Ch 134: The World’s Number One Resort

“Treasure Travel and Romantic Brotherhood Clash: Who Will Reign Over Friday’s Ratings?”

“Treasure Travel Films at Great Tang, Bringing a New Celebrity Experience in Season 3.”

“Romantic Brotherhood Star Wu Zhongyang’s Interaction with Fans – The Face Kissed by the Gods!”

Gao Yiran was half-listening to her history class while Huaxia’s Weibo was buzzing with discussions following the posts from @HuCityTV and @LuoHaiTV.

In China’s booming variety show market, only a few programs truly stood out.

Treasure Travel was Luo Hai TV’s flagship show with a strong fan base. Given the relatively sparse competition on the same day, many assumed Treasure Travel would secure the top spot. However, Romantic Brotherhood had suddenly entered the scene, focusing on young idols.

For a while, viewers were unsure which show would take the lead.

“Face kissed by the gods? That’s hilarious! I don’t get the idol aesthetics nowadays.”

“Are you jealous that my idol is handsome? If you don’t understand, just stay quiet. Nobody expects you to get it.”

“Can’t I criticize without being called a hater?”

“I don’t care. Just go and watch your kiddie show, Treasure Travel.”

“What’s wrong with Treasure Travel? Is watching Romantic Brotherhood the only correct choice now?”

The conversation, which started off as casual discussion, quickly spiraled out of control. Treasure Travel’s main audience consisted of adults aged 25 and above, while Romantic Brotherhood primarily catered to the 12 to 23 age group. Due to the differences in audience perspectives, clashes between the fanbases were common.

With both Treasure Travel and Romantic Brotherhood officially announcing their same-day broadcasts, the arguments reignited. More and more people joined the debate, pushing the “Treasure Travel vs. Romantic Brotherhood” topic into the top ten trending hashtags.

“The two shows have different target audiences. What’s there to argue about? They’re airing on the same day, so let the ratings speak for themselves.” Some neutral viewers stepped in to calm the situation as the bickering dragged on for an entire morning.

Just like a fashion showdown, when two shows air on the same day, whoever ends up looking worse will be embarrassed. If they really want to fight it out, they should do it through the ratings.

“Romantic Brotherhood for the win!”

“Bring it on!”

With the intervention of the neutral parties, the heated debate gradually cooled down. There were still five days until the broadcast, and many had already marked May 25th on their calendars.

After this day of online squabbling, most of the onlookers were now aware that both Treasure Travel and Romantic Brotherhood would premiere on the same day. Intrigued by the drama, many thought, “Why not watch both?”

@RomanticBrotherhoodV: “May 25th, don’t miss out on Romantic Brotherhood. See you then.” [Picture]

On May 22nd, just as the “same-day broadcast” hype was starting to die down, Hu City TV updated their Weibo again. The content of Romantic Brotherhood’s post was standard, but the image attached featured a large “NO.1.”

It was a clear sign that Romantic Brotherhood was throwing down the gauntlet at Treasure Travel.

Over at Luo Hai TV, Liu Ke looked at the latest post from Romantic Brotherhood with exasperation. Luo Hai and Hu City were direct competitors, but the TV industry was small, and they had met several times at general bureau meetings.

Liu Ke knew exactly what Hu City was trying to do.

Hype up the competition.

After this period of promotion, Romantic Brotherhood had a search volume of 31% in the variety show category, compared to Treasure Travel’s 20%. With the young idols as their draw, Romantic Brotherhood had garnered significantly more attention than Treasure Travel.

Liu Ke wanted to tweet back a response but, seeing the “11%” gap, had no choice but to hold back.

“So flashy.” Finally, Liu Ke closed his computer and muttered.

“How’s the filming going in Guilin?” he asked his assistant. The second shooting location for Treasure Travel was in Guilin, and the cast and crew had already arrived. Due to a busy schedule at the station, Liu Ke had handed over the shooting to the assistant director and planned to join them two days later.

“All good,” the assistant quickly replied. Aside from a few kids whining that they missed the queen, everything was proceeding smoothly.

“Alright.” Liu Ke nodded, knowing that now he could only take things one step at a time.

As preparations continued in earnest, May 25th drew ever closer.

“Nine o’clock… Only an hour left before it starts. The bus is taking forever!”

It was 9 PM on May 25th, and Luo Hai TV was busy making final preparations for the premiere. At the bus stop outside Luo Hai No. 3 High School, Zhao Yue anxiously checked the time on her phone while muttering complaints under her breath.

The evening study session had just ended, and the crowd of students made it difficult to board the passing bus. She missed the last one and had no idea when the next would arrive.

“Do you want to borrow my electric bike?” Gao Yiran, just back from the bike shed, offered. Zhao Yue’s own bike had been stolen the previous week, and she hadn’t had time to buy a new one. She lived in the school’s staff housing, so it was only a short walk away.

“No need… Taxi!” Zhao Yue waved her hand dismissively. Just then, a taxi drove by, and she quickly flagged it down. She didn’t want to wait even a second longer. Gao Yiran watched the taxi’s taillights fade into the distance, feeling slightly exasperated.

Zhao Yue was always so impulsive.

After some thought, Gao Yiran headed toward the school’s staff housing. With just over half an hour until the show started, she needed to get home quickly.

Lost in her thoughts, Gao Yiran reached home 15 minutes later.

She changed her shoes, washed up, and ten minutes later, she was comfortably seated on the sofa. It was now 9:55 PM, and she turned on the TV to Luo Hai Satellite TV.

