Shi Qing had already said so much, so the guests naturally felt embarrassed to demand too much.
"Thank you, we’ll discuss it and come back if we need any help," Chen Yunlu replied politely.
After that, no one suggested staying at the Shi Family’s home. Instead, they carried their luggage and planned to try other houses.
Although Shi Qing’s house was the largest in the village, there were several other spacious blue-tiled houses just ahead.
However, unexpectedly, other than the Shi Family, they asked at three houses, but each indicated they had little work and were willing to host only one person, with a maximum stay of three days.
The guests weren’t foolish; they slowly realized and turned to Shen Zha: "Director, this is really sneaky."
It was definitely the production team that had communicated with the villagers in advance, which is why the villagers agreed to host only one guest.
Yet, Shen Zha knew the guests’ plans and the villagers’ responses, but still remained silent, watching them shuttle back and forth with luggage behind the camera.
Facing the crowd’s accusatory looks, Shen Zha didn’t feel guilty at all but instead smiled and said, "It seems Village Chief Shi was right; people in this village are indeed very kind, not at all resistant to outsiders."
The guests: ... speechless.
Knowing the hidden rules of the production team, the guests naturally knew they couldn’t live together as planned.
"Everyone should find a family they like to stay with," Zhu Rui suggested.
"That’s all we can do," Ji He sighed, as she rather wanted to stay with Jiang Ning.
"Have you two decided where to stay? We can help you take your luggage over first," Zhu Rui asked Ji He and Hao Meng.
Ji He and Hao Meng had the most luggage among the six, and being female guests, Zhu Rui and Yuan Xingyao had been helping carry since before entering the village.
Hao Meng was the first to say she wanted to stay with Jiang Ning. Although a bit disappointed they couldn’t stay together, she hadn’t completely given up and asked Jiang Ning with anticipation: "Jiang Ning, where do you plan to stay? I’ll stay next door to you!"
"I haven’t decided yet; you pick first," Jiang Ning shook her head.
"Oh," Hao Meng looked disappointed.
Most of Ji He and Hao Meng’s luggage was being carried by Zhu Rui and Yuan Xingyao, so they felt a bit embarrassed and didn’t want to waste the two male guests’ time. Quickly, they each chose a family from those they had asked earlier to stay with.
Yuan Xingyao and Zhu Rui helped take their luggage over.
Standing there, Chen Yunlu glanced around and then smiled at Jiang Ning, saying, "I felt that Village Chief Shi was quite easy-going, and he has two large jars in front of his house that I’m very interested in. I’m going to stay at his place. Jiang Ning, I’ll head over first and catch up with you later."
"Okay," Jiang Ning nodded.
She stood there for a few minutes, and soon Yuan Xingyao and Zhu Rui returned empty-handed.
Seeing Jiang Ning standing alone, the two paused for a few seconds.
Jiang Ning simply mentioned Chen Yunlu going to Village Chief Shi’s house.
"I see," Zhu Rui nodded, looking at the luggage he had set aside earlier, and asked Jiang Ning, "Where do you plan to stay? I can help you take your luggage over."
Yuan Xingyao also looked at Jiang Ning, though he didn’t speak but clearly shared Zhu Rui’s intention.
Jiang Ning shook her head in refusal, "I don’t have much luggage, I can handle it myself."
Zhu Rui didn’t insist and nodded, "Then let’s each find somewhere to stay, and if there’s anything, we’ll discuss after settling in."
Yuan Xingyao had no objection: "Sure."
Saying this, the two picked up their luggage they had left by the roadside.
Jiang Ning had no objection either; she turned and walked along the country lane.
Only then did the viewers in the livestream become aware: no wonder Jiang Ning stayed behind after Chen Yunlu left; she was helping Zhu Rui and Yuan Xingyao watch their luggage.
The production team had equipped each guest with an individual cameraman, and once the guests separated, the single-camera livestream gradually split into several feeds.
Shen Zha explained to the audience outside the broadcast, stating that segmented livestreaming would occur, allowing viewers to choose the livestream room of the guest they are interested in.
Previously, Survive for 30 Days also used segmented livestreaming, so many veteran viewers were already accustomed to it.
Everyone clicked into the livestream room of their interest to watch.
After the guests separated, the original high-traffic livestream saw the viewership split like a cake, with numbers plummeting.
Seeing the fluctuating data on the screen, the expressions of several backstage workers showed signs of distress, feeling as if their hearts were breaking.
They turned to look at Chen Yan, contemplating whether to reunite the guests for a single livestream, only to see that the producer, who usually prized traffic, showed no sign of concern, but rather displayed a playful smile, as if he had discovered something intriguing on the screen.
The current livestream traffic wasn’t a concern for the guests.
Jiang Ning, backpack on her shoulders and carrying a suitcase, walked briskly forward.
The cameraman following her noticed that Jiang Ning occasionally paused in front of certain houses but only briefly, before continuing forward without any intention of asking for accommodation.
Not only did the cameraman wonder about her stops, but even the viewers in front of the screens were curious and eager to know why Jiang Ning had paused several times.
Yet, no matter how they flooded the screen, Jiang Ning couldn’t see the livestream comments, so naturally, she couldn’t provide an answer.
Zhu Rui and Yuan Xingyao trailed behind Jiang Ning, meandering slowly, also searching for a suitable place to stay.
The two originally intended to follow Jiang Ning to see where she planned to stay and then choose to live next door, hoping that interacting more with her would boost their popularity.
But as Jiang Ning seemed to be almost at the village’s edge without any sign of stopping for accommodation, Zhu Rui and Yuan Xingyao exchanged glances, feeling it might not be wise to continue following. They then began searching for suitable lodgings among the houses lining the country road.
Yuan Xingyao initially assessed the condition and size of these rustic homes, looking for one as comfortable as possible, when he heard Zhu Rui’s voice: "What do you think Jiang Ning was looking at when she stopped here?"
Yuan Xingyao was taken aback, turning to find Zhu Rui already standing where Jiang Ning had just paused, mimicking her posture and facing the same direction.