A knock sounded from the secretary outside the door.
Xiao Fen released his grip, got down from the sofa, and took two steps back. The sunset from the floor-to-ceiling window behind him shone around his body, plating it with a golden orange glow.
His face was backlit, so his expression could not be seen clearly.
“The invitation from No Escape,” he said. “I’m waiting for the day you beg me to sign it.”
“Xiao Fen, who do you think you are!”
“If you have time, get online and ask who I am.” Xiao Fen left him with a dashing back view. As he passed the side table by the sofa with the rabbit figurine on it, his hand itched, and he swung it. The colorful pottery rabbit wobbled and fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
The crisp, sharp sound rang out in the stuffy office like a resounding slap, piercing eardrums and sending chills through the heart.
“No Escape is your only chance to make a comeback. Who begs whom is still up in the air!” Lu Jin’s gaze turned icy. “Don’t get arrogant. The entertainment industry has no shortage of people like you!”
Only when the person had completely disappeared from the office did Lu Jin snap back to his senses.
He rubbed his face hard, but it only made him more irritated. He swept all the nearby ornaments to the ground.
He had gone mad.
++
That evening was the program crew’s gathering.
Unlike the previous warm-up event, this time they had specially invited some media and opened the live stream chat. They wanted to borrow the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere of the gathering to chat about the thoughts of the on-screen and off-screen guests and staff from recording the first episode.
When Xiao Fen received the message, he casually showed it to his manager beside him.
Song Hui looked worried. “What do we do? We’ve offended the Lu Family. None of us will have a good time. Who knows how they’ll smear you on camera then.”
“From the moment the first syringe went into Lu Jin’s neck, do you think I hadn’t thought of this outcome?” Xiao Fen said calmly.
“They won’t assassinate us, will they?”
“It’s a society governed by law now.”
“But they have so many ways to make our lives worse than death. Have you forgotten? You’ve been shelved for almost two years, couldn’t even afford food, and just paid off your debts.”
“So you should think optimistically. Compared to being shelved, getting black and red is still red.”
“That’s why you went after Lu Jin?” Song Hui still felt lingering fear.
He regretted it. If he’d known, he would have listened to Xiao Fen and not let him join this damn variety show.
Xiao Fen did not answer. His usually nimble hands could not tie the tie properly, so he irritably yanked it off and tossed it onto the bed.
Song Hui reached out to take the tie and tie it for him, but in the blink of an eye, he saw Xiao Fen grab his coat and leave the room.
“If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late.”
“Wait.” Forgetting about the tie, he hurriedly grabbed the car keys and chased after him.
It was still the Imperial Capital Hotel.
Overhead lights sparkled brilliantly. Elegant champagne colors intertwined with pure white, and the fresh flowers on the tables gave off an alluring fragrance.
On the sofa in the nearby lounge, several cameras were already aimed at one person for a live interview.
“Don’t commit crimes in this lifetime. It’s way too agonizing.” The interviewee had sunken cheeks and dark circles under his eyes, looking somewhat listless.
If one looked closely, they could vaguely tell he was actually a minor celebrity who had played a few supporting male roles.
On the sixth day, he had broken down and rushed into a supermarket, grabbing food from the shelves and eating it right there, heedless of everything. When security and bystanders tried to approach and subdue him, he pulled a knife from the shelf and nearly lost his mind, wanting to fight them.
“I was hungry for six days. Those six days, I survived by drinking tap water and scavenging from trash cans,” he said, breaking down. “Without money, you can’t do anything. Even lying on the street, I didn’t dare sleep completely, afraid vice squad officers would rush out from some corner. The whole internet had my wanted notice. I didn’t dare go to crowded places, afraid of being recognized. Those six days were so hard to live through, and they gave me a lot of insights: don’t commit crimes, or the double torment of mind and body will drive you mad sooner or later.”
These no-name minor celebrities were basically thrown in by their companies. They had thought adding a variety show would mean more exposure, and as long as they stayed put obediently, it would be fine. They never imagined they’d suffer like this.
Regret filled the minor celebrity’s eyes.
But it also proved from the side that the show had no script. How well one did depended entirely on their own abilities.
In the first episode, fifteen celebrities and fifteen civilians—aside from the few who successfully escaped, the rest didn’t fare well. The civilians were selected by the program crew from open auditions, and most had some skills. In comparison, the celebrities were barely passable.
