Chinese entertainment: What's wrong with actresses wanting to improve?

The walnut trees in the old courtyard sprouted new buds under the April sun, their tender green leaves swaying gently in the highland breeze.

The production crew set up reflectors and blackout curtains in the courtyard, and the makeup artist was doing the final touch-ups on Jing Tian.

Today she was wearing a dark green cheongsam, the very one that Fu Yibai had flipped through at the project approval meeting. The silver-thread embroidered vine pattern extended from the neckline to the hem, shimmering in the sunlight.

This scene depicts a conversation between Si Teng and Qin Fang in the courtyard of the old house, where Qin Fang finally asks the question that has been lingering in his mind for a long time: "Did you really marry Shao Yankuan?"

The dialogue in the script is not long, but it is rich in emotional layers. Qin Fang goes from confusion to probing and then to a vague unease, while Si Teng maintains a sense of detachment with a half-smile.

After finishing work on the evening of April 11, Fu Yibai returned to his hotel room and had just taken a shower when his phone, which was on the bedside table, vibrated several times in a row.

He picked it up and saw that the family group chat had already exploded.

Yang Mi sent a voice message with the background sounds of a television and her own uncontrollable laughter.

"The show 'Divas Hit the Road' is airing! Sisters, look! They cut in the part where Sisi was looking for her luggage at the airport, hahaha!"

Next came news from Jing Tian.

"I was right next to her at the time. Her suitcase was actually right in front of her, but she was too tired to see it. She stood there and circled around three times before she found it."

Liu Yifei sent a facepalm emoji followed by a text message.

"Why wasn't this scene cut? I clearly told the director."

"Why cut it off? It's so cute."

Fan Binbin popped up in the group chat and posted a photo of herself taking a picture of herself facing the TV.

In the photo, Liu Yifei stands in front of the baggage carousel at Sydney Airport, her hair slightly disheveled, her eyes blank, looking like a koala just waking up from hibernation.

Fu Yibai, drying his hair, leaned against the headboard and opened the Nebula Video app. The largest carousel on the homepage featured a poster for "Divas Hit the Road Season 7." Seven faces smiled brightly under the blue sky and white clouds of Australia, and the poster's tagline read, "Divas Hit the Road returns, the familiar formula, the familiar taste."

He clicked on the first episode, and the screen was instantly filled with comments.

"Finally! My source of joy from 'Divas Hit the Road' is back!"

"I was almost driven mad after watching six seasons, and finally in the seventh season they're using Dawn's own people again."

"Yang Mi! Liu Yifei! Jing Tian! This lineup is amazing!"

The pilot episode opens with the three of them packing their luggage in a villa area of ​​the capital city.

Yang Mi spread a pile of clothes on the bed and said to the camera with a straight face, "Of course I need to bring at least thirty sets of clothes to Australia."

The scene shifts to Liu Yifei's room, where her suitcase is neatly arranged with categorized storage bags, each with a label, a stark contrast to Yang Mi's chaotic state.

The live chat exploded the moment Liu Yifei appeared, with comments like "A fairy descended to earth," "Mommy loves you, Yifei," and "I love her organizational skills."

Jing Tian's camera followed closely behind. She sat on the floor stuffing snacks into her suitcase, while her assistant earnestly advised her to bring less. She retorted, "What if they don't sell them in Australia?"

The comments seamlessly shifted from praising Liu Yifei to doting on Jing Tian, ​​with comments like, "Sweetie is so real," "Bringing snacks abroad is ingrained in Chinese DNA," and "The assistant's expression seems to say this family is beyond saving."

After the three of them finished packing their luggage, Yang Mi rang the doorbell of the villa next door. Liu Yifei and Jing Tian came out of the door, and the three of them dragged their suitcases side by side to the garage.

The number of comments on this video reached a peak.

"Wait! They're neighbors?!"

"Oh my god, my favorite celebrities are living together, it feels so wonderful."

When Dilraba appeared at the airport, the live chat was filled with exclamations of surprise.

"Who is that? She's so beautiful! I've never seen her before."

"His features are so defined, is he mixed race?"

"Those long legs! Those big eyes! That high nose!"

She was visibly nervous when she introduced herself to the camera, and her voice trembled slightly.

People in the live chat started explaining her identity.

"Dilraba is a student of the Shanghai Theatre Academy's acting department and is also an artist under Chenxi Entertainment."

"So she's a newcomer signed by Chenxi, no wonder she got on 'Divas Hit the Road'."

"The resources are amazing! They debuted on a wildly popular variety show."

Dilraba helped carry ingredients, poured water for everyone, and washed dishes on her own initiative during the show. These scenes were specially preserved in post-production and accompanied by cute subtitles.

In one scene, she was squatting in the kitchen of the guesthouse washing pots. Suddenly, she stood up and made a martial arts pose in front of the pots, while muttering something.

Later, a line of text was added next to this scene: "Mysterious martial arts from the Western Regions".

The comments section was filled with laughter.

"Hahaha, this is so cringeworthy!"

"Dilraba, wake up! You're not filming a martial arts movie."

"That starting stance is pretty standard, have you practiced it?"

"From today onwards, I'm her fan. She's beautiful, hardworking, and a bit of a goofball. What an amazing combination!"

Yang Mi's care for Dilraba on the show has also become a focus of discussion among viewers.

He would have Dilraba accompany him during group tasks, and he would even help Dilraba blow-dry her hair when they returned to the guesthouse at night.

In the comments section, some people exclaimed, "Yang Mi is really dedicated to mentoring the newcomers," while others said, "Dilraba follows behind Sister Mi like a little tail, so cute."

"Xue Kaiqi's Mandarin has really improved a lot. I used to have some difficulty listening to her interviews, but now it's very fluent."

"And she has such a great personality. She never gets angry when people joke around with her; she even joins in the fun."

After watching for a while, Fu Yibai turned off his phone.

Based on the feedback from the comments section of the first episode, the reputation of the seventh season of "Divas Hit the Road" was exactly as he expected, and even better than expected.

The failure of the sixth season was essentially due to the fact that the guests came from different companies, and each of them had their own interests and demands, so it was inevitable that they would calculate gains and losses in front of the camera.

But in the seventh season, everyone was from Dawn's own circle. No one needed to steal the spotlight or create a persona. Everyone could relax and be themselves.

This sense of relaxation is conveyed to the audience as "the familiar feeling is back".

Online discussions about the seventh season of "Divas Hit the Road" continue to heat up, with related topics dominating Weibo's trending topics list for nearly a week.

Someone edited clips from seasons six and seven into a comparison video titled "Same show, different worlds".

In the video, the guests from season six are silent with each other at the dinner table, while the guests from season seven are laughing together around the campfire;

The guests in the sixth season were scheming and plotting when assigning rooms, while the guests in the seventh season were courteous to each other.

This comparison video garnered over two million views on Bilibili within three days, with the top comments being concise and to the point.

Season 6: Workplace. Season 7: Family.

"Indeed, traveling with family and traveling with strangers are completely different experiences."

"The artists at Morning Light are all so nice. I feel like they must have a good relationship in private too."

"Please, let Chenxi do all the variety shows from now on, and stop inviting those weird guests."