Abstract Art Award Winner

Under Chen He's steady driving, the Jinbei van slowly drove towards the Hunan Broadcasting Building.

The atmosphere inside the car was both exciting and tense, with a hint of "conspiracy."

"Brothers, have you all remembered the plan?" Deng Chao lowered his voice, as if he were conducting a top-secret operation. "When Bao Qiang comes out, Chi Chi and I will flank him from the left, while Lu Han and Zhou Le will intercept him from the right, forming an encirclement. We must make sure he feels caught off guard."

However, since we're here to hire them, we can't give them too much time to react. We'll just get them into our car! The main point is a big, unexpected surprise!

While carefully avoiding the small potholes in the ground, Chen He complained, "Brother Chao, your plan sounds like a kidnapping! Are you sure Bao Qiang won't call the police?"

Lu Han was also a little worried: "Our car... doesn't look like it can give people a surprise, it looks more like a shock."

Zhou Le, on the other hand, was more pragmatic: "Let's first figure out which door Baoqiang will come out of, so we don't end up going to the wrong place."

Fortunately, the people present were frequent visitors to the area for filming, so they were quite familiar with the place and knew which door and which path to take once they entered.

So they quickly arrived at the entrance of the broadcasting station ahead of time and found an inconspicuous spot to wait.

Time ticked by, and as Wang Baoqiang's recording was about to end, the four men began to move quietly according to their "plan," searching for their respective ambush positions.

Then they communicated with each other via WeChat voice messages.

The four people chose four different directions, making it look just like the real thing.

Although Zhou Le thought this behavior was a bit reckless, so what?

Men just hang out together.

As the saying goes, a man is a boy until he dies; it doesn't matter if everyone is a little childish.

"action!"

The moment Deng Chao saw Wang Baoqiang and Wei Daxun walking out of the revolving door, chatting and laughing, he roared and was the first to rush out!
However, he was probably too excited, or his legs were numb from squatting for so long, so he couldn't really get going. He said he was rushing out, but he was actually just walking quickly.

Chen He reacted a beat too slow, and by the time he ran out, he was already several steps behind.

Seeing that Deng Chao had already started, Lu Han and Zhou Le on the other side also immediately took action.

Zhou Le was very fast, and he closed the distance in just a few steps.

Lu Han followed closely behind.

But in that split second, Wang Baoqiang and Wei Daxun had already reached the parking lot and were walking towards his own van.

"Baoqiang! Wait!" Deng Chao finally shouted, panting.

Hearing the sound, Wang Baoqiang turned around in confusion and saw Deng Chao, Chen He, Lu Han, and Zhou Le running towards him in all sorts of strange postures, their faces showing urgency and distorted expressions.

His agent and assistant were stunned and instinctively tried to stop him.

"Brother Baoqiang! Don't get in the car! Come with us!"

Zhou Le arrived first and grabbed Wang Baoqiang's arm.

Deng Chao and Chen He finally arrived, supporting Wang Baoqiang on either side, panting, "Quick! Let's go! There's no time to explain!"

Lu Han chimed in quickly, "Yes, yes, yes! Come with us first!"

Wang Baoqiang was completely bewildered, and was pulled and dragged out of the van by several people: "Wait... Brother Chao? Le'er? Brother He, Xiao Lu? What are you doing? I've finished recording the show, I need to go back to the hotel..."

"Why go back to the hotel! Once you're done with your work, you should come with us. There's no need to go back to the hotel!"

As Deng Chao spoke, he led Wang Baoqiang towards the van.

"Huh?!" Wang Baoqiang's eyes widened even more.

His already small eyes looked quite bright at that moment.

"It's already started? I didn't expect it to be this fast. I thought it wouldn't be until tomorrow at the earliest."

"We won't make it that far. We're probably going to start today, and we're recording right now, aren't we?"

Wang Baoqiang glanced at the photographers and thus got a general idea of ​​the situation.

Several people practically dragged and pulled the still clueless Wang Baoqiang into that iconic Jinbei minivan.

Wang Baoqiang and Wei Daxun sat in the car, looking at the shabby surroundings and their panting brothers, their faces filled with bewilderment and innocence: "Wait... what's going on here? You guys have to tell me where we're going!"

Deng Chao smiled mysteriously, rummaged in his pocket, and pulled out the reward plane ticket given to him by the production team: "Look! Surprised? I'll take you on a trip and let you relax."

Wang Baoqiang took the plane ticket and was even more confused: "To Xi'an? That's great! But... this ticket is... for tomorrow?!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions on their faces froze. They hadn't expected the tickets to be for tomorrow; they had thought they would be leaving tonight.

"Oh, is it for tomorrow? Hahaha, what should we do then? Our hotel reservations have already been cancelled, and Bao, yours has been cancelled too."

Wang Baoqiang was completely bewildered: "Where am I supposed to stay tonight? You've already cancelled my hotel reservation!"

