After Transmigrating as a Scumbag Alpha, I Ended Up with the Movie Queen - Chapter 31

Although they said they were going downstairs, the two of them were not in a hurry.

They were also certain that they were definitely the fastest among all the guests, so they still maintained a leisurely pace as they walked downstairs.

At the final moment before leaving the room, Gu Nan even took out her backpack and stuffed a lot of snacks inside. Because they were going to go behind the production team’s back to the villagers’ homes and do things the production team did not allow, she also brought a charger, power bank, towel, and other items before following Shen Zhibei out.

Their cameraman was waiting for them outside the door, ensuring that the moment the camera inside the room could no longer film them, the cameraman standing outside could immediately pick up the shot.

When they reached the second floor and looked around, only Peng Yushu’s room had movement, and there was also a cameraman standing by.

Gu Nan did not know exactly when Shen Zhibei had fallen asleep, but to ensure that the audience would not discover that Shen Zhibei had been pretending to sleep, she treated it as though Shen Zhibei had fallen asleep the moment she closed her eyes and did not know Bai Rui had knocked on the door. She explained, “While you were asleep, Bai Rui, Tang Ling, and Brother Xuehai came to find us. They said they discovered an orange grove not far away and wanted to ask us to go play together.”

She pointed at the two rooms with tightly closed doors and no sound coming from them. “There’s no sound downstairs either, so it looks like the three of them still haven’t come back.”

Of course Shen Zhibei knew about this.

When Gu Nan and Bai Rui first began talking, she had not fallen asleep yet. Later, when she heard Bai Rui ask Gu Nan about the teeth mark, she had even listened carefully out of nervousness.

Only afterward, when Gu Nan’s responses were all very appropriate, did Shen Zhibei relax and stop listening carefully. Instead, she began thinking about asking Sister Yan to help buy them a pair of matching rings.

As she thought about it, she unknowingly fell asleep.

“Gu Nan and Zhibei are outside, right?” Peng Yushu heard voices outside and opened the door, sticking his head out. “Wait for me. We’ll go down together in a bit.”

“Okay,” the two replied together.

In less than two minutes, Peng Yushu came out of his room, and the three of them chatted as they walked toward the first floor.

“Teacher Peng, did you also come back to sleep?” Shen Zhibei asked.

“That’s right. I’m not like Gu Nan and the other young people, who have enough energy to go out and play and then still go harvest American ginseng afterward. It’s more suitable for an old man like me to rest a bit, save some energy and strength, and then go work.”

Gu Nan hurriedly defended herself. “I didn’t go out to play. I was with Zhibei the whole time while she slept.”

“Oh?” Peng Yushu dragged out his tone, and the look he gave Gu Nan was full of satisfaction. “Looks like you’ve already started studying, and you’ve studied quite well.”

Although Gu Nan could not say exactly what had happened, thinking that she had just used what she had learned from the book…

Of course, although there had been that tiny little deviation in the end, she had still managed to smoothly resolve the discomfort Shen Zhibei was feeling before entering her heat period. So Gu Nan was very grateful to Peng Yushu.

“I really have to thank Teacher Peng. It was all thanks to the great works you recommended.”

“It’s nothing, nothing at all.” Hearing Gu Nan praise his books, Peng Yushu was extremely pleased. “But you still have to keep studying. Learning has no end. When I think of more good books, I’ll recommend them to you.”

“Yes, yes, yes. Learning truly has no end. When the time comes, I’ll definitely read them respectfully at once.” Gu Nan nodded repeatedly.

Shen Zhibei frowned, looking at Gu Nan, then at Peng Yushu. She kept feeling that without her knowing, these two had secretly done something behind her back.

[What are Teacher Peng and Gu Nan talking about? Why don’t I understand? What did they do when we didn’t know?]

[Not only do we not understand, look at Shen Zhibei’s expression. She doesn’t understand either.]

[So what great work exactly did Teacher Peng recommend to Gu Nan? Confused.]

[As Teacher Peng’s fan, I have to say that our Old Peng has not wasted his name. He is also someone who has published books. So the great works he recommended are probably the two books he wrote himself.]

[Eh?! I really didn’t know Teacher Peng had published books. I always thought he was purely a singer. I’m going to search what books Teacher Peng has written!]

[No need to go, friend above. I already searched and came back. The titles are How to Effectively Soothe an Omega in Heat and How to Be a Qualified Alpha.]

[Ah, this… Thinking that Gu Nan secretly studied this behind the Film Empress’s back, I’m inexplicably starting to become a fan of her.]

