Gu Ran had her phone on speaker.
The sound of the call faintly carried into the living room.
The man wiping the table paused his movements for a moment.
Gu Ran wasn't sure if she should be relieved that Ding Ze was still as clueless as ever and hadn't recognized him.
She thought for two seconds, then lowered her voice to answer, "The housekeeper."
"Let me see the clothes... hmm, I'll take them all."
After chatting for a bit and hanging up, Gu Ran hesitantly looked at Ji Shiyu.
She wondered if he had heard.
Ji Shiyu's expression seemed perfectly normal. He went to wash his hands in the bathroom, then picked up the tied-up trash bag he had prepared.
"I'll head out then," he said.
Gu Ran replied, "Oh, okay."
As Ji Shiyu reached the door, Gu Ran saw the trash bag in his hand and suddenly spoke up, "Wait a moment."
Ji Shiyu stopped. Gu Ran ran into the bedroom and soon came out with another small bag of trash.
"Could you... take this down and throw it out too, please?" she asked softly.
Ji Shiyu looked at it, then reached out to take it.
Gu Ran said, "Thank you."
Ji Shiyu chuckled softly, then leaned in slightly as if he had something to say.
Gu Ran tilted her head. "Hmm?"
Ji Shiyu whispered, "So I'm really the housekeeper now?"
Gu Ran: "..."
After saying that, Ji Shiyu took out his phone and asked, "Then can I add your WeChat?"
"The housekeeper's contact information."
Gu Ran looked at Ji Shiyu's WeChat interface, puffed out her cheeks, and finally looked down.
She set a note for him: Housekeeper.
...
The recording for "Our Little Cabin" began. Gu Ran took a two-and-a-half-hour flight to X Province, met with the production assistant, and then rode in the program's vehicle to the filming location.
It was a picturesque farmhouse nestled against mountains and beside water, with the program's logo pasted on the gate.
There were five regular cast members in total for this show: three men and two women. Gu Ran had done her homework before coming. The male guests included host Zhao Mincong, the recently popular idol drama actor Chen Mian, and the slightly chubby singer Liu Xiaolin, whom she had worked with before on "Celebrity Charge Forward."
The other female guest alongside her was Zhou Yuqi, who started as a child star. Zhou Yuqi had high national recognition, having acted in many popular TV series as a child. However, in recent years, she hadn't acted much due to focusing on her studies. "Our Little Cabin" was her first variety show since returning to the entertainment industry as an adult.
When Gu Ran was little, she was once utterly obsessed with the children's dramas Zhou Yuqi starred in. After watching them, she would cling to her dad's leg at home, whining and begging him to buy her the same fairy magic wand as Zhou Yuqi's. Knowing she would be recording a show with her childhood idol this time, she was thrilled. She searched online for recent photos of Zhou Yuqi and found she looked almost like a proportionally grown-up version of her childhood self—fair skin, petite frame, straight bangs, big eyes, deep dimples—the epitome of a cute, moe girl.
After seeing Zhou Yuqi's recent photos, Gu Ran instantly felt her own "cute girl" persona paled in comparison to her idol's.
At noon, the long-anticipated live broadcast of "Our Little Cabin" officially began.
As soon as the live stream opened, viewers flooded in. Many were fans from Gu Ran's own streams, already excitedly spamming the chat with 【Ahhh I want to see my Ran Ran!】.
The cabin was quiet, waiting for the five regulars who were about to move in.
Gu Ran was the first to arrive. After being dropped off by the production assistant's car, she peered cautiously over the fence of the small courtyard with her suitcase in tow. Seeing no one else was there yet, she pushed open the gate and walked in carefully.
Gu Ran's peeking from outside the courtyard charmed many viewers:
【Hahahaha so adorable!】
【Mwah mwah come here Ran Ran let me give you a kiss】
【Is this the streamer Gu Ran? She looks really pretty even without filters.】
【That's totally me when I arrive at a new place】
Fans immediately screenshotted her peeking moment and made memes with captions like "Observing from the shadows.jpg" and "Beauty's gaze.jpg".
Once inside the courtyard, Gu Ran first wandered around the yard and rooms to familiarize herself with the layout. She discovered the program had only prepared two bedrooms with bunk beds, so she placed her suitcase in the smaller one.
The other three male guests arrived one after another.
Gu Ran wasn't familiar with anyone except Liu Xiaolin. She greeted them politely and introduced herself, then began waiting for the last regular, Zhou Yuqi.
Soon, Zhou Yuqi appeared on camera, pushing two large suitcases.
She wore a white sweatshirt, and the 29-inch suitcases made her appear especially petite and cute.
Even though everyone already knew Zhou Yuqi was a regular, her actual appearance on screen still brought immense surprise to the live stream audience:
【She's here, she's here, my childhood goddess!】
【How is she still this cute after all these years, damn!】
【I still have the fairy magic wand I bought as a kid at home】
There was a step at the entrance to the courtyard. Just as Zhou Yuqi was about to lift her two large suitcases up, the male regulars, noticing her arrival, hurried out to greet her and directly took the suitcases from her hands.
