He turned himself into the same lying position as a corpse, silently closed his eyes, knowing that if he couldn't run ahead of the geese, he was destined to be left far behind.
He finally understood.
⚹
The next day, Zhang Chaohe was literally lifted up by Lu Tao.
He slept remarkably well. Cheng Jixue got up earliest to prepare the soup base, but he remained unmoved. Feng Yingyu, who was next to him, got up early to practice boxing outside, but he was completely unaware. By the time Lu Tao woke up, Zhang Chaohe had one leg sticking out of the blanket, his face buried in the pillow, sleeping soundly like a happy little pig.
Lu Tao silently nudged his hand: "President Zhang?"
Zhang Chaohe remained motionless.
Lu Tao glanced at the empty dormitory bed, feeling slightly ashamed that only the two of them were left. The second-to-last student decided to pull the last-place student along, tugging at Zhang Chaohe: "Mr. Zhang—wake up!"
The mischievous cameraman even deliberately shoved the camera right up to Zhang Chaohe's face, giving him a high-definition close-up—even from such a terrible angle and with morning puffiness, Mr. Zhang's face still looks good, probably still able to outshine a bunch of male stars.
Cameraman: Who can get him to make movies instead of being a CEO?
Zhang Chaohe was finally lifted up. He changed his clothes and put on his shoes with sluggish movements, and his semi-permanent domineering CEO-style side-parted slicked-back hair finally revealed its true, messy state. Zhang Chaohe carried a toothbrush cup in his hand and calmly said good morning to everyone.
Then he also discovered the problem.
Without a hairdryer or hairspray, his side-parted slicked-back hair... seems unlikely to return anytime soon? Zhang Chaohe finally perked up—he tried several different styles in front of the mirror, but none of them quite matched his domineering and cool CEO persona.
Fortunately, he has a domineering appearance, so he doesn't look like a high school student.
As soon as he stepped out, he saw Xiao Chen looking at him affectionately: "Mr. Zhang, you look so young."
Zhang Chaohe: After taking only two steps, Feng Yingyu came over and said, "Mr. Zhang, you look like my college student cousin."
Zhang Chaohe: The director comes over: "Mr. Zhang—"
Zhang Chaohe's PTSD: "Are you trying to say I look young too?!"
The director was silent for a moment: "Actually, you look quite mature."
Zhang Chaohe, who was unhappy when told he looked young, and also unhappy when told he looked old: ?
Seeing that Xiao Zhang was about to explode with anger, the director quickly said, "I'm here to tell you about the activities later!"
This morning's activity was simple: a visit to Master You's home to see his wood carvings. Master You's family has been woodcarvers for generations, but with the development of laser engraving technology in recent years, the craft has gradually declined, and Master You no longer has any apprentices or children learning the craft.
Master You may be the last woodcarving craftsman in Gu Yunhe's family.
Because it wasn't far, the guests walked there. Along the way, Zhang Chaohe kept reminiscing about the snail rice noodle soup he had just eaten... It was so delicious, really delicious. Even though it was just a basic kitchen seasoning gift pack, Zhang Chaohe still ate two big bowls.
He whispered to Cheng Jixue behind her back, "If you can't make money in the entertainment industry in the future, just open a restaurant."
Cheng Jixue looked at him in surprise, as if she really wanted to laugh: "Didn't you say that I would definitely become a big star?"
How come you've already planned to open a restaurant to earn money and support your family after you become famous?
Zhang Chaohe sincerely said, "Because your cooking is really delicious."
My stomach has already fallen in love with you ahead of time, I'm sorry Xiao Cheng!
Cheng Jixue chuckled and said, "I'll cook whatever you want to eat when we get back." He winked and added, "If you'd like, I can cook your favorite dishes every day."
"That's so corny," Cheng Jixue thought to herself. "I can't bring myself to say it."
Zhang Chaohe's face lit up with surprise: "Really? Then aren't you getting a bad deal staying at my house?"
He seriously and earnestly suggested, "I'll give you a raise!"
