"I'm sorry for making everyone wait, I'm late. Hi everyone, my name is Pei Sheng." A young man with a smiled plastered on his face entered the room. He appeared to be in his twenties, was quite tall, and radiated whenever he laughed.
Following him, a petite young girl walked in. Her face was flushed, and it was unclear if it was because of shyness or the heat.
“This is my sister, Pei Zhi.”
In a soft, gentle tone, the young lady greeted everybody, “I apologize for being late, we encountered a delay on the way. I'm Pei Zhi, Sheng’s elder sister.”
Inside the live broadcast room, the fans were already showing their dissatisfaction.
〈Who is this Pei Sheng? Making all these people wait just for him, how can he be so bold?〉
〈Just a minor actor daring to keep the Best Actor Xiao waiting, that's utterly disrespectful〉
Although Pei Sheng had not been in the industry for long and had only shot a few web dramas, he had attracted a considerable number of fans due to his sparkling handsome appearance. Instantly, there were fans defending him.
〈Our Sheng didn’t mean to, he said there was an issue on the way, what’s the big deal waiting a bit more〉
〈Exactly! If your idol has no problems, why are you guys making a fuss?〉
At this moment, Pei Sheng apologized, “I am truly sorry for our delay. On the way, my sister suddenly felt unwell, and we had to visit the local hospital. That’s what caused the delay, I apologize.”
Being polite people, since Pei Sheng had sincerely apologized and had a legitimate reason, everyone refrained from blaming him any further. Pei Zhi, who looked frail with a blush on her face, indeed appeared as though she hadn’t been feeling well.
Upon hearing her brother's words, Pei Zhi's eyes flickered, though she remained quiet. After thanking everyone for their kindness, she still chose to remain standing.
"Thank you all for your kindness, but I'm fine now. Sitting in the car for so long, I needed to stand for a bit."
Program staff entered the room with supplies in their hands. It seemed that it was time to assign tasks.
"Good afternoon everyone, I'm Assistant Director Han Zhen of the production. First off, I want to welcome everyone to our show 'Hello, Family'. You all have been working hard, so there will be no new tasks assigned for today. The only task for today is to arrange a place for accommodation."
"Do we have to compete for rooms?" asked Pei Sheng.
Fans in the live broadcast room also began to comment, evidently familiar with the process of variety shows.
〈Clearly, they have to choose and compete for rooms again, we’re already bored of this plot〉
〈You’re right, even without guessing, it’s easy to tell. Nonetheless, we can’t blame the production team, how much of a new spin can you put on room selection after all?〉
〈Exactly, it’s not about the show, we’re just here to see our idols!〉
"We're not competing for rooms today." Assistant Director Han Zhen revealed a smile that seemed to say, "you all didn't expect this, did you?"
"The place you'll be staying over the next few days is in this courtyard."
"Got it wrong, Director Han? There are only a few rooms here, how are so many of us going to fit?"
"That's up to you guys to decide. Also, there is a kitchen in the yard stocked with ingredients. You'll need to sort out lunch and dinner today by yourselves. See you tomorrow!" After speaking, he left the yard immediately, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
Despite the participants' extensive experience in the entertainment industry, they were all caught off guard by this unusual arrangement from the production team.
〈Is the production team causing drama on purpose? How can so many of us fit here?〉
〈This is the weirdest production team I've ever seen. They just left〉
〈I find it pretty interesting though, can't wait to see how they will allocate the rooms〉
〈+1, I want to see. Whether they have enough rooms to sleep in is none of our business as viewers. As long as we are entertained, that's what truly matters〉
Seeing them all stand still, Qiao Yan couldn't help but suggest, "Let's first take a look and see how many rooms there actually are. Then we can think about how to assign them." He took the lead and went to a room.
Qiao Peipei, along with Nian Suian and Gu Zhijing, followed suit. Having a leader, everyone started moving along.
The yard was built in a square. Aside from the side with the main entrance, the other three sides had rooms.
On the left side after entering, there were two rooms, one was the kitchen, and the other presumably was a storeroom filled with firewood and some farming tools.
On the right side were the toilet and bathroom. Nian Suian took a good look at the toilet; fortunately, it was not a dry toilet, the pit could flush, she was already quite satisfied. The only downside was the toilet was not gender-separated and lacked a door, only a curtain.
There was no doubt that the room facing the entrance was the living room. It was furnished with a "Ba Xian" table, a sofa, and a television. Compared with other shows she had seen before, Nian Suian thought this production team was quite considerate.
The habitable rooms were the four rooms distributed on both sides of the living room. There were two on each side. The layouts were the same, and the areas were not huge. However, they were clean and tidy, each equipped with a large traditional Kang bed.
"We can all sleep in one big room if we have to," said Qiao Peipei casually.
Four rooms for thirteen people, really the production team knows how to stir things up.
"The simplest way is for the girls to sleep in two rooms and the boys in the other two," Qiao Yan said decisively, tired of everyone's hesitation. "There are thirteen of us, but Zhuang Zhuang is still a child and needs to sleep with his mother. So, that's essentially twelve. Out of which, there are five guys and seven girls. Gu Zhijing and I will stay in one, and the other three can decide among themselves or someone can stay with us." After speaking, Qiao Yan pulled Gu Zhijing to his side.
〈CEO Brother is really something else, he is so cool〉
〈Listening to CEO Brother's analysis, the problem doesn't seem so complicated anymore〉
〈Overbearing CEO Brother and High School Junior Brother. Wow, that's really something〉
〈Upstairs, you're silly! The junior brother is still young, he is mine!〉
In response, Qiao Peipei also held Nian Suian's arm, "I'll stay with Suian."
With two boys in one room and three in the other, they felt quite spacious. Finally, it was agreed that Xiao Mo, Yue Qingchi, and Pei Sheng would share a room, while Qiao Yan and Gu Zhijing would share one.
When it was the girls' turn, Qiao Yan didn't say much, letting them make their own decisions.
Nian Suian had already decided to share a room with Qiao Peipei, and she didn't mind who else would live with them later.
"Ren Man, let's live together. I can help take care of Zhuang Zhuang for you," said Fang Min, Yue Qingchi's mother. She affectionately patted Zhuang Zhuang's head.
'Ren Man, she said it so intimately. They must have met before.'
'Maybe they're already secretly married.'
'I heard when they were dating they met the parents. Yue Qingchi's mother must know Ren Man. It's not necessarily a secret marriage though.'
Netizens turned into detectives, 'Did you guys notice, the way Yue Qingchi's mother is looking at Zhuang Zhuang is so loving, just like my grandma looks at me! If he's not her grandchild, I'll wash my hair upside down.'
'Remember to keep your promise, we're waiting to see you wash your hair upside down.'
Ren Man had no reaction, she just nodded in agreement.
Now, only the sisters from the Xiao family and Pei Zhi hadn't decided where they were going to stay.
"Miss Qiao and Miss Nian, my child Yue Yan doesn't sleep well. She might make noise at night, and she herself might not sleep well. Yue Yan, you can share a room with them," Xiao Mo took Xiao Yan's hand and walked up to Nian Suian and Qiao Peipei.
Before the two of them could respond, Xiao Yan spoke first, "I want to stay with my sister."