Ch 174: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

The videos of their interactions—those who shipped them were thrilled, those who didn’t took one look and left.

Most casual viewers online weren’t particularly interested in celebrity romances.

But with Mu Xing, that wasn’t the case.

Every viewer who clicked in, once they understood the backstory, couldn’t help but laugh.

Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu did, indeed, manage to stir up plenty of attention online, just as they’d hoped.

The problem was, it wasn’t for anything good.

Everywhere people were mocking them as “not the brightest pair.”

Qin Song’s face darkened. Suddenly, he went upstairs and knocked on Mu Xing’s door.

At first Mu Xing thought it was staff from the production team. When he opened the door and saw Qin Song, he was surprised.

He stood in the doorway without stepping back. “What do you want?”

Qin Song said, “Mu Xing, I want to talk to you.”

Mu Xing shook his head. “I have nothing to talk about with you.”

Qin Song frowned. “Mu Xing, I know you’re resentful! But didn’t we make things clear when we divorced? I even gave you compensation. What more do you want?”

As he spoke, Qin Song glanced down the hall. Even though only guests stayed on the upper floors and staff usually didn’t bother them at night, there were still plenty of eyes and ears around.

He lowered his voice. “Let me in. Let’s talk properly.”

Mu Xing’s face sank. “Don’t you understand human speech? I don’t want to talk to you. There’s nothing to talk about.”

When Qin Song still didn’t leave, Mu Xing added sharply, “This is the production set. We finally managed to cut ties cleanly. You don’t really want tomorrow’s headline to be #QinSongAndMuXingLateNightMeeting, do you?”

At that, Qin Song instinctively took a step back.

Mu Xing moved to shut the door, but Qin Song quickly reached out to block it.

“You have grievances—fine, take them out on me. But why target Shengyu? Mu Xing, how did I never realize you were this petty?”

Mu Xing thought he must be out of his mind. “What grievances? How am I targeting Jiang Shengyu? Where are you even getting this from?”

Qin Song said, “Wasn’t it obvious from your behavior on the show? Mu Xing, I feel guilty toward you, so I’ve tolerated your disrespect. But patience has its limits. If you keep this up, I’ll have no choice but to take action.”

Oh—threats.

Mu Xing looked amused. “And what action would that be?”

Seeing his reaction, Qin Song thought he was intimidated. He lowered his voice. “I don’t want to hurt you. But if you insist on revenge, Mu Xing, the entertainment industry is ruthless.”

“Alright, got it,” Mu Xing said lazily. “I think you might be misunderstanding something.”

As Qin Song looked at him, Mu Xing said flatly, “I don’t have any grudges against you two, nor have I deliberately targeted you. I just simply can’t stand you. As for what I said earlier today…”

He looked almost surprised. “That counts as targeting? Weren’t those all just facts? Your behavior really is stupid.”

Qin Song: “…”

He narrowed his eyes. “So you’re set on being our enemy?”

Mu Xing’s expression cooled, and he looked at him like at a fool. “I have no idea where you two get the confidence to act tough in front of me. From our sham of a contractual marriage? Or from the fact that you and Jiang Shengyu were still tangled up while we were married?”

Qin Song’s face changed drastically.

Mu Xing said softly, “If I were you, I’d behave myself and stay out of my sight.”

His words were clear. “I hate the two of you. The best way we can coexist is by pretending we’re strangers, with nothing to do with each other. I hope you and Jiang Shengyu get that, and stop bothering me. If I’m in a bad mood and happen to say something on camera, that wouldn’t exactly be surprising, would it?”

With that, he slammed the door in Qin Song’s face.

Qin Song stood there, face black with rage, staring for a while before leaving.

Back in his room, the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He told Jiang Shengyu about the exchange.

Jiang Shengyu’s face shifted. “Does he have something on us? Is that why he’s acting so cocky?”

Back when he and Qin Song were on the rocks, they hadn’t completely stopped seeing each other.

If Mu Xing had sent someone to follow them and gotten photos, it wasn’t impossible.

“No. We need to strike first,” Jiang Shengyu said.

In the following days, perhaps because Mu Xing’s warning had sunk in, neither Qin Song nor Jiang Shengyu tried to approach him again.

But on camera, the two of them acted even more intimate than before. Their constant interactions were driving CP fans insane.

Even so, the biggest winner of Dream Pastoral was still Mu Xing.

For some reason, after the villagers discussed among themselves, the next day all the stall owners with children came to Mu Xing. They asked if, while tutoring, he could also take on their kids or their relatives’ kids.

They didn’t expect him to do anything else—just teach the children. And he could take whatever ingredients he wanted.

