VH: Chapter 58

Once the audience saw Li Zhao directly pick up the piglet to place it in the pigsty, they could no longer control their smiles and rolled around laughing.

“I’m watching this show with my mother. My mother asked about the identity of this child who is really diligent. She also told me that if I later find a boyfriend like this, I should climb up.”

“To be honest, I saw Li Zhao rely on a web drama to mingle with some famous people and hold onto Cangshi’s thighs and didn’t like him very much. Then once I saw him naturally chatting with the uncle about pig farming and family life, I suddenly felt this was a very honest and likeable young man.”

“Upstairs +1. I can see that this uncle really likes Li Zhao. His eyes seem like he is looking at his own child.”

The netizens discussed the show while watching it. They saw the aunt calling Li Zhao to the kitchen and preparing a small plate for him. The result was that he was caught by the camera and they laughed with amusement again.

“My mother, this aunt is so cute. She secretly gave bacon to  Zhao Zhao to eat. I can watch Zhao Zhao holding the bowl and turning to look at the camera a hundred times.”

“Don’t stop Zhao Zhao. Let him eat. In order to eat the bacon, the baby even carried a piglet and sacrificed so much. None of you can stop him from eating. Let him eat, ahhh!”

The audience was extremely excited while watching. If Li Zhao wasn’t allowed to eat meat then they would enter the TV and settle accounts with the show.

“I’m a big man watching a variety show and even worried about the male guest eating meat. This poor little guest, what is his name? Is he an actor or singer?”

In Yan Ting’s house, Li Zhao sat on a sofa and covered his eyes. He couldn’t look directly at his face eager to eat bacon.

“Is meat in the country so delicious?”

“It’s delicious.” Li Zhao reflexively replied before putting down his hand to look at Yan Ting. “Ting Ting, I suspect that you’re taunting me.”

“Don’t doubt it.” Yan Ting placed the fruit tray on the table into his hands. “I will have the kitchen cook bacon.”

“You are laughing at me.” Li Zhao poured his grief into his appetite. He bit the fruit as he continued to sit cross-legged and watch the show.

Many things that he thought were ordinary became extraordinarily funny after post-production. He thought he had been awkward when he was preparing to eat the bacon only to be discovered by the camera. Once it aired, it was funny and pitiful.

The six guests had around the same length of time in the show. Li Zhao thought he was responsible for the face and hadn’t expected the program to give him the funny role.

Yan Ting watched Li Zhao jump up and down. He went to see the grafting of fruit trees and then drove away the chickens stealing the vegetables in the vegetable garden, always smiling happily.

“Did you have fun going to the country?” Yan Ting picked up a piece of fruit from the plate and ate it himself.

“It’s quite fun.” Li Zhao picked up ab big piece and held it to Yan Ting’s mouth. “Open your mouth.”

The temperature of his fingers was transmitted through the air to Yan Ting’s face. It was warm. Yan Ting lowered his head to bite the fruit, but he couldn’t bear to chew it.

“The village is fun. There are just too few people in the village that young people could hardly be seen.” Li Zhao sighed. “I will take you to the countryside to play when I have free time later.”

“Okay.” The TV started playing footage related to Li Zhao again and Yan Ting’s eyes returned to the TV.

The guests were digging at the soil. Among the several guests who looked bitter despite working hard, the exuberant Li Zhao seemed very special.

Caption: You might think we’re fast-forwarding this but we aren’t.

Old viewers of the Seclusion Mountain Forest initially rejected the changing of guests but they turned to Channel 9 on the national station out of habit. However, they were immersed when they watched it. From time to time, they laughed at the foolishness of the guests and even felt that this show was more exciting than the previous episodes.

What about the guest Da Liu of the previous episodes? It is the past, let him go. We want to see this foolishness.

“My mother, the little sunflower is so daring that he provoked a big rooster in love. I don’t think he knows the real fighting power of a rooster.”