Goose-style translation: I can apply for a nanny position and work part-time as a lunch cook.
Cheng Jixue: I shouldn't have expected geese to be brain-dead!
The grievances he felt from sleeping in front of the stone last night suddenly welled up inside him. Cheng Jixue quietly withdrew his pout, then suddenly took a step forward, leaving Zhang Chaohe far behind!
Zhang Chaohe stared incredulously at Cheng Jixue's thorny back, then at the cameraman filming them: ...
Is this how guys with girlfriends feel?
Cameraman: Don't look at me, I don't understand what you young couples are thinking all day long.
Soon everyone arrived at Master You's house, which was like a small woodworking factory. Because he also had to earn money to support his family, Master You usually took on some carpentry work—for example, there was a small cabinet prototype lying in the pile of wood shavings on the ground.
The craftsman was trimming the corners of a cabinet, and he took the opportunity to demonstrate his skills to the guests. With his wrist suspended in the air and his free hand pressing against the cabinet, he effortlessly created a smooth, linear surface!
The guests were all amazed, especially the master craftsman who transformed into a human printer, precisely controlling the blade and decisively and quickly carving out a flat surface!
Everyone applauded, and when they visited other works by the master craftsman, they exclaimed in amazement, saying that there are masters among ordinary people. There was a wooden butterfly carving that Zhang Chaohe absolutely loved. The flowing light of the butterfly's tail was so delicate. The wood must be golden sandalwood. The shimmering texture was cleverly integrated into the shape of the butterfly dancing, making it seem as if the butterfly had come to life!
For some reason, the first thing that came to mind was Cheng Jixue... Zhang Chaohe secretly glanced at Cheng Jixue, only to find him staring blankly at a lifelike crab figurine.
Zhang Chaohe sighed: Who told all the handsome men in the Zhang family to dote on their wives? — Although it seems like the birth chart has only just begun, this shameless guy has already started calling his wife!
He secretly asked the production team if he could pre-order the butterfly carving, because he really liked it. The director hesitated for a moment, but still helped him place an order with the craftsman for the ornament.
After some introductions, the activity for this morning's guests finally began—wood carving. After explaining the basic carving techniques, the craftsman gave each person a set of basic tools and a piece of wood slightly larger than their palm.
Each piece of wood has a unique pattern, requiring guests to use their creativity to showcase the unique beauty of the wood while also conveying a certain meaning.
After the works are completed, the master will give their comments and select the one with the best creativity to receive a mystery grand prize provided by the program team.
Everyone began to ponder the wood in their hands, and Zhang Chaohe was no exception. He turned the wood around, trying to find a suitable angle as a starting point for association. The grain on his piece was quite regular, but for Zhang Chaohe, this was precisely not a good opportunity to make his mark.
He actually quite liked the slightly twisted, water-rippled wood in Cheng Jixue's hand.
Zhang Chaohe had already decided that if he got his hands on that piece of wood, he would carve a mermaid—provided his hands weren't so clumsy as to be just renting it.
He turned the piece of wood in his hand from side to side and noticed that the grain of the wood seemed to have a pivot point... He looked around like a student secretly observing where others were answering questions during an exam.
Most people have already started shaping their wood, preparing to compete in abstract art.
Zhang Chaohe smiled confidently and then began to carve.
He appeared calm and composed, seemingly confident of success, which even drew the attention of the production team!
The two directors nearby exchanged puzzled conversation: "What is he sculpting?" "It looks like a ball?"
Zhang Chaohe was indeed carving a ball! After measuring the distance, he decisively began to carve the symmetrical piece of wood in his hand into... a ball.
Cheng Jixue was carving a dragon head. Although he had no experience in carving, he had experience carving radishes before, so his understanding of knife work and some intaglio and relief carving techniques was deeper than that of others.
It's safe to say that if he wanted to, he would definitely be the champion of this competition.
He wanted to see if Zhang Chaohe had any chance of surpassing him... Even if the chance wasn't very high, he would let him win by throwing the game so that he could happily take first place!
