A fierce battle raged within the videographer's mind. He knew that he need not film the sleeping Jinli, yet his mature hands had other ideas.
The screen time for each star was fixed, and Jinli's interview from before had already fulfilled her allotted time. He had no need to film her. However, he knew quality content when he saw it. Against his will, his professionalism made him record the scene faithfully.
Time zoomed past as she slept, and before long the vehicle had arrived at the destination. If not for the production team, Jinli would have still been sleeping.
Over the past few days, the host had been fearing for Jinli's performance on the show, thinking that she would be a bundle of nerves during the recording. Never had it ever occurred to him that this lady would not only be indifferent to the camera but also be able to fall asleep instantly on set. Furthermore, once she was asleep, it went on for a few hours. How daring!
"Ahhh….." Jinli struggled to pry her eyes open, her gaze blurry. As she sat on the chair, her body wobbled about sleepily, staring blankly into the distance. She would usually require a minute or two to warm up after she woke up. In this warm-up period, she might look awake, but within her, her consciousness would remain trapped in the "Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?" state.
The host was unaware. As he looked on, he only saw the drowsy, teary-eyed Jinli. Her listless expression accentuated her innocent, child-like appearance.
Today marked the first day he had seen Jinli in real life. Within a short few hours, Jinli had overturned his understanding of the woman he had once known as Bai Jinli. It was hard to imagine that a person could possess the divergent qualities of unparalleled beauty and pure innocence at the same time.
Perhaps he had been influenced by Jinli's overly relaxed attitude on camera. A casual joke slipped out of the similarly relaxed host. "Wakey wakey Jinli! If we don't leave soon, the driver will whisk us away!"
The moment he stopped talking, he was stunned motionless by himself.
He had a daughter in elementary school who behaved the same way as Jinli, sleeping the moment they boarded the car. Every time his daughter refused to get up, he would simply joke like this. But… but how could he so easily joke on screen now?
Just as he wanted to shift the topic away, Jinli turned around, an expression of anguish on her face.
"No! No… Don't sell Jinli away…" Jinli puppy eyes glistened adorably as she stared at the host.
Looking at the adorable girl, the host was at a loss.
"Pfft!"
The videographer and another production member still on board could not hold in their laughter and chortled out loud. The host stared speechlessly at Jinli before he awkwardly broke out laughing.
Haha! So she isn't awake yet!!
The symphony of laughter around Jinli shook her to full attention. Shaking her head vigorously, she realised what she'd just said. The little Goddess's face curled up from embarrassment.
This emotion was rare for her, hitting her extra hard. After all, how could a dignified and glamorous Goddess such as herself act in such a childish and idiotic manner?
Pondering it, she shyly lifted her head, "Just now, that bit… You didn't record it, right?"
The honest videographer simply nodded, not daring to say a single word. Of course, he had recorded it.
A deep sigh escaped Jinli. "That's good. Going unrecorded is good."
From one corner, the host's eyes praised the videographer for his genius manoeuvre.
How deep were the meanings hidden in that single gesture? Even a nod could be so broad and profound.
...
The car had finally arrived at the beach. Sweeping across the limitless horizon, vibrantly coloured beach umbrellas popped on the golden sand. Around them, several had already gathered. Jinli was one of the last stars to arrive.
Unsurprisingly, as she walked towards them, she found that they were the rest of the guests on the episode. In front of her, 2 men and 2 ladies were gathered.
3 of them spoke animatedly together, while a girl clad in a warm yellow dress stood further away, busily typing away on her phone. As she approached, their loud laughter rang in her ears.
When one of the men saw Jinli, the sounds died without warning.
Swiftly, he turned away, avoiding direct eye contact. Yet he quickly turned back, a suave, polite smile across his face, offering a gentlemanly nod of acknowledgement.