The production team’s business model was very simple: farming.

Although it wasn’t the season for sowing, it was time for harvest. The rice paddies were a sea of gold, corn cobs hung heavy on the stalks, and when the persimmons at the door showed a hint of red, the director assigned land to each family.

With the sun high in the sky, the chief director coughed into his megaphone. “Our show has no tricks, no games, and no interactions. What we want is to be down-to-earth and truly experience the grassroots level. You’ve probably seen the land assigned to you. The corn and rice you harvest and sell will be your earnings. The price will be calculated according to the market price; whatever others get, you get.”

Jiang Shi, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, listened to the director’s words and couldn’t help but look at the vast expanse of rice paddies behind him. The sun baked the grains, releasing a strange fragrance. Occasionally, grasshoppers rose and fell in the golden waves, and the cicadas’ chirping had not yet ceased.

In a daze, he felt as if he had returned to his days in Xiliu Village. The pear tree at the door swayed gently in the wind, and Jiang Xue would pull a watermelon, chilled for half a day, from the well by the old banyan tree.

After the director finished speaking, the two returned home. The house was empty. Two people, four pockets. They reached in and felt nothing, not even a single coin. Their pockets were cleaner than their faces.

The persimmons at the door were red, but they weren’t soft enough to the touch yet; they probably needed a few more days of sun. Jiang Shi sat under the persimmon tree, eating mangosteens and sighing, “It’s all your fault for insisting on buying such expensive things. Now look, not a single penny left.”

Cheng Ye, wearing a T-shirt, squatted beside him, making a window frame. He held an axe in one hand, his muscles bulging. Before he even seemed to exert any force, a wooden strip was split in two.

“I’ll go break off some corn this afternoon. We’ll have money once we sell it.”

Jiang Shi said, “After breaking them off, we have to dry them. After drying, we have to thresh them. It’ll take at least a week. What are we going to do this week?”

The director team also knew they had no money. They gave each family two hundred yuan as living expenses for the week, with no interest.

Cheng Ye took the money and handed it to Jiang Shi.

Jiang Shi flipped the two red bills over and over a few times. When he took them, he even glared at Cheng Ye. “From now on, you can’t just buy things without my permission.”

Cheng Ye broke open a mangosteen and handed it to him. “We’ll talk about it later. Go take a nap after you finish eating.”

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“I’m not sleepy.”

Cheng Ye’s energy was truly abundant, like a bull with endless strength for a day. Jiang Shi, whose constitution made him pant after walking two steps, was no match for him. Seeing the man squat down again to study the window, he yawned and went back to the house to sleep.

Everyone was sleeping at this hour. The cameramen for the other four groups were already resting. Only the cameraman following Jiang Shi’s group was still with Cheng Ye.

It was so hot, and even though the camera was on a tripod, the cameraman couldn’t take it anymore. They were just hoping Cheng Ye would hurry up and finish the window so they could go back and cool off with a fan.

Cheng Ye’s speed was fast. He finished in less than half an hour. But after finishing, he didn’t go into the house. Instead, he picked up a hoe and went to the side.

Next to the house was a piece of barren land, probably intended for growing vegetables by the original owner. But now that no one lived there, it was overgrown with grass taller than a person.

Cheng Ye stepped on the wild grass and walked in. His eyes scanned the land, he dropped the hoe, and began to bend down and pull out the weeds.

The cameraman felt like the sky was falling.

Even the assistant director couldn’t help but come over. He asked Cheng Ye, “What are you doing?”

President Cheng’s movements were very nimble. The sunlight shone on him, giving off a healthy and vibrant glow.

“Tidying up this piece of land to plant some vegetables.”

They still had to live here for three months. Some vegetables grow quickly and can be eaten in a few weeks.

Director: “…”

Noticing his gaze, the man’s dark eyes glanced over. “What? Is it not allowed?”

“It’s allowed, it’s allowed…”

But he had never seen a guest so eager to work.

Pulling weeds, digging the ground—by the time Cheng Ye finished, the other guests were just waking up.

Sun Jiayu and Zhao Chuan came over with baskets on their backs. Seeing Cheng Ye squatting at the door washing his hands, they called out to him, “Brother Cheng, are you going to break off some corn?”

Rice was more troublesome to deal with than corn, so everyone chose to break off corn first.

Cheng Ye said, “You guys go first.”

