Starlet Taotie Chapter 17 (Part 1)
Chapter 17.1 10k (CN) Characters
While 'Our Village'’s viewership and discussion levels continued climbing higher and higher, the guests had already set off for Qingxi Town to film the third episode.
Tong Tong held up her phone with a flushed face. “Jie! Your follower count increased again!! By five hundred thousand!!”
Jiang Tao replied, “Oh.”
She was clearly uninterested.
Tong Tong paused for a moment. “There’s a newly opened hotpot restaurant...”
Jiang Tao instantly perked up. “Where?!”
Tong Tong: “...”
I give up.
Trying to awaken her jie’s sense of career ambition was simply too difficult.
Clearing her throat, she ignored Jiang Tao’s eager barrage of questions about the hotpot restaurant and began explaining the content of this recording session instead.
“This time, several sponsors specifically requested you to film mid-roll promotional segments. Also, Tianxue Ice Cream is sponsoring the show too. They have an additional requirement: you need to promote them on the show at least once per episode.”
Seeing Jiang Tao looking absentminded, Tong Tong deliberately emphasized the point. “Jie, don’t brush this off. If you promote the products well and have strong sales appeal, maybe even more brands will come looking for you for endorsements...”
Feeling that this still was not tempting enough for Jiang Tao, she changed her approach. “Just imagine it, jie. Unlimited chocolate, cakes, cookies...”
Just hearing the description nearly made Jiang Tao drool.
So when it came time to film the mid-roll promotions, her condition was unbelievably good.
The seriousness of her attitude rivaled someone shooting a magazine cover.
At first, Director Zou had been worried that after Jiang Tao’s sudden rise in popularity, she might start acting like a diva or making demands.
Unexpectedly, not only did Jiang Tao not make a single request, she even worked this hard over something as minor as filming promotional inserts.
It could not help but remind him of the first two episodes.
Back then, Jiang Tao had nearly been rammed by a wild boar. She could easily have demanded compensation from the production team, and in that situation, they would have had no choice but to accept it.
Yet Jiang Tao had not said a single word about compensation. She had merely asked him to treat her to a meal.
And not at some five-star luxury hotel either—just ordinary every-day restaurants.
During the recordings afterward, Jiang Tao never used the incident as leverage to make any special demands either.
She always completed every task seriously, constantly contributing comedic moments and iconic scenes to the show.
The more Director Zou thought about it, the more moved he became.
A celebrity with such strong variety-show instincts and such good character was truly rare.
Unable to resist, he made a post on his Moments:
【Talented, upright, and full of promise for the future!】
Within moments, it had already received more than a dozen likes.
These were all old friends from within the industry. They all knew that the variety show Director Zou had produced years ago had made a certain actress famous, only for her to stab him in the back for the sake of profit in the end.
After that incident, he had faded into silence and practically disappeared from the entertainment industry.
If not for that, with his status and standing, how could he possibly have been relegated to directing a borderline-cancelled program like 'Our Village'?
Director Zou was someone who valued his reputation highly and rarely praised others lightly.
Across the entire entertainment industry, only a handful of people had ever received praise from him like this, and they were all highly respected veteran artists.
Who would not want to work with someone like that?
As a result, people immediately began personally messaging Director Zou on WeChat, asking him who exactly he was talking about.
Meanwhile, Jiang Tao was fully focused on filming the promotional inserts and had no idea what was happening at all.
This time, there were a total of seven sponsors. Aside from Tianxue Ice Cream, three other brands specifically requested Jiang Tao for their segments. The remaining three went to Tang Yuxia, Dong Xianhong, and Sheng Xibai respectively.
As for Le Hui and Yang Zhen, neither of them got a single one.
Yang Zhen was so furious his lips trembled. He thought back to watching the first episode of 'Our Village' the previous night.
Compared to Jiang Tao shooting up the trending charts and gaining followers, he and Le Hui had been completely flamed by the internet.
