge Zhou, who had slowly walked over beside him, gave his older brother a resigned look before moving over to sit down.
{"Here he goes again. Ge Qing's instant friendliness is impossible to handle."}
Meanwhile, Lu Yu slowly approached Ge Zhou, studying this boy who was clearly older than him. He simply stood there staring without saying a word.
Eventually, Ge Zhou couldn't take it anymore and spoke first. "Why do you keep looking at me?"
Lu Yu looked up with a smile. "You're so good-looking, big brother."
It was the first time anyone had complimented Ge Zhou so directly. A little uncomfortable, he said, "Thank you. You're good-looking, too."
Lu Yu, who had a bit of a weakness for good looks, stayed put. He kept sitting beside Ge Zhou, asking all sorts of strange questions.
Ge Zhou: So this is what knowledge is for. But if he keeps asking, I won't be able to answer!!!
Sensing Ge Zhou's despair, the viewers went wild with laughter in the live comments.
{"Yuyu, stop asking. Your big brother Zhouzhou can't take any more."}
{"To be fair, Ge Zhou knows a lot."}
{"Agreed with the comment above."}
Finally, the last two families arrived together. Chen Ran wore a trench coat, while the award-winning actress Zi wore a casual outfit.
Once they came in, everyone's attention was drawn to Tiantian's braid. How could they put it? It was really, really ugly.
But out of consideration for the little girl and Chen Ran, who kept waving his hands behind her, everyone managed not to laugh.
The adults spent some time getting acquainted while the children gathered to talk. Of course, it was mostly the other three talking, with Ge Zhou listening beside them.
"So apart from big brother Zhouzhou, I'm the oldest! You all have to call me big brother," Lu Yu said excitedly. He finally got to be a big brother, too.
The two little girls obligingly called him "big brother" in their soft voices, making Lu Yu even happier.
Seeing that everyone had more or less gotten acquainted, the director stepped forward. "Welcome to our beautiful village. You'll be spending two days here. Now, our filming officially begins."
"Your first task is to decide where you'll be staying. We have four houses in total, but only one is fully equipped. The others are missing either air conditioning or a bathroom, so your rankings in the next game will determine the order in which you choose your houses."
Ge Qing was the first to ask a question. "How do we bathe if there's no bathroom?"
The director smiled. "Good question. If you don't have a bathroom and want to bathe, you can ask nearby villagers to let you use theirs, but you'll have to do some work in exchange. Of course, there's another option: pay us ten yuan, and we'll find one for you."
"That's robbery! You took all our money."
He was only grumbling. After all, the production team had already told them this variety show might be a little different, with all sorts of situations arising in each episode.
"You can also choose not to bathe."
Still, considering there were children present, the director added, "For the children, it'll only cost two yuan."
The weather was gradually getting warmer. Skipping a bath for one day might be manageable, but how could anyone stand two days? They were absolute profiteers. At least the price for the children was acceptable.
"Since you've only just arrived, we've picked a simple game: draw and guess. I'm sure you're all familiar with it, but our little ones will be drawing, and the parents will be guessing."
"The more answers you get right, the earlier you'll get to choose your house."
Shen Zeyu breathed a small sigh of relief. Thank goodness Lu Yu would be drawing. If he had to draw, they would definitely end up with the worst house.
The game began, with the families taking turns in order of arrival. Shen Zeyu and Lu Yu were first.
The director added a reminder. "Children, you can only draw. No talking."
Lu Yu nodded and told Shen Zeyu, "Papa, leave it to me."
Shen Zeyu looked at Lu Yu just as solemnly. "I'm counting on you."
With his head held high and his chest puffed out, Lu Yu strode over to stand opposite Shen Zeyu. He accepted the drawing board and pen handed to him and waited for the production team's prompt.
Once the two were ready, the director announced the start of the game.
Before you continue