After the Hated Character Awakens, He Cremate Everyone
After the Hated Character Awakens, He Cremate Everyone Chapter 23

Chapter 23

We’re Going Traveling is a newly launched slow-paced variety show.

The premise of the show is quite simple— a group of people eating, drinking, playing, and having fun, while also completing a few tasks together.

Although the show’s pace is slow, it incorporates some live-streaming during the recording to present it to the audience.

Additionally, the filming locations are often close to people’s everyday lives, which gives the show a warm, down-to-earth vibe that has been very well received by the audience. It has even been dubbed the most “addictive” variety show of the recent period.

Today marks the recording of the latest episode, and the audience eagerly joined the official live-stream platform early.

The production team set up an official live-stream room for We’re Going Traveling as well as individual live-stream rooms for the cast.

The viewers could choose which live-stream room to watch, depending on their preferences.

The show has four regular cast members, and after two episodes, each of them has already gained a loyal fan base.

Therefore, even before the official broadcast began, a large number of viewers flooded into the personal live-stream rooms of the four main cast members.

Among them, Tong An’an, a popular member of a girl group, had over 3 million viewers in her live-stream room even before it started, while the other cast members’ rooms had around 2 million viewers each.

However, the audience quickly noticed that the production team had opened two new live-stream rooms, sparking their curiosity.

【Two new channels opened, are we having two guest stars today?】

【Wow, so excited! Does anyone know who’s coming?】

【One is Xu Xiang, her fans already confirmed she’s filming today】

【Welcome, welcome, looking forward to seeing the beautiful girl】

【One confirmed guest is Xu Xiang, but who’s the other one? Does anyone know?】

【The production team is keeping it a secret, no news yet】

【They’re being so mysterious, could it be a top-tier star? I’m so excited】

While the audience was chatting, the production team’s live broadcast had already begun.

After the regular cast members arrived at the filming location and did their introductions, the first guest star made a dazzling entrance.

As the rumors had predicted, the first guest star was indeed the national sweetheart, Xu Xiang.

On camera, Xu Xiang got out of the car with her lively high ponytail, holding a book in one hand and pulling her small suitcase with the other. She peeked around the small yard.

The moment Xu Xiang appeared, her live-stream room was also opened, and her fans and viewers quickly jumped into her live-stream, causing her viewer count to skyrocket to over 2.7 million.

【Ahhh, my girl is so youthful, radiant, and beautiful】

【Hahahaha, am I the only one who noticed the physics book she’s holding? Girl, are you doing physics homework while recording the show? Hahahaha】

【You can’t forget your homework no matter where you go, hahaha, so relatable! No wonder she’s a high school student】

【She’s so cute, but unfortunately, in our small group, no one can help you with your homework. After all, our “intellectual pillar,” Brother Hong, once miscalculated the price of vegetables and accidentally overpaid the vendor 11 yuan】

Xu Xiang received a warm welcome from the regular cast, who all called her “little sister,” served her tea, and chatted with her.

However, as she’s still a student and a bit shy with social anxiety, she wasn’t very familiar with the cast members. After chatting for a while, she quickly ran out of things to say.

The other four cast members had become more familiar with the show after two episodes, and they quickly noticed Xu Xiang’s discomfort. They decided to change the topic to focus on the new guest.

“Are we having another guest today?”

The eldest of the guests, Shi Hongyu, seamlessly shifted the conversation to the new guest. After speaking, he walked out of the living room, pretending to look outside.

“A beautiful little sister just arrived. Now, Director, are you planning to bring us a handsome guy?”

Cen Yi also stepped outside, looking expectantly at the director, trying to get him to reveal some information.

Just then, Director Zhang Shanfeng, who had been watching the monitor in the corner of the yard, was suddenly called out. He picked up his signature loudspeaker and, with great confidence, reassured Cen Yi.

“It must be a super handsome guy!”

Zhang Shanfeng’s words were broadcasted through the live-streaming equipment to all the viewers.

As soon as the audience heard that a super handsome guy was coming, they immediately became excited.

Within just one minute, over a million viewers flooded into the dark live-stream room of the second guest, eager to be the first to see who this “super handsome guy” was.

【How handsome is this super handsome guy? I don’t believe it, unless I see him in person right now】

Not only the viewers, but also the cast members were intrigued by the director’s description. They all stepped out and looked around curiously.

Tong An’an: “When is the handsome guy coming!!”

Shi Hongyu: “Which handsome guy? Do I know him?”

Feng Han: “Director, can you give us a hint?”

The director, unfazed by their curiosity, shook his head and smiled mysteriously.

Seeing that the director wasn’t revealing anything, and with no new developments outside, the cast members returned to the living room.

At this point, Xu Xiang had already started doing her homework, but it seemed like she was stuck on a problem and looked distressed.

When the others came back and saw her expression, they all eagerly gathered around to try to help her with her homework.

However, several of them immediately backed off when they saw the questions, all wearing confused expressions.

Only Feng Han, who was a first-year university student and had recently gone through the college entrance exam, could manage to help a bit.

But after being away from the high school learning environment for so long, he had forgotten much of the knowledge.

“I wasn’t good at physics either, I can’t help you with this problem.”

Just as the cast members were struggling to help Xu Xiang with her homework, the second guest’s live-stream room suddenly opened.

【It’s starting! It’s starting!!】

【Ahhhhhh, I’m so excited!!】

The moment the screen lit up, the live-stream room was instantly filled with various comments. Fans from different groups rushed in, trying to claim their “brother.”

However, the production team played a little trick. As they tilted the camera from the ground upward, the audience was stunned to find that they could only see a blurry figure!

In the shot, a tall figure dressed in a white shirt and wearing a black mask was dragging a suitcase, slowly making their way down a small path towards the house.

【Wow, the celebrity’s outfit gives off such a fresh vibe!】

【His waist is so slim, and his legs are so long… I love it!】

【Is he a singer-dancer? His figure is amazing!】

【I think I just caught a glimpse of his eyes, and they’re really beautiful!!】

【The white shirt is so pure and handsome… This definitely looks like a big handsome guy, the director wasn’t lying this time.】

Although the guest’s appearance was intentionally blurred by the camera, his outstanding physique and fresh outfit immediately caught the attention of all the viewers.

