Abstract Art Award Winner

The meeting finally ended with a superficial consensus.

Regarding the specific amount, the final decision was made at 650.

But obviously everyone knows that if Su Mang's words were edited out, it would definitely go viral.

But no one was tactless enough to say it out loud.

"Um..." Xiaotian raised her voice slightly, trying to get everyone's attention, "Shouldn't we discuss what to do for dinner? Everyone just arrived, and this is our first meal together."

Sure enough, the atmosphere immediately became much more lively when the topic turned to food, but it also fell into a state of chattering again.

"I brought a lot of self-heating hot pots! Spicy and buttery ones!" Meng Ziyi was the first to raise her hand, full of enthusiasm.

“I brought self-heating rice, all kinds of flavors,” Li Xueqin added.

"My assistant stuffed a box of snacks into my bag," Wang Sulong said, adjusting her glasses.

"It seems the production team prepared some basic ingredients in the kitchen, like vegetables, eggs, and noodles," Zhou Le added.

"I see tomatoes and eggs, so I can make scrambled eggs with tomatoes."

Zhang Han unusually took the initiative to speak, seemingly showing some interest in demonstrating his culinary skills.

"If you put them all together, it's a veritable feast of mixed ingredients!" Guo Qiling summarized, "Spicy hot pot, self-heating series, home-style stir-fries, it's all here!"

This chaotic yet lively discussion was actually more relaxing than the previous discussion about money.

Tian Xiwei watched everyone chatting away. Although she still couldn't quite join in the conversation, at least no one directly refuted the point about eating.

She quickly jotted down in her notebook: "Dinner: Gather everyone's supplies and divide the work."

The group discussed as they walked out. Su Mang and Song Dandan were slightly ahead of them.

Su Mang turned his head and whispered to Song Dandan, his voice not loud, but several people nearby could vaguely hear: "Sister Dandan, look at this little village chief, wasn't he a bit pitiful just now? He made a suggestion, and everyone was saying their opinions, but no one listened to him."

Her words sounded like sympathy, but also carried a hint of condescension.

Song Dandan smiled and looked back at Tian Xiwei, who was diligently writing in her notebook as she walked. She said with certainty, "I think this girl is quite good. She's honest, responsible, and willing to work. She's much better than someone who just talks the talk. I like her."

Su Mang smiled upon hearing this, but then changed the subject: "That's true, but personally, I still prefer someone like Jing Yu. He seems reliable and gives me a sense of security."

As she spoke, she subconsciously turned around to look for Huang Jingyu.

Huang Jingyu, who happened to be walking not far behind, was visibly stunned when he heard this. A look of embarrassment flashed across his face as he subconsciously scratched the back of his head, gave a sheepish smile, and didn't reply.

Zhou Le walked next to Huang Jingyu, nudged him lightly with her elbow, and teased him in a low voice with a smile: "Did you hear that? Teacher Su Mang appreciates you. Why don't you seize the opportunity to show off? Maybe your future fashion resources will depend on Teacher Su Mang's help."

Huang Jingyu quickly waved his hand, his expression becoming even more unnatural, and his voice was lowered to a whisper: "Brother Le, don't make fun of me."

Forget it, there's really no need for all this now. I'm not the male model I used to be anymore. Now I'm an actor, and I'll let my work speak for itself.

His tone carried a hint of genuine resistance, as if he were quite unaccustomed to being the object of such appreciation.

Zhou Le nodded knowingly and stopped joking.

He knew Huang Jingyu's personality; he was straightforward and not enthusiastic about subtle interpersonal hints and potential resource exchanges, and even avoided them somewhat.

Of course, that was the way we came from before.

Amidst laughter and chatter, everyone gradually returned to their respective room areas, ready to share the food they had brought.

Zhou Le also returned to his dormitory with Guo Qiling, Wang Sulong, and Huang Jingyu.

"What good stuff did you bring? Show us your stuff!" Guo Qiling shouted as he opened his suitcase.

As expected, Wang Sulong took out a large bag of snacks.

Guo Qiling contributed self-heating hot pot and some vacuum-packed cooked food.

Huang Jingyu brought out some high-protein canned chicken breast and energy bars, which perfectly matched his fitness persona.

