The production team worked overtime, and finally, after a week, they had cut the pilot episode plus the first installment, just in time for a National Day broadcast.

As soon as it aired, the viewership ratings hit a new high, and the bullet comments were dense.

[Here it comes, here it comes.]

[After watching the live stream for so long, the main show is finally here.]

The show started with an introduction, followed by the production team staff surprising the guests at their homes with a phone. The five groups of guests were mixed and edited together, so in reality, each group didn’t have much screen time.

When it came to Jiang Shi’s group, the bullet comments suddenly surged.

[Here to see Brother Ye and Jiang Shi.]

[Looking back at the pilot episode, I suddenly feel like Brother Ye was putting on such an act.]

The camera pushed in. What came into view was not a luxurious villa, but a lush green cornfield. The climate in Jiangcheng was different from Lincheng, and since Cheng Ye had planted late, the corn here was still a vibrant green.

Jiang Shi stood at the door, listening to the staff’s questions, with a very obvious hesitation. “My mom planted it. She likes to fiddle with these things in her spare time.”

[This corn is so big and round, much better than the plot Brother Ye stayed up until 5 AM to break off.]

[I’ve been poisoned by this show. Why do I want to break off corn every time I see it?]

[I seriously suspect this was planted by Cheng Ye himself. Jiang Shi hesitated just now, maybe he was trying to cover for him.]

[Don’t say it, really, don’t say it…]

The next second, the camera turned, and a black luxury car drove into the villa. A long, powerful hand pushed open the car door.

The production team even gave several slow-motion close-ups: leather shoes, a suit, expensive sapphire cufflinks, and finally, it settled on his face.

Deep, stern, exuding a noble elegance.

At this point, everyone was no longer impressed by the overbearing CEO’s charm. The only word floating across the screen was:
Fake.

And then, the overbearing CEO brought out a sandwich, sitting in silence with Jiang Shi at the dining table. Their conversation totaled only a few sentences, and even the word “awkward” floated across the screen.

[I was there during the live stream. It really felt awkward at the time. Watching it again now, it’s even better to ship.]

[I was wondering why Jiang Shi never looked at Cheng Ye. I thought it was mutual dislike. Now it seems he was afraid of bursting into laughter.]

[Brother Ye really pulled off the act.]

[Jiang Shi is so indulgent too. If Cheng Ye wants to act, he’ll act along with him. Even though he knows Brother Ye’s acting is bad, he still cooperates obediently.]

The forty-nine condoms segment that the audience had been clamoring for was cut by the production team. After all, it was on TV, and they were afraid of the negative impact it would have if broadcast.

During the lunch break, everyone was sleeping. Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye were hiding in their room, secretly watching the variety show on Cheng Ye’s phone.

A bunch of people on the bullet comments were saying Cheng Ye was faking it. Cheng Ye frowned with some dissatisfaction. “Where am I faking it? I’m originally like this.”

The season was moving into autumn, but the weather was still muggy and hot. Jiang Shi wasn’t that interested in the variety show. He leaned against Cheng Ye’s arms, drowsy, and replied perfunctorily, “Yes, yes, yes… you’re just like this. It’s the audience who is blind and mistakes your霸气 (bàqì) ‘domineering aura’ for faking it.”

Cheng Ye reached out to pinch the soft flesh on his waist. “Do you think so too?”

“No…” Jiang Shi was ticklish and shrank away from his touch. He pushed away Cheng Ye’s hand and placated him, “Where is it fake? Your clothes are real, the gems are real, and the money you earn is real. It’s not like you’re trying to punch above your weight. How can it be fake? At most, it’s just not quite like your usual style.”

Cheng Ye was slightly more satisfied, but then couldn’t help but ask, “Did I embarrass you by being like this?”

Jiang Shi gave him a white-eyed glare. “If you say that again, you can go sleep outside.”

Cheng Ye was satisfied. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Jiang Shi. “Young master, give me a kiss.”

Jiang Shi covered his mouth with his hand. “No kisses. Stay away from me, it’s too hot.”

Cheng Ye: “…”

The progress bar on the phone, which had been tossed aside, was still moving forward.

Night fell. Two figures stood on the winding mountain path. Cheng Ye carried two suitcases and hovered around the empty-handed Jiang Shi, constantly asking if he was tired.

[The modern version of a long-term laborer and a young master.]

[Brother Ye, why don’t you put down the things in your hands before you speak?]

[I can see the speechlessness in Jiang Shi’s eyes.]

