Chapter 22

As a travel program, the team naturally put a great deal of effort into selecting the location. With picturesque mountains, clear waters, and the air filled with the songs of birds and the scent of flowers, it felt as if one's soul were being cleansed.

The destination was Yao Village, a place primarily known for crafting various musical instruments. The craftsmanship was exquisite and the skills refined, earning the village quite a following on the internet.

By the time Xia Wansheng arrived, the two resident guests were already waiting.

Shao Huan, naturally, would not reveal any chinks in his armor before the cameras. He acted as if they were long-lost soulmates, appearing as though he were ready to swear a brotherhood oath with Xia Wansheng right then and there.

"So you’re a fan of Heavenly King Lu too? I’ve been trying hard to emulate his style!" Shao Huan said with a sunny smile.

Last time, the two had argued in private over their favorite singers, but now, in front of the lens, everyone was all smiles and harmony.

"Since the two of you have met before, could you use one word to describe your first impression of each other?" the staff asked during an interview. This topic had been cleared with the artists beforehand; it was just an ice-breaking segment for the behind-the-scenes footage.

"I’ll go first. My first impression of Xia Wansheng was 'courageous,'" Shao Huan said, his expression looking very "sincere."

He meant that someone who couldn't even write a song would dare to come on a show to embarrass himself—surely no one could be more courageous than that.

Xia Wansheng raised an eyebrow in surprise, as if he were meeting Shao Huan for the first time. He thought to himself that he hadn't realized this man had such acting chops; it was a waste that he wasn't out there shining in the film industry.

"For my first impression, it would have to be 'resilience,'" Xia Wansheng said after a moment of thought.

After all, as the most tenacious villain in the original book, Shao Huan had bickered back and forth with the original owner for nearly half the book, which certainly counted as unwavering.

The other resident guest was Xu Yiran, a professional singer with some musical talent. Her variety show persona was quite good, and she possessed an incredibly thick skin, handling most of the team's mediation and damage control.

Seeing Xia Wansheng, she greeted him happily and asked the most awkward question imaginable: "I’ve heard of you before—I even retweeted your giveaway."

Although Xu Yiran had been busy with other engagements and hadn't watched the live stream at the time, she was quite impressed by that perfect PR strategy.

The camera, which had been filming Xu Yiran alone, immediately panned away without pretense the moment she started talking to Xia Wansheng. It was a clear signal to the guests not to get too involved with him.

Xu Yiran, naturally, didn't realize the production team was targeting Xia Wansheng. Instead, she took advantage of the cameras being off to whisper, "I heard Brother Yi is coming too. What are your plans?"

Aside from the resident guests Shao Huan and Xu Yiran, the show had also specifically invited a celebrity couple—the "Best Actor and Actress" pair—to add prestige. They were known for their deep affection for each other and had maintained a stellar reputation in the industry for years.

Li Yi had originally planned to stop doing variety shows, but the production team, wanting to use the "praise-to-kill" tactic against Xia Wansheng, had visited him repeatedly. They claimed that a genius newcomer was a huge fan of his and that this was a rare opportunity for them to exchange ideas, eventually convincing him to agree.

The first day had no actual filming tasks; it was mainly for everyone to familiarize themselves with the environment and learn about the local customs. The director’s team gave everyone their first task: to explore the village's music-related history and culture, and to look for local traditional arts.

Everyone wandered around following vague clues. The cameramen couldn't blatantly avoid filming Xia Wansheng, so they resorted to finding difficult, unflattering angles. Before the show began, the entire staff had been instructed by their superiors to make things as difficult as possible for this minor celebrity. Whether it was deleting his positive footage, reducing his screen time, or maliciously editing clips to make him appear only in a negative light, they were determined to drive his reputation into the ground.

"Go away, go away! Who told you to film here?!" The villagers, who frequently encountered variety show interviews, were well-versed in what to say in front of the camera. Clutching the red envelopes the production team had slipped them earlier, they secretly despised the show for its gimmicks, but no one had a grudge against money.

"Still filming people? These internet influencers these days have absolutely no morals!" A villager pointed a finger in Xia Wansheng’s direction, aiming the conflict directly at him.

"..." This acting was truly subpar.

"I feel like my mental health has been damaged. Is there compensation for this?" Xia Wansheng turned to ask Xu Yiran beside him.

"Probably. I remember it being a few million. Selling his house should cover it," Xu Yiran mused, looking as if she were seriously considering how to liquidate the assets.

The two were masters of the "I read it but I'll reply with nonsense" style, basically a human version of a robotic customer service bot. The only one left looking normal was Shao Huan, who had intended to play the mediator.

The villager had taken the money and agreed to provide some "show effect." Since the first two weren't cooperating, the focus naturally shifted to Shao Huan. Facing the director’s signals from behind the cameras, Shao Huan felt like he had become the target.

*Shao Huan:* Wait, why am I the unlucky one again?

The behind-the-scenes footage wouldn't be live-streamed; it was mainly to let everyone get acquainted. Since they had to spend time together, they still had to keep up appearances.

