After the heavy rain, the temperature in Jing City rose a few degrees.
May arrived, bringing longer daylight hours.
Almost every day was bright and sunny—perfect weather for filming variety shows.
Team D accelerated their progress and soon entered the final banquet shooting phase.
The venue for the closing banquet had been decided early on: the Qilan Hot Spring Resort Hotel.
For convenience, the entire team arrived at Qilan a day early to prepare.
According to plan, they would stay at Qilan for two days.
This time, Sang Lu didn’t carry her canvas bag but instead brought a small suitcase, leaving with the TV station’s vehicle.
She had already informed Sister Chen not to arrange a private villa for her—she would stay in a standard guest room like the rest of the crew.
Even the standard rooms in this five-star resort hotel were luxurious.
A cozy little suite with a small balcony offering a view of the night sky.
Arriving a day early, the entire team subconsciously picked up the pace. By 3 p.m., they had finished setting up the venue and clarifying the schedule.
“Wrap!”
With Sang Lu’s cheerful announcement, everyone scattered like birds and beasts.
Some went to soak in the hot springs, others headed to the restaurant, and a few even gathered for mahjong.
Their reasoning: “Since we’re here, we might as well enjoy ourselves after work.”
Sang Lu wholeheartedly agreed with this sentiment.
She had her own plans too and leisurely made her way to the hotel lobby.
The front desk manager spotted her and eagerly approached.
“Director Sang, how may I assist you?”
“Do you have scooters for rent here?”
“I’ll arrange one for you right away!” the manager replied loudly.
Then, tilting his head slightly toward the microphone clipped to his collar, he announced:
“Urgent notice—prepare a scooter and deliver it to the lobby entrance immediately! I repeat, urgent notice—”
Sang Lu: “…”
Months had passed, but this manager hadn’t changed.
Whenever he used the microphone, it felt like a spy exchanging coded messages—his tone was still as exaggerated as ever.
Ten minutes later…
A brand-new scooter appeared before Sang Lu.
She fastened her helmet and leisurely rode off.
Behind her, the front desk manager watched her leave with admiration.
A young staff member curiously asked, “Manager, why doesn’t Director Sang use a private car?”
The spy-like manager replied, “You don’t understand. Director Sang is humble and down-to-earth—that’s what makes a great leader. Learn from her—there’s always more to learn…”
The young staff member nodded. “Makes sense.”
Under their reverent gazes, Sang Lu’s scooter disappeared into the distance.
Qilan was located in the outskirts of Jing City.
After descending the mountain, a ten-minute ride led to vast stretches of wheat fields.
At this time of year, the fields were a lush green, a breathtaking sight.
On the way over with the TV crew earlier, Sang Lu had already decided to take a ride through the countryside if she had free time.
In the city, with its endless streams of traffic, such beautiful scenery was rare.
The sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze swept through, creating rippling waves across the wheat fields.
Sang Lu rode leisurely, feeling her corporate-slave soul being purified.
Just as she was inhaling the fresh air and enjoying the moment, she spotted an electric tricycle approaching from the opposite direction.
One person sat at the front, steering with an air of authority, while three others squeezed onto the metal platform behind.
The tricycle’s tires seemed barely able to handle the weight of four people, creaking and groaning with every movement—so loudly that even Sang Lu, still some distance away, could hear it.
What a hilarious sight.
One second, Sang Lu was silently laughing to herself.
The next, when she recognized the tanned face of one of the young men in the back, her smile froze.
Wasn’t that… Feng Bai?
Good heavens.
Had it really been so long?
He had gotten so dark!
Her quiet amusement turned into outright laughter—she couldn’t hold it back.
Stopping her scooter, she removed her helmet and slapped her thigh, laughing uncontrollably.
Her laughter carried on the wind, reaching the electric tricycle.
Feng Bai caught sight of Sang Lu’s face and froze in surprise.
“Sister-in-law?!”
The tricycle was moving so slowly that by the time Feng Bai spoke, the other pairs of eyes on the vehicle had also turned toward her.