“Yiersi Facial Mask – Rejuvenate Your Skin for a Baby-Soft Glow…” An ad for a face mask was playing, and Gao Yiran watched intently.

“Finished your homework already? Here, I bought some yogurt,” her father and mother asked curiously as they returned from their evening walk. It was unusual to see Gao Yiran so focused on the TV. Usually, she’d be in her room studying around this time.

“I finished it at school. Mom, Treasure Travel is about to start, please don’t block the screen,” Gao Yiran said, opening the yogurt. Her mother was blocking most of the TV, making it hard to see.

“A variety show?” Her mother grew even more curious but moved aside to sit on the sofa.

Her father came out wearing his glasses, and the three of them sat neatly on the sofa. Influenced by Gao Yiran, her parents were now quite interested in the upcoming show. Treasure Travel had been a hit for two seasons, but they had never watched an episode because of their busy schedules…

“Doo-doo-da, doo-doo-da—”

“Dad, I don’t want to get up, just let me sleep a bit longer.”

“Are we going to film the show? I’ll go wake Dad up.”

As they patiently waited, the iconic background music of Treasure Travel began playing right at 10 PM. The camera then cut to shots of various celebrity fathers and their kids struggling to wake up.

“Nice house,” her mother commented thoughtfully.

Gao Yiran nodded in agreement. The “celebrity homes” segment was a key highlight each season, satisfying the audience’s curiosity.

Packing luggage, catching a cab, boarding a plane… The first five minutes followed the usual formula, giving an overview of the guests with a well-paced introduction.

As the camera zoomed in on the plane, it hinted at the start of a new adventure.

“The Great Tang No. 2? This ship looks luxurious,” her parents remarked as they became increasingly drawn into the show. They had expected the group to land at some scenic spot, but now, after deboarding, they were boarding a ship… This filming location was quite far.

“There are a lot of foreigners,” they noted as they continued to watch. The program showed a panoramic view of the deck, which was filled not only with the celebrity guests enjoying the sea view but also a diverse group of tourists from various countries. While this wasn’t about idolizing the West, the show did come off as somewhat upscale.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful.”

“Is this a fairytale town? Look at that giant windmill!”

“Dad, I want to play in the sand.”

After a 30-second sequence at sea, the camera shifted, and the Great Tang No. 2 docked. With the help of the production crew, the celebrity guests disembarked. As they took in the scene before them, the star kids couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.

“This show is edited…” Father Gao took a sip of his chrysanthemum and goji tea and couldn’t help but complain. In Treasure Travel, it showed only the celebrity reactions, but not the scenery of Great Tang… What a tease!

Teasing the audience is a common trick used by variety shows, and whether it worked or not, Father Gao found his curiosity fully piqued.

Ten seconds later, the scene changed.

Golden beaches, colorful town buildings, and a towering 50-meter windmill… The entire scene was shot from a helicopter. Thanks to this vantage point, Sora Town was presented to the audience in its utmost perfection.

“Clear mountains and waters, you can tell the air is good.”

“Is this island in the Pacific? After Yiran finishes her college entrance exams, we could visit it.”

Gao’s father and mother were briefly stunned by the sight. Great Tang’s first impression: flawless!

“Welcome to the third season of Treasure Travel, sponsored by Great Tang VR Glasses. I’m your host, Tu Shi…” As the five pairs of celebrity guests descended one by one and got ready, Tu Shi began the opening introduction.

The familiar theme music played, officially marking the start of the show.

Guest introductions, room selection, finding rooms…

There was a slight hiccup during the room selection, but overall, the progress remained smooth. After sorting themselves out, the celebrities set off to find their respective lodgings.

“Kaikai, what you did today was wrong. Since we drew the tent, we should accept it.”

“But I like the castle.”

“I know you do, but Lele also likes it. Lele was the one who gave it to us. When you see him tomorrow, you should properly thank him. No more whining.”

“I understand…”

The camera followed Zhou Xingqian and his son. Zhou Xingqian, carrying Kaikai, continued looking for the right bus while giving him a gentle lesson. Kaikai seemed a bit unwilling, but he was listening.

“Not bad.”

Father Gao appreciated Zhou Xingqian’s approach to parenting. After sharing his thoughts, he refocused on Sora Town. The show had been running for thirty minutes now, maintaining a steady rhythm and warm tone throughout. Father Gao, a landscape designer, could clearly see that besides the five adorable children, at least half of Treasure Travel‘s charm came from the scenery of Sora Town.

However, beyond its warm and soothing colors, the town didn’t appear particularly special.

Father Gao continued watching.

After searching for a while, Zhou Xingqian found the bus to the Ice Castle. The orange bus slowly moved forward, with views of yellow-brown canyons retreating into the background.

Ten minutes later, Zhou Xingqian and his son reached their destination.

“Oh my god.”

“Oh my god!” Father Gao , about to take another sip, exclaimed in surprise at the scene. At the same time, Zhou Xingqian mirrored his astonishment in the show.

Ahead of the orange bus stretched a 300-meter-long ice bridge, bustling with tourists. Under the bridge was a frozen lake, and from a distance, the tourists seemed to float in mid-air.

Beyond the bridge lay endless snowy mountains—a perfect winter wonderland.

“So this is what it was.”

On the sofa, Gao Yiran looked at the scene on TV and swiped through her phone. She found a matching wallpaper in her album. However, while the wallpaper was empty, the scene on TV was lively with tourists…

She had saved the wallpaper from a class group chat, thinking it was digitally rendered. She hadn’t expected it to be real.

Now, she was looking forward to the rest of Treasure Travel.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️