CHAPTER 144: CHAPTER 128: EIGHT SHOWS A MONTH! EXHAUSTED

It wasn’t clear if it was because she became popular and everyone was willing to show her deference, or because that one dinner of grilled fish made everyone accept Xu Qingqiu. In any case, during the following days, Xu Qingqiu seemed to become the darling of the group on the show. She was popular and beautiful, and crucially, she had no airs about her, spoke gently, and knew how to cook. Whether it was seniors like Lin Xiangqun and Xu Wanrong, or the group of young newcomers, everyone was exceptionally kind to her.

Chu Tian wasn’t idle either. Once Director Yu Cheng became familiar with him, he completely let loose. When Yu Cheng arrived, he was so focused on work that he hadn’t brought anything else, but seeing Chu Tian fishing every day made him incredibly envious. So, what could he do? Just go with the flow, of course. After all, the show didn’t require his attention 24 hours a day. During lunch breaks, or whenever there wasn’t anything particularly pressing, Yu Cheng would casually delegate tasks to the assistant director and then happily trot over to Chu Tian.

Fortunately, ever since Chu Tian inherited the Master of Fishing skill, he seemed to have also adopted the habits of an avid angler; whenever he went out with fishing gear, he would never prepare just one rod. This made things quite convenient for Yu Cheng. He didn’t hesitate to ask Chu Tian for a fishing rod, and the two of them, like old friends, would find a spot and sit there for hours. When they had free time, they would either compete to see who could catch more fish or simply chat. Slowly, the two became more familiar with each other, gradually becoming like friends.

Yu Cheng himself was a scruffy, middle-aged man. In his eyes, Chu Tian at most had some talent for fishing; he doubted someone Chu Tian’s age could actually sit still for long. He never expected Chu Tian to be able to sit still even longer than he could. Chu Tian was like an old monk; whenever he fished, he would sit there completely motionless, his posture even steadier than Yu Cheng’s. Anyone who didn’t know better would think an old man was sitting beside him.

Because it was a weekly variety show and not filmed all at once, and since Xu Qingqiu had joined as a guest midway, her recording segment of about four or five days was nearing its end. During these four or five days, setting other things aside, she had at least managed to expand her network as Sister Hua had instructed. Superficially, at least, her relationships with Xu Wanrong and several other female celebrities made them seem as close as sisters. Her relationships with the other male celebrities were also excellent. Lin Xiangqun, in particular, treated her like his own daughter, showing an immense amount of warmth and affection. The remaining group of "youngsters"—some of whom were actually older than her—all affectionately called her Sister Qiu and were quite tearful when it was time for her to leave. It wasn’t clear whether they were genuinely sad to see her go or just upset that they would no longer have anyone to cook for them.

"Chu Tian, take care on your way out! When we both have time later, let’s go fishing again. I’ll introduce you to a few of my friends."

"Okay, Brother Cheng! We’ll arrange something once you’re done with your work!"

When the last day of recording arrived, while Xu Qingqiu was bidding farewell to the group of celebrities, Director Yu Cheng was also holding Chu Tian back for a reluctant goodbye. Perhaps seeing through Yu Cheng’s unspoken wish, Chu Tian left his entire set of fishing equipment and the grill behind when he departed. He had also previously taught them his method for grilling fish and the recipe for the seasoning. This made Yu Cheng ecstatic. He hugged Chu Tian like a blood brother, grinning so widely his eyes nearly disappeared, leaving Chu Tian utterly speechless.

Truthfully, he wouldn’t have much use for that stuff if he took it back. It wasn’t worth much, and it wasn’t like Yu Cheng was lacking such things; it was merely a gesture of goodwill.

After saying goodbye to the production crew, the journey back was much less formal. Chu Tian and Yiyi finally got to sit comfortably in the same car with Xu Qingqiu.

"Chu Tian, I’m craving grilled fish!"

Ever since the rule was broken on the first day, Yu Cheng hadn’t allowed anyone to freeload off Chu Tian’s cooking. The following days were utterly miserable, defined by a single word: austere! At every meal, Xu Qingqiu couldn’t help but recall the grilled fish from that first day. Chu Tian was right there, and he even occasionally showed off his skills—not just with grilled fish, but also with fresh mutton the director had bought from a local home. Complemented by his culinary artistry, it was absolutely divine. Poor Xu Qingqiu could only press her face to the window and drool, unable to get a single bite.