“Little sunflower proves that humans can exert unlimited strength when running away.”

“Hahaha, Li Zhao acts like a king but in front of the big rooster, he also became bronze. Their backs when running away was like us in our lazy youth.”

“I admire the cameraman? At such times, he can run for his life while carrying a camera and filming the guests?”

“I swear I’m a Li fan but seeing Zhao Zhao being chased by the rooster, I’m laughing to the point of tears. It’s too funny, hahaha.”

“Upstairs must be a fake fan. The real fans have already started taking screenshots to do an expression pack.”

“Friends, those who need the expression packs can go to Li Zhaochao, the administrator of the emoji-related Weibo.”

“What type of creatures are the Li fans? Why do they feel like black fans?”

“Previously, I thought Li Zhao was a charming young man taking the gentle style and the fans follow the artist. Now it proves that the fans are truly following the right artist.”

“When I saw him playing martial artists with the small children, I turned from a black fan to a fan. I don’t know how to describe it but his eyes when he looks at the children are very gentle like… there is a light in his eyes.”

“My mother said the same thing. She said this boy called Li Zhao must have a good hater. Later when he is married, he must be a good husband and a good father. So Zhao Zhao, when will you come marry me?”

“Upstairs, don’t just drink. You should eat some food. What type of drunkard are you?”

At the end of the first episode, the program team interviewed each guest. The other interviewers talked about how inhuman the crew was. Only Li Zhao smiled brightly.

“Sweet potato porridge is delicious.”

“The bacon is delicious as well.”

“In fact, I usually don’t eat a lot. I was too happy today so my appetite was big.”

The audience, “……”

This was a person who carried a piglet in order to eat a mouthful of bacon? Did he dare to say that he didn’t eat a lot?

“Let’s leave Zhao Zhao some face and pretend to believe him.”

“Yes, our family’s Zhao Zhao is a little fairy man who eats very little. Eating a lot is the effect of the program and has nothing to do with him.”

“Yes yes yes, our Zhao Zhao is a little fairy man who can  be full by drinking dew.”

“The Li fans… are really toxic.”

***

The success of the last season of If We fall In Love brought a lot of wealthy sponsors to the show’s new seasons. The guests in the previous season relied on the program to gain popularity and received a lot of benefits. Thus, there were many audience members looking forward to this season despite it not being broadcasted yet.

The ‘Love’ crew was very confident. Recently, there were no hot variety shows. If they broadcasted this episode, it might not be as hot as the previous period but at least it could give advertisers a satisfactory answer.

A week or two before the season started, the crew started the publicity. On the night of the official broadcast, the program team seemed to see their ratings rise to the top. After the broadcast, it was no different from their imagination. It was really popular.

There might be many fans arguing on the webcast platform but so what if there was arguing. The more they argued, the higher the program’s sense of existence.

“This Xu Bei knows how to get along with girls. His performance is almost exactly in line with the perfect boyfriend in the hearts of girls.” The director was originally very dissatisfied with the guest crammed in by Zijia Entertainment but after watching the recording effect, his opinions of Xu Bei were much smaller.

Originally, this guest spot was for Lu Hao to introduce a friend. Zijia Entertainment had inserted someone halfway, which not only disrupted the director’s plan but made Lu Hao unhappy with him. Thus, the director had been somewhat dissatisfied.

As time passed, the program team found that the audience was decreasing and even the frequency of the barrage area was decreasing.

The ‘Love’ program team looked at the lost data and couldn’t find the reason. The program’s style was the same as the last season and even the staff hadn’t been replaced. Why did the results start to decline suddenly? Recently, there were no variety shows or TV shows that could compete. For the audience to abandon their program halfway through, was there a better show that had appeared?

“Is there a new variety show this week?”

“Director, I’ve checked and none of the other stations have a new variety show.”

“So what’s happening with the data?”

The staff felt like crying. They also wanted to know what was going on.

“Go check out shows in the same time period and see whose data is starting to rise!”

