Chapter 33
Lu Bo’s pilot episode had not yet been released, but Field Diary‘s promotional warm-up had already exceeded its goals. Zong Mo had thought Lu Bo would really bail, but just three days before the recording began, the program team quietly dropped the final bombshell.
Unlike the other guests, Lu Bo was “captured” in his dressing room.
To be able to break into a place like a top star’s dressing room, this capture act was really too fake.
But the cameraman was swaying left and right as if he were drunk, the shooting angle sneaky, very much like a thief.
Passing through the glamorous crowd, the camera suddenly lifted, accurately capturing Lu Bo having his hair styled.
Because Lu Bo’s eyes were always not quite right, Zong Mo paid the most attention to them. Their shape was distinct and deep, their gaze ambiguous yet exceptionally gentle.
At this moment, he looked at the camera with that same gaze.
Zong Mo could almost hear his fans screaming behind the screen.
At this time, the fringe on his forehead was all swept up, revealing a smooth, clean forehead and his entire brows and eyes. The slanted, sword-like eyebrows were like sharp, curved bows. With just a slight raise, they exuded the aura of a king who looked down on the world.
As expected of the main gong!
But his voice was still gentle and warm, asking with a smile, “You want to capture me…?”
So charming.
“No need to capture me. I’ll go on my own.”
Even more charming.
“Hmm… but I need a few more days,” Lu Bo said in a negotiating tone, gently, “Can you wait for me for a bit?”
Keeping the audience in suspense!
When Lu Bo was on the trending list, it was a day and night affair.
He was already a public figure. Of course, he wouldn’t specially spend money to lower a positive trending topic. The popularity remained high until the show started.
Zong Mo marveled.
Tsk, no wonder Lu Bo and Ruan Chi were Gong #1 and Gong #2. They were so much more formidable than Gongs #3, 4, and 5.
The recording location for Field Diary was in the countryside of N City’s suburbs, commonly known as a mountain valley. But it wasn’t the kind of valley where one faced the loess and turned their back to the sky. Instead, it was surrounded by mist-shrouded mountains, with crisscrossing streams stretching endlessly.
They arrived in N City by plane in the morning, then switched to the program team’s car to enter the mountains. By the time it was afternoon, the sky was still a vast expanse of white, with a few green mountain peaks occasionally peeking out. The air was thick with moisture.
Zong Mo’s observation skills had improved a lot now. He could tell that his CEO Ruan was already starting to get angry.
The eighteen bends of the mountain road were as undiluted as the all-nighters CEO Ruan pulled. Zong Mo, who didn’t get motion sickness, also felt like throwing up.
After getting out of the car, they still had to walk a winding path for a few hundred meters, climbing up a small hill.
Zong Mo kindly reminded Ruan Chi, “It’s not live streaming yet.”
It’s okay to be angry for now.
Ruan Chi shot him a look, not even wanting to speak.
The mountains were not only humid, but the temperature was also much lower than in the city. Ruan Chi, in order to look cool, had been wearing a thin shirt from the warm plane until now. His already pale face was now even paler from the cold.
Zong Mo could see this and took the initiative to ask, “Are you cold, CEO Ruan?”
Only then did Ruan Chi realize why Zong Mo was wearing a down jacket in April.
This made his tone even more displeased. “You know to wear a down jacket now, so were you doing it on purpose in L City?”
In the middle of winter in the northeast, he had managed to get himself sick twice.
“I only wore less when filming, because Director Yang didn’t allow thick clothes, to have a ‘shattered’ feel.”
Zong Mo was used to Ruan Chi’s attitude and skillfully passed the buck.
“Do you want to get a thick coat out of your suitcase?”
Speaking of which, they were each dragging a large suitcase, climbing up a muddy and potholed dirt slope.
Zong Mo guessed that his CEO Ruan probably hadn’t even dragged a suitcase on a flat, smooth tiled floor.
It was normal to be angry.
“Opening a suitcase here is very dirty,” Ruan Chi said.
Zong Mo let out an “oh,” surprised that CEO Ruan hadn’t asked him to take off his clothes.
He was usually so quick to give orders, but showing weakness was absolutely not okay.
Not admitting he was self-righteously 1, not even willing to admit he had misjudged the weather and underdressed!
Given that he was a dutiful golden canary, Zong Mo took the initiative to take off his down jacket and offer it up.
Ruan Chi gave him a complicated look. “You want to get yourself sick again?”