【Hurry and remove the blur! I want to see who this handsome guy is!!】

【Does anyone recognize who this is?】

The audience’s pleas were in vain. Even though the guest had already entered the courtyard, the camera kept him blurred, refusing to reveal his identity.

The more the production team teased the viewers, the more determined they became to stay and find out who the guest was.

When Su Xingyao arrived at the door of the living room, he didn’t just walk in. Instead, he politely knocked three times.

The cast members, who had been struggling with their homework, finally reacted to the sound and quickly turned to look at the door.

Su Xingyao removed his mask and greeted everyone with a smile.

At the same time, the blurry effect on the second guest’s live stream was suddenly removed.

In the overexposed shot, the person looked so pale it was almost glowing. The young man, standing with the light behind him, resembled a radiant moon—handsome and tall.

The camera quickly flashed over his whole body, and as he took off his mask, the production team zoomed in, almost directly onto Su Xingyao’s face.

Immediately, all the viewers in the live stream were greeted with a stunningly beautiful face.

The newcomer had soft, fluffy black hair and a high nose bridge, with slightly alluring almond-shaped eyes.

But despite the almost seductive shape of his eyes, he smiled and slightly lifted the corners, his light brown pupils clear and beautiful.

With just his eyes, he perfectly combined innocence and allure, reaching the ultimate balance.

After Su Xingyao terminated his contract, he hadn’t set up a studio or a team—he just came by himself.

After getting off the plane, he went directly with the production team’s director to the recording site, so he appeared on camera with no makeup at all.

As a result, when such a beautiful face suddenly appeared on the live stream, with no makeup, the viewers were shocked.

【Holy cow, so handsome…】

【And he’s still wearing no makeup!!】

At the recording site, the regular cast members also saw the newcomer’s face clearly.

Cen Yi, who had just shouted for a handsome guy, immediately exclaimed, “Wow… the handsome guy is here!!”

At nearly forty years old, Cen Yi didn’t recognize Su Xingyao.

However, she was naturally warm and friendly, so instead of letting the atmosphere cool down because she didn’t know him, she quickly walked up to Su Xingyao and shook his hand.

Shi Hongyu also walked over, “Hello, handsome guy! We’ve been waiting for you!”

Cen Yi and Shi Hongyu’s reactions were due to their age. As a veteran singer and actor, respectively, they weren’t as focused on the internet and didn’t keep up with the new generation of stars.

However, the remaining guests were all avid internet users, well-versed in [1]“24G internet speed” is a playful exaggeration often used online to describe someone who is extremely fast and skilled at navigating the internet, staying updated with trends, or finding … Continue reading24G internet speed and online trends.

Not long ago, Su Xingyao’s contract termination had trended on social media, so they immediately recognized him.

When they saw that the second [2]“Flying guests” is a term often used in Chinese variety shows to refer to guest participants who join the program temporarily for a single episode or a limited number of episodes, as … Continue readingflying guest was actually Su Xingyao, their faces showed both surprise and awkwardness.

Not only were the guests shocked, but the bullet comments also exploded in an instant.

【How could it be Su Xingyao???】

【Is this the reason you hid the guest’s identity???】

【Zhang Shanfeng, what’s wrong with you? Didn’t you do a background check on this artist before inviting him? Are you not afraid the show might be canceled with someone like him?】

【Ahhh, I didn’t expect to watch a healing show and suddenly witness a scandal unfold!】

【Zhang Shanfeng, you liar! I waited for nothing!】

The viewers who had been praising Su Xingyao based on just the blurry image immediately felt betrayed. Most of them angrily left the live stream.

As a result, the live stream, which had been nearing 3 million viewers, quickly dropped to less than 10,000.

The remaining few thousand viewers stayed only to angrily comment and curse out both the production team and Su Xingyao.

However, not all viewers were part of the fan community. Many were regular people just watching the show to pass the time, so they were confused by all the negative comments and began asking questions.

【This guest is indeed a handsome guy. The director wasn’t lying, I really think he’s attractive…】

【I don’t get it. What did this celebrity do? Why is everyone hating on him?】

Seeing the confusion from regular viewers, the anti-fans started to spread rumors about Su Xingyao’s past.

These included claims such as being arrogant, treating fellow cast member Shen Huaixi poorly, eating separately from others, and other supposed bad behavior.

After reading these so-called “facts,” the regular viewers were left confused.

【? He didn’t break the law or commit any serious crimes like drugs, gambling, or tax evasion. How is he considered a problematic celebrity?】

The anti-fans immediately retorted: 【Isn’t that enough to be disgusting? And he’s a total waste of space!】

The regular viewers continued to be puzzled: 【There are plenty of useless celebrities in the industry. What’s the big deal with this one? Besides, your idols aren’t that impressive either. At least this guy is good-looking. You’re the ones who control the industry—why can’t he be on a variety show?】

Su Xingyao’s makeup-free appearance was simply too stunning, so many of the regular viewers had a relatively positive impression of him.

Although there were many people criticizing him, there were still occasional comments defending him.

However, his anti-fans were extremely aggressive, quickly labeling anyone who defended him as “fanclub agents” and forbidding any counter arguments.

【Don’t come here defending Su Xingyao, you’re disgusting pretending to be a regular viewer. Get lost!】

【Wait and see, don’t be fooled by his looks. Soon you’ll see just how disgusting he really is.】

【Su Xingyao’s fanclub agents got lost. After breaking his contract, who’s paying him to appear on a show like this?】

As the anti-fans started to spread rumors, Su Xingyao, in the recording studio, was calmly introducing himself to Cen Yi and Shi Hongyu, who didn’t know him.

“Hello, Senior Cen, Senior Shi, I’m Su Xingyao.”

Before coming, he had watched some variety shows, so he immediately recognized the person in front of him.

Cen Yi finally learned the person’s name and immediately happily moved a chair over for Su Xingyao to sit.