The car fell silent instantly.

Deng Chao, Chen He, and Lu Han looked at each other in bewilderment. They had been so focused on carrying out the plan that they had completely forgotten about the flight dates and their accommodation for the night!

However, this is also the director's fault for not explaining things clearly. Of course, if we delve deeper, it's because they didn't ask clearly enough questions.

“Uh…” Deng Chao scratched his head awkwardly.

"Well... a surprise always has to have a twist..." Chen He tried to smooth things over.

Lu Han covered her face: "It's over..."

Only Zhou Le remained calm. He sighed and patted Wang Baoqiang on the shoulder: "Brother Baoqiang, don't worry. Since we invited you, we'll definitely find you a place to stay."

His gaze shifted to the person who had just come out with Wang Baoqiang.

Wei Daxun was still watching the spectacle.

The group immediately looked towards the back row, where Wei Daxun was sitting and watching them.

Chen He turned his head immediately:

"Da Xun! Brother Xun! Please help me!"

"Xun, look, Brother Baoqiang is homeless because of us. Shouldn't you take him in?" Chen He was always very embarrassed when he said these things.

Wei Daxun was taken aback by this situation, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Wait... is your Five Haha production team so poor? You won't even pay for the hotel? You're trying to mooch off me?"

"Funds are tight! Funds are tight!" Deng Chao said hurriedly. "Look at our car! Does it look like we have money?"

After a fierce bargaining session.

Wei Daxun finally reluctantly agreed: "Okay, okay, I'll help you, alright? You can stay at my place tonight, and I'll also cover dinner. Let's just say it's 50 per person, no, 40, not 30. I think that should be enough."

The visuals and the overall effect of the show perfectly established Wei Daxun's somewhat stingy persona.

Of course, Zhou Le knew perfectly well that what he was saying now was very detailed and convincing, but in reality, about 60% of the content was arranged in advance by the production team.

The remaining 40% is to give them some room to develop their own ideas.

After all, recording a variety show is not as simple as it seems on the surface.

Ordinary people can easily take photos and record their lives in most public places with a camera, but variety shows are different.

Filming must be reported in advance.

Just like they are now in Hunan Broadcasting System, but without permission, without review and submission of an application, how could they film so casually here?
Furthermore, how could Wang Baoqiang be pulled into a car by a few close friends for no reason? Even if they were close, they wouldn't do that. Not to mention he was going to stay at Wei Daxun's place that night.

So, the filming that night turned into the hilarious daily routine of the "Five Ha Ha" group staying at Wei Daxun's hotel room.

The rooms were naturally too crowded, so everyone had to sleep on makeshift beds on the living room floor, which made it quite lively.

In the evening, the group squeezed into the living room, eating takeout sponsored by Wei Daxun, watching a football match on TV, bickering and teasing each other, creating a lively and playful atmosphere full of brotherly fun.

Despite the rudimentary conditions, they unexpectedly produced a lot of genuine and funny moments.

The next day, the group finally took their plane tickets for the next day and flew to Xi'an, the ancient capital, which was the true starting point of their five-ha journey.

Upon arriving in Xi'an, one is immediately enveloped by a profound historical atmosphere and the enticing aroma of noodles.

Of course, both of these are rather abstract statements.

Among them, Deng Chao and Chen He are from the South, but they have been in the industry for so many years that they have seen all sorts of people.

Zhou Run and Lu Han are both typical northerners. Lu Han grew up in a military compound before going to South Korea to debut as a member of a group. But these ancient city walls and noodles have been familiar to them since childhood.

For Zhou Le, ancient city walls are plentiful in Shanxi, and noodles are a common sight.

But after leaving the airport, the production team informed them that the second regular guest was already waiting.

Upon meeting, I was surprised to find that it was actor Guo Tao.

Guo Tao, looking every bit the tough guy, greeted everyone with a smile: "I heard your show is quite grueling, so I'm here to experience life!"

Deng Chao enthusiastically introduced, "Brother Tao! A truly talented actor! 'Parents' Love' and 'Crazy Stone' are both classics!"

Chen He chimed in, "Brother Tao, once you're here, don't worry about saving face. Just keep your substance!"

Lu Han greeted them politely.

Zhou Le also stepped forward to shake hands: "Hello, Brother Tao, please give me your guidance."

Wang Baoqiang and Guo Tao were old acquaintances, and after a few words, the atmosphere quickly warmed up.

Although Zhou Le is from Shanxi and his spoken English isn't very good, he is still very proficient in languages ​​within China.

I can't understand English, but I can learn dialects perfectly.

After exchanging pleasantries, the production team announced their first task in Xi'an: to choose one of three types of noodles.

The staff said they just brought out a menu, which only had these three types of noodles.

Biangbiang noodles, hand-torn noodles, and fermented fish soup.

The menu had pictures, and although the group generally understood what was going on, they still had to show a bit of curiosity.

