Chapter 59.1

Regarding the WeChat message from Meng Zhengrong, Zhang Mian really wanted to ignore it. After all, Xu Yuan’s off-key singing would definitely be a punchline later, and as the director, he couldn’t bear to cut that scene.

However, it wouldn’t be good to not reply to Meng Zhengrong at all. After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Mian sent back a rather official message: “Bro, it’s not just up to me to delete it. It’ll depend on the opinions of others at the station. If it’s not beneficial to you guys, you don’t need to say it—I’ll definitely cut it out.”

Meng Zhengrong didn’t want to say much more. He was starting to regret agreeing to this reality show.

Zhang Mian’s words clearly implied that he wouldn’t delete it. He understood the consequences of not deleting it.

Meng Zhengrong regretted not stopping Xu Yuan back then. Sigh.

Xu Yuan was someone who cared a lot about her image. Typically, people who were tone-deaf didn’t realize they were off-key, and no one would be foolish enough to directly remind her during the show. So, after finishing her song, Xu Yuan felt great about her performance. The crew, including Song Chaowen and others, were all perceptive enough not to laugh at her face; after all, Xu Yuan probably genuinely didn’t think she was off-key. If they pointed it out, wouldn’t that offend her?

The recording of the program had been going very smoothly up to this point, with both funny moments and touching scenes.

The staff were all filled with confidence about the show. Song Chaowen and Shen Li, needless to say, had been in the industry for a long time and knew how to create a good atmosphere. As veteran actors, their love was not something they had to display; it was a deep, mutual affection, and all they needed to do was bring the tears.

What surprised everyone was the performance of Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan.

They had initially thought this wealthy couple would be awkward and wouldn’t be very open on the show, but unexpectedly, they had turned out to be the best performers so far.

Since they were scheduled to film in a small town in the suburbs the next day, today’s filming wrapped up early. Originally, the three couples planned to invite the staff out for dinner, but considering they had to get up early the next day, that idea was temporarily shelved, and everyone returned to their own homes.

When Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan got home, the filming that day had been quite relaxed, and they didn’t feel tired at all. After showering, they lay on the bed, discussing how to subtly win over the audience’s favor during the show.

Unlike Song Chaowen and Shen Li, who had their own popularity, Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan were just ordinary people in the eyes of the public if their identities were unknown.

Standing out among these two couples wouldn’t be easy.

Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan had the same mindset: they didn’t want to appear mediocre in this show. After all, it was their first time on television; who wouldn’t want to make a good impression?

“I didn’t expect you to sing so well,” Xu Yuan casually praised Meng Zhengrong, recalling his singing earlier that day.

Mentioning this made Meng Zhengrong proud, and he puffed out his chest. “It’s not like no one has tried to recruit me to become a singer.”

When Meng Zhengrong was younger, he was quite handsome, and aside from his looks, his singing was decent, too. His voice had a unique quality, and at that time, he had been invited by a record company, with promises of an album. Of course, he ultimately didn’t go.

“If I had debuted back then, the national heartthrob would be me, not Song Chaowen.”

Xu Yuan rolled her eyes internally. She already knew that this person couldn’t handle compliments. If she praised him once, he would follow up with ten self-congratulatory remarks.

However, since the topic of singing had come up, Meng Zhengrong wanted to subtly remind Xu Yuan to avoid making a fool of herself when the show aired. If it became a punchline, Xu Yuan would undoubtedly find all sorts of reasons to vent her frustration on him, which would be unfair.

“Honestly, it’s not just me boasting. If we both entered the entertainment industry, we might really hit it big. I could be a singer, and you could be an actress.”

He refrained from saying Xu Yuan could also be a singer, wanting to delicately express that her singing wasn’t great.

“Just be careful not to say that on the show,” Xu Yuan reminded him nonchalantly.

Meng Zhengrong: “…”

It seemed his hint was too subtle; it was normal for her not to understand.

If Xu Yuan could comprehend his implication, she wouldn’t have sung in front of the cameras today.

Figuring out how to hint delicately yet clearly was a challenge for Meng Zhengrong, so he decided to put it aside for now and talk to Zhang Mian about possibly cutting her singing scene in the coming days.

Both of them were aware of the rough script for tomorrow’s filming, so they began discussing how to seamlessly boost their likability.

That was the most important thing at the moment.

The next day’s filming was a bit more complicated than the first.

The three families were headed to the suburbs for a shoot, which simply meant they were going to a farm stay.

Farm stays in the area had always been popular, as busy office workers looking to unwind would choose to drive their families there for a break. The scenery was beautiful, allowing people to reconnect with nature and strengthen family bonds.

The production team provided a minibus, and it would take about two hours to reach the farm stay.

Since it was early in the morning, everyone was well-rested, and no one was dozing off; instead, they began chatting.