【Yang Zhen is such a self-absorbed loser, and Le Hui is a total two-faced bitch. What a pair】
【Jiang Jiang kindly offered to help before, but you guys refused. Later you shamelessly try to grab her snacks】
【And then you tried to guilt-trip her too. So being weak means you’re automatically right now?】
【Used to be a casual fan of Yang Zhen. Really disappointed this time.】
Yang Zhen was so angry that he could not sleep the entire night.
He genuinely didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
Clearly, Jiang Tao was the stingy one.
Yet instead of criticizing Jiang Tao, the netizens were all attacking them instead.
Even worse were these sponsors.
A complete rookie like Sheng Xibai, who had only just debuted, got a promotional insert, while he got nothing.
Was this not a blatant slap to his face?
A bunch of snobs looking down on people!!
Yang Zhen fumed uselessly for a while before Le Hui walked over.
“Yang ge.”
“What?!”
Le Hui pretended not to notice the coldness in his voice and deliberately asked, “Yang ge, which sponsor’s insert are you filming?”
Yang Zhen: “...”
She really had a talent for bringing up exactly what he did not want to hear.
He replied impatiently, “I didn’t get one.”
“How could you not get one?” Le Hui asked in surprise. “If a newcomer like me doesn’t get one, then fine. But Yang ge, you’ve been acting for so many years. Your standing in the industry is right there for everyone to see. This is just too...”
Le Hui abruptly covered her mouth as though she had misspoken. “Sorry, Yang ge, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just too surprised.”
Every single word stabbed straight into Yang Zhen’s heart. Yet he could only force out a strained smile. “It’s fine.”
“Actually, this can’t really be blamed on you either. If Jiang Tao had just shared the snacks with us back then, none of this would’ve happened. She could’ve even earned herself a good reputation.” Le Hui continued to fuel the flame. “If you ask me, I think she did it on purpose. Foodie personas are super popular these days, no? Jiang Tao used to be some nobody drowning in scandals, but didn’t she turn things around overnight?”
Yang Zhen felt the anger in his chest surge higher and higher as he listened.
Le Hui continued in a deliberately worried tone. “I don’t really care personally. Worst case scenario, I’ll just go back to being an influencer. But Yang ge, your reputation is so important... ah, did I say the wrong thing again?”
Yang Zhen’s temples throbbed painfully.
His expression darkened unpredictably as he said, “I’m not feeling well. I’m going back to rest for a bit.”
“Alright then, Yang ge, take care.”
After Yang Zhen left, Le Hui cast Jiang Tao a jealous glance before turning and leaving as well.
…
The next day was the official recording session.
The explosive success of the first episode had instantly restored Director Zou’s confidence.
So when the guests saw him this time, they noticed that he looked positively radiant and full of energy, though the hair on top of his head seemed even sparser than before.
Seeing the unusually benevolent smile on his face, all the guests instinctively took a step backward.
Director Zou gave a light cough. “Today’s task is—”
“An individual competition, to see who can earn the most points!”
“The production team has selected thirty villagers and assigned them different point values. You are not allowed to directly ask whether they have points. Instead, you must rely on your own efforts to move them enough that they willingly give you their points. If you violate the rules, any points earned that round will be voided.”
“Of course, the production team has also left clues for you. You can use those clues to find the villagers carrying points.”
“The task duration is one full day. Whoever has the highest total points at the end will get to enjoy tonight’s luxurious feast!”
“And a little friendly reminder: this luxurious feast is one the production team truly splurged on! It’s absolutely the real deal!”
Almost everyone subconsciously turned to look at Jiang Tao.
She had already clenched her fists, her face filled with absolute determination.
Director Zou: It’s in the bag.
The other guests were equally fired up.
After all, with 'Our Village' now this popular, who would not want to ride this wave of momentum and climb even higher?
Having already filmed two episodes here, they now had a rough understanding of Qingxi Town’s general layout.
So the moment Director Zou announced the start, everyone immediately dashed off.
Dong Xianhong and Yang Zhen took the lead, one heading for the town’s elementary school and the other for the supermarket.
