There’s a seven-hour time difference between Country F and home. It’s a little after two in the morning.
Jiang Luoze, the lead designer for Saci, is still awake.
He’s used to revising his design drafts late at night.
In half a month, Jiang Luoze will be moving the Saci brand headquarters back to his home country.
Rubbing his tired eyes, he got up, poured himself a glass of single malt whiskey, and studied the draft, glass in hand.
This was the main dress line for next quarter’s fashion week.
He felt like something, somewhere, needed another tweak, but he was just missing that spark of inspiration.
Just then, his phone vibrated.
At this hour, it was definitely a friend from back home.
Jiang Luoze opened the message. He only meant to glance at the photo, but his eyes got stuck.
The girl in the picture was relaxed, looking out the window. Her vibe was cool and clean, and her features were beautifully sophisticated.
And the green shirt dress she was wearing was the Saci sample he had sent to Ken.
This green dress looked like it was tailor-made for her. Her slim, tall, healthy figure perfectly carried the slightly casual style of the shirt dress.
What surprised him most was the girl’s temperament and her gaze.
Looking just at her features, she had the kind of bright, beautiful look often called a ‘rich beauty’, but her eyes showed a certain strength and coolness. It seemed like she could just as easily pull off a military uniform without it feeling off.
From a professional standpoint, Jiang Luoze had to admit, this girl had amazing fashion presence.
Listening to the voice message Ken sent, a smile touched Jiang Luoze’s lips.
This was the first Chinese celebrity to wear Saci in a public setting. She had a beautiful name, Chu Xingxing.
He immediately posted the photo Ken sent him on his personal Instagram and Facebook.
Within ten minutes, it had gotten several hundred likes.
Maybe it was the look in the girl’s eyes that sparked something.
Jiang Luoze put his glass down with a soft clink, picked up his pen, and started revising the draft.
He felt like he had found his muse.
—
On the seventh floor of CBM Entertainment, a meeting room had been set up.
10 AM.
The recording of the “Pilot” episode for Grandma’s Journey officially began.
The staff member was just about to hit the ‘start live’ button when he did a double-take. His hand trembled, and he looked nervously towards the director.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Changsheng, who happened to be standing behind the director, frowned and walked over to the staff member.
“Young Master Jiang…” The staff member in charge of the live stream lowered his head guiltily.
Jiang Changsheng had a quick temper. He lightly cuffed the back of the guy’s head. “What’s wrong with you?! How has this been live for three hours already?!”
“I… I was testing the equipment, maybe I wasn’t paying attention, and…” The staff member mumbled a weak excuse, looking pleadingly at the director.
Sun Zhengjun, the head director for Grandma’s Journey, was this young staff member’s uncle.
“Young Master Jiang, don’t worry. I’ll deal with him properly later!”
Director Sun tapped his head and said jokingly to Jiang Changsheng, “I just checked. At its peak, the live stream had just over 200 viewers, and only a few dozen comments.
Don’t worry, Young Master Jiang. It definitely hasn’t caused any problems. Besides, streaming a bit early might even build some hype for Grandma’s Journey, right?”
“Keep an eye on the comments section. Make sure we can control the narrative,” Jiang Changsheng instructed coldly.
During his internship, Jiang Changsheng had clearly noticed something off about the atmosphere in the company, from top to bottom.
If just one or two people were unreliable, that might be understandable. After all, a big company has all kinds of people.
But it felt like everyone, from the agent Chen Dong to the planning and operations staff, and even today’s makeup artists and the director’s team, was just going through the motions.
CBM Entertainment was his father’s life’s work. Twenty years ago, it started as a traveling performance troupe and slowly grew into a well-known comprehensive entertainment company in the industry.
If everyone from top to bottom kept up this attitude, the company’s future development would be in serious danger.
Just then, Director Sun pulled him aside. “Young Master Jiang, don’t take it so seriously. You might not know, but this show is really just a formality. President Jiang mentioned before, we need to wait until the deal with Shengshi Group is finalized…”
Jiang Changsheng remained calm. Until he understood the full situation, he didn’t want to tip anyone off.
Right now, no one at CBM Entertainment really took him seriously. They all thought he was just some second-generation rich kid playing around.
“Okay, I understand. But we still can’t be too careless. We need to do our jobs properly,” Jiang Changsheng didn’t say much more.