Gu Ran had been unpacking in the bedroom. Hearing the commotion, she immediately ran out and saw Zhou Yuqi smiling and shaking hands with the other guests.
Gu Ran froze when she saw Zhou Yuqi.
After shaking hands with the three male regulars, Zhou Yuqi noticed Gu Ran running out and came over with a smile to greet her too. "Hello, Gu Ran. I'm Zhou Yuqi."
Gu Ran reached out her hand in a daze, clasping Zhou Yuqi's hand.
Unlike the warm, friendly smiles she gave the three male guests, Gu Ran's face showed little expression. She didn't speak or move, suddenly appearing somewhat cold.
The live chat erupted:
【What's with Gu Ran's reaction?】
【Well, well, starting to throw shade at Zhou Yuqi right from the first meeting?】
【I knew having two female regulars meant the show wanted drama, and here it is】
【Gu Ran is so rude. Zhou Yuqi is a child star even my grandparents know. Who is Gu Ran outside the internet?】
【Must be jealous that Zhou Yuqi is cuter than her, tsk tsk】
【And I just thought her peeking was cute a moment ago...】
Although some of Gu Ran's fans were in the chat insisting 【Our Ran Ran isn't like that!】, many casual viewers in the stream were quite displeased with Gu Ran's cold reaction towards Zhou Yuqi. Everyone was chattering with complaints until, on screen, Gu Ran, who was still shaking Zhou Yuqi's hand, suddenly sniffled.
Gu Ran stared unblinkingly, seeing Zhou Yuqi standing right in front of her, greeting her kindly, her own hand currently holding Zhou Yuqi's hand.
Even though she already knew Zhou Yuqi was a regular, already knew they would meet, the feeling of seeing her in person was still indescribable.
Zhou Yuqi had initially felt awkward about Gu Ran's cold reaction, until she heard the sniffle and suddenly noticed that the eyes of the girl in front of her seemed... to be turning red?
In that moment, Gu Ran finally snapped back to reality. She gripped Zhou Yuqi's hand tightly, her voice even trembling slightly. "Zhou... Zhou Yuqi, I'm your fan."
"I grew up watching your shows. I've seen every single one of your dramas from when you were a child."
"My favorite is that 'Magical Little Fairy Saves the Earth.' I bought the same magic fairy wand as yours, and I, I still remember your magic spell to this day."
Gu Ran let go of Zhou Yuqi's hand and, right in front of her childhood idol, excitedly performed the signature magic moves of Xiao Ai, the female lead from the wildly popular elementary school show "Little Fairy Saves the Earth."
"I am the embodiment of love and peace. Your love is my power. Wuhu mihu, Magical Little Fairy transform transform transform!"
Everyone watched Gu Ran flawlessly perform the complete fairy transformation sequence that had captivated elementary schoolers over a decade ago, not missing a single move or word.
Zhou Yuqi: "..."
The three male regulars: "..."
The live stream audience: [...]
Damn.
No wonder she reacted like that earlier.
So when she shook Zhou Yuqi's hand without speaking or moving, it was because she was stunned with excitement upon seeing her childhood idol in person.
And looking at her now, face full of anticipation for praise after finishing the transformation moves—yep, that's definitely me when I meet my idol.
After a few seconds of silence, the live stream collectively burst into laughter:
[Oh shit hahahaha Gu Ran actually still remembers it!]
[Remembering that whole routine makes her a true die-hard fan]
[Based on Gu Ran's age, 'Magical Little Fairy Saves the Earth' was probably super popular when she was in elementary school]
[Back then, not just girls but even boys in the whole class were following along with the Magical Little Fairy's transform transform transform, okay?]
[So adorable, so adorable, Gu Ran is really too cute]
[Standing next to Zhou Yuqi is like cute girl and cute girl plus, I'm dying of laughter]
[Those who said she was rude earlier, shut up, okay?]
...
Zhou Yuqi seemed not to have expected to run into a fan while recording a show. Seeing Gu Ran perform the complete Magical Little Fairy transformation, she felt a bit embarrassed: "I've almost forgotten that routine myself."
Gu Ran: "When I was little, I'd camp in front of the TV every holiday. However many times the kids' channel aired it, I'd watch it that many times. Every day, I'd hold my same-model magic fairy wand and learn your transformation moves from the TV. Later, my dad told me to watch less TV, but I didn't listen, so he used that magic fairy wand to spank my bottom."
"After that, I hid the magic fairy wand and didn't dare let my dad see it again."
Hearing about the magic fairy wand's final purpose being used for a spanking, Zhou Yuqi finally couldn't hold back her laughter.
The three male regulars also joined in the amusement, and the program's bullet comments were filled with [HAHAHAHAHAHA] and [Didn't really know this streamer before, but now I finally get why the CEO of Xinbo is pursuing her].
