Stop it, the country really can't fit any more bans on the domestic entertainment industry.

early morning.

Bright sunlight streamed over the distant mountain ridges and bathed the courtyard of the Mushroom House without reservation.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and grass.

Accompanied by a deep roar of a car engine.

A black van came to a smooth stop on the dirt road at the entrance of the village.

The car door opened.

Dilraba stepped off the train in a pair of white sneakers.

She was wearing a simple light-colored sun-protective shirt paired with a pair of slim-fit jeans.

Her long, black hair was casually tied back, exuding youthful vitality.

Standing in front of the wooden fence gate of the Mushroom House.

She stretched out her slender fingers and gently pushed open the courtyard gate.

"hello."

Dilraba smiled and waved to the people busy in the courtyard, giving a crisp greeting.

I heard a noise.

Teacher He, who was washing up by the well, was the first to look up.

Upon seeing the person who arrived, a warm smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Oh my, Dilraba is here!"

Teacher He didn't even bother to dry his hands before hurrying to greet him.

Teacher Huang, who was starting a fire in the kitchen, also peeked out.

Pengpeng and his sister even put down what they were doing and ran over to help carry the luggage.

The courtyard was instantly filled with laughter and joy because of the arrival of this big star.

Everyone exchanged pleasantries, and the atmosphere was very lively.

And amidst this commotion.

Li Mo'an stood on the steps under the eaves.

His handsome face remained impassively calm.

He nodded politely to the new guest, as a greeting.

He was not unfamiliar with Dilraba.

Because it was clearly stated in the job notice that his aunt gave him a few days ago.

In the movie titled "Gambling Skills" that is about to start filming.

The other party is one of the main actors in this play.

The two will soon be acting together in the same film crew.

Meeting in advance at the Mushroom House is a good opportunity to get to know each other as work partners.

however.

On the surface, it appears to be just a regular guest visit.

But beneath Dilraba's smiling face lies a secret she cannot share with outsiders.

She chatted with Teacher He and others.

But his gaze always subtly bypassed the crowd and quietly landed on the young man standing under the eaves.

He seems like a perfectly normal person.

Such a thought came to Dilraba's mind.

The reason she took time out of her busy schedule to come to the Mushroom House as a guest is...

It was not a coincidence of any announcement arrangement at all.

It was a direct order issued by Boss Yang Mi herself.

I recall that scene in the president's office of Jiaxing Entertainment in Shanghai before I set off.

Dilraba still feels a little numb.

then.

Yang Mi sat in the large boss's chair, her brows furrowed.

The iron lady who always held sway in the entertainment industry surprisingly revealed a helpless weariness when mentioning Li Mo'an's name.

The boss called her into his office and earnestly assigned her a task.

The idea is to have her visit the Mushroom House as a guest star.

On the surface, they were there to record a program to promote their upcoming movie.

In reality, she was tasked with being a close-up "monitor".

Yang Mi was genuinely worried about Li Mo'an.

They were afraid that the other party might cause some earth-shattering trouble in this desolate wilderness during the gap before joining the crew.

That's what Boss Yang said.

"Keep a close eye on Li Heiquan."

"If he goes to dig soil in the back hill, you stay nearby and watch him. If anything seems wrong, call me immediately."

Listening to the boss's sensational instructions.

Dilraba stood there dumbfounded in front of the desk, feeling as if her worldview had been greatly shaken.

She had seen those outrageous trending topics about Li Mo'an online.

Things like digging up unexploded bombs or arranging fights with others.

She had been busy with work lately and had always thought that the program team had deliberately bought exaggerated copywriting from marketing accounts to generate buzz.

After all, creating a persona is a perfectly normal tactic in this industry.

It wasn't until Yang Mi assigned the task to her in that stern tone that she understood.

She belatedly realized that those things circulating online...

It's very likely that they're all true.

With this feeling of trepidation, comparable to carrying out a covert mission.

Dilraba finally stepped into the Mushroom House, which was rumored to be full of "torture" atmosphere.

I brought my wandering thoughts back.

Dilraba handed several boxes of local specialties as gifts to Teacher He.

Everyone sat under the pavilion for a while and drank a cup of tea.

What follows is the inevitable inclusion of traditional elements in this slow-paced variety show.

Complete tasks to exchange for food.

The voice of director Wang Yuzheng came through the loudspeaker in the courtyard.

This morning's task was to pick corn in the cornfield south of the village.

The number of baskets collected will be used to exchange for meat ingredients for lunch with the production team.

Upon hearing the assignment.

Everyone went back inside and changed into light, durable clothes.

Put on a straw hat for sun protection, and take gloves and a basket.

They marched in a grand procession toward the fields at the south end of the village.

It was early morning.

As the sun rises higher, the temperature also begins to climb.

In the cornfield.

The large leaves rustled against each other in the breeze.

Teacher He and Peng Peng led the way, deftly breaking off plump ears of corn and tossing them into the bamboo baskets behind them.

Teacher Huang stayed in the courtyard to prepare the side dishes for lunch and did not come over.

Li Mo'an was wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt.

He walked calmly down the middle of the field ridges.

He doesn't work fast, but he has a steady pace.

