On the first day of filming, according to the usual rules, the production team would come to the guests’ homes to shoot some footage.
However, because of the Ji family’s special status, Ji Linlang rejected the proposal of filming at their residence. The production team had likely anticipated this and was very easygoing about it, agreeing not to film at the house and instead begin shooting from the airport.
At seven in the morning, Ji Xiu took Ji Linlang and Ji Xian by car to the airport.
All three had good daily routines. Even heading out early in the morning caused no discomfort.
Ji Xiu chatted with Ji Linlang, his expression calm, treating this trip with indifference. Only Ji Xian, who had done his homework in advance, showed obvious resistance on his face.
Ji Xiu noticed this, stopped talking to Ji Linlang, and chatted with him for a while instead.
Ji Xian looked surprised. He was not quite used to Ji Xiu suddenly acting so mature. However, under Ji Xiu’s reassurance, he gradually calmed down.
Right. It was just an ordinary trip. With their status, even if they did not cooperate with the production team later, could the program really force them to do anything?
What mattered most now was leaving home and pushing the heir position away. After that, he could go chase his dreams.
As for the impact of his identity being exposed, Ji Xian had never cared. Born into a wealthy family like the Ji family, he had long been accustomed to the media and gazes following behind him. In the future, when he became a professional esports player, he would also live under the public eye.
He was not repelled by it. He even somewhat enjoyed being watched.
In the end, both siblings carried Ji Xiu’s blood. And Ji Xiu was the most flamboyant of all.
“Then when I’m traveling, I can practice games more.”
Thinking of his beloved games, Ji Xian’s eyes brightened slightly.
Ji Xiu nodded in agreement and said casually, “Anything’s fine. Do whatever makes you happy. Anyway, our second branch was born to lie back and enjoy life.”
“Ah…” Ji Xian froze for a moment, feeling something subtle stir in his heart. But recalling the hardships of the past year and comparing them to his father and sister’s carefree lives, he suddenly felt a sense of relief.
That’s right. Their second branch should lie back and enjoy life. Why work so hard?
“Brother Chen, make a detour to the mall. I want to buy a gaming laptop to bring along.”
Ji Xian took out his card and waved it, his face showing a trace of youthful high spirits. “Let’s buy some things first. They can’t possibly confiscate a gaming laptop later.”
Driver Chen answered and turned the car.
The two black vehicles following behind quickly kept up, like two black shadows. Low-key and inconspicuous, yet giving a strong sense of security.
This was the security force the Ji family specifically prepared for their children when traveling. Ji Xiu had deliberately brought them along. After all, going abroad was not as safe as staying in the country. Even though the Ji children had been trained since childhood and ordinary people could not easily trap them, it was better to be prepared.
Of course, later events would prove this to be completely unnecessary.
The production team was ruthless. When their group went out, they were initially so poor that even eating became a problem. No one would have guessed that such a travel group contained billionaires.
Ji Xiu bringing people along was equivalent to bringing nothing at all.
But that was for later. Returning to the present.
The car detoured to the mall, swiped a six-figure gaming laptop, and then rushed to the airport again. Because of this detour, unsurprisingly, Ji Xiu and the other two arrived late.
The other five guests had already arrived at the airport lounge with their families and had even begun the initial interviews.
Seeing Ji Xiu and the others arrive, several people stopped chatting and joking, exchanging surprised glances.
This was…
After the previous invited guest had gotten into trouble, the production team had been searching for a new candidate and had even asked them whether they could recommend anyone suitable.
But celebrities with low status were not appealing to the program, while high-status celebrities did not want to suffer on a budget travel show. They had been unable to find the right person.
As filming time approached, the production team never publicly announced the new candidate or leaked any hints, leading them to believe that the first trip would only involve the five of them, with the sixth guest to be found later.
Unexpectedly, the person had indeed been found. They had just not informed the outside world.
As for why they had not announced it, seeing the new guest’s face, the five of them more or less understood.
The name Ji family was simply too special. If it were revealed that they were participating in A Family on a Budget Trip, the impact would likely be similar to another wealthy second-generation internet celebrity, nicknamed the “son of the richest man,” going on Reform School.
No marketing needed. No money needed. It would instantly hit the hot searches and dominate headlines for several consecutive days.
Revealing the news now would be such a waste. Waiting until the show aired to stir things up and let the popularity skyrocket was the choice that maximized the program’s interests.
Especially since the program required closed filming and staying away from the public eye, it was not suitable for early exposure.
Moreover, if the Ji family’s wealth became widely known, something might happen.
Yuan Shi, the guest who came from a host background and served as the guide for this trip, was the first to come back to his senses. After thinking everything through, he enthusiastically raised his hand to greet Ji Xiu and the others.
“Hello.”
Ji Xiu waved back, pushed his luggage forward, walked over, and shook hands with Yuan Shi. His smile was free and easy, his every gesture carrying the unrestrained, carefree air of a wealthy young master. “Sorry we’re late.”