After Sun Jiayu and Zhao Chuan had walked far away, Cheng Ye started to heat up the oil to fry some crispy pork. After frying, he changed into a clean set of clothes before going into the house to see Jiang Shi.

The window hadn’t been installed yet, and the room was pitch black. Cheng Ye had good eyesight and saw the young man’s sleeping face in the dim, hazy light.

Curled up slightly, his hand resting on the pillow, his face against his hand, his eyes peacefully closed, his breathing long and steady.

Cheng Ye squatted down, brought his face close, and sniffed the sweet scent of mangosteen still lingering on Jiang Shi’s lips.

The restlessness that had been stirring for half a day calmed down, only to be replaced by another, more unbearable emotion.

There were at least three cameras in the room, and a microphone was clipped to his collar. Cheng Ye’s eyes darkened, his breathing light and slow.

In the end, he really couldn’t hold back and his finger touched the young man’s slightly parted lips. They were soft, with a hint of a decadent, gorgeous color, completely unguarded…

The next second, his fingertip was taken into his mouth.

Jiang Shi was half-asleep, his body’s instincts stronger than his consciousness. Before he was fully awake, he had already started to suck.

Cheng Ye could only stand up hastily, his hands wrapping around the waist, his reason telling him he should let go, but his hands disobeyed, pulling him closer.

The dark room fell silent. Jiang Shi finally woke up.

He lifted his head from the man’s chest, opened his eyes, and could only see the red light of the camera lens flashing. Above him, Cheng Ye’s breathing was a bit heavy, and something was pressing against him.

Jiang Shi froze, then abruptly pushed Cheng Ye’s shoulders away, his face flushing red. “What are you doing!”

Cheng Ye let go of his hands. The red dot above was still flashing. He could only close his eyes and endure it. When he opened them again, his breathing had returned to normal, but his voice was still a bit hoarse. “I came to wake you up. If you sleep too much, you won’t be able to sleep at night.”

Jiang Shi, turning the tables, thought, If he was waking me up, why did I wake up in his arms? And my mouth feels strange too. He couldn’t help but swallow.

His tone became a bit fierce. “Who wakes people up like that? No sound at all. Anyone who didn’t know would think you were trying to scare me to death.”

To be honest, having him press up against my butt while filming a show, just thinking about it is pretty scary.

Cheng Ye changed his position and said honestly, “I’m sorry.”

Jiang Shi muttered, “All you ever know how to say is sorry.”

He rolled over and got out of bed, turned on the bedside lamp, and stared at Cheng Ye for a while. “You…”

Cheng Ye said, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

It was pitch black inside the room, so you couldn’t see the time. Once outside, he realized the sun had already gone to the other side of the mountain.

Jiang Shi only found out after asking that the other groups had already gone to the fields to work. He went back to the room, found a sun-protective jacket to wear, and put on the hat from this morning.

His gear was all set, but as for everything else, Jiang Shi was completely clueless.

Cheng Ye came out of the bathroom with a wet face. Seeing him like this, he was stunned for a moment. “You’re going?”

“Of course…” Jiang Shi sat at the door and put on his sneakers. “We’re a team.”

It was boring staying at home anyway. Cheng Ye didn’t say anything, filled a water bottle, packed a bag of the freshly fried crispy pork, and, carrying the basket from home, took Jiang Shi out the door.

The water bottle had a strap. Jiang Shi simply slung it over his waist. He adjusted his hat and, after walking for a few minutes with Cheng Ye, finally remembered, “Why did you only bring one basket?”

Cheng Ye said, “Our family only has one.”

“Huh?” Jiang Shi said, “Then what am I going to do?”

“I’ll break them off first. When I’m tired, we’ll switch.”

Walking to the edge of the cornfield, there was a birch tree growing by the roadside. Under the tree lay a listless Sun Jiayu.

His face was covered in sweat, his clothes rolled in grass clippings. He lay there with his hands spread out. Seeing Jiang Shi and the others, he only turned his eyeballs.

Jiang Shi squatted in front of Sun Jiayu with his water bottle. “Are you okay?”

Sun Jiayu let out a weak breath. “I can only say I’m still alive.”

Cheng Ye jumped into the field and broke off a few taro leaves. He spread the large leaves on a stone under the birch tree. “Young master, you just sit here. If you get bored, eat something. I’m going to work.”

Jiang Shi stood up. “I’ll go with you…”

Cheng Ye put his hands on his shoulders and, with a slight push, sat him down on the stone. “No need. I brought you here just because I was afraid you’d be bored. Your hands are much more precious than mine. How can they do this kind of work?”