What Sang Lu saw was four dusty young men slowly rolling past her, accompanied by the clattering of the tricycle. Then, the brakes screeched, but momentum carried them forward a little further.
As soon as the vehicle stopped, Feng Bai vaulted over the side with one hand.
Sang Lu clearly noticed the tire deflate slightly under his weight.
Feng Bai jogged over…
No—
Feng Bai (tanned edition) jogged over…
Before he could even speak, Sang Lu couldn’t resist asking:
“Is farming really this harsh?”
Feng Bai blinked, then grinned carelessly. “Nah, it’s not too bad.”
The gloominess he once carried was gone, replaced by a sunny, youthful energy.
His face was smudged with dirt, and his pants were so stained that their original color was barely recognizable.
Sang Lu felt a pang of sympathy.
But along with that sympathy came admiration.
This show was doing something truly meaningful.
They were really farming—not just putting on a performance.
Wiping the dust from his face, Feng Bai asked, “Sister-in-law, what are you doing here?”
Sang Lu gestured toward Qilan. “Work. The TV station’s new show is filming there. I had some free time, so I took a ride out here.”
Glancing behind Feng Bai and noticing no camera crew, she frowned. “What about you? Aren’t you filming right now?”
Feng Bai: “We are, but we don’t need the PDs following us. We came out to buy seeds—we’re just recording on our phones. Too many people make it hard to haggle.”
Sang Lu was stunned.
Wow.
She never thought she’d hear Feng Bai say the word “haggle.”
A few months ago, he was still the third young master of the Feng family, casually renting out rehearsal studios for half a year just to bang on some drums.
Now look at him—what had this show done to the kid?
Sang Lu was so moved she could almost cry.
This was what youth should be like!
Full of energy, down-to-earth, simple yet brave, bright and cheerful.
Peeking at the other young men still messing around by the tricycle, she noticed their clothes were just as muddy.
Without realizing it, she slipped into the role of a concerned sister-in-law, her heart aching for them.
Lowering her voice, she asked:
“Feng Bai, can I buy you guys some supplies?”
Feng Bai paused, then grinned. “Sure! The show won’t let us use our own money, but they never said we can’t accept gifts from family.”
Sang Lu snapped her fingers and put her helmet back on.
“Let’s go!”
Fifteen minutes later.
The scooter and the tricycle were parked outside the nearest market.
Their seed-buying destination was nearby.
While Feng Bai and the others went to purchase seeds, Sang Lu stocked up on daily necessities at the supermarket. After paying the owner, she arranged for same-day delivery to their address.
Feng Bai dutifully called the production team in advance. Upon hearing the situation, they granted him half an hour of free time, allowing him to turn off his microphone and speak privately with family.
Removing his mic, Feng Bai took a big bite of the meat bun his friend had bought from a nearby stall.
As he chewed, his smile was one of pure contentment.
No longer the brooding, detached young man he once was—now he was grounded, both literally and figuratively.
Standing across from Sang Lu, one hand in his pocket and the other holding the bun, Feng Bai said:
"Since I happened to run into you today, Sister-in-law, could you please pass a message to Big Brother and Grandfather for me? The fields are busy these days, and I don’t want to take leave from the production crew. I probably won’t be able to come back for dinner these next few months."
Returning to the family estate for dinner every month was a rule set by Old Master Feng.
Rain or shine, it was non-negotiable.
Even while working in the fields, Feng Bai still kept Grandfather’s rule in mind.
"Sure, no problem."
Sang Lu nodded with a bright smile.
"I’ll let them know."
As she finished speaking, Sang Lu suddenly seemed to remember something, her gaze pausing thoughtfully.
Her expression turned mischievous as she raised an eyebrow and looked at Feng Bai.
"Actually, Sister-in-law has been dying to ask you something—I’ve been super curious about it."
Feng Bai swallowed the last bite of his meat bun, looking puzzled as he mumbled, "What is it?"
"Why have you and Feng Yi been at odds since you were kids?"
Feng Bai choked mid-bite.
Once he finally caught his breath, he lifted his head, his usually mild face now tinged with quiet resentment.
Slowly, he answered:
"Because he’s a snake."