When it was Zhou Le's turn, he calmly took things out of the box.

First, he took out a few packets of seemingly normal noodles and some seasonings.

Then, the style of the artwork suddenly changed.

He pulled out a folding foot bath tub.

Then I took out a portable neck massager.

Next is a small shoe dryer.

Finally, he even brought out two huge dumbbells that gleamed with a cold metallic gleam, and placed them heavily on the floor with a dull thud.

Guo Qiling stared in disbelief, pointing at the pair of dumbbells: "No... Brother Le, this... We're here to film a variety show, not to participate in a triathlon. Your preparations are just too... abstract and practical, aren't they?"

Wang Sulong chuckled and picked up the foot bath tub to examine it: "Brother Le, are you planning to organize a group health retreat for us tonight? You've got quite the equipment!"

Huang Jingyu was more interested in the dumbbells. He tried them out and nodded, "The weight is good, Le'er."

Zhou Le patted the dumbbells, looking completely matter-of-fact: "That's life. You keep saying no, no, you complain about being tired and having trouble, but you can't skip the work you have to do, and you have to grit your teeth and do the exercise you have to do."

Work, self-discipline, study—aren't you complaining about everything while continuing? That's the ultimate level of "saying one thing but meaning another."

His words, though spoken in jest, inexplicably struck a chord with several people.

Guo Qiling remarked with deep feeling: "Brilliant! That's exactly how I am. I always say I don't want to work, but when work comes, I work harder than anyone else."

Wang Sulong nodded in agreement: "That's right. It's like writing a song. Sometimes you get a headache from holding it in and you're cursing and swearing, but in the end you still have to sit there and grind it out."

Huang Jingyu succinctly put it: "I feel like I'm going to die especially on leg training days, but I feel great after I finish."

Zhou Le laughed: "That's why I call it being prepared. I can be relaxed in words, but the equipment must be in place and the attitude must be correct."

After a round of laughter and joking, everyone carried their contributed supplies to the communal kitchen.

The kitchen quickly became lively, with people washing vegetables, boiling water, unpacking hot water packages, and examining cookware—all bustling about.

Song Dandan and Su Mang naturally became the "commanders-in-chief".

However, the content of the commands was mostly:

"Hey you, is the water boiled yet?"

"Oh dear, this vegetable needs to be cut more neatly."

"Don't cram the self-heating hot pots in so tightly!"

But it's the young people who actually do the hands-on work.

Zhou Le noticed that Zhang Han was indeed handling the tomatoes and eggs seriously, and his technique was quite professional.

He walked over, leaned against the kitchen counter, and greeted him naturally: "Brother Han, your cooking is pretty good."

Zhang Han looked up at him, a very faint, almost imperceptible smile on his face, and said calmly, "It's alright. After living alone for a while, I can always cook a few dishes."

He hid it well, as if all the previous unpleasantness had never happened, and the two seemed to have a good relationship, at least on the surface.

After all, the camera is currently filming.

Zhou Le smiled knowingly and chatted for a few minutes about cooking time and seasoning.

His gaze swept over the increasingly abundant ingredients on the cooking counter, where he saw various meatballs, beef rolls, seafood seasoning packets, and hot pot broth melting in the pot.

Others also mostly ate high-purine foods.

Zhou Le nodded and said nothing more.

He turned around, found the flour, and then added some water.

I searched for a tutorial on my phone and started kneading the dough.

After I finished preparing it, I let it rest for a while.

Then, following the tutorial, I quickly made some scallion oil, but I deliberately controlled the amount of oil.

After the noodles were almost done, he pulled out some thin noodles.

Then I cooked a bowl of light scallion oil noodles, adding only a few drops of soy sauce at the end to enhance the flavor, and sprinkled on a handful of bright green scallions.

By this time, the food had been prepared and set on the table.

When he placed the bowl of noodles in front of Guo Qiling, who was facing a mala tang and self-heating hot pot and seemed a little lost, Guo Qiling was clearly stunned.

"Brother Le, what you're doing..."

"Eat this." Zhou Le handed him the chopsticks. "You should eat less of those high-purine foods, or you'll suffer when your feet hurt later."

