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

Huang Lei had an extremely frustrating night.

He was used to being at the center and being surrounded by people.

But in this courtyard, Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui only cared about whether Xiao Chen was tired.

Jay Chou and Lin Junjie were especially fond of Xiao Chen.

Even the youngest member, Dilraba, couldn't help but glance at Xiao Chen.

He felt like an outsider.

No, we need to get things moving tomorrow.

The next morning, the fog had not yet dissipated.

Huang Lei went into the kitchen early.

He was determined to make a breakfast that would amaze everyone and regain the face he had lost the night before.

As everyone yawned and walked out of the room, Huang Lei was already there waiting with a large pot of dumpling soup.

"Are you all awake? Come on, it's warm and good for your stomach."

He greeted us warmly, his face practically screaming "Come praise me!"

The group exchanged bewildered glances, having all been waiting for Xiao Chen to make his move.

But Huang Lei had already prepared it, so it would be unreasonable not to eat it.

Dilraba rubbed her eyes and muttered softly.

"Where's Brother Chen?"

Without saying a word, Huang Lei served everyone a large bowl.

"Your brother Chen hasn't gotten up yet. Come on, try Teacher Huang's cooking."

After the first bite, an eerie silence fell over the table once again.

Mei Yanfang's hand holding the bowl trembled slightly.

Dilraba's eyes instantly reddened—those were tears brought on by the saltiness of the water.

Help.

It still tastes the same.

What exactly is Huang Lei's misunderstanding about saltiness?

Or was his sense of taste completely destroyed last night?

Jay Chou simply put down his spoon and looked at Xiao Chen's door with a resentful expression.

"Master, please save me..."

Lin Junjie buried himself in his work, trying to replace chewing with swallowing.

But the pungent sensation in his throat made every swallow feel like he was swallowing sandpaper.

I finally endured this breakfast that was practically torture.

The tree-planting task started on time.

The production team requested that one hundred saplings be planted on the hillside behind the mountain.

This was practically the physical limit for Jay Chou and JJ Lin, two pampered superstars in the music industry.

"I've figured out a bit of the trick to planting trees these past few days."

Lin Junjie, carrying a shovel, looked at Zhou Jielun with a wry smile.

"Let's take it slow, we'll finish planting eventually."

Upon seeing this, Huang Lei immediately strode forward, his tone filled with the care of an elder.

"Oh dear, your method won't work; it's too much trouble."

He snatched a sapling and stood in the center of the crowd.

"When planting trees, the key is the depth of the pit and the compaction of the soil."

As Huang Lei spoke, he gestured confidently with his arms.

"Come on, everyone, watch and I'll demonstrate the standard procedure for you."

Jay Chou and Lin Junjie exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with rejection.

They had finally managed to regain their rhythm, but Huang Lei's intervention instantly reminded them of the noodle soup they had that morning.

"Teacher Huang, I think we can do it ourselves."

Jay Chou's tone was unfriendly.

Huang Lei, however, seemed not to understand and continued to talk about his "tree planting experience".

"No, this requires professional skills. I did all these kinds of jobs when I was in school."

He looked at Leslie Cheung, who hadn't said a word.

"Guo Rong, you should listen to this too. There's a trick to this."

Leslie Cheung pushed up his glasses.

Looking at Huang Lei, whose face clearly said "I want to perform," and then at the two young men next to him who were about to go on strike.

He suddenly remembered Xiao Chen's meaningful look from last night.

"Since Teacher Huang is so proficient, why don't you take the lead?"

Leslie Cheung smiled gently and put down the shovel in his hand.

"We laymen are afraid we'll slow down the progress."

Upon hearing this, Huang Lei immediately perked up.

"No problem! Leave it to me."

Leslie Cheung slowly brushed the dirt off his hands.

"Okay then."

"Since you're so good at planting, then the main event today will be yours."

"You'll plant the main plants, responsible for the main pit positions and layout, and we'll help out with the smaller ones on the side, how about that?"

Huang Lei patted his chest.

"No problem! Watch me!"

Inside the Mushroom House.

Xiao Chen was lying lazily on a bamboo chair, holding a snow-white cat in his arms.

Mei Yanfang and Dilraba looked like two wronged young wives, squatting on either side of him.

"Xiao Chen, you really can't slack off anymore."

Mei Yanfang clutched Xiao Chen's clothes, her voice carrying a hint of pleading.

"If I eat another meal cooked by Teacher Huang, I feel like I can go straight to a hospital in Hong Kong and make an appointment."

Dilraba clung pitifully to his arm.

"Brother Chen, I'm so hungry, but I really don't want to drink that dumpling soup anymore."

"That's basically sea salt mixed with water and dough..."

Xiao Chen looked at these two women who usually commanded respect, now acting cute in front of him because of their stutter.

He couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter.

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

The two spoke in unison.

"have!"

Xiao Chen stood up and straightened his simple white T-shirt.

Even in the most basic attire, his astonishing head-to-body ratio was still undeniable.

"Fine, since you've put it that way, I can't just watch you 'die' on the show."

He waved his hand generously, a hint of doting smile playing on his lips.

"Tell me, what do you want to eat? I'll treat you to everything today."

Dilraba's eyes instantly lit up dramatically, like two black grapes.

"I want to eat Xinjiang-style braised chicken! And I also want hand-pulled noodles!"

Anita Mui didn't hold back either.

"Then I'd like to have some slow-cooked soup and a Typhoon Shelter Crab. Even though there's no crab here, something similar will do."

Xiao Chen nodded.

"Okay, I'll go exchange for the ingredients later."

"Dinner will make sure you wash away all the saltiness from yesterday."

But inside, the atmosphere was far from harmonious.

The sun was blazing overhead.

Huang Lei was standing on the riverbank, gesturing at the simple electric boat.

"Oh dear, you can't sail this boat like that."

He shouted at Jay Chou, who was at the helm.

"You need to apply a slight lateral force in the direction of the water flow, yes, that's it!"

Jay Chou was so angry he wanted to slam the rudder.

"Teacher Huang, I've already sailed it twice, this boat is very stable, can you please stop giving directions?"

It was a great effort to transport the saplings to the village.

Huang Lei has started again.

"This pit needs to be dug another ten centimeters deeper."

"Don't pack the soil too tightly, or the roots won't be able to breathe."

He stood alone in the middle, like a commander-in-chief, but his hands moved less than his mouth.

Standing to the side, Leslie Cheung looked at Huang Lei, who was so engrossed in his own "erudition," and shook his head helplessly.

He glanced at Lin Junjie, who was sweating profusely from exhaustion.

"Since Teacher Huang is so good at..."

Leslie Cheung spoke again, his tone still gentle, yet carrying an undeniable force.

"Then we'll have to ask Teacher Huang to set an example for the next thirty trees. We need to learn from him."

Huang Lei was stunned.

Thirty trees?

Digging this hole will break my back, and there are thirty of them?

He looked at Leslie Cheung's serious expression, then glanced at Jay Chou and JJ Lin's expectant (gloating) eyes.

Having said all he could say, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and take the heavy shovel.

"Okay...okay, watch closely, this is what professionalism looks like."

As he dug, he inwardly groaned.