“Too bad, just a little short.” Xue Cong said full of regret. “I’d already successfully escaped for six days. Actually, if I’d held out a few more hours, I could’ve succeeded. If I hadn’t gone out for food at the end, if I’d endured a bit longer, it would’ve been fine.”
“Have you considered that whether you went out or not wouldn’t have changed the result?” The reporter said mercilessly. “You probably haven’t had a chance to watch the pursuit team’s live replay. They discovered your trail on the second day.”
“Impossible.” Xue Cong said firmly. “My plan was so thorough, my hiding spot so concealed—advance and retreat as needed, and I even befriended the local homeless, who were my eyes and ears. I shouldn’t have been found so quickly.”
“It’s like this,” the reporter almost laughed. “On the second night of the escape, Xiao Fen went speeding on Chessboard Mountain. Dozens of vice squad officers surrounded him en masse, even deploying drones. You were hiding in the homeless dwelling under the bridge opposite Chessboard Mountain and got caught on drone footage. They tracked you for several days before arresting you on the sixth.”
Xue Cong’s expression cracked slightly. For a long time, he could not speak.
He had avoided all cameras, disguised himself as best he could, and relied on his proud outdoor survival skills and agility. He should have escaped successfully!
But he was discovered in such an unexpected way—not even through the pursuit team’s layered tracking.
“Xiao Fen is a celebrity after all, with Film Emperor Ou Yu backing him. It’s understandable that he escaped successfully in the end.”
Off camera, with no one watching, the reporter muttered this quietly.
The unwillingness in Xue Cong’s eyes instantly turned to thick anger.
Xiao Fen, a celebrity who knew nothing, succeeded in escaping just because he clung to the film emperor’s thigh?
Just then, Xiao Fen and his manager entered the banquet hall. Reporters and cameras swarmed them eagerly.
Not far away, Lu Jin sat on the sofa, holding champagne, watching the scene leisurely.
“Xiao Fen, you repeatedly took risks in the show, touching live stream red lines. The program crew warned you multiple times, but you didn’t listen. What are your thoughts on this?”
“Your various actions were very out of line. Did you want to go viral?”
“I heard the company arranged quite a few gigs for you, but because your skills weren’t up to par, your bookings decreased. Is that why you harbored resentment? Even though the program crew didn’t assign a murder task, you still went after Lu Jin. Does this suggest premeditated revenge?”
Song Hui’s face turned black as the bottom of a pot. What kind of questions were these? They were as good as not asking, pushing all the current negative online news onto Xiao Fen.
Lu Jin was the boss—did he have no fault at all!
In the live stream chat, viewers flooded in all at once, all cursing Xiao Fen.
【What’s going on? Everyone was praising Fen Treasure before. How did they start cursing right away?】
【All the same talking points. Water army, get lost.】
【Top trending topic turned to bashing Xiao Fen! Go support him!】
【Brother Fen’s black hot search tags over ten thousand?! I just checked an hour ago, and it wasn’t like this.】
【Bullying Fen Treasure because no one behind him? I don’t buy that no one’s targeting him.】
【Definitely rivals smearing Brother Fen. So disgusting.】
【Film Emperor, Film Emperor, calling Film Emperor. Your little brother is being bullied.】
【What kind of questions are these reporters asking? Such strong bias!】
“Xiao Fen, you’ve been silent from start to finish. Don’t you have anything to say?”
Song Hui saw Xiao Fen about to speak and knew this guy wasn’t the honest type from before. He quickly tugged him secretly, signaling to let him handle it.
Before he could speak, someone approached from the side and rear, standing beside Xiao Fen.
Xiao Fen looked up. It was Ou Yu.
Ou Yu wore a silver-gray tuxedo with a bow tie below his neck. Under the banquet hall’s strong lights, his warm, jade-like face and the hand gripping his arm had a translucent pallor.
His face bore his signature smile, but the deep pupils above his tear mole were bottomless black.
“If we really touched certain red lines in the show, the program crew would have shut down the live stream long ago. Please watch your wording to avoid misunderstandings and unnecessary trouble for yourselves.”
He said, “we.”
Xiao Fen raised a brow.
Ou Yu was a film emperor, famous from a young age, well-versed in entertainment industry survival. For someone he’d known less than half a month with a body full of scandals, wasn’t he being a bit too caring?
