Chapter 146: Recording Keep Running

Jiang Yun checked his inbox. There was a variety show scheduled for tomorrow; as it happened, it was "Running Friends," a show he had participated in before. As for the other program, it was "Silver Medal vs. Silver Medal."

Jiang Yun picked up his phone and called Li Lulu: "Help me book a flight for tonight! To Zhijiang!"

"Understood, boss!"

After hanging up, another call came in. Jiang Yun glanced at the caller ID; it was Li Mengya. "Hello?"

"What are you doing?"

"I just acquired a third-party game company, and I have to fly to Zhijiang tonight!"

"Oh!" Li Mengya was silent for a moment. "What are you going to Zhijiang for?"

"To record 'Running Friends'!"

Li Mengya fell silent, and Jiang Yun waited patiently.

"Jiang Yun, can I go with you to Zhijiang?"

"This..."

"Is it not possible? Forget it if it's not!"

"No, no!" Jiang Yun shook his head repeatedly. "I'll book a ticket for you right now!"

Jiang Yun picked up his other phone and called Li Lulu again.

"Beep... beep..."

"What's wrong, boss?"

"Book another ticket, for Li Mengya!"

"This... understood, boss!"

"Yeah!"

Jiang Yun hung up. "It's booked. You can come over now!"

"Yay!" Li Mengya was as happy as a young girl.

Forty minutes later, Li Mengya arrived at Jiang Yun’s company.

"I didn't expect the company you set up to be so professional!" Li Mengya exclaimed in admiration.

Jiang Yun smiled, feeling a bit proud.

By five o'clock in the afternoon, Jiang Yun and Li Mengya headed to the airport. Li Lulu drove the Cadillac with the two of them. Along the way, Li Mengya and Jiang Yun chatted and laughed, making Li Lulu feel like a 100-watt light bulb. She dropped them off at the airport with a sour expression.

"Lulu, be safe on your way back."

"Understood, boss!" she replied stiffly.

"Good."

Li Mengya and Jiang Yun boarded the plane, which took off toward Zhijiang. By the time they landed, it was already 8:30 PM. As they walked out of the airport, the production crew's car was already waiting. The driver was momentarily stunned when he saw them—wasn't it supposed to be just one person? Why was there another?

The driver took them to the hotel arranged by the production team. Deng Xin happened to be standing at the entrance to welcome them. Seeing Jiang Yun step out of the car, he hurried over. "Jiang Yun, you finally arrived!"

"Brother Xin, long time no see! How have you been?" Jiang Yun greeted him politely.

"Haha!" Deng Xin patted Jiang Yun on the shoulder, then noticed Li Mengya. "And this must be Mengya!"

"Hello, Brother Xin!" Li Mengya replied, mimicking Jiang Yun’s tone.

"Hello, hello! I’ll have the crew arrange another room!" Deng Xin said.

Jiang Yun smiled and nodded. A moment later, the camera crew arrived with their equipment.

Jiang Yun was surprised. "Brother Xin, are we starting the recording today?"

"Yes, just some behind-the-scenes footage. The official recording is tomorrow morning!"

Jiang Yun nodded. He followed Deng Xin into the hotel, trailed by a large group of camera crew members. Once back in his room, he rested for a while before opening his laptop to continue serializing his novel.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Come in! The door is unlocked!"

"Click!"

A group of people entered. One of them, playing the role of an NPC, said, "Guest Jiang Yun, you have a special identity for this episode!"

"Oh?" Jiang Yun was intrigued. "What special identity?"

"You are the undercover agent for this episode! Your card is different from the others!"

Jiang Yun listened carefully to the rules. "You have two undercover partners. You will go through three rounds of games, and at the end of each round, there will be a verification process. You must describe your card based on the descriptions of others without letting them discover you."

"Good! That’s my specialty!"

"Here! This is your identity!" The NPC handed him a card. Jiang Yun took it and read "Durian." *I wonder if the others have Stinky Tofu?*

"OK! I got it!" Jiang Yun made an OK gesture.

"Very well, Mr. Jiang Yun, have a pleasant game!"

The camera crew exited the room, and Jiang Yun went back to his novel.

Early the next morning, everyone gathered in the hotel lobby. Li Mengya sat quietly by Jiang Yun’s side.

"Whoa!" the director said. "Guest Jiang Yun has given us a big surprise!"

Deng Xin put his hands on his hips. "Is Mengya a special guest of a special guest?"

"Whoa!" Chen Chi added. "I didn't expect Jiang Yun to bring a family member along!"

Facing the teasing from Deng Xin and the others, Li Mengya responded with a smile. From that day on, a new scene became common: wherever Jiang Yun went, Li Mengya was there. Whether he was filming a movie or appearing on a variety show, she was always by his side. She didn't participate in the shows, just sat quietly watching him record.

"Everyone, quiet down!" the director called out. Deng Xin and the others stopped laughing.

The director continued, "You already know Jiang Yun. Now, let’s welcome our second special guest, the national goddess—Wang Fengwan!"

"Whoa!" the Running Friends cast members cheered.

Upbeat music played as Wang Fengwan walked out in an evening gown, waving to the onlookers. As she reached the group, she winked secretly at Jiang Yun and Li Mengya.

"Third guest, the popular idol, Ren Xing!"

The music played again, and Ren Xing jogged out, waving as he ran. Jiang Yun was surprised—he was here too! Ren Xing walked over and greeted him. Jiang Yun nodded.

"Fourth, Zhu Yin."

Accompanied by cute background music, Zhu Yin hopped out.

"Fifth, Teacher Wei He!"

Wei He, tall and wearing a suit, walked over to Jiang Yun’s side. By now, Li Mengya had taken a seat near the camera crew. Sitting behind the camera, she looked so much like a part of the production team that one might mistake her for the director. She remained as quiet as a neighbor’s daughter, and the crew occasionally caught her on camera.

"Today, we are divided into Red, Yellow, and Blue teams for a PK!" the director announced. "There are three undercover agents among you twelve. There will be three rounds of games. After each round, everyone will describe their secret words, and you will vote based on those descriptions! If the undercover agents are not eliminated by the end of the third round, they win! Otherwise, the brothers' team wins!"

"Now, the teams: Jiang Yun, Fengwan, Ren Xing, and Teacher Wei He, you four are the Yellow team!"

"Deng Xin, Chen Chi, Li You, and Yang Ying, you are the Red team!"

"Zhu Yin, Wang Bao, Wang Lan, and Zheng Kai, you are the Blue team!"

"First challenge: Mud Pit Battle!"

"Ah?" Everyone’s face instantly fell.

"Director, please spare us! We want to be refined young ladies!" Yang Ying wailed, her expression comically exaggerated.

The director remained cold and ruthless. "Let's go!"

Everyone boarded the bus. Li Mengya sat quietly next to Jiang Yun.

"While we have time, let's play a small game!"

"Director, what game?" Deng Xin asked.

"Listen to the lyrics and guess the song title!"

"Boo!" the group jeered.

*PS: Four chapters today, a bonus for "Lonely Zhang Yi"!*