Variety Show's New Task Announcement:
After the typhoon, five guests of Chasing Dream will gather to record the song 'Wind and Rain'.
Since this was a last-minute addition, the recording would be released as a Plus Special Edition on the Jiangcheng APP, available only to members.
This means the number of viewers will be less than half of the free main episode.
The PD and the cameraman were worried that the guests wouldn't take it seriously.
Especially Bao Ruanruan, who often skipped regular missions. Would she even agree to an extra one?
Bao Ruanruan's accompanying female PD, Liu Qiu, was particularly worried.
But to her surprise—
"Sis PD, please sit in the room first."
"I might need about an hour to prepare for singing."
An hour of preparation?
PD Liu Qiu looked up in shock and, for the first time, saw an expression of determination on Bao Ruanyuan's delicate face.
It was a determination to succeed or die trying.
Her usually gentle and clear eyes now shone like the bright moon in the night sky.
—Was this really the same Teacher Bao who refused to do anything in the sunroom?
PD Liu Qiu was stunned.
She wanted to rush over and tell Director Zheng Mingchang this good news.
…
An hour later, Bao Ruanruan got into the small van sent by the production team.
She glanced at the brand of the vehicle.
A classic domestic brand.
An old and trusted name. Reliable.
Satisfied, she got into the van and sent a message to the work group responding to Chen Feng's concern about her singing ability—a "Got this" JPG🔗.
After fastening her seatbelt, she picked up her phone and asked PD Liu Qiu, "Sister, can I play audio on speaker instead of using headphones?"
Wearing headphones for too long could damage her hearing.
"Teacher Bao, are you listening to music to prepare for recording later?"
"No." Bao Ruanruan shook her head. "This is an audio guide for practising singing breath control."
"Ah..."
PD Liu Qiu was shocked.
So professional?
She had worked in several variety shows before. Many actors who recorded songs in the studio didn't bother to prepare—they just went into music for fun.
But Bao Ruanruan somehow still did breathing exercises on the way there?
So dedicated.
"As expected of a musical theatre major. Go ahead; we're not filming yet."
Without filming, there wouldn't be any copyright issues with the audio track.
"Got it~"
Soon, Bao Ruanruan filled the van with the voice of a vocal coach from her phone:
"Breathe in... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... Don't stop, hold it as long as possible... 20, 21...!"
Bao Ruanyuan closed her eyes and followed along with the exercises.
From her gaming experience, she knew that before doing anything, she had to find the correct method to do it first.
Otherwise, using the wrong method wouldn't just lead to failure—it could even cause harm.
Unbeknownst to her, PD Liu Qiu had locked her gaze on her in utter shock throughout the entire ride.
[@AutumnOrangeV:
Just realised that the female artist I've been following is incredibly hardworking in private. Even though we weren't filming in the van, she was still practising to ensure the best possible performance when we recorded the song later.
And this is for a scene that won't even make it into the main episode—something the audience and fans will never see.]
A Weibo post was quietly published.
[Huh? Who's this artist?]
[Orange, it's been a while since you posted!]
[Great Orange, are you still working at the TV station?]
[Curious—what variety show related to recording a song?]
[Give us a hint—is she a rookie singer?]
The post gained some minor traction, but since the details were vague, the online sleuths couldn't figure it out.
Soon, it was buried under other Weibo posts.
Half an hour later, Bao Ruanruan arrived at the building where the Cheng Yao Recording Studio was located. She was carrying her pink backpack and dressed in a lavender sports outfit sponsored by Pengmai.
The recording studio was on the 6th floor, and the location was on the city's outskirts.
Standing in the building's lobby, Bao Ruanruan first checked the notice posted outside the elevator—the last safety inspection was last month, and the latest disinfection was done yesterday.
Satisfied, she stepped into the elevator.
"Brother Cheng's workplace is really nice."
PD Liu Qiu was floored.
She glanced around at the building, where mailboxes were stuffed with advertisements and thought back to the increasingly desolate streets they had passed on the way here.
This building was far from nice.
It wasn't even as good as the residential building she rented!
It was said that Cheng Yao had been in debt early in his career and had no choice but to rent the cheapest recording space he could find.
Later, he became successful but had grown attached to this old studio and never moved.
Frankly, this place didn't match his status anymore.
This area was an old district of Jiangcheng that even the locals found unappealing.
But… Bao Ruanruan said it was nice?
[@AutumnOrangeV:
Last time, I thought she was just playing up a persona for the cameras when she said she liked living in poor conditions.
Today, I realised—she really can endure hardship.]