“Oh, Xingyao! Welcome, welcome~”

After politely thanking her, Su Xingyao greeted the younger guests standing behind Cen Yi. “Nice to meet you all, seniors.”

Su Xingyao’s appearance really caught everyone by surprise.

However, Tong An’an and the others had all been in the entertainment industry for a long time, so after a brief moment of surprise, they quickly composed themselves and enthusiastically engaged in friendly conversation with Su Xingyao.

Even Xu Xiang, who had been busy with homework, quickly packed up her assignments and greeted Su Xingyao with a “Hello, brother.”

The guests were all quite well-mannered, and the atmosphere at the scene was harmonious.

Seeing that Su Xingyao was still carrying his suitcase, Shi Hongyu was about to tell him to place it in the corner of the room when they heard the director’s voice from outside.

“Alright, everyone, now that everyone is here, please head to the courtyard for the meeting.”

Upon hearing the director’s command, everyone put down what they were doing and walked together to the center of the courtyard to stand.

Director Zhang Shanfeng, holding a loudspeaker, walked to the front of the guests, smiling as he looked at everyone.

“Hello, old friends, we meet again. Before we begin today’s recording tasks, let’s first give a warm round of applause to welcome our flying guests, Xu Xiang and Su Xingyao.”

The four regular guests immediately gave a warm round of applause.

After clapping, Cen Yi also called out, “Welcome our national little sister and the handsome Xingyao~”

As soon as she finished speaking, the director began outlining today’s task.

“It’s still early, so let’s start with a warm-up activity.”

Upon hearing this, Feng Han immediately raised his hand and showed off his muscles to the camera. “Is it a competition? I’m in!”

The director smiled mysteriously before slowly speaking.

“This warm-up activity is called ‘Pictionary.‘”

When Feng Han heard the words “Pictionary,” he immediately looked like he had been tricked.

Who would have thought that he had fallen right into the director’s linguistic trap?

【Hahaha, Zhang Shanfeng hasn’t been on the scene for years, and the guests have forgotten that he loves word games so much!】

【The atmosphere of the previous episodes was so peaceful and loving, it made me wonder about the director’s name for so long.】

【Hahaha, Director Zhang, are you finally getting ready to start pranking the guests?】

It must be said that the audience knew the director well.

Zhang Shanfeng pointed to the rooms inside and began announcing the task for this round.

“You all probably noticed that, except for the living room, all the other rooms are locked.”

The rooms Zhang Shanfeng referred to included the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and so on…

When the four regular guests arrived, they had noticed that all these rooms were locked.

“We have prepared 15 questions in total. Within three minutes, the guests only need to answer 10 correctly to unlock all the rooms.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiang immediately asked the director, “What if we don’t answer any correctly?”

Zhang Shanfeng smiled, “Well, then I’m afraid we’ll have to keep things as they are.”

Feng Han immediately rushed in front of Zhang Shanfeng, exasperated and laughing, shouting, “Director, you’ve changed!! You weren’t like this in the first two episodes!!”

The other guests quickly chimed in, “Director, if you’ve been kidnapped, just blink your eyes.”

However, the bullet comments were already laughing uncontrollably.

【Hahahaha, this rule has the right vibe.】

【This is the Zhang Shanfeng I know, hahahaha.】

【I’m already looking forward to seeing them fail to unlock a single room.】

Seeing that this “Pictionary” game was now tied to whether they would end up sleeping on the streets tonight, the guests immediately started discussing strategies.

“Who’s the best at drawing?”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s pick the one who draws well, that way it’ll be easier to guess.”

Shi Hongyu immediately waved his hands, “I’ll automatically bow out, I’m terrible at drawing…”

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Shanfeng’s gaze fell on him.

“Teacher Shi, you should draw for everyone.”

Upon hearing this, Cen Yi immediately crossed her arms and made a big ‘X’ with both hands.

“No!!! I refuse!!”

Tong An’an and Feng Han also looked at Zhang Shanfeng with helpless expressions.

“Director, if you don’t want us to guess it, just say so.”

The guests reacted strongly, but the bullet comments were already in stitches.

【Hahahaha, is this a joke? No, it’s not a joke, he’s doing it on purpose.】

【I’m dying of laughter, Shi Hongyu is famous for being a black hole when it comes to drawing.】

【Looks like you guys might be sleeping on the streets tonight, hahaha.】

Despite Shi Hongyu’s obvious refusal, he couldn’t withstand Zhang Shanfeng’s “pressure” and reluctantly grabbed the pen, walking up to the blackboard.

“I’ll just say this in advance—if we don’t pass this round, don’t blame me. I can only say I’ll try… I’ll try my best to make it look like something.”

Even though Shi Hongyu was doing his best to be sincere, everyone still wore pained expressions.

“Come on, Senior Shi.”

At Zhang Shanfeng’s urging, Shi Hongyu walked behind the drawing board and looked at the word he had to draw.

He soon reappeared in front of everyone.

With the brush in hand, Shi Hongyu hesitated and hesitated again. In the end, he scratched his head, wearing a completely clueless expression as he had no idea how to begin.

The remaining guests on this side were nearly dying from anxiety as they watched him.

“Senior Shi, hurry up and draw!!!”

“How are we supposed to guess if you don’t draw?”

“We only have three minutes!!”

Hearing everyone’s urging, Shi Hongyu had no choice but to bite the bullet and pick up the pen.

Then, on the blackboard, appeared a crooked, squiggly house composed of a trapezoid and rectangle, something that a primary school student would usually draw.

Tong An’an looked at the house, completely confused, and asked, “How many characters, bro?”

Shi Hongyu held up four fingers.

“Is it a phrase related to houses?” Xu Xiang asked, then tried, “Skyscrapers? A high place with a great view?”

The judge nearby mercilessly answered, “No.”

Shi Hongyu quickly waved his hands and hurriedly continued drawing something that looked like a paperclip.

As the guests scrambled to guess, the audience in the bullet comments also began guessing.

