Chapter 40 – Rainy Night
Qiao Huaiyao hadn’t eaten any potato chips yet, but he had drunk about half a cup of lemon tea. The speed at which the other guests set up their tents had increased, and they were gradually settling in.
They all went together into the forest. The drone flying in the sky had no cover and descended a bit. The tent curtains weren’t lowered, but the other guests went out to prepare dinner, while Qiao Huaiyao leisurely enjoyed his afternoon tea.
The audience couldn’t help but think, [“Shouldn’t we say that this little wilderness life seems quite comfortable?”]
[“Welcome to the live broadcast room of the food anchor Qiao Huaiyao.”]
[“Hiking, picnicking, lemon tea, snacks. Watching this makes me want to go camping on the weekend.”]
[“By the way, is this place a farmhouse? When does it open? I want to go check it out. Even if I can’t pass the big exam, going to a farmhouse should be no problem.”]
Qiao Huaiyao noticed that most of the guests had left. The large open space was now only occupied by the staff and the director.
Zhao Jiamo walked over and said, “This is a portable mini camera. Remember to wear it when you and Bai Jinyan go into the forest.”
Each cameraman was assigned to a group of guests. In addition to the small cameras worn by the guests, there were also drones capturing the long shots, which didn’t affect the recording on the mountain. Zhao Jiamo valued the results and didn’t care how much money these equipment would cost.
Qiao Huaiyao took the earphone-sized camera and hung it on his collar. “Brother…” He turned back and handed the camera to Bai Jinyan, asking, “What are you doing?”
“Sending a message.” Bai Jinyan closed the weather forecast on his phone and typed a message to Lu Lu. At the same time, he said, “Are we going out now?”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded. “We can go after we finish here.”
Zhao Jiamo, upon hearing this, quickly added, “It’s better to go earlier. If we go late, the other guests might have already caught everything.”
Those who don’t hide when they see people are most likely to be caught, leaving behind the harder-to-catch ones.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you guys. There are supply points set up in the forest. If you can’t catch anything, you can go to the supply points and answer the questions there to get the corresponding supplies.”
“The supplies for answering the questions are prepared in advance and cannot be exchanged. But you can exchange the chickens and ducks you catch for what you want.”
The director’s team provided various ways of obtaining supplies, and whether you could get them depended on the guests’ abilities.
“There are only these two slingshots left, as the others have been taken by other teams,” Zhao Jiamo said, handing over the equipment for catching chickens and ducks.
Although the local chickens were not as agile as wild ones, it was still not easy to hit them with slingshots. Zhao Jiamo handed them over to help his friends. He said, “Participation is the most important thing.”
After saying that, he quickly ran away before he got beaten up.
Bai Jinyan didn’t mind, and he gave Qiao Huaiyao one slingshot. “Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
This open space on the mountaintop was specifically set up for tourists to pitch tents and camp. It was surrounded by trees, and the air here was particularly fresh after the rain at night. The terrain was flat, and walking here was not as strenuous as climbing.
Qiao Huaiyao held the slingshot in his hand, not sure about the material, but it had good elasticity. The director had also provided appropriately sized stones for the slingshot.
“Brother, did you see…” Qiao Huaiyao’s words suddenly stopped as he saw Bai Jinyan aiming the slingshot not far away, and he immediately fell silent.
Swish! The stone flew from the slingshot’s rubber band, and the chicken not far away collapsed without a chance to make a sound. Bai Jinyan put down the slingshot and turned to ask, “Hmm?”
Qiao Huaiyao, surprised by what he had just witnessed, couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, you can do this?”
“I practiced it when filming a historical drama before,” Bai Jinyan explained. He walked over to pick up the unconscious chicken.
Qiao Huaiyao furrowed his brows in suspicion and couldn’t recall seeing a scene of Bai Jinyan using a slingshot in any of the historical dramas he had watched before. “I don’t remember seeing a slingshot scene in your previous dramas.”
Bai Jinyan raised an eyebrow and looked at him calmly, his eyes full of amusement and cunning, leaving Qiao Huaiyao speechless. He cleared his throat and awkwardly shifted his gaze, stumbling over his words, “I, uh, don’t recall.”
Bai Jinyan smirked and continued, “The slingshot scene didn’t turn out well. The director wanted a more cinematic feel, so we ended up using stones directly instead of the slingshot.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he casually asked, “Do you remember the scene where we hunted mountain chickens?”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded honestly, “Yes.” Not only did he remember, it had left a deep impression. That scene, shot in a single take, had showcased Bai Jinyan’s ancient style, and many fans had edited clips of it. It was the most popular scene among all the fan edits related to that drama.
But he had assumed it was achieved through post-production special effects and hadn’t paid it much mind.
With just one look, Bai Jinyan knew exactly what Qiao Huaiyao was thinking at this moment. Since he was thinking so seriously, Bai Jinyan didn’t interrupt. He simply looked at Qiao Huaiyao with tender amusement in his eyes.
The camera crew was far away and didn’t film this close-up, but even from a distance, they captured the moment clearly. As soon as this scene appeared in the live broadcast room, the barrage of comments started rolling in.
[“Ah! What a sweet interaction!”]
[“Oh my god, Bai Jinyan’s gaze towards Qiao Qiao is so gentle! Did you all see it? That kind of gaze, awwww, it’s incredible.”]
[“Qiao Qiao must have watched Brother Bai’s drama very seriously; he can recall details like this. What’s the difference between him and an old fan?”]
[“The difference is that Qiao Qiao can act cute with his brother, while old fans can’t.”]
[“D*mn! Why are you pouring cold water on us when we’re having such a joyful moment? Old fans can’t, and we can’t either!”]
Bai Jinyan reached out and ruffled Qiao Huaiyao’s hair, then handed him a round and smooth pebble. “Give it a try?”
Qiao Huaiyao wasn’t very interested in it, but he wanted to… He bent his eyes, placed the pebble on his fingertips, and tried to mimic Bai Jinyan’s earlier actions. However, he didn’t release the pebble directly. Without proper technique, it wouldn’t work.
“Is it like this?” Qiao Huaiyao asked, his voice trailing off as he felt warmth approaching from behind. He instinctively turned his head.
Bai Jinyan’s hand had already gripped his, and his fingertips traced up Qiao Huaiyao’s hand. “Apply pressure here, try it out.”