When Cheng Jixue turned her head, she found Zhang Chaohe repairing... a ball.
A very neatly arranged ball.
Cheng Jixue: Forget it, I'll just try my best on my own.
He moved his knife swiftly, following the smooth, ribbon-like patterns on the wood, and began to carve the dragon's body.
Two hours passed quickly, and everyone showed off their creations. It was clear that everyone had a lot of ideas; although their knife skills were not yet fully developed and the shapes were crooked, the designs were at least quite good.
Cheng Jixue's dragon carving is indeed very eye-catching. When his work is placed next to others, it is as if the senior master is completely crushing the newbie players!
The next second, the high-level boss was completely outclassed by the work of the god-level master, Mr. Zhang!
Zhang Chaohe's work is very simple; it's just a smooth ball. Because he doesn't have the complicated processes that others go through, he even has time to polish the wooden ball to 3000 grit.
Even the well-informed Master You fell silent. He examined the ball from all angles for a while before hesitantly asking, "What is this?"
Mr. Zhang smiled calmly and said, "This is the universe."
He pointed to the radiating wood grain on the surface of the wooden ball and explained, "These are star lines."
"My universe encompasses everything."
Master: Director Team: Other Guests: So you carved a ball?
A note from the author:
⚹⚹⚹⚹【Encrypted Call】
Thank you for the food, my little cuties!
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 70
The carving competition has come to a close, and Cheng Jixue won first place with his masterpiece "Huilongwangshan", a well-deserved victory.
Zhang Chaohe's fantasy masterpiece "Universe" ranked last.
Zhang Chaohe didn't quite understand. He secretly complained to his assistant Chen, who had just arrived, "Huh? Isn't my idea good? Isn't my idea novel? Don't protagonists in novels always win by surprise?"
Assistant Chen was silent for a moment: "Mr. Zhang, is it possible that it's a novel?"
Zhang Chaohe, who only then realized that he was actually a cannon fodder for a vicious and domineering CEO, thought: Oh no, life has been so smooth lately that I almost forgot about this.
Then, Zhang, who came in last place, held his "universe" and enjoyed a VIP photo opportunity next to Cheng Jixue, the model student. Compared to Cheng Jixue's dragon sculpture, which was as intricately carved as a radish, his ball did indeed seem a little abstract.
Everyone eagerly awaited the mysterious grand prize the production team had mentioned—first, the team presented a bright red award ribbon, and then a large bag of crystal-clear, amber-like gemstones.
Guest group: ...
Beauty and wellness expert Xiao Chen hesitated for a moment: "Is this peach gum?"
The production team beamed, "Yes, that's right! The peach gum is hand-picked by farmers, a local specialty. Congratulations to Xiao Cheng!"
The seals started clapping, their expressions revealing a hint of schadenfreude—schadenfreude because they could have a delicious meal that night!
Just then, the production team suddenly added, "There's also one more chance for an 'automatic win' as a reward!"
This automatic win feature has confused everyone... Who are you supposed to play against, and how can you win automatically?
So, right there in the master's courtyard, the production team announced the afternoon's schedule. This afternoon, the only intense activity of the episode will take place—canyon rafting!
The guests will be divided into two groups to compete for the only small flag on the buoy in the river. The winning group will enjoy a stay at the leisure resort built by Chairman Zhang tonight!
Everyone silently looked at General Manager Zhang: "Me and My Chairman Father"?
Zhang Chaohe also fell silent, his expression puzzled: "How come I didn't know my father had this business?"
The production team seemed surprised that Mr. Zhang genuinely didn't know the Zhang family owned this business—the director waved his hand dismissively: "It's alright, you'll have a chance to visit the resort tonight!"
Zhang Chaohe: Mainly because the dormitory was temporarily converted, the beds weren't very spacious. Last night, apart from Mr. Zhang who slept like a log, none of the guests slept well. The program was originally intended to promote the newly planned tourist attraction, showcasing the infrastructure and attracting more visitors. It's not about giving special privileges.