My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 145: Time Banquet

"It’s been rented?" Silas Norwood’s expression remained unchanged, but a slight chill seemed to emanate from him.

The assistant hurried to explain. "A temporary rental contract was signed half a month ago. Back then, we didn’t know you would choose this place for your vacation, Boss. As soon as Assistant Chambers sent us your itinerary, we contacted the production team. The thing is, they had already signed contracts with their guest stars, and finding a new location at the last minute would have been a huge hassle. So, they negotiated with our manager here to film on the property, on the condition that it wouldn’t disturb you or your wife."

Celia Sterling gently shook Silas Norwood’s arm, teasing, "I’ve never seen a variety show being filmed in person. It’s no big deal if we run into them. It’ll be an eye-opening experience. But Chief Assistant Chambers is really on top of things, isn’t he? Selling fruit, renting the place out to a production team... Silas Norwood, you have to give the man a raise when you get back."

Seeing Silas Norwood’s mood soften at Celia’s words, the assistant cleared his throat and continued, "Madam, Chief Assistant Chambers specifically consulted a Feng Shui master about this. The Boss owns many properties like this one, some of which he might not visit for years. Leaving a place vacant for too long is bad for its feng shui. The idea is to make full use of the outer areas of the property. Whether it makes money is secondary; the main point is to keep the energy flowing. It does more good than harm."

Celia Sterling didn’t understand the principles of feng shui, but she did know that a house left empty for too long would quickly fall into disrepair, so she nodded earnestly.

Since Celia didn’t mind, Silas Norwood couldn’t very well object. He led her out the door. Behind them, two bodyguards carrying baskets followed at a discreet distance along with the assistant.

The orchard, tended by professional fruit farmers, was nestled between a vast maple forest and a grove of dawn redwoods. The sight was breathtaking even from a distance, and grew even more stunning up close. Dressed in comfortable and stylish athletic wear with flat shoes, her hair tied back in a crisp ponytail, Celia looked both beautiful and vibrant. A constant smile graced her face as she let out one exclamation of wonder after another.

"This whole area was a forest park a long time ago, famous for its fresh air," the assistant thoughtfully explained to Celia. "It was gradually commercialized over time. After Assistant Chambers took charge, he made sure to preserve some of its ’forest oxygen bar’ features. The dawn redwood grove is the main part, but there are also Chinese tallow, ginkgo, and pomegranate trees—all very typical of Silverwood and incredibly beautiful."

Celia had already pulled out her phone and was taking pictures as they walked.

Silas Norwood walked beside her, one hand hovering protectively near her as they made their way out of the woods and to the orchard on the mountainside. The orchard was a magnificent vista of orange, red, and green, where a few farmers were busy picking fruit.

"Fruit wholesalers come to the foot of the mountain to buy the oranges. We ship one or two truckloads down every day. After the orange harvest is over, the strawberry patch in another section will be ready for picking..."

’The assistant had it all figured out. The Boss might not seem approachable, but his world revolved around his wife. He’d been worried about how to deal with the aloof Silas Norwood, but now he just focused all his energy on pleasing Madam. Anything Celia so much as glanced at, he would immediately start explaining it like a personal tour guide.’

"There are strawberries, too..." Celia exclaimed, just as he’d expected.

"Yes, but they aren’t ripe yet. They’re in greenhouses in another section. You should come in December, Madam. The strawberries have the best flavor and texture then."

"Oh, we’ll come. We’ll definitely come," Celia nodded without hesitation. ’To be fair, Kian Sterling had always given her the very best of everything over the years. She’d eaten the rarest, most expensive varieties of oranges and strawberries from all over the world. But the satisfaction of picking the fruit herself offered an emotional fulfillment that no price tag could match.’

Seeing Celia’s eyes sparkle with anticipation, Silas Norwood’s gaze softened even more. He gently pinched her cheek, his voice laced with amusement. "Losing your composure over a few oranges and strawberries. Can’t you be a little more sophisticated?"

