The Weibo post did indeed have a link to the livestream, but it wasn't under her name or the film crew's name. It was for the Wutong County Poverty Alleviation Office.
Clicking on the past broadcast recordings, she saw the Wutong County magistrate, whom she had just met yesterday, seriously livestreaming himself digging for potatoes in a field.
This was definitely the best way to arrange it.
Ni Bingyan blushed and admitted her mistake frankly. "I'm sorry. It was small-minded of me."
The producer had seen his fair share of starlets, but he'd never met one quite like her.
She was beautiful and delicate, yet had a personality that could endure hardship. She seemed reckless and impulsive, daring to do or say anything, but in reality, she was meticulous and attentive to detail.
'This is a good combination.'
"My daughter's about your age. I'm always telling her she needs to know how to protect herself when she's out on her own, but she just won't listen. If you don't mind, call me Uncle Zhao. When I get the chance, I'll introduce you two. Maybe you can help me teach her a thing or two."
Producer Zhao, who looked like a Buddha Maitreya and was always smiling, now wore a particularly sincere grin.
'He's willing to introduce me to his daughter. He must really have a good impression of me.' Ni Bingyan smiled shyly. "In that case, I'll be bold and call you Uncle Zhao."
Producer Zhao nodded in agreement and beckoned over Luo Tiantian, who had been lingering nearby, reluctant to leave.
"Xiao Luo, why don't you walk Bingbing back? It's been a long day, you should both get some rest. She doesn't have an assistant with her, so you can continue to help her out tomorrow."
Luo Tiantian immediately agreed and followed, reaching for Ni Bingyan's backpack.
Many starlets needed someone to blink for them and wouldn't go out without an entourage of a dozen assistants, but Ni Bingyan was used to doing things herself.
She shouldered her bag and casually linked her arm with Luo Tiantian's. "It's not heavy at all. Let's go, Tiantian!"
Luo Tiantian was a recent graduate who had joined the crew after some basic training. She was a junior assistant under the production coordinator, specifically tasked with keeping Ni Bingyan informed about her work schedule.
She didn't know the others very well, and she lived in the same courtyard as Ni Bingyan. It was dark, and even though temporary lights had been set up along the path, she was still scared walking alone in an unfamiliar place.
The two got along quite well, so it was perfect for them to walk together. That's why Luo Tiantian had deliberately waited for her.
Only after the two had walked some distance away did Deng Yu speak. "Old Zhao, you seem to think very highly of her, don't you?"
The Zhao Family wasn't fabulously wealthy, but they held a prestigious position in the arts and entertainment world. The two had been friends for years, and this was the first time Deng Yu had seen him be so warm toward an actress. If he didn't know what a good man Old Zhao was, he might have gotten the wrong idea.
Producer Zhao chuckled. "There's no shortage of smart kids with acting talent in this industry, but it's rare to find one with such good character. I originally thought she was just kind and soft-hearted. Now it seems she isn't some simple-minded blockhead. What does that tell you?"
Deng Yu asked blankly, "What does it tell me?"
Producer Zhao clapped him on the shoulder in exasperation. "You, you! All you ever think about is how to shoot a scene! If you used your brain for even a second, you wouldn't have to ask!"
Director Deng rolled his eyes, lowered his head to pack up his equipment, and pointedly ignored him.
'It's not that important anyway. I'm not going to beg him for an answer!'
'Fine, don't tell me then!'
After a long moment, a faint sigh drifted on the night wind. "A kid like that is a rare find. She sees the big picture."
Outsiders only see the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry, thinking it's an easy way to make money. They don't realize it's a minefield where one wrong step can lead to a fall from which you'll never recover.
What's a moment of glory?
Only those who are level-headed and have foresight can become evergreen stars.
Otherwise, why would he invest in something that wasn't a surefire moneymaker? Why insist on coming to suffer in this mountain gully?
Meanwhile, Ni Bingyan walked back to the small courtyard with Luo Tiantian. They both washed up and went to bed. The next morning, she woke up and checked the time. It was just six o'clock.
Ni Bingyan was a fitness enthusiast. She would even squeeze in a few squats while waiting on set. Seeing that it was still early before her scheduled call time, she put on a face mask and started doing reps with mineral water bottles.
Before it was even time for breakfast, an auntie in a white headscarf was standing on her tiptoes outside the courtyard, peering in. When she saw Ni Bingyan, she beckoned for her to come over.
Thinking the woman needed something, Ni Bingyan quickly peeled off her face mask and hurried over. The woman then pushed a warm egg into her hand over the courtyard wall, said a few words, and ran off.
Over half the population of Wutong County belonged to the Hui tribe, and Ni Bingyan couldn't understand a word of their language. She opened the courtyard gate to chase after the woman, but she was long gone.
A little while later, an elderly couple, a grandma and a grandpa, came by to give her eggs. They spoke in the local dialect, which Ni Bingyan also couldn't really understand.
They knew she couldn't understand them, so after saying a few words, they followed suit, leaving two eggs behind before they went on their way.
They were elderly, and since they paid her no mind, she didn't dare reach out to stop them.
The third wave of visitors was a little boy.
Probably because he was school-aged, his accent wasn't as thick. With quick eyes and even quicker hands, Ni Bingyan caught him and barraged him with questions, soon getting to the bottom of things.
"The county officials said you're helping us sell potatoes today. They said you're even delaying your own work for us. We farmers don't have much to give, so my grandma boiled you some eggs. I guess everyone else had the same idea."
Ni Bingyan was stunned.
Holding the five warm eggs in her hands felt like holding five heavy mountains.
She had been in the village for over a day and had spoken with some of the locals. She knew that life for these families hadn't changed much from how it was ten or twenty years ago.
Their daily meals consisted of grains and vegetables they grew themselves. Meat was a luxury, usually coming from the chickens they raised. They would raise two pigs a year, selling them when they were fat and healthy right before the New Year. That money was used to buy fertilizer for the next year and pay for their children's school fees. For daily expenses, they still relied on their "chicken-ass bank."
To city dwellers, eggs were no longer a precious commodity. But to the villagers here, they meant something entirely different.
While she was lost in thought, the little boy quickly pulled free and darted away. By the time she came to her senses, even the dust he'd kicked up had settled.