"What are your thoughts on this?"
"..."
Upon hearing the staff member's relaying of his daughter-in-law's words, Ji Mochen fell into a brief silence, before—
"I suggest you ask a different question."
Director: ...Okay then.
"Ahem." The director cleared his throat, smoothly moving on to the next question, "Based on our understanding, Ruo Ruo still lives with her parents at the moment. We'd like to ask you, what's your view on children living independently—"
"I generally don't dwell on that question," Ji Mochen said matter-of-factly.
"??"
"Do you have any other questions besides living independently?"
"Uh..."
"Alright then, let's end the interview here. I need to go cook for my wife and child."
With that, Ji Mochen took off his microphone and turned to leave.
The staff members left behind: ...
"Was he upset just now?"
"Seems like it."
"Be more confident, drop the 'seems like', he was definitely upset." A staff member familiar with Ji Mochen's temper couldn't help but comment, "To be honest, I kind of missed his short temper, where he'd just abandon everything at the drop of a hat."
Everyone: ...
And so, the interview with the Ji family was forced to end prematurely.
As an observational reality show, it was inevitable that the children would have to go through a seven-day independent living period, which would be recorded.
For this reason, Ji Ruochu and her husband were required to have some couple time, conveniently timed with Brother Qin's invitation to Ji Mochen for a fashion week.
Although Ji Mochen had taken a semi-hiatus during the year Ruo Ruo took her college entrance exams, he returned to the public eye after successfully recruiting Brother Qin to his studio.
Over the years, he continued to hold concerts and attend business events. This invitation also came from a brand he had cooperated with for many years, so he couldn't simply decline.
Originally, he planned to go and come back quickly to accompany his daughter, but now, for the sake of the show's recording, the couple was packed off to attend the fashion week for those seven days.
Initially, Ji Ruochu had wanted to move to another house in the Ji family for that period, since it was just a few days anyway, but her parents strongly objected.
They joked, what if their daughter ended up liking living independently?
Moreover, their current residence was the most conveniently located for Ruo Ruo to get to her usual hangouts.
And so, the production team successfully gained entry into this prime real estate area to film.
Of course, they couldn't film any households other than the Ji family's.
Although the few neighboring families didn't mind much, Ji Ruochu still sent her seven-day recording schedule to their group chats in advance.
She originally thought this would prevent any non-participants from appearing on camera, but...
"Ruo Ruo, I heard your parents went abroad for an exhibition. Why don't you come over to Auntie Qiao's for dinner?"
Qiao Lanyi smiled and poked her head out from the study window, calling out to Ji Ruochu who was quietly reading in her own study.
The cameraman terrified of filming non-participants: ...Dare not move, not an inch.
Ji Ruochu smiled wryly, "Auntie Qiao, I'm recording a show."
"It's fine, go ahead and record. Your Auntie Qiao won't embarrass you." As if afraid she'd refuse, she added, "Don't worry, there's no one else at home, just me and the cook."
Staff: ...The way you said that makes it sound like you're inviting her to do something shady.
"Come on over, my cook made your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs today."
"..."
"If that won't work, I'll have her bring a plate over to you?"
"Thank you Auntie Qiao, but I—"
"No need to thank me, I'll have her bring it over."
With that, the window opposite was abruptly shut.
Ji Ruochu: ...Headache.
"It's okay, it's just one dish, it won't affect our schedule," the director said, seeing Ji Ruochu's hesitation.
"You'll regret saying that later," Ji Ruochu looked at the staff with a "you're so naive" expression.
Director: ??
What did that mean? It's just one dish, what could possibly—
"Ruo Ruo, what does this mean? You'll take Auntie Qiao's dish but not a soup from your Uncle's family?"
"One dish isn't enough. Here, this is the tender bok choy your Grandma Tong grew herself."
"One meat dish and one vegetable, let's also add some shrimp and scrambled eggs for a balanced meal. Don't be polite with your Grandma Zhu."
"And rice? How can you not have rice? Ruo Ruo, listen to your auntie, we're not dieting, you need to eat grains."
"What? You don't want it? How's that? Look down on my family's cook, do you? Or have a problem with me?"
...
In just a few minutes, Ji Ruochu's previously empty table was filled with food from various households.
Director: Oh boy.
Is it too late to take back what I said earlier?
The answer was obviously too late.
And so, on the first day of recording, while other independent living participants were cooking for themselves, Ji Ruochu was forced to enjoy the hospitality of various households.
Three meat dishes, three vegetables, one pot of soup, and one pot of rice—it was an absolute feast.
To avoid wasting food, before eating, Ji Ruochu took out some clean plates and divided each dish into two portions.
She only left a small bowl of each dish for herself, letting the staff eat the rest.
And you know what? The taste was... out of this world!
Completely on par with top hotel chefs, wasn't it?
Could it be that these home cooks were all trained at a culinary institute for the rich?
So this was the life of the wealthy?
And just like that, the first day of recording came to a close.
Fortunately, Ji Ruochu didn't plan on staying home every day, otherwise this show might have turned into 'The Life of a Child Being Fed.'
Ji Ruochu: Just don't ask. Let's just say my uncles, aunts, grandpas and grandmas love me too deeply.
The next day, Ji Ruochu brought the production crew to the Nan Family Martial Arts School.
In the car, the director took the opportunity for a small interview:
"Do you go to the martial arts school often, Ruo Ruo?"
"I used to go every day, but now that I'm home less often, the frequency has decreased relatively."
"So you really know martial arts?"
Ji Ruochu: ...Can there be fake martial arts?
"You'll see later."
Director: I feel like there's some deeper meaning behind that.
Ten minutes later, the crew's car stopped at the Nan Family Martial Arts School. After prior communication with the person in charge, both parties agreed on the goal of "promoting Chinese martial arts".
Therefore, apart from blurring the relevant individuals, the school's layout and facilities could all be filmed.
Not only that, the school even selected a coach to help Ji Ruochu "loosen up".
At first, the crew thought it would just be some stretching or hitting a few sandbags. At most, the coach would put on protective gear and assist Ji Ruochu like a boxing trainer.
Until—Ji Ruochu abruptly kicked through a wooden board thicker than her arm.
In that moment, looking at the split wood and its jagged edge, the staff suddenly understood what it meant to feel "chills down the spine".
[Ding dong~ If you see this sentence, it means you're reading the latest version, yay~]
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