After a while, the staff member came back with a dazed expression. “Director, I found out that there is a program called Seclusion Mountain Forest and the ratings are rising.”

Seclusion Mountain Forest? Based on the name, it was a third-rate variety show that couldn’t become hot. The director frowned, “Are they stealing our ratings?”

The staff member’s expression said ‘You are thinking too much’ as he stared at the director. “Director, anyone can do this type of thing but only this TV station is impossible.”

“Why?”

“It is because this is a program on the national channel.”

“What?” The director thought there was something wrong with his ears. “Which channel?”

“Channel 9.”

The director turned on the computer and searched for this program on the national station’s webcast platform. Once he opened it, he saw six people crouched on the ground, their clothes and hair a mess. Their makeup wasn’t changed and the light didn’t hit them properly. From head to toe, there was no sense of fashion. This type of show could be hot?

He looked around the six guests and finally found a young and handsome guy. Despite wearing shabby clothing, his outstanding appearance couldn’t be hidden even if he did nothing.

It was a pity that a boy who looked so good didn’t come to their show. He would definitely attract many girls to watch. The national station’s programs neither used hype or propaganda. Even the appearance fee was somewhat low. A traffic actor wouldn’t choose such a program to participate in if they had a choice.

The director couldn’t help thinking while watching.

Oh, it was open-minded. The guests got along naturally and there were no contradictions. There wasn’t anything that could improve the feelings of the audience.

The guests really carried sweet potatoes? It was worthy of the national channel. They even dared to let their guests do hard work. Alas, this young guest holding the small child could have a few more slow shots and close-ups to make it a propaganda point.

The variety show on the national station was too rigid. Such a good publicity point became just a bland shot. Was this truly a variety show? It was a waste of a good guest and good materials. Why didn’t this guest come to their show? Unfortunately, it was a pity.

“Director, you’ve been watching it for 10 minutes.”

As the director of the If We fall In Love program, he couldn’t increase the click-through rate of the enemy.

“A trash show like this isn’t worth mentioning.” The director closed the video player. “ Go and contact the show’s guests and ask them to send another promotional Weibo post.”

He didn’t believe that with so many handsome guys on their show, they couldn’t beat that type of earthy variety show.

Unfortunately, the audience liked this type of rustic and silly show without the baggage of being an idol. Once they saw Li Zhao surrounded by the truck driver’s family, they laughed and cooperated with the family to take screenshots.

“Li Zhao is really a treasure. When he was hugging the two boys and chatting in the field, I was moved by his tenderness. Now I am laughing at his foolishness. How can there be such an interesting person in this world?”

“I’m so miserable. My grandmother asked me to find a boyfriend like Li Zhao? Where do I go to find that?”

“Hahaha. Upstairs, tell your grandmother that Li Zhao is already on my couch. You have no chance.”

“These delusional people upstairs. Remember to take medicine.”

Xu Bei learned from his agent that the ratings of If We fall In Love were overtaken by another show and couldn’t believe it. “How can there be a program that is more popular than If We fall In Love? Did they buy the ratings?”

Love had a strong audience base and the publicity was already in place. How could other programs overtake it?

“It’s real. The program asked the guests to send another promotional post.” The agent looked at him sympathetically. “I mentioned to you some time ago that the national station had a variety show that lacked a guest but you wanted to go to Love. Thus, this show was taken by Li Zhao of Strawberry Entertainment.”

“Who did you say?” Hearing this name was like being struck by lightning. Xu Bei’s heart beat like a drum. “You say it again.”

“The national channel’s Seclusion Mountain Forest overtook Love and the sponsors of Love are very dissatisfied.”

In order to win a spot on Love, the companies spent nine digits and now it was being overtaken by a program with no sense of existence.

“No, I mean… Li Zhao also participated in the recording of Seclusion Mountain Forest?”

“Yes.” The agent looked at Xu Bei with pity. If Xu Bei had taken Seclusion Mountain Forest rather than Love, perhaps the effect would be better.

