Chapter 15

After resting for a day, the next morning before 6 am, Song Anan and Song Linchuan got on the program team's car and headed to the airport.

Song Anan had a habit of getting sleepy whenever she traveled for more than half an hour, regardless of the mode of transportation. This time was no exception, and she slept through most of the journey as they traveled for hours before finally arriving at a small village in the south to start filming for this season.

The car stopped at the entrance of the village. As they walked behind the program staff, they were led to a distinctive farmhouse.

Before they entered the courtyard, they heard a burst of joyful laughter coming from inside.

Song Anan turned to Song Linchuan, who nodded at her before pushing open the courtyard gate.

Everyone inside turned to look at them when they heard them enter. Apart from Song Anan and Song Linchuan, the other three groups of guests had already arrived.

At the same time, the cameraman’s live broadcast camera had also turned to capture their entrance.

"Ah! The niece and nephew team have finally arrived. So excited to have them!" commented one of the viewers from the live broadcast.

"Top stars are different indeed! They make so many seniors wait for them. Impressive!" another viewer remarked.

"Speechless, what's with the sarcasm from above? The program team started early without notice, can they really blame the guests?" one more viewer chimed in.

The airing time of the second episode of “Our Dearest” was set at 11 am, according to the official Weibo account and the agreed-upon time with the guests. However, the program team typically liked to start early, and this time was no exception. They had set up their cameras in the farmhouse courtyard at 9 am, just as the first group of guests had arrived, and had already started live streaming.

Song Anan looked around the courtyard and could not help but be surprised.

She instinctively raised her right wrist and glanced at her watch, relieved to find that they were not late.

"Don't worry, you're not late. The program team started early again," Li Yu, the guest on the show, reassured them. Li Yu participated in the program with her husband, Guo Xiu, and was also the host of the popular fruit station program. Thus, she was responsible for controlling and livening up the atmosphere in the show.

"Hahaha, Sister Yu's use of the word 'again' is so vivid. Can't ignore the resentment in her voice, right?" another viewer joked.

"Li Yu: Can you blame me for having some resentment left? If it weren't for the program team's sudden ambush last time, how could my image have 'collapsed' so miserably?" responded Li Yu.

"Hahaha, her infamous hairstyle during the last airing morning came to my mind again. That should be her black history," chimed in another viewer.

"I've been following Song Linchuan and Little Auntie's live broadcast before this. I don't know what happened in other live streaming rooms. Can someone explain to me what black history is?" asked another viewer timidly.

"Hahaha, sister above, stay tuned as I recount the story..." another viewer replied, kickstarting a lively conversation among them.

The guests started familiarizing themselves with each other, exchanging pleasantries. However, the other three groups had already gone through their first round of introductions, so the main focus this time was on Song Anan and Song Linchuan.

"Hello everyone, I'm Song Linchuan, and this is my aunt, Song Anan," Song Linchuan introduced himself.

Li Yu smiled and said, "Hello, I'm Li Yu, and this is my husband, Guo Xiu."

Ji QiuBai also smiled and said, "Hello, I'm Ji QiuBai, and this is my younger brother, Ji An."

Shi Qing nodded slightly and said, "Hello, I'm Shi Qing, and this is my son, Qi MuShi." As she spoke, she pointed to a boy playing with a skateboard not far away.

It must be said that the show's production team really knows how to invite guests, as all four guests are top performers in their respective fields.

Li Yu, 35 years old, is a leading host in the fruit industry, while her husband Guo Xiu, 36 years old, is a famous comedy actor.

Ji QiuBai, 30 years old, is an up-and-coming actor, having won the best actor award for a literary film in the first half of the year, and is a young actor with considerable talent.

Shi Qing, 46 years old, is a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning actress, having been in the industry for thirty years and played many different types of roles on screen, ranging from deep affection to worldliness to innocence. However, she is herself a genuinely cool beauty.

If we count seniority, Song Linchuan's credentials may not be sufficient for him to be noticed by his seniors, but his popularity and topicality are the highest.

After all, the current entertainment industry is such that compared to hosts and actors, the popularity and topic of hot idol artists are higher.

Song Anan stood obediently beside Song Linchuan, occasionally glancing at the other guests, her face constantly showing a smile, looking very innocent and harmless.

But at the same time, she was secretly sizing up the other guests.

However, when her gaze fell on Ji QiuBai, she couldn't help but linger for a few more seconds.

Since she learned that their world was in a novel, Song Anan's focus had been on Song Linchuan, the cannon fodder supporting character, but that doesn't mean she wasn't paying attention to the dynamics of the male and female leads in the original book.

At present, because of her interference, Song Linchuan's storyline had clearly deviated from the book's development, but what made Song Anan more reassured was that the storyline of the male and female leads had not changed.

