Chapter 84

From the helicopter, the unnamed cliff below took on a narrow, elongated shape, like a natural screen stretching for thousands of miles between the two regions.

But standing on the cliff top, twenty or thirty people could cross it hand in hand. Sparse, yellowish grass grew there, but mostly it was bare rock in the same cyan and yellow hues as the cliff face.

Xiao Fen reached the other side of the cliff. This area was no longer under Tengcha Town’s jurisdiction.

In the chaotic darkness, layers of orange-yellow flowed over the pale white mist.

Looking down from there, a vast expanse of white fog shrouded the bottom. One barren hill after another poked rounded heads from the endless mountains across the way. The distant, barren peaks wore thin caps of snow, surrounded by clumps of cotton-like clouds drifting lazily by.

Xiao Fen pulled a wingsuit from his backpack, checked his gear twice to make sure everything was fine, strapped on his parachute, donned the wingsuit, put on his helmet and goggles, and walked to the cliff edge.

The close-up camera settled promptly on top of his helmet, secured firmly to it.

Xiao Fen lightly punched the lens of the flycam on his chest, as if greeting his brothers in front of the screens.

“Now, welcome to listen to the heartbeat of this world.”

With that, he leaped down without hesitation.

【Woooooo——】

He flipped two or three somersaults in the air. After a dizzying whirl that left one’s head spinning, the bare, jagged rocks rushed past. In the footage, a diamond-shaped black silhouette with limbs splayed appeared reflected on the rocks.

That was Xiao Fen’s shadow.

The wind roared in his ears. The world fell silent, then boomed with nothing but a monotonous roar.

The rugged textures of the rocks sped backward, gradually revealing sharp, continuous ridgelines, patches of residual snow in the valleys, and sandy wastelands.

Each time, it felt like the next ridgeline would slam into the lens, only for it to narrowly dodge.

Extreme sports fans in the live stream chat explained that he was actually still hundreds of meters from those mountaintops—the lens just made it feel close.

The two cliffs connected at the top and bottom, forming a narrow, elongated archway in the middle.

Xiao Fen timed it perfectly, rolling sideways. Just as his fans screamed about an impending crash, he blinked through the archway.

【Another false alarm.】

【So close, so close. Following Brother Fen really requires a strong heart.】

Flying farther ahead, the lens revealed grassy plains, web-like rivers, lush forests, and distant villages and fields.

The barren rocks gave way to vegetation cover, growing denser and denser. Fiery red and tawny forests intertwined, emerald lakes gleamed, waterfalls cascaded, and massive rainbows arched beside them.

With a whoosh of air, the parachute on his back deployed successfully.

Xiao Fen steered the canopy through the tops of forests with golden leaves, and a bay of clear, deep green lake came into view.

The calm surface mirrored the blue sky and scattered white clouds. Suddenly, a foot extended, slicing a white wake across the water, kicking up a spray of white droplets behind.

After tracing a crescent path, the second foot joined, leaving two parallel trails.

Picnickers enjoying an autumn outing by the lake let out cries of alarm.

As he neared the shore, he controlled the parachute lines. His toes touched down, he staggered forward a few steps, and finally came to a full stop on solid ground.

Applause erupted around him.

Xiao Fen removed his helmet, shook out his messy black hair, and smiled as he greeted them.

The helicopter arrived belatedly behind him.

Having had his fun, Xiao Fen allowed the staff to help him pack up the parachute and boarded the chopper, returning to City A.

“See you next episode, Little Fire Seeds.”

The second episode wrapped up perfectly!

Viewers stared at the black screen, unable to calm down for a long time.

They were reluctant to leave, reluctant to say goodbye to Xiao Fen.

They flooded Weibo, YouTube, Brain Book… They compiled highlight reels of Xiao Fen’s live stream footage, forwarding them nonstop, discussing, and recommending. More and more people learned about the show and this young man from H Country.

The name “Xiao Fen” grew ever more renowned internationally.

————

In early November, temperatures in City A had dropped to 15 degrees.

Carried on a biting, dry chill wind, Xiao Fen turned down Wang Ze’s kind offer and took a cab back to his little nest, where he enjoyed a nice hot shower before sliding into bed.

When he woke, it was dark outside, with a light rain falling.

He rubbed his eyes and checked the time. He had slept from 7 p.m. the previous evening until 7:30 p.m. that day.

His notifications showed seventy or eighty missed calls, some from saved contacts and others from unknown numbers.

Rubbing his groggy head, he got out of bed, headed to the kitchen fridge for something to eat, and dialed Song Hui’s number.

Song Hui picked up right away.

“Fen, you had me worried sick. I called you so many times—why didn’t you pick up?”

“Sleeping.”

He had climbed that cliff all night, then spent hours flying back by helicopter. Lu Corporation staff had been around, and with no live stream camera, even though he was utterly exhausted, he hadn’t slept.

Now his limbs all throbbed with soreness.

“I’ve booked a doctor for you. You’re home now, right? I’ll come pick you up.”

“Sure.”

It looked scary, but it was just some superficial wounds.

They had already scabbed over.

Song Hui complained the whole drive, griping about how Xiao Fen had rushed straight home upon arriving in City A without asking the Lu Corporation staff to take him to the hospital first, and how he’d jumped right into the shower without minding his wounds.

In Song Hui’s telling, Xiao Fen was a total social recluse with zero common sense about daily life.

Xiao Fen listened to his nonstop nagging and yawned. “Didn’t you watch my live stream?”

This persona didn’t match his actual personality at all!

