Xia Country, Mango TV Headquarters.
In the data monitoring room, a young subordinate stared at the screen, tapped a few times on the keyboard, and then suddenly turned his head away.
"Boss, the pilot episode has surpassed 20 million views in just one hour."
The middle-aged man sitting in the chair raised his eyelids slightly.
His surname is Sun. He is the deputy director of the variety show team. He is in his early forties, with his hair neatly combed and his shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
"Twenty million?"
"It's still rising." The subordinate's voice trembled slightly, "And the completion rate is very high, with an average viewing time of over eight minutes. Most importantly—"
He turned the screen around, and it displayed a graph.
The curve suddenly rises sharply at a certain point, like a hook that has been straightened.
"This surge almost entirely occurred during Cheng Che's segment. From the moment he appeared, the number of online viewers jumped from 1.2 million to over 3 million, tripling in three minutes. The density of comments also increased nearly fivefold."
Deputy Director Sun sat up straight in his chair.
He stared at the curve for three seconds, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved into a smile.
"Those who say Cheng Che is a 'newcomer' and 'has uncertain variety show skills,' do you see this?" He leaned back, a restrained smugness in his voice, "They don't understand data at all. They think popularity is built on seniority. Cheng Che alone is worth half the entire lineup."
The subordinate chimed in at the opportune moment, "The leader has excellent judgment. He decisively insisted on inviting Cheng Che despite all the objections."
Deputy Director Sun smiled, not responding to the flattery, but his expression showed he was pleased.
He picked up his phone, found the program director's WeChat, and pressed the voice message button.
"The pilot episode's data is very good; Cheng Che's segment was the peak." He spoke slowly, as if carefully choosing each word. "In the later recordings, give him more screen time. Don't force it, but film everything that needs to be filmed. He's key to this show's ratings."
After sending the voice message, he put down his phone and looked at the curve on the screen that was still climbing.
If this season of " Walking the Flower Road Together " becomes a hit, he'll have a chance at the position of variety show director.
Seoul, Gimpo Airport.
As the plane landed, Cheng Che glanced at the sky through the porthole.
The clouds in Seoul were thin, the sun was shining brightly, and several Asiana Airlines planes were parked on the tarmac.
Staff disembarked first, followed by guests, proceeding in order.
Cheng Che stood behind Su Jianqiu, carrying a small bag and wearing the sports headphones given to him by Su Miaoyin around his neck.
He stepped off the covered bridge and took a deep breath of the foreign air.
Nobody knows him.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Before, in Xia Country, I was recognized wherever I went, but now I can finally be at ease.
He quickened his pace and didn't even bother to put on his hat.
Then he walked into the arrival hall.
[ Stars Surrounding the Moon ] Triggered.
The arrival hall was quite crowded, with people picking up passengers, transferring flights, and those who had just gotten off the plane.
As soon as Cheng Che appeared, all eyes turned to him as if drawn by a magnet.
Several South Korea girls were standing near the exit, looking down at their phones.
One of them looked up, glanced in Cheng Che's direction, and then froze.
"Hey... look at that person..."
The two girls next to them also looked up.
Then came a suppressed scream.
"What?! Is it an idol?!"
"Which company is he from? Is he a super rookie who just debuted?! How come I didn't know there was such a handsome guy!"
Cheng Che understood.
He had long since mastered Korean to a translation level, but at this moment he preferred not to understand it.
More girls gathered around.
They were excited, but because there was a photographer nearby, they were relatively restrained, only moving closer and asking questions in Korean all at once.
Which company do you work for?
"May I have your name?"
"May I take a picture?"
Cheng Che stopped, smiled at them, and then replied in fluent Korean, "I'm from Xia Country, here to film a show."
The girls were all stunned for a moment.
Then I got even more excited.
" Xia Country?!"
"As expected of a great nation! It's no wonder they produce such handsome men!"
"You speak Korean so well! Your pronunciation is perfect!"
Cheng Che smiled helplessly, nodded to them, and then walked quickly forward.
Chen Wei led the way, with Qin Lie following behind. The group walked through the crowd and out of the airport.
The production crew's car was parked at the entrance.
Cheng Che finally breathed a sigh of relief after getting into the car.
After driving for more than ten minutes, the car stopped in front of an inconspicuous building. A banner that read " Walking the Flower Road Together - Seoul Station" hung at the entrance, but the venue was very simple, like a temporary activity center. There were a few folding chairs inside, and mineral water tanks and photography equipment were piled up in the corner.
The staff led them to a rest area.
Cheng Che found a chair and sat down. Just as he put his bag down, he heard a voice.
" Teacher Cheng."