The female lead is still participating in the extreme variety show in the novel and is unlikely to have any further interaction with Song Linchuan.

As for the male lead, Song Anan couldn't help glancing at Ji QiuBai.

The novel did mention that before the male lead, Ji QiuBai, made a guest appearance on the extreme variety show, he had been participating in a lifestyle variety show, which now seemed to be their show.

In fact, until today, Song Anan was still a little uneasy about seeing Ji QiuBai in the show.

Her idea was simple, which was not to let anything in Song Linchuan's book intersect, including the male and female leads.

But now she has figured it out. Since she can't avoid it, she should adapt to it.

Besides, in the novel, Song Linchuan and Ji QiuBai never had any conflicts or disagreements throughout the entire story.

Therefore, it should be even easier for them to get along peacefully now that the female lead is not here.

But this is the first time Song Anan has seen Ji QiuBai in person at such close range, so she couldn't help but glance at him for a while longer.

As the male lead in the novel, Ji Qiuanan's appearance is undeniably impressive, but the book claims that his face is unmatched in the entertainment industry where handsome and beautiful people gather. Song Anan thinks this description is a bit exaggerated.

At least...the first person who came to mind in Song Anan's mind was Pei Kuang.

His face is obviously much better looking than Ji Qiuanan's!

Oh, right, Linchuan isn't bad either! She thought right after.

But perhaps since no one mentioned Song Linchuan, Song Anan felt a bit guilty for some reason and subconsciously looked sideways.

Song Linchuan noticed her gaze, leaned to the side, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong, Auntie?"

Song Anan quickly shook her head and replied, "Nothing."

She silently withdrew her scrutinizing gaze and quietly added in her mind that Linchuan looks even better.

Perhaps to add credibility to her thoughts, Song Anan nodded earnestly.

Shi Qing had been monitoring Song Anan's side and naturally noticed all of her subtle actions, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Everyone was stunned, turning their heads to look at him.

"What is Teacher Shi thinking about? You're laughing so happily," Li Yu asked. Shi Qing chuckled as he waved his hand, his eyes falling on Song Anan, his voice dripping with teasing, "Is it because you still think your nephew is the most handsome?"

Song Anan widened her eyes in disbelief and looked at Shi Qing in shock, her face full of "how did you know" expression.

Shi Qing was amused by her reaction, laughing so hard that he bent down.

Others guessed what was happening and looked at Song Anan, then at Song Linchuan, laughing along with them.

Song Anan didn't expect her little thoughts to be suddenly exposed by someone, and after realizing what happened, her face turned red to the back of her ears, feeling a little embarrassed.

Song Linchuan patted Song Anan's hand as a comfort, then humbly said to everyone, "My Auntie's filter is a bit heavy, sorry for the trouble."

Although he said this, his expression clearly showed that it wasn't the case. The arrogance was unmistakable unless you were blind.

【Haha, this is so funny, can Song Linchuan be more arrogant?】

【Song Linchuan: I also want to be more humble, but I can't help it. My Auntie praised me as handsome.】

【Wow, Shi Qing is truly the three-golden actress. Her observational skills are too good, comparable to mind reading abilities.】

"I don't think it's entirely because of the filter," Shi Qing looked at Song Linchuan and smiled, "Hmm, you are indeed very handsome."

Upon hearing this, the other guests were stunned.

Shi Qing is famous for being a cold beauty in the entertainment industry, and with her qualifications and strength, she never bothers with the so-called commercial mutual praise in the industry. Not to mention openly praising a male actor's looks, Song Linchuan is the first!

【Huh? Why do I feel that Shi actress seems to have a special relationship with her nephew and niece? Before they arrived, she wasn't so cordial with the other guests, was she?】 【Yes, indeed. When everyone was talking just now, Shi Qing seemed to have been staring at them the whole time.】

"Hehe, the entertainment industry is really practical, there's no other way, as the top star, even the best actress has to please me."

"Haha, are you okay there? Shi Qing is the triple gold award-winning actress, and her husband is the renowned director Qi Hui. Do you really think she needs to lower herself to please a popular celebrity?"

"Well, I think Shi Qing isn't interested in Song Linchuan in particular, but rather in his young aunt."

It must be said that netizens do have sharp eyes sometimes, and Shi Qing is indeed interested in Song Anan.

As for the reason, Shi Qing glanced at her son who was playing with his skateboard beside her and let out a sigh.

Shi Qing debuted at 17, and got married at 30. In these years, whether it was in her career or marriage, Shi Qing could be considered to have had an easy time.

But she also encountered a nemesis, her own unlucky son Qi Mushu, who was so mischievous he could flip the roof of their house.

In the past, she often heard people say that parents like obedient children, and Shi Qing didn't think much of it. But ever since she became a parent herself, she realized how difficult it was.