【Honeycomb vortex?】

【A golden house hiding a beautiful woman?】

【What is Senior Shi even drawing? It’s a mess, why’s there a paperclip?】

【No wonder he’s the soul artist, who could possibly guess this?】

Neither the audience nor the guests could guess it.

Just when Cen Yi was about to suggest passing this round, she heard Su Xingyao’s uncertain voice.

“Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage?”

Hearing this completely unrelated answer, the other guests frowned and looked at Su Xingyao, thinking it was definitely wrong.

However, what no one expected was that Shi Hongyu, who had been scratching his head and looking troubled, immediately turned around excitedly upon hearing the answer.

He looked at Su Xingyao with a happy expression, as if to say, “You’re my soulmate!” and enthusiastically gave him a thumbs-up.

“Right, right, right!! That’s it!!”

His increasingly intense affirmations made everyone drop their jaws in surprise.

Tong An’an looked at the house and the paperclip, then glanced at Su Xingyao, unable to resist asking, “Xingyao, how does this drawing relate to ‘Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage’??”

Su Xingyao raised his hand and pointed at the paperclip Shi Hongyu had drawn, explaining, “Senior Shi drew two and a half trips back and forth.”

As soon as Su Xingyao finished speaking, Shi Hongyu, who had recognized the answer because of the small detail added, became even more excited.

He immediately shouted loudly to affirm, “What Xingyao said is right! [3]“Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang three times” refers to a famous story from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a classic Chinese historical novel. “Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang three … Continue readingLiu Bei visited Zhuge Liang three times. The first two times he didn’t succeed, so when he came back, it was two and a half trips!”

After hearing Shi Hongyu’s explanation, everyone finally understood the real meaning behind the paperclip:

…Are you kidding me, Senior Shi?

Shi Hongyu, not understanding, confidently continued, “I drew so many details and you guys still can’t figure it out???!!!”

The others: …

The bullet comments: …

【That’s not the way I would have thought to solve it…】

【Hahaha Shi Hongyu’s way of thinking really has me impressed, drawing it like this and still not forgetting to add details】

【Two and a half trips back and forth… who could possibly figure that out??】

【Hahaha but Su Xingyao got it and understood it, haha I’m dying of laughter】

【Su Xingyao must have been sent by the production team to save the game from the black hole that is Shi Hongyu, hahaha】

Obviously, the others couldn’t accept this explanation. They had a lot to say, but seeing the countdown ticking down, they held back and urged Shi Hongyu to quickly draw the next one.

Soon, with a bit more confidence from Su Xingyao’s correct interpretation, Shi Hongyu began to draw the second one.

This time, he drew five fingers, and then connected them with an oval shape.

The guests rolled their eyes again.

Cen Yi felt like she was about to spit blood.

“What the hell is this…”

“Hand in hand, heart to heart?”

Su Xingyao didn’t speak, his gaze fixed on the fingers and the oval shape around them. After thinking for a few seconds, he tried, “One hand covers the sky?”

Shi Hongyu jumped up excitedly and gave Su Xingyao a thumbs-up, “Yes!!”

With that confirmation, the guests looked at Su Xingyao in surprise and admiration.

“Damn, Xingyao, you figured it out again??”

“Awesome, this drawing barely has anything to do with ‘One hand covers the sky’ except for the finger!”

However, Shi Hongyu was already too lazy to explain and even urged everyone to hurry up.

“If Xingyao understands, that’s good enough. Hurry, hurry, I’m drawing the next one.”

After saying that, he made a cheering gesture at Su Xingyao, “Xingyao, go ahead, I’m counting on you!”

Because Su Xingyao had quickly and correctly guessed the last two questions, Shi Hongyu suddenly became full of confidence and immediately began drawing frantically.

The scene quickly turned into a tag-team effort between him and Su Xingyao.

Shi Hongyu drew a cloud with a lightning bolt.

Su Xingyao guessed: “A thunderbolt out of a clear sky.”

Shi Hongyu drew a head with a flower pinned on it, looking like a weird animal.

Su Xingyao guessed: “A fleeting glance.”

Shi Hongyu continued to pick up the pen.

Su Xingyao on the other side: “A knife hidden in a smile.”

“Perfect harmony, a happy reunion.”

In less than a minute, Shi Hongyu had drawn nine pictures in one go.

And each one was quickly guessed by Su Xingyao.

Several guests, seeing how impressive Su Xingyao was, went from being completely at a loss in the beginning to staring in amazement at how quickly Su Xingyao guessed the words.

By the end, they were all cheering wildly for him with admiration!

“Just one more! Just one more!!”

Xu Xiang was so happy she couldn’t contain herself, clapping wildly behind Su Xingyao, “Xingyao, you’re amazing!!”

Tong An’an, already transformed into a cheerleader, was also furiously giving Su Xingyao thumbs up with excitement.

“Ahhh, we just need to guess one more and we’ll unlock all the rooms! Xingyao, you’re my hero!”

In the intense game of “Guess the Drawing,” the younger guests had gradually forgotten the unease they felt when they first saw the scandalous rumors about Su Xingyao.

Now, all they could think of was “Su Xingyao is amazing!”

At first, they thought the director had forced them to team up with this [4]“useless bronze-level” is a playful expression derived from gaming culture, particularly from ranked systems in competitive games. In many games, “bronze” is one of the lowest … Continue reading“useless bronze-level” participant for the whole episode.

But who would’ve thought, he was actually a master at guessing words!!

Now that Su Xingyao had gotten nine answers right, all he needed was to get the last one correct.

Feeling like victory was within his grasp, Shi Hongyu was no longer in a rush. He leisurely walked to the board, ready to see the word the director had assigned him.

After looking at it, he couldn’t resist boasting and taking a jab at the production team.

“Director, these questions you gave are too easy. They’re way too simple.”

To add to the effect, he dramatically challenged the director.

“I’m telling you, I could draw this in two or three strokes and they’ll guess it right away.”

Provoked by Shi Hongyu, Director Zhang Shanfeng remained seated like a mountain, his face wearing a mysterious smile.

However, his inner monologue was:

“Alright, Song Yingming! Where did you find this game bug for me?!”