[No wonder Cheng Ye sometimes calls Jiang Shi ‘young master.’ I can’t argue with this. In front of Cheng Ye, Jiang Shi is indeed a young master.]

[So why does he call Jiang Shi ‘young master’?]

[It’s just a couple’s thing.]

[Oh, young master…]

[Young master, your servant can also carry suitcases.]

[Brother Ye’s mute warning.]

At first, the audience’s impression of Cheng Ye was limited to his great strength. That was until they saw them arrive at their new home.

From the close-ups and introductions given by the program, the house Jiang Shi and his group were staying in could only be described as having four bare walls. It didn’t even have a decent kitchen.

While the other groups were still complaining, Cheng Ye had already nimbly started a fire with firewood and was kneading dough.

[His technique is so skilled. You can tell he cooks often.]

[So the noodles Jiang Shi ate in the pilot episode…]

[Ever since I saw Brother Ye breaking off corn in the live stream, and now seeing him start a fire and cook, his overbearing CEO filter has completely shattered for me.]

[Fake overbearing CEO, real rough man.]

[The previous news about him was very bad. Now that I see him working so nimbly, I finally have the feeling that he really did have a hard life.]

[But now that he’s successful, he’s still willing to lower himself to do these things. Just based on this, I think he’s pretty amazing.]

The audience sighed with emotion for a while, until they saw him take the bottom of the pot, and then, taking the rest, he sat on a sand brick with a basin in his hands.

[…]

[I give up.]

[CEO Cheng, although everyone knows your background, you don’t have to be so down-to-earth, do you?]

[The only time I’ve done that is when I forgot to bring chopsticks when I went to the countryside with my mom as a child.]

[A man who can get up at five to break off corn, I won’t be surprised by anything he does in the future.]

[Sun Jiayu’s expression is killing me.]

[No wonder he can do so much work. He ate my entire day’s worth of food in one meal.]

[At first, it felt jarring, but now I can only say, as expected of Brother Ye.]

[In that case, Jiang Shi is the true love. Look at his expression, he’s probably already used to Brother Ye being like this.]

[A noble and elegant beauty sitting next to a rough man. Cheng Ye, you deserve better, but not the best like the young master.]

[If it were me, I’d also be happy to sit next to Jiang Shi. He looks like even his hair is fragrant.]

The first episode of the variety show exploded in popularity. The chief director looked at the data backstage and couldn’t stop smiling. Among them, the discussion about Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye’s group was the highest.

However, Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye knew nothing of this. For them, life went on as usual.

The vegetable patch next to them was cleared, and Cheng Ye got some seeds from the surrounding villagers and planted them.

The weather forecast said it would rain in the afternoon. The corn, which had been drying for five days, was already dry. Before the rain came, Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye brought the golden ears of corn into the house.

Dark clouds spread from the mountaintop, and the wind carried moisture. Pedestrians hurried, everyone busy.

But the busyness was meaningful.

Before the rain came, the two had finished gathering the corn. As the dark clouds pressed down with the rain, Jiang Shi sat under the eaves with half a watermelon.

The rain came fast and furious. The cameramen at the door had all retreated. The yard, usually full of people, now seemed exceptionally spacious.

The persimmon leaves were also washed a vibrant green by the rain. Jiang Shi scooped up a piece of watermelon with a spoon. Cheng Ye brought a stool and sat beside him.

“When will the vegetables you planted sprout?”

“They’ll sprout in a week. In another two weeks, we’ll be able to eat baby bok choy.”

Jiang Shi shared a spoonful of watermelon with Cheng Ye.

“I used to dislike rainy days. I found it troublesome to go out on rainy days. After becoming a farmer, I seem to have grown to like the rain, because when it rains, you don’t have to work, and everyone can rest.”

Cheng Ye was holding a thin bamboo strip, planning to weave a small bamboo cage for Jiang Shi. Hearing him say this, his eyes curved.

In fact, only children looked forward to not working on rainy days. The adult world was always full of worries. During the autumn harvest season, rain was not a good thing.

Sure enough, after this rain, fearing that the rice in the fields would be soaked and rot, they had to work overtime to harvest it.

Jiang Shi followed Cheng Ye to the edge of the rice paddy. Next to it was a lotus pond. The lotuses were no longer in bloom this season, but the leaves were lush and green.

Cheng Ye broke off a lotus leaf and placed it on the ground, then made a lotus leaf hat for Jiang Shi. “I’m going to harvest the rice. Young master, you sit here and play while you wait for me.”

