The program crew had set up an in-depth shoot there, complete with on-screen text introducing the village’s ethnic minority traditions and such.
The embroiderers came in all ages—some not even adults yet, some married at nineteen, some bringing their kids along, others white-haired and frail but still threading needles with clear eyes.
The place was utterly quiet, the only sound the embroiderers instructing Qiu Chao in stitching.
She spoke in the local dialect, with a young translator girl providing live interpretation.
One teaching, one learning.
【Oh god, this looks way too hard. Can she really learn it?】
【She’s just an apprentice, helping out with the basics…】
【Look at that little girl on the right—she’s a pro.】
【Qiu Chao… she’s so gorgeous, boo-hoo. The crew knows how to film her.】
【Is this stuff for takeout? Any links? I want to buy some too.】
【Handmade has to be pricey, right…?】
No one knew what connections this variety show had tapped into, but viewers felt like the crew was promoting rural crafts.
And sure enough, when viewers asked for links, a purchase option popped up—limited to one item per person, deposit required. These were finished embroidery pieces with tons of pattern choices.
【So… can we buy something handmade by Wife Qiu Chao?】
【I’ve got this village memorized now…】
Qiu Chao didn’t talk much. She learned with intense focus, her pale, slender fingers threading the needle like a seasoned pro.
The translator girl beside her asked, “Sister, did you used to do this for a living?”
The program crew had prepped the workshop, and the embroiderers had figured the celebrities would just pose without real skills. But Qiu Chao had zero airs about her.
Today, she wasn’t in her usual bold, glamorous makeup—her lips were a soft pink.
That shade would look garish on most faces, but she pulled off any look flawlessly. With her head lowered in concentration, she stirred an almost irresistible urge in onlookers.
Her lips were just that perfect.
Qiu Chao: “A little bit.”
Even Xia Yuanyuan hadn’t known Qiu Chao could do this. She stared in shock, suddenly feeling like a failure as her assistant.
She also thought this program crew was downright scary. No prior info for the guests, yet it felt tailor-made for them.
Seeing Yan Muyu equally stunned, Xia Yuanyuan figured Director Qiu had arranged it all solo.
Had these three really known each other back then?
Xia Yuanyuan was dying to know the truth, itching with curiosity.
But Qiu Siyuan hadn’t come along. She was directing the sub-groups remotely while hounding the post-production team for info fills.
The workshop master hadn’t given Qiu Chao anything too tough at first—just finishing touches on some completed pieces.
Her hands moved fast, seated by the window of the stilt house. A lock of long hair fell forward; she tucked it behind her ear.
Before the next task even came, she’d embroidered a few flowers.
The translator girl blinked. “How’d you embroider so many already?”
Qiu Chao smiled at her. “For the friends I’m doing this show with.”
The camera panned: lilacs, crabapple peonies, and more.
Four flowers done, but what came next weren’t blooms.
【Qiu Chao!! You’re my goddess! How does she know everything?】
【Speaking of, why’s no one ever dug deep into Qiu Chao’s background? Don’t they always do that for big stars?】
【Uh, you know she only finished middle school, right?】
【Lies! She went back to school later while working!】
【Dropping out after middle school—what kind of background do you think…?】
【If Sister Qiu had backing, she wouldn’t have gotten all that mud slung at her. Her career trajectory seems impressive, though.】
【There were anonymous forum posts about her school days. All bad vibes in my memory—saying she was seducing boys for gifts at a young age… Ridiculous. Seducing who?】
【I’ve seen her student ID photo. She was already stunning at twelve.】
【Pretty girls without protection have it rough. If they don’t stay pure, they’re done for.】
【Everyone slams Qiu Chao for sleeping her way up, but back then she wasn’t even in control of her own life…】
【I actually like the Yan Family. At least those four years were Qiu Chao’s best.】
【She went so far later, soared so high, but I always remember that blog photo from back then—the undersea tunnel one, smiling so sweetly.】
【Still got the photo?】
【Her blog’s deleted, but you can probably find it online.】
Qiu Chao stitched away, utterly absorbed. The piece was smaller than a palm—clearly a hair ribbon decoration.
The close-up lens captured her so intimately that the woman in frame looked breathtakingly radiant, the object under her needle infused with boundless tenderness, stirring tidal waves of emotion in viewers.
A wave pattern, in blue and white.
In that instant, Yan Muyu’s name surged in everyone’s minds.
Yan Muyu did favor simpler styles, and she fit the sea-wave vibe perfectly.
【Why does it feel so spot-on?】
【Qiu Chao… aren’t you a bit too… with your little sister-in-law?】
【Nailed the essence perfectly.】
【Peony’s gotta be Xi Xi’s—only she has that national beauty glow.】
【Crabapple for Pei Wan, lilac for Ding Yingxue. Haha, Liu Song, you’re morning glory?】
Qiu Chao hadn’t made one for herself. It felt like a brief lapse in focus, or maybe just slacking off.
After that, she buckled down to the workshop’s real work—higher difficulty, intricate stitches demanding full concentration.
The music swelled softly. The camera pulled back, out the window to Yan Muyu on the winding mountain road, delivering goods.