No one knew what was going on inside Zhang Shanfeng’s mind, but the audience, seeing that Shi Hongyu was getting cocky, quickly reminded him to face reality.

【Don’t get too full of yourself, bro, careful or you’ll get slapped in the face, hahahaha】

【Bro, how can’t you see it? It’s your drawing that’s the problem, not Su Xingyao’s guessing skills, hahahaha】

Amid the audience’s laughter, Shi Hongyu drew a circle and added two vertical lines below it.

After these three strokes, he stopped.

Beside them, Cen Yi quickly leaned in and whispered to Su Xingyao, “Xingyao, did you figure it out? Did you guess it?”

Su Xingyao’s gaze moved away from the three strokes, and he nodded slightly before leaning in to whisper a few words into Cen Yi’s ear.

【Whoa, Su Xingyao guessed it so fast??】

【No way, how could he have figured it out from this??】

After hearing Su Xingyao’s words, Cen Yi excitedly raised his hand.

At the same time, Shi Hongyu began to add wavy lines inside the vertical lines.

Cen Yi immediately called out, “The frog in the well!!”

Xu Xiang, seeing the wavy lines, also raised her hand, “The frog in the well!”

The two of them looked at each other in surprise after both saying the same answer.

Their gazes met in mid-air, confirming who had said the correct answer first.

In the end, it was the judge who stepped in, extending his hand towards Cen Yi’s side.

“Correct answer, congratulations to Senior Cen, you were the first to speak.”

Suddenly recognized by the judge, Cen Yi stood there stunned for a few seconds in disbelief, pointing at herself.

“Did I guess it right?”

After receiving further confirmation from the judge, she joyfully hugged Su Xingyao.

“Wow!! Xingyao told me!”

She then shared what had just happened with everyone, “Can you believe it? When Shi Hongyu drew just those three strokes, he had already figured it out!!”

“I was still wondering, is it really that fast? But… it’s true!!”

Cen Yi’s words instantly cemented Su Xingyao’s reputation as a master of guessing.

After all, to guess a Chinese idiom from just three strokes…

All ten questions had been guessed, so there was no need to continue guessing further. Now they finally had time to ask the questions they had been curious about.

A few people gathered around Su Xingyao, all with looks of disbelief.

“How did you guess it??”

Tong An’an even ran to the back of Su Xingyao and peered forward, waving her hand, “You can’t even see the word from your position!!”

Feng Han also laughed, teasing him, “Come clean, did you and Shi Hongyu discuss this in advance?”

“I just realized that even the things Shi Hongyu draws can actually be recognized.”

Su Xingyao laughed and nodded, half-joking, “Well, to be honest, Shi Hongyu and I are long-lost brothers.”

Shi Hongyu immediately threw his arm around Su Xingyao’s shoulder, “The tacit understanding between us brothers is something you can never envy.”

With Su Xingyao and Shi Hongyu joking around, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

But after this round of the guessing game, the guests’ feelings towards Su Xingyao had definitely improved.

Thanks to Su Xingyao’s outstanding performance earlier, his livestream room attracted a new batch of viewers, and his popularity surged from a few thousand to twenty thousand.

【This guy is not only handsome but also great at games. I’m in love!】

【I’m really curious how he and Shi Hongyu synced their brainwaves, haha.】

Seeing the viewers praise Su Xingyao, the haters who had been lurking in his livestream room started to show up again.

【The script is so obvious… The director must have shown Su Xingyao these idioms in advance.】

【Is Su Xingyao trying to redeem himself with variety shows because he’s got too much negative dirt on him, trying to build a smart persona?】

【Don’t joke, bro. It’s well-known that the most fragile personas in entertainment are the ‘scholar’ or ‘smart’ types. Don’t think you’re really smart just because you acted out a script.】

【Can you haters just leave? If you don’t like him, why are you still here annoying everyone? You’re really ruining my show experience.】

Despite the haters, they didn’t leave and stayed in the livestream room, making bold statements like, 【Wait, he’ll mess up soon, and when he gets slapped in the face, don’t come crying.】

Online, the haters were making a lot of noise, but the show itself was still being recorded peacefully in reality.

Su Xingyao’s clever moves helped everyone pass the game smoothly, and the director reluctantly handed out the ten keys.

“Congratulations to all the guests for completing the task so smoothly,” 

Zhang Shanfeng said as he walked up to Su Xingyao and handed him four of the keys.

“These are the keys to the living areas.”

Shi Hongyu immediately asked, “What about the remaining six?”

Zhang Shanfeng smiled and shook the six keys in his hand, “Let’s have a little lottery.”

After saying that, he placed the keys into a box. “If everything goes as planned, it’s too boring. There has to be a surprise.”

“We’ve prepared six different rooms for everyone, and this time, we won’t distribute them uniformly. You’ll sleep in whichever room you draw.”

Hearing this method of distribution, the guests could already sense that there might be some hidden surprises waiting for them.

“Alright, everyone, let’s draw lots.”

Then Zhang Shanfeng called on Su Xingyao, “Su Xingyao, you go first, you answered the most questions today.”

Called to the front, Su Xingyao stepped up and drew his key.

He drew No. 3.

After Su Xingyao, the other guests also drew their keys.

Once everyone had their keys, Zhang Shanfeng told them, “Alright, everyone, go check out your rooms.”

Everyone went back to the living room, grabbed their suitcases, and headed to their assigned bedrooms.

Knowing that the director had set this up, the guests were all secretly wondering if some of the rooms would be good while others would be less pleasant. They all hoped they wouldn’t be unlucky enough to draw the worst one.

Su Xingyao drew No. 3, which was on the left side of the courtyard.

He opened the door and found the room equipped with all sorts of facilities and decorated in a warm and cozy manner, creating a very comfortable environment.

Su Xingyao took a quick look but didn’t rush in immediately. Instead, he glanced behind him.

Xu Xiang, in the room opposite his, was crouched down in a state of collapse.

“No way, Director… is the program out of budget?”

As Xu Xiang spoke, the audience could see every guest’s room through the main live stream.

