The first episode was set to be filmed in Nanmu Village, a picturesque little town nestled among lush mountains and crystal-clear waters. It was about a five-hour drive from the city center. ^[1]Based from Google search, Nanmu Village (楠木村) is a rural settlement located in the Yuanzhou District of Yichun City, Jiangxi Province, China. Known for its lush green landscapes and ancient … Continue reading

By the time they arrived at the town, it was already past two in the afternoon. The crew was scheduled to gather there before taking a minibus together to Nanmu Village.

Despite being August, the sun was still scorching, its relentless heat making everyone feel lightheaded. The director, cameramen, and crew members were all drenched in sweat, looking no different from the stray dog sprawled in the shade nearby, panting with its tongue hanging out.

As Yan An stepped out of her air-conditioned car, a wave of heat slammed into her, making her tense instinctively.

The Copper Coin Grass clan thrived in sunlight, but this blazing inferno was far from the gentle warmth they enjoyed.

August’s sun… It truly was the worst.

Not only did it make her feel sluggish, but even the two little ones in her pocket, the miniaturized versions of Lemon and Bitter Gourd, had started to fidget restlessly, squirming from time to time.

Yan An reached up to touch her head, squinting at the scorching sun above. Without hesitation, she decided to splurge a little, channeling her spiritual energy to generate a refreshing wave of cool air.

With an appearance fee of one million yuan, three hundred thousand paid upfront, and the remaining seven hundred thousand to be credited after the filming, she figured she could afford to treat herself.

The three hundred thousand yuan prepayment had already been transferred to Yan An, not into her bank account, but directly converted into her spiritual energy reserves. With a one-to-one exchange rate, that meant she now had three hundred thousand units of spiritual energy at her disposal.

And cooling off? That barely cost a hundred yuan an hour.

Spend it. She absolutely had to spend it.

If she didn’t, the relentless sun would suck the moisture right out of her, leaving her a brittle, withered Copper Coin Grass, ready to crumble into dust at the slightest breeze.

A pitiful fate.

Besides, that ten-million-yuan goal was still a distant dream. Worst case scenario, her four seeds would just have to sprout a little later.

With that thought, a wave of refreshing coolness spread through her body, chasing away the oppressive heat. The temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold. Every pore in Yan An’s body relaxed in sheer relief.

Even the two tiny figures tucked in her pocket, Yan Mengmeng and Yan Kuku, who had been squirming in discomfort, instantly settled down, soothed by the sudden change.

It wasn’t just her. The director filming nearby let out an unconscious sigh, his whole body feeling significantly more comfortable.

Huh. So the countryside really is cooler than the city, he mused. A perfect summer retreat.

Meanwhile, a passing local reacted: Are you serious?

With the scorching sun no longer a problem, Yan An cheerfully slung her oversized backpack over her shoulders, pulled her suitcase along, and with two secret stowaways in her pocket, made her way toward the designated meeting point.

By the time she arrived, someone was already there.

A tall, slender young man stood quietly under the sun, a white baseball cap pulled low over his face.

Yan An’s eyes lit up. She picked up her pace, a bright, friendly smile spreading across her face, dimples appearing. 

“Are you Jiang Tian?”

At the sound of his name, the young man looked up, revealing a boyish face tinged with a hint of awkwardness. He seemed unaccustomed to standing so close to a girl, his ears turning slightly red.

 “Yeah, that’s me.”

Jiang Tian was eighteen years old and a wildly popular esports streamer. His in-game skills were so exceptional that he was often compared to professional players. Many esports clubs had tried to recruit him, but for some reason, he had turned them all down.

This was his first time stepping into the public eye.

With his tall frame and youthful good looks, standing under the summer sun, he looked like he had walked straight out of a coming-of-age drama, the kind that made teenage hearts race.

Meanwhile, in the live-stream chat:

[HOLY CRAP. HOLY CRAP. HOLY CRAP. Tian-ge looks NOTHING like I imagined!!!]

[Damn, how is the guy who terrifies his opponents in-game so… baby-faced?!]

[Tian-ge, I’m in love! Look at me! Do you need a girlfriend? I can cook, clean, and keep you warm!]

[Wait, is this girl a regular contestant? She’s adorable.]

Completely unaware of the chaos unfolding in the comments, Yan An beamed and introduced herself enthusiastically.

“Hi, I’m Yan An!”

“Hi, Yan An…” Jiang Tian hesitated for a second before adding, a little awkwardly, “…Jie.”

Yan An blinked, then smiled warmly. 

“You can just call me by my name. I’m only two years older than you~ it’s hardly worth mentioning.”

Technically, she was 200 years old. But after transmigrating, she had conveniently knocked off a zero, making herself 20 years old.

Three years had passed since then, meaning she was now 203.

Divide that by 10 again, and that made it… 20.3.

Round it down, and voilà~ still 20!

Absolutely flawless logic.

Jiang Tian awkwardly adjusted the brim of his cap. “Alright.”

Just as he spoke, two cars pulled up at almost the same time.

Both of them instinctively turned to look.

The next two guests had arrived.

One was Ji Lan, a well-known action film star. She strode over with an air of effortless cool, dark sunglasses shielding her eyes, one hand casually tucked into her pocket. Without saying a word, she gave them a slight nod, a silent yet commanding greeting.

The other was Wen Yang, the nation’s beloved “First Love Goddess” after starring in a recent hit romance drama. Dressed in an elegant white dress, her long black hair cascading down her back, she exuded a soft, delicate charm. She greeted them politely, but her words were sparse. Instead, she stood off to the side, reserved and graceful, occasionally casting glances toward the road, as if waiting for someone.

The open space they stood in had no trees, leaving them fully exposed to the scorching sun.

