Old Master Li was known for his decisive and commanding demeanor. When he learned that Gu Chen’s participation in the show had sparked negative discussions and criticism, he was already displeased. To address this, he decided to summon Gu Chen back to the old residence for a dinner. He promptly arranged for his subordinates to handle the leave request with the show’s production team and sent a car to pick up Gu Chen.

At the entrance of the villa area, under the insistence of Uncle Meng, Old Master Li’s right-hand man, the production team had turned off all cameras. Only a few understated black luxury cars remained parked.

The guests and staff from the production team, who had been keeping an eye on the online controversy, couldn’t help but sneak glances. They were all astonished by the low-profile but imposing setup. Hearing that Mr. Gu had taken leave today, it seemed this was a formal pick-up for him.

“…Wait a minute, I’m live-streaming!!!” Shen Yuan, sitting on his room’s balcony playing a game, was so taken aback by the scene downstairs that he forgot what he was going to say to his teammates.

His teammates, who had initially been joking, saw Shen Yuan’s silence and pretended to be distressed: “Just tell us directly, what if this Mr. Gu gets poached by a competitor?”

“Very well,” Shen Yuan almost laughed at the response. “You’re impressive; you go ahead and poach him.”

Thinking Shen Yuan was joking, his teammates continued, “Then I must make sure to poach this Mr. Gu and see who he really is~”

As Shen Yuan watched Gu Chen exit the villa surrounded by several bodyguards, he thought to himself: “Indeed, it’s worth considering who this person really is.”

The esports community doesn’t pay much attention to the entertainment industry, so they aren’t very familiar with Mr. Gu and don’t harbor any ill feelings towards him. The audience’s curiosity is piqued by the mentions from the professional players:

【Eh? Is this Mr. Gu the one from the trending topic about some scammer?】

【He’s a business tycoon, knows calligraphy, composes music… and now he plays games? What a top-tier show-off persona!】

【No kidding, that jungle play yesterday was insanely impressive, a real game-changer.】

【Isn’t Xiao Yuan also participating in that show? Tell us if it’s true or not.】

The teammates glanced at the barrage of comments: “Hey, the viewers are asking if it’s true that Mr. Gu can do everything.”

Shen Yuan, who prefers to stay quiet but enjoys observing, replied, “Yeah, it’s true.”

【Now’s the time to test Xiao Yuan’s connections! Quickly get Mr. Gu to join the viewer’s match!】

Teammate: “Wow, it looks like our livestream is at the forefront of the gossip news. When can we get Mr. Gu to join the viewer match?”

Shen Yuan just happened to see Uncle Meng, wearing gloves, open the door of the middle car for Gu Chen with a respectful gesture. Gu Chen then calmly entered the car. Shen Yuan said, “Don’t get your hopes up. Mr. Gu has taken leave, so don’t mention it.”

But he thought for a moment and messaged Lu Qingyue privately: “Teacher Lu, could you send me Mr. Gu’s WeChat contact card? Maybe he plays a few games in his spare time?”

The staff, seeing the luxury cars drive away, seemed to relax and said, “I didn’t dare to speak earlier. The aura was just too intimidating.”

“I noticed that Mr. Gu was still low-key on the show. His presence is really commanding when dealing with his subordinates!”

“Oh my God, Mr. Gu has so many bodyguards and convoy vehicles protecting him. I can’t even imagine his status…”

However, they realized that Mr. Gu had been on the show for two days, and they still didn’t know his full name.

Uncle Meng had arranged so many cars and brought bodyguards today, fearing that Gu Chen might be uncooperative, as if to strongly bring him back to the old mansion.

Yet, Mr. Gu was completely different from what they had imagined. This time, he was cooperative and got into the car with them without a fuss. He didn’t even have a chance to say much, let alone the situation where bodyguards might have to forcibly drag him.

This ease made him somewhat bewildered.

In the car, Gu Chen sat calmly in the back seat. Although he could tell that Uncle Meng was acting on behalf of the old master and had a strong intention to take him back forcibly, he also realized that being a mere extra on the show had its risks. For example, this morning, he woke up to find himself trending on hot searches.

Since the old master had arranged for him to take a forced leave, why not take it? It was as if he had just been handed a pillow when he was already feeling sleepy.

---

At the production team’s side, Ji Zhixi was anxious. “This morning, your dad took that illegitimate son to work at the group. What are you planning to do?”

Mu Yunting looked somewhat grim and replied, “I’ve already said there’s no need for me to participate in this show anymore.”

Ji Zhixi explained, “At first, I didn’t know what your dad wanted to do with that illegitimate son. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.” After thinking for a moment, he confirmed, “Since it’s come to this, just take the leave.”

As a result, not even half an hour after the last leave announcement was sent out, the production team issued a new announcement for Mu Yunting and Ji Zhixi’s leave.

