Ch 165: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

At this point in the show, aside from Mu Xing, the other five guests were all quietly scrolling on their phones in their rooms.

Although the guests’ rooms had cameras, those were considered private areas. The guests could choose to switch them on or off themselves.

Tonight the program hadn’t officially started recording yet, so everyone preferred to relax and rest properly before facing the cameras tomorrow.

They had naturally seen the teaser clip released by the production team.

That’s how variety shows worked: the very same event could be edited to show whatever effect the director wanted. The artists were just tools.

Of course, once someone reached a certain level, like Qin Song, the production crew wouldn’t dare to easily offend them.

Among this round of guests, Mu Xing was the one with the smallest reputation, the fewest fans, yet carrying both hype and controversy. Naturally, he became the perfect target in the producers’ eyes.

You could call it bad luck, or just blame it on him being too obscure.

Fu Chen cursed in his heart and texted his agent: Don’t ever book me on this station’s shows again, disgusting.

Agent: ??? What now with this ancestor?

Jiang Shengyu took one look at Weibo, felt rather cheerful, and headed into the bathroom.

Mu Xing, however, was completely unaware of what was happening online.

He was in the middle of handling his dinner.

The guests had to cook for themselves, and of course the cameraman followed.

Watching Mu Xing skillfully slice beef into thin pieces, the cameraman asked curiously, “Teacher Mu, do you often cook at home?”

Mu Xing set the ingredients aside, heated oil in the pan, and casually answered, “Not very often, just occasionally when I feel like it, I’ll make something myself.”

Fu Chen was lured over by the spicy yet irresistibly delicious aroma.

He had originally intended to ask the staff for some milk, but as soon as he reached the living room he was hit by the strong fragrance. His mouth instantly watered.

He asked in surprise, “Someone’s cooking?”

A crew guide staying on the first floor told him that Mu Xing was making dinner.

Just as the words left his mouth, Mu Xing came out of the kitchen holding a bowl.

The fragrance drifted right up to Fu Chen’s nose, and he couldn’t stop himself from sneezing.

He hadn’t eaten much dinner.

Even though he was considered willful compared to other celebrities, when it came to food he still exercised strict self-control. After all, actors lived and died by how they looked on camera. A little extra weight would be magnified a thousandfold under the lens.

It was a bowl of noodles that looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful—so good-looking that even the cameraman couldn’t resist zooming in for several close-ups.

Since his appetite hadn’t been great, Mu Xing had added pickled chili when stir-frying the beef topping, making it sour and spicy, stimulating the taste buds.

The tender beef was laid over bright green vegetables, topped with a perfectly fried egg, and finished with a sprinkle of chopped scallion…

Fu Chen swallowed involuntarily. “It’s so late, and you’re eating something this heavy?”

Mu Xing sat down and nodded. “You’re right, it’s not really ideal to eat something so strong-flavored at this hour. But indulging once in a while isn’t a big deal.”

Fu Chen sneaked another glance, then huffed, “Eat like this and you’ll get fat.”

Mu Xing: ?

He gave Fu Chen a strange look, then glanced at himself, and said, “I think I’m fine.”

He had lived through so many lifetimes in so many bodies, but he had never gotten fat.

Fu Chen immediately added, “Eat this spicy and you’ll get pimples!”

Mu Xing: …

He set his chopsticks down and looked at Fu Chen.

Every sentence out of this guy’s mouth was unpleasant, yet Mu Xing didn’t feel any real malice behind it.

Seeing Fu Chen’s eyes constantly darting toward his noodles, Mu Xing suddenly realized, “Do you want some too?”

Fu Chen, trying to maintain composure, thought to himself: If he offers me a portion, how should I refuse? A proper idol shouldn’t be seduced by food this late at night… but if he insists on sharing a small bowl, I guess I could give him some face…

“Unfortunately, I only made one serving.” Mu Xing’s regretful tone pulled him back from his thoughts.

He looked down just in time to see Mu Xing happily slurp up a mouthful of noodles.

Mu Xing tasted a bite, eyes narrowing in satisfaction. “It’s really quite good.”

Fu Chen: …

Fuming, he went to get a bottle of milk from the staff and then stormed upstairs.

—

The Mu household.

Mu Lin returned home after working late, just in time to hear her father’s furious roar.

She immediately knew why.

Because her younger brother was on a variety show, the usually entertainment-averse Miss Mu had, for the first time, followed the program “Dream Pastoral.”

On her way home, she had seen the first teaser.

Even if she wasn’t in the industry, after years of navigating the business world, what methods hadn’t she seen?

Her brother was being treated like an easy target.

Originally she hadn’t planned to come back to the old family estate, but she turned her car around, and sure enough, found Mu Jiangtao in a rage.

When he saw his daughter, Mu Jiangtao said in a deep voice, “Did you see that promo online? Anyone with eyes can tell it’s fishy, but those fans are all cursing my son instead. I’m calling Mu Xing right now—we’re pulling him out.”

