Chapter 54

To protect the privacy of the celebrities, the show did not install cameras in the bedrooms. After filming the reactions of the two entering the room, the cameraman went off to film others, leaving Ye Chen and Shen Mofeng alone in the bedroom.

Seeing that everyone else had left, Shen Mofeng started again.

First, he objectively stated, “One bed.”

“Mm.” Ye Chen tried to stay calm, keeping his head down as he organized his luggage.

“On the way to the hospital last time, you said you sleep well and don’t move around much…” Shen Mofeng’s tone was calm, “Tonight, Teacher Shen will check.”

“…” Ye Chen wished he could stick a cooling patch on each cheek, he grit his teeth and said, “If you’re done packing, let’s go out.”

Considering there was still work to do, Shen Mofeng smiled and temporarily restrained himself, following Ye Chen out of the room.

…

Once all the guests had gathered, Zhang Qin led them to a barren field.

“…Although we are supposedly here for a ‘vacation,’ the purpose of our show is that every bit of gain you get requires corresponding effort. For example,” Zhang Qin said slyly, “tonight’s dinner will need to be earned through labor, using your hardworking hands.”

The guests all made cooperative complaints—

“No way—”

“We’re not going to plant rice, are we?”

Only Ye Chen remained unperturbed, standing leisurely by the field, hands behind his back, with a slightly smug expression hidden within his innocent demeanor.

“You guessed right, everyone, please look at the bamboo poles and colored ribbons over there.” Zhang Qin raised her hand and pointed into the distance.

In the far field, a row of long bamboo poles stood, corresponding to another row of poles a few meters away from the guests. Colored ribbons connected the poles, framing three rectangular plots of equal size.

Zhang Qin announced loudly, “You need to plant peanuts in these three plots of farmland, delineated by the bamboo poles, before dark. Only then will the owner of this field prepare dinner for you!”

This time, the guests truly broke down—

“These three big plots! We have to plant them all?!”

“Ahhh, I don’t know how to plant peanuts, I can’t even keep spider plants alive!”

“Can I just give up? It would be better to conserve energy to fight hunger.”

Young Master Shen, who had been keeping silent, also had a complex expression: “…”

To think that falling in love would require learning how to farm…

On the other side, Ye Chen estimated the size of the field, his eyes showing seventy percent affection and thirty percent indulgence, like a father indulging his child who was playing with a toy gun. He had just planted peanuts last month, so he was quite proficient.

“The rules are not finished yet,” Zhang Qin said, smiling at the guests’ wailing, and dropped another bombshell. “There are three plots of equal size, which means the nine guests present will be divided into three groups for competition.” As she spoke, Zhang Qin affectionately patted the shoulder of an elderly man beside her. “This is Grandpa Liu, the owner of this field. He will evaluate and rank the three groups of guests based on the quality and speed of planting. On the condition that all three groups successfully complete the task, the ranking will determine the quality of each group’s dinner. The group that ranks last…”

The guests looked at her nervously.

Zhang Qin said softly, “…will only get salted fish and steamed cornbread.”

The guests wailed in despair.

“I already feel like a salted fish!”

“I’m already resigned to being a salted fish.”

Zhang Qin clapped her hands, “Now you have thirty seconds to decide on your groups. Countdown starts! Thirty, twenty-nine…”

Shen Mofeng immediately claimed his little friend: “I’ll be in a group with Ye Chen.”

“I want Ye Chen too!” Gu Youyou rushed over madly, “Ye Chencheng, I’m coming!”

Ye Chen smiled, “Okay.”

The other six were baffled, not understanding why Ye Chen suddenly became so popular.

Gu Youyou, having secured her spot, confidently continued, “While Qin Jie was talking, I was secretly observing you all. When you were all freaking out, Ye Chen had this expression!” As she spoke, Gu Youyou mimicked the satisfied look of an old farmer gazing at his crops…

“When you were wailing, Ye Chen was in this posture!” Gu Youyou demonstrated an Asian squat on the field ridge, her small hands tucked into her sleeves, looking like a standard farmer with a slightly smug expression hidden in her simplicity.

