The reason the “About Us” production team set up such a harsh environment for the guests was twofold. First, it was to allow the celebrities to deeply experience the lives of grassroots farmers and to show the audience the reality of rural life. Second, in an environment where financial means were lacking but the work was exceptionally hard every day, a person’s abilities and sense of responsibility could be best demonstrated.

The recording of the show was more than halfway through. The other guests had all had arguments, and one couple was even showing signs of a relationship breakdown. Only Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye had never fought.

Comparing them to the other groups, the director discovered that in Jiang Shi’s group, basically all the work was done by Cheng Ye.

Logically speaking, if one person in a household shoulders all the work for a long time, they are bound to feel unbalanced.

But Cheng Ye had no such thoughts at all. To him, the work was supposed to be his to do. All Jiang Shi had to do was sit comfortably. If Jiang Shi ever did any work, he would feel it was his own fault.

The reason he was so energetic was all thanks to Jiang Shi, his human charging station. As long as he could see Jiang Shi by his side, he was full of vitality, not to mention the occasional kiss as a reward when he saw how hard he was working.

Every time his battery was fully charged, Cheng Ye had an inexhaustible amount of strength.

When other guests finished their work or had nothing to do, they would just lie around at home. Cheng Ye was different. He fixed the windows and retiled the roof. Jiang Shi loved to cool off under the persimmon tree, so he bought a bamboo pole and wove a reclining chair. He also built a wall around the somewhat dangerous yard and found two broken wooden barrels to plant wild flowers he had plucked from somewhere.

Repairing walls, planting vegetables, filling in the bumpy yard, and even setting up a tent for the open-air stove—the originally dilapidated house was visibly getting better and better.

With the money from selling the corn and rice, plus some funds Cheng Ye had managed to scrounge up, Jiang Shi’s group had earned the most money.

The house gradually filled with many new things. The chairs were replaced with comfortable wooden sofas, Jiang Shi’s chipped bowl was replaced with a better, more expensive one, and Cheng Ye even bought a second-hand refrigerator.

The other guests all had a sense of just getting by, waiting for the three months to be over. Only Cheng Ye, no matter where he was, was seriously living his life with Jiang Shi.

The show’s popularity remained high, and online, discussions about Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye were still numerous.

[Thank goodness the variety show is only three months long, otherwise Brother Ye would sooner or later lead the young master to a moderately prosperous life.]

[It’s only been three months, but their house has changed so much compared to when they first arrived. If this doesn’t end soon, I’m afraid Brother Ye will have built a villa.]

[All I can say is that he’s just too capable. As a domineering CEO, he can close a hundred-million-dollar deal, and as a farmer, he can make life flourish.]

[Don’t forget, Cheng Ye also climbed up from the bottom. Seeing what he’s doing now, if he’s not the CEO of Hengyuan, who else could be?]

For the finale of the variety show, the production team set up a Q&A session to test their tacit understanding.

Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye’s group went from being the least favored at the beginning to the most popular now. Based on their usual performance, the director team unanimously believed their score in the Q&A session would be the highest.

As it turned out, when the scores were tallied, theirs was surprisingly the lowest.

At first, the accuracy of their answers was very high. The host asked about their preferences, and both answered without hesitation.

After that, things started to get strange.

The host asked: “In this variety show, whose performance surprised you the most?”

Jiang Shi said: “Sun Jiayu, I guess. Although he complains from time to time, he’s always very proactive in his work, and he has a great personality. I rarely see him get angry.”

Cheng Ye said: “Jiang Shi. He never even used to wash dishes at home, but here he learned how. That surprised me the most.”

The host asked: “Then who do you think, among everyone here, can endure hardship the most?”

Jiang Shi said, quite embarrassed: “Cheng Ye, I suppose. After all, I barely did any work.”

Cheng Ye said with great pride: “Jiang Shi. He’s never lived in such a dilapidated house, and he still had to accompany me to work every day. He had it the toughest.”

The host asked: “Who do you think, among everyone here, is the best cook?”

Jiang Shi said: “Cheng Ye.”

Cheng Ye said: “Jiang Shi.”

The host: “???”

“If I may be so bold as to ask, has Teacher Jiang ever cooked on the show?”

“One morning he boiled two eggs for me. It was the first time I’d ever seen someone boil eggs so perfectly. It’s a culinary skill I could never learn in my lifetime.”

“…”

The host asked: “Who do you think, among everyone here, has the best temper?”

