The uneventful week quickly passed. Due to Cen Sen’s detour, Ji Mingshu didn’t return to the Imperial Capital but spent the entire week playing in Star City.
Neither of them mentioned that drunken night again.
Cen Sen probably had a blackout from the alcohol and completely forgot what he had said. After sobering up, he once again became the capitalist dictator who, according to Ji Mingshu, only talked about work and never about feelings.
As for Ji Mingshu, she hoped no one would ever mention anything that happened that day, because only then could the ultimate embarrassment caused by the group chat exposure be completely put behind them.
Soon, it was time to start recording the “Design Home” show.
Three days before recording, Ji Mingshu received the detailed recording process and design challenges for each group from the production team.
For variety shows of this scale, the design objects were mostly home decorations, often renovation projects, and “Design Home” was no exception.
In reality, home decoration was just a very small category in spatial design. The entry barrier for home decoration designers was very low, and there were no upper or lower limits to the quality of design products.
The decoration of a 300-million-yuan mansion could be called home design, and so could a 50,000-yuan all-inclusive package with free appliances from a decoration team in a small city.
Ji Mingshu had formal training, and although she hadn’t handled many projects officially, she had always emphasized artistic and emotional expression, as well as the embodiment of creative concepts.
Gu Kaiyang’s initial perception of her as outrageously extravagant came from when she was studying. To achieve the best visual effect for her design, she directly bought a large flat to create a real-life presentation. And reportedly, the decoration price of that flat was twice as expensive as the flat itself.
Fortunately, Ji Mingshu later specifically cleared up the rumor: her cousin had already bought that apartment but hadn’t moved in. When he heard she needed to do a practical project, he just let her practice on it.
As for the decoration being twice as expensive as the apartment, that was because after the apartment was decorated, her cousin hung one of Tang Yin’s paintings from his collection.
But overall, because she had no concept of controlling post-decoration costs, her design style was indeed very highbrow and impractical.
The first day of recording took place at the Star City Exhibition Center. The production team had set up an American-style home photography studio in the exhibition center as the main venue for voiceover interviews.
Unlike other, more serious home renovation shows, “Design Home” featured “celebrity designers” as its main selling point. Each group consisted of two celebrities paired with one ordinary designer, and each group also had a mysterious special guest.
“Design Home” Season 1 is planned to broadcast twelve episodes, with each group’s design challenge spanning two episodes. Then, the two most outstanding groups from the five would be selected to collaborate on the final ultimate challenge.
The official explanation from the production team was that the ordinary designers were the backbone of the design challenges, but Ji Mingshu felt that their role was probably to prevent the celebrities from messing around and ending up with an outlandish product.
The grouping had already been determined.
Ji Mingshu’s partners were one man and one woman. The man was the lukewarm, ugly-handsome method actor Feng Yan, and the woman was Yan Yuexing, the ace of a certain idol girl group. Ji Mingshu only knew their names but couldn’t match them to faces.
Although the grouping had already been decided privately, to create a variety show atmosphere, the director said that the first episode would include a scene of drawing lots to form groups.
That was the highlight they needed to record today—”Even though I already know who’s in my group, I still have to pretend I don’t know and act surprised and honored.”
Putting on an act was second nature to celebrities, and for a social expert like Ji Mingshu, it was also a piece of cake. After all, this was an entry-level required course in plastic sisterhood in their circle. Every fashionista was an A+ student, having practiced it to perfection.
Ji Mingshu scanned the room and determined that Li Che was probably the biggest name on this show. The others were mostly second or third-tier actors, singers, or familiar faces from variety shows.
Feng Yan, who was in her group, appeared to have a good personality and temperament. He was very polite when greeting her, not dismissive at all because she wasn’t a celebrity. He even complimented her on being beautiful and elegant and asked for her guidance in the future.
Yes, the key point was that he complimented her beauty and elegance and asked for her guidance. She appreciated this kind of person—not too much idle talk, but every word hit the mark.
But his unassuming personality probably wouldn’t be popular in the entertainment industry. Compared to the other members of their group, the female idol who was active throughout the venue and occasionally cued the show’s focal point, Li Che, Ji Mingshu conservatively estimated that after the show aired, Feng Yan’s screen time would be at least half that of Yan Yuexing.
Before coming to the recording, Ji Mingshu had specifically researched this girl group ace, Yan Yuexing, online, and her impression wasn’t good.
There were many negative news articles about lip-syncing, plastic surgery, and hinting at fans to fundraise. Recently, her so-called original solo single was also exposed as a copy, from the song to the music video.
Initially, Ji Mingshu thought online news could only be half believed, and the real person might not be so calculating.
Now seeing the real person, she felt that online news really could only be half believed.
Based on how this little sister kept saying “Brother Li Che” this and “Brother Li Che” that, afraid of not sticking to the popular guest, and only having this much negative news exposed, it was either due to excellent PR tactics or just sheer luck.
After the grouping by drawing lots, there was another segment where each group sent a representative to draw for their design challenge—of course, this was also a scripted procedure.
The representative from Ji Mingshu’s group was Yan Yuexing.
Something that could have been finished in ten seconds took her a full three minutes with added drama. Ji Mingshu stood outside the camera frame, arms crossed low, quietly watching her perform.
She couldn’t bear it. Thinking about having to record with this drama queen for a month, Ji Mingshu felt she would inevitably clash with her sooner or later.
Ji Mingshu vaguely had this premonition, but she never expected the clash to come so quickly.
After Yan Yuexing brought back the scripted design challenge, according to the director’s requirements, the team members needed to discuss it.