Shen Mofeng chuckled, “Heh…”

Ye Chen also laughed, “Hahaha!”

In truth, Ye Chen hadn’t struck a farmer’s pose, but Gu Youyou’s mimicry captured the essence rather than the exact action. Ye Chen indeed embodied the spirit of a farmer, even without the specific pose, so everyone understood Gu Youyou’s point and burst into laughter.

Gu Youyou declared firmly, “Ye Chen definitely plants things often!”

“Not really, I just have a hobby of planting flowers and fruit trees,” Ye Chen modestly admitted, setting the stage for his imminent triumph.

Thus, the final group division was: three members of the boy band in one group, the leader forming a group with Jiang Xiyue and Zhou Yu, and Shen Mofeng, Ye Chen, and Gu Youyou in another group. After the group formation, the show crew added another twist. Staff set up three small tables in front of the guests, each with an upside-down copper basin and a rolling pin. On the ground before the tables were piles of farming shovels and colorful children’s plastic toy shovels.

“To do a good job, one must first sharpen one’s tools,” Zhang Qin said mischievously. “Considering that the guests might not have much experience planting peanuts, the show has thoughtfully included a knowledge quiz. I will ask questions related to peanut planting, and the groups will compete to answer by hitting the basin with the rolling pin. Correct answers earn ten points, wrong answers do not lose points. Each question can be answered by two groups, if one group answers incorrectly, the next group gets a chance. If both groups are wrong, I will reveal the correct answer. No using phones during the quiz…”

Jiang Xiyue timidly asked, “Who are the toy shovels for?”

“The plastic toy shovels are free for everyone to take,” Zhang Qin smiled, “but each iron shovel will cost twenty points to purchase.”

The guests: “…”

In other words, if a group couldn’t correctly answer at least two questions, all three members would end up using children’s plastic shovels to dig!

This was the scenario the show loved, tragic but easy to edit for humor.

… Is this even a challenge? The planning team must be out of their minds! Ye Chen scoffed lightly, leisurely rolling up his shirt sleeves to reveal his lean but strong forearms. He picked up the rolling pin, confident and brimming with pride, and boasted to his teammates, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get to use iron shovels.”

Gu Youyou’s eyes were wide with awe, “We’re counting on you, Gege!”

Shen Mofeng, with a sweet expression and a deep, magnetic voice, said, “Alright, Xiao Gege.”

“…” Ye Chen turned back, feeling slightly disoriented.

The quiz then began.

“Listen to the question!” Zhang Qin spoke rapidly, “First question, at what ground temperature can you start planting peanuts? a, 10 degrees, b, 12 degrees, c…”

Bang! Ye Chen swung down the rolling pin, “12 degrees!”

“Correct answer!” Zhang Qin continued, “Second question, how deep should peanut planting pits be? a, about 10 cm, b, about 20 cm, c, about 30 cm…”

“About 30 cm!” Ye Chen decisively swung the rolling pin again!

Zhang Qin: “Correct answer!”

“One.” Ye Chen turned his face and held up a finger to his teammates, indicating they had secured one iron shovel.

Shen Mofeng sincerely praised, “Impressive.”

No matter how grounded these questions were, Shen Mofeng couldn’t answer a single one. Ye Chen not only answered correctly but also answered with style. Moreover…

Shen Mofeng’s gaze fell on Ye Chen’s ear.

—Ye Chen’s left ear had a stud, likely obsidian, simple in design. He must have put it on while organizing his luggage in the farmhouse earlier; Shen Mofeng hadn’t noticed it before.

He didn’t even know Ye Chen had a piercing.

The stud didn’t make Ye Chen look delicate; instead, it added a sharp, youthful edge to his look, making him even more appealing.

“…” Shen Mofeng exhaled softly, forcefully averting his gaze.

The esteemed Movie Emperor Shen, utterly captivated, had his mind wandering due to a single ear stud, conjuring a dozen mischievous thoughts.

Meanwhile, Zhang Qin paused the quiz, curiously eyeing Ye Chen, “Ye Chen, have you planted peanuts before?”

