Chapter Forty-Four: Wen Yan’s Calculations, and the Mushroom-Gathering Girl?

Everything unfolded just as Wen Yan had hoped.

In the end, Bai Ling was left with no choice but to share a room with Wen Yan. After placing some of their luggage in the room, Bai Ling and the others didn’t linger but went straight downstairs to gather with the rest.

Now came the time to help out with chores—this was the real highlight of the show. A group of celebrities, whose hands had never touched an ounce of spring water, would now begin farm work and pitch in with housework like ordinary people, narrowing the gap between them and the audience in subtle ways.

Of course, in Bai Ling’s eyes, this was all rather pointless. Celebrities were just ordinary people—there wasn’t much difference. Still, plenty of viewers loved this sort of thing. Since she was here to participate in the show and was being paid for it, Bai Ling cooperated as expected.

Once downstairs, Bai Ling kept a slight distance from the others, though not overly so—just enough to be natural. If she guessed correctly, this episode would be Wen Yan’s time to shine. Since it wasn’t possible to quit the show, she could only stand quietly by and watch Wen Yan show off her skills. It was just as well—she was curious to see, from a female perspective, how Wen Yan would win the hearts of three men.

Now this was a high-level match!

Zhou Fangkai and Zhou Huamei quickly brought out some items, mostly farming tools.

“As the saying goes, ‘Self-reliance brings abundance!’” Zhou Fangkai announced. “This has always been our tradition. It’s through hard work that we have the wonderful future we enjoy today. I know none of you are used to manual labor, but since you’re here, you should experience the joy of your own harvest. These are things you might need.”

Zhou Fangkai wasn’t a particularly educated man—these words were clearly lines the production crew had made him memorize. After all, reality shows always had a script.

Just as Bai Ling had been briefed by Miao Miao before coming—her tasks this time were washing and picking vegetables. As for the rest, she was to help out as much as possible to earn a good reputation and image. The others likely received similar instructions.

So, as soon as Zhou Fangkai finished speaking, Bai Ling stepped forward to pick up a vegetable basket. She intended to follow the script, but Wen Yan had other plans. Wen Yan brazenly took the basket from Bai Ling’s hands.

“Bai Ling, would you like to pick vegetables with me?” Wen Yan looked up at Bai Ling with her large, sparkling eyes, clearly full of anticipation.

Director Wang looked surprised—he hadn’t expected Wen Yan to act this way. The others were briefly stunned as well, especially Zhuge Ming. According to the script, he was supposed to accompany Wen Yan up the mountain to gather mushrooms. Clearly, things were changing.

Bai Ling hesitated. She wanted to refuse, but would that look bad? If this girl played the victim, she might end up being attacked online. Luckily, Zhou Huamei stepped in to help.

“We only have a small vegetable patch,” Zhou Huamei said, unaware of the script. “No need for so many people to pick vegetables! Since Xiao Wen wants to pick and wash the veggies, Miss Bai, why don’t you go up the mountain to gather mushrooms instead?”

Bai Ling was delighted—what a relief to avoid this troublemaker.

“Sure, that’s fine with me. Oh, and Zhou Jie, please don’t call me Miss Bai—just call me Xiao Bai, or Bai Ling. There’s no need to be so formal,” she replied, firmly steering the conversation.

A trace of disappointment flickered across Wen Yan’s face. She had only acted so proactively when she saw Bai Ling reaching for the vegetable basket. After all, who didn’t want to stand out on the show? Especially since Wen Yan hadn’t officially debuted with the girl group yet—she was still a trainee. For her, this was a chance to gain attention and popularity.

Though Lin Yubai was a good choice, getting tangled in rumors with such a high-profile celebrity before even debuting would be playing with fire. From her perspective, Bai Ling was a better option. By aligning herself with Bai Ling, she could play the “deep sisterhood” card. She was confident that with her charm, she could win over the unfortunate Bai Ling and make her a close friend. That was also why she had insisted on rooming with Bai Ling.

She had calculated it all perfectly. If Bai Ling understood, she might have applauded Wen Yan’s cunning. Brilliant scheming!

But now, Wen Yan’s plans had fallen through. She felt disappointed, and at the same time, a little resentful toward Bai Ling.

With her perceptive nature, Wen Yan had already noticed last time that Bai Ling seemed immune to her charms, perhaps even a bit resistant. Now, it was clear. As to why, Wen Yan couldn’t say—she hadn’t done anything to offend Bai Ling, as far as she knew. In fact, it was Bai Ling’s presence that bothered Wen Yan. She hadn’t forgotten the last “Girl Group Assembly Order” incident. If not for Bai Ling, she would have been the focus of the show.

Carrying a small trowel for mushroom hunting, Bai Ling prepared to set out. Zhuge Ming glanced at Wen Yan, then followed Bai Ling. The mountains here could be treacherous, so it was best not to send a woman up alone—a male companion was always helpful.

Behind Zhuge Ming and Bai Ling, the crew members assigned to follow them got ready.

In the “Come Celebrate the New Year at My Home” live broadcast room, the stream split into four groups. The main room featured the Zhou couple and Lin Yubai staying at the homestay, tidying up or preparing ingredients for dinner. The second group followed Wen Yan to the vegetable patch with her basket. The third group, Bai Ling and Zhuge Ming, headed up the mountain to pick mushrooms. The fourth group followed Ouyang Ruofeng, who drew the short straw and had to help the villagers slaughter a pig.

So far, the distribution of tasks seemed reasonable. A second batch of guests was expected to arrive in the evening. This group would be older or of higher standing, so they could come later, and even if they were asked to help, it would be fairly light work. Respecting elders and caring for the young remained important traditions.

Of course, the arrival of the senior guests would be when the show truly got interesting. Celebrities doing chores was a novelty, but after an afternoon, the excitement would fade. Even the most entertaining celebrity couldn’t keep the laughs coming endlessly—they were performers, not comedians.

But the evening would be different. The veteran guests, with real talent and skill, would be sure to wow the live audience, even with just a casual display.