【??? Wait, these two are also taking leave?】

【How could this happen?】

【Nooo, does this mean I won’t have anything to watch today? Losing my source of happiness…】

【Damn! I said yesterday that according to the pattern of reducing 1 second for the first time and 1 minute for the second time, the third should reduce by 1 hour. But then I thought about it and realized 57 seconds minus 1 hour is -59 minutes and 3 seconds. Gu Chen couldn’t possibly have that much time to deduct… I didn’t expect it to be deducted from Ting Ge’s time!】

【Hahaha, that pattern is really something!】

【I went to check, and the edited version of Ting Ge’s footage yesterday was indeed 59 minutes and 3 seconds… this is too uncanny, right???】

【Wait a minute! I have a bold idea… Gu Chen is taking leave today, and now Ting Ge has taken leave too. Could it be that Ting Ge is chasing after Gu Chen to give him extra lessons?】

【Hahaha, it actually makes some sense! That logic is impressive! Let’s see what Ting Ge can achieve with these extra lessons, LOL!】

Mu Yunting and Ji Zhixi took their leave immediately and rushed to the nearest flight. They arrived at the airport, only to find they were a few minutes late.

Mu Yunting frowned at his watch and said, “The traffic was really bad.”

Ji Zhixi, somewhat calmer, noticed fans seemed to have recognized Mu Yunting nearby. He quickly said, “The next flight is not until 3 p.m. It’s not good to stand here. Let’s go to the lounge and wait. There’s no need to rush.”

The fans who saw Mu Yunting’s leave announcement knew his family was in A City. Since there was only one flight from S City to A City in the morning, with a flight number that was not hard to guess, they came to the airport hoping for a chance to see him. However, the flight had already taken off, and they missed him.

Just as they were about to leave, someone noticed, “Hey! Look, isn’t Ting Ge entering the VIP lounge?”

“He probably missed the morning flight and is likely taking the 3 p.m. flight now.”

As Mu Yunting and Ji Zhixi walked in, they saw Gu Chen surrounded by bodyguards entering the lounge. A shrewd, competent middle-aged man beside him said, “Mr. Gu, the flight to A City is expected to arrive at 2:15 p.m., and you’ll be at the destination around 11:40. Where would you like to have lunch? The styling team is on standby all afternoon…”

Ji Zhixi nudged Mu Yunting and whispered, “Wasn’t there no flight this morning? How can Mr. Gu be leaving now?”

Mu Yunting decisively said, “I’ll go and ask.”

“Mr. Gu, we didn’t expect to run into you at the airport after both of our groups took leave simultaneously,” Mu Yunting said politely. “We have some urgent matters to attend to, so we wanted to ask which flight you’re on. Is it still possible to fly to A City now?”

Gu Chen glanced at the middle-aged man and nodded slightly. “Hello,” he replied, though he wasn’t entirely sure about the flight details.

Since he was being “sent back,” he hadn’t needed to arrange such things himself.

The middle-aged man understood Gu Chen’s glance and leaned in respectfully to ask, “Mr. Gu, are these two your friends?”

Gu Chen said, “Sort of.”

Seeing their anxious expressions, he didn’t see the need to turn them down in public.

“Hello, gentlemen,” the middle-aged man said, stepping forward. “This is a private flight not open to the public.”

Ji Zhixi thought to himself that it might be better to just say it’s a private jet. Mr. Gu is flying on a private jet? That’s incredibly impressive!

The middle-aged man continued kindly, “However, since you are Mr. Gu’s friends, please feel free to join us.”

Ji Zhixi’s eyes lit up with excitement and gratitude. “Thank you so much!”

Mu Yunting and Ji Zhixi quickly followed Gu Chen onto the private jet.

Meanwhile, a few wealthy fans who had rushed to buy first-class tickets for the 3 p.m. flight tried to blend in but only caught a glimpse of Mu Yunting and Gu Chen’s group from behind.

They hurried after them, shouting, “Wait! Wait!”

The fans were stopped by several flight attendants. “Excuse me, how can we assist you?” one of the attendants asked politely.

The fans pointed toward Gu Chen’s group and asked, “Why are they allowed on the plane? Isn’t the flight to A City supposed to be at 3 p.m.?”

The flight attendant smiled and explained, “I’m sorry, but the passengers in question are on a private flight, which is generally not open to the public. Please be patient and wait for the next flight.”

The fans were stunned. “…?!”

Even though Mu Yunting’s family was wealthy, could they really have their own private jet?

They began discussing among themselves: “Isn’t that the Gu Chen from the show with the bodyguards?”

“It seems like it…”

“So, Mu Yunting and Ji Zhixi are flying with Gu Chen on his private jet?”

Once the news spread, Mu Yunting’s fans reacted:

【What? Mu Yunting and Ji Zhixi are flying on Gu Chen’s private jet?】

【Oh my God, Mu Yunting really did go after Gu Chen! He’s actually attending a supplementary class! I’m so emotional!】

【But the real highlight is that Gu Chen has a private jet!】

【No kidding, it’s actually because of something happening with the Mu family. I heard from friends at Mu’s company that Mu Yunting’s father brought his illegitimate son into the company today, which is why Mu Yunting and Ji Zhixi had to rush back.】

【This is perfect! Being next to Gu Chen will give Mu Yunting a chance to learn from him about managing family wealth!】