Chapter 56

Ye Chen’s heart warmed, almost to the point of aching, as he apologized, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to think badly of you. It’s just… you might have some misconceptions about me.”

Reflecting on his memories, Ye Chen realized that Shen Mofeng had two major misconceptions about his “identity.” These misunderstandings were tied to other secrets that Ye Chen couldn’t fully disclose. But letting Shen Mofeng continue to believe he was a wealthy young master of equal status made Ye Chen anxious to the point of losing sleep.

After all, his level of poverty was significantly vast.

So Ye Chen thought for a moment and decided to address the issues indirectly, “There was a time on the set of ‘Wending’ when you overheard me on the phone. I said I had a falling out with my family and refused to inherit the family business. That wasn’t true.”

Shen Mofeng’s eyes flickered slightly, “What part wasn’t true?”

Ye Chen selectively confessed, “It’s true that my relationship with my family isn’t good, but I never had a family business to inherit. I was joking with the person on the phone and didn’t expect you to overhear. Back then, I didn’t know you well and didn’t think we’d have so much interaction in the future, so I didn’t explain right away. I’m sorry.”

“That’s it?” Shen Mofeng said nonchalantly, “It’s a small matter, no need to apologize.”

“There’s one more thing,” Ye Chen continued, selectively confessing again, “The courtyard house I live in is technically mine, but I don’t have the rights to dispose of it. I actually… don’t have much money.”

After a few seconds of silence, Shen Mofeng gently rubbed Ye Chen’s face with his thumb, softening his tone, “Is that really it? You’re afraid I’d be disappointed thinking you’re a rich young master, only to find out you’re not?”

Ye Chen nodded slightly.

“What’s there to be disappointed about,” Shen Mofeng chuckled, “I’m not pursuing you to marry into a wealthy family. Do I need to look at that when choosing a boyfriend?”

Ye Chen suddenly recalled a famous statement by a well-known rich second generation—”I don’t care if my friends have money, they don’t have as much as I do anyway.”

Ye Chen felt a sharp blow and vomited blood, “I just didn’t want you to misunderstand.”

“I did misunderstand before, but it doesn’t matter,” Shen Mofeng took Ye Chen’s hand in his palm, playing with it absentmindedly, then smiled sheepishly, “I used to avoid talking about this because I didn’t want you to think I was disrespecting you. Since we’re on the topic today, I’ll just say it outright. Don’t overthink it, even if you don’t need it.”

Ye Chen felt uneasy, “What do you mean?”

Shen Mofeng lowered his voice, making it deep and gentle, trying to sound sincere and distinguish himself from a nouveau riche using money to win over a star, “If you need any resources, just tell me directly. If you need money, let me know. If there’s something you like, send me a picture…” Seeing Ye Chen’s resistance, Shen Mofeng smiled, “It’ll save me the trouble of picking out gifts for you.”

Ye Chen shook his head so vigorously it looked like it might fly off, firmly resisting the capitalist’s sugar-coated cannonballs. “I won’t ask you for any of that, and you don’t need to pick out gifts for me.”

“Don’t be nervous, I’m not forcing you to make demands,” Shen Mofeng chuckled, raising his hand to stop Ye Chen’s frantic head-shaking. “I don’t know your current situation, your family’s situation, your own financial situation, or if you’re facing any difficulties right now… Can you tell me about these things?”

Ye Chen hesitated, “My situation is quite complicated. It’s not convenient to explain in detail right now.”

Shen Mofeng’s mind instantly played through dozens of melodramatic family dramas.

“I won’t ask. Tell me when you’re ready,” Shen Mofeng smiled slightly. “But I want to let you know what I’m willing to do for you. Whether or not you use my help, and to what extent, is up to you… I like you and don’t want you to suffer anymore. Do you understand?”

Ye Chen felt warm all over, as if he were basking in sunlight, and replied softly, “… I understand.”