The three of them waited on the first floor for quite a while before Tang Ling, Lu Xuehai, and Bai Rui hurried back from outside, carrying quite a few oranges.

“You all came down so quickly.” Lu Xuehai looked at the three people waiting for them and said somewhat awkwardly, “I’ll go upstairs and get a bag to put all these oranges in, so we can eat them on the road later.”

“No need. Everyone take one to eat first. Put the rest in my bag. I happen to have brought one.” Gu Nan pulled open her backpack.

“It’ll be too heavy, won’t it?”

“It’s not heavy. We’ll probably eat all these oranges on the road.”

All three of them had witnessed Gu Nan carrying two huge suitcases while also holding Shen Zhibei horizontally and running extremely fast. So they no longer acted polite and directly put the oranges into Gu Nan’s bag.

Only after coming closer did they discover that Gu Nan’s bag was full of snacks.

“You really brought a complete set of snacks.” Tang Ling had been out playing for half a day and felt that the lunch he had eaten was almost used up. He was at the point of feeling a little hungry again, so when he saw these snacks, he looked very greedy and wanted to eat.

“Whether we eat them is one thing. Whether I bring them is another.” Gu Nan noticed Tang Ling’s drooling gaze and tentatively asked, “Do you want some?”

“Then I won’t be polite.”

Saying he would not be polite, Tang Ling truly was not polite. He immediately took a bag of homemade spicy beef jerky.

This bag of spicy beef jerky had also been made by Sister Li at Gu Nan’s request. It was a full sealed bag of beef jerky, very substantial. Before going out, Gu Nan had specially taken a bag and put it in her backpack, planning to eat it herself on the road.

But she had just told Tang Ling to take something, so now she could not very well open her mouth and ask for it back.

She could only shut up and silently start eating an orange.

Once the group gathered, the production team led them toward the American ginseng planting base.

They still walked the same path they had taken when coming up, but going down the stairs instead of climbing up finally made it much easier.

Shen Zhibei had been soothed by Gu Nan’s pheromones and had slept deeply.

At this moment, the mental irritability brought by her approaching heat over the past few days had been swept away, and she was in very good spirits.

On top of that, the sunlight was just right, and unlike when they had first arrived, she was not carrying heavy luggage. Naturally, she could begin enjoying the countryside scenery without any burden.

“Walking leisurely along a small path like this, breathing fresh air that carries the scent of grass, with the occasional sound of birdsong—this is when it truly feels like I’m participating in A Poetic Life.”

“And not A Hellish Life.” Gu Nan continued Shen Zhibei’s words, making everyone laugh.

This was clearly a joke Peng Yushu had created that morning, and by afternoon, Gu Nan had already learned and applied it flexibly.

Gu Nan turned the backpack on her back toward Shen Zhibei. “Open it and take out the snacks.”

“Then it’ll really be like a spring outing.” Although Shen Zhibei said this, her movements were not slow at all. With a swish, she unzipped the backpack and took out a bag of her current favorite—preserved carrot.

Thinking that this episode of the variety show would end tomorrow, and Gu Nan still had some left in her suitcase, she casually took out another bag and gave it to Lu Xuehai, saving everyone from the potentially cruel scene of each person having a bag and eating around him.

“This is homemade low-calorie preserved carrot. I’ve been eating it recently too. It should be fine for you to eat some.” Shen Zhibei explained to Lu Xuehai, relieving him of the psychological burden that eating snacks might make him gain weight.

Lu Xuehai accepted it with great gratitude.

This bag of preserved carrot was exactly what he needed. Just now, he had been thinking about what he would do if everyone had one bag each.

At this time, Gu Nan also asked Lu Xuehai the question she was most curious about.

“You went to pick oranges, so why did you all come back with tabby-cat faces?”

“Ah?! All three of us?” Before Lu Xuehai could answer, Bai Rui cried out in alarm. She cared a lot about her image.

“Yes. But it’s not serious. If you don’t look carefully, you won’t notice.” Gu Nan nodded and confirmed her question.

Bai Rui immediately took out a small mirror and looked at herself. Sure enough, there were a few faint black marks on her face.

She immediately took a wet wipe from her pants pocket and began wiping them off.

Lu Xuehai had already opened the preserved carrot and started eating. This little snack was indeed deeply to his taste. Most importantly, it could stave off hunger.

After swallowing the bits in his mouth, he said, “The three of us saw a rabbit and wanted to catch it as an extra meal.”

Gu Nan’s eyes lit up. That was real meat.

She hurriedly asked, “And then?”

