Fang Jinran and the others had also finished cooking, with four dishes and a soup.

Since the production team didn’t limit their budget, it was quite sumptuous: oil-braised shrimp, sweet and sour pork, stir-fried pork with snow peas, and cucumber salad.

The soup was bone and corn soup.

Bai Ying said, “How’s that? Isn’t it both beautiful and abundant? All thanks to Teacher Fang!”

Lin Jin said, “Teacher Fang is so virtuous!”

Song Chu: “Wuwuwu, I’m really jealous of Teacher Fang who’s not only handsome but also cooks well.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “This isn’t Teacher Fang, it’s clearly Father Fang.”

Everyone agreed, so now they not only had an older sister but also a father…

Fang Jinran laughed at them and said, “It’s just home-cooked dishes. As long as you don’t mind.”

After some teasing, they sat down to eat. Fang Jinran’s dishes were not only delicious but also visually appealing.

Everyone praised him again. Ning Qiuxiu was served a whole bowl of food by Song Chu’s “malicious” prompting.

Ning Qiuxiu looked at the mountain of food in her bowl and felt like dragging Song Chu outside for a beating.

She had no image to maintain!

After eating and resting, they started preparing the bamboo for the bamboo rats: first cutting it into 20 cm long segments, then splitting it into 3 cm wide pieces to make it easier for the bamboo rats to chew.

Luckily, there was a small electric saw for cutting the bamboo into segments, so they didn’t have to do it manually.

Splitting the bamboo was done by hand, but it was relatively easy.

Working together in the yard wasn’t tiring for them. Ning Qiuxiu noticed that Song Chu was the best at slacking off.

Using the excuse of “explaining” to the camera, he avoided working and just talked!

What surprised everyone the most was Fang Jinran.

Although he seemed like a privileged young man who might be lazy, he not only cooked delicious food but also worked diligently and quickly, making people wonder if he had a natural talent for it.

They spent the whole afternoon working in the yard and finally chopped a small basket of bamboo pieces.

Excitedly, they went to feed the bamboo rats.

They knew that bamboo rats were sensitive to noise, so they avoided making any loud sounds.

They gave each bamboo rat a piece of bamboo.

Without noise, the bamboo rats became bolder.

They smelled the bamboo and immediately began gnawing on the pieces they found, making a “scratching” sound as their teeth scraped against the bamboo.

The little rats also kept their ears up and looked around, staying alert.

Some of them even tried to steal bamboo pieces from others.

Two rats fought over a piece, their small eyes fierce as they pulled and tugged, making sounds like “yiyiyi” that made the humans laugh.

“Oh my, I’m going to die from the cuteness,” Bai Ying said, looking at them through the bars of their enclosure.

Once she got used to them, she couldn’t help but think of each bamboo rat as her baby.

Ning Qiuxiu also joined in.

With a mischievous grin, she nudged one rat that was happily eating its bamboo piece: “This one is the most fierce and greedy, no wonder it’s so fat!”

The rat, disturbed from its favorite bamboo piece, made a few “yiyiyi” sounds.

When it smelled the bamboo piece Ning Qiuxiu was holding, it quickly grabbed it with its tiny paws and pulled it back, making everyone laugh at the little rat’s antics.

So cute ← That was everyone’s feeling.

For dinner, Fang Jinran made noodles for everyone.

After they ate, they were all so tired that the production team let them go to their rooms to rest.

Ning Qiuxiu’s blisters were treated by the staff, but even so, the hot water during her shower still made her scream in pain. It really hurt.

After the shower, Ning Qiuxiu lay exhausted on the bed.

She checked the time—it was just past eight, and she already felt like going to sleep.

Yawning and squinting, she lay on her bed and opened WeChat.

Qu Hua had left her a message asking about her situation on the set.

Ning Qiuxiu sent a voice message updating him on the day’s events.

Jingjing also sent her a message.

[Jingjing: Wow, Miss Ning, I have to tell you, Mr. Zhan ate one less bowl of rice today because you weren’t here!]