Song Hui wasn’t great at hyping stars, but he was sharp on these twists and turns. He looked delighted at the two standing together.
“Film Emperor Ou, do you know what Xiao Fen’s purpose was in all this? He didn’t know Lu Jin before, but he targeted him so deliberately. It’s hard not to let the imagination run wild.”
“We both acted within the bounds allowed by the program crew.” Ou Yu answered briefly.
“What about dragging innocent bystanders into it? The Wang Family’s private life was exposed, infringing on privacy. How do you explain that?” The media reporter pressed relentlessly.
“You can ask them about that right now.”
With that, as Ou Yu turned, Wang Guozhi’s family appeared at the banquet hall entrance.
Taking advantage of the media’s attention shifting there, Ou Yu pulled him to a corner. “Don’t worry about the stuff online. It’ll be suppressed soon. I’m very familiar with these operations. This kind of thing can even turn disaster into fortune. Before long, you’ll be even more popular than now.”
“Thanks. Without you, I wouldn’t know how to deal with them.” Xiao Fen said. “The online flame wars had died down. How did these people suddenly pop up?”
“Definitely Lu Jin. He doesn’t like you.”
Xiao Fen looked at him without answering.
“I’ll go talk to Boss Lu for you…”
As Ou Yu’s gentle, calm face nearly cracked, Xiao Fen gossiped with a laugh, “You seem pretty familiar with him. You said before you didn’t know him.”
“We didn’t originally, but I still have some face… Why are you talking about me? I’m worried about you now. In the next few episodes, don’t target him. Rein in your temper a bit. Later, I’ll set up a meet with him. If worst comes to worst, we have a meal together and clear the air.”
“I get it.” The toolman side character matchmaker for the two protagonists? He was handy with that role.
“I owe you one.”
“Who’s with whom? No need for that.”
Once Ou Yu was called away by the program crew, Song Hui sighed. “I’ve long heard Film Emperor Ou is a good guy, always looking out for juniors. It turns out it’s true.”
Xiao Fen suddenly laughed out loud.
“Without me, how could he stand out in a crime variety show while also seeming kind-hearted and handsome?”
Song Hui carefully recalled the show details and looked at him in shock. “Then you still…”
Xiao Fen shrugged indifferently. “Without him, how could I steadily catch this massive wave of traffic.”
He had firmly grabbed the live stream audience’s attention. Whether cheers or hate, anyway, he was on fire.
But everything happened too fast. The internet had no memory, netizens had no memory. Everything gained could vanish in an instant.
He had a fatal flaw: no backing at all.
Anyone could easily crush him.
If he couldn’t sign the show renewal this time and continue shining, or if the Lu Family pinned him down with terms like a deed of sale, he’d never rise in the entertainment industry and would have to watch the Lu Family’s face even in death.
And Lu Jin’s Achilles’ heel was Ou Yu.
As expected of the book’s pair of protagonists, fated existences for each other.
This love brain was truly likable.
++
Xiao Fen and Ou Yu huddled their heads together, whispering and muttering for a while, their smiles as glaring as could be. On the sofa opposite the banquet hall, Lu Jin stared at them, crooked a finger, and the director nearby hurriedly bent down to listen.
“What is Wang Guozhi doing here?”
“I had them come.” The director whispered. “Other things can be spun, but dragging in innocent bystanders’ privacy—Xiao Fen can’t wash that off.”
Only then did Lu Jin nod in satisfaction, signaling approval.
So what if the internet was cheering him on? Aside from Ou Yu, who would really stand up for him?
Thinking he could challenge the Lu Family right after blowing up? Pure fantasy.
Wang Guozhi, Li Cuicai, Wang Xiaojun, Wu Hao, and Li Cunhou—all came.
“May I ask, did you know beforehand that this was a live variety show?”
“Who has time to go online and watch that kind of stuff…” Wang Guozhi pursed his lips. Halfway through speaking, he suddenly realized something and tried to backpedal, but the reporter cut him off.
“So you didn’t know it was a variety show when you participated, and it was broadcast live the entire time. After you got involved with the show’s guests, they widely exposed your personal details and privacy, which must have caused you a lot of trouble, right?”
“Do the neighbors around you point and gossip about you?”
“For the cyberbullying you’ve suffered, shouldn’t someone take responsibility?”
