I Want To Retire From the Circle but Become Famous by Acting Poorly

Lin Yu was standing under the eaves, smiling as he watched the crowd in the courtyard.

It seemed that only when Su Chengyang approached did he notice that there was an extra person beside him.

“Chengyang?” Lin Yu called out in confusion.

Thinking of all the good things that Lin Yu had done for her, Su Chengyang felt ashamed and held a tree branch in her hands, respectfully handing it over to Lin Yu.

“Mr. Lin, I’m here to apologize” Su Chengyang said sincerely.

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow and asked, “Apologize for what?”

Su Chengyang looked serious and said, “I shouldn’t have had a lucky mentality, thinking that you wouldn’t come with us, and even more so, I shouldn’t have thought that I could regain my freedom. Last night, I secretly went out of the hotel and bought… bought…”

At this point, Su Chengyang looked up at Lin Yu.

Lin Yu seemed to be waiting for her to continue.

Su Chengyang gritted her teeth and continued, “I shouldn’t have bought a lot of snacks for myself and hid them in my luggage.”

Lin Yu stared at her for a few moments and then took the tree branch from her hand. Su Chengyang’s heart tightened, afraid that Lin Yu would actually hit her in front of everyone. Although her reason told her that Lin Yu wasn’t that kind of person, she couldn’t help but take a step back.

Lin Yu said, “Chengyang, is it my illusion? I feel like you’re afraid of me.”

Of course, you always scare me with breach of contract penalties. How can I not be afraid of you?

Su Chengyang muttered in her heart.

Although she knew that Lin Yu was a very good person and had helped her a lot, he was still her immediate superior.

Lin Yu turned and placed the tree branch in the corner of the wall without continuing the topic. Then he said, “Eat less meat during dinner later. If your weight increases by more than five pounds after the shoot, the reality show’s pay will be cut in half.”

Su Chengyang: “…”

In an instant, Su Chengyang’s heart turned cold.

The balance of Lin Yu in her heart once again tilted towards the devil’s direction.

Su Chengyang nodded numbly and turned to return to Han Songxue’s side.

Xiao Lu somehow appeared beside Lin Yu and sighed, “Boss Lin, why is Su Chengyang afraid of you? You always scare her with money. She’s the kind of person who can sell her dignity for 3,800 yuan!”

Lin Yu watched Su Chengyang’s departing back calmly and said, “I’m not scaring her.”

“Okay, okay.” Xiao Lu waved his hand dismissively, “I know you’re telling the truth, a smiling tiger!”

The crew had set up the equipment in the yard beforehand, and when everyone entered the yard, guests and villagers were arranged to sit together at a long table that could accommodate thirty or forty people, with nine guests sitting scattered around.

Su Chengyang rarely eats with so many people, whether it’s on set or at home. She’s always used to being alone, even during the New Year when families gather, she would sit in front of the TV like an ordinary person and cook herself a bunch of delicious food, but she was always alone.

Su Chengyang was sitting next to two elderly people who were chatting with her. Although Su Chengyang couldn’t quite understand what they were saying, she could tell that they were very friendly and generous.

“Girl, why are you only eating so little?” an old lady on her left asked.

Su Chengyang sighed and said, “I’m not hungry.”

“You stars, one by one, are so thin. You should eat more and gain some weight,” the old lady continued.

Su Chengyang smiled and said, “Work requires it.”

“What’s more important than your health for work!”

Su Chengyang looked at the table full of various dishes, her mouth watering, but she remembered what Lin Yu had said and only took a few bites of each dish, not daring to eat too much.

Su Chengyang’s body is prone to gaining weight, so she doesn’t dare to eat too much. But the situation now is at least better than before. Although she can’t take a few more bites, she can at least taste it.

Su Chengyang is not a person who has many demands. Although she rarely eats with so many people at the same table, she did not show any discomfort. On the contrary, Han Songxue and the others were a bit awkward at the table, especially Jiang Shanqi, who sat among the villagers with a cold face and didn’t eat anything while watching dozens of pairs of chopsticks poking around.

Su Chengyang ate until she was full, and in order to prevent herself from feeling itchy, she got up from the table early.

After thanking the villagers, she found a short stool to sit on by the side of the courtyard, watching the koi swimming in the pond beside her.

The staff went to the back room to have lunch, and no one was filming them.

“Have you eaten enough?” Suddenly a strange voice came from behind her.

Su Chengyang turned around and saw the boy she had seen at the door earlier.

Su Chengyang smiled at him, “Yes.”

The boy squatted down next to Su Chengyang and they both watched the koi in the pond swaying their tails.

“I looked it up online, and it seems like the food you like to eat is different from what we like, isn’t it not to your taste?” The boy said.

Su Chengyang shook her head and said, “No, the food is very good. Thank you for your hospitality.”

The boy turned his head and the sunlight shone on his wheat-colored skin. He had a pure and sunny smile on his face and said, “But I’ve been watching you, and it seems like you didn’t eat much.”

Su Chengyang was a little surprised by his bluntness and explained, “It’s not that I don’t like the food here, I just need to maintain my figure.”

The boy said directly, “I don’t think you need to, you are very beautiful.”

