October 1st, the day of recording for the reality show "Hello, Family!"
Nian Suian went to bed early last night and woke up early this morning to avoid being photographed with sleepy eyes. After all, it was the first day of the show, so she needed to pay attention to her image.
When Nian Suian came downstairs at seven-thirty, the production crew hadn't arrived yet. She thought she was early enough, but someone was even earlier than her.
Gu Zhijing was already sitting upright on the sofa. When he saw Nian Suian coming down, his eyes lit up. Nian Suian couldn't help but smile, "What time did you get up?" His hair was carefully styled, and he was wearing the new shirt she had bought for him recently.
"Hmm, I don't remember exactly, probably around six o'clock. You should go have breakfast now. Won't the production crew be here soon?"
"There's still plenty of time, don't rush," Nian Suian said, but she walked towards the dining room anyway. Finishing breakfast now would probably be perfect timing.
In the dining room, Gu Junxing was still eating. Nian Suian sat down across from him.
"Isn't your son a bit too excited? Should you say something to him?"
Gu Junxing swallowed a sip of coffee and said calmly, "He's just showing off, like a peacock. No need to intervene."
Hearing this, Nian Suian didn't say anything more. "Alright then." If his own father said so, she'd let him be.
At around seven fifty, Butler Su brought in the filming crew. Director Wu, whom Nian Suian and Gu Zhijing had met the other day, also came.
"Hello, I'm Director Wu Jing. If there are no issues, we'll start the live broadcast at eight o'clock sharp."
"Are all six families starting at the same time?" Nian Suian was still a bit unclear about the process. She hadn't seen this format in the variety shows she had watched before.
"Yes, they all start together. Viewers can choose to watch only one live stream, or they can watch all six simultaneously if they want. Our colleagues have gone to the other families. Considering you haven't had experience with this before, I came here personally."
Hearing this, Nian Suian understood. They were probably worried that the non-celebrities might cause some unexpected issues, so the director came in person.
She immediately said, "Thank you for your trouble, Director Wu. We can start right away."
The home footage didn't require much, mainly just a simple introduction and some shots of them leaving. The reason for starting the filming at home was primarily to satisfy fans' curiosity about their idols, letting them see what the idols were like in private.
At eight o'clock sharp, the six live streams opened, and many viewers poured in. However, this was all happening in the other celebrities' live streams. Fans had woken up early, waiting to see their "brothers" and "sisters."
All the excitement was for the others, not for Nian Suian and Gu Zhijing. Their live stream initially had only about ten to twenty people, with comments scrolling: "Zhijing is so handsome!" "Zhijing, the bros are here!" "Friends from No. 15 High School, give me a like!" It was clearly Gu Zhijing's classmates.
Apart from that, there were some fans who had entered the wrong live stream.
"Who is this? It's not my brother."
"Oops, wrong live stream! Hurrying back to watch my brother!"
But Nian Suian and Gu Zhijing couldn't see these comments. They were sitting on the sofa, introducing themselves.
"Hello everyone, I'm Gu Zhijing. I'm 16 years old and currently a first-year student at No. 15 High School." Gu Zhijing greeted the camera confidently.
In the comments, Gu Zhijing's classmates were all typing "Zhijing is so handsome!!"
At this time, there were also a few random viewers who had seen the show's promotion and clicked in.
"This show seems interesting, 24-hour live streaming."
"Don't know who to watch, but this young boy is quite handsome. I'll stay here."
"+1 This young boy's looks are no less than those young idols. Haven't seen him before, did he just debut?"
Nian Suian was still a bit uncomfortable facing the camera, so she only said briefly, "Hello everyone, I'm Nian Suian."
After that, she was at a loss for words. The director was making eye signals behind the camera. This was a live show, and to maintain authenticity, the director and staff tried not to intervene in the guests' performances. In other words, they had to manage the process themselves.
Nian Suian really didn't know what to say and was afraid of an awkward silence, so she simply grabbed Gu Junxing, who was sitting off-camera, and pulled him over.
Gu Junxing was used to interviews and wasn't uncomfortable with the camera, but...
"Hello, dear viewers. I am Gu Junxing." He sounded like he was about to read the news.
By now, there were about one or two hundred viewers in this live stream.
"Wow, handsome guy!"
"What's the relationship between these three?"
"They all look so good!"
"I saw the show's promotion. They said one family was non-celebrity. It must be this one!" A viewer who had seen the show's promotion earlier explained to everyone.
"Non-celebrities?! These three don't look like non-celebrities at all!"
"The one above, this is a TV show after all. The director would surely choose good-looking non-celebrities too."
At this point, Gu Zhijing's outgoing nature came into play. He gave his dad and stepmother a look that said "you're so hopeless" and took control of the situation.
"Hello, family members in the live stream! Apart from our classmates from No. 15 High School, the rest of you probably don't know me yet. But that's okay, we're here as guests, and you'll get to know us soon enough."
In the live stream, there was another wave of uniform "Zhijing is awesome" comments.
"I'm very honored to participate in this show. Let me introduce everyone. This gentleman is my father, and this beautiful lady is my stepmother! She'll be joining me on the show today. Although we're a blended family, we're just as happy and loving as any other family!"
After this speech, not only Nian Suian but even Director Wu gave Gu Zhijing a thumbs up. Thank goodness for this kid, otherwise, it would have been an awkward silence.
"No wonder I thought this girl looked so young. She's the stepmother."
"Such a good-looking family. I like them! I'm staying in this live stream today."
"They look so harmonious. They must get along very well."
Of course, there were also some discordant voices in the comments.
"So young and already a stepmother to such a big child. Shameless."
But other viewers quickly retorted to this comment.
"What's wrong with being a stepmother? Did she eat your food? Watch your mouth!"
Behind the screen, Qu Zizhou was typing furiously, countering the negative comments and reporting them. He decided that from today on, he would be the anti-hater squad leader for Zhijing's live stream!
There were also comments about their looks:
"They're a perfect match, handsome man and beautiful woman. Who are you, monster, to object?"
After the self-introductions, it was time to depart for the village where they would be filming. Their luggage had already been packed and placed by the door.
Gu Junxing saw the two off to the car. Before getting in, Gu Zhijing said to his father, "Dad, remember to watch our show while you're at home!"
Considering the cameras were rolling, Gu Junxing nodded and said to Gu Zhijing, "I know. Take care of yourself and look after your mother."
He then said to Nian Suian, "Take care," before waving goodbye to them.
After Gu Junxing returned home, he immediately asked the butler, "How do I download the live stream app?"