Ye Chen smiled, revealing two small dimples, and boasted, “I’ve planted them in my backyard, not much, just for fun.”

“Wow, did the other two groups hear that? Ye Chen has experience in planting peanuts. Don’t you feel any sense of urgency?” Zhang Qin “stirred the pot” and then read the next question, “Third question, how many peanut seeds should be placed in each planting pit? a, 1 seed…”

She barely finished the first option when the boy band trio, feeling the pressure, eagerly grabbed the chance to answer. One of them shouted, “No matter what the answer is, we choose c!”

Zhang Qin shook her head and laughed, “Sorry, c is not the correct answer. Now there’s only one chance left to answer this question…”

Before she finished speaking, the sound of the buzzer rang out again from the contestant seats. Ye Chen, holding the rolling pin, calmly said, “No matter what a, b, c, or d are, I choose to place 3 to 5 seeds.”

He completely outdid the three young idols!

“Correct answer!” Zhang Qin acknowledged, “The correct answer is b, 3 to 5 seeds.”

Zhang Qin continued with a total of over ten questions. Ye Chen didn’t monopolize the answers. Starting from the fourth question, he deliberately gave the first answering chance to the other groups. If the first group guessed correctly, it was their good luck. If not, Ye Chen would grab the second chance to answer. For many questions, he didn’t even need to hear the options; he could answer just by listening to the question.

After accumulating 60 points, enough to exchange for three shovels, Ye Chen brushed off his sleeves, metaphorically retreating from the scene, watching with a smile as the other two groups guessed the answers.

Actually, letting the contestants guess was the planners’ real intention. It was normal for celebrities to lack knowledge about farming. This Q&A segment was designed to teach them how to plant peanuts through questions and answers, so they wouldn’t be completely lost in the field. The planners never expected a farming expert like Ye Chen to emerge among the contestants…

In the end, each of the other two groups successfully exchanged for one iron shovel, leaving four people clutching children’s plastic shovels pitifully to plant peanuts.

“Let’s start too,” Ye Chen handed iron shovels to his two teammates.

Shen Mofeng grasped the handle of the shovel Ye Chen handed him. Realizing they were really about to start working in the field, his eyes showed a faint confusion mixed with a naive curiosity, “You teach me.”

…His expression and tone were just like a shou holding his gong’s thing for the first time.

“Okay.” Ye Chen demonstrated the entire peanut planting process once for his teammates. Then, he continued working while occasionally correcting their small mistakes. Gu Youyou, being quick-witted, picked it up fast and soon was in sync with Ye Chen. Shen Mofeng, however, was naturally not cut out for this kind of work and planted slower than the other two. Ye Chen and Gu Youyou progressed side by side, leaving the other two groups and the agitated, fumbling Shen Mofeng far behind…

“Ugh—” Suddenly, Shen Mofeng dropped his shovel and walked away briskly, bending over and retching.

“What’s wrong with Shen Ge?” Ye Chen hurried over.

Shen Mofeng’s face was pale, the muscles of his forearm were tense like stones, veins bulging, and he trembled, “There are earthworms in the field!”

“There definitely are, especially when you’re turning the soil.” Ye Chen soothed him, stroking Shen Mofeng’s back like petting a cat, “Take a deep breath… have some water.”

Shen Mofeng steadied himself, straightened up, and incredulously asked, “You’re not afraid?”

“I’m not afraid,” Ye Chen replied. Today, Shen Mofeng had teased and mocked him all along the way without any retaliation from Ye Chen’s side. Seeing Shen Ge now suffering the consequences from the field, Ye Chen couldn’t help feeling a bit mischievously amused. Suppressing a smile, he said, “Take a rest here for a while. Gu Youyou and I can plant faster than them.”

Shen Mofeng silently stared at him for a moment, squinting slightly. “…Are you holding back a laugh?”

Ye Chen lowered his head, avoiding eye contact. “No, not at all.”