This was something that hadn’t happened in all six episodes of the show.

But the production team had made it clear from the start: stall owners were free to handle things as they wished, and the guests could use any method as long as it worked. What Mu Xing was doing fully fit the rules.

And for him, whether it was teaching two kids or ten, there wasn’t much difference—so of course, he agreed.

[Good grief, other guests are all working in the fields, but Mu Xing is basically a private tutor.]

[Mu Xing: fake celebrity, real tutor.]

[Honestly I think Mu Xing is pretty well-suited to be a teacher. If he doesn’t want to stay in showbiz later, he could totally go into education.]

In just seven days, Mu Xing was trending almost every day, and his Weibo followers shot up by more than three million.

On the last day of filming, when Zhang Tiantian and the others heard he was leaving, their eyes went red with reluctance.

Mu Xing smiled as he gave the kids his contact info, telling them they could call if they ran into hard problems.

That day, after class ended, none of the kids wanted to leave.

Zhang Tiantian’s grandmother insisted the guests should come to her house for a meal to properly thank them.

That wasn’t very convenient, but seeing the children about to cry, Mu Xing thought for a moment and said, “Wait here for me.”

He left in a hurry.

Fu Chen wondered aloud, “What’s he up to?”

Ji Yuyou was also curious. She shook her head. “Mu Xing wouldn’t let the cameraman follow him. Said he was preparing a little surprise for the kids.”

The children instantly forgot about crying, blinking curiously as they waited.

About twenty minutes later, Mu Xing came back and called them over to another stall.

“Tiantian, you first.”

Obediently, Zhang Tiantian stood in front of him. Mu Xing held out his two fists, smiling. “I’ve hidden a gift in one hand. Guess which one. Only if you guess right, you get it.”

Tiantian hesitated nervously, then picked the left.

Mu Xing chuckled and opened his right—empty.

Then, somehow, with a tug of his right hand toward the left, a golden sunflower suddenly bloomed in his palm.

“Wow!” the children gasped in unison.

When Tiantian touched it, she realized it wasn’t a real flower but a beautifully made plush toy.

The livestream comments exploded with 666s:

[Was that magic?]

[I don’t get it. Where did that sunflower come from? It’s too big to hide anywhere.]

[I suspected back when Mu Xing hid that little woven spider that he could do magic. Sure enough.]

[So amazing. Any pros here to explain?]

Mu Xing gave the sunflower to Tiantian.

Next was Zhao Song—he got a Transformer model.

The third girl received a bunny plush.

…

Every child got something different. Finally, Mu Xing pressed his palms together, rubbed them, snapped his fingers—

Bang.

Beautiful golden confetti burst overhead, falling gently around everyone.

But above them was only open sky, no sign of any hidden device.

Mu Xing smiled at the children. “Was that fun?”

Their eyes sparkled as they all shouted, “Yes!”

“Study hard, behave well. If I get the chance, I’ll come visit you again.” Mu Xing patted their heads and waved goodbye.

[Wow, I’m stunned! This is hands-down the most romantic farewell in all six episodes of Dream Pastoral.]

[I watched every move and couldn’t find a single flaw in that trick. Absolutely brilliant.]

[Mu Xing is amazing! Is there anything he can’t do?]

[A true treasure boy—handsome, talented, and charming. And Qin Song didn’t appreciate him? That’s just clueless.]

[If I were these kids, I’d remember this big brother for life.]

[I want Mu Xing to tutor me. I want Mu Xing to do magic for me. Wuwuwu.]

It wasn’t just the kids who were dazzled. Even the other guests were stunned.

Fu Chen, who had grown close to Mu Xing over the week, couldn’t wait until they left Dada Village before asking, “How did you do that just now? Was it magic?”

Mu Xing only smiled and snapped his fingers—

A piece of candy dropped onto Fu Chen’s head.

“Just a little trick.” Mu Xing fished another candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and squinted lazily in satisfaction.

Fu Chen plucked the candy from his hair, eyes sparkling. “Bro, Mu Xing bro! Teach me that!”

Gu Jiani also clamored to learn.

Mu Xing propped his chin. “Takes talent. You two wouldn’t get it.”

Fu Chen protested, “Says who? How would we know if we don’t try…”

The carriage filled with chatter and laughter.

[Mu Xing really is popular.]

[After a week I’ve figured it out—aside from Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu, Mu Xing can get along with anyone. Don’t tell me nothing’s going on.]

[Of course he gets along. He’s handsome, good-natured, multi-talented. Who wouldn’t like him?]

In the front, Qin Song and Jiang Shengyu sat with eyes closed, pretending to nap.