This time, the rooms were divided into four categories.

Su Xingyao was the luckiest, drawing the largest and most comfortable room.

Tong An’an and Cen Yi were also fortunate, drawing second-class rooms.

Shi Hongyu and Feng Han had slightly worse luck with more basic rooms, but they were still livable.

However, Xu Xiang, the little sister, had much worse luck.

She drew not only the most basic room, but also one with nothing but bare walls and a hard wooden bed…

There wasn’t even a mattress…

Seeing this distribution, the comments exploded.

【The little sister is so unlucky, how is she supposed to live in this room…】

【I knew the production team wasn’t going to be fair!】

【Why does Su Xingyao, such a terrible person, get to stay in the best room?】

【LOL, it’s just a lottery, what’s the big deal…】

Hearing Xu Xiang’s distress, Su Xingyao walked over to her.

After scanning the shabby room, he handed his key to Xu Xiang.

“I’ll swap with you. You can stay in my room.”

Xu Xiang, who was originally in a complete breakdown, looked at Su Xingyao in shock.

“But didn’t the director just say that we should stay in whatever room we draw…?”

As Xu Xiang spoke, the other guests also arrived and were shocked by the scene before them.

“Is this even livable?”

Su Xingyao smiled and shook his head, lowering his voice as he said to Xu Xiang, “He never explicitly said we couldn’t swap keys.”

Xu Xiang hesitated for a moment before taking the key with a bit of gratitude. “Are you sure this is okay?”

Zhang Shanfeng, who had been watching from the monitor, immediately straightened his posture, thinking of adding a temporary task for everyone to allow the swap.

But before he could say anything, Su Xingyao spoke first, “Director Zhang won’t make things difficult for you.”

Zhang Shanfeng: …

Wouldn’t that just be making things difficult for the little girl if I spoke up now???

Sure enough, Su Xingyao’s preemptive approach worked.

Zhang Shanfeng, who had a lot of scheming thoughts, didn’t have the chance to act and could only reluctantly agree.

He then told the director nearby, “Next time, remind me to read the full rules when explaining them!”

After the director agreed, the tone of the comments immediately shifted.

Xu Xiang’s fans now had an immense increase in their admiration for Su Xingyao.

【Let me explain, it’s not that my daughter is spoiled and dislikes the room, but she is allergic to dust, so she really can’t stay in this room.】

【Wuu wuu wuu, thank you Su Xingyao for switching rooms with my daughter, really appreciate it!】

【Handsome, good-looking, and kind-hearted.】

【Su Xingyao seems pretty good, didn’t even hesitate to directly give the best room to the little sister. If it were me, I’d have to think twice.】

【Mainly because this room is really terrible… I’m even worried there might be mice coming out at night.】

【As a passerby, but after seeing all this, I’ve developed so much more respect for Su Xingyao. Weren’t they saying he’s spoiled and acts like a diva? I’m not getting that vibe at all.】

【Completely not getting that vibe +1. I actually like him a lot.】

Because Su Xingyao’s room was definitely not terrible, later on, Feng Han and Shi Hongyu also went to the director to ask if they could swap rooms and squeeze in together.

But the director didn’t agree, saying that there were other tasks coming up and they couldn’t do that.

So the guests had no choice but to give up.

In the afternoon, after everyone quickly tidied up their rooms, the director assigned them a new task.

This time, the production team didn’t arrange any food like they did in the previous episodes. Instead, they asked everyone to go out and buy ingredients and cook for themselves.

This included dinner, as well as milk, fruits, and other daily necessities that everyone needed to purchase.

The production team gave each guest 100 yuan to buy everything they needed.

The courtyard where the guests were staying was in a mountainous area, quite far from the city center.

It was already three o’clock, and it was clear they wouldn’t have enough time if they all went together. So, everyone naturally split into two groups.

Shi Hongyu led Tong An’an and Su Xingyao to buy vegetables, fruits, and other food.

Cen Yi took Feng Han and Xu Xiang to shop for daily necessities.

Soon, Shi Hongyu started the car, and they headed toward the city.

The drive was a bit boring, so he started chatting with Su Xingyao, who had just arrived.

“Earlier, we were all busy with games and didn’t get a chance to ask you—Xingyao, do you specialize in singing or acting?”

Shi Hongyu asked this because he didn’t know Su Xingyao very well and wanted to get to know him quickly.

He didn’t mean anything bad by asking, but the black fans in the comments were absolutely delighted.

After all, compared to everyone else, Su Xingyao was the one with the least work under his belt.

【Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter, Senior Shi, are you implying that Su Xingyao has no work?】

【He doesn’t specialize in singing or acting, he specializes in how to cause trouble.】

The haters were staring at Su Xingyao, trying to see some signs of embarrassment on his face.

However, Su Xingyao remained composed and natural, responding to Shi Hongyu, “I’ve acted in a TV drama before, but maybe you haven’t seen it, senior.”

Shi Hongyu wasn’t foolish either. Upon hearing Su Xingyao’s response, he didn’t continue asking.

Soon, everyone arrived in the city.

Shi Hongyu parked the car by the roadside, hesitating about where to go to buy the necessary items.

Tong An’an, who had little life experience since debuting as an idol, suggested, “Let’s go to the supermarket, it has everything.”

However, Su Xingyao offered a new suggestion.

“Our budget is only 300 yuan, let’s go to the market instead. It’s cheaper there.”

Tong An’an suddenly realized, “Oh, right, we should go to the market. Sorry, sorry, I always shop at the supermarket, I completely forgot we could go to the market.”

Shi Hongyu, who was already financially independent, smiled, “Actually, I didn’t think of the market either… hahaha, it’s been years since I’ve been, let’s go check it out.”

He rolled down the window and asked a passerby for directions, quickly finding the nearby large market.

The market had various stalls, and since it was still a while before closing time, it wasn’t too crowded yet.

Both Shi Hongyu and Tong An’an clearly hadn’t done much of their own shopping. They picked up vegetables, glanced at them, but didn’t really know how to compare which ones were better.