Mu Lin poured him a cup of tea. “It hasn’t come to that, Dad. If Mu Xing didn’t want to do it, he would’ve refused from the start. The fact that he agreed shows he’s interested. Don’t go issuing random orders again.”

That was just his temper. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. If not for that bad temper, their mother wouldn’t have left all those years ago, taking her one-year-old brother with her.

Mu Jiangtao’s face was full of displeasure.

Mu Lin sighed. “Dad, he’s already twenty-one. Do you really think if Mu Xing didn’t want to record, anyone could actually force him?”

“Of course,” Mu Lin continued, “we can’t just stand by and watch our own family being bullied like this either.”

She searched up the variety show, saw the list of sponsors—before she could say anything, her phone rang.

It was her boyfriend, Huo Jing. “Mu Lin, your brother went to join a variety show? What’s going on?”

Mu Lin said, “I was just about to contact you. That production team went too far, my father’s furious.”

Huo Jing raised his brows. “Uncle Mu isn’t angry with him anymore?”

Mu Lin said lightly, “Even if he is, he’s still family. Besides, Xingxing is doing just fine right now.”

Huo Jing immediately understood what she meant.

He laughed. “Turns out one of my family’s brands sponsors this show. I’ll help you settle it.”

Mu Lin inclined her head. “Thank you.”

Huo Jing chuckled. “With our relationship, no need to be so polite.”

Mu Lin still gave thanks before the two politely ended the call.

Mu Jiangtao asked, “Was that Huo Jing calling?”

Mu Lin nodded. “This show happens to have one of his family’s brands as a sponsor.”

Mu Jiangtao looked at his outstanding eldest daughter, hesitated, then finally spoke. “You and Huo Jing…”

Mu Lin had always been sensible and excellent, never a cause for worry.

If Mu Xing had driven him half mad over relationship issues, then Mu Lin was the complete opposite.

The Huo and Mu families were well-matched. Among the younger generation, Huo Jing stood out, and anyone who looked at the two of them would say they were a perfect match.

The problem was, it almost felt too perfect.

To Mu Jiangtao, whenever he saw them together, they didn’t look like young lovers so much as business partners.

Mu Lin smiled. “We’re doing well, you don’t need to worry.”

Mu Jiangtao said, “If you don’t like him, our family doesn’t need some business marriage.”

Mu Lin gave him a strange look, then shook her head. “Huo Jing has a good family, good looks, ability, responsibility, good character. When we marry, our families can support each other in business, and our children will certainly be outstanding. I can’t find any faults.”

Mu Jiangtao said, “But do you like him?”

Mu Lin replied calmly, “What I care most about is my career. I like standing high where all eyes are on me, enjoying the thrill of successful investments. Love is only a decoration in life—finding one excellent and suitable person for life is enough.”

Mu Jiangtao was left speechless.

*

Not even half an hour later, the director received a call from his boss.

The boss said not to maliciously exploit Mu Xing anymore and to immediately fix the problem.

The director froze, confused. “But in this episode, Mu Xing’s conflicts and topics have the most heat. And he’s not even popular right now, so there’s no need to worry about fans fighting back.”

The boss sneered. “Yes, no fans will defend him. But the show’s biggest sponsor is about to pull out!”

The director was stunned.

Sponsors were like gods—what did fan circles matter compared to them?

He asked cautiously, “What’s going on? Does Mu Xing have someone powerful backing him?”

He didn’t want to let it go. This episode hadn’t even started and he already knew it would be the show’s hottest, most classic one.

A worker only cared about KPIs, not conscience.

The boss had only just learned of Mu Xing’s identity himself.

He lowered his voice. “Our biggest investor—the young heir of the parent company—is his brother-in-law. Think about his surname.”

The director was shocked.

He muttered in disbelief, “Then why is he here at all? Didn’t he and Qin Song get married? I’ve never heard a word of this.”

The boss sighed. “Who knows. Maybe the little prince just wanted to come down and experience normal life.”

“In any case, I’ve said what needs saying. You must find a way to fix this immediately. If the sponsor pulls out, then you should be prepared to step down too.” The boss’s tone was merciless.

The director hung up with a bitter face.

He stared at his phone in a daze for several minutes, then searched up the Huo family and then the Mu family.

When he closed the page, a push notification from an app popped up:

#‘Dream Pastoral’ mysterious diva guest revealed to be him?!#

The director jolted, immediately called the cameraman and editor.

The team, who had all been ready to rest, were dragged back into the studio to re-edit.

“Do we have any new footage?”

The team was baffled. “Director, weren’t we saving the second teaser for tomorrow night? We don’t have anything bright for tonight.”

The cameraman said, “After dinner everyone went back to rest, only Mu Xing cooked a bowl of noodles.”

The director’s eyes lit up. “Show me!”

Twenty minutes later, a brand-new teaser from ‘Dream Pastoral’ was officially released.

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