Jiang Shi still carried the water bottle, and in his hand, he held a beef pancake Cheng Ye had made for him. Rather than working, he looked more like he was on an autumn outing.

“You really don’t need my help?”

“No need.” Cheng Ye took out the phone for the live broadcast. “Just these two plots of land. I’ll finish harvesting them in two days, and I can also get the director’s required live broadcast time done.”

He clicked on the live broadcast. As soon as it started, a steady stream of people poured in.

[Here…]

[The opening screen is a beauty crit from the young master. So obedient, even wearing a lotus leaf hat.]

Cheng Ye didn’t pay much attention to the bullet comments. He attached the phone to his head and, holding a sickle, went down.

[I’m suffocating. Why are we working again? I finally got to a live broadcast, and all I do is watch you work every day.]

The golden rice swayed with the wind. Under the sun, the rice ears bent low, heavy with grain.

[In the past, I would have praised the joy of a bountiful harvest. Now, seeing this, I just want to say…]

[So tired.]

[Cyber farming. Every day, following Brother Ye in first-person to work, I’m already physically and mentally exhausted.]

[Brother Ye’s intentions are so easy to guess. After watching him farm, we can’t watch the young master.]

Cheng Ye bent down, his movements fast. In the distance, other guests could be seen harvesting rice, but none were as nimble as Cheng Ye.

The sun rose higher and higher, its light blinding, making the rice ears glint with a golden light. Just looking at it, you could feel the heat wave wash over you.

Cheng Ye buried his head and worked hard for a while, then stood up and turned his head to look at Jiang Shi, who was sitting in the cool shade by the lotus pond.

He had forgotten about the phone on his head. As he looked, Jiang Shi’s figure appeared in the camera.

He was only wearing a light shirt. Though he was just sitting there casually, and though he was also in the shade, it was as if all the light and shadow were on him. With the lotus pond beside him, he was like a Jiangnan ink painting under the sun.

A gust of wind blew, and the lotus leaf on Jiang Shi’s head was lifted up. He reached out to hold it down and, as if sensing something, turned his head to look over. The wind blew his shirt, revealing the slender outline underneath, a narrow sliver.

Cheng Ye held his breath.

The audience also held their breath.

[Nice… nice waist.]

[No wonder Brother Ye never lets us see his wife. Who could resist this?]

[Anyway, I can’t.]

[Jiang Shi has really acted in too few things. How can such a divine face always be playing supporting roles or second male leads?]

[Brother Ye can’t see, so I’ll shout first. Wife, kiss me.]

Cheng Ye stood there in a daze. Jiang Shi raised the water bottle in his hand, signaling if he wanted a drink.

After looking for a few seconds, Cheng Ye, as if suddenly injected with chicken blood, buried his head and continued to frantically harvest the rice.

Jiang Shi: “???”

So random.

Although the sun was blinding in autumn, the temperature wasn’t that high, and the wind was cool.

Jiang Shi ate a beef pancake that had more beef than pancake, drank some water, and looked at the guests around him who were all buried in harvesting rice. After thinking for a moment, he still put down his water bottle and went into the field.

Jiang Shi couldn’t do work like harvesting rice, and Cheng Ye wouldn’t let him. So, he simply followed behind him, picking up the fallen rice ears.

The lotus leaf hat was wide, almost burying Jiang Shi’s face. From a distance, all you could see was a green mushroom head slowly trailing behind Cheng Ye’s butt.

Cheng Ye would harvest a handful, look back, harvest another, and look back again.

[Brother Ye’s inner thoughts: My wife is so beautiful.]

[No wonder Cheng Ye doesn’t want Jiang Shi to work with him. With this efficiency, he wouldn’t finish harvesting until next year.]

[But the young master is really cute. Picking up rice ears with a lotus leaf hat on, he even has to avoid the rice stubble on the path.]

[Young master, be with me. I can also harvest rice to support you.]

“Cheng Ye!” Jiang Shi called out, “There’s something here.”

Cheng Ye dropped his sickle and went over.

Jiang Shi squatted in the field, poking at something cornered with a rice stalk in his hand. “Is this a mantis?”

Cheng Ye glanced at it. “Yes.”

The mantis was a vibrant green, looking rather pretty. Cheng Ye caught the mantis and put it in the bamboo cage he had woven yesterday, handing it to Jiang Shi. “Take it and play.”

The bamboo cage was small, just big enough to hold one mantis. Jiang Shi held it and shook it, and the mantis inside also swayed. “How much longer do we have to work?”

