Ch 171: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

Mu Xing returned to his room, took a call from home, showered, and then happily went down for a nap.

He didn’t spare a glance at the uproar his livestream performance had caused online.

While he could remain calm, the other guests couldn’t.

Aside from Mu Xing, the very first thing everyone else did after returning to their rooms was open Weibo and other apps, chat with their managers, and ask how the livestream had gone.

Soon, they were told that the standout of the day was Mu Xing—he had even been praised by state media.

They clicked into the trending topics and saw all the funny clips Mu Xing’s fans had edited together.

Fu Chen’s manager told him, “I never would have guessed the biggest winner this time would be him. Still, you had the right eye.”

Of the six guests, Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu didn’t need mentioning—anyone who knew even a little gossip knew Mu Xing couldn’t possibly get along with them.

Gu Jiani and Zhou Qiongyu had formed a girl’s alliance.

Only Fu Chen had willingly teamed up with Mu Xing, and the two looked like they got along well.

The key was, during the morning livestream, viewers loved watching how the two interacted.

Hearing his manager’s words, Fu Chen rolled his eyes. “I didn’t go with him just to cling to someone powerful.”

Manager: “Then why?”

Fu Chen asked back, “Don’t you think Mu Xing is really impressive? I admire him.”

And he meant it. Not just anyone would dare take on a variety show clearly set up with malice toward him—having to face a far more popular ex-husband, plus the ex’s rumored new lover.

Fu Chen put himself in that position and admitted he could never have done it.

But Mu Xing had.

Not only that, he had shone on the program, openly and confidently presenting himself to the audience.

Fu Chen couldn’t help but repeat, “He’s amazing. And interesting.”

Thinking it over, maybe his bad reputation in the past had been the result of smear campaigns.

After all, simply running away wasn’t a solution. Better to stand tall and show the truest version of yourself in front of the camera.

People would judge right and wrong for themselves.

Only someone with absolute confidence would make that choice.

Fu Chen muttered, “I’ve heard some things about him and Qin Song before. Now, looking at it, Qin Song’s taste really wasn’t that great.”

People in the industry always knew more than the fans.

The entanglement between Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu had begun long ago.

And in any case, Fu Chen found Mu Xing far more interesting than Jiang Shengyu.

His manager immediately grew wary. “Wait, you’re not developing… feelings, are you?”

Fu Chen: ?

Manager: “Listen, your career is just starting. You absolutely cannot afford to get caught up in any rumors!”

Fu Chen: ??

Annoyed, he shot back, “What are you even thinking? I just admire him as a person! I don’t like men!”

The manager breathed a sigh of relief, grinning. “In that case, no problem. Feel free to make friends with him.”

Fu Chen rolled his eyes again and hung up.

*

In the girls’ suite, Gu Jiani and Zhou Qiongyu sat together on the sofa, scrolling through the trending list.

At last, they understood what the other two groups had been doing while they were scrubbing crawfish.

Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu hadn’t fared much better, sweating under the sun herding cattle. Neither task seemed any less miserable than the other.

But Mu Xing’s maneuver—that was unexpected.

Gu Jiani covered her face. “Compared to him, we look so silly.”

Zhou Qiongyu nodded. “Feels like all the highlights this episode belong to him.”

They exchanged a look, but neither felt uncomfortable.

After all, they weren’t the most popular guests anyway. Their companies had just sent them here for exposure.

If they got lucky and became popular, great. If not, well, that was fine too.

The key was…

Mu Xing really was entertaining.

Gu Jiani had nearly finished scrolling through all the memes and clips of him on the trending page.

Her thought: little brother is adorable!

*

Compared to the other three, the situation between Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu was clearly not as lighthearted.

Qin Song watched the replay of Mu Xing’s livestream and felt conflicted.

So this was what Mu Xing was like in front of others?

Confident, sharp, sometimes childish, and not nearly as ill-tempered as he’d assumed.

Altogether, far more interesting than the version he’d thought he knew.

He even considered calling Mu Xing to ask if the one he’d seen before had just been an act, and which one was his true self.

So he tried.

And found he’d been blocked.

Qin Song’s face darkened.

Jiang Shengyu’s feelings were even more complicated.

He had never taken Mu Xing seriously, especially after Qin Song told him there had been nothing real between them. Visit HololoNovels dot com for the complete chapter. That the marriage had only happened in a moment of confusion, because Mu Xing faintly resembled him.

To him, Mu Xing was just a stand-in, an intruder in his and Qin Song’s relationship.

He hadn’t even met Mu Xing until yesterday.

But from the very first glance, he realized something was off with his assumptions.

This open, poised young man with refined features—was this really the same Mu Xing Qin Song had described as timid, dull, and quick to blush?

He even started to suspect that the Mu Xing Qin Song once described—the one who adored him, agreed to everything he said, and blushed after just a few words—was nothing more than a figment of Qin Song’s imagination.

