The somewhat rugged and tattered convertible stopped at the entrance of Yanhui Village, attracting the attention of a group of large white geese.
Ye Shanshan and Xu Luoyang disembarked with their luggage, bidding farewell to the driver, “Thank you, and sorry for the trouble!”
The driver waved his hand, put on his coarse hat, feeling great, “No trouble at all! If you have time, come over for a meal. I’ll make you stir-fried pickled vegetables with pork!”
Hearing this dish name, Ye Shanshan suddenly felt hungry. If it weren’t for the program recording, he would definitely have followed the driver right now.
However, they had to miss out, and it hurt!
After the car drove away, Ye Shanshan looked at the smoking three-wheeled vehicle getting farther away and, after some thought, nudged Xu Luoyang with his elbow.
“Luoyang, I suddenly feel that this car looks cool and stylish. Do you think I should buy one too?”
Before Xu Luoyang could respond, Ye Shanshan imagined it—Gong Yue, wearing a custom-tailored suit, sitting on the three-wheeled vehicle with himself, donning a coarse hat, heading eastward with the rising sun, “vroom vroom” all the way.
—The scene was too weird, and he decided not to think about it anymore.
The production crew was stationed at the village chief’s house in Yanhui Village, consisting of several adjoining bungalows with a relatively large courtyard. However, it was currently occupied by various equipment. After Ye Shanshan and Xu Luoyang arrived, they followed the auntie cooking to the kitchen at the back to eat. Each of them got an extra-large bowl of egg-fried rice—couldn’t be happier!
As other groups had not yet arrived, the shooting would temporarily be put on hold. Consequently, Ye Shanshan took the opportunity to release himself freely.
Xu Luoyang stood in a corner of the backyard, leaning against the wall, holding a cup of tea, watching Ye Shanshan energetically chasing chickens and ducks around the yard, silently taking a sip of tea to calm himself.
He felt his eyes were sore; he couldn’t believe that the person before him, who was left with no cats or dogs around, had once played the piano in the Golden Hall.
Indeed, the world hides so many truths behind appearances.
Then he, too, joined this group.
Ye Shanshan, who had previously launched several surprise attacks, lost interest in both male and female chickens. Now, he squatted on the ground, patiently feeding a yellowish little chicken. Later, unable to resist the naturally cute attack of the little chicken wobbling as it walked, Ye Shanshan carefully lifted the tiny creature. The two stared at each other with big eyes, not knowing whether they were exchanging glances or transmitting brainwaves.
Xu Luoyang, watching on the side, felt the itch, “Can I hold it too?”
“Just call me Brother Ye, and I’ll let you.”
“…” Can’t this ever end? Xu Luoyang didn’t want to compromise, intending to maintain his dignity and principles, but he couldn’t resist the fluffy temptation. He held out for only two seconds before lowering his head, “Brother Ye, can I hold the little chicken too?”
Ye Shanshan smiled, handed the little chicken carefully to Xu Luoyang, feeling satisfied.
Being called brother by someone felt really great! But when will the day come for Gong Yue to call him brother?
※※※
After causing a commotion and making the backyard restless with the disturbed chickens and ducks, Ye Shanshan, who found everything fascinating, ran to see the rabbits. He looked like he was busy with a wind-up toy at his feet throughout the process.
While Ye Shanshan was feeding the rabbits, the cameraman responsible for filming him approached with the equipment. “Shanshan, Luoyang, the director said each group needs to confirm the leader. What do you think, who should be the leader in your group?”
Ye Shanshan had never been the legendary group leader but was very enthusiastic. However, he believed that in any situation, fairness and justice should be upheld. So, he asked Xu Luoyang, “Let’s come up with a way to decide the leader, how about a competition?”
Xu Luoyang thought it was a good idea. “Sure, I want to redeem myself. Last time, you dominated Super Mario, so let’s try a different game this time.”
The two sides quickly prepared for the showdown, and members of the production crew, eager to join the fun, surrounded them, creating a circle reminiscent of old men playing chess in the park.
As it turned out, Xu Luoyang came prepared. He chose a game that had just been released a few days ago and deliberately selected the Hell mode. It was evident that he had practiced in advance and was full of confidence.
“Let’s battle!” Xu Luoyang declared.
“Let’s battle!” Ye Shanshan echoed but then felt something was off. “Wait, Luoyang, can you explain the rules first?”
Twenty minutes later, after three consecutive defeats, the seasoned Xu Luoyang suffered a crushing defeat, mercilessly beaten by the novice Ye Shanshan. He lay on the ground, spitting blood and unable to get up.
Ye Shanshan put away his phone, exuding a triumphant aura, and pretended to be modest. “Actually, we can choose a different way to compete.”
Seeing the smug Ye Shanshan, Xu Luoyang felt a chill in his heart. “Do I have to compete with you in pig farming?”
