Chapter Nineteen: The Aftermath

After the first episode of the final season of "Transformation Plan" aired, the online response was quite enthusiastic. Although there didn’t seem to be any changes in the format at first glance, the official claim of featuring the most attractive young guests in the show’s history was widely recognized.

“@Directors of all talent shows, I want to see him in a talent competition next year. Make it happen!”
“I never expected the most handsome newcomer this year to emerge from 'Transformation Plan.'”
“He looks cold and handsome on the outside, but turns out to be a total goofball. The scene where he was chased up a tree by a dog had me laughing out loud—the cameraman was so shocked, the footage was all shaky.”
“It’s confirmed: 'Transformation Plan' is basically a comedy show.”
“At first, I really thought he was a pro. Almost got fooled by this silly guy.”

Thanks to the strong start of the first episode, many people tuned in punctually at 7:30 the next evening, opening their TVs or phones. Viewers watching online were already flooding the live comments.

The episode continued from yesterday, with Wang Jiang causing trouble at the dinner table. Many expected a fight, but unexpectedly, Zhou Miao fired back with a brilliant retort!

“If it’s about acting, I can’t compete with you. You really nailed the pretending-to-be-human act, though your hairstyle doesn’t quite match.”
“What’s with you? You complain about potatoes, but have you looked in the mirror? Short and chubby—you look just like a potato! Out of twenty seasons, can you find anyone uglier?”
“Want to fight? Can you even reach my knees if you jump? With that timid look, you still try to act tough? Proud to be on 'Transformation Plan,' huh?”

After a brief silence, the comment section exploded!

“Looking to buy a Zhou Miao-style mouth, so savage!”
“Wow, he made someone cry with words alone—terrifying…”
“He’s so handsome, but his words are dripping with sarcasm. I’m obsessed.”

That night, the two who had quarreled were arranged to sleep together, sparking speculation among viewers about whether another fight would break out. But in the end, the first night passed peacefully, and the scene where Zhou Miao snapped at the director wasn’t aired.

The next morning, the director announced a new program schedule: the city youths would follow Grandpa to do farm work, immersing themselves deeply in rural life. Only then did viewers realize the difference between the final season and previous ones.

In the past, the show claimed to swap city and rural children’s lives, but city kids who went to the countryside mostly just played in a new setting, hardly gaining any real experience.

But the final season meant business—when it was time to work, they had to work!

Soon, the screen showed the trio struggling to harvest wheat, prompting viewers to marvel—this is what real rural life looks like! They cried from wheat spikes poking them, their skin was scratched by wheat leaves, their hands blistered and bled, they nearly cut themselves with sickles, and the sun burned their skin until it blistered and smoked. Just watching made people furrow their brows.

“This is so real! My first time helping at home was just like this—I cried from start to finish, and in the end my dad was so annoyed he kicked me.”
“My stamina is… I really can’t do it, it’s exhausting. In the summer, I sweat buckets just buying a soda.”
“Watching them suffer makes me so happy, haha.”
“The punk and the potato are slacking off, and Zhou Miao is cursing out loud.”

Only when the three finally finished reaping an acre of wheat with Li Xiang’s help did viewers breathe a sigh of relief. The day’s intense labor would wear out even adults.

That evening, Zhou Miao and Wang Jiang bathed in the river. Wang Jiang offered to scrub each other’s backs, and Zhou Miao gladly agreed—suddenly the comment section veered into philosophical territory.

But then the footage shifted to Director Zhao Weiming in a small dark room—a post-production interview segment meant to explain some thoughts about the show.

“Many viewers might wonder why the final season has changed so much. Actually, before filming began, our plan was the same as always, but unexpected events during filming forced us to alter the schedule so the show could continue.”

At this point, Zhao Weiming hesitated, but continued: “A lot of people online said 'Transformation Plan' has a script. Now, in the final season, I can tell everyone—it’s true. But it’s not a script like acting, it’s mainly a guide.”

“If we let the kids improvise entirely, the final footage would be unwatchable. We need a script to control the overall direction.”

Zhao Weiming smiled wryly. “But this time we encountered a tough one. Zhou Miao refused to cooperate completely. I handed him the script, and he used it to wipe his feet.”

“He’s the only guest in all the seasons who was forced onto the show. The others, even if reluctant at first, were eventually persuaded.”

“Zhou Miao absolutely didn’t want to participate. He deliberately provoked me, hoping I’d give up and let him leave. When he couldn’t go, he just tried to run out the clock, never following the script.”

“So, to keep the show running, we had to change the format and directly assign tasks for them to complete.”

As soon as the interview ended, the comment section exploded. This was the first domestic variety show to openly admit to having a script, and the director’s revelations were astonishing.

Script wiped on feet, the crew forced to change formats—Zhou Miao’s resistance was intense from the start, but few expected him to go this far. Such boldness!

“Savage crew meets savage guest—wow, this is good TV!”
“Trying to leave by wiping your feet with the script? No way! The crew retaliates by making you harvest wheat. Awesome!”
“Fast forward to Zhou Miao beating up the director.”
“The director dropped the act and confessed: yes, we have a script!”

Soon, keywords like “Transformation Plan director admits script,” “Zhou Miao wipes feet with script,” and others surged onto trending lists thanks to lively online discussion.

Previously, the main draw was the conflict among city protagonists; now it had escalated to a showdown between the city guests and the production team.

Viewers hadn’t seen such drama and confrontation in a variety show for a long time. With trending topics boosting ratings, the head of the variety department personally called Zhao Weiming, asking if he’d consider filming more seasons.

But Zhao Weiming remained clear-headed: the current popularity couldn’t be replicated. The “final season” gimmick could only be used once, and there would never be another Zhou Miao. The show was burning its last fuel, so he politely declined.

After hanging up, Zhao Weiming watched the soaring ratings and couldn’t help but smile. The real drama was yet to come.