[??]
[Huh?]
[Who?]
[What variety show is this? And why does it involve housing? Now I'm really curious.]
There was another small wave of curiosity on Weibo.
PD Liu Qiu quickly put her phone away.
Looking at Bao Ruanruan's fair and delicate face, she felt a strange surge of emotion.
"You're here, Xiao Bao?"
When they arrived at the recording studio, Cheng Yao personally came to open the door.
The moment he saw Bao Ruanruan—her slender figure, her snow-white skin—his ears instantly turned pink.
Last weekend, during the thunderstorm, Bao Ruanruan had shown concern for the villagers of Hengshan. In Cheng Yao's eyes, that had cast a glowing halo around her.
His manager had warned him that Bao Ruanruan had scandals and told him not to get too emotionally involved. But he didn't want to listen!
Right now, he felt his manager was totally wrong.
After spending time with her, he found that Bao Ruanruan was kindhearted, indifferent to worldly competition—the purest artist he had ever met in the industry.
"Let's listen to the demo of Wind and Rain first?" Cheng Yao touched his burning ears.
"I came up with the melody while riding in the car from the hotel that day. It took me less than half an hour to finish the lyrics."
His inspiration had been overflowing.
Bao Ruanruan glanced around the small recording studio. There was only one sofa and two chairs. She immediately nodded.
"Sounds good."
"You can sit here." Cheng Yao quickly moved his backpack from the seat next to him and motioned for her to sit.
His manager, He Jun, gave a heavy cough from the side.
A warning glance followed.
Cheng Yao frowned.
Bao Ruanruan, however, looked up and swept her gaze over He Jun.
To her, anyone coughing without a mask was a potential infection risk—someone best avoided.
Without hesitation, she waved her hand and retreated to the sofa by the window.
"I'll just sit here."
The sofa was against the wall, and she curled up in the corner.
Her already pale face, slightly reddened eyes and soft pink cheeks gave her a delicate, fragile look.
Now, huddled in the corner, hugging her backpack, she looked even more like she had been bullied.
Cheng Yao immediately shot an accusing glare at his manager. "Brother Jun, get out. We're recording a show."
Manager He Jun: "..."
"I won't say anything. You guys do your thing."
Today, all five guests were supposed to record the song together.
But Bao Ruanruan arrived first.
Ever since the typhoon, Cheng Yao had been praising Bao Ruanruan nonstop, saying everyone had misunderstood her and that she had been unfairly criticised.
The way he defended her made He Jun feel like Cheng Yao had been brainwashed.
Who even knows if she was actually misunderstood?
What, did you hide under her bed to find out the truth?
To He Jun, Cheng Yao was far too naïve.
He couldn't just walk away and leave Cheng Yao alone with Bao Ruanruan.
Otherwise, if the footage was filmed and later edited by Jiang Cheng with a pink, romantic filter, he wouldn't be able to clear it up.
But Cheng Yao was clearly annoyed as he tossed his phone aside. "Brother Jun, you're ruining my inspiration."
He Jun: "…"
"Fine! I'll leave, alright?"
Finally, He Jun got the hint and stepped out.
Cheng Yao sighed and gave Bao Ruanruan an apologetic look.
Seeing that she had already taken out her own insulated water bottle, he skipped the formalities of offering her tea and went straight to playing the demo.
Soon, a warm and gentle male voice filled the small soundproof room:
"They say a rainbow will appear after the wind and rain."
"But all I saw in the darkness were your hands, falling away…"
"Hope lingers on our faces, yet tears still flow downward…"
Bao Ruanruan had just opened her thermos, planning to soothe her throat before singing to protect her vocal cords.
But instantly, she was hit by the song's meaning.
The lyrics about disaster… felt like they were telling her story.
In that instant, the memories of her bitter past came flooding back.
Her chest tightened with sudden pain.
Cheng Yao's humming in the demo carried a deep sorrow. It was not until the second chorus that warmth and hope shone through.
And at the end, there was a spoken word rap section:
"From now on, let's all remember the wind and rain survival rules—Five, six, seven, eight…"
"During storms, stay away from metal, wood, water, and fire…"
Cheng Yao's ears turned red again. "I wrote this in a rush. You can still adjust this part based on your safety instructions, Xiao Bao."
He had written the lyrics in one go, barely editing them.
They weren't polished at all—just raw and straightforward.
The final part, structured almost like a public service announcement, was something he had never attempted before.
That day, Bao Ruanruan's safety knowledge about thunderstorms had opened a door for him—as a songwriter, could he use song lyrics to reach more people and make a difference?
