Chapter 38 – Accompany
Qiao Huaiyao held a strawberry smoothie and squinted his eyes. “By the way, Aunt Meng called me. Is there something going on?”
Bai Jinyan replied nonchalantly, “Nothing, just remembered she has a son. Called to ask about his recent situation.”
Meng Zheng was always busy; even in her free time, she traveled around the world. Recently, she bought an island and was busy vacationing there. They couldn’t meet Bai Jinyan all year round.
Qiao Huaiyao nodded. “The director messaged me just now, saying Aunt Meng couldn’t reach me and was worried. She even asked the director about it.”
“The director also mentioned that Aunt Meng had called me before, but I didn’t answer.”
Bai Jinyan’s hand trembled slightly, concealing his emotions as he turned away from Qiao Huaiyao.
He casually picked up a coat from the box. “Her signal on the island isn’t good. Whenever she remembers to make a call, it might not connect. It could be ten days or half a month before she remembers to call again.”
Qiao Huaiyao had known Meng Zheng since he was very young and naturally understood her personality. Although Bai Jinyan’s explanation seemed far-fetched, it made sense when it came to Aunt Meng. Qiao Huaiyao didn’t say anything more.
The director returned even later than them. The strawberries they had bought from the guests wouldn’t be sold in the market anymore. The price of strawberries these days was quite high, making them almost unaffordable. Zhao Jiamo’s wealth was such that he didn’t care about making money from selling strawberries; it was easier to just give them away.
After handling those matters, Zhao Jiamo returned to the second floor. Qiao Huaiyao heard the sound of the door opening downstairs, followed by the clear electronic sound of the intercom: “Guests, please gather downstairs immediately!”
“Guests, please—”
The prerecorded voice played again and again from the intercom downstairs. The sofa downstairs wasn’t enough, so they had moved it during a previous recording where two people had a quick Q&A session. It seemed a bit troublesome, and no staff had yet moved the sofa back.
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t go forward to squeeze; instead, he patted the sofa beside him and said, “Brother, sit here.”
Bai Jinyan didn’t sit but guided Qiao Huaiyao to the front of the sofa. “Sit here.”
As he spoke, Bai Jinyan sat on the armrest, his hand resting on Qiao Huaiyao’s shoulder. Qiao Huaiyao was about to say something when the hand on his shoulder accidentally brushed against his cheek, rendering him momentarily speechless.
When all the guests were present, Zhao Jiamo finally spoke into the intercom, “Good afternoon, everyone.”
Ji Zhenqi sneezed tiredly and responded with little enthusiasm, “Good afternoon.”
After picking strawberries for half a day and returning, he had barely gotten any sleep before being awakened. Being able to keep his eyes open was already an accomplishment.
Zhao Jiamo smiled and said, “With so many people staying in this small second-floor building, it’s indeed a bit crowded and stifling.”
“Now that all our guests have arrived, let’s move on to the next segment prepared by the production team… their individual houses.”
“There are five houses in total, enough for each guest and their family to stay in. Regardless of furnishings, the space is definitely sufficient.”
Zhao Jiamo displayed the prepared images on a whiteboard so they could see what each house looked like from different angles.
Zhao Jiamo said, “The accommodations will be assigned through leasing using points as rent. The points required for each accommodation will vary.”
Qiao Huaiyao glanced at the images; they were all floor plans shot from the perspective of the front door. Based on these images, it was hard to tell what the interiors were like. However, judging from the points required, the higher the points needed, the better the house.
Seeing the lack of response from the guests, Zhao Jiamo raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? Don’t be so reserved. Discuss it and choose a representative.”
“Let’s aim to move into our new homes today.”
These temporary accommodations were just for sorting purposes. Now that all the guests had arrived, they needed to move into their separate residences as soon as possible. This would also facilitate the upcoming recording of the show.
“Which one do you like, Brother?”
“Which one?…”
Their voices overlapped as they both spoke at the same time. Qiao Huaiyao chuckled and took a step back. “I’m fine with either. You choose.”
For Bai Jinyan alone, he might not have bothered choosing. After the other guests had chosen, whatever was left would be his. But with Qiao Huaiyao here, Bai Jinyan would surely make his choice based on Qiao Huaiyao’s preferences. Knowing Zhao Jiamo, these houses probably weren’t as good as they appeared on the surface. To ensure comfort later, he naturally needed to pick a more expensive one.
“In that case, number three.”
Zhao Jiamo chuckled. “Actually, I wanted you to pick this one, but the other guests don’t have enough points for it.”
If they had chosen lower-priced ones earlier, it would’ve been difficult to divide what was left among the other guests. After all, the production team couldn’t just let them stay without paying; that wouldn’t be fair to the other guests.
“Alright, here’s the key.” Zhao Jiamo handed Bai Jinyan the key and added, “The points will be deducted directly from your account. We’ll send you a text message tonight with your remaining points.”
“Okay, you guys can set off to your separate cottages now.”
Bai Jinyan passed the key to Qiao Huaiyao and stood up. “Wait here; I’ll bring the luggage down.”
The luggage in the room hadn’t been unpacked, only a few clothes hung on the ironing board. Packing his things was simple. As Bai Jinyan walked away, Qiao Huaiyao followed suit. “I’ll help carry them.”
There were three suitcases; although one had been emptied of many snacks, the suitcases themselves weren’t light. From room one to room five, the differences weren’t substantial. The only significant distinction was that room three had a small courtyard. It was surrounded by walls, which included the house and the bungalow. It seemed to have a larger area.
As Qiao Huaiyao entered with the suitcases, the first thing he noticed was the conspicuously placed camera on the ceiling. Compared to the small room they had stayed in previously, this one was obviously more spacious. It still had only one bedroom, but at least there was an additional wardrobe. Qiao Huaiyao opened a suitcase and had just taken out some clothes when he felt his phone vibrate.
Zhao Jiamo: [Reminder! This message is for the visible guest only. Please don’t tell anyone else.]
That was the first sentence of the message. Qiao Huaiyao scrolled down.
Zhao Jiamo: [This is a small game. Please say to the celebrity in the house: “I want snacks.” Ask him to go to the convenience store for you.]
[If he asks what kind of snacks or what flavor, or similar questions.]
[You must reply: Anything is fine; he knows what I like.]
[See how the other person responds.]
[The guest who performs well will receive points.]
…Qiao Huaiyao put down his phone and tapped it lightly with his fingertip. “Brother.”
“Yes?”