Bending over, Shen Mofeng tilted his head to catch Ye Chen’s expression, and softly remarked, “I see laughter in your eyes… Okay, it’s showing on your face too. No need to hold it back, darling… Hehe, are you laughing so hard your mouth won’t close?” As he finished his commentary, even Shen Mofeng couldn’t help but laugh.

The cameraman was quick on the uptake, capturing this scene intensely, zooming in on Shen Mofeng stealing glances at Ye Chen’s expressions.

Despite having a big shot dragging them down in their team, Ye Chen and Gu Youyou were diligent and brave enough. Consequently, an hour later, Ye Chen’s team easily took the lead.

Half an hour later, the trio from the men’s team also completed their hardcore farming task.

The slowest was the uncoordinated team of Zhou Yu and Jiang Xiyue, awaiting them was the pitiless fate of salted fish and cold buns.

…

The chaotic filming of the first day ended smoothly amidst chaos and hilarity. After dinner, the guests returned to their rooms to rest.

Ye Chen lingered in the shower room for a good half an hour, almost letting the water on his body dry up, reluctant to come out.

During the day, with so many people around and the recording of the show, he had no mood to overthink. But now, at night…

The thought of sleeping on the same bed with Shen Mofeng—before Shen Mofeng could even show up, Ye Chen was already blushing like a cooked shrimp in the shower room, gently knocking his forehead against the door, silently screaming in his mind.

Ah ah ah ah ah!

“Xiao Yezi ^[1]Yezi = leaf but zi = son/child/small thing.子 can be used for anything that is small or cute looking. It is also added to show less formality in the tone. , done with your shower?” The shower room was on the second floor, shared by all, and Zhou Yu, who also lived on the second floor, was a bit anxious when he saw Ye Chen not coming out for a long time.

“Yeah, I’m done.” Ye Chen replied apologetically, putting on his pajamas and pushing the door open, dragging his feet back to the bedroom.

“…Finally decided to come back?” Shen Mofeng was already lying in bed, leaning against the headboard, eyes downcast as he played with his phone.

The bedsheet and cover were different from earlier in the day; Ye Chen guessed Xiao He had quietly come to change them.

Ye Chen shuffled over, perching on the edge of the bed with half of his rear end, looking utterly meek. “Shen Ge, can you please…?”

Shen Mofeng lifted his gaze, sweeping over the earring in Ye Chen’s left ear. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, but his tone remained calm as he interrupted, “No.”

The negotiation lasted barely a second before Ye Chen felt a pang in his heart.

“Take off your shoes,” Shen Mofeng smirked, lips quirking up. “Get into bed… or do you want to sleep on the floor?” Seeing Ye Chen’s eyes light up momentarily, Shen Mofeng quickly added with a stern face, “I’m not giving you the blanket.”

Ye Chen reluctantly crawled into bed.

Shen Mofeng turned to his side, grabbing hold of Ye Chen’s wrist to prevent any escape attempts like a child, then gallantly declared, “I’m starting now.”

Three, two, one… Let the teasing begin.

“What’s with the preview?” Ye Chen choked.

Shen Mofeng smiled, “Come on, call me ‘Gege’… The way you call your little friends so cheerfully.”

Ye Chen closed his eyes tightly, pressing his forehead against the wall in resignation. He licked his lips nervously and reluctantly opened his mouth.

Thus, two indistinct and faint syllables slipped out.

“Too quiet, I couldn’t hear that,” Shen Mofeng chuckled lightly, tightening his grip on Ye Chen’s wrist and pulling him into an embrace from his position against the wall. Shamelessly, he reasoned, “If I ask you to be louder, you’d feel embarrassed… How about getting closer?”

Ye Chen, now melting with embarrassment in his arms, murmured, “Ge… Gege.”

Ye Chen had resigned himself to his fate, wanting only to get through this punishment as quickly as possible.

But the more compliant Ye Chen became, the more daring Shen Mofeng got.

The author has something to say:

After the reality show aired, Chen Chen would dominate the hot searches with his skilled farming techniques, no longer needing Shen Ge to lead the way…

Shen Mofeng Meteorological Office posted a saucy teaser…

Police Uncle: It’s starting again, isn’t it? .jpg