Su Chengyang laughed, “Thank you, but it’s a company rule.”

The boy pointed to Lin Yu, who was sitting inside the house having lunch with the director, and asked Su Chengyang, “Is he your boss?”

Su Chengyang nodded, “How did you know?”

“I saw you talking to him, and you seem to be afraid of him. Has he ever bullied you?” The boy asked.

Su Chengyang shook her head and said, “No, you’ve misunderstood. Our boss is a very good person.”

The boy nodded and didn’t say anything else.

“I’m Xingxiu, what’s your name?”

“My name is Su Chengyang.”

Xingxiu chatted with her for a while, and he noticed that Su Chengyang seemed to like watching the koi in the pond. He asked curiously, “Do you really like koi?”

Su Chengyang said, “No, I just think they are very happy. They don’t have to do anything every day and are free to do as they please. They don’t remember anything.”

Xingxiu nodded as if he understood.

Although his interests were different from those of Su Chengyang, he seemed like a very talkative and curious person. Despite the village’s limited contact with the outside world, he seemed to have some knowledge about it and never let the conversation die down.

Su Chengyang enjoyed talking to him and couldn’t help but ask about the totem on his right eye.

She thought she might offend him, but Xingxiu didn’t seem to mind and smiled, “It’s a custom in our village. Unmarried men will paint a totem related to their name on their face. They will wash it off with well water after they get married.”

Su Chengyang found it fascinating and couldn’t help but take a closer look at his eye.

Xingxiu closed his eyes and let her take a closer look while explaining, “This is the first of the seven eastern mansions in the 28 mansions of the Chinese constellation – Jiao, which is a type of dragon.”

“Does it have any special meaning?” Su Chengyang asked curiously.

Xingxiu opened his eyes with a faint smile, “It will have meaning when you wash it off.”

Su Chengyang was stunned and didn’t continue to ask.

Xingxiu didn’t seem interested in delving deeper into the topic, so he continued, “The flower on a woman’s forehead has the same meaning as the totem on my face. Unmarried women will paint a flower petal on their forehead, which their husband will wash off on their wedding day. Women are like flower petals, beautiful but fragile. This represents that the husband will treat his wife like a delicate flower petal from now on.”

It was a very romantic custom.

After only a few words, Xingxiu was called away by the village chief.

Han Songxue, who had eaten and drank enough, came over to Su Chengyang and asked eagerly, “I saw you chatting with that handsome guy for a long time, I didn’t want to disturb you intentionally. Tell me, what did you guys talk about?”

“We talked about their customs,” Su Chengyang said.

“Oh, how boring,” Han Songxue said in disappointment, and sat down beside Su Chengyang on a small stool.

After the meal, Su Chengyang and the crew helped clean up the scene, and took a short break in the courtyard before the program team decided to take them to another place.

Except for Han Songxue and the three male guests, no one had eaten much, and everyone walked with little energy.

The program team took them to a modern building, which was actually just a brick house seen everywhere outside.

“Now that we’ve solved the first meal problem, next we should solve the accommodation problem” the assistant director said, pointing to a single villa behind them. “This is the only ‘small villa’ in the village, with complete facilities and even internet access, but only one of the nine guests can stay there.”

When they saw that the house had only a kerosene lamp for lighting not long ago in the courtyard, their expectations for the reality show had plummeted. Now that they heard there was water, electricity, and even internet access in the village, their eyes lit up again.

Tan Qi asked, “Assistant Director, how do you decide who stays here?”

The Assistant Director replied, “It’s simple. Let’s not rush. First, let us introduce everyone to the other houses.”

“The second one is an old-fashioned courtyard. Apart from no internet, it has all basic facilities. Outside the door is a bamboo forest, with a very good environment.”

Han Songxue said, “This place is suitable for Song Mingan to stay.”

Su Chengyang nodded in agreement.

“As the ancients said, it is better to eat without meat than to live without bamboo.” Song Mingan was very satisfied with the living environment described by the assistant director.

Han Songxue said, “Su Chengyang has something to say!”

Su Chengyang said truthfully, “Food is the most important thing for the people. I can be homeless, but my stomach cannot.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the crowd burst into laughter.

The Assistant Director introduced the other accommodations again. The first five were all normal, with basic water and electricity, but the geographical environment and living conditions were different. Towards the end, either there was no electricity but water could be found, or there was water but no electricity. However, these were still acceptable until the last two, which not only had no electricity or water, but were also two unfinished rooms that had not been lived in for many years.

After the introduction, the female guests were nervous and asked how the decision would be made, fearing that they would end up in the last two unfinished rooms.

Su Chengyang didn’t feel much about it. As long as she had a roof over her head, it didn’t matter where she stayed.

While everyone was discussing it excitedly, Su Chengyang stood alone behind the program, lost in thought. Seeing Han Songxue looking worried, she couldn’t help but comfort her, “Don’t worry, I won’t argue with you guys…”

Before Su Chengyang finished speaking, the Assistant Director said, “The program group has prepared dried beef made by the villagers. Whoever can eat the most within the specified time will have the right to choose their accommodation first.”

Su Chengyang was suddenly energized and said, “I think it’s necessary to compete with you guys. That’s the spirit of competition.”

Everyone: “…”