On the other hand, Su Xingyao, who had the phone provided by the production team, asked the group about their preferences in the chat, and then expertly led the two through the market.

Since someone wanted fish, they first headed to the seafood section.

As soon as they arrived, a stall owner greeted them warmly.

Tong An’an, not sure how to choose fish, looked at the fish, which all seemed similar, and asked how much they cost.

The owner eagerly quoted a price.

Feeling that the price wasn’t too high, Tong An’an was about to buy a fish.

But Su Xingyao gently shook his head.

“Let’s check out the next stall.”

Without explaining why, Su Xingyao led Tong An’an away, and the haters in the comments started mocking him again.

【What’s he doing?】

【Why doesn’t he want Tong An’an to buy it?】

【What’s he pretending at, Su Xingyao?】

Su Xingyao couldn’t see the comments and couldn’t respond.

However, the viewers soon realized that he was carefully inspecting each seafood stall in the area.

Before long, he found another stall tucked away in a corner.

Soon, he found another stall in a slightly more secluded corner.

After asking the vendor for the price, Tong An’an realized that although the price was exactly the same as the previous stall, the fish here were much livelier.

These fish are way better than the ones I found earlier!

“Wow, Xingyao, you can cook, right?” Tong An’an was a little surprised. She hadn’t expected anyone among them to actually know how to cook.

Su Xingyao nodded. “When I was in school, I mostly cooked for myself.”

Shi Hongyu, who automatically understood this as meaning that Su Xingyao cooked for himself during university, praised him in surprise. “That’s impressive, being able to cook for yourself…”

While they were talking, the vendor had already weighed the fish.

“1.62 kilograms.”

The math-challenged Shi Hongyu glanced at the scale and immediately took out his phone to calculate the price. “13 yuan per jin, 1.62 kilograms… let me figure out how much that costs.”

He was punching numbers into the calculator one by one, but Su Xingyao had already blurted out the correct price and began haggling with the vendor.

“42.12 yuan, how about 40 yuan?”

The vendor, still looking at his calculator, gave Su Xingyao a puzzled glance, made a waiting gesture, and continued pressing the buttons.

A few seconds later, the mechanical female voice from the calculator announced the number—exactly the same as Su Xingyao’s.

“42.12.”

Shi Hongyu, who hadn’t finished entering the numbers yet, was stunned.

The viewers were equally shocked.

【???? Su Xingyao is calculating so fast!】

【Is he doing mental math?? There’s even a decimal point, it’s not that easy to calculate…】

【Holy cow, he’s so skilled at haggling with the vendor… He must be a regular at the market.】

After the vendor finished his calculation, he agreed to Su Xingyao’s price.

Once the fish was bought, Tong An’an and Shi Hongyu had realized Su Xingyao’s expertise at the market, and naturally, they followed him around, listening to everything he said.

Next, Su Xingyao led them to buy some meat and vegetables.

The viewers gradually noticed that Su Xingyao was very good at comparing prices and choosing items. While shopping, he patiently explained to Shi Hongyu and Tong An’an how to pick vegetables and how to shop most cost-effectively.

With Su Xingyao leading, their group ended up buying some of the best value ingredients in the entire market.

By the time they finished shopping, they had bought a lot of vegetables, meat, and rice, but had only spent a little over 100 yuan.

【Bow down to the shopping king.】

【The way he haggles is just like my mom, suddenly feeling like celebrities are so relatable to our everyday lives.】

【I thought this segment would be boring, but Su Xingyao taught me so many shopping tips! Now I just want to go to the market and practice what I learned.】

【To be honest, as someone who often shops for groceries, I can tell Su Xingyao definitely shops at the market regularly. The variety of items he bought was a lot, but it wasn’t random. He bought according to the food consumption of six people.】

【Wow, I didn’t expect such attention to detail…】

The haters, seeing all the praise for Su Xingyao, wanted to rebut but couldn’t, since they didn’t even know how to shop for groceries. In the end, they had to keep quiet.

Originally, Shi Hongyu thought that the 300 yuan would be enough to buy some meat, rice, and vegetables, but to his surprise, there was still over a hundred yuan left. He suggested using the remaining money to buy some fruit and crayfish for everyone.

The other two had no objections and headed toward a nearby fruit vendor.

In order to stay close to everyday life, no cameraman followed them while they shopped for groceries. Everyone wore masks and hats, with hidden cameras pinned on them, so they weren’t easily noticed.

Tong An’an stopped in front of a fruit stall and picked up a bunch of grapes. “Xiangxiang should like these. Let’s buy some.”

She then asked the vendor for a bag and began packing them.

The grapes were 10 yuan per jin, and Tong An’an didn’t dare to buy too many. After estimating the amount needed for six people, she handed the bag to the vendor.

The vendor enthusiastically placed the bag on the scale. “Young lady, three jin two liang.”

He then handed the grapes to Tong An’an and generously lowered the price. “I’ll charge you 30 yuan. Come often and take care of my business!”

Just as Tong An’an was about to take the grapes, Su Xingyao reached out his hand. “I’ll carry them.”

He took the grapes from the vendor, weighed them in his hand, and asked, “Boss, are you sure this is 3 jin 2 liang?”

The vendor smiled broadly. “Of course, of course. We’ve been selling here for over ten years, and we’ve never cheated anyone.”

Su Xingyao smiled and asked him, “Really?”

The vendor confidently replied, “Really.”

Since Su Xingyao had done a great job buying ingredients earlier, Shi Hongyu handed him the money to take care of.

The viewers, watching Su Xingyao ask the vendor about the weight without paying, grew impatient and began mocking him.

【What’s Su Xingyao doing?】

【Why is he taking so long to pay?】

After hearing the vendor’s words, Su Xingyao didn’t say much else. Instead, he pulled out the phone given to him by the production team.

It was just a bare phone—no case or anything.

Su Xingyao shook the phone and asked the vendor, “Boss, can I use your scale to weigh this phone?”

“This phone weighs 250 grams.”

The vendor’s expression suddenly showed signs of nervousness.

