Being able to participate in a variety show of the level of Spontaneous Travel is already the biggest opportunity for exposure that Wen Wanning has received in the past few years.
The young girls at the studio were on high alert, staying up all night to organize the resources for the dozens of dramas featuring this season's guests, and even included the replays and commentary of Ling Ye's Grand Prix races from the past few years, dumping everything into a cloud drive.
The cramming left her feeling dizzy, a crash course in knowing oneself and the enemy.
Three days before the trip, Wen Wanning got up early, charged the tablet she had seen powered off the night before, and followed the schedule sent by the program group to be in the first wave to enter the studio for promotional photos.
Before getting out of the car, Zhou Fu, who was in the driver's seat, looked at her through the rearview mirror, "Are you really sure you don't want Ruan Jia to go with you?"
"She shouldn't have any plans these days, and staying at home is just staying at home. I can call her over with one phone call."
Wen Wanning was truly shocked by the workaholic, and pleaded for her, "My older sister, how long has it been since Jia Jia had a vacation? Let her get some good sleep."
"It's really not inconvenient for me to go by myself, and it saves me from being complained about for being a fading star who makes too much fuss."
"Don't say that word," Zhou Fu, like Ruan Jia, believed a bit in metaphysics, and frowned as she pointed at her, "If you say it too much, you'll drive your luck away."
She reached into the front seat storage compartment, handed her a scarf, and gave her a few more instructions.
"Promotional materials are shot in batches. I don't think those top streamers will be able to make it this early. If you see Xiao Wei, talk to him a bit more to get familiar with him in advance."
"Don't blame me for nagging, but don't touch someone of Ling Ye's status. I don't understand the rules of their racing circle, but if you want to make a living in the domestic entertainment industry, you still have to be careful and keep your distance from traffic you can't afford to handle."
"Don't worry."
Wen Wanning turned on her phone and held it out to the front to show her the time, "It's not good to be late, I'm going now."
"Wanning," Zhou Fu called her again.
Wen Wanning had already stepped out of the car, clutching her bag with cold hands, and turned back at the sound.
Zhou Fu rolled down the car window, her tone softening, "Don't be nervous during the shoot later, you look very good today."
Wen Wanning curled the corners of her mouth, her eyes welling up, "Thank you."
As Orange TV's ace variety show, there is naturally no shortage of budget, and the practical set built inside the venue is exaggeratedly large.
A group of staff members were already ready, and when Wen Wanning bowed to greet them, they were all a bit caught off guard.
It wasn't that she didn't arrive on time; rather, because it is the norm for celebrities of all sizes in the circle to be late for announcements, her punctuality seemed a bit abrupt.
Wen Wanning is afraid of the cold, so she wore a cashmere dress today with a large down jacket over it.
To make makeup and styling easier, she specifically didn't wear makeup, and her smooth long hair was tied into a low bun. Her side profile was so plain and pure that she looked younger than her actual age.
She was alone and didn't bring an assistant, so the makeup artist was a bit unaccustomed when she came to pick her up.
There was no heating in the lounge, and the chairs were cold. Wen Wanning took out her thermos cup and took a sip of ginger tea before she felt a little better.
Seeing the young makeup artist looking at her with round eyes, she shook the cup, "Want some?"
The young girl's face flushed red in an instant, "No, no need."
Wen Wanning found her amusing and took a handful of things out of her bag for her, teasing her like a child, "It's too cold in the room, don't catch a cold."
She opened her soft white palm to reveal a hand warmer and a piece of sea salt toffee, both with very cute packaging.
The makeup artist wasn't very old, but she had entered the industry early and had worked with dozens, if not hundreds, of female celebrities, and had never seen anyone like Wen Wanning.
It had nothing to do with the glamorous and distant image she had on the big screen; she was very approachable, like the pretty older sister you would see whispering and peeking at the door of someone else's classroom back in your student days.
The young girl was stunned for a moment before taking them. While tidying up the makeup brushes on the table, words slipped out of her mouth uncontrollably.
"Teacher Wen, you are quite different from what I've heard."
She regretted it as soon as she said it, scratching her head and trying to find words to apologize.
Wen Wanning closed her eyes to let her apply the base makeup and smiled indifferently.
The theme of this season of Spontaneous Travel is Song of Ice and Fire. The first few episodes chase summer in Phuket, and the later episodes take a train to a small town in the north at the foot of the Greater Khingan Range to watch the aurora in the endless snow.
Echoing the theme of the first half of the variety show, the promotional photos shot today are island-style.
