Ch 9: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

Later, many fans kept that close-up of the little sparrow pecking Mu Xing’s cheek as their eternal “white moonlight” in their hearts.

It was also the moment that pulled a lot of people into the fandom.

Inside Li Xin’s office—

The middle-aged man’s face was stern. A cigarette was pinched between his fingers, burned almost down to the filter, yet he paid no mind.

His eyes were fixed on the computer screen in front of him, shock filling his chest.

This was Mu Xing?

In Li Xin’s mind, when Mu Xing announced his exit from the entertainment industry, he had been in a sorry state—a discarded failure the company had given up on.

Plenty of glamorous, polished celebrities, once they quit, quickly lost their edge—style gone, figures out of shape, looks fading fast.

The Mu Xing on screen wasn’t dressed as fashionably as before; the clothes he wore were obviously affordable brands you could see anywhere on the street. As for styling—he clearly wasn’t even wearing makeup.

But the strange thing was, anyone could see he looked better now than when he was a celebrity.

Better even than two years ago, when he first appeared in the public eye.

What the hell!

Was this so-called Xiaoxi Village some kind of magical land that could raise people like this?

Shock was quickly followed by regret.

Li Xin felt real pain in his chest—if Mu Xing had looked like this half a year ago, there’s no way he would have let him go so easily.

He should have stuck to his original belief: with a face like this, who cares if you can’t do anything? Just standing on stage would make everyone’s eyes stick to you!

While Li Xin was drowning in regret, others were feeling sour too—namely, the other three members of MRC.

When Mu Xing left, they had felt relieved and pleased—the burden was gone, and no one could hold them back from “conquering the stars and the sea.”

No more mistakes on stage dragging them into ridicule.

No more netizens saying, “That’s the group with that useless Mu Xing in it.”

They could finally break free from Mu Xing’s shadow and prove their strength on their own!

But reality is always harsher than imagination.

For two years, bolstered by Mu Xing’s contrast effect and the paid water armies they’d hired, they had convinced not only fans but themselves that they were among the top domestic idol groups.

The truth? They were utterly average in the vast sea of boy bands.

After just two gigs, bystanders began questioning their skills.

Even worse, many of Mu Xing’s haters, once he left the group, quickly unfollowed them—too disinterested to even bother criticizing.

Things weren’t going as smoothly as they’d imagined. In fact, they were even less popular than before.

This left them bewildered.

Then news broke online that Mu Xing had joined a livestream platform.

Without discussing it, all three secretly downloaded the Yun Duo Video app, curious to see what he was like now.

He must be down and out, right? Maybe regretting everything, maybe desperate to make money through livestreaming—surely miserable. They opened the stream with that smug sense of superiority.

They weren’t doing well themselves, so they craved seeing him doing worse to feel better.

But once they entered the stream and saw the vibrant, glowing Mu Xing on camera, they fell silent.

They had lived under the same roof with him for two years.

Compared to fans who only saw the heavily made-up, stage-ready Mu Xing, they knew his real offstage self best.

And that was why they couldn’t, in good conscience, say he looked miserable or depressed now.

He was doing well—better than when he was a star, and happier too.

That kind of state can’t be faked. If he’d had that kind of acting skill back then, he wouldn’t have been scolded so badly those two years.

—

Mu Xing didn’t know his former agent and teammates were secretly watching his stream.

Even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared—livestreams are meant to be watched, after all.

After taking his viewers on a virtual stroll through the mountains, he stopped at a small fork in the road.

“Now, I’m going to show you the treasure of our Xiaoxi Village.”

[Treasure? What treasure?]
[What? Isn’t Xiaoxi Village’s greatest treasure right in front of us? What could be more precious than Xingxing?]
[Bro above, you just explained why I’ve been single for twenty years.]
[I was just called over by my roommate to see a handsome guy. Don’t know much about the entertainment scene, but I heard this guy used to be a star who got scolded into quitting? Doesn’t match the fangirls I’ve met—how could they bear to curse someone like this?]

The chat was much calmer now—after an hour of streaming, most of the hired trolls had left, and Yun Duo’s promotions had brought in real casual viewers.

Mu Xing stepped over some scattered wild grass, pointing ahead. “Everyone, look.”

The cameraman adjusted the lens toward where he was pointing.

[Wow!]
[What is that? Oranges?]
[??? To the one who said oranges—common sense check? Those are clearly persimmons!]

[So pretty, I feel like you could take an art photoshoot here.]

Row after row of ten-meter-tall persimmon trees stood in neat lines, their branches heavy with golden-yellow fruit.