Director Sun quickly nodded. “Yes, yes, yes. Don’t worry, Young Master Jiang! We’ll start now. The agent for the other ‘guide’ just called the production team to say he’d be late. We can’t wait for him, even though the live stream time is starting.”
As he spoke, Director Sun hurried back to his spot in front of the cameras. “Alright everyone, positions! The recording of the Grandma’s Journey pilot episode officially begins… and… action!”
Jiang Changsheng was stunned for a second. The other “guide”???
Before he could ask more, the show had already started filming…
Damn! Who was the other “guide”?
How did he not know about this!
He had gotten up at 5 AM today for hair and makeup, even dyed his blonde hair black, all ready to be the other “guide” himself!!!
—
At the same time, Let’s Travel Together also began recording its pilot episode and live stream right at 10 AM.
The viewership for the Grandma’s Journey live stream had been hovering around 200 people.
As soon as Let’s Travel Together started, half of the viewers in the Grandma’s Journey stream instantly left.
The one lucky thing was that 99% of those hundred-plus fans who left were Chu Xingxing’s anti-fans.
At the same time, these anti-fans had another identity – Tian Mengtong’s die-hard supporters.
Now that the haters had rushed off to support their idol, the Grandma’s Journey live stream was actually much more peaceful.
[I don’t like the toxic fan comments next door. They start arguments and spamming as soon as they show up. Too much negativity. It’s much more harmonious here.]
[Wow! Found someone who feels the same! At first, I was just randomly browsing, but I didn’t expect the four grandmas and the “little guide” to be so adorable.]
[The grandmas remind me of my own grandmother. Super friendly!]
[This show feels like a group of wealthy grandmas just having fun, haha. But it’s really creative!]
[I want to know what brand the “little guide’s” dress is. It’s so unique and pretty. Want to buy!]
[The egg-sized jade pendant Grandma Wen is wearing is blinding my dog eyes!]
[Did anyone see the rare-skin Birkin bag Grandma Sheng tossed on the ground? So ridiculously rich, wuwuwu.]
…
The comment section was very harmonious. Viewers were interacting positively.
The people who stayed were basically new viewers who didn’t know the cast members before but were drawn in after watching a few hours of interaction between the grandmas and Xingxing.
Chu Xingxing had no idea she’d been getting flamed by Tian Mengtong’s fans all morning.
For her, if she couldn’t see it, it didn’t exist. Anyway, she was in a great mood.
Wearing a pretty dress from Saci, a brand that hadn’t yet skyrocketed to become an internationally renowned luxury label (but would eventually).
Her makeup was done by the amazing Ken, the perfect sweet-and-cool look.
Sitting with the grandmas, ears wide open and enjoying the gossip, Chu Xingxing felt that if only she had some sunflower seeds in her hand, life would be absolutely perfect!
Director Sun sat in front of everyone with a cue card.
The staff gave everyone a small whiteboard and a marker.
Director Sun: “We’re going to do a ‘match the answers’ challenge for the four grandmas and our ‘guide’. Please write your answers on the whiteboards.
There are five questions total. If everyone’s answers match for three of them, the production team will give you a travel survival kit as a reward.”
“Okay!” Chu Xingxing held her whiteboard, sitting on a high stool, full of energy.
Grandma Wen Xuelan’s delightfully loud voice boomed: “Our chemistry has got to be rock solid!”
The other three grandmas snickered, looking at her.
“First question. Everyone writes down three essential items they must bring when traveling abroad. No peeking!”
Chu Xingxing wrote her answers on the whiteboard without hesitation.
Director Sun started the countdown: “Five, four, three, two, one… Please show your boards!”
The comment section instantly filled with “hahaha” –
[Oh my god! Is our beauty actually a serious health and wellness enthusiast? The adorable contrast is hilarious hahaha!]
[Sorry, but this is too funny. Comparing them, the “little guide” seems pretty poor, huh?]
[It’s not that the beautiful sister lacks understanding with the grandmas on this question. The wealthy grandmas are just outrageously rich!]
On Chu Xingxing’s board was written:
[Lightweight portable foot soak bag]
[Portable thermos]
[Wujiang brand pickled mustard greens (low-salt version)]
And on the four grandmas’ boards, their answers were remarkably consistent:
[Cash]
[Foreign currency black card]
[Another black card, just in case]
“Congratulations, everyone got the first question wrong! Looks like the chemistry isn’t quite there yet. Now, please comment on each other’s answers.”
