Chapter 26: Endure!
Li Liren ran off without stopping, as if some great beast was chasing him, leaving Ren Xuan both amused and exasperated.

To be honest, ever since this show went viral, countless people had been scrambling to get on it.

Someone like Li Liren, running from it like the plague, was pretty rare.

She turned back to look at Taoyuan Inn, thinking to herself that among all the participants, the most popular right now wasn’t Li Fan, because she kept a low profile and had no scandals.

But she was undoubtedly the most consistent performer on the show.

Even Ruan Li had her skeletons exposed, but Li Fan remained like an outsider the entire time, unbothered by any controversy.

Just like now — Shen Yuwan was still in her room crying.

After such a humiliating incident, it was likely yet another guest would be dropping out of the show.

“Peach Blossom Spring” seemed to be cursed — permanent guests just weren’t a thing.

Ren Xuan was spot on. At that moment, Shen Yuwan felt like her entire social life had flatlined. Forget the show — she didn’t even want to live anymore.

After crying under the blanket, her stomach started hurting again.

She rushed back into the bathroom and cried even louder.

Right then, her mother Wen Lianxin called.

“Mom! I don’t want to live anymore! I… I pooped myself in front of the cameras… wuwuwu I want to die!”

She couldn’t even say the word out loud — it was too mortifying.

Wen Lianxin had only one daughter, whom she loved deeply. As soon as she saw the disgraceful clips online, she immediately called to comfort her.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry. It happens — we all have emergencies. If you weren’t feeling well, it’s totally understandable. Once the hype dies down, people will forget.”

Shen Yuwan felt utterly helpless. After doing something like that on camera, even the most admired goddess would fall from grace.

“Mom, please get someone to pick me up. I want to go home! I’m done with this show!”

She wished she could just vanish into thin air — anything to avoid opening that door and facing the world.

Wen Lianxin hesitated. “Yuwan, your father thinks… it’s not the right time to quit the show.”

“What?!” Shen Yuwan shrieked.

After everything that happened, how could she possibly show her face on camera again?

“I’m not doing it! Mom, send someone to get me, now! I’m leaving immediately!”

She even forgot she was still sitting on the toilet. She jumped up and paced agitatedly around the bathroom.

Wen Lianxin patiently explained, “Yuwan, think it through. The show is booming right now — this is the perfect time to promote the brand. If you drop out now, you’ll just hand over all that publicity to someone else.”

Shen Yuwan’s face twisted with anger. “Sure, I got the attention, but do you even realize what I paid for it?!”

She literally crapped herself on camera — of course the buzz was high.

Her fake besties in those chat groups were probably laughing their heads off by now.

Seeing her daughter so emotional, Wen Lianxin hit her with the hard truth: “Li Fan, that D-list star, gained over a hundred thousand followers in just a few days! She hasn’t even been in any big controversies and she still got that much exposure. You really want to let her outshine you?”

Mentioning Li Fan lit a fire of resentment in Shen Yuwan.

That girl’s very existence was a sore spot — she was Jiang Rou’s biological daughter, after all.

Even if that secret was only known within the Shen family, it still made Yuwan uneasy.

That’s why, over the years, she had done everything she could to suppress Li Fan.

Someone stuck in the mud like her had no right to stand tall.

Yuwan’s emotions were in complete disarray, and she cried even harder.

“Mom, what am I supposed to do now?!”

Wen Lianxin responded firmly, “You’re going to stay, of course! If you come back now, everyone who wants to laugh at you will get exactly what they want. But if you tough it out, people might actually start to respect you. Yuwan, don’t forget — your mother endured for years to get where I am now. You need to learn this one word: endure.”

Shen Yuwan gritted her teeth. Endure!

Once she became strong enough, no one would dare mock her for this mess.

“I understand, Mom. I’ll stay and continue filming. At the very least, I won’t be the one to leave before Li Fan.”

Wen Lianxin was satisfied — this was the daughter she raised.

…

Li Fan opened Weibo. The show had reached an unprecedented level of buzz.

But someone had compiled the top fifteen trending topics from the past three days — and surprisingly, they were all negative. Not a single wholesome moment.

[I thought it was a hidden paradise, but turns out I just ate a mouthful of forbidden fruit from Eden.]
[This is the first time I’ve seen a variety show explode in such a bizarre way.]
[Out of all the guests, the only ones I actually respect are Li Fan and Ruan Li!]

Some had even started polling viewers to guess who would last until the final day.

Others were speculating whether new guests would arrive tomorrow.

After scrolling for a bit, Li Fan suddenly felt a mischievous urge.

@FanFanNotAnnoying: Mr. Han, your moonlight muse is about to start a CP rumor with Young Master Xiao. Green hat +1.

@FanFanNotAnnoying: Mr. Han, let me treat you to hotpot when I get back — all green ingredients.

@FanFanNotAnnoying: Mr. Han, I think your wheelchair looks dull. How about I repaint it green for you?

Han Xuzhou’s phone dinged over and over — each message like dancing on a grave.

Chen Ji was in a panic. Honestly, it would’ve been better if Li Fan had just sent those texts to him.

Han Xuzhou picked up his phone, ignoring the last two messages, his eyes locking onto the words “moonlight muse.”

He raised his brows. “What’s this moonlight muse thing?”

Though he’d been part of gossip rumors, he didn’t really browse the internet much.

Chen Ji cautiously answered, “Isn’t that Miss Gulan Yi?”

Han Xuzhou casually tossed the phone aside and lifted his eyelids with a slight sneer.

“My moonlight muse is Gulan Yi?”

Chen Ji hesitated, then carefully explained, “People say Miss Gulan Yi is your unattainable first love. Her cool, distant image fits the trope, so they started calling her your moonlight muse. They even say…”

Han Xuzhou tapped the table lightly with his long fingers. “Go on.”

“The gossip circles say you married your wife because she looks like Gulan Yi.”

Han Xuzhou scoffed with disdain. “Are they blind?”

Li Fan and Gulan Yi looked nothing alike.

Chen Ji chuckled. “Entertainment news can twist the dead back to life.”

Still, since Han Xuzhou had played along with the rumor, he naturally wouldn’t bother clarifying it.

Looking at Li Fan’s messages, it was obvious she believed the rumor too.

Chen Ji, as if reading his mind, offered quickly, “Shall I explain it to Madam?”

Han Xuzhou snorted. “Explain?”

Why should he explain anything to Li Fan?

Chen Ji went silent. The heart of a man — unfathomable as the ocean.

He really couldn’t figure out Han Xuzhou anymore.

“How many days are left for Peach Blossom Spring?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment. “Today is day three. There should be four days left.”

Though with the show this hot, it wouldn’t be surprising if they extended it.

“Our company hasn’t had a team-building activity in a while,” Han Xuzhou suddenly said.

Chen Ji: “…Should we go to Yuma Village for team-building?”

Just say you want to go to Yuma Village already.