He skillfully gripped the corn cob with both hands and pressed down hard.

With a crisp snapping sound, the corn fell into the basket.

The whole process was seamless, without any unnecessary chatter, like a tireless machine.

Dilraba followed in the latter half of the group.

She wore a wide-brimmed straw hat and carried a woven basket in her hand.

They were doing simple farm work at the same time.

She never forgot the task her boss had entrusted to her.

During breaks from work, they would take a break by wiping away sweat or straightening their backs.

His gaze kept glancing in Li Mo'an's direction.

They were conducting intensive covert observations.

In my expectations before coming here.

Dilraba thought she would see a madman who acted erratically and whose mind was full of dangerous ideas.

She was even mentally prepared to deal with any unexpected situations.

but.

As time passed by, second by second.

After spending most of the morning with Li Mo'an.

The more Dilraba observed, the more puzzled she became.

The young man in my line of sight was so dutiful in his farm work that it was almost boring.

He did not try to dig into the soil beneath his feet, searching for any strange metallic artifacts.

He didn't make any shocking remarks while looking at the corn stalks.

They were just quietly picking corn.

When I get thirsty, I just unscrew the bottle of mineral water I carry with me and take a couple of sips.

When it gets hot, pull up the hem of your shirt to wipe away the sweat.

All of these behaviors are completely in line with the state of a normal person working in the fields.

Dilraba observed for nearly two hours.

I discovered that Li Mo'an wasn't as strange as the internet made him out to be.

They had to find something unique about it.

At most, it's when everyone sits under the shade of a tree for a short rest after finishing a row of fields.

The other person just spends a lot of time on their phone.

While others were resting, they joked and chatted with each other, talking about gossip in the industry.

Li Mo'an, on the other hand, found a quiet corner to sit down by herself.

He took out his smartphone and started swiping his finger across the screen.

That focused gaze was as if there were some unparalleled secret manual hidden on the screen.

This kind of behavior is all too common among young people today.

He's definitely a severe smartphone addict.

Where is there any sign of dangerous individuals?

After reaching this conclusion.

Dilraba's heart, which had been hanging in her throat, finally slowly settled back into her stomach.

She even felt that Boss Yang was overreacting.

Perhaps those previous events were just a one in ten thousand coincidence.

It relieved my tense nerves.

Dilraba also began to devote herself wholeheartedly to the work of the program.

They joked around with Pengpeng and the others, and bursts of laughter echoed through the fields.

It was noon.

The sunlight overhead became intense.

The cicadas chirped incessantly in the treetops, and a sultry heat wave rolled through the air.

The baskets of several people were already full.

I reckon this output is enough to trade with the production team for a sumptuous lunch.

Teacher He waved his hand.

The group wiped the sweat from their foreheads and carried their bamboo baskets on their backs.

Returning along the same route, we stepped into the cool courtyard of the Mushroom House.

After handing the corn over to the staff for inspection.

Everyone rushed to the well to wash their faces and hands to dispel the summer heat.

Dilraba dried the water droplets on her face with a towel.

I feel much more refreshed.

She picked up a palm-leaf fan from the table and fanned herself as she walked into the wooden pavilion in the middle of the courtyard.

As soon as I stepped onto the steps of the pavilion.

She glanced at Li Mo'an.

They discovered that Li Mo'an was sitting in the shady spot at the far end of the pavilion.

His back was against a red pillar, and his legs were stretched out.

He appeared very relaxed.

And in his hand, he was still holding that phone.

My thumb is rapidly swiping and tapping across the screen.

Because Dilraba's angle was perfect for seeing the side of the phone.

My gaze inadvertently swept over the lit screen.

The layout of the interface above looks familiar, with various speech bubbles.

Look at the green and white color scheme and layout.

They were clearly chatting in a QQ group.

Dilraba was speechless.

This person is really addicted to the internet. They watch it during breaks from work, and even after returning to the yard, they're still watching it.

but.

She glanced at it and then looked away.

They immediately turned their gaze to Pengpeng, who was playing with the dog in the yard.

Because for a well-mannered public figure.

It is very impolite to snoop on someone's private chat history.

She walked to the other side of the bench and sat down, quietly waiting for lunch to begin.

At this time.

Li Mo'an sat next to the pillar.

He was completely oblivious to the noise of those around him.

His entire attention was focused on the 5.5-inch screen in his hand.

Li Mo'an was having a great time chatting in the group.

Because he discovered that these people were indeed all talented individuals.

The man nicknamed "Northwest Gambling King".

There is a rigorous mathematical model for calculating the probability of winning in a card game.

He used the most accessible language to break down those obscure and difficult probability concepts.

It explains in detail how to deduce the range of the opponent's hole cards based on the amount of their bets in different endgame situations.

And that "Southern Gambler".

It explores the disguise of techniques and cheating tricks.

The text messages sent by the other party described in detail how to perfectly switch cards by utilizing the shadow area of ​​the wrist under the dim casino lights.

It even involves calculating the friction force for different desktop materials.

Watching these informative messages scroll across the screen.

He felt he possessed countless knowledge points related to gambling techniques.

It's like drilling into your own head.