Yan An had her spiritual energy, so she felt perfectly fine.

But she noticed that Jiang Tian, standing closest to her, had already broken out in a fine sheen of sweat. Meanwhile, the two actresses, standing farther away, seemed completely unaffected.

Wen Yang, shielded by her parasol, maintained her flawless appearance. She didn’t look like someone standing under the harsh summer sun. Instead, she resembled a heroine from a romance novel, standing in a dreamy spring setting, patiently awaiting her beloved.

Ji Lan, on the other hand, didn’t even bother standing with a parasol. Yet, she showed no signs of discomfort either. However, there was a faint edge to her expression. Yan An had a keen sense for these things, her irritation wasn’t because of the heat. It was something else.

Ji Lan’s gaze flickered toward the nearby minibus multiple times. She looked as though she was contemplating getting on early, but for some reason, she ultimately refrained, staying put with the rest of them.

So, despite having a perfectly good vehicle right there, no one was getting in?

All because they were waiting for the mysterious A-lister, the guest with the black profile picture?

Yan An, who had just about to climb aboard and enjoy the blissful air conditioning, silently retracted her foot and obediently joined the others.

She had planned to save her spiritual energy by cooling off inside the bus, but now… forget it.

Copper Coin Grass had a herd mentality too.

Still, what a waste of spiritual energy…what a waste of money…

Wouldn’t it make way more sense to wait inside the air-conditioned bus?

Meanwhile, in the live chat:

[LMAO, this is exactly like when it’s 6 PM, you’re ready to shut down your computer and go home, only to realize everyone else is still working. So now you have to pretend to be busy too. I’m laughing, but also crying.]

[Ugh, when will we finally escape unpaid overtime?]

[Right now, Yan An’s inner monologue is definitely: ‘When can I stop standing around?!’]

[She’s hilarious. Her facial expressions are meme-worthy. I thought ‘A Taste of Everyday Life’ was going to be a food show, but it’s actually a comedy, huh?]

[By rank, the next one to arrive should be Liang Baiyu, right? Are they waiting for him?]

[Oh, you sweet summer child. If they wait for Liang Baiyu, the show might as well end now.]

[That man ghosted his own MV shoot not long ago. If he actually shows up for this, I’ll eat my keyboard.]

[No, they’re waiting for the VIP guest that the show hasn’t revealed yet.]

[So, the real question is… who is it?]

Yan An was wondering the same thing.

For the past month, she had been holed up in her little barrier, endlessly browsing the internet, doing her homework on every confirmed guest.

So, who exactly was this mysterious final guest?

That day, she had sent a polite message, hoping to gain favor.

But it was like tossing a stone into the ocean. No reply, not even an acknowledgement.

Yan An felt a twinge of anxiety.

Had she been too forward? Had her message crossed some invisible boundary and offended that person?

Would this powerful figure make things difficult for her during the recording?

In the entertainment industry, she was a complete nobody, an unknown face. Meanwhile, this mysterious big shot held a higher status than Liang Baiyu. That alone spoke volumes about their influence.

She couldn’t afford to offend someone like that.

No matter how much she fretted over it, she never could have imagined that the person who arrived would be Qi Yan.

It was Qi Yan.

Qi Yan!!!

Wasn’t he supposed to be appearing on some second-rate variety show?! The entire internet said so! Everyone said so!

Yan An’s heart pounded erratically as she stood frozen, watching the approaching figure.

His steps were unhurried, deliberate, exuding effortless composure. Even in the sweltering thirty-degree heat, he moved as if he were taking a leisurely springtime stroll.

It had been three years since she last saw him, and since that time, he had changed.

Three years ago, she had already found him somewhat intimidating.

To her, he had been just an ordinary, defenseless human. And yet, he always carried a subtle but unmistakable aura of danger.

Now, three years later, that aura had faded, or rather, been carefully restrained.

And somehow, that was even more terrifying.

It reminded her of those formidable figures in her past life, cultivators whose power utterly dwarfed hers.

She had no way of gauging his depths.

People like that were like the most unassuming elements of nature; trees, flowers, flowing water. Seemingly harmless, yet impossibly dangerous.

At that thought, a suffocating pressure seemed to settle in the air around her.

It seeped in from all directions, an invisible force woven into the very atmosphere, making her deeply uncomfortable.

As Qi Yan drew closer, Yan An instinctively clutched the two tiny figures hidden in her pocket, a sudden pang of guilt washing over her.

Before her brain could even process it, her body had already moved.

In a flash, she darted onto the bus.

Meanwhile, in the Live Chat

In an instant, the chat was flooded with Qi Yan’s fans.

On the Bus

Back inside, Yan An finally snapped back to her senses.

Regret hit her like a ton of bricks.

In her mind, she ruthlessly plucked leaf after leaf from her Copper Coin Grass self.

Why did she run?!

Three years ago, she and Qi Yan had parted on good terms. He had even been generous enough to give her thirty million.

With thirty million, wouldn’t it be perfectly reasonable for them to stay as friendly exes? Maybe even rekindle things for a night in a moment of loneliness?

…If it weren’t for those six seeds.

But right now, he didn’t know about the six seeds.

She had panicked for nothing.

But what was done was done. There was no point dwelling on it.

As a proud and dignified Copper Coin Grass, she absolutely refused to retrace her steps just to greet him as if nothing had happened.

Her eyes flickered toward the camera, and without hesitation, she tilted her body dramatically before staggering to the last row by the window.

Pressing her fingertips against her temples, she put on an Oscar-worthy performance of heat exhaustion.

“…Ugh, feeling a little dizzy,” she murmured weakly.

---

Nanmu Village in China

Image from trip.com

Image from trip.com