Jiang Shi spread his hands. They were the same ten fingers as anyone else’s. He didn’t see where they were so precious. On the other hand, President Cheng’s hands signed contracts worth tens of millions.

Many years ago, in Xiliu Village, he had also broken off corn, saying he would give Jiang Shi the best. Later, he had indeed fulfilled his promise, but after all this time, he was back to breaking corn again.

So many years had passed. So many things had changed, and yet so many had not.

Sun Jiayu’s nose twitched. Suddenly, he did a carp flip. “Jiang Shi, what’s that on you? It smells so good.”

Jiang Shi pulled his gaze back from Cheng Ye. He took out the bag of crispy pork. “Crispy pork. Cheng Ye fried it. Do you want some?”

Sun Jiayu’s drool was about to flow, but he still asked reservedly, “Can I have some?”

Jiang Shi found it amusing and took the initiative to hand the bag over. “Eat.”

The sun slowly set in the west. The two sat under the birch tree, sharing a bag of crispy pork.

Compared to Sun Jiayu’s disheveled state, Jiang Shi’s palm-sized face was hidden under a wide-brimmed hat, his skin so fair it could reflect light, his complexion rosy. Though he was sitting on a ridge by a cornfield, when the wind brushed past his face, it was as if he were at a resort, causing the camera to take several close-ups of him.

The meat in Sun Jiayu’s mouth tasted sourer and sourer as he chewed. He stared at Jiang Shi’s face, which was so tender you could pinch water out of it, then touched his own face, which had been ravaged after only two days, and silently moved further and further away from Jiang Shi.

Cheng Ye was a real workhorse.

While other celebrities were complaining about the corn leaves scratching their necks and the sun being too strong, he went back and forth, finishing a bag in one go.

He came out with a bag of corn, looked at Jiang Shi sitting beautifully under the birch tree, stared at him for a few minutes, felt recharged, and then went back to work with the basket on his back.

The cameraman followed him through the cornfield, his head covered in fallen dust, his clothes sticking to the back of his neck with sweat. It was so stuffy inside he could barely breathe. It was an indescribable misery.

The guest, who should have been more miserable, however, was nimble with his hands, breaking off corn with practiced ease. After breaking it off, he would step on the corn stalk, deftly clearing a path for the cameraman.

When he came out again, Cheng Ye was carrying a mud-covered radish in his hand.

He dropped the basket, lifted his shirt to wipe his sweat, and used a sickle to peel the radish. He presented it to Jiang Shi like a treasure. “Young master, have a radish.”

Jiang Shi was a bit surprised. “You’re not eating?”

“You eat.”

Jiang Shi handed him the water bottle, let him drink, and reached out to pick off the bits of corn leaf from his face.

The cool fingertips landed between Cheng Ye’s eyebrows. He looked at the curve of Jiang Shi’s brows and felt like he could break off all the corn in the entire village.

Jiang Shi saw the redness on the back of his neck. “I’ll go with you. It’ll be faster with two people.”

“No need.” Cheng Ye didn’t sit down, but squatted beside Jiang Shi like a big dog. “You just sit here and rest. I’ll be faster alone.”

Before he could finish, Jiang Shi’s hand, which had been picking things, slapped his head. “Are you looking down on me?”

Cheng Ye was used to being hit and didn’t even move his head. He even rubbed against Jiang Shi’s palm. “No. If you come with me, I’ll have to worry if you’re tired, if you’ve been bitten by bugs, if you’re hot, and I’ll have to prevent you from getting scratched by the leaves…”

Jiang Shi was a bit speechless. “I’m not some delicate princess.”

Cheng Ye laughed. “Mm, you’re a delicate little prince.”

He placed the water bottle next to Jiang Shi. “Little prince, wait for me for another hour. We’ll go home for dinner at six.”

…

At six o’clock, the sky wasn’t dark yet. Cheng Ye, by himself, had broken off more corn than the other four groups combined. The bags of corn and the basket were left in the field. Cheng Ye held a water bottle in one hand and a string of grasshoppers tied with a grass rope in the other.

Jiang Shi looked at his hand. The grasshoppers fluttered, and he shot to the other side with a swoosh. “Can you really eat that?”

“Yes.”

Cheng Ye’s body smelled of sweat mixed with dirt. “Fry them in a pot and it’s a dish. I used to catch and eat them often as a child.”