In the practical set, a Nanyang style small restaurant was restored based on the work of a local Phuket artist, with old electric fans, vintage posters, and walls full of glass mosaic tiles, shimmering under the sunlight.
Wen Wanning stood at the entrance of the shop in a large floral dress, lifting the curtain with one hand to walk inside. Her long black curly hair swayed gently behind the palm leaves, and her skin was a sweet, pearl-like white, with soft curves that were enchantingly alluring.
Honey without added sugar.
The photographer inexplicably thought of this phrase.
The year Wen Wanning won the Golden Horse Award, a film critic known for his sharp pen described this Shen Cheng beauty in his eyes this way.
The sound of the shutter never stopped, and the shoot ended surprisingly quickly.
Putting on her down jacket again, Wen Wanning confirmed the final shots on the monitor, and the breath she had been holding finally released.
There seemed to be other artists scheduled for the morning, and she had no intention of staying to watch. Just as she was about to walk to the backstage lounge, she heard a familiar voice greeting her, "Wanning, over here."
The light under the set was dim, and it wasn't until Wen Wanning walked closer that she saw the producer's face, and she was startled, "Teacher Zhong."
Teacher Zhong smiled and praised her for the shoot just now, "The little girl brought up by Zhou Fu really has something."
Wen Wanning felt her face heat up.
She is twenty-seven years old this year, and only the seniors who are close to her would still call her "little girl."
To be ashamed, the announcement for Spontaneous Travel had always been fought for by Zhou Fu. She had heard Teacher Zhong's voice more often on the phone, and there were almost no opportunities to meet in person, except for a brief encounter a few years ago.
Zhou Fu had explained to her that Teacher Zhong was just like that; he had no interest in dinner parties or socializing, and was only particularly attentive to work matters.
In recent years, his health had been poor, and he had a tendency to be a hands-off manager, spending more time playing with cats and walking dogs in his spare time, and rarely appearing on the recording set.
Wen Wanning bowed and sat down, saying thank you first, "Two days ago, Sister Zhou Fu said she must invite Teacher Zhong to a meal."
"Am I lacking that meal from her?" Teacher Zhong waved his hand, "Don't use this superficial stuff with me. It's my fault that it took so many years for you to come over."
His tone changed quickly, and he said as if presenting a treasure, "Let me introduce someone to you."
Wen Wanning looked up and only then noticed that there was someone else sitting beside Teacher Zhong.
He was wearing a loose gray hoodie, his hood covering most of his face, and his legs were spread casually, looking endlessly long.
The other person raised his eyes at the sound, his half-closed eyelids lazily opening, and the look under his eyelashes was faint as he met her gaze.
Wen Wanning was stunned for a moment, swallowed the greeting on her lips, and silently apologized to Zhou Fu in her heart.
It wasn't that she wanted to cling to a top streamer.
It was just that Teacher Zhong was too polite and insisted on sending a top streamer her way.
She looked for a bit too long, and Teacher Zhong noticed it too, "Do you know each other before?"
Wen Wanning had no way to avoid it: "...Yes."
An unexpected answer, Teacher Zhong raised an eyebrow, his reaction exactly the same as Zhou Fu's, "Friends?"
Actors and race car drivers sound like people from two different worlds, but in reality, when you count all the brand sponsorship activities every year, there are quite a few opportunities to have an accidental encounter.
Male artists love to join in the fun in the F1 paddock, calling it cheering on good brothers, but in reality, it is to build a persona for their streetwear contracts. When the situation is applied to female celebrities, it adds a bit of ambiguity out of thin air.
Teacher Zhong's expression was colorful, and one couldn't tell what kind of dramatic plot he was secretly imagining.
Wen Wanning glanced at Ling Ye next to her. A line of faint blue light leaked from the monitor light above, falling on his thin eyelids. He didn't mean to explain anything, and it seemed he wasn't very interested in her answer either.
Wen Wanning didn't want to ask for trouble. Just as she said half a "no," she heard Ling Ye, who had been quiet all along, speak up.
"Teacher Wen is my older sister."
His voice was low, and he bit the last two words very lightly, with a kind of understated intimacy.
Wen Wanning looked up abruptly.
Teacher Zhong's shock was no less than hers, and he gave a very light "Oh."
"My older sister" and "one of my older sisters" are separated by four characters, and the amount of information in them is more than a hundred times different.
"It's been many years," Ling Ye said in a calm tone, not knowing who he was saying it to, "It's normal that you didn't recognize me at first glance."
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