"Wow! It looks delicious!" Lu Han swallowed hard.

"How do I choose? I want to eat them all!" Chen He was caught in a dilemma.

Deng Chao began his analysis: "Biangbiang noodles are imposing, hand-pulled noodles have a strong handmade feel, and fermented fish soup sounds very special..."

Guo Tao and Wang Baoqiang also expressed that they found it difficult to make a decision.

But looking at the menu, Chen He once again asked, "Why is this fish dish listed as a noodle dish? Isn't it written as fish?"

Looking at the three bowls of noodles in front of him, each with its own unique characteristics, Zhou Le quickly pondered what to do with them.

As a native Chinese, he knows that noodle culture is profound and diverse, with each type having its own merits, and there is no inherent superiority or inferiority among them.

The boldness of Biangbiang noodles, the simplicity of hand-pulled noodles, and the ingenuity of fermented fish soup all represent the culinary wisdom and culture of different regions.

Since we're here to make a show, promoting local food culture is an important part of it. There's no need to determine a winner or loser; what's important is the experience and the learning process.

So he said, "They are all very distinctive and represent different styles of Xi'an noodles."

Finally, after a heated discussion...

On Tuesday, both Zhou Er and Deng Chao chose the surface, and the rest of the people also made their own choices.

However, at this moment, the director suddenly spoke up, saying that since they had made their choices, they should go to some noodle shops to find a master to learn from.

In other words, they need to be divided into groups.

They will be filmed separately.

Since Zhou Le and Deng Chao chose the most imposing-looking Biangbiang noodles, they were naturally paired together.

Chen He and Lu Han chose hand-torn noodles; Wang Baoqiang and Guo Tao, on the other hand, showed great interest in the oddly named fermented fish.

Of course, Guo Tao is a local, so he knows what this is and can even make it, but he's willing to practice with him anyway.

The groups have been decided, and now it's time to find a place to learn how to make it.

The program only gave them the name of the noodle shop and its general location; they had to figure out how to get there and how to communicate and learn from it themselves.

They encountered this task at the very beginning of the show's recording, so they quickly got into the car and set off.

On the way, Deng Chao started using his connections: "I have friends in Xi'an! I'll contact Teacher Yan Ni, she's from Xi'an! And Bai Yu, he's also from Shaanxi!" He took out his phone to make the calls, but... "Hello, the number you dialed is temporarily unavailable..."

Deng Chao was not giving up and called a few more times, but either no one answered or they were filming in other places.

Everyone was amused. One comment read: "Brother Chao, your connections failed you at a crucial moment!"

Deng Chao pinned his hopes on Zhou Le: "Le'er, what about you? Do you know any artists around here?"

Zhou Le also took out his phone and confidently dialed Zheng Jun and Xu Wei's numbers, but... no one answered either.

Zhou Le sighed helplessly, "Maybe the big shots are all busy creating content."

Just as the two were hesitating and feeling a bit lost, wondering if they should rely on navigation to find their way there, Deng Chao suddenly slapped his thigh: "That's it! Miao Fu! Miao Fu, the crosstalk performer from the Xi'an Qingqu Society! I know him!" He quickly searched for the number and dialed it.

This time, the call was answered quickly. Deng Chao hurriedly explained the situation, and Miao Fu on the other end of the phone was very straightforward, speaking with a strong Shaanxi accent: "Hey! Brother Chao! You've come to Xi'an? Are you preparing a show? Hey! Why didn't you say so earlier! I'm having some things to do right now, I'm at the hospital getting a checkup."

It'll be finished soon! Send me your address, and I'll come find you as soon as I'm done!

After hanging up the phone, everyone breathed a sigh of relief; they had finally found the local bully!

Furthermore, Zhou Lejuan, as a crosstalk performer, would naturally incorporate many local elements into her performances. In other words, theoretically speaking, a crosstalk performer's understanding of local culture and knowledge is far greater than that of a film or television actor.

Of course, this part was also arranged in advance, and the rest was left to improvise. Anyway, the script I often got was to call Miao Fu at the end.

As for how things unfolded in between, that's not in the script; it all depends on how Deng Chao improvises.

Similarly, the production team had already made prior arrangements with the noodle shops they were going to visit for training, obtained filming permits, and paid the corresponding fees.

The so-called "finding people on your own" and "finding your own way" are more about increasing the unpredictability and fun of the show.

It showcases the celebrities' genuine reactions and problem-solving abilities.

Miao Fu's appearance was arranged by the production team beforehand to ensure that there would be a reliable person to help the guests when they had nowhere else to turn, thus ensuring that the program could proceed smoothly.

This is the essential planning and safeguards behind the seemingly random nature of reality shows.

So the men split up and went their separate ways.

Zhou Le and Deng Chao headed towards the noodle shop where they learned to make Biangbiang noodles. (End of Chapter)