My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 146: Crashing the Set

But the non-celebrity guests clearly had nothing to do with trending topics.

The host wasn’t in a rush. He followed the usual procedure, having the eight guests play a few warm-up games before getting to the main event:

"Welcome, everyone, to Silverwood for the three-day Time Banquet. The place you’re all in right now is Silverwood’s renowned AAAAA-rated scenic area, the Evercloud Ecological Zone. It’s home to tens of thousands of rare and protected plant species and is a must-visit spot for travel enthusiasts and botanists."

The camera panned to the surroundings, revealing a breathtaking landscape that looked like a painting too beautiful to capture. One of the guests let out a sound of surprise. "Hey, it looks like there’s a man-made garden in the distance. Is that the super-extravagant Imperial Harmony Garden I’ve seen online?"

"Yes, but that’s a private garden belonging to some tycoon. It’s not on our itinerary."

Another guest exclaimed, "Which tycoon? The Imperial Harmony Garden was trending online for a while. Lots of people went to check it out in groups. I was about to go myself when I heard it had been bought by a private individual and was no longer open to the public."

The host gave a mysterious smile. "I don’t know which tycoon it is either. I only know that the outer areas of the garden—the redwood scenic area, the maple forest area, and that inland lake you can see now... hmm, all told, they make up about one-fifth of the Evercloud Ecological Zone, and they were all bought by that same person."

The guests wisely fell silent. Someone who could afford to buy up such a vast area wasn’t a topic for casual gossip on a live stream.

The host continued, "But aside from the Imperial Harmony Garden itself, the rest of the area is open to the public. The production team has already signed a contract with the owner. The activity zone for this episode includes those outer scenic areas bought by that big shot, so please don’t feel too restricted."

In the live stream chat, the arrival of the two heavyweight guests sparked another wave of heated discussion:

[SOB SOB SOB, I heard everything in the Imperial Harmony Garden was built by master artisans with unique craftsmanship, perfect for photo ops. I thought the show would take us inside to see it. You can only find one or two photos online, and they’re from years ago. As a travel junkie, even that was amazing.]

[Of all the episodes, this one has the best scenery. Damn, the autumn views in Silverwood are to die for! I’m totally going to check it out myself after the live stream ends.]

[I’m so curious which tycoon bought the Imperial Harmony Garden. To be able to casually buy up that much land, it has to be one of the top few on Silverwood’s rich list, right?]

...

After introducing the scenic area, the host moved on to the next topic. "According to the show’s tradition, our two new guests now need to randomly select two passersby from the area to join us on this beautiful journey of the soul. Best Actress Chambers, Music King Scott, this important task falls to you two. Any questions?"

Chloe Chambers had become famous early in her career and was now nearly sixty. Although she was still elegant and poised, with a graceful bearing, she didn’t have the stamina of a younger person. The host’s gaze shifted to the other guest, Music King Scott. The Music King was in his thirties, a man in his prime. Understanding the host’s unspoken suggestion, he smiled and promised, "Of course, no problem. Sis Chambers, let’s divide the labor. I’ll take care of navigating, and you can take care of finding the people."

Best Actress Chambers nodded slightly. "Alright."

The two of them left together.

The live broadcast cut to a split screen for the two of them. The camera operator and a team of assistants followed behind as they walked out of the teahouse at a steady pace, heading toward the beautiful, scenic mountain forest.

Along the way, they encountered many onlookers who turned to stare, but the assistants politely kept them at a distance. Chloe Chambers and Nolan Scott both knew that since the show wanted to elevate its theme, they couldn’t just pick any random person to join. The person they chose had to bring some kind of positive or inspiring story with them.

Half an hour later, the two arrived at an orchard situated halfway up the mountain.

The orchard had a neat set of stairs leading all the way up. Even though it was on the mountainside, the path was quite gentle, and they could even see a few small trucks driving up to be loaded with goods.

A few fruit pickers were busy harvesting.

"Sis Chambers, should we go up and take a look?" After searching for a long time and encountering almost nothing but tourists from out of town, they were starting to feel a little impatient despite their calm expressions. Now, seeing an orchard with such distinct local character, they were both tempted. They exchanged a look and started up the main path. Along the way, they confirmed with each other:

"The production team didn’t say this orchard was also part of that tycoon’s property, did they?"

"I didn’t hear them mention it, so probably not." Nolan Scott was thoughtful. ’Why buy an orchard? To sell fruit? Someone who can afford a property that huge doesn’t need the money from selling a bit of fruit. This must be a local farmer’s business.’

Chloe Chambers nodded. "I hope we find someone this time. I’m getting old. My legs feel like they’re about to break after just a few steps."

Nolan Scott let out a laugh and proactively offered his arm to support her, taking half her weight. "If I weren’t afraid of Mr. Young coming after me with a knife, I wouldn’t mind carrying you up, Sis Chambers."

The Mr. Young he mentioned was a rather famous tycoon who was well-known in their circles for his doting-husband persona. Nolan Scott’s comment was partly a joke and partly a subtle hint that their interaction might be misconstrued...

Chloe Chambers gave him a smiling glance. "My son is about your age. Our Old Man Young wouldn’t get jealous of you."

The topic ended there.

They soon arrived at the mountainside orchard. It was huge, and they walked for seven or eight minutes, passing several fruit pickers who were busy harvesting. Many of them recognized Chloe Chambers, but they either felt too shy or were genuinely too busy to get away, and all of them politely declined the request to join the show. One of them pointed in a certain direction.

"The person in charge of the orchard seems to be over there. You’ll need their permission to have someone join the show."

"Alright then. You all wait here, we’ll go talk to your person in charge about borrowing someone." Nolan Scott smiled amicably, not even considering the possibility of being rejected. He and Chloe Chambers immediately headed toward the indicated area.

But whether it was Chloe Chambers and Nolan Scott or the assistants and camera operator following them, they all froze in their tracks, stunned, when they saw the man and woman in that area.

Silas Norwood and Celia Sterling were wearing matching tracksuits. For the convenience of picking fruit, they had chosen a durable, dirt-resistant fabric. Although the outfits were custom-made by a master designer, one couldn’t tell their quality at first glance. Despite the fashionable design, they could easily be mistaken for ordinary work clothes.

The clothes were ’ordinary,’ but the people were not.

The man stood tall and straight, the woman possessed a graceful elegance. Even though both wore masks and hats, hiding their faces, their auras alone—one of noble bearing, the other of proud grace—were captivating even from a distance. Both celebrities were used to seeing all sorts of beauties in the entertainment industry, yet they were both taken aback by this top-tier ’persona’ from outside their world, falling silent for several seconds. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Could that be some top celebrity from the industry...?" Chloe Chambers’s gaze was fixed on Silas Norwood. In her moment of distraction, she saw Celia Sterling say something to him. With incredible ease, Silas Norwood lifted her with a single hand, letting her reach for the biggest, reddest fruit at the very top of the tree.

"They’re not from the industry." Nolan Scott was also stunned by Silas Norwood’s perfect physique and arm strength. Unlike Chloe Chambers, who was semi-retired, he was very familiar with the people in their circle. "I know all the top stars in the modeling and film industries, and I can’t think of many who have that kind of aura and build. And don’t even get me started on my music circle. The top stars there are all pretty average-looking."

They exchanged a look, completely forgetting they had come to find the orchard manager to borrow a fruit picker. With a silent, mutual understanding, they started walking toward Silas Norwood and Celia Sterling.