The last bit of sunlight disappeared from the mountaintop. It wasn’t just Jiang Shi and his group heading home, but also the villagers who were busy with the harvest.

The wind carried the coolness of autumn, and gold covered the earth.

Jiang Shi hadn’t done anything all day. In the evening, he volunteered to wash the vegetables.

Just as he picked up the vegetable basin, Cheng Ye reached out and took it. “There seem to be two tomatoes in the bag in the house. Young master, help me get them.”

So Jiang Shi could only stroll back to the house. When he came out, Cheng Ye had already washed the vegetables.

He placed the tomatoes on the cutting board. “Then I’ll help you add firewood…”

Cheng Ye said, “I can’t leave. You go ask Sun Jiayu and the others to come for dinner.”

“By the way…” Cheng Ye added, “Remember to tell him we don’t have a bowl for them.”

Before Jiang Shi could call, Sun Jiayu and Zhao Chuan came over, holding their bowls.

“Brother Cheng…” Sun Jiayu called out, “Is dinner ready?”

“Almost,” Cheng Ye said. “The fire is a bit small.”

Zhao Chuan tactfully went to add firewood.

Sun Jiayu had not only brought a bowl, but also his own stool. He sat down and didn’t move. “So tired…”

Jiang Shi had been busy for a while but hadn’t actually done any work. He sat next to Sun Jiayu and watched the stars with him.

“Yeah, today was pretty tiring.”

Sun Jiayu looked at him with a rather resentful gaze.

He scooted his chair closer to Jiang Shi, his voice small. “I have to say, your husband is this…”

He gave Jiang Shi a thumbs-up. “Even the bulls on the production team aren’t as capable as him. Watching him break off corn today, he didn’t look like a President at all. He’s more local than the locals.”

Thinking about it, Sun Jiayu could also understand. If he could marry a boyfriend as good-looking as Jiang Shi, he’d probably get up in the middle of the night to plow two acres of land too.

Today was really too tiring. After dinner, everyone went to sleep.

After taking off his microphone and turning off the camera, in the pitch-black room, a thin blanket covered two people.

Cheng Ye’s hand was on Jiang Shi’s waist. His hand, roughened by the corn stalks, moved over the delicate skin, with a faint tendency to explore further inward.

Jiang Shi grabbed his hand. “What are you doing? We’re filming a show!”

The man’s dry lips pressed against his neck, kissing, then licking, and finally, he simply opened his mouth and took a bite. “Young master, let me touch. It’s uncomfortable.”

Jiang Shi could naturally feel it. He dodged towards the wall to avoid his touch. “No touching. Go to sleep.”

“Can’t sleep. I haven’t touched you in days.”

Jiang Shi kicked him with his foot. “What do you mean, ‘days’? It’s only been a few days since we started filming. Don’t get horny all the time. Aren’t you tired enough from working during the day?”

“Not tired.” Cheng Ye grabbed his foot and placed it on himself. “I won’t do anything. Just let me touch you. I’m uncomfortable.”

Touch my ass…

Just as Jiang Shi was about to curse, Cheng Ye grabbed his foot and placed it right on top.

In the darkness, he couldn’t see the man’s face, only feel his breathing suddenly become heavy, his muscles tense, and then he slowly let out a breath.

“Young master, step on it.”

“Feels so good.”

---

Half an hour later, Cheng Ye got out of bed, filled a basin with hot water, and went back into the room with a towel.

Jiang Shi refused to turn on the light no matter what. He could only use the dim light to lift the blanket, scoop out the young man’s reddened feet, and carefully wipe them clean before going to clean himself up.

The next day, Cheng Ye woke up at five.

Jiang Shi was still sleeping soundly in his arms. He pinched the young man’s chin and stole a kiss in his sleep before getting out of bed.

The director team wasn’t up yet at this hour. The sky was just beginning to show a hint of fish-belly white. He picked up the phone for live broadcasting and opened the live room.

At this hour, even the dogs weren’t up, but there were still many young people who hadn’t slept yet.

On the phone screen, the man expressionlessly put on his jacket.

“The director said we have to broadcast for at least fourteen hours a week. That’s an average of two hours a day. Jiang Shi is sleeping. I’m going to break off some corn.”

Anyway, broadcasting is broadcasting. After watching me work, you can’t watch Jiang Shi.

The chickens hadn’t even crowed, and there wasn’t a single cameraman. Cheng Ye took his phone and left by himself.

A single bullet comment slowly floated by.

[I give up.]