Chapter 85

Chapter 85

The overall schedule for the "Opposite-Sex Friend" program was finalized a week in advance, including preparations before departure and follow-up interviews after the show ends. The filming cycle lasts five days.

The guest lineup, besides Ān Yě and Diāo Tóng, who are both actors, also includes singer Zhào Pī, comedian Yáo Ruò, and idol Lù Yīfēi, who came from a talent show to face off with Qīng Zé.

The five of them each bring one opposite-sex friend from outside the industry.

Normally, a variety show wouldn’t accommodate two top-tier actresses.

However, it was already known in the industry that Ān Yě was about to terminate her contract with Huàn Zhòu early, so a variety show featuring two powerful actresses was definitely welcomed by the production team.

The apparent goal of the program is to explore whether platonic friendships can exist between the opposite sexes, but the real selling point is showing the stars’ private lives. After all, the non-celebrity friends have no experience in front of the camera, and this unscripted type of variety show always ends up leaking something. As long as it's broadcastable, they’ll air it. With the celebrity-driven traffic, the ratings are unlikely to be bad.

The location is sponsored and not particularly upscale, but it’s new—a recently developed tourist spot, a renovated resort built from an old village located after a winding mountain road.

It’s near the mountaintop, with activities like rafting, camping, forest climbing, fishing, and farm stays nearby.

The five-day filming is split into two parts: one is a live broadcast every afternoon from 4 to 6 PM, where the host leads the guests in games, mainly for promoting the tourist spot. All the games will be based on the locations.

The other part is a traditional pre-recorded format, enough to fill twelve episodes.

The program will air the Saturday after filming finishes, on a primetime slot. The schedule is tight, and in recent years, post-production time has been shortened, so it’s not too surprising.

Qí Wéi is particularly focused on the pre-recorded part, as the live broadcast can’t be edited. She feels more at ease with Ān Yě and Chí Tuò’s on-the-spot reactions, as they are less likely to cause issues.

However, the pre-recorded part might not be as easy. Although the team has worked with Ān Yě before, the studio and Huàn Zhòu are both options presented to them, and of course, they will choose Huàn Zhòu. The editing of the pre-recorded footage will definitely lean towards Huàn Zhòu’s side, and Qí Wéi can’t supervise the entire editing process, so she can only focus on the recording and solve any issues as soon as they arise.

"The first live broadcast schedule is for farmstay activities," Ān Yě says, flipping through the itinerary. "Should we hide our friendship with Chí Tuò?"

"Yes." Qí Wéi doesn’t even look up. "They’ll rearrange the seating order for all five of you."

To increase interaction in the live broadcast, the relationships between the ten friends won’t be revealed at first. There will be a 24-hour matching game vote.

The guests whose relationships are guessed will face punishment in the next live broadcast.

The two-hour live broadcast will mostly be about farmstay tasks: catch a chicken, do some farm work, gather vegetables and fruits, and cook.

Of course, the pre-recorded content will be linked to the live broadcast. The ten guests will be split into two groups, and the meals they prepare will be tasted by villagers from a nearby village. After they rate the food, the accommodation for the night will be decided based on the scores.

Ān Yě looks at the guest list, feeling troubled.

She doesn’t know any of them.

"My live broadcast is going to be terrible," she warns Qí Wéi in advance.

Qí Wéi waves her hand dismissively. "The last time you said your broadcast would be terrible, you still managed to land six trending searches."

Ān Yě: "…"

"Alright, you should familiarize yourself with the villa again. The production team will arrive in half an hour." Qí Wéi claps her hands, finally taking her eyes off the laptop screen. "The PD following you this time is an old acquaintance. It's Li Laoshi, the same PD from the escape room variety show."

Li Laoshi is an experienced PD who started as a scriptwriter at a traditional TV station and has climbed up the ranks. He knows everything about the entertainment industry. During a production team meeting, they subtly mentioned that the show’s main selling point would be Ān Yě and Diāo Tóng. One is terminating her contract early, and the other is the guaranteed lead actress for two major films at Huàn Zhòu this year. Both of them have an image of being committed to honing their acting skills, so Huàn Zhòu has hinted that they would like Diāo Tóng to join this variety show to create a sense of the "new generation rising."

The lead director thinks this is a good idea—more conflict equals more viewership.

Li PD, however, doesn’t think so. Both Ān Yě and Diāo Tóng have great reputations in the industry. One is a devoted actress, and the other has made it clear that Ān Yě is her life goal. There’s even a viral video of Diāo Tóng, a newcomer at the time, stepping on her dress at a red carpet event. Ān Yě, standing behind her, helped pull the dress out while being interviewed.

