The guys first helped the girls carry their suitcases upstairs to the second floor before going down to pick their rooms. Mu Qiu waited for Shu Ran and Guan Yu to choose before taking the last room at the end of the hallway.
Shu Ran exchanged a couple of pleasantries before entering her room, but Guan Yu opened her room door, placed her suitcase inside, and boldly extended her hand towards Mu Qiu.
"Let's introduce ourselves again, shall we? I'm Guan Yu, a comedy actor. I don't think I know you. Could you tell me more?"
She seemed like a bright and lively girl, a bit plump, with a curious look that wasn't offensive.
Mu Qiu placed her suitcase at her door, shook her hand, and smiled politely, "I'm a novelist."
"A novelist?" Guan Yu's eyes widened slightly, looking at her smiling face, "You have a lovely smile. Why did you decide to join this show?"
Mu Qiu thought for a moment, "The director said they needed a non-celebrity, so here I am."
"... That sounds like you have no clue either," Guan Yu suddenly slapped her forehead and exclaimed, "The director might bring this up during the activities, right? I can't ask too much now."
Mu Qiu raised her eyebrows, "Seems so."
"Why don't you go tidy up in your room first? You'll find out soon enough, anyway."
"Sure."
Mu Qiu quickly tidied up her room, and when someone knocked on her door, she went downstairs with Guan Yu and Shu Ran, who had come out simultaneously.
The director clapped his hands to gather everyone to listen.
"Our guests have all arrived; there are six of you. Mu Qiu here is the only non-celebrity guest. She is our program's original author and screenwriter."
"Original author?" Guan Yu asked in shock, "There's an original work for this show?"
The others also turned their heads to stare at her.
Mu Qiu carefully chose her words, "Yes, the director used some of the ideas from my original novel, but they've all been mixed up. I can't even tell how this show relates to my book anymore. In short, I'm probably the most useless original author ever, unable to provide any spoilers."
The last self-deprecating remark successfully made Guan Yu and Li Yang, whose eyes were sparkling, drop their thoughts.
Li Yang scratched his head, "I still don't know what type of show this is. My agent told me it's an educational program to gain knowledge."
"Ah-ha?" Guan Yu couldn't believe it, "My agent clearly told me it's a show to practice acting skills."
Li Yang: "???"
Guan Yu: "???"
Is this the same show?
Shu Ran added, "My agent told me it's a leisure and relaxation program."
... Now three people have defined the show as three different genres.
Li Yang turned his head to look at the director team, "Director, is this an issue with the agents?"
The director smiled benevolently, "Our program is a storytelling variety show."
"Storytelling variety show?"
"What's a storytelling variety show?"
"Using the original author's words, it's playing games and showcasing acting skills, experiencing the variety of life in a story, searching for the truth of life."
"... Huh?"
Everyone's gaze slowly shifted to Mu Qiu.
Mu Qiu remained expressionless and very calm, "Director, stop talking nonsense, I never said that."
These were clearly the heartfelt lines of the director at the end of the ninth episode in the book.
The director didn't argue about whether she said it or not, holding a small megaphone, he simply announced the rules for this episode.
"This isn't considered the official first episode; it's more of a pilot. The main content of this episode is an identity-setting team building, to help everyone get familiar for upcoming episodes and to give fans a chance to see more of their faces, a little treat. Later, the staff will deliver lunch. After everyone receives their task cards, remember your identity setting. If you break the identity-setting rules, there will be penalties, which are also on the task card."
This made the audience in the live comments feel at ease.
[A truly considerate director, add a chicken leg!]
[Director has worked hard! Do your kids chase stars too?]
[Wow, the variety show actually has an original work?]
[I was worried my Qinhuai River would become unrecognizable on the show, thankfully there's an episode for me to buffer]
[Ripples of the Qinhuai River here! Afraid the child would be so cold and indifferent, yet also afraid they'd be so cute that everyone can squish them]
[I'm perfectly fine with Brother facing the camera and monologuing all day!]
[Identity setting?]
[Openly talking about character settings, huh?]
[This show sure dares to do it, having the financial backers, they're very confident]
[There's actually an original work?! Where's the original work? I'm going to take a look in advance! Spoil my brother a bit in the next episode]
[No spoilers, didn't you hear the author saying she's useless?]
[Shufu Jia is here, asking the director to be gentle with my sister]
[Body powder is also here to support sister]
[Orange Juice, calm down, you're blocking Brother's face with your comments]
[This toad is here to admire the godly looks]
[The kids are already flying all over the comment section]
The six of them moved to sit at the dining table, watching as the chef brought out dish after dish from the kitchen: five dishes, one soup, plus a seafood pot, and a dessert was served beside each person's bowl.
Guan Yu clutched her neck, "I feel like the sound of me swallowing is echoing in my head over and over."
Shi Yuhuai, sitting opposite her, glanced at her and said rather seriously, "I heard it too."
"..." Guan Yu's eyes widened, "Is it that loud?"
She hadn't expected someone to seriously pick up on that joke.
Shi Yuhuai glanced to the side, realizing that what he said just now was probably just for the variety show's effect, suddenly feeling a bit troubled, unsure if he should nod.
Luckily, the staff delivered their task cards, saving him.
Li Yang, who got the task card first, opened it, looked at it, closed it, then suddenly sat up straight, looking around, "Did I get the wrong one?"
"I think I got the wrong one too," Guan Yu frowned, "Shall we swap?"
Li Yang glanced at her, then at his task card, hesitated slightly, "Alright, let's swap."
The two of them swapped task cards. Li Yang opened it again, read two or three lines, and immediately stood up, trying to switch back with the card in Guan Yu's hand, "I don't want this, I want mine back!"
Guan Yu leaned back, holding the task card to the side, "Nope, nope, a swap's a swap!"
Looking at her face now, there was no trace of the frown. Only then did Li Yang realize he'd been tricked.
Shu Ran tilted her head and asked Li Yang, "What's yours?"
Li Yang looked distressed, "I'm to be a great writer; I have to recite a poem every time I take a bite. If I can't, I have to watch you all eat for ten minutes and then start over."
Shu Ran covered her mouth with a laugh, then asked Guan Yu, "And yours?"
Guan Yu shook her task card, "I'm an English enthusiast, and I must switch to English in every exchange after saying a sentence in Chinese. If I speak two sentences in Chinese consecutively, I'll lose a dish. Tsk, tsk. Even though my English isn't great, I still know 'yes,' 'no,' and 'I am good!'"
Li Yang: "… Why didn't I think of that?!"
Seeing how dejected he was, Shu Ran sighed and revealed her task, "Mine is a corporate powerhouse lady, and I must evaluate the food and communicate using the tone of a career woman. One error, and I start over with an extra bowl of rice each time until I finish."