Ye Chen’s character ensured that at worst, he’d quietly take small advantages, but he’d never directly ask Shen Mofeng, with whom he hadn’t even confirmed their relationship, for money or resources. Though he wouldn’t ask, the kindness from Shen Mofeng moved him deeply. For someone starved of affection, the greatest fear was unconditional kindness. Shen Mofeng was striking while the iron was hot, reaping all the rewards.

Shen Mofeng observed Ye Chen’s expression, his lips curving knowingly, but he only said, “Let’s sleep… We have to get up early tomorrow.”

“Okay, good night, Shen Ge.” Ye Chen wrapped himself in the blanket and lay down.

Shen Mofeng moved his pillow next to Ye Chen’s, seeking permission, “I want to hold you while we sleep, through the blanket.”

Ye Chen whispered, “You can hold me.”

Shen Mofeng then lay down next to Ye Chen, wrapping him, blanket and all, in his arms.

Ye Chen closed his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

The next day, after a simple breakfast, the nine guests changed into rubber boots and loose one-piece fishing outfits. They gathered by a fish pond, waiting for the planning team to start the day’s activities.

This morning, Ye Chen took advantage of the washing up time to go through the arbitrary door that Hundun Cub had set up in the bathroom to check on things at home. Taotie Cub was still sound asleep, and the cracks on its bubble hadn’t noticeably increased. It seemed unlikely it would wake up today.

But even if it did, Ye Chen wasn’t worried. He glanced at the neatly stacked ten bags of rice and ten bags of flour along the north wall of the kitchen and felt reassured.

…

By the fish pond, Zhang Qin loudly asked, “Before today’s task begins, I want to ask each guest a question—did you all have enough for breakfast?”

“Not only full, but I also hid three steamed buns,” Gu Youyou replied confidently.

Ye Chen raised his hand and fist-bumped her in sync, “I hid three boiled eggs.”

Shen Mofeng: “…”

“Hahaha, Ye Chen and Youyou are quite clever,” Zhang Qin laughed. “But today’s task doesn’t require dividing into groups. Instead, all nine guests need to work together to complete it. Today, Uncle Liu won’t be preparing lunch for you, nor will he provide any free ingredients. All the assets you have are the baskets on your backs, the fishing nets in your hands, and this fish pond in front of you—the show has rented this pond for you, so you can fish to your heart’s content.”

“So, we just eat fish for lunch?” Zhou Yu asked.

“Sorry, but just eating fish isn’t allowed,” Zhang Qin said, slowly laying out the challenge. “We are currently in a province renowned for its cuisine. To give you a taste of the local specialty dishes, the show has researched the authentic recipes for four local dishes. Your task today is to personally prepare Huadiao Chicken ^[1]Shaoxing Yellow Wine Chicken, Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetables, Double-Skin Milk, and Ting Zai Congee.”

Zhou Yu was dumbfounded, “Isn’t that just fish? How do we make four dishes?”

Ye Chen murmured softly, “Sell the fish to buy ingredients.”

This touched on his area of expertise!

“Ye Chen is right,” Zhang Qin revealed the main point. “You can take the fish you catch to the market in town to sell, or you can barter with the local villagers for the ingredients you need. If you can’t trade fish for what you want…” Zhang Qin turned and pointed to the distant, sprawling green mountains.

Ye Chen chimed in, “The mountain has everything.”

The guests: “…”

“Exactly,” Zhang Qin continued, “you can find everything in the mountains. If you think foraging there is more convenient than selling fish, you can invite Uncle Liu to be your guide.”

The guests waved their hands, “No, no, no.”

Zhang Qin smiled and said, “In short, you can use any means necessary to gather the ingredients for the four dishes. The only rule is that you cannot, under any circumstances, use your celebrity status to beg for ingredients by saying things like ‘I’m a star filming a show, can you give me some ingredients?’ Violating this rule will accumulate penalties. Once you reach a certain number of violations, our devilish planners will introduce even tougher challenges in future episodes. So, try your best to avoid breaking the rule.”

With their fishing nets in hand, the guests entered the water.

The nets they used were different from the large-scale fishing nets. These were more like butterfly nets, with a pole and a net basket at the end, making the fishing process more interesting and engaging.