The difference was just too great.

Jiang Shengyu’s head ached a little.

Especially since his manager had just called, reminding him to put on a good performance and not let someone else steal all the spotlight.

If worst came to worst, he should do some light “couple marketing” with Qin.

Jiang Shengyu said nothing.

*

At 3 p.m., the guests were called up and the livestream resumed.

When Fu Chen came downstairs, everyone was surprised.

He came down barefaced.

Seeing the stares, Fu Chen knew why. He touched his face and explained, “We’re recording for a whole week. I can’t be putting on and taking off makeup several times a day. Too tiring.”

If he had a makeup artist following him, that would be different. But he didn’t.

Making himself presentable on his own was just too troublesome.

If everyone else was made up, he might have endured it. But with Mu Xing having set the precedent…

Watching others get an extra hour of sleep while you’re fussing with makeup—who could tolerate that?

【Fu Chen 2333, I think I’m becoming his fan】
【To be fair, celebrities do look quite different with makeup on. Even though Fu Chen looks paler without it, his features are solid.】
【Compared to him though, Mu Xing’s skin is unreal. Is he some kind of jelly spirit?】
【That’s it after removing makeup? Looks like an ordinary guy. I could do that too.】
【Oh really? If you think you could, post a pic. Let’s see where that confidence comes from.】

Ji Youyou announced, “Everyone worked hard this morning. So this afternoon, as a reward, we’ll go to our Dream Orchard to pick fruit!”

The guests changed into long sleeves and straw hats.

The crew drove them to the orchard.

It was loquat season—tall trees, heavy with clusters of golden fruit.

Mu Xing stood still for a moment, gazing up, a little moved.

He thought of Xiaoxi Village.

Each guest was given a basket to carry on their backs, with the task of filling it with loquats.

Once done, they could return.

Gu Jiani looked at the basket, which was nearly half her height, and sighed. “This is the reward? Can I refuse the reward?”

【This show really knows how to torment its guests】
【And that’s exactly why I love watching it】
【Why feel sorry for them? They make in a week what we won’t make in years—do we really need to pity them?】

The trees were tall, but plenty of fruit hung low enough to reach.

The heat bore down, and within minutes everyone was sweating, eager to finish quickly. They each picked a tree and began.

Mu Xing watched for a bit, then asked a staff member for scissors. With a few swift moves, he climbed up a tree.

“Whoa!” Fu Chen happened to see. “Amazing, how did you get up there?”

He glanced at the tree skeptically. The lowest branch was still as high as his neck.

Mu Xing wedged the basket into place, clipped fruit swiftly, and said casually, “Climbing trees isn’t hard.”

Fu Chen looked down at his own thin frame and dropped his head in shame.

【Mu Xing looked so cool just then!】
【Fu Chen’s expression cracked me up, screenshot taken—new meme coming soon!】
【Climbing trees is easy, any fit person could do it. What’s there to hype up?】
【Why does Mu Xing seem to know how to do everything? Even picking fruit he’s so practiced.】
【Probably did chores at home often, so he’s quick with his hands. The others clearly haven’t done much manual work.】
【By the way, does anyone know what Mu Xing’s family background is? Can’t find anything online.】
【He can climb trees, weave with grass, works fast… maybe he’s a countryside kid?】
【Countryside? But isn’t he supposed to be a top graduate from a foreign university? Studying abroad costs a fortune.】
【Tsk, these days anything can be faked. Who knows if that degree is real.】
【??? I typed a question mark, not because I’m confused, but because…】
【To the one doubting his degree—you must be sick in the head. You think something so easily verified could be faked?】

…

【Stop arguing and watch the livestream. Everything looks good when a handsome guy does it—even picking loquats looks like a painting. I’ve screenshotted him so many times already.】
【Damn, the cameraman’s got skills! I caught a glimpse of Xingxing’s waist!】

*

The other guests also borrowed scissors like Mu Xing, but their speed was nowhere close to his.

By the time Mu Xing was nearly done, they were barely halfway.

He asked staff to collect the fruit, then jumped down from the tree.

Ji Youyou exclaimed, “You’re so fast! Qin and Shengyu have only got half!”

Mu Xing took the towel handed to him, thanked the staff, and washed his face.

Thinking of the original body’s childhood, he said, “I picked fruit a lot as a kid, so I’m used to it.”

【See, I knew it—he’s done this before, that’s why he’s so skilled】
【I remember Qin Song came from a well-off family, and Jiang Shengyu’s family was middle class】
【Mu Xing seems genuine. Even in this kind of show he doesn’t hide that his family wasn’t well-off】

…

Later, Mu Xing would realize: the rumor about him being from a poor family started here.

When netizens later cursed him for being “pretentious” after the truth came out, he felt wronged.

Because as a child, he really did pick fruit at home.

His maternal grandfather owned a huge estate, and the fruit he ate growing up all came from the family’s orchards.

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