Seeing that it was almost noon, he was afraid Jiang Shi would get hot. He stopped harvesting, thinking that the live broadcast was still a bit short on time, so he took the phone to the village to borrow a thresher.

He and Jiang Shi asked several families and only found out that one family had one.

The cameraman followed behind the two. After hearing their purpose, the uncle agreed. Watching Cheng Ye fiddle with the machine, he stood behind and sized them up.

“I hear you are all famous celebrities from the city.”

Jiang Shi smiled. “Not famous. Whether a celebrity or a farmer, it’s just a job to make a living.”

The uncle pursed his lips. “How can that be the same…” He looked at Cheng Ye. “Young man, what’s your name?”

Cheng Ye frowned at a cracked wire. “Cheng Ye.”

“Oh… I’ve heard my daughter talk about you. She said you’re a big boss in the big city, very rich. Is that true?”

Cheng Ye’s eyebrows lowered slightly, his face expressionless. “I just do a little business, can’t be called a big boss.”

The uncle’s eyes darted around, and he approached Cheng Ye with a smile. “Only my family has a thresher in the whole village. Others have to pay to use it.”

Jiang Shi’s face changed instantly. He reached out and tugged on Cheng Ye’s clothes.

Cheng Ye squeezed his hand and stepped forward, revealing a somewhat honest-looking smile.

“Brother, as you know, we weren’t allowed to bring money when we came to record the show. We’ll only have money after we sell the rice. See if you can be accommodating. Let’s just consider it making a friend.”

“I’d like to, but as you know, times are tough for everyone these days…”

“My daughter said your business is huge. I have a son, he’s good at his studies, good-looking, and his abilities are even better. Aren’t you doing business in the city? What do you think of my son? Take him with you…”

“Well…” Cheng Ye was in a bit of a predicament. “I’d like to, but my shop is full. And don’t be fooled by my glamorous exterior, I actually don’t earn much in a year. Your son might be a bit overqualified for me.”

The smile on the uncle’s face faded. “Aren’t you just…”

Cheng Ye interrupted him, “But I do know a friend. His place is hiring. I heard that if you work hard, you can make over ten thousand a month.”

The smile on the uncle’s face reappeared. “Is your friend reliable? Can you really make over ten thousand?”

“You can…” Cheng Ye patted the dust off the thresher and tried to lift it to see how heavy it was. “Can your son endure hardship? Can he drive?”

“He can. He can drive a motorcycle and a car.”

“That’s good. As long as he works hard, ten thousand a month is no problem. I have an internal referral channel in their company. You can send me your son’s information, and I’ll help you arrange it. He can go to work directly then.”

“Really?” The uncle’s face was flushed with excitement. “What kind of work is it?”

Cheng Ye’s expression was as usual.

“City folks are very particular about their image, and they’re too busy with work to cook or eat out. They need to hire special people to deliver meals to them.”

The uncle was very suspicious. “Can you make money just by delivering meals?”

“You can.”

“Are there really that many people who don’t cook?”

“Not many. This job is highly sought after. If it weren’t for my internal channel, it might not have been your son’s turn.”

Cheng Ye was so serious that the uncle believed him more and more. He grabbed his hand and wouldn’t let go. “Young man, you’re such a good person.”

Cheng Ye pulled his hand back. “I’ve given your son the opportunity. Whether he can do it or not is up to him.”

“He can, he must! If he doesn’t, I’ll break his legs!” the uncle said. “In this day and age, there really aren’t many kind-hearted bosses like you.”

Cheng Ye said reservedly, “It’s alright.”

Jiang Shi: “…”

Live broadcast room: “…”

The uncle said, “Take this thresher and use it. Use it for as long as you want. I’ll have my wife pack a basket of eggs to send to your house later.”

Cheng Ye said, “Don’t worry about the eggs. It’s too embarrassing.”

The uncle wouldn’t have it and even insisted on having them stay for a meal.

There were two black fingerprints on the bowl. Jiang Shi politely declined.

The uncle saw them to the door.

“Young man, that internal channel thing you mentioned, is it really reliable?”

Cheng Ye held the thresher with both hands, his figure looking exceptionally honest and simple on the path. “Reliable. But since it went through my connections, don’t tell anyone about this.”

[After some internal operations by CEO Cheng, the uncle’s son finally became a glorious Meituan delivery driver.]

[I give up.]

Jiang Shi, who had witnessed the whole process: “…”

I give up.