33: Deep pool in the mountains

Qu Lang looked at the assistant beside him with a face full of question marks.

The female assistant was also confused. Wasn't it said they should arrive three days in advance? This was still quite early.

Looking at the equally bewildered assistant, Qu Lang couldn't help but sigh and spoke up.

"Hello, I am Qu Lang, the director of the Program Production Crew. However, I remember the notice materials provided to you by the crew stated that arriving three days early would be sufficient."

"Aha, hello Director Qu, my name is Gao Xiaofan. I thought since I don't have experience in this field, I'd come early to learn from all the seniors."

Gao Xiaofan scratched his head and gave a dry laugh as he spoke.

"If it's inconvenient for the crew, I can go stay in town for a while first."

Hearing Gao Xiaofan say this, a smile appeared on Qu Lang's face, and he quickly said,

"It's fine. It's been a long time since I've seen such a studious youngster. Very good. Xiao Cheng, take Xiao Fan to find a place to stay."

Afterward, Qu Lang hummed a little tune and walked off in another direction.

He was truly happy. As the director of this production crew, he was more like a commander-in-chief than just a director.

Once the live broadcast began, he would lose most of his authority to control the scene.

Having filmed many shows, how could he not know the difficulty of a 24-hour non-stop live broadcast? Not to mention the participation of some amateur internet celebrities. He hadn't been sleeping well these past few days, and his dreams were filled with strange things.

He either dreamed of people being late or of people being involved in negative scandals.

He hadn't expected such a Young man to emerge from among these amateurs, arriving ten days early. It reduced the worry in his heart by a fraction. If all the participants were like this Gao Xiaofan, he certainly wouldn't be worried.

Gao Xiaofan parked his car in a vacant spot, took his suitcase out, and followed behind the girl.

"My name is Chen Cheng, but you can call me Chengzi."

"I'm Gao Xiaofan, you can just call me Xiao Fan."

The two chatted as they walked.

"Xiao Fan-ge, why did you come so early? It's going to be so boring here."

"Ha, I just thought since I'm not very familiar with things, I'd come and take a look first."

Following the small path through the village, they saw that the village was basically filled with staff members.

"Eh? Is everyone in the village from the production crew?"

"Yeah, the villagers here have a local accent. When the time comes, you won't understand them and neither will the audience, so they're all being played by crew members."

"Originally, there weren't many people here anyway. There are only a few households in total and they're all elderly. We negotiated with the village to rent their houses and renovate them in the process."

Gao Xiaofan nodded; that was actually a good thing.

Upon arriving at the assigned house and seeing the dilapidated tile-roofed building, Gao Xiaofan was a bit stunned.

"See, I told you, coming early is bound to be boring," Chen Cheng said with a wrinkled nose and a pitying tone.

"We've been here for a month and we're sick of it."

Gao Xiaofan gave a few dry laughs. He truly hadn't expected the environment to be like this. Although both his parents had passed away early, he had lived in the city since childhood. He had been to the countryside for fishing, but this was his first time seeing a village deep in the mountains.

Carrying his suitcase, he pushed open the door to find two rooms, two beds, a table, and no chairs—only a long wooden bench.

"I'll get you some daily necessities later, and then I'll have someone run an electrical wire over for you." Chen Cheng rubbed her chin, trying hard to think of what else to bring.

"Uh, Chengzi, is there anything to eat? I didn't see anyone selling food on my way here..."

After putting his things down, Gao Xiaofan rubbed his stomach and couldn't help but speak up, though his voice grew lower and lower as he spoke.

Chen Cheng covered her mouth and giggled, then said with a smile,

"The cafeteria probably doesn't have any food left, and even if it does, it's cold. Here, follow me."

Gao Xiaofan followed behind Chen Cheng. After just a few steps, he saw her pull a key from her pocket and open a door.

Gao Xiaofan followed her inside with a look of curiosity. A faint feminine scent wafted over, though he couldn't tell if it was from the room or from Chen Cheng in front of him.

As soon as he entered, he saw several hangers by the window, with a few pieces of colorful underwear hanging on them.

"Here, I only have a bit left, so I can only give you these."

The girl in front of him had her back turned. Her light blue jeans tightly hugged her perky bottom, and she wore a simple short-sleeved shirt. Perhaps from running around the village for a month, her skin had been tanned to a wheat-like color.

Chen Cheng pulled a cardboard box from under the bed and took out snacks bag by bag.

The sharp-eyed Gao Xiaofan noticed that she ended up holding a large bag in her arms, leaving only a little bit in the box.

"What are you dazing for, Xiao Fan-ge? Come on, let's get back to your room."

Looking at Chen Cheng with her arms full, Gao Xiaofan couldn't help but laugh and followed behind her.

"Chengzi, I can't eat this much. Why give me so much?"

"Well, don't you boys have big appetites? I'm giving you more." Chen Cheng dumped the snacks from her arms onto the table with a clatter, then stood with her hands on her hips.

"Also, it's far from the town here. The cooking auntie can't even buy meat to cook. Don't even get me started on the meals."

Looking at Chen Cheng's appearance, Gao Xiaofan found her more and more adorable the more he looked.

"If you give them all to me, what will you do?"

Chen Cheng wrinkled her nose. "Nonsense, how could I have given them all to you? I still have plenty."

Gao Xiaofan suppressed a smile and didn't speak further.

"Alright, I have to go find Uncle Qu. You tidy up yourself."

As if suddenly remembering something, Chen Cheng ran out in a flash.

Gao Xiaofan smiled as he began organizing his luggage. On the bed was a brand new, folded quilt, likely prepared for the staff.

He found a rag to wipe down the bed frame, only to realize there was no water. After circling the house, he discovered a mountain spring flowing behind it, clear to the bottom. He dampened the rag, then went back to the house to find a basin, filled it with some water, and carried it back.

He wiped down the bed frame, the table, and that long bench. They weren't very dirty; it seemed the villagers hadn't been gone for long.

By the time he laid out the quilt, Gao Xiaofan was drenched in sweat. It was still a bit hot in October, and the humidity in Annan City was quite heavy. Having a layer of sweat sticking to his body was very uncomfortable.

The village didn't even have electricity connected yet, let alone air conditioning; there wasn't even an electric fan.

Seeing no one around, Gao Xiaofan took off his short-sleeved shirt and sat bare-chested on the long bench to rest.

He opened a bag of snacks and started eating. After finishing it in a few bites, he felt even hungrier.

Ugh, I really want to take a shower. Chengzi didn't say where to bathe.

Gao Xiaofan ate another bag of snacks, thinking about what to do.

That's right, there's a mountain spring behind the house. Why not go see what the situation is back there? Maybe there's a larger pond.

Having thought of this, Gao Xiaofan draped his clothes over his shoulder, pulled the door shut, and strolled out.

He followed the mountain spring all the way forward. As a result, the further he went, the higher the terrain became.

Annan City was famous for its mountains; small hills could be seen everywhere.

When he felt hot, he scooped up some spring water and splashed it on himself. The ice-cold spring water made Gao Xiaofan shiver, and his spirits were instantly refreshed.

Before long, Gao Xiaofan spotted a dark, deep pool. He frowned at first, but then a look of joy appeared on his face.