“Of course I watched. Who would’ve thought? After scraping by for over a decade with nothing to show for it—even thinking of quitting the industry to sell barbecue on the street—luck finally turned, and I picked up a real gem. You know, I ran into Brother Ka a couple days ago. His face was pitch black. He was regretting it like a total loser.”

The Brother Ka Song Hui mentioned was Xiao Fen’s former manager, Jiao Pengxing—English name Carl—who’d earned his nickname for always swooping in at the perfect moment to snatch resources.

At the mention of the name, a mocking curve tugged at Xiao Fen’s lips.

“How’s he been lately?”

“The minute you headed to Y Country, he signed Zhong Jinghuan. He figured he’d use him to overshadow you, but your second episode blew up even bigger.”

“That new music star who debuted first from the talent show?”

“Yeah. That guy’s messy breakup with a male internet celeb didn’t get handled right. A few days ago, the internet celeb posted a bunch of essays on Weibo demanding justice. With all the recent buzz, it stirred up a storm online—everyone devouring the gossip on those two guys. Then who knows what mountain Brother Ka kowtowed to—I’d guess Madam Lu. Lu Corporation’s PR department is top-tier. Anyway, they straight-up smothered the whole thing. You can still catch a whiff of the gossip fumes on Little Blue Book if you look.”

“Why bother with Little Blue Book? That’s all outsider speculation. The stuff from your mouth is the real insider scoop.” Xiao Fen grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and took a swig, which made his stomach churn uncomfortably.

“Grab some food on your way here.”

“Do I even need to be told? I figured your fridge was empty and you hadn’t eaten in ages.” Song Hui said.

“With your skills, you shouldn’t have struggled this much. Taking on a guy who’d been totally blacklisted like me.”

“Sigh, it’s all a bunch of messy crap. Back then, they swore ‘if I make it big, I won’t forget you,’ and I always went all-in treating people right. The backstabs always came out of nowhere.” Song Hui sighed. “I had my days of glory too, you know. I’ve got connections galore—don’t worry. I can dish the dirt on every big-name celeb in the industry, and I can round up folks to handle any private matters under the table.”

Xiao Fen recalled his 90s H Country gangster-style outfit and rubbed his forehead with a wry smile.

The doorbell rang.

Xiao Fen opened the door, and Song Hui bustled in with bags big and small.

“Start with some abalone, lobster, and seafood porridge to line your stomach. I’ve also got Yangzhou fried rice, steamed pork ribs, cordyceps bird’s nest duck, braised wild softshell turtle, charcoal-grilled beef ribs for chewing…”

Xiao Fen chuckled helplessly. “You trying to fatten me to death?”

“Quit yapping and eat. Once you’re done, we’ll head to the doctor.” Song Hui urged. “This is an opportunity people beg for.”

“It’s the middle of the night—no clinic’s open. You didn’t book me some shady back-alley doc, did you?”

“What’re you talking about? Your bro here’s loaded now. I’ll take you straight to this national master’s home.” Song Hui said. “She’s a fan of yours.”

As he served him food, he chattered nonstop about recent company drama.

“Our subsidiary’s merging into the main corporation.” He said excitedly. “I’ve never even been to the headquarters building. Now I’ve got a shot.”

“Several advertising brands have approached me for endorsements—mostly outdoor sports gear, but also clothes, skincare, food. My eyes are swimming. While you’re resting up from your injuries these next few days, take a look and sign whatever works.”

“The Lu Family’s not blocking it?” Xiao Fen asked. He hadn’t gotten offers like that after the first episode.

“You’re making money for Lu Corporation. What’s their reason to block?” Song Hui laughed. “You’re their biggest cash cow right now.”

Sensing something, Xiao Fen pulled out his phone, snapped a pic of the overflowing table, and posted it to Weibo.

In under five minutes, it racked up over ten thousand likes.

He raised a brow.

“Oh, right—a bunch of TV directors have been sending me scripts too. After these two episodes, your acting’s improved a ton. It’d be a shame not to do a couple dramas. With some hits under your belt, no one’ll call you a vase or variety show hack again.”

“What’s wrong with being a variety show star?” Xiao Fen had zero interest, but on second thought, he shifted gears. “Does Xu Haokong have any new dramas coming up?”

Director Xu had started in TV dramas, churning out several hits and prime-time slots. He’d done movies too, which did decently early on, but lately everything went downhill—nothing but lukewarm reception no matter what.

Song Hui didn’t get why he brought him up, but he still checked his phone. “He had a movie out last year. This year, he’s prepping a TV drama called Red Bean Tilts the City. Second-rate script at best—waste of time and your current momentum.”

“I’m interested. Go talk to him.”

“You nuts? You haven’t even seen the script.” Song Hui refused. “Sure, he’s got a name, but he’s been coasting on old glory. Everything he touches tanks in reviews, and his crews have a shady vibe.”

“It’s just interest for now—depends on his sincerity.” Xiao Fen smiled. “We collaborated before. It ended in failure, but now that I have leverage, it’s a chance to fulfill an old regret.”

Song Hui was touched. Ninety-nine percent of folks in this industry clawed their way up from obscurity, all waiting for their big break to settle old scores.

“Alright, I’ll talk to him. With your status now, Director Xu’ll probably bow and scrape, practically shoving his hand out to shake.” Song Hui pictured the scene and cracked up.

That was exactly the point.

Ignore me when I’m down, chase me now that I’m up.

Xiao Fen popped a fried dumpling into his mouth. “Does that national master have a buy-one-get-one-free deal?”

“As if.”

“How about I let you have the slot? Cure that drooling problem.”

“…”