The other groups all had their designers looking at the floor plans and real-scene photos, then explaining their general ideas based on the homeowner’s requirements. The celebrities only needed to nod and agree, waiting for specific tasks to be assigned. After all, they didn’t understand the professional knowledge, and forcibly interrupting would only expose their lack of culture.
But Yan Yuexing wasn’t afraid of exposing her true level, her small mouth couldn’t stop chattering, continuously babbling about her Mary Sue country noble aesthetic.
“…I think, this wall can be torn down, the small bedroom and study combined, all covered with pink wallpaper, and at the entrance, we can hang a dreamcatcher and bead curtains, which would make it more dreamy…”
Ji Mingshu interrupted without even looking up: “This is a load-bearing wall; it can’t be removed.”
Was she blind to the thick black solid line on the floor plan?
Yan Yuexing froze for a moment but quickly cupped her face shyly, “Oh, is that so? I didn’t know.”
If you don’t know, then talk less.
But Yan Yuexing didn’t understand Ji Mingshu’s inner thoughts. Not even quiet for ten seconds, giving Ji Mingshu and Feng Yan just enough time for three lines of dialogue, she started expressing her opinions again.
She pointed to a certain place on the drawing and analyzed, “I think the lighting in the dining area isn’t good. If we move the dining area to a place with abundant light, the dining mood would be more pleasant, and also…”
“…” Ji Mingshu, not being a professional actor, really couldn’t help but give Yan Yuexing an “are you an idiot” look. “This isn’t the dining area, it’s the piano room.”
It turned out this sister had been confidently pointing and directing for half the day, but had even looked at the drawings in the wrong order. Incredible.
After being corrected by Ji Mingshu for the second time, Yan Yuexing’s face immediately dropped.
She gestured for the cameraman to stop recording.
Once the camera was off, she immediately put down the drawings, and the sweet smile on her face was replaced by a sour expression in one second. A small third-tier celebrity inexplicably put on the airs of a first-tier star: “Designer Ji, can you please stop interrupting me?”
She then turned to vent at the assistant director, “What kind of impolite and uncultured people has your show invited? How can we continue recording this show?”
Ji Mingshu crossed her arms and leaned back into the sofa chair, lazily glancing at her.
Before Feng Yan and the assistant director could mediate, Ji Mingshu casually mocked, “Oh, I won’t interrupt you, so you can continue pretending to know while talking nonsense and incidentally sharing your country noble aesthetic?”
“You!”
“I advise you to shut up if you don’t understand, and don’t record if you don’t want to. Do you think you’re that important? Do you know where you are and who you’re dealing with when throwing your weight around?”
The head director quickly learned of their argument. The subordinates who hadn’t experienced much panicked and asked if they should switch these two to different groups. The head director, however, found it interesting and said quietly, “Why switch? I was just worried this group had no selling point. Go mediate quickly, don’t let things get too ugly.”
Yan Yuexing had never seen such an arrogant nobody!
She was the ace of her group, and although her small, obscure group didn’t have much reach, they had many die-hard fans. Used to being the center of attention, in private, she treated other unknown group members like servants, either ridiculing or mocking them.
The company didn’t interfere; the entire group relied on her to pull in numbers. She had the most and most passionate fans, so naturally, whoever could make money was the ancestor.
She was furious, but Li Che was nearby, and she didn’t want to break character too much.
With the assistant directors coaxing her, despite her extreme frustration, she reluctantly completed the subsequent interview.
Ji Mingshu was also quite angry.
She had been considerate about being on a show, not wanting to be too aggressive. Her earlier reminders had already been with a controlled tone, and even later, when they argued, she had held back.
When leaving, Li Che came over to chat, but Ji Mingshu, with half her anger still bottled up inside, was cold and distant to everyone. She responded briefly, and just like last time, she disregarded everyone, left the elevator first, and got into the car, once again letting Li Che’s entourage experience this ordinary designer’s unrestrained and dashing demeanor.
Today’s recording was far from pleasant. At night, when going to bed, Cen Sen was leaning against the headboard, reading documents, and casually asked about the recording situation. Ji Mingshu, with a face mask on while playing with her phone, replied in a muffled voice, “Not good.”
Cen Sen was about to respond when Ji Mingshu suddenly received an apology message from the director, along with advance notice that their group’s mystery guest was the wildly popular, almost top-tier second-generation star, Pei Xiyan.
Ji Mingshu stared at the three characters “Pei Xiyan” for two seconds, then unexpectedly started screaming “Ah ah ah!” while sitting on the bed!!!
“Pei Xiyan!”
“My partner is Pei Xiyan!”
“Wuwuwu, Yan baby, mommy loves you! What kind of heaven-sent fate is this!”
Cen Sen: “…”
He naturally knew that Pei Xiyan was the son of Director Pei and Su Cheng. But he didn’t know that his wife, besides buying bags and diamonds, also moonlighted as a fan, and was a fan of someone seven or eight years younger than him, who was still a minor.
Ji Mingshu, like a canary, sprang up from under the covers, while also tearing off her thousand-yuan face mask to make a desperate series of calls to Jiang Chun, who was also a “mommy fan,” and then proceeded to frantically babble for twenty minutes while kneeling on the bed.
“Ah ah ah, what kind of divine production team is this? My bad mood for the whole day has been healed, wuwuwu! I was so upset today, I forgot to check the sponsors! Wuwuwu, what kind of sugar daddy would invite my cutest, coolest baby!”
“No, that little diva with worse aesthetics than you will stick to my baby and not let go to ride his popularity! I must protect my baby well!”
As Ji Mingshu spoke, she gesticulated wildly, and with a “pa,” she backhandedly slapped the document in Cen Sen’s hand directly onto his face.
Sugar Daddy: “…”