The overall age of viewers of the national channel was a bit older. Being able to get the approval of this audience group was equivalent to getting the audience. This was much more practical than online speculation and buying marketing.

Xu Bei didn’t see the pity in his agent’s eyes. His brain was buzzing and his chest was stuffy.

Li Zhao, Li Zhao, how was it him again?

Seeing his ugly face, the agent comforted him. “Don’t think about it. Although there is the dark horse in Seclusion Mountain Forest, there are still many viewers of Love. Comments about you on the Internet are also very position. There are many audience members boasting that you are a noble prince from a castle.”

The agent said something but Xu Bei didn’t hear it. His mind could only think about Li Zhao.

“You can’t let Li Zhao be hot like this.” The hotter Li Zhao became, the more it proved that everything Xu Bei did was useless.

The agent looked at Xu Bei and didn’t speak.

‘What does Li Zhao’s fire have to do with you? Your face value isn’t in the top echelon at all. You treat this person as a competitor while Li Zhao’s team doesn’t pay attention to you at all. Can you really be an AC?’

Unfortunately, Xu Bei didn’t have such a thing.

He turned on his phone to see that the major marketing accounts were scrambling to get clips of Li Zhao in the variety show. His heart seemed to be soaked in lemon juice, so acidic that he wanted Li Zhao to disappear immediately.

However, Li Zhao didn’t disappear. Overnight, he saw Li Zhao’s Weibo soar by hundreds of thousands of fans. Countless netizens rushed to Seclusion Mountain Forest to leave a message, asking them to release some tidbits that weren’t put in the show and urging them to release the next episode.

The thing that made Xu Bei even more frustrated was that when he participated in the Love program, there were many male guests who secretly mocked him for entering the program by walking through the back door. Meanwhile, all the guests were extremely close to Li Zhao.

Why?! Why was it like this?

***

Li Zhao ate bacon for all three meals. Even for breakfast, the table was filled with a plate of lean bacon. Presumably, he looked too pitiful when secretly eating bacon on camera so Ting Ting had a misunderstanding. It wasn’t only Ting Ting. Even Zhang Xiaoyuan’s parents and his three friends from the orphanage said they would send him bacon.

“Ting Ting, let’s not eat bacon at night.” At lunch, Li Zhao stared at the fried bacon in front of him. “No matter how delicious, you can’t eat it right?”

Yan Ting hesitated. He was like a parent who didn’t know how to raise his child well. He listened to what his child liked and kept doing the same thing.

“In fact, I like to eat this.” Seeing Yan Ting’s expression, Li Zhao hurriedly grabbed two pieces of meat and placed them in his bowl. “It just that the bacon is salted meat. You aren’t well and can’t often accompany me to eat these foods.”

“Okay.” Yan Ting’s hand moved and he drank the small bowl of soup that Li Zhao gave him.

“Ting Ting, you haven’t been to the company often these days.” Li Zhao asked, “In your current position, do you not have to go to the company?”

“I don’t need to go to the company for a lot of my work. Doing it remotely on my computer is enough.” Yan Ting put down the bowl of soup and didn’t look up at Li Zhao. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Yes.” Li Zhao’s impression of senior white-collar workers was all from his imagination so he was convinced by Yan Ting’s words.

In the afternoon, the two people sat in the sun room to read. Yan Ting read an original book while Li Zhao read a fashion magazine. In order to raise Li Zhao’s sense of fashion, the company had ordered many top-tier fashion magazines for him.

It might be that he didn’t have many fashion cells. He felt that these models couldn’t compare to Yan Ting wearing a suit. There were also big red flower pants, making him doubt life. Turning over, he found that one picture where the model was holding a computer and dressed in a suit looked the best.

“What are you looking at?” Seeing Li Zhao stop turning the page, Yan Ting put down the book in his hand and leaned over to look.