Yes, he could!
So, he had composed it that way.
But now, when he heard those rough, unrefined lyrics again, he suddenly felt self-conscious. What if Bao Ruanruan thought they were awful?
She had been silent this whole time.
Her head bowed in deep thought.
Cheng Yao's heart skipped a beat.
Nervously, he turned to the corner where Bao Ruanruan was sitting.
"Xiao Bao, do you think it's not good—?"
But just as the demo ended, a soft sob echoed in the small recording booth.
"Wuu…"
Cheng Yao: "!"
Bao Ruanruan realised the music had stopped and finally lifted her tear-streaked, pale face.
Cheng Yao: "!!"
She covered her face with both hands, trying to stifle her crying.
"I'm sorry… but can I… can I listen to it again? I really love the last part—it's so full of useful knowledge."
If this song had been the BGM in the game, she wouldn't have died so many times in that natural disaster level.
"You think the last part… is good?"
"Mm! That part is the best! The beginning was so sad—it made me want to cry. But the last part, I love it! I want to hear it again!"
Cheng Yao's eyes lit up.
She was his kindred spirit.
The sadness at the start was exactly what he had intended.
The last verse, packed with safety information, was also exactly what he had wanted.
He hadn't expected her to grasp his creative vision so well!
Her feedback was sharp and to the point, directly identifying his song's two most important elements.
"Xiao Bao, shall I play it again?"
"Mm!"
# Half an Hour Later
Cheng Yao's hand hovered over the playback controls, ready to stop—
But Bao Ruanruan's clear, watery eyes blinked at him. "Can we listen to it one more time?"
Cheng Yao: "!!"
Alright, it's time for you to come clean.
Teacher Bao, are you secretly my fan?
Cheng Yao had been looping Wind and Rain all morning.
The number of times he'd replayed it in this session alone had already exceeded the number of times he'd listened to it in private.
He had never listened to his song on repeat for a full hour before.
They were stuck with this track for now.
But the more he listened, the more he noticed its flaws.
"Xiao Bao, I think the lyrics here could be improved."
"And the melody of the second verse—maybe it needs some tweaking too."
Bao Ruanruan had helped him find the flaws!
"Xiao Bao, listen to it again for me. Do you think this version sounds better...?"
Bao Ruanruan blinked, lifting her fair, confused little face.
She wasn't good at writing lyrics.
"Mm, whatever you say is right."
Cheng Yao's eyes lit up instantly.
Songwriting was a deeply personal process.
However, locking oneself in a room for too long could sap creativity and lead to uninspired work.
Looking at one's own music often came with a filter—flaws could be overlooked.
But today, Bao Ruanruan insisted on playing the song over and over again, making him listen until he caught the issues himself—she was guiding him!
Cheng Yao looked at Bao Ruanruan, his gaze suddenly filled with gratitude.
His music was the most important thing to him.
"Thank you, Xiao Bao."
Bao Ruanruan waved her hand dismissively and dabbed at the redness at the corners of her eyes with a tissue.
She couldn't cry anymore.
If she teared up too much, her vocal cords would be strained during the recording later.
"Brother Cheng, where's the restroom?"
"Oh, oh—go out and turn left."
Bao Ruanruan slung her little bag over her shoulder and headed for the restroom.
As soon as she stepped out, He Jun, Cheng Yao's manager, walked in.
"Done recording?"
It had been an hour and a half.
In the recording room, Cheng Yao's face was flushed, looking somewhat unusual.
He Jun raised an eyebrow.
"What, did she sing really well?"
Cheng Yao was usually reserved—he rarely showed any emotions to the outside world.
But today, on camera, he was totally losing it.
He Jun, wearing a face mask and a baseball cap, glanced at the recording equipment.
Then he heard his artist say,
"Brother Jun, Xiao Bao is a good person. And she has better taste than you."
"?"
"I've never met someone who understands my music this deeply."
"??"
"She really knows music. I can't believe I've been on a show with her for so long and never realised this! Ahhh, if only I had talked to her about my songs earlier!"
"???"
He Jun was beyond confused.
What's going on?
"She noticed the flaws in Wind and Rain, but she was kind enough not to say it outright—probably because she didn't want to hurt me as the original creator. Unlike you, Brother Jun, who always bluntly points out everything that is wrong with my work."
He Jun: "!"
Well, what else was he supposed to do?
If something was off, wasn't he supposed to say it directly?!
"But she didn't do that. She just kept listening to it repeatedly, letting me keep playing the demo…"
Cheng Yao was indeed talented.