The hardcore show crew didn’t make any modifications to the fish pond, aiming to capture the most authentic moments of the celebrities struggling. The fish were lively and energetic. Shen Mofeng, quick-eyed and quick-handed, was the first to catch one. Just as he was thinking about redeeming himself in front of the young ones after being disgusted by worms the previous day, the fat and healthy fish suddenly leaped out of the net. With a twist of its body and a flick of its tail, it slapped Shen Mofeng hard across the face and then splashed back into the water.

“Fu…” Shen Mofeng swallowed his curse, holding the side of his now-reddened handsome face, staring in disbelief at the rippling water surface.

The first slap of his life wasn’t from Chen Chen, but from a fish! Old Rogue Shen couldn’t accept this!

“Hahahahaha!” “Are you okay? Hahaha!” “Hahaha, this fish is too fierce!” The young celebrities couldn’t care less about their status and laughed until they were out of breath.

“Are you okay, Shen Ge?” Ye Chen was the only one not laughing. He quickly waded through the water to pry Shen Mofeng’s hand away from his face. Seeing that it was just a bit red, he finally started laughing.

He could be considered quite conscientious!

Seeing Shen Mofeng’s embarrassment, Ye Chen suppressed his smile, patted him on the shoulder, and comforted him, “It’s normal. Actually, I often get beaten up by my fish too.”

Being kicked by the Ranyi fish could leave bruises for days!

If it slapped him across the face, it would surely disfigure him!

Shen Mofeng felt a faint sense of relief, “You’re willing to say anything to comfort me, huh…”

“Really.” Ye Chen chuckled, slinging the fishing net over his shoulder, and started circling around Shen Mofeng with his head down, “That fish was so big, it must be the king of the pond… Let me avenge you.”

Where’s the fish that slapped my Brother Shen? Ye Chen unleashed the power of Fuxi, intimidating all the fish in the pond.

The main effect of the Fuxi bloodline was to accelerate the growth of livestock, but its beast-taming abilities were quite limited. Ye Chen had no chance to tame ordinary beasts, and Ranyi fish, being spirit beasts, were not significantly affected by the Fuxi bloodline. They wouldn’t willingly die even if Ye Chen ordered them to… so he could only show off to the regular fish in the pond.

Suddenly, a white flash appeared under the murky water. It was the fish that had slapped him, now surrendering under the pressure of the Fuxi power. Ye Chen didn’t hold back; he scooped it up, grabbed the net, and trapped it before handing it over to Shen Mofeng, saying, “Judging by the size, it’s probably this one. Do you want to hit back?”

The fish, which was full of survival instinct moments ago, now lay quietly in Ye Chen’s hands like a salted fish.

“…” Shen Mofeng, “No need.”

“Is this fish dead?” Gu Youyou came over, “It’s not dead, right? Why is it so obedient?”

“It’s not being obedient,” Ye Chen said with a hint of threat in his voice.

The big fish in the net immediately started flopping around!

Ye Chen mercilessly threw the cooperative fish into his basket and continued fishing. The continuous power of the Fuxi bloodline spread throughout the pond, drawing fish of all sizes from all directions. While the other guests were making a racket trying to catch a small fish, Ye Chen was selectively fishing, tossing the small ones back into the water with a look of disdain.

“Oh my god! Ye Chen has already caught half a basket!” Suddenly, Gu Youyou screamed.

The other guests rushed over, staring at Ye Chen’s basket in shock and envy.

“How did you do that?!”

“Ye Chen has been diligently fishing the whole time while you guys were just playing around…”

Gu Youyou peeked into Shen Mofeng’s basket in disbelief, “Teacher Shen’s basket is full too!”

Shen Mofeng casually replied, “I’m carrying Ye Chen’s fish.” His tone carried a hint of pride.

The other guests, who had only managed to catch three fish at most, were immediately demoralized.

“Wow—this isn’t just diligence, it’s total domination!”

“Ye Chen, did you hide your true identity? Are you actually a merman prince who can control fish…”

“I can believe Ye Chen is a merman prince. He has a princely demeanor when he’s not fishing or farming.”