She drove a red compact truck, blasting classic Mandarin pop. Her belting high notes mixed with viewers’ nail-biting tension. Especially on these narrow paths when vehicles passed—danmaku exploded with aaaahs.
【I’m done for. This angle is terrifying.】
【Did the crew stick a camera in Yan Muyu’s truck? Horror game vibes! Aaaah!】
【Why is she so calm?!】
【Damn, this wild card actually gives off such security. So contradictory.】
The route ran from the mountain to the town.
A round trip took hours. Morning’s flower tea steeped in hot water, petals of rose fading and swaying with every bump and turn.
Yan Muyu wore black gloves, tackling the road segment by segment. Sunlight pierced through at times, dense trees at others, splintering the beams into fragments that danced on her hair, her face—leaping with an almost demonic allure.
Maybe it was her unsmiling natural wildness, like a mountain-born sprite cloaked in human skin, piloting this beast toward civilization.
A follow-cam sat in the back, from Qiu Siyuan’s team.
The road was tricky; Yan Muyu considered her driving solid, but some turns felt sluggish.
Her head bobbed to the music’s rhythm. The cameraman in back was freaking out.
He’d followed Qiu Siyuan for years, shot plenty of premium shows, but nothing like this rural gig.
And this guest loved to chat.
Another turn. Yan Muyu asked, “How much do you make a month?”
【Who’s she talking to?】
【With all these camera angles, one’s gotta be in her truck.】
The cameraman stayed silent.
Yan Muyu pressed: “Has Qiu Siyuan been single lately?”
【So nosy.】
【Young Boss Yan, aren’t you tense at all?! I feel like I’m driving—dying here.】
【She’s so chill…】
【Is this job only doable by her?】
The cameraman ignored her. Yan Muyu wasn’t fazed. She hummed along to an English naughty tune, glancing at the rearview.
Nav showed the descent nearing, curves ending. She floored it with a roar.
Xing Wen in the back yelped “Holy shit!”
Yan Muyu laughed. “Wen, you’re still young.”
【Who’s this now?】
As if reading the danmaku, Yan Muyu explained: “My assistant. Crew assigned her to ride along. She’s scared stiff.”
Xing Wen: ……
The truck shot down the mountain, speeding all the way. Viewers witnessed Yan Muyu’s safe-but-extreme overtakes, convinced this show was one-of-a-kind.
Qing bricks delivered to the spot, she was told to pick up stuff on the return.
The town looked rundown too—a stream winding past, green hills misty, cicadas chirping endlessly.
While workers loaded the truck, Yan Muyu snapped a few photos.
Just then, her phone pinged with a WeChat from a new group.
Group Chat (6)
Xi Xi: @everyone What’s for lunch? I can’t step away either. Please send some food to Xiao Song.
Ding Yingxue: [animated emoji]
Ding Yingxue: I can’t either. I have to watch the ducks, so @Pei Wan sis [pitiful]
Pei Wan: I’ll head back soon to cook. What do you all want to eat? There aren’t many ingredients left.
Yan Muyu tsked. “So poor!”
This chat content was also presented in cartoon form in the live stream.
【So Pei Wan is going back to cook?】
【I think Liu Song doesn’t need to worry at all. She must be full from the cold noodles those aunties gave her.】
【Group favorite koi persona never falls lol】
【I think Young Boss Yan is the delivery girl…】
Group Chat (6)
Qiu Chao: Wait for Little Yan to pick me up, then Pei Wan and I will cook together.
Qiu Chao: @Yan Muyu Where are you?
Yan Muyu sent a landscape photo.
Group Chat (6)
Yan Muyu: Still over an hour away.
Qiu Chao: Perfect timing.
Yan Muyu: @Xi Xi Where’s your tricycle? Riding a bike to deliver food is too scary, right? Extra pay!
Xi Xi: [location info] Should I drive back now?
Yan Muyu: Sis Xi, can’t you walk back?
Xi Xi: Have Yingxue watch the cows for me. I need to head back right away.
Yan Muyu: ……
No need to worry about the cows being stolen. Yan Muyu was completely sure this was the production team’s scheme.
She felt a bit despairing. Just as she was about to turn back to the car, she saw Qiu Chao @ her in the group.
Yan Muyu: ?
Qiu Chao: [pic][pic] Bumped into you.
【I’m dying of laughter. Sis Qiu is so ruthless!!】
【What is this!! Why does it look so funny!】
【Where did this mangy mutt come from!】
【Oi! Spread the word: Yan Muyu is a dog!】
Without even opening the big picture, Yan Muyu shuddered at how ugly the dog was, right down to the crown of her head.
This mongrel didn’t know what breeds were mixed into it. Its teeth protruded outward, its fur was a tangled mess, and especially those two black spots over its eyebrows—ugly in a way that somehow gave it bright, spirited eyes.
Yan Muyu: @Qiu Chao you’re sick.
Yan Muyu: Am I that ugly?
Qiu Chao didn’t reply, but she was laughing happily.
When Yan Muyu got in the car, she received a new message. The production team only synced the group chat.
This was one Qiu Chao had sent privately to her.
A selfie.
It was a bit too…
Yan Muyu took a deep breath, thinking this woman was way too bold.
Damn it. How did she know I like selfies from this angle?
