Chapter 102: The Mastermind (End of the Month—Please Support with Votes)

After arriving at the small mountain village, He Xier and Jiang Qi happened to run into the production crew that was relocating their base.

Jiang Qi leaned out of the car window, waving vigorously. “Teacher Gabe!”

As long as she greeted Teacher Gabe before her best friend did, it was a small victory.

She had also learned that Gabe’s voice was truly exceptional, and there was uncertainty about whether the songs he wrote would be passed on to other singers in the future.

Under such circumstances, it was all the more important to flatter Gabe and keep him pleased.

He Xier was not about to be outdone. Seizing the moment while her best friend stuck her head out the window, she quietly leaned toward the driver’s seat and whispered, “Brother driver, please stop the car.”

Li He was following the production crew’s relocation when a white crew vehicle approached, and a head popped out along with a waving arm.

“You’ve arrived a bit early. Teacher He and the others haven’t started preparing lunch yet,” Li He said as he walked over.

Jiang Qi had messaged him, saying they would need about two more hours to arrive, but they had come more than half an hour ahead of schedule.

Jiang Qi retracted her head back into the car, just about to signal her best friend to get out, but when she looked back, she found He Xier’s seat was completely empty.

“When did Xier get out of the car?” Jiang Qi wondered, confused.

She was sure she had pulled her head back the moment the car stopped, unaware it was He Xier who had asked the driver to halt.

He Xier quickly circled around the rear of the vehicle, pretending to be unaware as she stood behind Jiang Qi’s car door, leaning against it with a casual butt.

Jiang Qi was utterly dumbfounded—blocking the door like that was just too much. Truly, they were just plastic sisters!

The competition between best friends had opened anew.

He Xier seized the moment to ask, “Teacher Gabe, is there anything we need to do later?”

This was her first time participating in a variety show, and it just so happened to be one where guests were not allowed to see the script.

Before coming, He Xier had consulted several senior colleagues in her company to gather experience on recording variety shows.

Confidently accepting the invitation from the production team, she then received an unexpected call from Li He.

Since receiving the directive to order dishes yesterday, she had been somewhat bewildered, unable to figure out what kind of variety show this was.

Ordering dishes like Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth gave her a strange familiarity, as if tormenting fans halfway through a song release.

But the ones being tormented had switched—from fans to the three resident guests.

“You don’t have to do anything,” Li He whispered as a hint. “You’re just here to enjoy yourselves—watch them cook and work, then wait for the meal.”

“Ah?” He Xier was even more confused.

Watching Teacher Xie Shun cook while doing nothing herself? Teacher Gabe, don’t fool me—I’m not that well-read.

If this aired, wouldn’t people in the music world criticize her to death?

Absolutely!

Jiang Qi climbed out of the other car door, uncertain. “Teacher Gabe, you’re not going to trick us, are you?”

She felt uneasy, half-expecting to be reprimanded.

Ordering Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Boiled Cabbage was already unreasonable; coming here just to watch them cook and work while they stood idle would surely lead to trouble.

Definitely would get scolded.

Li He shook his head. “You haven’t grasped the true meaning of the phrase ‘The Life We Yearn For.’”

Jiang Qi was puzzled. “What does it mean?”

“It means enjoyment,” Li He explained. “‘Yearning for life’ centers on yearning—there’s no yearning for life that involves working. It’s all about enjoying yourself.”

Jiang Qi and He Xier suddenly understood. ‘The Life We Yearn For’ referred to the visiting guests like them, while the resident guests were the ones serving that ‘yearned-for life.’

They got it, but the three in the Mushroom House didn’t. Jiang Qi and He Xier still dared not act so boldly.

If there wasn’t someone like Xie Shun among the resident guests, maybe Jiang Qi would have dared to behave that way.

But... there was no “if.”

After some thought, Li He encouraged them, “Come on, believe in yourselves.”

Jiang Qi and He Xier were among the few friends he had in the company, so a little cheerleading was necessary.

For friends, Li He was willing to do things that looked rather foolish.

“Teacher Gabe, you believe in us, but we don’t believe in ourselves...” Jiang Qi and He Xier, this pair of best friends, rarely shared the same thought.

“By the way,” Li He suddenly remembered before they parted, “during dinner, try to steer the conversation toward me, then call me out.”

This was also why Li He had arranged for He Xier and Jiang Qi to be the first guests on the show.

Usually, the first episode’s guests would be the hottest artists at the moment or those with significant fan bases.

Neither Jiang Qi nor He Xier fit those categories.

Yet Li He chose them precisely because they were familiar with him and could help coax him reluctantly in front of the cameras.

He Xier whispered, “Teacher Gabe, do you want to eat Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Boiled Cabbage?”

Ordering these two dishes and guiding the conversation toward Teacher Gabe, then calling him out at mealtime—wasn’t it just to have dinner together?