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

[Ning Qiuxiu: Wasn’t it because he caught a cold last night and wasn’t feeling well today?]

She wasn’t fooled!

Jingjing was clearly trying to exaggerate!

It seemed that Jingjing was either too idle or glued to her phone 24/7.

Almost immediately after Ning Qiuxiu sent her message, Jingjing called her on a video call.

Ning Qiuxiu answered, and Jingjing’s face suddenly filled the screen, causing Ning Qiuxiu to jump and exclaim, “Wow, pull the camera back a bit; your face is like a pancake.”

The camera zoomed out immediately.

“Miss Ning, you’re resting? We’re so unaccustomed to you being gone; we miss you so much, boohoo,” Jingjing said dramatically, suddenly turning into a theater actress.

“……Did you do something bad?”

“Huh, no! Why would you think that?”

“Then why are you buttering me up so much?” Ning Qiuxiu adjusted her falling hair. “I thought you got caught doing something wrong.”

“I’m a certified caregiver, how could I do anything bad!” Jingjing protested, then noticed the bandages on Ning Qiuxiu’s hand. “Miss Ning, what happened to your hand?”

---

Ning Qiuxiu had several Band-Aids on her hands, and Jingjing immediately noticed them when she lifted her hand.

Ning Qiuxiu showed Jingjing the Band-Aids on her hand, saying, “These are… Hey, why did it stop moving?”

Since they were in a rural area, the signal wasn’t very good.

The production team had set up Wi-Fi and 4G, but both were spotty.

After a while, the video finally resumed, and Ning Qiuxiu said, “Damn, the signal here…”

The rest of her sentence got stuck in her throat when she saw that during the lag, the video feed had changed to a new person.

Zhan Qingyue’s elegant and refined face appeared on the screen, startling Ning Qiuxiu so much that she almost dropped her phone.

Damn! Jingjing is really useless!

“What’s wrong with the signal?” Zhan Qingyue asked.

“……” Ning Qiuxiu scrambled to get up from the bed, making sure her posture wasn’t too untidy except for her little foot being propped up.

She had dressed neatly and modestly in sleepwear because she was worried the production team might make a surprise visit.

She quickly switched back to her demure demeanor and responded to Zhan Qingyue, “It’s just the rural area, quite remote, so the signal isn’t great. It keeps lagging.”

As she spoke, the video screen conveniently froze a few times.

Zhan Qingyue asked, “Do you have 4G?”

“Yes, but it’s also laggy, it’s painful, like being in the mountains,” Ning Qiuxiu said, shifting her phone.

She felt awkward having a face-to-face video call and wondered how she used to face Zhan Qingyue before.

Zhan Qingyue’s expression remained unreadable, calm throughout, not in a cold way, but in a very pleasant and soothing manner, making him appear very easygoing.

He nodded, didn’t comment further, and asked, “Jingjing said you injured your hand. Is it serious?”

“It’s okay,” Ning Qiuxiu, though inwardly cursing Jingjing for being such a troublemaker, maintained a cheerful smile.

She proudly waved her hand in front of the camera, “These are the marks of my hard work today, from chopping bamboo. I’ve treated them, so they should heal quickly.”

“……” You’re really something, Zhan Qingyue shook his head and casually chatted, “Do you still need to chop bamboo?”

“Yes, this ruthless production team doesn’t provide us with food and makes us go up the mountain to chop bamboo. I seriously suspect they’ll make us work in the fields tomorrow.”

Zhan Qingyue, who had been out of touch with the entertainment industry and had slept for two years, didn’t expect the show to be this demanding.

He thought celebrities just sang and danced in air-conditioned studios.

Seeing Ning Qiuxiu’s hands covered with pure, unpretentious Band-Aids, he fell silent for a second before commenting, “You’re quite the trooper.”

“Such a hassle!” Ning Qiuxiu complained about the production team, “I feel like I should get insurance for my hands, feet, and head so that if I get injured, I can get compensation from both the production team and the insurance company.”

You really know how to calculate!