Ye Shanshan carefully considered it and, with a sincere and practical attitude, told Xu Luoyang, “I think you probably can’t beat me.”
At one point, he was fascinated by raising little pigs, horses, and lambs. Gong Yue even brought in an expert to give him lessons. However, unable to endure the constant stench of animal dung, he reluctantly gave up the hobby.
So, when it comes to animal husbandry, Ye Ge is undoubtedly the number one.
***
Around two o’clock, the people from the other four teams gradually arrived.
Because all of them were abandoned halfway due to various vehicle malfunctions, their phones ran out of battery, couldn’t find the way, and were starving, each of them looked a bit miserable.
As they stepped into the yard, they saw Ye Shanshan feeding chickens with very standardized movements. It was so standard that it could be recorded as an instructional video. This sight made them silently stop in their tracks—wasn’t this supposed to be an entertaining and exciting variety show? Why did it feel like they had crossed into an agricultural channel!
After everyone had gathered, the director, holding a megaphone, stood in the middle of the yard. First, he had the staff bring out a wooden board with ten crudely drawn figures on it, clearly the director’s handiwork.
“…In the first round, it was the team of Xu Luoyang and Ye Shanshan who arrived at the destination first, so they can enjoy a reward. As for what the reward is, I won’t reveal it now. Next, you will participate in a competition, and the result of this competition will determine what you will eat for dinner.”
Then, several staff members brought out more than ten wooden racks. Each rack had a palm-sized wooden sign with simple drawings of vegetables, fruits, meat, etc., still very much in the style of a soulful artist. Especially the wooden racks with the sign “meat” were placed far away, but perhaps the artist didn’t know how to draw, so directly written in large letters on top was the word “meat.”
“Now, each group needs to send a representative to use the air gun we provide to shoot at those signs. Each person gets five bullets, and whichever one you hit will determine the type of dish you’ll have for dinner. I believe everyone here will be fine.”
Someone raised their hand to ask, “What if we don’t hit anything? Do we go hungry?”
“No hunger.” The director amplified his voice with the megaphone, “You can just enjoy the breeze—” and the lingering sound continued.
Xu Luoyang looked into the distance at the position of the chicken legs. It seemed a bit far, afraid there might not be much fate between them. Although he had acted in crime films and even held a gun, it was all about posing and looking cool; there was no real ability involved. So, he comforted Ye Shanshan.
“Can’t get the chicken legs, but you should be able to shoot down two servings of vegetables.”
Ye Shanshan, estimating the distance and wind resistance, looked at Xu Luoyang strangely when he said that, “Didn’t we agree that Ye Ge would cover you? What do you want to eat, steak or pork tenderloin?”
“!!” Those were the farthest pieces of “meat,” what kind of rhythm was this?
Next, the shooting competition officially began, and Ye Shanshan demonstrated his strength to Xu Luoyang. What does it mean to be led by Ye Ge into the world!
He and the other four contestants stood on the same line. Perhaps thinking it would be too restricting, Ye Shanshan took off his jacket, tied it around his waist, revealing a very slender waist.
Holding the air gun and feeling its weight, Ye Shanshan stood behind the designated line, looked at the farthest sign, then raised the gun directly. One hand steadily supported the gun body, and the other hand was placed on the trigger, the muscles on his arm showing a beautiful line.
His usually clear and calm eyes suddenly became sharp, lips pursed with a dangerous arc, making people palpitate yet eager to have another look.
With slightly narrowed eyes, Ye Shanshan’s fingers moved, followed by a “bang” sound in the center of the farthest steak sign, a small hole appeared.
In the midst of silence, someone said, “Damn, did the FBI infiltrate our program?”
Ye Shanshan turned the gun upright, experiencing the exaggerated feeling of blowing into the gun barrel, then raised his arm, stabilized the aim, and pulled the trigger — “bang,” the pork tenderloin sign was hit. This time he didn’t stop; his movements were flowing like clouds and water, dazzlingly smooth. He consecutively hit the signs of tough berries and oranges, all hitting the bullseye.
Feeling that it was almost enough, Ye Shanshan put down the gun, made a scissor hand gesture towards Xu Luoyang, and raised an eyebrow triumphantly. If Gong Yue were here, he would definitely understand that Ye Shanshan was seeking praise.
As for Xu Luoyang, he was entirely focused on those signs representing food. He felt that the most correct thing he had done recently was bringing Ye Shanshan to participate in this program!
After dinner, Xu Luoyang and Ye Shanshan followed the team into the mountains. According to the program’s arrangement, they were going to set up a tent in the mountains and spend the night inside, experiencing the nightlife of the mountains.
Ye Shanshan’s wilderness survival skills had been specially trained by Gong Yue. Not blackening and not blowing made him absolutely full marks, so he quickly set up the tent and even helped Xu Luoyang.