Song Chaowen was not very talkative, and neither was Meng Zhengrong, leaving only Shen Li, Xu Yuan, and the veteran couple to chat about everyday life.

“Farm stays always seem interesting,” Shen Li initiated the conversation.

Her excitement and happiness were genuine; having debuted early, she hardly had any personal time, and she rarely got to have meals with her family.

The veteran couple chuckled, “As long as we don’t have to do the work ourselves, it’ll be fun.”

That was the truth. These people would even hesitate to wash dishes, let alone cook.

If they had to chop vegetables, wash dishes, and cook, it wouldn’t be fun at all.

Meng Zhengrong was sitting next to Xu Yuan and subtly nudged her, reminding her not to forget their main goal.

Xu Yuan immediately understood and pretended to casually say, “It should be fine. Zhengrong and I have been before.”

The way they chatted and the topics discussed were entirely up to them. Fortunately, Shen Li was perceptive; hearing Xu Yuan say that, she eagerly asked, “You’ve been? Is it the place we’re going this time?”

Xu Yuan shook her head. “No, it’s a more remote place. Zhengrong and I sometimes go to see rural areas.”

This kind of topic should be touched upon lightly; explicitly mentioning their charitable activities might attract viewers’ dislike. However, casually mentioning it like this would allow the audience to remember it when the show really took off.

Why did she and Meng Zhengrong visit remote areas? It didn’t take much guesswork to figure it out.

If a couple wasn’t going to do charitable work, who would go to a remote mountainous area? It wasn’t a vacation.

Meng Zhengrong’s expression remained unchanged, but internally, he was giving Xu Yuan a thumbs-up.

If it weren’t for publicity, who would want to be on a show like this? They weren’t bored out of their minds.

Xu Yuan wanted to keep it brief, and Shen Li understood that, so she didn’t press the matter any further and quickly shifted to another topic.

==

The production team had temporarily rented a guesthouse; farm stays were quite popular here. Fortunately, today wasn’t a weekend, so there weren’t many people around. Since they had rented an entire villa, even with Song Chaowen present, there wasn’t much of a crowd.

If it had been the weekend, it would have been a different story.

They were going to stay here for one night, and the guesthouse had enough rooms. The owners had cleaned everything thoroughly, making it look like a cozy inn.

They had initially prepared for less-than-ideal accommodation, but seeing how clean it was, with all the necessary amenities, the three couples couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

While participating in a reality show definitely wouldn’t be a relaxing experience, having comfortable living arrangements was already a big plus.

After sitting on the bus for two hours, the production team gave them half an hour of rest, temporarily halting the filming.

Xu Yuan had been reluctant to get up early that morning, so she lingered in bed for a while. It was Meng Zhengrong who helped her pack her bag; thankfully, they were only staying one night, so he wouldn’t mess things up.

As she opened her suitcase to change her shoes, she unexpectedly stumbled upon a piece of lingerie—a very revealing nightgown that was nearly transparent. With only a bit of lace, it was practically like wearing nothing at all.

Of all the nightwear she had, this was the most seductive piece. She had bypassed it several times when looking for sleepwear, never thinking Meng Zhengrong would pick this one for her.

Meng Zhengrong returned from the bathroom and saw Xu Yuan holding the nightgown. He approached her from behind and hugged her, saying, “If I hadn’t helped you pack, I wouldn’t have known you had this.”

That morning, he had discovered it in her drawer and felt a rush of excitement.

To put it bluntly, if he hadn’t been thinking about filming, he might have driven away first thing in the morning.

It sounded a bit inappropriate, but it was the truth.

Women might not realize how visually striking seductive lingerie can be for men.

Just thinking about it was enough to get his blood pumping.

Xu Yuan didn’t know how to explain this misunderstanding. She had no idea if the original owner had prepared this nightgown, but it definitely wasn’t hers. Had she known this would happen, she would have tossed it out long ago.

At this moment, it felt impossible to clear her name.

How could she have prepared such a nightgown? It directly challenged the limits of what was acceptable.

“We’re recording a show,” Xu Yuan managed to say, trying to remind Meng Zhengrong to keep things professional.

They could mess around later; with so many people around, he needed to tone it down.

“It’s not like we’ll be filming at night, and no one will be eavesdropping,” Meng Zhengrong added. “Even if someone wanted to listen, it would be Song Chaowen and his wife.”

Up to this point, Meng Zhengrong firmly believed this was a surprise Xu Yuan had prepared for him, not knowing which holiday it was meant for. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bought such a nightgown out of the blue.

So mischievous.

Half an hour passed quickly, and Xu Yuan worried that some staff member might come knocking, so she casually brushed off Meng Zhengrong’s comment. “Let’s talk about this later; we’ll be starting the recording soon.”

Meng Zhengrong kissed Xu Yuan’s cheek. “Alright, we’ll talk tonight.”