Although they didn’t interact much at the time due to their interviews, both have excellent rapport with the public.She was curious about what kind of sparks these two might create by participating in the same variety show.

Due to the "City of the Sun" filming schedule, Ān Yě was the last to record among the five guests. When Li PD saw the address, he laughed.

This villa is quite familiar to veteran actors. It’s a three-story building, with each floor having a different style of decoration. Many celebrities choose this villa when they need to film home-based content for variety shows. Li PD found it amusing because just a week ago, Diāo Tóng had used it. However, Diāo Tóng used the first floor, while Ān Yě was assigned the third-floor penthouse. With the right camera angles and editing, the audience wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Ān Yě was dressed casually in a light cream-colored home outfit, with a slight makeup and her hair tied up in a ponytail. Besides the iconic black ear bone earring on her left ear, there was no other decoration.

But she still looked beautiful.

Her facial features were striking enough to stand out even in front of the variety show cameras.

"I’m not good at tidying up." In front of the camera, Ān Yě spoke softly, her voice not too loud, but very pleasant to listen to. "Normally, my assistant helps me with this."

Li PD looked around the living room of the third floor, which was in a bit of a mess.

Ān Yě's new studio did a good job, redecorating the entire third floor. The homey atmosphere was very strong, and all the products provided by the show’s sponsors were placed in the most visible spots. To create an authentic look for the "packing before departure" scene, a pile of daily necessities was left on the floor.

Most of these weren’t even Ān Yě’s personal items; she had to cleverly incorporate her endorsed products and sponsor items into the shots, so she was packing quite slowly.

"Do you usually travel with friends, Teacher Ān?" Li PD asked, the camera focusing on one of the sponsored products.

Ān Yě paused. She was a bit resistant to this kind of unscripted, spontaneous question, but Qi Wéi had told her beforehand not to make up stories—just speak the truth where possible, and remain silent if there was something she couldn’t talk about.

"I haven’t been," Ān Yě answered honestly.

Li PD was a bit surprised. "Never? Doesn’t Teacher Ān like to travel?"

"I do, but when I was studying, I didn’t have money. And then when I had money, I didn’t have time." Ān Yě looked up at the camera, being very sincere.

"What about your friends?" Li PD asked again.

Ān Yě hesitated for a second. "Not really. He’s kind of like me."

"Speaking of Teacher Ān’s friend..." Li PD naturally steered the conversation, "Is he the one you drew a turtle on his face during the Lantern Festival?"

The camera was filming Ān Yě as she folded her coat. Despite claiming she wasn’t good at tidying up, she folded a peculiar cloak into a neat square. Hearing this question, the tip of her fingernail accidentally pulled out a thread from the cloak.

Ān Yě: "…At first, I didn’t want to draw a turtle, but it didn’t go well, so I ended up drawing a turtle shell."

She didn’t want to talk about what happened that night on camera, so she just grabbed the most noticeable detail.

Li PD: "…"

Is this the key point?!

However, this answer was effective. Li PD didn’t press further, and with a smile, continued the conversation. He then asked a question that all guests would likely be asked: "How did you meet your friend? Is it like your mother said, that you fought on the day you were born?"

It was supposed to be a fun question.

But off-camera, Qi Wéi paused her hand that was holding her phone.

Ān Yě didn’t show any signs of abnormality on her face but took a moment to think before answering, "Yes, we were neighbors."

Li PD: "Actually, I’ve seen the family portrait your mother showed. To you, is this friend more like an older brother or a friend?"

Ān Yě looked up. A faint smile appeared on her face, and her eyes were calm, but for some reason, it made Li PD’s heart tighten.These interview questions would be edited into the first episode of the pre-recorded show. They were all standard questions, designed to gauge how the celebrities position their friends and to increase the audience’s curiosity about the ordinary people who are friends with celebrities.

The final question about whether the friend is a "brother" was added last minute.

It was requested by Huàn Zhòu.

From Li PD's perspective, this wasn’t a particularly malicious question, nor was it difficult to answer. However, after asking it and seeing Ān Yě’s expression, Li PD realized that it might not just be an issue of Huàn Zhòu wanting to get under Ān Yě’s skin.

"This part can be aired as is, no need to edit," Ān Yě said without changing her expression or movements, just adding a quick note before answering.

She manually adjusted the camera, making it easier for them to edit, even ensuring the lighting stayed the same.

"The term 'brother' is too light," Ān Yě replied, continuing to pack her things. "For a long time, I thought he was like my father, born on the same day, same month, same year."

