Everyone watched as Yan Ruanning ran toward the young man beneath the shade of the tree.
She ran up to Cheng Che and tilted her head back.
Their height difference was just right, with Yan Ruanning's forehead reaching exactly to the tip of Cheng Che's nose.
She wore neither sunglasses nor a hat that day, leaving her bare face exposed to the sunlight, so fair it seemed to glow.
Cheng Che looked down at her with a smile at the corners of his mouth.
The breeze filtered through the leaves, overlapping their shadows on the ground.
Standing behind the monitor, the director stared, then slapped the cameraman on the shoulder. "Film it! Film it!"
The cameraman snapped back to his senses and hurriedly swung the camera around, focused, and pressed record.
The image in the viewfinder made even him pause.
The young man and the woman stood beneath the tree, one looking down, the other looking up.
Sunlight spilled through gaps in the leaves, falling over them like flecks of gold.
The young man had his hands in his pockets, his body turned slightly, as though he were asking something.
The woman pressed her lips together, her eyes filled with a smile she could not hide.
I can actually shoot something this fucking beautiful... the cameraman marveled inwardly. Looks like the three essential qualities of a model really are good looks, good looks, and more good looks.
Watching the monitor, the director asked the security guard beside him, "How did he get in?"
The head of security picked up his radio, exchanged a few words, then turned back awkwardly.
"Director, well... the people at the entrance saw that young man and thought he was a celebrity guest, so they let him in."
The director did not know whether to laugh or be speechless.
Looking at the young man on the monitor, he suddenly remembered something.
Over the past month, this boy named Cheng Che had been more popular than any guest he had ever invited.
The college entrance exam's top scorer.
A tennis dark horse.
An overnight sensation across the internet.
From being trashed to being praised, he had never left the trending searches.
His eyes lit up.
Tonight happened to be Mushroom House's first livestream of the season.
Life Slowed Down only livestreamed twice a season, both times at night, for two hours each, with a fixed setup beside the bamboo table in the courtyard, where viewers watched the guests eat, chat, and sing through a livestreaming platform.
It was not a livestream of the entire variety show, only an "evening special."
If he could get him to stay and join tonight's livestream...
The director took out his phone and began working out the numbers.
Beneath the tree, Yan Ruanning looked up at Cheng Che, her voice softer than she had expected when she spoke.
"What brings you here?"
Even after the words left her mouth, she did not notice the upward lilt at the end.
She had only used that tone as a child, when wheedling her parents. Now that she was grown up and a celebrity, she had not spoken like that in a long time.
Cheng Che did not know how to answer.
He rubbed the back of his head, his gaze wandering a little, as though searching for words.
Seeing him like that, Yan Ruanning broke into a smile.
"Come on, let's go say hello. You should meet them, at least."
Cheng Che nodded and followed her toward the courtyard.
When they reached Mushroom House, Teacher Huang was holding a teacup, watching them with a broad smile.
"This young man must be Cheng Che, right? You've been incredibly popular lately. I finally get to meet you in person today, and you look even sharper than you do in the videos!"
Teacher Huang was the first to greet him, his face wreathed in smiles.
Cheng Che nodded politely. "Hello, Teacher Huang. Sorry for interrupting your filming."
Yan Ruanning smiled. "Teacher Huang, this is my friend Cheng Che. He happened to have some free time today, so he came to visit."
Teacher Huang waved his hand repeatedly.
"Not at all, not at all! You're here to see Ningning, right? We'll head to the vegetable patch first. Teacher He is still waiting."
With that, he very tactfully led the others away first.
Before leaving, he glanced back at Cheng Che and said to Yan Ruanning,
"Ningning, it's your friend's first visit, so show him around later. He should like that bamboo grove behind our house."
Yan Ruanning nodded. "Okay."
Su Jianqiu walked very slowly, looking back three times with every step, a lingering smile at the corners of her mouth.
Her head was full of screams over shipping the couple, but Teacher Huang had already pulled her away.
Only Cheng Che and Yan Ruanning remained in the courtyard, along with the cameraman and staff following them.
The two slowly followed the little path beside Mushroom House.
The cameraman and several staff members followed behind, but kept a considerable distance, giving them room to talk.
"Have you finished your matches?" Yan Ruanning spoke first.
"Yeah. I've finished all the qualifiers and made it into the main draw," Cheng Che said. "The main draw doesn't start for another five days."
"So you're free these next couple of days?"
"I am." Cheng Che looked at her. "I happened to be free, so I wanted to come see what you were doing."
Yan Ruanning's step grew lighter for a beat.
She changed the subject. "Have you started learning to drive?"
"Yeah. I passed the theory test, but I haven't started the second test yet."
"Good luck, then," Yan Ruanning said. "It took me three tries to pass the second test."
Cheng Che laughed. "Really?"
"Really." Yan Ruanning was a little embarrassed. "My instructor said I had a poor sense of direction. Reversing into a parking space was like playing tennis-the ball had already flown away, but the car was still sitting there."
Cheng Che could not hold back a laugh.
They walked a short distance along the village road before Yan Ruanning stopped and glanced back at the filming crew.
Cheng Che followed her gaze, a little puzzled. "Do they follow you around like this all the time?"