It was just that sometimes confidence could deafen his ears.
"Just now, I finally heard the problems in my song and fixed them immediately!"
"? You're done? Let me hear it," He Jun said with interest. Wind and Rain might have been a song for a variety show, but since Cheng Yao had written both the lyrics and the melody, his fans would eagerly await the final version.
After years of managing four or five different singers, He Jun had developed a strong sense of musical taste.
In the past, Cheng Yao would have let him listen, no matter how brutally honest his feedback was.
But today, Cheng Yao shook his head.
"No need, Brother Jun. I already have Xiao Bao listened to it. Since I've made the changes, we'll go straight to recording."
He Jun: "!"
He had only stepped out for an hour and a half.
And just like that, the trust between the artist and manager was gone?
Their professional partnership had sunk faster than a flimsy boat in a storm.
"Brother Jun, from now on, can I have Xiao Bao listen to all my songs first and give me feedback?"
"......"
When did Bao Ruanruan become so musically talented?
He Jun looked confused.
He lowered his head to check.
He pulled up her profile.
Musical theatre major. No wonder.
Then he scrolled down further.
Graduation exam ranking: second to last…???
"!"
"Cheng Yao, I strongly advise you to reconsider!"
It was almost noon.
After a medical check-up at the hospital, Qu Feifei was sent home by her manager. She looked exhausted.
Her parents were on vacation. Her older brother was filming a variety show.
She was left all alone at home.
The solitude made her think back to that terrifying night on Lerong Mountain—stranded, panicked, with no family or friends to rely on… She had gone hungry for most of the day, been drenched in the rain, caught a cold, and nearly broke down from physical and mental exhaustion.
Sitting on her bed, Qu Feifei still felt the lingering fear.
Her mobile phone buzzed with messages.
[Feifei, your fans are really worried about you. Can you post on Weibo to let them know you're safe?]
[The PR team has already drafted a post for you—just share it.]
Qu Feifei glanced weakly at the message.
Her feeling of helplessness eased a bit.
Yes, she still had so many fans who cared about her!
She wasn't alone!
She immediately sat up and went to check her Weibo comments.
—[Feifei, Mama is so worried! Are you hurt? The studio said you were only frightened, but I saw on TV that Bao Ruanruan mentioned you didn't have enough food. Did you go hungry?]
Qu Feifei just started to smile, but by the time she reached the end, she was stunned.
Bao Ruanruan?
—[Awuu, Fei ah! How are you now? Mama was scared to death... Thank goodness Bao Ruanruan helped the show come up with a plan, or else we would have been even more worried!]
Qu Feifei's face was full of shock.
—[Baby girl, next time you go on a reality show, promise Mama you'll bring Bao Ruanruan with you, okay?]
—[+1! If it weren't for Bao Ruanruan helping out during the live broadcast of Chasing Dreams, I wouldn't have been able to sleep on Saturday night!]
Qu Feifei: "?!?"
She scrambled up, flipping through the comments as she reached for her tablet.
She quickly searched for the Chasing Dreams variety show.
——Latest Bao Ruanruan CUT, 0909, #Bao Ruanruan's Thousand-Mile Concern for Lerong Mountain#
Qu Feifei: "!"
She didn't even bother with the full episode—she immediately clicked on the cut version.
The video began playing.
On-screen, Bao Ruanruan's anxious, distraught face appeared.
Qu Feifei saw the reflection on Bao Ruanruan's TV—it was her on Lerong Mountain, along with two other civilian participants!
In the pouring rain, she and the two girls panicked and tried to run to their bicycles.
"Director, do you have the number for Nancheng?"
"They're in serious danger right now!"
Bao Ruanruan looked frantic as if she were the one stranded in the storm.
"No! They can't ride bicycles!!"
"They need to squat down!"
Qu Feifei's mouth fell open.
She watched as Bao Ruanruan, overwhelmed with urgency, shouted at the screen.
Then Qu Feifei saw herself crouching down on the TV.
Bao Ruanruan heaved a sigh of relief.
"Yes! That's the correct position...!"
——Bao Ruanruan had been worried about… her?
——Every single expression showed deep concern for her?
Qu Feifei's phone slipped from her hand onto the bedsheet.
Her heart was just like her mind—
It was in complete chaos.
......
Back in his home in Yanjing, Han Mo's phone vibrated.
[Brother Han, could you take a moment to thank Bao Ruanruan? She worked so hard from afar to come up with a plan to get you all out of danger. She did everything she could.]
Han Mo: "!"
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