Wang Guozhi and the others were like fish in water when causing a ruckus in the streets, succeeding in everything they set out to do. But when faced with the reporters’ obviously loaded questions on camera, they were completely at a loss.
“This, I…” Wang Guozhi’s face flushed red.
“You once wrote a murder plan targeting your wife, and your wife also confessed to thoughts of hiring a killer. Both of you spouses wanted the other dead—is that true? Are you going to divorce?”
“No, how could that be? It’s all Xiao Fen…” Wang Guozhi panicked.
“So you’re saying all your actions were instigated by Xiao Fen without your knowledge? Is that right?”
“Get out of my way. I’m going to die.”
Amid the reporters’ barrage of questions, this line popped out of nowhere, instantly silencing everyone for a moment.
Wang Xiaojun’s sallow face held a calm composure that his parents lacked. He said, “We knew beforehand—this is a live variety show.”
The reporters’ arsenal of prepared questions suddenly lodged in their throats.
“You knew?”
This didn’t match what the program crew had told them at all.
“The program crew claimed there was no script…”
Wang Xiaojun said, “The program crew has no script, but the guests communicate with us before taking action.”
Lu Jin was frowning when the sofa beside him sank—Xiao Fen sat down with perfect posture, watching the entire farce unfold.
“If the Wang Guozhi family knew in advance that this was a variety show, then all their struggles on camera, their murderous intent toward their spouse, their cold indifference to their son’s illness, their frenzy for gambling, hiring killers, killing a wife for insurance fraud—everything could be chalked up to a script pre-arranged by the program crew. Thanks to this live variety show, the family has already blown up on the streaming platform with massive traffic. They can make bank just shilling products afterward.
“If they truly didn’t know in advance, then while the netizens curse me out, they’ll face a storm of cyberbullying and endless public scorn and finger-pointing.”
Xiao Fen smiled at Lu Jin, who sat beside him. “What do you think they should say on camera to benefit themselves the most?”
The muscles near Lu Jin’s cheek twitched, his face twisting ferociously for an instant before smoothing out.
He looked at Xiao Fen. “They actually didn’t know.”
“Some knew, some didn’t—that doesn’t matter.” Xiao Fen said. “What matters is what the public thinks: whether they knew in advance or not.”
Now both spouses knew the other had wanted them dead. Whether they divorced or not, they’d be watching their pillow partner closely from here on out.
He only hoped that after one faked their death and the other endured a stint of wrongful imprisonment—seeing the ugly faces and cold indifference of those around them—they’d learn to cherish the rest of their lives.
This was all the show could accomplish.
“The program crew deliberately skipped greeting the Wang Guozhi family ahead of time. You think the netizens cursing me and the Wang family will let the program crew stay out of it?”
“This could be a multi-way loss or a multi-way win. We’ve all made our choices, Boss Lu—you wouldn’t be that ungrateful, would you?”
Lu Jin’s brows furrowed deeply, a layer of inscrutable gloom clouding his deep-set eyes.
After a long pause, he ground out two words through clenched teeth: “Very good.”
Inviting the Wang family had ended up making a wedding dress for Xiao Fen.
It benefited the show, Wang Guozhi, and Xiao Fen.
The only loser was the resentment festering in his heart.
He downed the champagne swirling in his glass in one gulp, stood, and straightened his suit.
Xue Cong approached.
A bunch of celebrities and regular guests trailed behind him.
“Boss Lu.” Six or seven people clustered over, instantly pulling the reporters and live stream camera away from the Wang family and onto Lu Jin.
“The program crew letting Xiao Fen advance to the second episode—isn’t that unfair?”
Lu Jin’s departing steps halted. “Why?”
“He schemed against the other guests to snag a second-episode spot. Someone with character issues like that has no business staying with the program crew.”
“Yeah, you can’t just shield him because he’s your company’s artist.” A minor celebrity chimed in.
Lu Jin said, “What makes you think his character is an issue? What makes you think I shielded him to get him that second-episode qualification?”
Xue Cong relayed what he’d just heard from the reporters.
“If not for him, the pursuit team wouldn’t have spotted me. You gonna claim he didn’t deliberately drive to Chessboard Mountain?”
“City A is huge, Chessboard Mountain is huge—yet he just had to take that road. If that’s not deliberate, what is?” one guest said.
“Ask the pursuit team about that.” Lu Jin said.
A vice squad officer attending the banquet spoke up. “It was nighttime, but the roads still had plenty of traffic. Speeding through would risk accidents. Chessboard Mountain is deserted at night and the closest mountain to the casino. Xiao Fen shaking off the pursuit team there was perfectly normal.”
Xue Cong was at a loss for words. After a beat, he said, “Fine, but him joining the team thanks to Film Emperor Ou Yu and your connections—that’s fact, right?”
“If you’re set on propping up Xiao Fen, why bother wasting time selecting the rest of us?” a guest said.