The initial awkwardness of the five regulars' first meeting quietly melted away in Gu Ran's excitement over seeing her childhood idol. There weren't any tasks on the first day; the main focus was getting familiar with the environment and settling into their rooms.
Gu Ran was sharing a room with Zhou Yuqi.
Gu Ran finally calmed down from the excitement of meeting her childhood idol. Knowing that being overly enthusiastic might actually make Zhou Yuqi uncomfortable, she settled her emotions and started tidying the room with Zhou Yuqi.
The production crew didn't deliberately make things difficult for the guests and provided ingredients for the first day.
Among the regular guests, the singer Liu Xiaolin, who was usually quiet, surprisingly knew how to cook. The first dinner at the cottage was plentiful and cozy.
The production crew didn't confiscate phones, though the director had reminded everyone not to overuse them before arriving. After dinner, as everyone sat together chatting, the host Zhao Mincong checked his phone and said with a smile, "Gu Ran, you're trending, along with Yuqi."
Gu Ran: "Huh?"
She took out her own phone and saw #Gu Ran Zhou Yuqi# and #'Our Cottage' Gu Ran# hanging on the trending list.
Clicking in, she first saw the meme of her cautiously peeking and secretly observing when she arrived first at the cottage today, followed by her being nervous and excited upon seeing her childhood idol Zhou Yuqi, and then flawlessly performing the Magical Little Fairy's "transform transform transform" moves that once swept through elementary schools.
Everyone started taking out their phones to watch the replay, and Zhao Mincong even teased Gu Ran to teach them.
Only after seeing her own Magical Little Fairy transformation on video did Gu Ran start feeling embarrassed. Hearing the request to teach them, she simply scrambled up: "You guys chat, I'll go do the dishes."
Bullet comments: [Hahahahaha the social awkwardness never misses an appointment]
[Transforming feels great in the moment, watching it back is a living hell]
[I finally understand the daily joy of her live stream fans]
[+1]
[+10086]
[+ID number]
Soon, the topic #How Happy Are Gu Ran's Live Stream Fans# started trending. The topic feed was filled with Little Fish (Xiaoyuyu) fans sharing firsthand accounts of how happy they were watching Ranran's live streams every day, talking about how the alluring beauty could act cute, be coquettish, and even solve problems, and how watching her stream made their dreams sweet every night.
...
At Nancheng Residence, Ji Shiyu, having just finished overtime work, returned and saw Gu Ran on the trending list on his phone.
He watched Gu Ran's excited reaction upon meeting her childhood idol Zhou Yuqi, saw her perform the entire set of Magical Little Fairy "transform transform transform" moves, a faint smile touching the corners of his lips.
He remembered having a few childhood photos of Gu Ran on his phone.
Ji Shiyu found the photos. One of them was of Gu Ran around six or seven years old, wearing a princess puffy dress. The pink prop in her hand was likely the then wildly popular magic fairy wand.
After looking at the photos, Ji Shiyu found the live stream link for "Our Cottage."
He clicked in. The live stream was still open, but the screen was currently black and there was no sound. It was probably time for washing up and bed, and the guests had all turned off their microphones and cameras.
...
Gu Ran was a bit nervous about sharing a room with her childhood idol tonight.
Even though the beds in the shared sleeping area were spaced far apart, roughly speaking, it was still the same bed.
Knowing she was already trending, she decided not to hide her fan status anymore and took a photo of her and Zhou Yuqi's sleeping spots.
After taking the photo, Gu Ran showed it to Zhou Yuqi, who was washing up, and asked, blinking her eyes, "Can I post this on my Moments? We're sleeping together tonight."
Zhou Yuqi was actually a bit older than Gu Ran, though she looked very cute. Her personality was quite mature. She smiled and said, "Go ahead."
Gu Ran immediately posted it on her Moments with the caption: "Sleeping with my idol, happy~ joyful~"
After posting, her fair-weather friends quickly liked it and showered her with flattering comments:
[Is the show recording going smoothly?]
[Whoever gets to sleep with our Ranran must be very happy too]
[So envious of the person who gets to sleep with Ranran]
Gu Ran replied: [Smoothly]
[Thanks]
...
At Nancheng Residence, Ji Shiyu lay in bed, looking at his WeChat chat interface with Gu Ran.
He had initially thought about asking "Are you asleep?", but after some thought, clicked into her Moments from her profile picture.
He saw the post Gu Ran had made just over ten minutes ago, saying she was sleeping with her childhood idol tonight, happy and joyful.
Then he saw comments below from who-knows-which socialites, saying that whoever gets to sleep with our Ranran must be very happy too, and expressing envy for the person who gets to sleep with Ranran.
Xu Hui had even liked this post of Gu Ran's moments ago.
The light from the phone screen reflected in his pupils.
Ji Shiyu stared at the "Happy Sleeping" themed social media post, his throat tightening as he read the comments saying things like, "I'd be happy to sleep with Gu Ran too." He closed his eyes, and suddenly, the image of Gu Ran asleep flashed in his mind. Along with memories of things that had once happened on this very bed.