Before coming, Shi Qing had investigated Song Anan online, and found that she was a well-behaved and intelligent top student, who was truly likable.

Believing in the saying "Those who are close to vermilion get stained red", Shi Qing thought that if she let Qi Mushu spend more time with Song Anan, perhaps he too would be influenced by the top student.

"I heard you! I'll tell my dad when we go back that you said someone else was handsome!"

Qi Mushu, under his skateboard, braked to a sudden stop in front of Shi Qing, with a "I caught you now!" expression.

The veins on Shi Qing's forehead showed, and she barely managed to contain her expression.

Her hand was itching.

Qi Mushu had an unruly temper and was carefree all day long. After provoking his mother, he turned his head to look at Song Anan.

"I know you, you're really good at fighting."

Song Anan let out an "ah" sound, looking a bit puzzled as to how to respond.

Shi Qing could no longer hold back and ignored the camera in front of her, she directly slapped Qi Mushu's back with her hand.

"That's rude! Who taught you to greet people like that?"

Qi Mushu's face turned into a frown, "Mom, you keep hitting me, everyone's watching."

He had no face left.

Shi Qing didn't bother with him, and just smiled apologetically at everyone.

But Qi Mushu, despite his complaints, listened to what Shi Qing said and seriously greeted Song Anan.

"Auntie, hello. My name is Qi Mushu, I saw the video where you took down two big guys, it was impressive."

After saying that, Qi Mushu gave Song Anan a thumbs up, looking very admiring.

Boys of his age all had an inexplicable yearning for strength, regardless of gender, as long as it earned their respect.

"Your skateboarding is also impressive."

Song Anan had noticed Qi Mushu's skills with the skateboard earlier, it was very obedient under his feet.

Qi Mushu came to life when he heard this, "Auntie, do you know how to play skateboard?"

Song Anan shook her head, "No."

She had poor balance, and was afraid of falling, so she didn't dare to try.

"Then I'll teach you, and you teach me how to fight, okay?" Qi Mushu was full of expectation.

Song Anan wrinkled her brow slightly, and said seriously, "Fighting isn't good."

"I learned taekwondo to improve my physical fitness and self-defense skills, not to fight," Song Anan said.

Shi Qing couldn't help speaking up, "Qi Mushi, are you feeling restless? You still want to fight?"

"Oops, I said the wrong thing," Qi Mushi shrugged, "I meant to improve my physical fitness."

Shi Qing waved her hand, indicating him to stop bothering her.

Qi Mushi, who escaped from trouble, started asking Song Anan about the human trafficking incident that happened earlier, like an inquisitive child.

Song Anan, who had a good temper, didn't mind answering every question patiently.

As they chatted, Qi Mushi also dragged Song Anan to watch him skateboarding.

Shi Qing breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her talkative son with disdain. She and her husband were not talkative people, so she wondered how they had such a loquacious son who talked non-stop and gave her a headache every day.

"Mushi is so lively, he's in the second year of junior high school now, right?" Li Yu said.

Shi Qing nodded, "Yes, first year of junior high just started, and he hasn't been serious about schooling."

Whenever Shi Qing thought of Qi Mushi, she had a headache. To her, he was like a debt collector.

Li Yu jokingly said, "Shi teacher, everyone now says whoever has a daughter-in-law takes care of them. Why don't you betroth Mushi to someone so that you can be free from responsibility?"

"Betroth Mushi?" Shi Qing glanced at her son who was not far away and said with disdain, "With his personality, it's hard to tell if he'll ever find a wife."

The tone and expression she used clearly showed she was a concerned mother.

"But we have a suitable candidate right here," Li Yu said with a smile. "Look, he's so well-behaved in front of his cousin." Everyone's gaze followed their conversation and looked over.

Not far away, Qi Mushi was demonstrating how to skateboard to Song Anan again and again, surprisingly patient and not easily annoyed.

The two children looked very attractive and pleasing to the eye.

To be honest, standing together like this, they really looked like a perfect match.

"Oh my god! Seeing them together like this, Qi Mushi and his cousin really have a certain chemistry," someone exclaimed.

"Exactly, Qi Mushi's personality is completely different from his mother's, but he looks just like her, like a copy," another person commented.

"Uh...but Qi Mushi is twelve years old, and his cousin is seventeen, it's a bit inappropriate, right?" someone pointed out.

"What's wrong with that? Age doesn't matter in love, and five years apart is okay," another person replied.

"Crying...the best love story is childhood sweethearts," someone chimed in.

Shi Qing raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Song Linchuan.

Song Linchuan's face twitched for a moment.

What's going on? Are you really considering this?

"...this doesn't seem appropriate," he finally said.

Li Yu was the type of person who liked to get involved in other people's affairs. She eagerly asked, "What's the problem?"