Li PD: "..."

She rarely looked at the behind-the-scenes crew during interviews; after all, it was just a variety show with no sharp questions.

But the phrase "same day, same month, same year father" still surprised Li PD.

So this was how Ān Yě behaved without a scripted persona?

She looked over at Ān Yě’s manager, Qi Wéi.

Qi Wéi had one hand covering half her face and didn’t even glance at her.

Li PD could only weakly repeat, "…Father?"

"He drove me to school and picked me up, did homework with me, and even signed the parent signature section for me." Ān Yě said casually, "I have bad handwriting, so he’d watch me practice every day. When my grades dropped in high school, he was the one who helped me correct every test before senior year."

"Cooking too. The most I ate as a child were the little wontons he made for me." Ān Yě continued, her expression a little lost in memory, casually steering the topic back to Li PD’s earlier question. "So 'brother' is too light a term. A teenage brother couldn't do all of that."

Li PD really wanted to ask, "What about your parents?"

But she held back.

This was just a pre-departure interview for a travel variety show, and the main purpose was to promote the sponsor’s products. There was no need to ask such deep questions.

"Ah... Well, that really is..." Li PD had to wrap it up hastily. "Such an enviable relationship..."

Ān Yě smiled slightly, lowering her head to continue packing her things.

The rest of the filming went smoothly. She showed off a set of sponsored products and recited the ad lines flawlessly.

By the end, she picked up the large suitcase she had finished packing and tried to move it, almost stumbling. She stood still for half a minute, then opened the suitcase to start taking out toiletries.

Compared to her calm demeanor earlier, the way she showed slight annoyance over the toiletries being too heavy made her seem a bit childish in contrast.

It was a very effective pre-interview for the show. The buzz around her and her "brother" would definitely be higher than the other four groups, especially since Diāo Tóng’s so-called opposite-gender friend was really more of a superior-subordinate relationship. One of the other pairs was childhood sweethearts, but their interactions were full of disdain, making Ān Yě’s relationship completely different.

Li PD reviewed the entire interview again, added a few shots, and before leaving, paused at the door for half a second. She said to Qi Wéi, who was seeing the crew out, "No need to send me off. I’m very familiar with this place. I was just here a week ago, interviewing Diāo Tóng on the first floor."

Qi Wéi smiled even more broadly, showing no signs of unease. "You must be very tired, Teacher Li."

Li PD waved and left.

She didn’t want to offend either side, so she briefly stated her stance to Qi Wéi. As long as it didn’t affect the show’s effect, she would help out where she could.

Such as with today’s question about the "brother."For example, she would remind Qi Wéi that Huàn Zhòu was already keeping an eye on Ān Yě.

They were all sharp, they all understood.

“The interview was good,” Qi Wéi praised Ān Yě after everyone else had left, lounging on the couch.

Ān Yě smiled.

“But they pushed the PD to ask if you’re a ‘brother’ or a friend in the first interview,” Qi Wéi rubbed her forehead, “They probably won’t make it easy for us after this.”

“It’s fine.” Ān Yě looked at the photo of sweet and sour pork ribs that Chí Tuō had sent her, then showed it to Qi Wéi, “Wanna come over for dinner tonight?”

“You definitely have to be in the same group as Chí Lǜ for the first live broadcast,” Qi Wéi looked at the photo, feeling like her sandwich at lunch was a waste, “I’ve been to that resort to check it out. Of the four rooms they’ve assigned, two are smaller than the standard rooms. If you put two people in one, it’ll be awkward, and the small rooms don’t even have a bathroom.”

There were five men, five women, and four rooms. Two large suites each housed three people, while the remaining small rooms had two people each. For the sake of the show’s effect, the production team chose small rooms with bunk beds. The rooms could only fit a small table, and the bathrooms were shared.

Ān Yě quickly shifted her focus to the recording environment that would begin the day after tomorrow.

The gloom from earlier turned into clouds occasionally blocking the sunlight in the morning.

Ān Yě realized she wasn’t really scared anymore.

Huàn Zhòu, Yán Wàn, and Wáng Shānshān—at this moment, none of them seemed as terrifying as being cramped in a small room with a stranger, having to go to the public bathroom at night.

“I’m not doing this kind of variety show again.” The female star made a request to her manager.

Manager: “If you can get a bunch of trending topics from one variety show, you won’t have a say in the future.”

Female star: “...”

Manager: “Also, if you want to shoot a romance movie, you need to change that ‘always killing people’ persona of yours.”

Female star: “...Oh.”