Now that this miserable period was finally over, she was dying to eat something grilled by Chu Tian right then and there. So, as soon as she got into the car, she couldn’t help but bring it up. It was hard to tell if her request stemmed more from a genuine craving or a touch of coquetry.

Chu Tian didn’t overthink it and readily agreed.

"Sure. We’re a bit short on ingredients here; I was mostly just killing time. When we get back, I’ll buy more good stuff and show you all my true skills."

At this, not only Xu Qingqiu but even Yiyi was so thrilled she almost jumped for joy.

"Yes, yes! I can hardly wait!"

"When we get back, I’m going to eat so much! Brother Tian’s cooking is simply amazing!"

"Oh, you little foodie, even calling him Brother Tian now..."

Hearing Yiyi, Xu Qingqiu feigned jealousy, smiled, and pointed at her. Just as she was about to tease her, her phone suddenly rang.

"Hello, Sister Hua? Yes, that’s right, we’re on our way back now. What’s up?"

"Right now? It’s already been decided?"

"Alright then. Okay, I understand."

When Xu Qingqiu hung up the phone, Chu Tian and Yiyi simultaneously looked over at her, their faces filled with curiosity. They couldn’t help but be curious. Xu Qingqiu, who had been so cheerful just moments before, seemed to deflate after the call, as if she had heard some bad news.

"What’s wrong, Sister Qiu? Did something happen?"

Xu Qingqiu lifted her head, pouted at them, and said with an aggrieved expression, "Well, the barbecue is off... Sister Hua booked another new show for us. We need to head over there immediately..."

Hearing this, Chu Tian, contrary to what one might expect, actually felt a sense of relief.

This kind of situation was all too common; in fact, the more popular one became, the more frequent these things were. As long as it wasn’t a major crisis, it was fine.

There was no helping it. Work had come up, and they couldn’t just refuse it. Everyone understood that this period was crucial; having work was far better than having none. So, Yiyi immediately began to rebook their flights, redirecting them to the next destination.

Exhausted, the three of them boarded the plane, thinking they just needed to endure a little longer. They planned to rest well after returning from this show. Little did they expect, however, that this was not an end, but a beginning.

Over the next month, it was unclear how Sister Hua had arranged things, but engagements came one after another. Sometimes they were two or three days apart; other times, they even had to travel to two different locations in a single day. Both Xu Qingqiu and Chu Tian experienced a sense of déjà vu. Xu Qingqiu recalled her early days at the company, being worked like a mule and shuttled from one commercial performance to another. As for Chu Tian, he realized that no matter how hard he’d tried to avoid it, he just couldn’t seem to escape. He had only relaxed for a couple of days before, for no apparent reason, he was dragged along with Xu Qingqiu into another round of suffering.

One shouldn’t assume that just because Xu Qingqiu, as the main star, was busy, Chu Tian had nothing to do. Not all shows were like "Dormitory No. 7." As her assistant, when Xu Qingqiu was busy, he also had to be on high alert. While she was on stage, racing against the clock, they had to be fully prepared backstage. During intermissions, they had to immediately get everything ready. The crucial difference was that other celebrities had large teams of seven, eight, or even more than ten people, including both permanent and temporary members. Only Xu Qingqiu, being less particular, didn’t even have her own makeup artist. This put a heavy burden on Chu Tian and Yiyi, who had to manage her personal needs, work tasks, and on-site logistics.

Consequently, none of the three escaped the grind; each one was more exhausted than the last, all of them thoroughly worn out.

Chu Tian began to question why he had even come along in the first place. But things had already come this far; he couldn’t just abandon the two girls and go back by himself, could he? If he did that, would he still be considered a decent human being?

The result was a solid month of non-stop work. The three of them traveled to eight different locations for eight different shows. They practically ate and slept on the road, constantly shuttling between cars and planes. The relentless travel left the three of them so weary their eyes were glazed over.