Guo Qiling's face instantly lit up with gratitude. He took the noodles, and his tone became much warmer: "Oh, thank you, Brother Le! You're so kind! I had almost forgotten about this. I was just watching them eat and drink so well."

This scene was witnessed by Su Mang, who had just sat down. Looking at the bowl of noodles, she said to Zhou Le with some surprise, "Zhou Le, how thoughtful of you! How did you know I like this kind of light scallion oil noodles?"

She seemed to have misunderstood who owned the bowl of noodles.

Zhou Le paused for a moment, then chuckled, but quickly adjusted his expression, responding half-jokingly and half-seriously: "Of course, Teacher Su Mang, I know the preferences of every teacher in our studio."

He phrased it tactfully, neither denying nor admitting, while subtly flattering the other person. Unexpectedly, Song Dandan overheard this and immediately leaned in, her expression a mix of curiosity and a hint of competition: "Oh? Really? Then Zhou Le, tell me what I like to eat?"

Zhou Le looked at Song Dandan's "testing you" expression, pretended to look her up and down seriously, then shook his head and said in a serious tone, "Sister Dandan, you are knowledgeable and experienced. It's hard to say what delicacies you like to eat, and I don't think you can be stumped by the tastes of the North and South. But I'm sure of one thing."

He paused deliberately, and after a while said slowly, "You definitely don't like green beans, especially undercooked ones, right?"

"Pfft—" Guo Qiling, who was eating noodles, almost burst out laughing.

"Hahaha!" Wang Sulong burst out laughing.

Those around who heard it couldn't help but laugh.

The "joke" between Song Dandan and Doujiao was so classic in a certain variety show that Zhou Le's answer not only avoided directly answering the difficult question, but also cleverly picked up on the joke.

Song Dandan laughed at herself, pointing at Zhou Le: "You kid! You've been waiting for me here!"

This little incident made the atmosphere in the kitchen more relaxed and harmonious.

Everyone enjoyed a lively meal together, a mix of various flavors. Although it wasn't particularly refined, it was full of warmth and the excitement of being newcomers.

Of course, Zhou Le noticed that some people didn't eat much; they basically only took a bite.

I reckon some of the assistants will be bringing the food tomorrow morning.

After finishing their meal, looking at the messy kitchen, many people hesitated about who should wash the dishes.

Just then, several staff members quietly walked in and began to tidy up skillfully.

Everyone was taken aback at first, then breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Le already knew all this.

Such inside stories are common in variety shows like this.

Ultimately, the production team had to cover all the costs.

The guests are responsible for creating the appearance of a good life.

After dinner, the real team-building issues were brought up again.

Everyone moved to the living room.

Song Dandan once again took the lead: "Now that we've eaten and elected the head of the village, it's time to get down to business. This Peach Blossom Village is so big, we can't just eat and sleep all the time, can we? We need some common goals and activities to strengthen our relationships."

Su Mang chimed in: "Yes, I think we can divide into small groups and large groups. Small groups are those who are usually on good terms and can get together to eat and chat. They can form groups freely and then regroup after a while."

In a large group, we work together on shared projects, contributing to the development of Peach Blossom Village, which fosters a sense of collective honor.

This proposal was accepted by the majority of people.

Although arguing and refuting are still the main themes, there's no need to reject this lukewarm suggestion.

After all, nobody wants to be tied to group activities 24 hours a day.

Free time for small groups is undoubtedly a necessary buffer.

Next came the free group formation stage. Just as Zhou Le had predicted, this process was fraught with undercurrents, filled with subtle probing and tacit choices.

Song Dandan looked around and found Wang Sulong and Wang Chuanjun.

Putting everything else aside, these two seem easy to talk to.

At least on the surface, they will definitely follow my arrangements; as for the rest, they are still choosing.

GAI has a relatively independent aura. He didn't explicitly state who he was joining at first, but he seemed to have tacitly assumed an observer's status.

Yoko and Li Xueqin, two fellow Northeasterners and internet celebrity sisters, naturally came together.

After a while.

Tian Xiwei found Meng Ziyi.

"Sister Meng, let's team up."

Meng Ziyi naturally had no objection; as the dock manager, Tian Xiwei had to provide support.

Then, Tian Xiwei looked at the remaining people. Su Mang had already found Huang Jingyu and Zhang Han, both of whom she liked. Although she also wanted to find Zhou Le, she was really afraid that Zhou Le would cause trouble.

