Chapter 111: The Ordinary Path (Part One) (Please Support with Votes)

The guest stars arrived at the small mountain village.

Jiang Qi and He Xi’er were filled with curiosity and interest, their beautiful eyes scanning back and forth across this ordinary little village.

This was the place where Teacher Gabe filmed his show. For these two devoted fans, this humble mountain village held a special significance.

Soon, the production crew’s vehicle approached the mushroom house. Jiang Qi, who was leaning against the window enjoying the scenery, suddenly brightened up, her entire being electrified with excitement.

“Teacher Gabe!”

Jiang Qi was thrilled.

This moment was not cut out in post-production by the team. Although Li He’s later scenes of singing and freeloading did appear, whether this particular shot stayed or not made little difference.

Jiang Qi was stunned. Before even stepping inside the mushroom house, she had already seen Teacher Gabe.

At the same time, the barrage comments on the video site fell silent briefly. The viewers were all stunned.

Teacher Gabe?

Did Jiang Qi just call him Gabe?

The production team, understanding the audience well, switched the camera to a close-up of Li He right after Jiang Qi called out “Teacher Gabe.”

The viewers were shocked to realize this was the same young man who had played rock-paper-scissors with Teacher Xie Shun at the start.

Though the camera hadn’t captured Li He’s face clearly during the game, the same clothes and the identical hat on his head made it unmistakable.

Netizens were astonished.

“Is this really Teacher Gabe?”

“Absolutely impossible. How could Teacher Gabe be so young? It must be fake. The production is tricking us.”

“Wow! So handsome.”

“Huh! How come my husband is on screen? Why didn’t I know?”

“You upstairs, stop talking nonsense. That’s clearly my husband. My husband isn’t that handsome, everyone just close your eyes.”

“Listen, what are people saying?”

“I seriously don’t want to watch anymore. Gabe comes off as too perfect — talented, sings beautifully, hosts variety shows, and damn, so handsome. How are we supposed to live with that?”

“This is ridiculous. I strongly suspect Gabe is cheating. I demand an official investigation.”

Teacher Gabe’s appearance sparked the first wave of excitement on the show, and the barrage comments soared.

The audience could hardly believe it — too young, too unreal.

Lying on the sofa with her laptop, Chen Xueling was already mesmerized.

“Teacher Gabe, so handsome!”

That was her first impression.

Chen Xueling adjusted her posture, her eyes sparkling like stars.

She wondered if it was still not too late to learn to sing.

The premiere continued.

He Xi’er and Jiang Qi got off the car, and after a brief catch-up with Li He, he began to give them some tips.

“Guest stars are here to enjoy themselves.”

“No need to do any work. Why work?”

“This is the life we dream of. Have you ever met anyone who dreams of picking corn?”

These golden lines delighted the audience. So ‘the life we dream of’ was addressed to the guest stars.

The regular cast were just the workers!

In the subsequent scenes, Teacher Gabe didn’t appear again, leaving the audience disappointed. The barrage was flooded with messages like “Teacher Gabe, come out quickly!” and “Where did Teacher Gabe go?”

During post-editing, Li He used his privilege to cut out the footage where Jiang Qi was drawing him out.

As evening approached, Xie Shun started cooking on a simple stove.

Smoke rose from the small courtyard, filled with the essence of life.

Xie Shun cooked, Jiang You chopped wood, and Teacher He built a chicken coop for the newly delivered chickens.

Jiang Qi and He Xi’er didn’t follow Teacher Gabe’s advice but busied themselves from start to finish.

Amidst the busyness, they didn’t stop chatting, from vegetables to history to entertainment gossip.

Xie Shun dropped more than one bombshell, including a drunken photo of a singing king with messy hair.

The busy moments were filled with joy and laughter.

At that moment, the audience suddenly realized this was the life they longed for.

Inviting a few friends over for a small gathering at home — I cook, you chop wood, he feeds the chickens.

Everyone had their own tasks, their own ways. It looked busy but fulfilling.

The busyness here was different from the steel jungle of the city.

City busyness was mechanical, a constant repetition of the same thing.

But the busyness at the mushroom house had hope and no fixed pattern. You could do whatever you wanted, at your own pace.

The leisure after a day’s work was comfortable.

At this time, their conversation suddenly turned to the show’s chief planner.

Jiang Qi and He Xi’er exchanged a glance but said nothing, pretending ignorance.