"That's filming a variety show for you. You get used to it," Yan Ruanning said. "Are you nervous?"
"Not really." Cheng Che shrugged. "People film me when I play tennis, too. Besides, your show gets edited. A random passerby like me probably won't make it into the actual episode, right?"
Cheng Che was not nervous because of the cameras.
He had long since grown used to being filmed while playing tennis, and he thought he was just a passerby. Surely he would not appear in the actual episode?
Yan Ruanning smiled without answering.
You're no passerby, she thought.
And he had no idea that the staff were already inwardly boiling over.
With [Heartthrob of Ten Thousand] enhancing him, he was strikingly, almost aggressively handsome, yet natural and relaxed, with an explosive presence on camera.
His every movement carried an indescribable allure. Even an offhand remark or a casual sweep of his hair looked like a carefully composed shot.
The female staff members behind them had not taken their eyes off Cheng Che since he entered the village.
The cameraman could not close his mouth. This is practically a living painting.
Of the two people in the frame, one was tall, handsome, and refined, the other fair and lively. They walked along the village road against a backdrop of green mountains, clear waters, white walls, and black roof tiles.
Sunlight fell over them as though heaven itself had personally set up the lighting.
"I wouldn't even need to edit this footage," the cameraman said quietly. "We could release it as a promotional video as is."
A female assistant beside him covered her mouth and whispered, "If I could film scenes like this every day, I'd take half the pay."
Another female assistant blushed, her eyes fixed on Cheng Che's retreating figure. "Do you think he has a girlfriend?"
"Didn't you see the look in Yan Ruanning's eyes? And you're still asking?"
"I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just admiring him..."
"Admiring him? Look how red your face is."
While the two whispered to each other, Yan Ruanning's phone rang.
She glanced at it and answered.
"Hello, Director."
The moment the cameraman heard it was the director, his smile froze.
A perfectly good shot, interrupted by a damn phone call, he cursed inwardly.
But Yan Ruanning's expression grew increasingly surprised as she listened.
"No, do you really want to give it a try?"
She glanced at Cheng Che.
"You can't skimp on his fee."
She listened a little longer, then hung up with a troubled look and turned to Cheng Che.
"The director said... we happen to have no guests today, and there's a livestream tonight. He wants to ask if you could stay for filming today, including tonight's livestream."
Cheng Che froze for a moment. "Me?"
Cheng Che did have thoughts of entering the entertainment industry. After all, who would not want to earn 2.08 million a day?
Aside from his love for it, he played tennis to make money, too.
...Who would ever complain about having too much money?
Still, he was a little embarrassed. "But I can't act."
Yan Ruanning laughed and patted his arm.
"You don't need to act. Just film normally and live normally. You're not in the entertainment industry, so you don't need a persona."
Cheng Che thought for a moment, then nodded.
Yan Ruanning immediately called the director back and spoke at length, arguing her case firmly.
After hanging up, she raised her phone triumphantly at Cheng Che. "Done. Your fee this time is a hundred and fifty thousand after tax."
Cheng Che felt a surge of delight.
This was the largest sum he had ever received.
Even a "passerby" was paid this much. No wonder everyone wanted to enter the entertainment industry.
What he did not know, however, was that the price was due to how popular he had been lately.
The [Zhuangyuan] title had been working all along, and the authorities and the public were building his image as a teenage idol with "all-round moral, intellectual, and physical development."
Combined with his tennis performance and immense online popularity, the director did not dare offer an ordinary rate.
If word got out that he had offered too little, it would not just be embarrassing; it would offend a whole crowd of people.
Once it was confirmed that Cheng Che would stay that day, even Yan Ruanning's steps grew noticeably lighter.
Her arms swung widely at her sides, like a child's.
The two returned to Mushroom House.
The moment Teacher He saw Cheng Che, he showered him with praise again.
"An outstanding academic ace, top-tier looks, and athletic talent-you're practically a born idol."
Cheng Che offered a couple of modest replies.
The director poked his head out from behind the monitor, cleared his throat, and announced the day's task.
"We need to go shopping in the village today to prepare for tonight's livestream. Who's going?"
The seasoned entertainers looked at one another.
"I have a bad back. I can't carry things."
"I have a rehearsal this afternoon."
"I can't be out in the sun."
Their excuses grew more outrageous one after another.
The corner of the director's mouth twitched before he turned his gaze toward Yan Ruanning and Cheng Che.
"Then Ningning and Little Cheng can go."
Yan Ruanning and Cheng Che looked at each other.
Then they exchanged a smile.
Beside them, the cameraman's hands trembled with excitement as he hurriedly pushed in for a closer shot.
Meanwhile, the director chuckled to himself behind their backs.
The variety show had no detailed script, but it did have an overall direction. If he did not use such a good opportunity to generate more buzz, would he not have paid that hundred and fifty thousand for nothing?
The two left Mushroom House, found a local villager, and climbed onto a three-wheeled motor cart.
The villager twisted the throttle, and the three-wheeler puttered out of the village.
The sunlight was just right, and the wind blew toward them, lifting Yan Ruanning's hair and brushing it against Cheng Che's shoulder.
The cameraman sat in the vehicle behind them, keeping his lens trained on them.
Suddenly, he felt that this trip had been more than worth it.