Xiao He and his team didn't really want to know more about the program's situation.
They just wanted to get to the island as soon as possible.
After the boat owner called to let them know they could board, Xiao He put on his hat and mask and squeezed into the crowd with Liu Rulan and Xiao Chen.
Well, there's really no way around it. Many variety show fans knew that the show was being filmed today, so there were a lot of people on the beach. Some were fans, and some were just passersby. Although the production team set up a large area to keep people away, the people on the outside kept pushing in, making the area very crowded.
If Xiao He and his group wanted to get to the boarding gate, they had to squeeze through the crowd to the very back.
Because there were so many people, most of whom were taking pictures with their phones, Xiao He and his group moved very slowly.
Finally, with no other option, Xiao He, being the taller one, took over. The three of them switched places, with Xiao He leading the way, followed by Xiao Chen and Liu Rulan.
Finally, after a few people complained, they managed to squeeze to the boarding gate!
Congratulations! Congratulations!
Xiao He glanced back at the crowd that looked like an overwhelming army, shook his head, and whispered to Liu Rulan, "I think if Director Feng is lacking inspiration for his movies, he can come here and take a look."
Who says China doesn't have good zombie movies? Well, here's one... cough cough, just kidding.
Liu Rulan glared at Xiao He warningly: "Say less, or you'll offend people."
Xiao He immediately zipped up his lips.
Because there were so many people renting small boats today, they didn't have a choice and boarded the smallest speedboat to head to the island.
Although it was still very hot today, it was mostly cloudy, with large white clouds passing by from time to time, blocking the sunlight. Even the sea surface could be seen to reflect the shadows of the clouds. On the distant sea, there was a beautiful scene where the sea and sky met, and the free and unrestrained figures of seabirds flashing across the sky.
Xiao He put on his life jacket, looked up at the sea, and squinted: "They actually rowed that far?"
At the edge of the sea, several small boats that looked somewhat like plastic were swaying and spinning in the middle of the distant ocean.
That location was quite far from the shore, and even small boats rarely passed by. On that stretch of sea, there were almost only the few guests from the production crew.
Liu Rulan glanced at it as well, and then explained, "The rules of their game are a rowing competition, to see who can row back and forth on this sea the first time."
Xiao He frowned: "But this is already their second lap, right? Such a long distance, let alone celebrities, even trained athletes would be exhausted."
Moreover, this is a competitive event, so everyone's stamina will be depleted faster than usual.
Aren't they worried about accidents happening in this situation?
Xiao He asked.
“An accident has already occurred,” Liu Rulan replied calmly.
Xiao He was stunned for a moment, then immediately looked at Liu Rulan.
The speedboat had already begun to slowly start, but Liu Rulan's gaze fell on a parasol set up on the beach, her expression tinged with sarcasm: "I wonder if you've heard about the fact that 'Fearless Journey' changed directors a few years ago."
Xiao He shook his head.
"The new guy who came up is Director Liu now." Liu Rulan raised her chin in that direction, and Xiao He looked over as well.
Under the parasol, a man wearing a hat and using a fan was staring at the instrument screen in front of him and saying something.
He was probably in his fifties, with an average appearance, a bloated figure, and a particularly round beer belly.
"During the time that Director Liu was directing, there were several safety incidents during the filming of 'Fearless Journey'. There was even a relatively unknown artist who was almost killed in an explosion at their filming location."
Xiao He gasped in shock: "Such a thing actually happened?"
"Hmm." Liu Rulan crossed her arms. "It's a pity that although this matter caused quite a stir at the time, it eventually fizzled out. The artist was paid to keep quiet and left the industry in disgrace, while Director Liu's program continued as usual without being affected in any way."
"During the later filming, it was normal for artists and even crew members to get injured. As long as no one died, it could be suppressed." Liu Rulan spread her hands. "Firstly, because of the show's fame, these people dared not offend the production team. Secondly, this Director Liu himself is not simple. The production team is almost his personal fiefdom, and he has a lot of power. It's no use for these people to resist."
"But why? There are clearly safer options."
Xiao He was very confused.
With so many safety incidents already, Director Liu shows no restraint whatsoever, which Xiao He finds hard to believe.
“Because the audience loves to see real things.” Liu Rulan smirked. “Even if the plot is fake, the outcome is fake, and the competition is fake, their fighting spirit is real.”
Xiao He just chuckled.
“But you don’t need to worry about encountering a director like that.” Liu Rulan then turned the topic to Xiao He. “There are only a handful of guys who dare to be this crazy.”
Xiao He: A few more... Well, thank you so much.
Soon, their speedboat slowly approached the area where the program was being filmed, heading towards the island.
Just then, a gust of wind blew in from somewhere, and the sea suddenly began to churn.
Huge waves crashed towards the group, catching the speedboat off guard. It was lifted up by the waves and then quickly dropped back down. The people sitting on the speedboat couldn't help but hold onto the armrests to steady themselves.
Only then did Liu Rulan remember something, and she turned to look at Xiao He: "Can you swim?"
Liu Rulan hadn't thought about this issue before, since it's generally assumed that she can swim, which would make filming underwater scenes easier.
However, Xiao He, holding onto the armrest, smiled somewhat awkwardly at Liu Rulan: "I'm not very good at it..."
Xiao He himself is not afraid of water, otherwise he would not have been suspended by wires and jumping around on the bow of the boat while filming The Thieves, or even sitting in a small boat and following Liu Rulan and the others back and forth between the island and the shore.
However, he can't swim!
Actually, Xiao He's parents had sent him to learn to swim before.
At that time, Xiao He was about seven or eight years old and had a quiet personality. Xiao's father thought that his child should have a sport-related hobby, so he specially sought out connections in the sports bureau to send Xiao He to the city team's children's training camp, hoping that Xiao He could receive more professional training.
However, to his surprise, the children inside were not only younger than Xiao He, but they had also been training in this skill since they were young. They were already paddling in the water when they were almost three years old, and had a very good foundation, making them much more capable than a complete novice like Xiao He.
Almost every time Xiao He couldn't learn something, the coach would call on a little girl who was two or three years younger than him to demonstrate it again in front of him. Then, the coach would point at the little girl and say to Xiao He, "Look at this little girl, she's so young and she swims so well. How come you can't teach her?"
Immediately afterward, the children around him joined in laughing at him.
This kind of thing happens almost every day. The child is too shy to handle this kind of treatment. In the end, Xiao He refused to learn to swim no matter what. He was fine with learning anything as long as it wasn't swimming!
Fortunately, Xiao's parents respected Xiao He's wishes. After understanding the situation, they took the initiative to change Xiao He's equipment to badminton, first sending him to a basic class and then to a professional class, instead of forcing him to learn swimming.
So to summarize, Xiao He wasn't afraid of water, he just simply disliked the idea of "learning to swim".
This is also why Xiao He /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ is still unable to swim to this day.
Liu Rulan was unaware of Xiao He's situation. Hearing Xiao He say he couldn't, she was about to say something when she suddenly heard someone shout from the sea—
"Help! The boat has capsized!"