Unlike the wild, overgrown flowers and grass up in the hills, this place was clearly well cared for—the ground was spotless, not a single weed in sight.

“This is the treasure of our Xiaoxi Village,” Mu Xing said, pointing at the vast persimmon grove.

With that, he jogged to the nearest tree, and before viewers could even process what was happening, he used the momentum from his run to leap up and climb the tree in just a few swift moves!

[????]
[Excuse me, I just looked down to take a sip of water—how is he suddenly in the tree?]
[I didn’t look away and I still don’t know how he got up there.]
[Damn, with that speed, I think I know why he gets along so well with monkeys.]
[Hahaha found the reason for befriending monkeys.]
[That scared me—these branches must be two or three meters up. Xingxing, be careful! This is dangerous.]

Even the cameraman was startled, the livestream screen shaking twice.

Mu Xing must have seen his expression, because he grinned, waved his hand, and said smugly, “Don’t worry, don’t worry. And viewers—no need to worry either. I’ve been climbing trees since I was a kid, and I’m strong with a steady grip. I won’t fall. But I suggest you don’t try this yourselves.”

[You say that like I could even manage it (dog head).]

“Alright, now let’s get to the main point of today’s livestream.” Mu Xing cleared his throat.

The cameraman zoomed in for a close-up of his face.

Onscreen, Mu Xing switched to an extremely serious expression, opened his mouth, and began reciting with dramatic cadence:

“Our Xiaoxi Village has been planting persimmons for more than sixty years. These trees have weathered decades of wind and rain. Xiaoxi Village persimmons are big, thin-skinned, with soft, glutinous flesh, beautiful color, sweet but not cloying…”

[??? Is this… a sales pitch?]
[Wow, I just realized—after watching this long—that he’s actually a seller streamer.]
[That posture like he’s reading a speech—had me laughing.]
[That’s a long spiel, must have taken some work to memorize.]
[Hahaha I can’t hold it anymore—my impression of Mu Xing was that he was stiff, quiet, and a bit petty, with awful stage skills. Turns out he’s actually hilarious.]

Yes—Mu Xing had memorized a script. He spoke at length, finally concluding: “I’ve been eating Xiaoxi Village persimmons since I was a kid—they’re really sweet, really delicious!”

Afraid the audience wouldn’t believe him, he emphasized again: “They’re really good! If I’m lying, I’m a puppy!”

[I don’t believe you.]
[Me neither.]
[Me neither.]

The comments filled with disbelief.

Then they watched Mu Xing pull a phone out of his pocket, glance down at it, then quickly look up again, looking a little anxious: “Don’t doubt me, I’m telling the truth!”

[He didn’t touch his phone once in the past hour of streaming—guess he didn’t bring it. But the moment it’s time to sell persimmons, he whips it out. Sales streamer confirmed.]
[I’m out—thought it was a nature stream, turns out it’s just selling stuff. Boring.]
[Xingxing’s panicked expression is adorable. I’m honest—I was just joking earlier when I said I didn’t believe you.]

[User “Little Sparrow Who Kissed Xingxing” just dropped a meteor shower in the stream]
[Little Sparrow Who Kissed Xingxing: I believe you, I believe you. Babe, hurry up and drop the link!]

Link?

Mu Xing blinked. “A purchase link? I forgot to make one.”

[??? First time I’ve seen a seller streamer without a link.]
[Hahaha sales fail.]
[Man, your sponsor’s gonna dock your pay for this.]

“What docking pay? What sponsor?” Mu Xing asked, puzzled.

He hadn’t watched many livestreams, just crammed for two days. It took him a moment to realize what the viewers meant.

“You’ve got it wrong,” Mu Xing explained. “I’m not sponsored to sell anything. These persimmon trees all belong to the villagers here in Xiaoxi Village.”

“The persimmons will be fully ripe soon, but this year, the regular buyer backed out. If they can’t sell, they’ll just rot, and the villagers will have worked for nothing all year. I wanted to see if livestreaming could help sell some online.”

Only then did it click for him: “So you thought I was paid to say all that just now?”

He pursed his lips, then earnestly explained, “I didn’t take a penny. Every word I just said came from the heart. I’ve been eating Xiaoxi Village persimmons since I was little—they really taste great.”

He paused, then brightened with sudden inspiration, pointing at himself:

“I think I saw someone compliment my fair skin earlier? Persimmons can help with whitening and fading spots. I’ve never tanned in my life—maybe it’s because I’ve eaten Xiaoxi Village persimmons since I was a kid?”

[!!!]
[I know you’re talking nonsense, but I believe you.]
[I’ll buy! Is that good enough?]

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