Those were the two most crowded places in town, so statistically speaking, there should definitely be people with points there.
Sheng Xibai hesitated briefly. Instead of following them to the popular locations, he turned and headed toward the roadside farmhouses instead.
That left only the three girls.
Tang Yuxia looked eager to try. “Jiang Jiang, I want to check out the elementary school. What about you?”
Jiang Tao’s gaze wandered aimlessly before landing on a hiring notice pasted outside a restaurant:
【Looking for one strong and hardworking employee. Lodging included! All you can eat! Excellent benefits!】
The words “all you can eat” struck directly at her soul.
Although the luxurious feast was certainly tempting, for a taotie like her, the phrase “all you can eat” possessed an even more irresistible magic.
Without hesitation, she tore the notice down and declared resolutely, “I’m going to work here!”
Tang Yuxia: “???”
Jiang Tao had already taken the notice and walked inside.
Tang Yuxia was very confident in Jiang Tao’s abilities. After saying they would meet again tonight, she hurried off toward the town elementary school as well.
Out of the three girls, only Le Hui had yet to make a decision.
A worried expression appeared on her face as she spoke toward the camera. “Jiang Jiang doesn’t seem as enthusiastic about completing the tasks as before. I’m worried something might’ve happened to her, so I think I should check on her first.”
Then she followed Jiang Tao into the restaurant.
This was the largest restaurant in town. Whenever nearby villages had weddings or funerals, they would usually hold the banquet here.
But at this hour, the restaurant was completely empty.
Jiang Tao called out several times before the proprietress finally hurried out wearing an apron.
The moment she saw the beautiful young woman in front of her, who looked almost like a goddess, along with the cameraman behind her, the proprietress visibly became nervous.
“E-Excuse me... may I ask what you need?”
Jiang Tao pulled out the hiring notice. “Are you still hiring?”
The proprietress nodded awkwardly. “Ah... yes.”
Jiang Tao pointed at herself. “What do you think about me?”
The proprietress froze. “What?”
Jiang Tao repeated herself.
The proprietress shook her head. “I’m really looking to hire labor workers. The work is exhausting. A young girl like you won’t be able to handle it.”
Jiang Tao immediately protested. “But you haven’t even seen me try. How do you know I can’t do it?”
The proprietress could not withstand her persistence and finally relented. “Alright then, come with me.”
She led Jiang Tao into the kitchen area and pointed at a pile of goods stacked on the floor. “If you can move all of this upstairs for me, you’re hired.”
Without another word, Jiang Tao immediately got to work.
The proprietress watched as Jiang Tao carried two thirty-kilograms bags of rice at once, striding along as easily as if she were walking on flat ground. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Jiang Tao swiftly moved all the goods into place before asking, “So, can you hire me now?”
The proprietress nodded blankly. “Y-Yes... Do you have any requirements for the benefits?”
The moment the topic came up, Jiang Tao became excited. “I don’t want anything else. As long as I can eat till full, that’s enough!”
The proprietress was overjoyed.
There was actually such a good deal in the world?
Looking at Jiang Tao’s slender waist, thin enough to wrap a hand around, she probably could not eat that much anyway. The proprietress immediately agreed.
Le Hui had been following behind the entire time.
At first, she thought Jiang Tao was only doing this for variety-show effects. She never expected Jiang Tao to genuinely come here to work. After moving the goods, she even went to wash and chop vegetables.
Le Hui instantly hesitated.
She certainly didn't follow Jiang Tao because she was actually worried about her.
It was simply because following Jiang Tao meant more screen time, and she could conveniently show off how kind and considerate she was along the way.
But if she actually had to do grimy kitchen work like Jiang Tao, she absolutely did not want to.
So she put on a relieved expression and said, “Looks like Jiang Jiang is fine after all. Then I’ll go work hard too! Jiayou~”
TL Note: This chapter is 10k+ characters long….four times the average length of the previous chapters…. yeah, i had to split it guys, sorry.