“We never planned to prop anyone up.” The director, standing nearby, said. “The chances we gave you and the vice squad officers were all fair.”
“I don’t buy it. How could Xiao Fen possibly be that good?”
“You must’ve thrown the match.”
“You people are disgusting, wasting our time.”
“Exactly. Everyone knows what kind of guy surnamed Xiao is. No prior records, and every TV drama he’s been in bombed harder than the last. If you wanna push your own artist, just admit it.”
Lu Jin shoved aside the director trying to play nice guy. “His TV dramas sucking doesn’t mean he sucks at everything else. How much do you even know about him?”
The live stream chat exploded.
【What kind of true love is this? My Knife Boss went down twice, but the boss treats me the same as ever, even speaking up for me.】
【Those saying Boss Lu and Brother Fen have bad blood—see this? Their private relationship is solid, so they can go all out like that. Nosy uncles and aunties can chill now.】
【That guy’s right. All I know is Fen Treasure did a few dramas and short videos, popping up for one or two shots each time. Sang a couple songs too. Nothing else. Old fans wanna weigh in?】
【Someone that good should’ve blown up in the industry ages ago. How no prior records? Did I black out?】
【He stirred up trouble before, but I can’t recall what.】
【That’s it. Purely face-carrying my love for him.】
【…】
“Since you’re all salty, we’ll delay second-episode filming for a revival match.” Lu Jin said. “Me included, everyone eliminated from the first episode—another three-day grand escape. Winners revive and join the second episode’s recording.”
The guests erupted in cheers.
The minor celebrities, though, weren’t thrilled.
They wanted fame from the show, not punishment.
Amid the cheers and awkward silences, Lu Jin realized Xiao Fen hadn’t said a word.
A quick glance around—he was long gone.
He’d rarely spoken up for him in public, and he missed it.
Lu Jin’s expression darkened as his phone rang. He stepped aside to answer.
“Big Brother Lu.”
It was Jiang Xu.
“Something up?”
A long pause on the line, then a soft voice: “Congrats—the first episode you personally oversaw was a massive hit.”
“Not impressed by my corpse acting? Not enough laughs?”
“No, no, that’s not what I meant.” Jiang Xu scrambled to explain but faltered.
Hearing the panic in his voice, Lu Jin felt a flicker of daze.
A face floated in his mind—right now, it had to be flushed beet red, unable to withstand even a tease.
“Relax, you think I’m petty? Just messing with you. The corpse gig? I’ve got experience now.”
A “pfft” of laughter leaked from the phone.
Easily soothed.
“So… tonight… you coming over?” Jiang Xu finally mustered the courage, asking nervously.
Silence stretched, broken only by faint breaths.
Sweat beaded on the hand gripping the phone.
“I-I messed up. Just asking casually…”
“I’ve got plans tonight.” Lu Jin snapped back at the near-tears tone and shut it down firmly.
He’d meant to find somewhere quieter, but after a few steps, he spotted two figures by the balcony railing.
Xiao Fen thumped a fist into Wang Xiaojun’s chest, tilting his head with a grin. “Cut it out.”
Wang Xiaojun’s frail frame swayed, but his gaze stayed locked on Xiao Fen’s face without budging an inch.
“Forgot you’re sick.” A flash of apology crossed Xiao Fen’s face as he rubbed Wang Xiaojun’s chest. “Hurts?”
No sooner said than Wang Xiaojun’s eyes flickered. He lunged forward into a hug.
Out on the balcony, Lu Jin’s grip tightened on his phone.
“Heading to yours later for some late-night snacks.” He said. “Get ’em ready.”
He never touched late-night eats before—but if he said he would, he’d damn well try.
Nervousness flipped to shy excitement on the other end. Lu Jin hung up without a second thought and strode out of the banquet hall.
On the balcony, Xiao Fen squirmed a bit in the unfamiliar embrace, but it only tightened.
“Thanks.”
“What’s there to thank?” Xiao Fen chuckled.
“That night…”
“No need to bring it up.”
The night Wu Hao moved to kill Li Cuicai, Wang Xiaojun had come home.
He’d stumbled on the live stream via someone else and learned Xiao Fen’s plan as relayed to Li Cuicai.
An evil impulse took root.
Turn Wu Hao’s murder attempt real.
His family had once been happy. Dad worked as a site foreman, pulling in over a hundred thousand a year. But one day, he caught Mom tangled up with Wu Hao. Soon after, they started haunting casinos. Years on, Dad lost all drive for work. The couple chased pipe dreams of easy riches, hitting the tables nonstop until they gambled away everything.
After his illness hit, he got a few days of the old care. Full of hope and guilt, he tagged along as they hit up relatives and friends for loans—only for them to blow it all at the casino.
That’s when he realized: all that “goodness” was just using him as cover. His parents had gone numb—even to their own son’s life or death.
