Chapter 99: You Are Truly Bold (Seeking Monthly Votes)

July 28th. A small village nestled in the mountains on the outskirts of Qingcheng.

As the morning sun began to rise, a motorcade quietly arrived at this serene and peaceful village. The vehicles slowed down upon entering to avoid disturbing the slumbering hamlet with excessive noise. Nearby, the leisurely sounds of dogs barking, roosters crowing, and cicadas buzzing could be heard, and as one drew closer, the chirping of frogs from the roadside ponds became audible.

The motorcade moved past the village to a spot on its outskirts. It was a short distance away—only a ten-minute walk. Once the vehicles stopped, Li He stepped out, wearing a white baseball cap. Although he had seen photos of the filming location selected by the company, he was still taken aback upon seeing it in reality.

Qingcheng is a coastal city, and the company had chosen this remote mountain village as the setting for the show. Despite being tucked between mountains and forests, the temperature was not as scorching as he had imagined; perhaps due to the influence of the nearby ocean, the air held more moisture, keeping the heat tempered.

Li He was the lead planner for the show, ranking only behind the head director, Wu Guang. Like Wen Shan, Wu Guang was a veteran director headhunted by Shengshi from Northern Entertainment. He had helmed two variety shows there; while not exactly explosive hits, they performed well, and his technical expertise was beyond reproach. The production and post-production crews were assembled from various major variety show companies. To meet the specific post-production requirements in Li He’s proposal, Shengshi even went as far as poaching staff from a domestic 2D animation studio. In short, to prepare for "A Longing Life," Shengshi had gone into full-scale "poaching" mode. This was their typical style; when they were preparing the film "Guardian," the company had possessed nothing but a script. The entire crew had been built from scratch by Wen Shan, who had been poached himself.

Director Wu Guang, who stepped out of the vehicle behind him, also wore a hat—a common choice among the crew to shield their eyes from the glare of the sun. He walked over to stand beside Li He, facing the morning sun and the cool breeze. "I haven't been to a place so close to nature in many years. Jia Bei, I truly have you to thank for this." He wasn't wrong; his previous two variety shows had been filmed entirely within urban environments. Nowadays, most variety shows were recorded in cities or indoors, with very few venturing into the mountains or countryside.

Li He frowned. "This place is better than I expected. Is it perhaps too hospitable for the guests?" In his mind, the location for the first season of "A Longing Life" was meant to be a simple, rustic farmhouse courtyard; he had even planned to dismantle several facilities, such as the kitchen, to force the guests to complete tasks.

Wu Guang paused, scanning the courtyard. "It looks great!" He didn't quite grasp what Li He meant by "too hospitable." Li He offered no explanation and walked straight inside, with Wu Guang trailing behind him, looking more like an assistant than the head director.

The production crew began setting up their equipment. Before their arrival, Shengshi Entertainment had already sent people to clean the place, leaving it looking pristine. This was precisely what made Li He uncomfortable—it was too clean. It didn't look like a rural courtyard at all; the rustic charm was gone.

"No, no, no." Li He paced back and forth, with Wu Guang following closely.

"What's wrong?" Wu Guang asked, confused. Ever since they arrived, Li He had been acting strangely, appearing thoroughly dissatisfied. On the drive from the company, they had shared a car and talked at length. Wu Guang had been completely won over; despite Li He’s youth, his vision and understanding of variety shows had opened Wu Guang’s eyes to ideas he wouldn't have dared to imagine—such as having no fixed script, only an outline. When he first heard that, Wu Guang thought Li He had lost his mind. An outdoor variety show without a script? It was unthinkable. That was why he followed Li He without complaint—his talent was simply beyond his years.

"It’s too clean. It’s ridiculous," Li He muttered, frowning. It was clearly a result of Shengshi Entertainment’s lack of experience with variety shows. If they had hired a company specializing in this, such a mistake would never have occurred.

Wu Guang didn't get it. "Is being clean not a good thing?" It looked tidy and comfortable, providing a sense of relaxation.

Li He asked, "Director Wu, have you ever seen a rural courtyard this clean? The countryside is different from the city." The city was a concrete forest where dust was rarely seen, but the countryside was filled with the scent of earth; perfection was impossible here. Li He beckoned a staff member over. "Take some people and make this yard look a bit messier, a bit dirtier. Don't make it so neat. Also, remove the pots from the kitchen, along with the oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar."

The staff member hesitated, but upon seeing Wu Guang nod, he went to work. Once he was gone, Wu Guang asked, "If you take the kitchen utensils away, how are the guests supposed to cook?" One of the show's highlights was meant to be a resident guest cooking. To satisfy the need for star power and culinary skill, Zhang Yang and Liu Kang had personally invited a legendary songwriter from Shengshi. A legend of that caliber couldn't be bought with money; they didn't lack funds.

Li He replied matter-of-factly, "I know they need to cook. That’s exactly why I’m taking the pots—so the guests will have to buy them from us."

Wu Guang gasped at the audacity. *But one of the guests is a legendary songwriter! Is it really okay to do this? Aren't you afraid of him coming after you at the company once filming wraps? Jia Bei, you are truly fearless!* Even as the head director, he couldn't compete with the status of such a legend. *It’s all for the sake of the program's effect, not to harvest negative emotional value. Definitely not.*

After settling the kitchen issue, Li He paced around the yard twice more. Finding it consistent with the "Mushroom House" from his memory, he went inside to inspect the house. Wu Guang followed, breaking into a sweat. "Is that everything?" He was genuinely worried for the guests. In just a short time, he had witnessed the disappearance of the kitchen, the doghouse, and the chicken coop. Li He had even wanted to dismantle the sheep pen, but it was too sturdy for the staff to take apart by hand, so they gave up. *The guests this season are getting off easy.*

Wu Guang fretted, "Are we being too harsh? What if they refuse to come back for the next season?" He had heard that the guests didn't even know what the show was about, save for the songwriter, Xie Shun, who knew he was expected to cook. The others only knew it was a show about escaping the urban hustle to return to nature. "A Longing Life"—the very name sounded cozy. Wu Guang had been fooled by the name too, thinking it was a show about sightseeing. Who would have thought it would turn into this?

"They won't," Li He said, unfazed. "The guests will understand. It’s all for the show’s effect. Besides, they’ve already signed their contracts with the company!"

*That last part is what you really think, isn't it?* Wu Guang didn't know whether to voice his thoughts.

Meanwhile, on a road not far from the village, a car provided by the production team was driving rapidly. Inside sat one of the resident guests, Jiang You. He felt uneasy. He had been so decisive when he first agreed, but now that filming was about to begin, he felt a sudden, inexplicable tension. He had recorded many shows before, but never like this.

"What kind of show is this? They didn't tell me anything beforehand, wouldn't let me see a script, and didn't even tell me who the other guests were." Jiang You felt restless. He had never heard of a show being produced this way. If not for the fact that it was backed by Shengshi Entertainment, he would have turned around and left. It felt a bit like being kidnapped.

Not far behind him, another production car was driving. This was all planned; the guests were not to meet until they reached the courtyard. Inside this car sat Teacher He. Compared to the nervous Jiang You, he was much more composed. With his years of hosting experience and numerous variety shows under his belt, he had seen it all. While the show left him puzzled, he was willing to go with the flow.

The filming crew worked quickly, and within two hours, the equipment was set up. By now, the sun had risen, and thin trails of smoke began to curl up from the village chimneys. The atmosphere grew thick with the scent of daily life.

Li He stood at the entrance of the courtyard. "Get ready to welcome the masters of the Mushroom House!"