Zong Mo was stunned. He had been healthy for several months. The temperature in April wasn’t low, yet Ruan Chi still had to bring up the matter from January. On second thought, when he was sick, Ruan Chi hadn’t had it easy either, spending a lot of time with him.
So Zong Mo asked, “Are you afraid of me getting sick, CEO Ruan?”
“Mm,” Ruan Chi said. “Then there would be no one to cook.”
Zong Mo: ?
When a large adobe house appeared in their field of view, the two who had been struggling up the path also appeared in the live stream.
Two heads popped up first, gradually getting closer. The live stream had started at noon, and it wasn’t until almost evening that two more people arrived. The office workers who were slacking off with the Le Yu TV window open on their desktops were the first to notice the change in the live stream interface.
Because someone was approaching, the several cameras placed in the courtyard all became active, flexibly adjusting their distance, switching between multi-angle close-ups and panoramic shots.
Zong Mo had left from the villa and had benefited from the stylist Ruan Chi had hired. Today, he was meticulously dressed from head to toe. Under the down jacket was a soft denim shirt and an off-white knitted vest, full of a collegiate feel. His hair was inevitably a bit messy from sleeping on the plane, but it added a hint of naturalness.
And when his long, narrow phoenix eyes weren’t red, the lewdness was swept away, and they were instead bright and clear, showing a bit of shyness appropriate for his age, and a gentleness that didn’t match his tall stature.
The first thing to greet the two was a wave of bullet comments.
【sry after mo mo put on clothes i just wanted to call him husband, i’ll call him husband first as a sign of respect.】
【husband during the day, wife at night hehehehehe】
【person in front, isn’t your exploitation a bit much??】
Every two steps Zong Mo took, he had to stop and wait for Ruan Chi.
Finally stepping onto the flat cement ground of the courtyard, Zong Mo called out happily, “We’re here, Ruan… ge.”
Ruan Chi first noticed a camera stuck in a crack in the stones at his feet, then turned his head to see another one in the bushes. Not to mention the one hanging under the eaves in front. He looked up and saw a drone flying around.
Ruan Chi: …
Because of Ruan Chi’s gaze, the several camera lenses switched back and forth, giving a full, 360-degree view of the entire shooting location.
【CEO Ruan, are you here to catch a thief?】
【look at the camera a few more times when you have nothing to do, thank you.】
Ruan Chi’s outfit, on the other hand, was covered by a long black down jacket. The down jacket was a loose fit, completely different from the formal image Ruan Chi had left on the audience in the drama.
【is the down jacket on CEO Ruan mo mo’s?】
【i was wondering why mo mo was wearing a hoodie with a bare face in the pilot, but now he has an idol’s burden hahaha】
Zong Mo sneezed at just the right moment, confirming the netizens’ speculation.
【so considerate even when not live streaming, mo mo is truly a peerless good man.】
【wuwuwu mo mo husband!!!】
【MoChi is real!】
【correction, it’s dyeing vat.】
Ruan Chi strongly suspected Zong Mo’s sneeze was an act. Before he could act up, a yellow creature squeezed out from the ajar door in front.
Short, glossy fur, a well-proportioned and agile body, about knee-high.
A vigorous and heroic big yellow pastoral dog, completely different from the pampered and overweight fat dogs in the city.
It took the initiative, a single leap, and pounced!
Its bark was deep and powerful, “Woof!!”
Ruan Chi immediately took a step back. It would have been better if he hadn’t moved. The moment he moved, he was treated as an intruder. The big yellow dog stopped two steps away, staring at him intently, its tail held high, a low growl constantly escaping from between its sharp canine teeth.
Zong Mo hadn’t raised a dog but had a lot of experience petting them. He could see that the big yellow dog was in a state of alert. He didn’t approach first, just held out a hand, letting it come over and get familiar with his scent.
The big yellow dog indeed came closer and sniffed, its black nose twitching. Before long, its tail drooped, and it even wagged it gently a couple of times.
“Zong Mo,” Ruan Chi didn’t dare to move again, and said in a deep voice, “Take this dog away.”
“What’s wrong? It’s so cute.”
“Zong Mo!”
Zong Mo squatted down and tried to pet the big yellow dog. Hearing the suppressed anger in the voice beside him, he finally looked up.
He didn’t know when Ruan Chi had zipped up his down jacket to the top, burying the lower half of his face in his clothes, leaving only a pair of gloomy eyes outside.
