“My dad? What is my dad doing here? Surely, he can’t have missed me.” Gu Zhijing was almost certain of this. Even when he ran away from home for weeks, his father hardly noticed.
“He said he had some business in town and thought he could visit us while he was here.”
“Right, that makes more sense.” Gu Zhijing nodded, feeling the explanation was more reasonable. Perhaps, thought Gu Zhijing, he had Little Mother-Sister to thank for being able to meet his father.
“If this program falls through, at least we have a ride back home.”
“All guests gather in the courtyard. All guests gather in the courtyard.”
Suddenly, a loud hailer from outside the house started giving out instructions for a gathering.
“Let’s first check out what’s going on,” suggested Little Mother-Sister. The program was in a mess, but at least some explanations were due.
No matter how upset they were, everyone remembered that they were here for work. As the four left the room, they saw everyone, standing all over the yard.
“Given the goals we’ve set for you all, which you have already surpassed, we decided to finish the challenges early. Congratulations, you all have won!” proclaimed Director Wu, who then began clapping.
Among the contestants gathered, only Zhuang Zhuang, who was blissfully ignorant, joined in the applause.
“We can go home now, right, Director?” asked Xiao Zheng.
“Go home? What home? It's only the third day! We have a new challenge for you,” replied Director Wu cheerfully, ignoring whether Xiao Zheng was actually asking to leave.
In the live streaming room, comments flew in rapidly.
〈Of course, he's the director managing these many people. If it were me, I'd feel awkward and quickly let everyone go home〉
〈I'm really curious about what tasks the director will give next〉
〈This must be the effect that the director wants. After all, it did increase the ratings〉
〈It can't be scripted, is it? Are all shows scripted?〉
〈Guys, I don't think it's all for show. If it were, they’d all be Oscar winners〉
Nian Suian was surprised that the director was still focused on the task and ratings even amid all this chaos.
“Your next assignment, which is also the final one, will take place three days from now. A couple in the village is getting married,” said the director, who then took a pause.
Qiao Peipei raised her hand and asked, "Director, what has a wedding got to do with us? Are we just supposed to eat and leave?" She wouldn't mind that, though. She had never been to a village feast before and found the idea rather interesting.
“You can enjoy the feast. However, your task is to plan this wedding.”
“Us? Plan a wedding?”
Not only were the contestants surprised, but the audience was too.
〈I can't believe they are entrusted with planning a wedding. What if someone goes crazy again? Will the couple still want to get married?〉
〈The producers are really pushing the limits this time. Considering what happened yesterday, aren’t they afraid this could ruin someone’s wedding?〉
"The production team must have agreed that the newcomer was okay, maybe the newcomer was brought in by the production team to act," someone speculated.
Director Wu didn't read the live comments, but he knew what people would generally say.
"The newcomer is real, and so is the wedding. The newcomer said they wanted to use our program to document their wedding process. Soon, staff will take you to the couple's homes. You need to fully understand the wedding procedures, the bride and groom's requests. Everything about this wedding, including the ceremony, banquet, and venue setup, needs to be prepared by you. You have three days to prepare, and the villagers will also help out. Just make sure not to disappoint the newlyweds."
The director maintained his usual style of speaking and then leaving without lingering in the courtyard. He left two staff members behind to later take them to the bride and groom's homes, then he left.
"Well then... I think we should put everything else aside for now. People only get married once in their lifetime, we should make it good for them," Yue Qingchi had already discussed with Ren Man. Although many things were still unclear, his mood had calmed down. There was plenty of time to talk in the future, so he was the first to suggest putting other matters on hold.
"Okay," Qiao Yan was the first to nod in agreement, "Let's save time. Girls go to the bride's home, and guys go to the groom's. We'll figure things out and then regroup." This was also a good way to avoid awkwardness and conflict.
Seeing someone respond, Yue Qingchi breathed a sigh of relief. The others didn't speak but didn't object either.
So, that's how this unpleasant decision was made.
After they walked out of the courtyard, Xiao Yan suddenly spoke up, "Pei Pei sister, Suian sister, I'm sorry. I might have messed up the show."
"Where did you mess up? The director said it was a great success," they reassured her.
Xiao Yan bit her lip and said softly, "I didn't want it to be like this. He came to find me again this morning, said he was going into intensive training, and wanted me to go with him. I just... I just..."
Xiao Zheng took her sister's hand, "It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong. He's delusional, thinks he's some kind of love god. You just stay in Germany, finish your bachelor's, then your master's, and then your PhD. Mom, dad, and I will come to visit you."
Nian Suian also comforted the young girl, "Let the past be the past. We have more important things now. We need to make sure the bride is completely satisfied!"
"Yes, Suian is right. The most important thing now is to make sure that girl is happy on her wedding day," Ren Man walked over and gently hugged Xiao Yan.
Unlike the warmth and harmony among the women, the men's side was different.
From the moment they left, only Qiao Yan and Yue Qingchi were discussing plans, while Gu Zhijing listened on the side. Xiao Mo and Pei Sheng walked with grim expressions, one in front and one behind.
Halfway through, Qiao Yan couldn't hold back anymore, "Can you two manage your expressions? This is someone's wedding, you two look like you're out for revenge."
Truth be told, Xiao Mo was a fairly reasonable individual, as long as matters pertaining to his younger sister were not involved. Upon hearing what Qiao Yan had to say, although he didn't respond, he managed not to wear a sour expression. Though Pei Sheng didn't quite manage to procure a laugh, he made great efforts to squeeze out a small smile.
The bride and groom were from the same village, although their respective families resided at opposite ends. They planned a traditional Chinese wedding where on the day of the marriage, the bride would travel from her family home in a sedan chair, circuiting the entire village before finally arriving at the groom's house.
While it didn't seem complex, it was only upon delving deeper that they realized the weight of their responsibilities and the colossal amount of work that was to be done.
...
"Director Wu, what made you think of assigning them this task?" This task hadn't been planned from the start. It was the production team's sudden decision, instantly discussed with the new actors. The assistant director, Han Zhen, was quite perplexed.
"I just heard that someone was getting married, and the idea came to me," reasoned Director Wu. To secure their agreement, the production team had to offer quite a substantial gift. "I just wanted to see them grit their teeth and bear with each other as they strive to complete the mission together."