Director Sun, clearly enjoying the potential for drama, smirked mischievously. “Let’s start with the youngest, our ‘guide’.”
“Let me see what the grandmas wrote…”
Chu Xingxing leaned over, saw the answers on their boards, and laughed. “You want my opinion? Well… let’s just say tears of envy are welling up in the corners of my mouth.”
Her words made the grandmas burst into laughter.
After seeing Xingxing’s answers, the grandmas gave her very high praise.
Grandma Sheng Shuwen gave a thumbs up: “This kid is practical. She’s bringing top-notch useful stuff!”
Grandma Jiang Yao nodded enthusiastically in agreement: “Good taste with the thermos. Drinking warm water is good for the voice. Good kid, good kid.”
Grandma Wen Xuelan was direct as always: “When you travel, you walk a ton! When you don’t feel like soaking in a bath, soaking your feet helps you relax and sleep better. It’s great!”
Grandma Ai Minli said slowly and deliberately: “She specifically chose the low-salt mustard greens. It shows Xingxing really cares about her health and watches her sodium intake. She’s a good kid.”
Director Sun: ???
So everyone’s just praising each other?
It was kind of strange though. Why did the old ladies like Chu Xingxing so much?
[So far, Chu Xingxing seems like a girl with a great personality – straightforward and generous. I kinda like her. Why did so many people used to trash-talk her?]
[I heard Chu Xingxing and Tian Mengtong were friends who had a falling out? Now Chu Xingxing gets flamed by Tian Mengtong’s fans. Anyone know the full story?]
[Don’t want to see drama. I really love the tone of this show. The old ladies are hilarious, and they’re even awkwardly saving face for their “little guide”, haha.]
Then, the director asked three more questions in a row.
Chu Xingxing and the grandmas had matching answers for two of them.
Only one question remained.
If their answers matched this time, they would get the travel survival kit, which would allow them to use a special privilege once during their trip.
Director Sun: “Final question. If there’s a disagreement during the trip, do we listen to the grandmas or the ‘guide’?”
Chu Xingxing’s pen paused for a moment, then she scribbled down quite a few words.
The grandmas wrote very quickly, finishing their answers in seconds.
Director Sun: “Please show your boards.”
[Holy crap! Didn’t know that was allowed!]
[Damn, no wonder they’ve been besties for forty years. The grandmas have such understanding!]
[Hahahaha, gotta give props to the “little guide’s” survival instincts!]
Chu Xingxing was a little nervous. The key to this question definitely rested on her.
So when she wrote her answer, she tried to be clever.
She leaned forward, first glanced at the grandmas’ answers, and finally relaxed.
The four grandmas’ answers were pretty much the same:
Grandma Sheng Shuwen wrote one character: “reason.”
Grandma Ai Minli wrote four characters: “convince people through reason.”
Grandma Jiang Yao wrote: “Judge rationally, vote by show of hands.”
Grandma Wen Xuelan wrote: “Listen to whoever has reason on their side.”
And on Chu Xingxing’s whiteboard, densely written, was:
“Firstly, the grandmas and the ‘guide’ are not opposing sides; we are a team.
Secondly, when disagreements arise, we will definitely discuss them amicably first, letting everyone explain their reasoning clearly.
If opinions are still divided after that, we can have a democratic vote.”
Grandma Wen Xuelan put on her reading glasses.
After reading it clearly, Grandma Wen burst into hearty laughter: “Hahahaha, Xingbao basically summarized all four of our answers!”
“So… we won!” Chu Xingxing jumped up excitedly, high-fiving each of the grandmas one by one.
The director reluctantly handed over a roughly made little pouch with sloppy stitching.
Honestly, the whole production team hadn’t expected them to pass.
A staff member instructed them: “You can’t open this survival kit right now. Only open it during the trip if you encounter an unsolvable problem. The production team will unconditionally help you solve one problem.”
“Okay.” Even though the pouch was ugly, Chu Xingxing put it away carefully.
[Help! The props department was way too lazy! Couldn’t they have at least made a real kit?]
[I mean, sure the grandmas seem rich, but the set for this show is seriously shabby.]
[Compared to the flashy stage and huge game setups next door on Let’s Travel Together, Grandma’s Journey looks like an amateur production…]
[But still, I prefer Grandma’s Journey. It’s more real and casual. Next door, everyone carries a ton of idol baggage, can’t do anything right but are number one at being passive-aggressive…]
—
The main content of the pilot episode was various small interview-style games.