As night fell, the mountain night was far from quiet. Insects chirped everywhere, occasionally interspersed with birdcalls.
There was no TV, no internet, and the mobile signal was not great. It took half a day to buffer a picture. Sitting on the ground, Ye Shanshan and Xu Luoyang were quite bored.
After gazing at the night sky with few stars and staring at the turned-off cameras for a while, Ye Shanshan spoke with a somewhat lifeless voice, “Let’s chat.”
Xu Luoyang wasn’t very interested, but aside from chatting, there weren’t many entertainment options. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Whatever you want to talk about.”
After thinking for a moment, Xu Luoyang said, “Speaking of which, I’m particularly curious about how you met Mr. Gong?”
Ye Shanshan blinked, sighed first, “You know that the Gong family is a very large family, right?”
Xu Luoyang nodded, “I know.” Because Yuzhi Entertainment Company belonged to the Gong family, he had deliberately looked into it a bit before signing with the company. Even from the surface, it was already a monstrous behemoth.
Ye Shanshan nodded, a hint of melancholy in his eyes. After a pause, he continued,
“Actually, I was specially trained as an all-around bodyguard by the Gong family in Huaguo.”
Unexpectedly, he dropped a bombshell right away. Xu Luoyang was so startled that he sat up straight, suddenly worried if he could really know about such insider information.
“I grew up on a secluded island from a very young age. Many children from all over the world lived on the island, and we were all orphans. We had to learn everything on the island, including firearms, assassination, everything we had to master. As long as we failed in one aspect, we would be immediately sent away. Of course, you wouldn’t want to know what happened after being sent away.”
A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Ye Shanshan’s mouth.
“So, I worked very hard from a young age because I was afraid I might also be sent away halfway. Finally, at the age of seventeen, I passed the twenty-one checkpoints on the island and earned the qualification to leave that deserted island. Later, I was sent to the Gong family, and then the people from the Huaguo Gong family sent me to Gong Yue as his personal bodyguard.”
As he spoke further, his voice trembled a bit, clearly indicating more twists and turns in the story.
“…” Xu Luoyang looked at Ye Shanshan in front of him, sincerely recalling the past. He swallowed his saliva and said, “‘Cold-hearted Emperor: Enamored Secret Guard, Don’t Run Away,’ I’ve read this book.”
“!”
Ye Shanshan stood up neatly, turned around, and went into his own tent.
This was too embarrassing!
In the middle of the night, it started raining in the mountains. The sound of raindrops hitting the leaves was quite loud, and Ye Shanshan found it hard to fall asleep. On such a rainy night, he still felt somewhat uneasy.
In the laboratory on the Mithras Island, there was no sense of seasonal change. Every Monday in the summer, simulated sounds of thunder and rain would be played, but he didn’t like this kind of sound since childhood. Because every Monday was the time for testing the tolerance of new drugs.
Accompanied by these two sounds were not so good memories.
Ye Shanshan turned over and suddenly thought, it would be great if the Demon King were here.
Holding the phone in his hand, Ye Shanshan hesitated for a while before sending a text message,
“Your Majesty, I miss you.”
The signal here was not good, and several minutes passed without receiving a reply.
Staring at the tent roof for a while, Ye Shanshan felt that the bed for one person was particularly cold, empty, and his hands and feet were cold. After thinking for a while, he flipped through his phone and found a few photos of Gong Yue, but they were all secretly taken by Ye Shanshan in the office, not front-facing.
Even if it’s a side view, it looks good. He selected the best-looking one and enlarged it. Ye Shanshan put the phone next to his pillow, pretending that the miniature version of the Demon King was beside him—
But it was still so cold; telekinesis didn’t work!
Ye Shanshan changed several positions in a row but couldn’t find a comfortable one to sleep in. He sat up directly, realizing that his phone still hadn’t responded, and a small emotion emerged.
He tapped out a few words and sent them to Gong Yue,
“Do you miss me? Are you sleeping? Busy?”
However, the phone remained silent. Ye Shanshan anxiously waited for several minutes, unable to resist nibbling on his fingernails. Finally, the phone beeped with a message notification.
He quickly opened it, finding a message that perfectly matched the style of his royal highness, just one word, “Hmm.”
Although he was used to Gong Yue’s brevity, Ye Shanshan still felt somewhat disappointed.
Hmm, what does that mean?
Ye Shanshan stared at the single word, lost in thought. Despite the poor signal, he wondered if he should try calling directly. Just as he contemplated, the message notification sound chimed again.
Upon opening it, there was, once again, just one word, “Miss.”
Staring at the word for several seconds, Ye Shanshan felt that any emotional response was just an illusion. Holding the phone in his hand, he turned over and curled up, falling asleep in no time.
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ❤️”