Cheng Che looked up.
Han Zheng walked in.
He was wearing a well-tailored dark blue trench coat, his hair was neatly combed, and he had a standard smile on his face.
He walked over, sat down on the chair next to Cheng Che, casually lifted the hem of his trench coat, and then spoke.
"Is this Teacher Cheng's first time in South Korea?"
"Um."
"I came here once a few years ago to film a movie." Han Zheng's tone was casual, as if he were talking about something very ordinary. "I know Seoul well. If you don't understand anything, you can ask me. I know a little Korean, so basic communication won't be a problem."
Cheng Che looked at him and thought to himself, "Why does this guy talk so greasy?"
"Thank you, Brother Han."
Cheng Che smiled and nodded, not pointing it out.
Han Zheng leaned back in his chair with satisfaction, as if he had found his place in this new group.
At this moment, the PD walked over and waved to Cheng Che:
" Teacher Cheng, could you please come here for a moment? I have a task that I need you to look at first."
Cheng Che got up and followed the PD to a corner.
There was a folding table there, and on the table was an envelope.
The envelope was ordinary, made of kraft paper, with the " Walking the Flower Road Together " logo printed on it.
Cheng Che glanced at the PD. The PD made a "please" gesture.
He picked up the envelope, opened it, and took out the card inside.
Welcome to Seoul. Over the next 48 hours, you will explore Seoul using 300,000 Korean won (approximately 1,600 RMB) provided by the production team. The budget includes transportation, meals, entrance fees, and accommodation. Your guide will be selected through anonymous voting. Please vote.
300,000 won, six people, forty-eight hours.
Transportation, meals, entrance fees, and accommodation are all included.
Cheng Che did the math in his head: 50,000 won per person, or 25,000 won per day.
In Seoul, that amount of money would be gone in one night's hotel stay.
The production team did it on purpose; they wanted to see how they would try to save money.
He picked up the pen on the table and wrote a name on the back of the card.
Su Jianqiu.
Although she doesn't look very professional, she is, after all, an acquaintance.
He wasn't familiar with the others, so choosing Su Jianqiu would at least ensure smooth communication.
He dropped the card into the small box next to him and turned to walk back.
Back in the rest area, Su Jianqiu leaned over and asked, "Who did you vote for?"
Cheng Che smiled without saying a word.
Su Jianqiu pouted. "Stingy."
At this moment, Han Zheng also walked over, holding a card in his hand, and read the mission details in a greasy manner.
After reading it, he turned to the PD, his tone deliberately humble. "PD, can I choose myself?"
The PD, expressionless, said, "No."
Han Zheng shook his head dismissively, sighed, then wrote a name on the card and dropped it into the box.
Cheng Che glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, but couldn't make out who it was. However, judging from Han Zheng's expression, it was probably Su Jianqiu or Ning Qing, but definitely not himself.
Voting has ended.
The PD walked over, opened the box, and began counting the votes.
" Su Jianqiu, one vote."
" Ning Qing, one vote."
Cheng Che--
The PD paused for a moment, then looked up at Cheng Che.
Four votes.
The rest area fell silent for a moment.
Cheng Che was taken aback.
Four votes? Out of six people, he got four votes.
Su Jianqiu and Ning Qing each cast one vote, which means that, apart from his own vote, four out of the other five people voted for him.
Su Jianqiu clapped her hands beside her. "Hey, Tour Guide Cheng."
Ning Qing sat in the corner. After hearing the result, she tilted her head slightly, glanced at Cheng Che, and her lips twitched.
Han Zheng's expression visibly froze for a second.
Not a single vote.
He quickly resumed his smile, even clapping twice, but that smile looked much more fake than before.
The PD handed Cheng Che a new task card.
Cheng Che took it and read it aloud:
"Go to Gwangjang Market and complete the following three challenges within a budget of no more than 50,000 won:"
He paused for a moment, then continued reading.
"First, find and taste three of the most representative street foods in Gwangjang Market: mung bean pancakes, seaweed rice rolls with numbing cream, and raw beef salad, and take photos to document the experience."
"Second, complete a full conversation in Korean with at least two stall owners; the content is not limited."
"Third--"
He glanced at the people around him.
"Use the remaining budget to prepare a market dinner for all six members of the group. You can't buy ready-made meals; at least one dish must be prepared by yourselves."
Su Jianqiu leaned closer to take a look at the mission card, then looked up at Cheng Che with a complicated expression.
"Tour Guide Cheng," she said, "I take back what I just said. Being a tour guide is no easy task."
Cheng Che folded the task card and put it in his pocket.
"Let's go," he said, "Let's go to Gwangjang Market first."