The two couldn't refuse, so she then pulled Lai Kuanlin inside as well.

It's like she's created a harem for herself.

So, Tian Xiwei saw Gai.

"Gai, how about joining our group?"

Gai naturally wouldn't refuse.

Moreover, under the current circumstances, the groupings are basically clear.

Now that he was inside, he naturally looked at Zhou Le and asked, "Brother Le?"

Zhou Le laughed: "Brother Gai, don't be so polite. We're all brothers. Just call me Le'er."

It wasn't explicitly stated, but it was essentially an invitation and an acceptance.

The remaining four comedians, Guo Qiling, Yin Zheng, Li Xueqin, and Lamu Yangzi, got together.

This resulted in Song Dandan's team having only three members.

But it doesn't matter. The group assignments are roughly finalized. Although some gaps in interpersonal relationships still exist, at least there is a framework on the surface.

"Okay, let's discuss what our first group project should be?"

Tian Xiwei took out her notebook and diligently fulfilled her duties as dock commander.

Everyone shared their opinions once again.

Shu Qi suggested gently, "I think we could set up a bakery? We could bake cakes and cookies for everyone. It would be very cozy and therapeutic."

Song Dandan immediately said, "Oh, that's great! But I also want a meditation room! A quiet place where I can practice yoga or something."

“We can work together to renovate the empty room!” someone suggested.

“That works!” Guo Qiling agreed. “It combines group activities with tangible results.”

Zhou Le thought for a moment and said, "Building a house is no problem, but just working isn't very interesting. We need some entertainment, right? We have quite a few singers here, so how about we hold a singing competition? A small one, just for our own amusement."

Wang Sulong got excited as soon as she heard music: "That's great! Band format or chorus is fine, let's have the competition in groups, the main thing is to have fun."

Meng Ziyi excitedly raised her hand: "You sing well! Then I can be a backup dancer too!"

Zhou Le added at the right moment: "Sister Meng, stop joking. You are our main singer."

Meng Ziyi: "Huh? Me?"

Zhou Le laughed: "That's right, of course it's you. You and Brother Gai are our main force."

No one rejected the suggestion.

After all, there were very few people present who couldn't sing it.

But then he added, "Since we can have a singing competition, why not also hold some simple drama workshops? We can write up some short stories and act them out for fun, which would be a way to experience life."

His suggestion not only took into account the needs of the actors present, but also increased the show's appeal.

All the suggestions are good and do not conflict with each other.

Ultimately, everyone agreed that the first collective project would be to jointly renovate two functional rooms, a meditation room and a baking room, followed by the preparation of small-scale music performances and theatrical excerpt performances. The projects were diverse and layered.

After the meeting, it was already late, but the night in Peach Blossom Village was far from quiet.

Zhou Le stretched and said to the people next to him, "I'm going to the gym for a stroll to digest my food. Anyone want to come along?"

GAI also twisted his neck: "I'll pass, I was quite tired from some events before, and I didn't get much rest."

Tian Xiwei nodded as well: "I need to practice too."

Meng Ziyi wasn't very interested in fitness, and waved her hand, saying, "You guys go ahead, I'm going back to put on a face mask!"

Guo Qiling and Wang Sulong exchanged a glance. They were about to refuse, but Li Xueqin pushed Wang Sulong and said, "Come on, Brother Long, let's go take a look. Consider it a walk. Otherwise, you'll just be lying in bed playing on your phone when you get back."

Wang Sulong smiled helplessly: "Alright, alright, I'll walk over with you."

The two have a good relationship and often refer to each other as brother and sister on TV shows, so they chatted casually at this moment.

Li Xueqin then looked at Huang Jingyu: "Jingyu-ge, wanna come together?"

Huang Jingyu initially didn't want to be a third wheel for Zhou Le and Tian Xiwei, but seeing that everyone else had gone, he stopped worrying.

He nodded in agreement: "Okay."

Finally, Zhou Le, Huang Jingyu, Tian Xiwei, Wang Sulong, Li Xueqin, and Guo Qiling, who was dragged along to make up the numbers, walked into the courtyard in a large group. (End of this chapter)