"It’s not about the fruit, which is common enough. It’s about who I’m picking it with." Celia took a basket from one of the bodyguards and pressed it into his hands. "This is only fun if I get to experience it with you. Here. You’re on basket duty, and I’ll do the picking."

Silas Norwood glanced at the basket in his hands, then smoothly took some protective gear from the assistant. His eyes softened as he gave an order to the bodyguards and the assistant:

"My wife and I are going to enjoy some time alone. You don’t need to follow so closely."

The bodyguards and the assistant immediately took the hint and stopped in their tracks.

Silas Norwood put his arm around Celia as they walked on, listening to her flustered muttering. "What do you mean, ’time alone’? Stop saying such embarrassing things."

"Picking fruit together is a kind of activity for two people," Silas Norwood said calmly. "What were *you* thinking, my dear?"

Celia refused to answer.

The two strolled unhurriedly into the fruit-laden orange grove and found a relatively flat spot. Silas Norwood took out a pair of matching baseball caps and face masks, carefully putting one on her first.

"There might be bugs out here. We should take precautions. Let’s use some insect repellent oil, too."

Celia let him fuss over her, mimicking his serious tone as she praised him, "How very domestic."

As she spoke, she reached out, plucked an orange, and tossed it into the basket Silas was holding.

This pastoral mountain forest was located in Silverwood’s renowned ecological zone. Not far from the foot of the mountain where the orange grove grew, there were residential homes, teahouses, and inns, giving the area a vibrant, lived-in atmosphere.

Azure TV was primarily known for its variety shows. In recent years, its dating shows, travelogues, and outdoor competitive reality shows had all become massive hits, cementing Azure TV’s top-tier status in the entertainment industry. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The eighth season of the hit travel show, *Time Banquet*, began filming at noon. In an era where online traffic is king, the network had started doing live broadcasts beginning with the fifth season, in addition to the standard edited episodes. This allowed them to capture a massive live audience before the polished version even aired. After a few seasons, the official live broadcast channel had accumulated nearly twenty million loyal followers, with concurrent viewership in the millions.

Of course, a good portion of that traffic came from the fanbases of the guest stars themselves.

After Director Zane Coleman and his assistant director completed the opening ceremony with the crew, the live broadcast began, starting with the guest introductions. By tradition, *Time Banquet* featured several permanent cast members and two surprise guest stars. In addition, they would randomly select a local non-celebrity couple to serve as "props," so to speak. At the end of the program, this couple would be used as a lead-in for a segment on themes like supporting local agriculture or promoting artisans, adding a layer of substance to the show.

Ten minutes into the live broadcast, the screen showed a perfect shot of an exquisite, elegant tea table, upon which eight cups of fragrant, steaming tea were gracefully arranged. The resident host of *Time Banquet*, Azure TV’s top emcee, appeared on screen, effortlessly guiding the program into the guest introduction segment.

As expected, the six permanent cast members entered one by one and took their seats at the tea table. They exchanged warm pleasantries before artfully yielding the floor back to the host.

Using a dramatic, suspense-building tone, the host introduced the two surprise guests. As they appeared, the relatively calm live comment section instantly exploded. Countless messages flooded the screen, filled with shock and excitement about this season’s special guests:

[HOLY SHIT! It’s Chloe Chambers! She’s a goddess to my grandparents, my parents, AND me! She retired from acting like seven or eight years ago. I thought I’d never see her on screen again! I can’t believe the show actually got her! This production team is legendary!]

[The Music King, Nolan Scott, is here too! This guy has been dominating the music industry for the past two years, topping the charts every single month. I wonder if he’ll sing a few songs for us live. All his tracks online are behind a paywall, and I’ve been too broke to buy them, waahhh! T_T]

...

To keep the camera view clear, the staff set the dense flood of comments to scroll horizontally across the top of the screen. Amidst a wave of enthusiastic greetings from the permanent cast, the two titans of the music and film industries took the seats of honor.

The celebrity lineup was now complete.

All that remained were the non-celebrity guests, who were yet to be chosen.