However, before the vendor could react, Shi Hongyu had already placed the phone given to him by the production team onto the scale.

The scale showed 380 grams.

After seeing the number, Shi Hongyu became a bit angry. “Boss, this scale seems to be off.”

With that one sentence, the vendor, who had been so confident before, immediately changed his expression. He quickly snatched the grapes back.

“I’m not selling it anymore. Go away, please.”

Seeing the vendor’s guilty look, the audience finally understood what Su Xingyao had been trying to do.

【???】

【Fake scale?】

【This scale actually has a problem?】

【Holy crap, how did Su Xingyao figure that out…】

After Su Xingyao exposed the fake scale, the vendor, furious, quickly kicked them out.

However, Tong An’an and Shi Hongyu weren’t angry at all. Instead, they looked at Su Xingyao with admiration.

“How did you notice that?”

Su Xingyao shrugged and weighed the grapes in his hand. “I felt the weight wasn’t right, it was too light.”

Shi Hongyu, who normally never paid attention to such things, immediately gave Su Xingyao a thumbs-up. “Wow…”

It was really impressive… He could tell there was a problem just by weighing it.

Tong An’an had completely transformed into a fan of Su Xingyao. With a curious and admiring look, she asked, “Is our phone really 250 grams?”

Su Xingyao took out the phone and showed it to Tong An’an. “This is the phone I’m using, the bare phone weighs 250 grams. I’ve weighed it before.”

Tong An’an: !!!!!!!!

“Xingyao, how did you think of all this!!!”

Because the first shop had a fake scale, Tong An’an and Shi Hongyu became more cautious in the next few stores.

Each time they bought something, no matter how sincere the vendor acted or how confidently they promised a discount, they would test the weight with their phones.

But once they started testing, they were shocked.

It turned out that not only the first store had a problem, but out of the next several fruit shops they visited, seven or eight out of ten had the same issue…

There were just so many vendors using fake scales in the area. After realizing this, the trio stopped caring about buying fruit and turned into a “fraud-fighting trio,” testing each vendor they came across.

They discovered that, aside from fruit stands, shops selling braised food, crayfish, and other items also had varying degrees of fake scales.

“These vendors are so dishonest…” Tong An’an was astonished.

If Su Xingyao hadn’t been there, they would have been scammed by every shop they visited.

She had roughly calculated earlier, and she found that buying 100 yuan worth of items would result in the vendor overcharging them by at least 30 yuan due to the fake scales…

After watching Su Xingyao’s operation, the audience in front of the screen flooded the comments with “666” (a symbol of admiration).

【Holy crap, I didn’t know fake scales could make such a difference. No wonder everything always feels so expensive when I buy stuff. I must have wasted so much money before!!】

【I’ve never paid attention to the fake scale issue with these vendors. Thanks to Su Xingyao for educating us on spotting frauds today.】

【I came to watch a variety show, but unexpectedly it turned into a fraud-busting show.】

【What a positive energy show, hahaha!】

【Anyone else, like me, immediately went to weigh their phone after watching this episode?】

【I did! My phone weighs 230 grams. Thanks to Su Xingyao, I now know how to spot fake scales. I’ll tell my mom later, so we’ll never be tricked by these dishonest vendors again!】

【Sisters, who gets it? Su Xingyao is really something else. He’s like a mobile scale, just picking things up and knowing instantly if the scale is right or not. Basically, if he says there’s a problem, it really is a problem!】

【Hahahahaha, Su Xingyao is awesome! Did you come from the market regulation bureau? Such a professional fraud-busting attitude!】

【I came here to buy fruit, but unexpectedly it turned into a market cleanup mission, hahahaha!】

【Su Xingyao is a treasure! Please participate in more variety shows in the future!】

After the group finished testing the scales, Su Xingyao called the local market regulation bureau.

Then the three of them drove back home.

When they arrived at the small courtyard, the other three had already returned.

Before they had a chance to ask why the trio was so late, they were shocked by the bags full of stuff they brought back.

“Did you really buy all of this with just three hundred yuan?!”

Feng Han looked at the pile of ingredients in disbelief.

“Director, are you sure you didn’t give them extra money?”

Tong An’an, who had been dying to share the story, immediately waved her hand when she saw Feng Han’s surprise.

“We really spent just three hundred yuan!!!”

She then excitedly added, “But!!! Please let me tell you all about our experience today—Xingyao is just sooo, sooo, sooo amazing!!!”

Tong An’an then animatedly recounted everything that had happened that day.

As everyone listened with rapt attention, Su Xingyao, in a completely unexpected way, quickly gained viral fame.

As soon as the episode aired, the hashtag #SuXingyaoAreYouFromTheMarketRegulationBureau# immediately trended on social media.

The segment where he exposed the fake scales was widely shared on various short-video platforms, going viral across the internet.

That very evening, a nationwide, grassroots anti-fraud movement quietly began, all sparked by Su Xingyao.

Just like that, Su Xingyao’s name became known to countless netizens in a strange and unexpected way.

References

References
1 “24G internet speed” is a playful exaggeration often used online to describe someone who is extremely fast and skilled at navigating the internet, staying updated with trends, or finding information.
2 “Flying guests” is a term often used in Chinese variety shows to refer to guest participants who join the program temporarily for a single episode or a limited number of episodes, as opposed to regular cast members who are part of the show throughout the season. It emphasizes their short-term or “in-and-out” participation, akin to “flying in” for a brief appearance.
3 “Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang three times” refers to a famous story from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a classic Chinese historical novel. “Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang three times” symbolizes perseverance and respect in seeking talent. It refers to Liu Bei’s repeated visits to convince the reclusive Zhuge Liang to join him as a strategist, demonstrating sincerity and determination.
4 “useless bronze-level” is a playful expression derived from gaming culture, particularly from ranked systems in competitive games. In many games, “bronze” is one of the lowest ranks, often associated with beginners or players with poor performance.
1 comment
  1. Motherless has spoken 4 weeks ago

    I wonder if these kind of shows live stream all day? Maybe they release an official cut later, but it’s hard for me to imagine that

    Reply

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