CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT: RICE PLANTING MAYHEM (2)

First pairing: An Ning and Zhou Zhenyu.

Naturally, the production team placed An Ning with Zhou Zhenyu. The calmest woman with the calmest man.

Zhenyu gave a polite nod. "I will try my best."

An Ning returned the nod. "Likewise."

The viewers were thrilled.

[Finally, peace pairing.]

[These two probably will have some work done.]

[HAHAHA! But it is not like Zhou Zhenyu have cp feelings with any of the female leads.]

Second Pairing: Jiang Shuyue and Shen Xiyu

Of course the production team paired the two losers from yesterday together.

Jiang Shuyue forced a gentle smile.

Shen Xiyu forced a professional one.

Both were dying inside, but very gracefully. Graceful suffering was, after all, still suffering.

[Director is evil for this.]

[They will need therapy after this.]

[Their teamwork yesterday was zero. Their teamwork in the mud will be negative.]

The little melon vibrated with anticipation. "Ning nIng, I predict drama. Delicious drama."

Jiang Shuyue looked at the field like it was a personal enemy.

Shen Xiyu looked at her with the quiet despair of someone accepting that misery had chosen them both.

They were both correct.

Next up were Zhao Guangyao and Sun Qiaolian.

It was immediately clear that only one person was satisfied with this pairing.

And it was not Zhao Guangyao.

The moment the director called their names, Guangyao’s eyes flicked toward Wu Shiyun.

A brief, hopeful glance.

Then the quiet devastation of a man who had just watched fate crush his expectations. He masked it with a polite smile. Almost.

Unfortunately for him, Sun Qiaolian caught everything.

Her lashes lowered for a moment. The soft smile on her lips tightened by the tiniest fraction, almost invisible unless someone was paying close attention.

She still stepped forward with her usual gentle expression. "I will do my best," she said sweetly.

Zhao Guangyao managed a stiff nod. "Ah... yes. Of course."

But his body language was louder than his words. He stood half-turned toward Wu Shiyun. His shoulders angled in a way that suggested his heart had already wandered somewhere else.

Wu Shiyun pretended not to notice. A princess, after all, did not acknowledge problems that were not her own.

[Not him staring at Wu Shiyun again]

[Zhao Guangyao: physically here, emotionally over there]

[Sun Qiaolian saw that. She definitely saw that]

[This is not a love triangle. This is a love tragedy]

Finally, the last pairing: Chen Yiming and Wu Shiyun.

When their names were called, Wu Shiyun inhaled quietly. No dramatics. No complaints. Not even a delicate frown.

She simply stepped forward beside Chen Yiming like a well-behaved socialite attending a charity brunch. Chen Yiming glanced at her, expecting at least a small protest, or perhaps a worried question about mud, boots or the general indignity of manual labour.

Instead, Wu Shiyun adjusted her sleeves and said in a calm voice, "Let’s do our best."

Chen Yiming blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Was this the same Miss Wu who screamed when a chicken flapped near her yesterday That Miss Wu had looked two seconds away from quitting the show.

This one looked almost... serene. Motivated, even. Terrifying.

[Is this character development]

[Princess Wu has become Farmer Wu]

[Good morning to Wu Shiyun only]

[Chen Yiming is shocked in HD]

Wu Shiyun noticed his stare and lifted her chin with quiet dignity. "I may not enjoy mud, but I have survived worse situations. Political banquets. Family fundraisers. The chicken coop." She paused. "Rice planting cannot be harder than dodging matchmaking aunties."

Chen Yiming coughed, amusement flickering in his eyes. "I did not expect you to take this so well."

"I am adjusting," Wu Shiyun said matter-of-factly. "Adaptability is a survival skill."

It was sincere, but also slightly tragic.

Still, Chen Yiming found himself nodding. "If you pace yourself, we can finish the row pretty efficiently."

Wu Shiyun gave him a small, surprisingly determined look. "I will keep up."

Across the field, several crew members exchanged glances, impressed.

[She is so serious today I want to pat her head]

[Our princess is trying her best. Please cheer her on]

[Chen Yiming looks like a mentor taking his intern to her first field assignment]

[Low key rooting for them]

*****

As the pairs moved toward their muddy fates, the atmosphere on set shifted from dread to something almost comically resigned.

Zhou Zhenyu and An Ning stood steady in their spot, the only pair who looked as though they might survive this ordeal with minimal psychological damage.

Zhou Zhenyu rolled up his sleeves without complaint. An Ning nodded approvingly, already calculating how to finish her row efficiently and with dignity intact.

Behind them, Shen Xiyu and Jiang Shuyue stood like two statues carved out of misery. If despair had a shape, it would resemble their silhouettes.

Jiang Shuyue stared at the mud as if it personally offended her. Shen Xiyu stared at the tools with the quiet resignation of a man who already knew he would spend the next hour listening to Jiang Shuyue explain how things _should_ be done.

Sun Qiaolian and Zhao Guangyao took their places next. Zhao Guangyao’s polite smile was stretched thin, the kind worn by men who had lost all control of their lives.

Sun Qiaolian, meanwhile, tried her best to look graceful, but her eye twitched when she saw the mud’s depth. She had noticed Zhao Guangyao’s tiny pause when their names were called, a hesitation that made his preference painfully obvious.

Finally, Chen Yiming and Wu Shiyun took their position. The princess of the Wu Group stood tall, chin raised, gaze focused. Her determination surprised even the crew. She ignored the mud, the heat, the noise. She had survived worse things—like chickens. She could survive this.

"Ready, everyone?" the director called cheerfully.

A chorus of reluctant "yes" responses echoed across the field.

The director clapped his hands. "Excellent. Let the bonding begin."

Bonding.

A beautiful word. A deceptive word. A word that would haunt them. The cast waded into the field.

Immediate chaos ensued.

Jiang Shuyue slipped with a small gasp. Shen Xiyu lunged to steady her and nearly fell in himself. A splash erupted behind An Ning, followed by Wu Shiyun’s sharp inhale and Chen Yiming’s calm voice saying, "It’s alright. Just hold on to me."

Zhao Guangyao tried to demonstrate proper planting technique, only for Sun Qiaolian to gasp, "Careful! The mud splashed on me."

Zhou Zhenyu worked quietly, quickly, like a man who had spent his life doing chores. An Ning matched his rhythm with elegant efficiency.

The director watched with hands on his hips, delighted.

Beside him, a production assistant whispered under his breath, "Do you think this will... actually work?"

"What do you mean?" the director asked, still smiling.

The assistant glanced at the mess unfolding in the field. "This. The pairings. The missions. The mud. Will love even blossom out of....any of this?"

The director’s grin widened, devilish and unrepentant.

"Oh, I don’t know," he said lightly. "But drama definitely will."

The assistant stared at him for a long moment before quietly accepting that this was definitely not a show about love.