Li He was stunned. “You make a good point. Now that I think about it, that’s exactly it.”

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Boiled Cabbage were his picks to support the two, and having them draw out the conversation to call him at dinner was very clear.

He was speechless.

Li He smiled ruefully. “You’re so clever—do your family know?”

After the three parted ways, Li He and the production crew continued moving their base.

Along the way, Wu Guang came over quietly and asked, “Do you really want to eat Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Boiled Cabbage?”

Hell no!

Li He didn’t understand himself. Did he really look like such a foodie?

Supporting those orders was just because these dishes were complicated and time-consuming to prepare, which could harvest some negative emotions from the three guests.

When the show aired, the fans of the trending singer Jiang You would see their idol doing farm work and repeatedly tormented by the production, generating another wave of negative sentiment.

The same went for Xie Shun—anyone participating in ‘The Life We Yearn For’ could order his cooking, stirring emotions among some music circle artists.

Of course, the ultimate move was to have He Xier and Jiang Qi call him out after the meal.

Why did everyone now think he was craving those two dishes?

Thinking it over, Li He replied, “I want to eat roasted yam.”

Wu Guang hadn’t expected that. Just as they were discussing these high-end dishes, Li He suddenly said roasted yam—it felt so discordant.

Completely off-topic.

Li He continued, “And roasted sweet potato.”

Wu Guang fell silent and went off to direct the filming crew.

He couldn’t keep up with Li He’s train of thought. Roasted yam and roasted sweet potato—what nonsense was that?

Meanwhile, Jiang Qi and He Xier ultimately didn’t dare follow Li He’s advice.

Upon arriving at the Mushroom House, they immediately joined the workforce, fully understanding how ruthless Teacher Gabe’s treatment of the three resident guests really was.

All the kitchen pots had been taken away, and now the small pots they used for cooking were bought from the production by Yu Mi.

That very afternoon of their arrival, the production also sent over two chickens for the guests to raise.

“Is this really the life we yearn for?” Jiang Qi looked at Jiang You chopping wood and voiced her soul-searching doubt.

In the daytime, they picked corn in the fields, gathered mushrooms in the mountains, harvested vegetables and beans, and in the evening, built a chicken coop.

The day was fulfilling but exhausting.

Jiang Qi, having only worked half a day, was already too tired to get up.

The sun set in the west as the moon rose in the east.

Xie Shun was wrapping up the cooking at the stove, while He Xier, Jiang You, He Xier again, and Jiang Qi sat scattered in the yard, chatting about gossip.

The tantalizing aroma of the meal lingered in the Mushroom House. At that moment, everyone suddenly felt, this was truly the life they yearned for.

Teacher He peeled a garlic clove and exclaimed, “I think whoever came up with the idea for ‘The Life We Yearn For’ is really brilliant. Teacher Xie, do you know who the planner is?”

Shengshi Entertainment was very strict about confidentiality; even guests and much of the production team, except for the directors, didn’t know who the show’s planner was.

Many production staff had seen Li He but didn’t know his name—only that he was the chief planner.

“No idea,” Xie Shun chuckled. “I even tried to find out before coming, but it was kept secret. They said we’d know naturally after filming.”

Jiang You was surprised. “Teacher Xie doesn’t know either?”

Xie Shun was a family member of Shengshi, holding a significant position within the company—yet even he was kept in the dark about some aspects of the show.

“‘The Life We Yearn For’ has the best confidentiality I’ve ever seen in a program,” Teacher He said with a smile.

Even people in the same company were kept in the dark—there was no way around it.

Who the planner was wasn’t exactly a top secret; the information would be revealed when the show aired.

He Xier and Jiang Qi exchanged glances, both seeing delight in each other’s eyes.

There was no need for them to steer the conversation—the topic was naturally gravitating toward Teacher Gabe. Teacher He was truly kind-hearted.

Jiang Qi said without expression, “The planner should be with the directing team, right?”

She wasn’t certain, trying to feign ignorance.

Teacher He’s face brightened with realization. “Right, for the first episode, the planner would definitely be on site with the crew.”

Partly to handle unexpected situations, partly to witness the birth of their ‘child’—the show.

“Would it be inappropriate if we just went to find them?” Teacher He hesitated.

After all, the planner was a behind-the-scenes figure. She admired whoever came up with the idea for ‘The Life We Yearn For’ and wanted a face-to-face chat.

“That should be fine,” He Xier took the chance to push, “Teacher He, I’ll go with you to take a look. If the planner doesn’t want to be on camera or appear, they can be edited out later.”

Teacher Gabe definitely wouldn’t be edited out.

“Let’s go,” Xie Shun came out after finishing the dishes. “I’m curious too—who could the planner be, that even the company keeps it from me?”

Sometimes, the more something is hidden from you, the more curious you become, eager to know what lies behind the veil.

“Then let’s go see!”

——

P.S. Sent first, will revise later. Please point out any errors.

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