In the end, Xie Zhuzhou obediently followed the young woman back to the villa.
After all, he did have a tiny bit of a conscience.
By the time he returned to the production crew, the livestream had already started.
He skirted around the cameras and went to the swing in a corner of the garden. People carrying equipment, makeup bags, and cameras hurried back and forth before him while he sat there quietly.
Xie Zhuzhou was actually very handsome, the kind of handsome that grew on you, but his hood completely hid the contours of his face, so he attracted no attention.
Director Wang returned from making his early-morning rounds, and the sight of Xie Zhuzhou infuriated him. This guy is earning that million way too easily!
Xie Zhuzhou, who was earning his money so easily, was currently recalling the plot. If he remembered correctly, the real and fake young masters would still get into an argument today. The guests trying to break it up would all get headaches. Forget trying to have a proper romance afterward; they would only hope these two royal pains could quiet down and stop turning the production into utter chaos.
The show's cast included more than just Wen Ruohuai and Wen Nan, the real and fake young masters.
There were also Zhang Yin, a best actor winner at all three major film awards, and Xuelai, a top-tier singer.
Then there was Zhuang Xingye, wild and defiant, who disliked everyone he saw. He was the entertainment industry's crown prince, had started out as a child actor, and was a household name.
The remaining few kept a lower profile, but they were also very famous.
Only Xie Zhuzhou and one other non-celebrity were relatively ordinary.
He couldn't remember who that other non-celebrity was. He only remembered the general outline.
As Xie Zhuzhou thought things over, sleepiness overtook his brain against his will, and he began nodding off on the swing.
Director Wang finally reached the end of his patience and told him to join the filming. After all, Xie Zhuzhou had already greeted the camera yesterday. If anyone looked into it, observant viewers would definitely notice.
"Mr. Xie! The director's calling you!"
"Huh..." Xie Zhuzhou's eyes flew open. Before he could remember where he was, he looked up in a daze, his gaze confused and a little startled.
"It's past nine now, and the show's about to begin. The director wants you to sit in the first car by the entrance."
"Get in the car, and then..." Xie Zhuzhou was dazed, but cautious too. Neither he nor the original owner had ever taken part in this sort of activity.
"Then follow the director's instructions! Come on, let's go."
That staff member took particular care of him, apparently thinking he was some poor little thing, so Xie Zhuzhou could see a measure of pity in her eyes.
He stood up, blinked, and took a moment to wake up before following her directions to the door of the first vehicle, a luxury seven-seat van. He saw the real and fake young masters sitting in the two separate middle-row seats. Two of the three seats in the back row were empty, with Zhang Yin occupying the other one.
After thinking it over, he decided to take the front passenger seat.
From that camera angle, only the top of his sweatshirt hood would be visible.
The driver was a little confused too, but judging by his clothes and expression, he assumed Xie Zhuzhou was a crew member.
Slacker Xie Zhuzhou felt as though even his backside had grown lighter. He carefully settled into the front passenger seat and decided to pose as accompanying staff. He was such a genius!
Watching from the large pickup at the very back, Director Wang's mouth twitched.
Yet none of the viewers in the livestream found anything strange.
The guests in the first car hadn't noticed either. After all, the real and fake young masters, bristling with hostility, were also in this car, drawing all the fire and attention.
The vehicles slowly pulled away, heading for nearby Daming Mountain.
For the dating show's first weekend, the director had decided to make the guests endure the bitter before tasting the sweet, starting with a mountain hike.
Not long after the lead car set off, the silence was finally broken.
Out of the corner of his eye, Wen Nan caught sight of Wen Ruohuai, the lofty, cold, arrogant real young master. All he could think was how two-faced this person was, deliberately returning on his birthday so that everyone's attention would be focused on him.
And he...
Thinking of his parents' complicated looks that day, the sudden distance from his friends and relatives afterward, and the contemptuous gazes of the guests, Wen Nan couldn't hold back any longer.
"Even breathing the same air as you makes me sick."
Wen Ruohuai didn't indulge him either. "Then hold your breath."
[Anyone who makes Nannan sick can't be any good. Why else would our boy be so angry!]
[Uh, anyone with eyes can see Wen Nan started this himself, right?]