“Sure enough, a man at work is the most handsome.” Li Zhao showed the magazine to Yan Ting. “Isn’t that right?”

Yan Ting gazed at the photo and didn’t speak.

The next morning, Li Zhao finished running with Yan Ting. After changing clothes and going downstairs, he found Yan Ting sitting at the table in a suit.

“Ting Ting, are you going out today?”

“The company has an emergency meeting and I need to be present.” Yan Ting was doing up his tie while speaking. “The kitchen will prepare soup for me at noon. If you are free, can you help me bring it to the company?”

“Okay, no problem.” Li Zhao easily promised. “I heard your company is strict. Can I really send it to the company?”

“No problem, I am the president’s person and it is a small matter to have a family member send me a meal.” Yan Ting paused. “Forget it, if you have to go shoot the program in a few days and require a good rest at home then I can send the driver over.”

“What’s the matter? I’m idle anyway.” Li Zhao patted his chest. “You can rest assured that I will definitely deliver it to you on time.”

Wasn’t it delivering food? It was okay for him to cook for his brother. Still, could friends be called family members?

He secretly glanced at Yan Ting and decided to give up on such a trivial matter.

Before noon, Li Zhao grabbed the insulation box prepared by the kitchen and set off. He was lucky he didn’t encounter a traffic jam on the way. It wasn’t yet noon when he arrived at Cang Huan’s headquarters. Passing through the gate, the handsome security guard just glanced at him twice and didn’t stop him.

Stepping into the brilliant lobby, Li Zhao controlled his impulse to look more closely.

One, two, three, four.

Handsome, elegant and calm.

Today’s Li Zhao wasn’t the ordinary Li Zhao but the Li Zhao wanting to bring food for Yan Ting. He couldn’t shame Ting Ting.

Walking to the front desk, Li Zhao took the mask off his face. “Excuse me, excuse me, I am…”

“Mr Li.” Qin Xiao called out behind him.

“Mr Qin?” Seeing Qin Xiao in a suit, Li Zhao couldn’t help smiling. An acquaintance would make things easier.

“Mr Li, did you come to deliver the meal to Mr Ting?” Qin Xiao saw the oversized thermal rice bucket in Li Zhao’s hand and suspected that Li Zhao had a misunderstanding about the boss’ appetite. “Come with me, I will take you up.”

“Will this affect your work?” Li Zhao hesitated. “If it affects you then I won’t go up. You can help me give the lunch box to Yan Ting.”

“Of course not.” Qin Xiao smiled. “Rest assured that the company’s welfare for the senior personnel is excellent.”

“Then I will trouble you.”

Li Zhao followed Qin Xiao into an elevator. It was worthy of the world-famous business. Even the elevator’s interior decorations were exquisite.

The front desk employee, who didn’t have an opportunity to speak from beginning to end, watched Special Assistant Qin take this person away. After a while, he spoke to the person next to him, “Do you think the young man just now looks a lot like your Zhao Zhao?”

“No, it isn’t like that at all.” Her colleague shook her head while inwardly screaming.

‘Ahhhhhh, my family’s baby is so good and polite! So beautiful!’

Not only did he send food to someone in the company, but he was also friendly with Special Assistant Qin. Why was her family’s baby so good?

“Are you talking about Li Zhao?” A young female employee in a professional suit with an assistant badge on her chest came up to him and smiled, “You just saw Li Zhao?”

“No, she just got it wrong.” The colleague hurriedly denied it. “That wasn’t Li Zhao.”

This female staff member couldn’t possibly be their baby’s fan. Was she a black fan? No no, the front desk employee couldn’t let this female staff member know that the baby was sending food. What if she blackened and smeared the baby on the Internet?

Her baby was so cute that she wanted to protect the cutest baby in the world.

---

The author has something to say:

Baby Zhao Zhao: Children who study hard are the cutest.

Baby Ting Ting who straightened his book and took out a small book to place on his table: Look at me, look at me. I am the most serious baby reading in the class!