Song Linchuan understood social etiquette and hierarchy, and while it was one thing for a family member to object to their own child, outsiders like them had no right to say anything.

After hesitating for a while, he finally said, "....it's the age difference."

Li Yu quickly shook her head and said, "Linchuan, you just don't get it. It's very popular for women to date younger men these days. Plus, if we calculate it, Ji QiuBai's wife is only five years older than Guo Xiu. So we can say that she's holding on to two golden bricks!"

Song Linchuan didn't show any emotions on his face, but he couldn't help but feel distressed. Their family may have two golden bricks, but they still needed to consult with their own family.

He glanced over at Qi MuShi, who was not far away, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

Qi MuShi was just a little kid and didn't match up with his aunt.

"All right, Linchuan thinks that the seniority difference is not appropriate," Guo Xiu patted his own wife's arm and smiled.

"And besides, it's inappropriate for someone younger to set up an arranged marriage for an elder. You can't ask Linchuan this question," he continued after a moment.

After Guo Xiu's reminder, everyone suddenly realized this issue.

Looking at Qi MuShi, the little kid, and then at Song Linchuan, they burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, no, the thought of Song Linchuan calling Qi MuShi 'Uncle' makes me want to laugh my head off!"

"OMG! Everyone else calls her 'Auntie,' so the nickname has become endearing. But for Song Linchuan, it's different, and it's his actual aunt!"

The topic of arranged marriages was just a joke, and nobody took it seriously. The group quickly moved on to other topics and started talking about education.

When they thought about Qi MuShi's poor performance in school, Shi Qing became more and more worried.

Who would have thought that the actress who excelled in her performances would struggle with tutoring her own son?

Sigh, tutoring was even harder than acting for Shi Qing, especially with a student who struggled with his studies.

She turned to Song Linchuan and said sincerely, "When we choose our houses later, why don't our families become neighbors?"

Song Linchuan was taken aback. "What? How did we suddenly get onto this topic?"

Others were also surprised. Even if they were slow to react, they could see that Shi Qing's behavior toward Song Linchuan was out of the ordinary.

Did they know each other before?

That's not possible - there were no records of them working together.

Seeing their reactions, Shi Qing cleared her throat and showed a trace of embarrassment.

"I'm not afraid to be laughed at. I'm just so sick of tutoring that kid. It's a nightmare," she admitted.

Before they all came together to record the show, they were in separate rooms. Although the aunt and nephew pair garnered the most attention, the other three pairs were equally entertaining.

The couple pair, Li Yu and Guo Xiu, were funny and sweet after getting married, constantly posting on social media and sharing their happiness.

The brother pair, Ji QiuBai and Ji An, won over fans with their good looks, and many female fans filled their chat room.

As for the mother and son duo of Shi Qing and Qi MuShi, their daily routine was chaotic and hilarious, to say the least.

The source of all chaos was Shi Qing asking Qi Mushi for help with his homework. As soon as he started doing homework, the house turned into a madhouse, and even the usually quiet Shi was not spared.

It was clear that Shi had set his sights on Song Anan, a top student, right from the start. He wanted to ask her to help Qi Mushi with his math homework.

Everyone online was laughing at Shi, especially those who had experienced the same frustrations when helping their own children. They sympathized with his predicament.

Shi assured Song Anan that it wouldn't be too much trouble for her to help Qi Mushi with his homework, as long as she could find the time to give him some guidance.

"I don't know if it's because my math is too bad or because middle school math is more difficult, but I can't even understand some of the questions," said Shi helplessly.

Li Yu laughed and said she was also bad at math.

However, Song Linchuan didn't agree immediately. He wanted to check with his aunt first.

Shi nodded in understanding, as Song Linchuan wouldn't want to interfere in Song Anan's affairs without her consent.

Just then, Song Anan walked over. She looked at Song Linchuan with a puzzled expression. "What do you want to ask me about? Is there something wrong?"

"It's something I want to ask you for help with," said Shi, taking over the conversation. "Can I trouble little Anan for a favor?"

Song Anan blinked and obediently replied, "Just tell me what you need."

Shi was delighted, holding Song Anan's hand and patting it. "Thank you so much, little Anan!"

Song Anan smiled and said it was no trouble at all.

This simple exchange didn't cause any major ripples in the minds of those involved, but for others present, it gave them a potentially useful connection.

Shi Qing's husband, Qi Hui, was a key figure in the film industry, and by association, so was Shi himself. If Song Linchuan wanted to delve into the film industry later, he'd have a reliable link to help him.

At precisely 11 a.m., the second episode of the third season of "Our Dearest" officially aired.

The crew announced that they would be adding a new pair of guests: siblings.

Song Anan had never heard of this before, and when the new guests arrived, she couldn't help but be curious. When she saw who it was, however, she froze in place.

Jiang Kai!

What was he doing here in this program?!