Zhan Qingyue laughed at her and, with a serious tone, corrected her: “The insurance company won’t cover this kind of thing; it’s basically just a scam.”

Coincidentally, the video call froze again, and Zhan Qingyue’s face on Ning Qiuxiu’s phone remained stuck with a smile.

Unexpectedly charming, his face was annoyingly good-looking, the kind you’d want as a screensaver.

Ning Qiuxiu felt a pang of jealousy, her inner self feeling like it was chewing on lemons.

Why does a man need to be so good-looking?

Hmph!

The freeze was mutual.

While Ning Qiuxiu’s side froze on Zhan Qingyue’s handsome face, who knew what unflattering face she was making on his side.

Ning Qiuxiu tentatively complimented him: “It froze again just now, and you looked really handsome even though the screen was stuck.”

Zhan Qingyue shamelessly responded with an “Mm,” without adding anything further.

“……” Shouldn’t you be polite and tell me what kind of face I made?

Even if you just flatter me, it would help!

Clearly, Zhan Qingyue wasn’t very skilled at comforting others.

Seeing Ning Qiuxiu’s frustrated expression, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” To avoid ruining her image, Ning Qiuxiu forced a neutral expression, her smile not reaching her eyes. “It’s just that I hate this signal. Every time I try to say something, it freezes. This poor production team!”

Zhan Qingyue found her expression amusing.

He guessed what Ning Qiuxiu wanted to know but decided not to tell her.

Actually, the freeze was likely because she moved the camera or something; his side was just a blank screen.

Watching Ning Qiuxiu’s frustrated look, which made her want to pull her hair out, was very entertaining.

He realized that teasing Ning Qiuxiu was the most interesting thing he had encountered since waking up.

They managed to exchange a few more words, but the connection was too unstable, so they ended the video call.

Ning Qiuxiu didn’t forget to send a message to Jingjing, giving her a hard time.

[Ning Qiuxiu: Jingjing, you’re getting more skilled at selling me out.]

[Drama Jingjing: I didn’t! We were chatting and the signal dropped, so I thought it was my signal acting up and went outside. Unexpectedly, Mr. Zhan was in the living room. When he asked me, I didn’t dare to lie, *crying like a storm*. Miss Ning, you have to believe me!]

[Ning Qiuxui: Believe you? The last time it was also you who reported about Zhan Qingze, right? You’re like a wallflower swaying between two sides.]

[Drama Jingjing: I’m sorry, *sobbing uncontrollably*. Miss Ning, you have to believe that I genuinely want you and Mr. Zhan to be happy together. This sincerity is witnessed by Heaven and the moon.]

[Ning Qiuxiu: ……]

Forget it, Ning Qiuxiu thought she couldn’t really blame Jingjing.

The main issue was Zhan Qingyue.

Zhan Qingyue was so smart that someone like Jingjing had no chance under his watch; she could only struggle to survive in the cracks.

Ning Qiuxiu was the one truly in a difficult position.

With that thought, Ning Qiuzhu felt a surge of sympathy for Jingjing.

The night passed in silence.

The next morning, Ning Qiuxiu woke up early, unable to sleep, and decided to check out the village’s morning scene.

After she finished getting ready and squinted her eyes outside, she found that the production crew was already at work, gathered around something.

“What’s going on?” Ning Qiuxiu noticed that Fang and Song Chu had arrived even earlier than her and went over to ask them.

“It seems like they’re working on some signal enhancement,” Song Chu said. “I’m not entirely sure. The director told me that last night, the production team suddenly received private investment with just one request: to fix the internet. So, they’re working on that now.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

The investor shouldn’t be Zhan Qingyue, right?

But, it seems like he’s the most likely candidate…

Song Chu suddenly became interested: “Do you think it could be a certain boss’s lover who’s here? The signal delay might have messed up their ‘whatever,’ so they gave us a good internet connection in a fit of anger, haha.”

“……” Are you a soothsayer or something? You’re really on point.

Ning Qiuxiu angrily tapped his head: “There are only two female guests on this show. Use your brain when you talk.”