“We didn’t catch it, and we ended up like this.” Lu Xuehai spread his hands, showing that he was helpless too. “That rabbit really ran too fast, and we didn’t have any tools to dig a trap.”

“What a pity.” Gu Nan also looked regretful. “Otherwise, we could have made spicy rabbit he—rabbit meat.”

“Wait. Some of you can’t eat spicy food. Are there any mild ways to cook rabbit? I remember using heavy spice to remove the gamey smell is the tasty way, right?” Gu Nan thought for a long time but could not come up with anything. “Then let’s not catch one. In any case, I can’t make a mild rabbit dish.”

Peng Yushu was also eating small snacks and oranges taken from Gu Nan’s bag, but he completely lacked the awareness that one should not criticize while eating someone else’s food. As he ate, he said, “Just say directly that the ‘some people’ you’re referring to is Zhibei. There’s no need to hide it. You never asked before whether all of us can eat spicy food, and we can understand your idea of not making spicy dishes because you want to protect Zhibei’s stomach.”

“But among us, not to mention the others, I’m from Sichuan and Chongqing, and I really like spicy food. I’ve even reached the point where I can’t enjoy food without spice.”

“I like it too.” Tang Ling was eating the spicy beef jerky and was so choked by the spice that he kept hissing, but he did not stop eating. Hearing the discussion about spicy dishes, he immediately cut in. “This bag of spicy beef jerky really suits my taste.”

Peng Yushu looked at the bright red color of the bag of beef jerky and also leaned over to eat some.

That numbing and spicy flavor immediately conquered him. “This spice level is very good. And since you brought this yourself, it seems you also really like spicy dishes. So shouldn’t you consider everyone’s tastes and make some heavily spicy dishes too? Just don’t let Zhibei eat them after you’re done. But occasionally, you should also make some lightly spicy dishes for Zhibei. She likes eating them quite a lot.”

“I do really like spicy food, but I’m afraid if I actually make spicy dishes for us to eat and don’t let her eat them, she’ll complain to my mom that I bullied her,” Gu Nan said in a heavy tone.

Tang Ling immediately burst into laughter. “How could that be? How could Sister Zhibei possibly do that? You’re really thinking too much.”

Gu Nan looked at Tang Ling and truly wanted to say: What misunderstanding do you have about Shen Zhibei? Or what kind of filter? This is not me thinking too much. You really don’t understand her at all!

Shen Zhibei also did not know what to say.

After all, this was something she really could do.

[Gu Nan: I want my wife to nourish her stomach, so I won’t make spicy dishes. After all, the power to cook is in my hands.]

[Guess whether what Gu Nan said is true or not. That tone and expression don’t seem like a joke. Shocked, lighting cigarette.]

[Shouldn’t the most shocking thing be that the Film Empress had no reaction to Gu Nan saying that? No reaction, friends. Does that mean she’s already done it before?]

[Shocking! The Film Empress, who has always shown a charming and grand image, actually does this to her newlywed wife!]

[The person above, UC’s Shock Department needs you.]

As everyone chatted and laughed, they once again arrived at the bottom of the slope.

The first thing they noticed after coming down was the many RVs parked at the foot of the slope.

“The production team drove over so many RVs!” Peng Yushu pointed at the row of RVs. “Didn’t they say they were staying at other villagers’ homes?”

“Probably some people are staying with villagers, and some are staying in RVs. And these kinds of RVs definitely have shower rooms, convenient for the production staff to shower.” Gu Nan suddenly turned to the others and said, “How about we raid them tonight? Didn’t everyone say it was inconvenient to shower? Let’s steal their shower rooms!”

“But after we finish showering, we’ll still have to climb the slope back up. Won’t we sweat all over again? The shower would be for nothing.” Shen Zhibei raised the most fatal point.

“No, we won’t.”

“That’s right.” ×3

Gu Nan’s answer was completely out of place compared to the others. Everyone else looked at Gu Nan, staring until she was forced to retreat a few steps.

“What are you all doing? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Do you think we all have a monstrous physique like yours?” Peng Yushu said, then continued, “Is there a road to the place we’re staying that the RVs can drive up?”

“I don’t know. We’ve always gone up from that stair path. But after we finish harvesting American ginseng today, when we go back, we can look for one,” Shen Zhibei said.

“Teachers, let’s hurry and go. The chief director is urging us.”

One of the follow-camera operators received a message from the chief director and carefully interrupted the guests’ open and aboveboard plotting.

Only then did the group remember that they were still being filmed by cameras.

Along the way, neither the chief director nor the assistant director had followed them. Only each person’s follow-camera was there, which was why they had discussed things so recklessly.