The goal was to help the audience quickly get to know the cast members’ personalities.
The production team played another small game with Chu Xingxing.
Photos of the four grandmas when they were young were shown on the big screen.
The staff asked Chu Xingxing to guess who was who, and also state their professions and representative works.
Chu Xingxing answered fluently without missing a beat.
When asked why she answered so easily, she gave a very emotionally intelligent response: “It’s because the grandmas haven’t changed much from when they were young, so I could guess correctly.”
Elderly people love kids with sweet tongues.
This well-timed wave of praise made the grandmas love their Xingbao even more.
As soon as the next segment was announced, Chu Xingxing had a faint feeling something was off.
The production team, in their own words, had prepared some of Chu Xingxing’s “representative works” from her time in the entertainment industry, for the grandmas to watch and then comment on.
—
Jiang Changsheng stood with his arms crossed, nodded slightly at Chu Xingxing from across the room, signaling with his eyes not to worry.
He had reviewed the video in advance and had the staff cut out all the parts from that messily edited bestie综艺 (zōngyì – variety show).
Now the video showed clips of Chu Xingxing in minor roles from idol dramas.
Although the character setups weren’t always likeable, as a newcomer without formal training, objectively speaking, she scored at least 70 out of 100. Nothing to criticize.
Just before the video played, head director Sun Zhengjun raised his hand and whispered something to a staff member.
The staff member understood and cast the video onto the big screen.
The BGM for the opening of the video started: “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t believe that friends are more devoted than lovers~” The four big characters “Bestie To Home” flashed clearly on the screen.
Chu Xingxing was also curious about the video’s content, wondering what trick the production team would pull.
Jiang Changsheng was visibly less calm.
If the show wasn’t live, he would have dragged Director Sun out right then and there for a beating.
This guy had deliberately kept a trick up his sleeve!
He must have thought the filming was going too smoothly and wanted to create drama for the show, so he prepared two versions of the video.
There was also something Jiang Changsheng, as a first-time agent, had overlooked.
Director Sun also served as an associate director for casting on Let’s Travel Together, and he had been a producer for Bestie To Home.
The malicious editing of Chu Xingxing in Bestie To Home and her portrayal as a dramatic, selfish person in Let’s Travel Together – that was a setup designed by Sun Zhengjun and Chen Dong together, to make her a stepping stool for Tian Mengtong.
Jiang Changsheng thought of an emergency solution.
He quietly moved behind the staff member monitoring the live stream camera. Taking advantage of Director Sun not paying attention, he low-voiced threat the guy not to switch the video feed into the live stream.
Suddenly, a loud, resonant voice rang out.
“Excuse me, pause for a moment!” Grandma Sheng Shuwen raised her hand to signal the staff.
“Yes, ma’am?” The staff member pressed pause.
Grandma Sheng Shuwen smiled and said, “Wait for us to put on our reading glasses so we can see more clearly.”
“Got it!”
While the grandmas were putting on their glasses, Jiang Changsheng ensured only the wide shot of the guests in the studio remained in the live stream, neatly cutting out the big screen where the video was playing.
[What video is it? Why hasn’t the camera switched? Is it a bug???]
[Hasn’t Chu Xingxing only played small supporting roles before? What’s the production team’s intention here, forcing “representative works” and setting her up for failure???]
[The BGM sounds like the opening for the Bestie To Home Variety Show. But no one counts a Variety Show appearance as a representative work, right? And I always felt the editing on that show was off…]
[Watching this, the production team seems kinda shady. Feels like they’re deliberately trying to make things hard for the “little guide”.]
—
And sure enough.
The Variety Show clips the production team chose were exactly the ones that had sparked controversy online for Chu Xingxing – the infamous scenes where she was portrayed as “calculating”, “selfish”, and “setting up her bestie”.
The production team had even deliberately added exaggerated laughing sound effects, just to show they meant no harm, of course.
Chu Xingxing rested her chin on her hand, watching the whole video with great interest. She’d never actually watched this overly dramatic Variety Show before.
The grandmas’ expressions gradually shifted from the warm breeziness they had before the video to becoming quite serious.
Director Sun said in a light tone: “Could the grandmas please comment on the ‘guide’ Chu Xingxing’s representative works~”