“Ruan-ge… you’re afraid of dogs?” Zong Mo was puzzled. “Didn’t you have a dog before?”
“This dog is too big,” Ruan Chi said. “Take it away.”
Zong Mo: …
【LMAO, the overbearing CEO who has a dog is actually afraid of dogs.】
【big yellow, bite him hard! you won’t have to worry about your dog food for the rest of your life!】
Zong Mo couldn’t see the bullet comments, but his mood wasn’t much different from the netizens’.
He wanted to laugh but had to hold it in, otherwise his rice bowl would not be secure.
He held the dog’s head with both hands and found the tag on its neck. It turned out this was a big yellow dog with a name, called “Hope.”
“Hope,” Zong Mo called out.
“Woof~”
“Zong, Mo,” Ruan Chi also called out, fiercer than the dog.
Zong Mo: …
【mo mo trains the dog, CEO Ruan trains mo mo.】
【i’ll say it for the one hundred and eighth time, dyeing vat is real!!】
Zong Mo suspected that if he didn’t take the dog away in time, he might be able to create a new era in the entertainment industry and gain a batch of master fans.
He quickly moved away a few steps and was about to call Hope over, but his voice was drowned out by another, louder “Hope.” The big yellow dog, which had been happily wagging its tail just now, immediately turned hostile and ran towards the entrance of the adobe house.
The wooden door creaked open, and a young man with a baby face walked out. His large, round almond eyes were modestly lowered, his lips pressed into a thin line. His slightly long black hair was highlighted with deep purple, a few strands curling out from the back of his neck, adding a bit of a scummy-charming feel.
The big yellow dog trotted over and bumped into a pair of stiff legs.
Because the twin brothers shared the same face, even though Zong Mo had searched online in advance, he couldn’t tell who this person was for a moment.
Until another, higher and more cheerful “Where did Hope go?” floated out from the house.
Then, another baby-faced young man peeked out. Unlike in the pilot, probably to differentiate them, he also had a new hairstyle. His chestnut-colored hair was slightly curly, and he had a warm, brilliant smile on his face, looking a bit like a golden retriever.
This lively and cheerful one must be Qi Zhiyi, the one who had chosen arts and was keen on acting, the younger of the twins by a few dozen seconds.
“Great, someone’s finally here!” The moment he saw the people outside the door, Qi Zhiyi immediately abandoned the big yellow dog by the door and eagerly asked after them, “Ah, you’re wearing so little, aren’t you cold? Wait, there’s a cotton jacket here, I’ll go get one for you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he ran off like a gust of wind, leaving the stiff Qi Nanfeng and the confused big yellow dog at the door.
Qi Nanfeng: …
Even stiffer, and at a loss.
【nan nan don’t panic mama is here!!】
【my nan nan is still socially anxious after debuting for ten years, please forgive him.】
【so pitiful but so funny hahaha】
With the sound of pattering footsteps, Qi Zhiyi ran back to the entrance, rescuing his older brother. He even squeezed past him to stand in front of Zong Mo, handing him a floral cotton jacket.
“The style is a bit rustic, but it’s really warm.”
For now, Gong #4, Qi Zhiyi, seemed to be the most normal of the five gongs. And his personality was warm and cheerful, almost like an ordinary boy next door, which actually gave Zong Mo a bit of a pre-transmigration feeling.
But before he transmigrated, he had never met anyone in his life with the looks of these few gongs, let alone five at once.
Within a hundred miles, he was definitely the most handsome one, peerless.
No exaggeration!
Zong Mo took the cotton jacket and said, “Thank you.”
Holding the heavy cotton jacket in his arms, he only then belatedly stiffened.
Ruan Chi and the twins who had been abroad for many years should have no connection. The novel hadn’t mentioned it either, but Zong Mo just couldn’t stop feeling guilty.
Ruan Chi didn’t seem to care much about the two brothers, just raised an eyebrow playfully, glanced at the pink and blue, extremely rustic diamond-patterned cotton jacket, and said, “Hurry up and put it on. What if you catch a cold?”
Zong Mo: ? CEO Ruan’s sudden concern is very wrong.
“This style looks very suitable for you.”
Zong Mo: ?
Now he was certain. CEO Ruan was waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
Seeing Zong Mo standing there motionless, Ruan Chi unhurriedly added, “Put it on. Be obedient.”
Agreement Article 3: Be obedient.
Author’s Note:
CEO Ruan: Wife during the day, husband at night