The audience knew who the planner was, but the regular guests did not.

Watching the three regular guests eager to try, the viewers couldn’t help but anticipate their reaction when they met Teacher Gabe.

It was truly exciting.

The plot moved smoothly, and Teacher Gabe’s forced appearance stunned everyone.

Not only the three regular guests but even the on-site crew seemed unaware that the planner was Gabe.

Teacher Gabe was invited to join dinner.

The audience perked up, knowing the key moment was coming.

The full version of “Ordinary Road” was about to be performed. They had waited all day for this.

“Forget the meal, just sing!”

“Even though Teacher Xie Shun’s Buddha Jumps Over the Wall looked delicious, I want to hear the full version of ‘Ordinary Road’ more.”

“Finally starting. Do you know how I’ve survived these past few days?”

“Damn, damn, damn…”

“Why can’t I fast-forward? Poor show, poor show, fast-forward, fast-forward, fast-forward.”

“I’ve got my little stool ready, sitting tight for Teacher Gabe’s singing.”

Everyone was filled with anticipation.

They had been tormented for too long; the truncated version of the song was not meant for listening, just to mess with their emotions.

No one questioned whether the full version would actually be included.

How could there be no full version? This was a proper broadcast.

The video from a week ago was truncated; the audience could understand that.

It was just promotional tactics.

Though it felt frustrating, they weren’t too angry — it was still bearable.

The barrage comments were dense and eager, all waiting and hoping.

Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou City.

At Yin Mengna’s home.

On the wide living room wall, “The Life We Long For” premiere was being projected.

Yin Mengna curled her fair legs beneath her, clutching a pillow tightly with her freshly manicured fingers.

Since Teacher Gabe appeared on screen, her gaze had never left the projection, and her desire to terminate her contract with the company grew stronger.

The organizer of “Slow Rhythm” was Brothers Entertainment, but the guest invited was An Chuxia from Brilliant Entertainment.

At first, the spot was meant for Yin Mengna.

However, after the alliance between Brothers and Brilliant, Yin Mengna became the victim, replaced by An Chuxia.

“I need to speed things up,” Yin Mengna murmured, hugging the pillow.

After August comes September.

September was destined to be extraordinary for Teacher Gabe.

If she could provide some support for Teacher Gabe in September, then singing songs written by him wouldn’t be far away.

Yin Mengna had calculated well, as long as Brothers Entertainment was willing to release her.

Meanwhile.

Shandong Province, Qingcheng.

Jiang Qi and He Xi’er lounged on separate single sofas, the coffee table piled high with puffed snacks.

“Turn on the barrage comments. Teacher Gabe is about to sing; the comments will be amazing.” Jiang Qi’s mouth was full of chips, making her words a bit unclear.

Understanding instantly, He Xi’er opened the comments.

Finally, the singing was about to begin. She had waited a long time for this moment.

Qingcheng, an old residential area, at Lao Qin’s home.

Lao Qin and his wife, bearing dark circles under their eyes, surrounded the computer in their bedroom, watching the premiere of “The Life We Long For” on Shandong Satellite TV.

Lao Qin was moved to tears; the full version was finally coming. He could finally sleep peacefully.

If the torment continued, he felt he would have a sudden death.

The worst part was, he couldn’t cause trouble for that brat at work — that recording had him tightly bound.

He didn’t even know when it was recorded.

Every time he thought about that recording, Lao Qin felt the urge to beat Li He up.

That kid was sly and scheming.

Sigh!

It had all been a mistake.

Many people watched the premiere of “The Life We Long For,” not just the general public — even executives from talent agencies were paying attention.

This was Shengshi Entertainment’s second attempt, and its success was crucial for the entire entertainment industry.

If Shengshi Entertainment succeeded, the industry would enter a period of intense cross-industry competition.

Finally.

Teacher Gabe was brought out again, appearing on camera once more.

The barrage comments erupted.

“He’s here, he’s here, he’s here…”

“Is it starting?”

“Fast-forward, fast-forward, fast-forward…”

“My big sword is already itching.”

After dinner.

Teacher Gabe brought out his guitar and said before playing, “This song isn’t quite finished yet. I hope Teacher Xie Shun will give me some guidance.”

Strangely, the audience felt a bit uneasy.

This unease came inexplicably, but no one paid it much mind.

All attention was on Teacher Gabe and the “Ordinary Road” he was about to sing.

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PS. Posted first, edits to follow.