Jiang Shi said: “Brother Zhao, I guess. He’s known for being an old good-natured person, after all.”

Cheng Ye said: “Jiang Shi. There is no one in the world with a better temper than him.”

Finally, it was the “About Us” Q&A session.

The host: “About the two of you, what flaws do you think the other person has?”

Jiang Shi said: “I think he’s too centered on me. He really doesn’t need to see me as so important and should consider his own feelings more.”

Cheng Ye said: “He’s too independent. He should be more clingy, not so independent, and try to rely on me more.”

The host: “About the two of you, what do you appreciate about the other?”

Jiang Shi said: “He’s mature and reliable, always sees what needs to be done, and knows how to cheer me up. I feel very secure with him.”

Cheng Ye said: “Good-looking, cute, gentle, kind, so beautiful he makes fish sink and geese fall, makes the moon hide and flowers blush, pure as ice and jade, self-disciplined, charitable and benevolent, bestows kindness and spreads grace…”

The host: “Stop.”

When the final scores came out, Jiang Shi angrily stepped on Cheng Ye’s foot.

They came at the end of summer and returned in early winter. It was only afternoon.

Although it was entering winter, the sun was out today, so the temperature wasn’t too low.

Liu Heping was at the airport exit to pick them up. His artist had been on a farming variety show for three months, and it would be a lie to say he didn’t feel for him. He looked at the approaching Jiang Shi with tears in his eyes, sizing him up like a father.

“After three months of hardship, look at you, you’ve…” His gaze fell on Jiang Shi’s rounded face and he faltered, “…gotten fatter, and also…” he stared at the young man’s light-colored pupils, “…fairer…”

In contrast, Cheng Ye, who was beside him, had been working solidly for three months. He was the one who had truly gotten thinner and tanner.

Liu Heping wiped away his crocodile tears and said with a straight face, “I’ve booked a restaurant to welcome you back.”

The restaurant was on the top floor, with a panoramic view of the prosperous river scenery of Jiang City. Jiang Shi leaned back in the comfortable chair, looking at the bustling view below. “After getting used to seeing mountains and dirt, it feels a bit strange to suddenly come back.”

Cheng Ye didn’t feel strange at all. As soon as he sat down, he was already pouring tea and water for Jiang Shi. When Jiang Shi complained that the complimentary snacks weren’t good, he casually stuffed them into his bag, planning to give them to Liu Man and Xiao Liu as local specialties.

“If you like it, I’ll build a house in Xiliu Village and clear out a couple of plots of land. We can go back whenever we have time.”

Jiang Shi immediately wilted at the thought. “Let’s forget it then.”

Liu Heping had taken a call and gone out, and still hadn’t returned, so the two of them had to eat first. Cheng Ye deboned a chicken wing and put it in Jiang Shi’s bowl, then served him a bowl of soup.

The aroma of the food and the bright lights intertwined before his eyes. Jiang Shi’s porcelain-white fingertips stirred the spoon in his bowl as he looked at Cheng Ye beside him. “Whether in the city or the countryside, I see you adapt quite quickly.”

Only after serving Jiang Shi did Cheng Ye pick up his own bowl to eat. With the restaurant’s exquisite small bowl, he could finish half of it in one bite.

“The city or the countryside makes no difference to me. As long as I’m by your side, it’s fine.”

For him, the only time he truly felt out of place was when he wasn’t by Jiang Shi’s side.

After thinking for a moment, Cheng Ye said, “The city is a bit better, though.”

Jiang Shi thought he would say the city was more comfortable, but instead, he heard the other man say:

“The houses in the village aren’t soundproof. You’re thin-skinned, you’d be embarrassed if people heard.”

Jiang Shi: “…”

Liu Heping pushed open the door, holding his phone. “Embarrassed? Who’s embarrassed?”

Jiang Shi kicked Cheng Ye under the table.

Cheng Ye stood up with his bowl. “I’m going to ask the waiter for more rice.”

The waiter waiting at the door had clearly watched the variety show. His eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye.

Cheng Ye picked up the delicate rice bowl. “Hello, I’d like to…”

The waiter understood instantly. “I know, I’ll get you more rice right away.”

She took the bowl from Cheng Ye’s hand. “I’ll have the kitchen bring a whole pot over for you directly.”

Jiang Shi burst out laughing with a “pfft.”

Cheng Ye: “…”

He was speechless.