“Nothing special, just skilled techniques.” Ye Chen smiled into the camera, dimples showing, and gave a reasonable explanation, “I’ve raised fish in the small pond in my yard.”

Gu Youyou started counting on her fingers, “Okay, let’s summarize: we know Ye Chen has grown flowers, fruit trees, and peanuts in his yard, and he’s raised fish in a small pond. So, just how big is Ye Chen’s yard compared to the lemons we’re about to eat…”

The guests were stunned for a moment before collectively expressing lemon ^[2]Jealousy/Envy essence sounds!

“I’m so sour…”

“Oh my god, I want to visit Ye Chen’s house.”

Ye Chen, full of humility, waved his hands and quickly changed the subject.

Next, the other guests huddled around Ye Chen, watching as he moved gracefully and efficiently, catching fish with every attempt. He placed the fish into the other guests’ baskets, and easily and happily lead the whole scene with his own strength.

The morning had barely passed, and Ye Chen had already emptied the fish pond, with each guest’s basket at least half-filled with fish.

Considering the guests needed to go to town to sell the fish, the show thoughtfully provided an electric tricycle, which looked almost identical to the one in Ye Chen’s courtyard, except for the color.

“Uh… does anyone know how to ride this?” Zhou Yu hesitated as he placed buckets of fish in the truck bed. “It’s probably similar to riding a bicycle, right? If no one else dares, I’ll give it a try.”

“Riding this is actually harder if you know how to ride a bicycle,” Ye Chen hopped onto the tricycle. Not wanting Zhou Yu to feel overshadowed, he patiently explained, “Turning and balancing on two wheels versus three is different. People used to riding bicycles have an automatic balance reflex, so switching to a tricycle can be more awkward than for those who’ve never ridden a bike.”

Shen Mofeng chuckled, “You even know this?”

Could it be… he’s ridden one before?

Shen Mofeng suddenly recalled Ye Chen’s words from last night.

He had done all kinds of work, afraid Shen Mofeng would look down on him…

Admitting to having ridden a tricycle might be too unusual for an artist. After a brief hesitation, Ye Chen smiled confidently at the camera and opted for a more dignified explanation, “Well, I’m interested in all things mechanical.”

Seeders, plows, combine harvesters…

They’re all mechanical, so it’s true that he’s interested in them.

“Not everyone needs to go; half can stay behind. There’s not enough room for all of us, and the rest can trade the fish not loaded onto the tricycle with the villagers,” Gu Youyou suggested. “I’ll go with Ye Chen to sell the fish. Who else wants to come?”

Zhou Yu and another young male idol raised their hands.

“I’ll go too,” Shen Mofeng said.

Ye Chen, worried that Shen Mofeng might find it embarrassing to set up a stall, quickly urged, “It’s okay if you stay behind.”

“I’ll go with you.” Shen Mofeng lifted his long leg and stepped into the tricycle’s truck bed, finding a spot among the fish-filled buckets without any fuss.

The other three squeezed into the truck bed as well, and the tricycle sped off smoothly under Ye Chen’s skillful handling.

The show’s planners, who had anticipated the guests making a fool of themselves riding the tricycle, were stunned: 

“This young idol, what’s his deal?!”

Catching fish and farming is one thing, but riding a tricycle this well too?

Ye Chen, speeding down the country road on the tricycle, laughed maniacally to himself:

Old Thief Producers, didn’t see that coming, right? 

Dad the King—no, the deceased has returned! ^[3]Play on words. 爸爸王者……不，亡者归来了！- 王 (King) 者(One who is). And then he changed it to 亡 (Die) 者(One who is). Both words are wang zhe. Similar pronunciation different … Continue reading “

The author has something to say:

Ye Qionqiong: The original Ye Chen is dead; now I am Niohuru ^[4]Prominent Machnu Clan. The clan has produced many famous and powerful people throughout history. I think Ye Chen is referring to himself like this to show he’s come back stronger and more powerful … Continue reading Chen. 🙂

The almost forgotten Fuxi Power is back online…

Although it still isn’t very useful… (.