But it seemed that letting the cameramen know was not very good either.

They immediately began threatening the cameramen. “You’re not allowed to tell anyone what we just discussed, understood? The chief director is scary, but we’re even scarier.”

“Okay, okay, no problem.”

The cameramen naturally agreed readily. In any case, some of their colleagues had been watching the livestream the whole time. Whatever the guests had said, the chief director definitely already knew, so there was no need for them to say anything.

Seeing the cameramen agree so easily, the group did not quite believe them.

Thinking about the production team’s integrity, the group exchanged glances and all decided that this plan had to be carried out quickly. They could not wait until night.

[Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen such open and aboveboard plotting.]

[So how did they solve the shower issue yesterday? From the livestream, the small building doesn’t have a shower, right?]

[Who knows? Don’t tell me they simply didn’t wash.]

[They’re still threatening the cameramen. I’m dying of laughter. Do they not know the production team has people watching the livestream the whole time? The moment they said it over here, the other side already knew. Threatening the cameramen is completely useless.]

[They probably don’t know. After all, they’re in a place that doesn’t even have somewhere to charge phones. Whether there’s internet is uncertain.]

[I’m now waiting for the big show where the guests battle the production team that already knows their plan.]

Since they had a plan, they naturally had to carry it out quickly. But first, they had to complete today’s main task.

For the remaining time, everyone lowered their heads and hurried on. Soon, they arrived at the planting base.

After they entered the planting base, the chief director walked over with a mysterious smile, bringing along an elderly man with dark skin who was wearing traditional Yi clothing. “This is Yingpan Village’s village chief and also the person in charge of this planting base, Mr. Meng Yuanshan.”

The mysterious smile on the chief director’s face was classified by the group as ill intent.

They did not know whether the things they had discussed just now had been leaked by the cameramen, or whether there was some other trap arranged by the production team in the American ginseng harvesting activity.

This made them all raise their guard.

“Welcome, everyone, to our Yingpan Village. You can all call me Old Meng.” This was Meng Yuanshan’s first time facing cameras, and so many cameras at that, so he looked very uncomfortable. “First, follow me into the greenhouse and get the tools.”

The moment they entered the greenhouse, everyone was shocked by the unharvested American ginseng, with little red fruits growing at the top and large patches of green leaves underneath.

“So this is what American ginseng looks like. I’ve only ever seen finished American ginseng,” Bai Rui said curiously.

“If I saw this by the road, I’d probably think the fruits on top were the actual fruit. I’d never imagine there was ginseng buried underneath,” Tang Ling said, reaching out to touch the little fruits.

Peng Yushu looked at him. “You wouldn’t see American ginseng by the road either.”

“The red drupes you see are actually American ginseng seeds. Each little fruit pit contains two to three seeds.” As Meng Yuanshan explained, he handed each of them a small shovel.

“Village Chief Meng, what should we do?” Holding the small shovel, Gu Nan was eager to try.

Even Shen Zhibei was looking forward to the process of digging American ginseng. Although she did not show much through her movements, there was still a hint of excitement on her face.

“What we’re doing today is very simple. We’re digging up the ginseng.” Meng Yuanshan found a plant that could be harvested and demonstrated for everyone. “First, we have to look at the stem. When the aboveground stem has withered like this, it means it can be dug up.”

“When harvesting, first remove the stem aboveground. Remember, you must be careful and not touch the ginseng root. Dig them out intact and place them to the side. This is the most basic way of digging up ginseng.”

In truth, the guests had not come during the best season for harvesting American ginseng. But thinking that it was not easy for a program team to come to the village and that it could promote the village’s American ginseng, the village chief had searched the whole village and found this greenhouse with relatively more harvestable ginseng for these celebrities to dig.

“Everyone saw how to do it, right? Isn’t it very simple? Then hurry and try it yourselves.” Meng Yuanshan warmly looked at the people in front of him.

The six of them had all only seen finished American ginseng, but when it came to how to harvest it, they had nine of the ten orifices open—only one remained blocked. In other words, they knew nothing.

Meng Yuanshan’s movements when digging up the ginseng had also been extremely fast. Before everyone could understand what was going on, one ginseng root had already been placed to the side by him. He had even done the extra step of removing the soil and impurities.

They wanted to ask the village chief to demonstrate it again.

But the village chief had made it look so simple and was so warmly urging them to quickly try it.

The six looked at one another, all feeling that the others must have learned it.

“Then… let’s try?” Gu Nan said, bracing herself.

“Let’s try, then!”