He hated it all. Hated Wu Hao’s greedy jealousy and impure motives. Hated his mom’s affair and poor judgment. Hated his dad’s weak will and foolish gullibility. Hated most of all being born into this family.
That night, he timed it for the dead-of-night quiet, biking home. Seeing Li Cuicai sprawled on the ground, he was surprised it wasn’t Wang Guozhi—but it didn’t matter.
Dad or Mom—whoever died was the same to him. Wu Hao was going down either way.
He grabbed the nearby rolling pin.
The live stream stuck to the guests’ footage. No guests were around when Wu Hao made his move. So no one saw if it was real murder or fake.
He hadn’t known about the behind-the-scenes program crew back then.
At the critical moment, a hand clamped his wrist, halting the rolling pin mid-swing toward Li Cuicai.
He looked up in terror. A young man stood at his side.
Untidy black hair draped over sleek facial lines. A snow-white arm overlapped his own sallow, skinny one. With just a bit of pressure, pain forced his fingers open, dropping the pin.
The man seemed utterly unsurprised. His cognac-hued amber eyes stayed calm as he picked up the fallen rolling pin, wiped it off with his clothes, and—still through the fabric—returned it to its proper spot.
“Teacher Xiao.” Wang Ze ran up just as he finished.
Spotting the earpiece cord dangling on the guy’s chest, Wang Xiaojun realized: staff were nearby.
Turning this fake murder real would’ve made it no show—but cold, hard reality.
He’d be the one going to jail.
So… everything from moments ago had gone out live?!
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. Breathing grew labored.
“Teacher Xiao, why’d you smash the camera?” Wang Ze fumbled open a case and pulled out a new one.
“That one.” Xiao Fen laughed. “Earlier in the stairwell, I thought it was a mosquito and swatted it dead on impulse. These old rundown buildings really have tons of mosquitoes.”
Wang Ze eyed him suspiciously. “Two cameras, and you mistook them both for mosquitoes?”
One of them had been hidden on the guest’s collar, filming from the guest’s first-person perspective.
“Yeah, it was itchy on me, always twitching around.” Xiao Fen flashed his little tiger teeth.
Wang Ze didn’t know what else to say and chalked it up to an accident. This guy was the big traffic draw now, and fortunately, it happened when the live stream chat was quiet in the dead of night. After warning him a few times, he turned to leave.
“Wait.” Xiao Fen said. “After all, it’s just a passerby, not some thick-skinned and tough guest. Leaving her out here all night like this isn’t great. Set up the crime scene, and carry the person down to rest first.”
Wang Ze saw the logic in that. He outlined Li Cuicai’s body shape on the ground, hoisted her onto his back, and headed downstairs.
Xiao Fen looked at the scared-stupid Wang Xiaojun and pinched his cheek.
“It’s okay.”
Everything would be okay.
There was still a chance to regret.
Just like this night breeze, which gently blew into his heart.
On the balcony, Xiao Fen tore him open, ruffled his hair, and said, “I originally wanted to give you the money directly, but considering your parents’ behavior, I decided against it. I asked Brother Ou Yu to set up a fund specifically to help kids with kidney disease. You’re the first one to benefit from the fund’s support. They’re already helping you find a kidney donor. It won’t be long before you’re back to health and can take the college entrance exam. Once you’re in university, our fund offers scholarships you can apply for. Pick a far-off school then—you can break free from your family and live independently.”
Wang Xiaojun’s throat tightened, tears welling in his eyes.
“Brother Xiao Fen, thank you.”
“What’s there to thank? This money wasn’t clean to begin with.” Xiao Fen shook off his goosebumps. Somehow, that form of address felt a bit too saccharine.
Maybe the balcony wind was just a tad chilly.
“That’s still a lot of money.” If it had been his own, honestly, he wouldn’t have let it go easily.
“Silly. Sometimes what you think you’ve gained is actually a loss.” Xiao Fen slung an arm around his shoulders and guided him to gaze beyond the balcony.
Standing high up in the Imperial Capital Hotel, the glittering lights of City A sprawled below.
He patted Wang Xiaojun’s shoulder. Xiao Fen smiled wistfully. “It’s just a little stumble. As long as you haven’t done anything irreparable, you can start over. Once you’re better and the exam’s done, I can take you out to see the world. Life starts in a small family, but it won’t keep you trapped there forever.”
A clear, crisp woody scent wafted in the air. Just a slight turn of his head, and his lips would brush Xiao Fen’s porcelain-pale, soft cheek.
Wang Xiaojun’s heart pounded like it would leap from his throat.
Myriad city lights reflected in Xiao Fen’s fox-like eyes, warm and radiant.
In that moment, they were so very close.
“Okay.” The word slipped out almost mindlessly, without a hint of hesitation.
“It’s a deal.”
I’ll wait for you to take me away.
