I became a movie star at the age of three; Dilraba and I are childhood sweethearts.

The morning sunlight, carrying the salty smell of the sea, lazily spilled into the courtyard of the Mushroom House.

These are the last few days of filming the show, and a faint sense of melancholy permeates the air.

Xiao Chen stood at the gate of the courtyard, gazing at the shimmering sea in the distance, the sea breeze ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead.

Her smooth, full forehead was exposed. Her deep eyes reflected the azure sky and the sea, as if they held the stars of the entire world.

"I'm leaving soon."

He suddenly spoke softly, as if talking to himself, or as if saying goodbye to his friends.

"Yes, that's fast."

Mei Yanfang walked over to him with a cup of hot tea in her hand, her voice tinged with reluctance.

Leslie Cheung leaned against the door frame, his slender fingers holding an unlit cigarette, his posture languid yet elegant.

"What's wrong? Are you reluctant to leave the sun here, or the sea breeze?"

Dilraba was squatting on the ground playing with the puppy when she heard this, she looked up and her big eyes blinked.

"Brother Chen, before we leave tomorrow, how about we go out to sea one last time?"

"Just this once!"

Xiao Chen turned around and looked at everyone.

His gaze swept over the tenderness in Anita Mui's eyes, the faint smile on Leslie Cheung's lips, and Dilraba's expectant face.

He smiled, a smile like the first ray of sunshine in the morning, instantly dispelling the sadness of parting.

"Okay, let's go out to sea one last time."

His words were decisive and calm, yet possessed an irresistible charm.

Just then, the old rotary telephone in the room suddenly rang.

"Ring—Ring—"

The crisp sound of a bell broke the tranquility of the courtyard.

"I'll go get it!"

Dilraba darted inside like a little rabbit, grabbed the receiver, and spoke in a sweet voice.

"Hello, this is the Mushroom House."

A slightly mesmerizing male voice came from the other end of the phone, with a deliberately quirky tone.

"Oh my god, we finally got through!"

"Is this the Mushroom House?"

"We took the wrong turn, and I can't get through to the director on the phone. Do you provide meals there?"

Dilraba paused for a moment, glanced instinctively at the people outside, covered the receiver and asked in a low voice.

"Excuse me... who are you?"

Another cheerful female voice came from the other end of the phone.

"We're your guests! Sister, hurry up and get your husband to answer the phone, we're starving!"

Dilraba was both amused and exasperated by this sudden "bandit" tone, and could only look to Xiao Chen for help.

Xiao Chen walked over, took the receiver from her hand naturally, and said only one word.

"Feed".

His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to carry a strange, comforting power.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone for two seconds, then the male voice tentatively asked.

"Is...is this Teacher Xiao Chen?"

"it's me."

"Oh my! Mr. Xiao Chen! You finally answered the phone!"

The man's excitement was almost palpable through the receiver.

"I'm Shen Teng! And Ma Li too!"

"Do you remember us meeting backstage at the Spring Festival Gala?"

Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung exchanged a puzzled look.

Shen Teng?

Ma Li?

The name sounds unfamiliar.

They travel between Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China all year round, so they are not very familiar with newcomers in the mainland comedy scene.

Dilraba shook her head, indicating that she had never heard of it.

A faint smile appeared on Xiao Chen's face.

Of course he remembers.

He even handed them a bottle of water backstage at the Spring Festival Gala that year.

Unexpectedly, the production team invited them this time.

This is the information gap.

In the worlds of Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, and Dilraba, these are two unfamiliar names.

But in Xiao Chen's memory, these were two interesting souls who would bring laughter to hundreds of millions of viewers in the future.

He didn't point it out, but spoke casually into the receiver.

"I remember. Don't rush, just come over, I've prepared some good food for you."

Shen Teng on the other end of the phone was clearly surprised that he was so easy to talk to. He was stunned for a moment, and then his comedic instincts immediately kicked in.

"No, Teacher Xiao Chen!"

"We haven't ordered yet! We've come all this way, we can't leave empty-handed!"

Ma Li also joined in the commotion.

"Yes! We want to order a main dish!"

Xiao Chen raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening.

"Okay, order."

Shen Teng cleared his throat and spoke slowly and deliberately, as if reciting the names of dishes.

"We want to eat—Old Beijing style, copper hot pot, mutton hot pot!"

The moment the name of the dish was announced, the courtyard fell silent.

Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung both looked surprised. In this breezy little fishing village, ordering a specialty dish from Beijing, a thousand miles away?

Dilraba's eyes widened in disbelief, thinking that the two of them were simply fantasizing.

Xiao Chen answered without even a second's hesitation.

"Okay, no problem. Wait here."

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

"Chen Zai."

Leslie Cheung finally couldn't help but speak up. He walked around Xiao Chen, his eyes full of curiosity.

"Are you kidding me? Where are you going to get them hot pot lamb in a copper pot here?"

Xiao Chen didn't answer, but just smiled mysteriously, then pointed to the beach not far away and the simple "points redemption point" set up by the production team.

"I have a clever plan."

Everyone immediately understood what he meant.

The show's rules are that participants can earn points by doing tasks, such as picking up trash on the beach.

Points can be redeemed for any items within a "reasonable range".

"Let's go."

Xiao Chen picked up a few large sacks from the corner and took the first step.

"For the sake of our guests' hot pot lamb."

On the sunlit beach, scattered on the golden sand are plastic bottles and packaging bags washed ashore by the waves.

The four of them, each with a burlap sack, began picking up trash along the coastline.

This was supposed to be a tedious and boring physical task, but because of the people around me, everything became interesting.

Dilraba was like an energetic child, running around and muttering to herself.

"This bottle can be traded for a roll of mutton! That foam can be traded for a dish of sesame sauce!"

Anita Mui's posture was elegant; even when she bent down to pick up trash, it looked like she was posing for a magazine.

She carefully separated the glass shards and sharp shells, placing them in another bag, her every move exuding a gentleness and thoughtfulness ingrained in her very being.

As Leslie Cheung picked them up, he hummed an off-key song.

Xiao Chen walked at the front. He didn't talk much, but worked silently, his movements quick and efficient.

He always manages to be the first to spot the trash hidden in the crevices of the rocks or half-buried in the sand, as if he were born with a keen eye for finding things.

More than an hour later, all four sacks were full.

They arrived at the points redemption area, and the program's director looked at their "abundant spoils" with a very interesting expression on his face.

When Xiao Chen announced the list of items they wanted to exchange—