Yuan Shi froze for a moment. Looking at Ji Xiu, he felt a bit closer to this famous rich second generation from the internet.
This personality was actually quite good. It was not much different from some popular young male celebrities. The difference was that Ji Xiu was spoiled by his family background, while celebrities were spoiled by fans.
The worry that had just risen in Yuan Shi’s heart eased. He then went to greet Ji Linlang and Ji Xian.
He was not very familiar with Ji Xian and only exchanged brief greetings. As for Ji Linlang, the two had met a few times in the industry before and could talk more.
After the greetings, the initial interviews ended. The eighteen people roughly recognized each other, collected their boarding passes together, handed over their wallets and phones, exchanged them for the program’s phones, and officially set off.
For the first trip, the production team had prepared the plane tickets in advance, so the guests did not need to pay. However, all expenses after landing, including the airfare for the second trip, would need to be covered by the guests themselves.
Thus, for the first flight, the production team was uncharacteristically generous and bought business class tickets.
Ji Xian was very curious about this. After finding his seat, he looked left and right, behaving like a teenager who had never flown before.
Yuan Shi’s mother, in her sixties, liked children like this the most. She found him clean and well-behaved, waved him over, and comforted him. “First time on a plane? It’s okay. We’ll arrive soon.”
Ji Xian froze. He did not explain. With his youthful-looking face, he nodded. “Got it. Thank you, Auntie.”
Yuan Shi’s mother’s heart softened completely. After Yuan Shi finished communicating tasks with the production team and returned to his seat, she happily told him about Ji Xian.
Yuan Shi’s expression went blank. He secretly glanced at Ji Xian across the aisle, feeling an inexplicable sense of awkwardness.
That was the Ji family’s young master. How could he have never been on a plane? He probably had just never flown business class before.
Yuan Shi sighed in exhaustion, patted his mother’s hand, and did not expose the misunderstanding, not wanting to hurt her feelings. He changed the topic instead. “Mom, are you scared about going abroad for the first time?”
Yuan Shi’s mother’s attention was diverted. She forgot about Ji Xian and enthusiastically discussed with Yuan Shi’s father what they might encounter after going abroad.
As a host at Xiangjiang TV, Yuan Shi was well known. As a devoted fan of her son’s career, Yuan Shi’s mother was familiar with all variety shows produced by Xiangjiang TV and naturally knew the nature of A Family on a Budget Trip.
For this challenging program, both parents were extremely excited yet nervous. Before coming, they had prepared countless things.
Now that they started talking, they could not stop.
Time finally passed.
Yuan Shi let out a breath of relief. Feeling the plane ascend and seeing blue skies and white clouds outside the window, he became full of anticipation for this trip.
Although it was budget travel, many guests came precisely because they wanted to spend more time with their families. Yuan Shi was the same. His daily life was busy, and he could only rely on such methods to spend more time with his parents.
He just did not know why the Ji family would participate in this program.
With the Ji family’s wealth and connections, Ji Linlang surely did not lack work, nor did she need to sacrifice her free time for it. If she wanted to spend time with family, she could do so anytime. There was no reason to rely on a program for that.
Yuan Shi thought for a long time without finding an answer. He shook his head, threw the matter aside, and closed his eyes to rest.
Six and a half hours later, the plane landed in the capital of the Tower Country.
The production team revealed their ugly side.
“Each household’s living expenses for one week are six thousand. You need to exchange it into local currency yourselves. Lodging, meals, and transportation must all be paid from this amount. The production team will not provide any further assistance. Please collect your living expenses.”
Leaving aside the others’ reactions, Ji Xiu and Ji Linlang remained calm. Ji Xian, however, was completely stunned.
He had just spent six figures on the gaming laptop and had even found it unsatisfactory. Now the production team only gave this amount of money for their whole family to live on. How could they possibly survive?
Although he knew the production team was stingy, he had not expected them to be even stingier than the previous season.
“Dad, Sis, can this money really last a week?”
Hearing Ji Xian’s question, before Ji Xiu or Ji Linlang could answer, the director cast them a meaningful look.
Ji Xian noticed it and stiffened.
Because in that look, he seemed to see a sentence. It was precisely because you came that we deliberately lowered the living expenses.
Letting a wealthy family like the Ji family pinch pennies over a single dollar, unable to sleep at night, tossing and turning. Put that in the show. What an outstanding dramatic effect it would be.
Ji Xian was momentarily speechless.
Although the director only revealed that look briefly before withdrawing it, Ji Xian already understood that this budget trip would be far more difficult than he had imagined.
“Dad, Sis…”
Ji Linlang patted his shoulder, avoided the microphones, and whispered, “What are you afraid of? Isn’t earning money easy?”
Ji Xiu nodded. “The program encourages us to earn the next trip’s airfare through tasks. If that’s the case, why can’t we earn a bit more and subsidize this trip’s living expenses?”
A trace of doubt appeared in Ji Xian’s eyes. Was that really possible?
Ji Xiu answered with his gaze. Of course it was.