[What kind of beef can't you talk about? Are we viewers outsiders or something? What love and hatred between you two can't you tell us about? Let us judge who's right, hehe.]
[Exactly, exactly! Why only let us crack sunflower seeds? We want the tea!]
[Am I really in the right stream? This is a dating show?]
[You heard right, it's Love 5, haha.]
[Good thing they're not in the same car as Zhuang Xingye, or this car would explode.]
The two in the middle started arguing. Zhang Yin in the back took neither side and made a halfhearted attempt to mediate. Xie Zhuzhou in the front wasn't affected at all. His baby-quality sleep sent him back to dreamland.
More than an hour later, the convoy finally arrived at its destination.
The driver woke him. "Don't you have work to do?" A crew member accompanying the car ought to have some assignment, but he hadn't seen him carrying anything or shouldering a camera. The driver was a little puzzled.
Xie Zhuzhou woke up with bloodshot eyes and a dazed, bewildered gaze. He thanked him blankly and got out, even stumbling when his feet touched the ground of the scenic area's parking lot.
He planned to follow behind the man carrying the camera.
Director Wang couldn't stand it anymore. He walked over and grabbed him. Xie Zhuzhou's arm was caught in his grip, but fortunately, his thick clothes kept it from hurting.
Faced with that bewildered, innocent gaze, Director Wang suddenly couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh. He just felt that Xie Zhuzhou... really couldn't make anything of an opportunity even when it was handed to him.
"What's wrong, Director?"
The two stood at the foot of the mountain, looking at the steps winding upward. Xie Zhuzhou didn't understand why the director suddenly seemed angry. Having never been scolded before, he was a little scared, but fortunately, the director wasn't berating him.
The bald, middle-aged director patiently admonished him, his tone mildly reproachful. "Stop lurking. At least appear on camera, and complete any tasks you're given. Do you understand?!"
What Director Wang hated most in life was subordinates who slacked off.
Xie Zhuzhou froze for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."
Director Wang: ...
Is this guy an NPC?!
He rubbed the top of his head. Faced with Xie Zhuzhou, who was as emotionally stable as a capybara, he finally pointed up the mountain. "Climb. Come first and I'll give you an extra reward."
Xie Zhuzhou was a little taller than Director Wang. He lowered his eyes in thought and said quietly, "Director, I'll do my best."
"Go on."
It went in one of Xie Zhuzhou's ears and out the other.
This was his first time climbing a mountain across both his lives.
The original owner had watched hiking videos too, so he knew there was something very useful called a trekking pole.
He scanned his surroundings and picked up a remarkably straight-looking stick.
He swallowed and looked up at that mountain, those woods, that sky.
He decided that if it really didn't work out, he would just lie flat.
After all, life was precious.
A monkey's life was a life too!
The original owner had been deeply corrupted by short videos. Strange expressions kept popping into his head.
After much dawdling, the background prop finally set off.
Director Wang had no spare camera to assign to him, so he could only hope he would put in some effort.
And Xie Zhuzhou did indeed live up to Director Wang's great expectations, taking his stick and posing as a random passerby.
Director Wang: ...
Xie Zhuzhou passed Wen Nan, who had fallen to the very back. Wen Nan had only been climbing for a few minutes but was already drenched in sweat. He was still complaining about and cursing the real young master, which showed how deep his hatred ran.
Perhaps because he had mastered the hiking posture described in travel accounts as reducing the weight on one's body, Xie Zhuzhou wasn't tired yet. Holding his stick, he saw the guests walking together ahead.
When best actor Zhang Yin saw Xie Zhuzhou, he looked thoughtful, but his gaze only rested on him for an instant.
"You're amazing. You're not even out of breath climbing a mountain. Do you work out often?"
"When I have some free time, I occasionally stay at my grandmother's for a while. There's a mountain there too."
"No wonder!"
[Um, I think I spotted a passerby with a pretty nice figure?]
[Didn't they say the production booked the whole mountain today?]
[Maybe he's a crew member.]
[He's definitely a crew member. He can't be a guest, right? There are eight of them. I counted correctly.]
[Why do I feel like I've forgotten something?]