By the afternoon, the celebrity couple finally arrived. The production team suggested everyone cook together to build rapport. In reality, it wasn't about showing off culinary skills, but rather about establishing a persona of being diligent and approachable.

Xia Wansheng stared at the "scallion-braised lamb" on the menu and fell into deep thought. Was there really no undercover agent planted in this production team?

He looked over at Shao Huan, who was already busy ordering others around to help him. However, it turned out that even if one knew every step of a recipe, there was a fundamental difference between that and a worker who had been cooking fast meals for years.

Xia Wansheng watched the messy open kitchen with resignation. They were about to trigger the smoke alarm.

"Move aside, I'll do it," Xia Wansheng said, grabbing the man and tossing him out of the kitchen.

The director tried to intervene, hinting that this segment required teamwork and conversation, but Xia Wansheng shut him down with one sentence.

"The staff have been working so late; it’s unreasonable to make everyone wait and not get a meal," Xia Wansheng said reasonably.

Once these words were out, Shao Huan, who had been trying to maintain his persona, felt like he had been hung out to dry. Originally, it was just two people competing to cook, but now that Xia Wansheng had spoken, Shao Huan clearly felt the staff’s gazes toward him change.

After all, workers always empathize with workers. They could have gone home right after filming the group dinner scene, but now they were forced to watch Shao Huan perform, and they were certainly not happy about it.

Shao Huan had to give up, thinking to himself that this person must be targeting him on purpose.

The director, who had been monitoring the progress outside, suddenly received a call: "What? President Yu is already here?!"

Great, the cash cow had arrived so soon.

The director gave a look to the surrounding staff, signaling them to be sensible later—ideally, making Xia Wansheng suffer without being able to complain, all while forcing him to keep a smile on his face.

As the mountain chill set in, Yu Congyan stepped out of the car and frowned inadvertently. His migraine seemed to be worsening. He had spent the last few days handling basic affairs, only to have that old shareholder play dirty behind his back, wasting some of his time.

Seeing the investor arrive, the director hurried over with a face full of smiles. "President Yu, I thought you wouldn't be here until the first official episode! I didn't expect you to be such a strong supporter of our program!"

Yu Congyan scanned the area, but not seeing Xia Wansheng, his expression inevitably darkened, radiating an intimidating aura to those around him.

"Where is Xia Wansheng?"

Didn't they know that this person was most at risk when left alone?!

Seeing him suddenly snap, the director reacted quickly and asked his assistant: "He’s in the kitchen preparing dinner."

The director couldn't fathom Yu Congyan’s intention. Was he unhappy that they weren't being harsh enough? He didn't notice Yu Congyan freeze at the mention of the "kitchen." Without greeting anyone else, he turned and headed off to find him.

"Young Xu is over there helping. The kitchen isn't big enough for all of us to squeeze in and cause a stir," Best Actor Li said, trying to smooth things over.

He was an experienced veteran. When the director mentioned the reason for targeting Xia Wansheng, he realized that their relationship was likely anything but ordinary. If it were truly just dislike, they would have just frozen him out and buried him to avoid the sight; why go through the trouble of coming down here in person?

In the kitchen, Xia Wansheng was recalling his quick-fix recipes for working folks. While the presentation couldn't compare to a restaurant, the basic skills were there.

Xu Yiran, who was sitting nearby picking vegetables, was curious. "I’ve never met a celebrity who could actually cook. Does your company teach this?"

Looking at Xia Wansheng’s proficiency, he must have cooked often in the past.

"The company doesn't care about us. At the beginning, I couldn't get any work for a long time, so I had to be self-reliant," Xia Wansheng said.

This was true. The company always left their minor talents to fend for themselves—they wouldn't stop them, but they wouldn't offer any good resources either. However, it wasn't because he was being squeezed by the company; to him, cooking was simply a necessary life skill for living alone, nothing special.

One shouldn't get distracted while using a knife.

His thoughts drifted for a few seconds. The leg of the farmhouse table wobbled, and Xia Wansheng bumped against the edge. The fruit knife in his hand sliced a shallow, bloody line across the back of his hand.

"!!!"

The delayed pain spread through his nerves from the wound, and he gasped. Xia Wansheng instinctively moved to press his left hand to stop the bleeding, forgetting that his right hand was still holding the fruit knife.

"Are you hurt?!" Seeing his state, Xu Yiran hurried out to find iodine and gauze. She almost collided with someone at the door, offered a quick apology, and rushed away.

Yu Congyan, who had just arrived at the doorway, witnessed the scene.

Xia Wansheng stood with his head bowed, clutching his bleeding left hand. A half-cut tomato rolled off the edge of the counter and smashed onto the concrete floor between them.

It looked exactly like a spreading patch of blood.

Yu Congyan’s pupils contracted, and he instinctively stepped forward to snatch the knife away.

"It was almost finished, too," Xia Wansheng said, sighing as he hadn't yet recovered from the sharp pain.

He thought to himself that he should have known better than to do it himself. He had only been one dish away from finishing, and now he’d sliced his hand because he was distracted.

Hearing this, Yu Congyan’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Almost... what was almost finished?