Turning Things Around

Xuan Zhe knew Wen Shuang was recklessly heading back to the hospital. He couldn't understand why the young man insisted on it. It was as if that punch hadn't scared him senseless afterward. He could only attribute it to the great power of a "prodigal son returning to the right path."

In truth, Wen Shuang was scared to death. Every trip to the hospital felt like scouting the place out, and he constantly worried he'd run into Yu Feng and get his brains punched out.

But the more he feared it, the more likely it became. Once the initial days of busyness had passed, Yu Feng found time to care for his mother at the hospital. Seeing the nutritional supplements piled in the corner, he knew Wen Shuang came by every few days. Sometimes, if he arrived early, he would ask the nurse at the front desk about it. If Wen Shuang was there, he would sit in the park and wait, sparing them both the awkwardness of meeting.

Yu Feng could no longer describe how he felt. Wen Shuang had been the one to send him plunging into the abyss, and Wen Shuang had also been the one to reach out and pull him back when he was desperate. Was this man really that obsessed with playing the "savior"?

After finishing a cigarette, Yu Feng figured Wen Shuang had probably left and got up to go upstairs. Who knew that the moment he pushed open the door, he would bump squarely into the person inside?

Before Yu Feng could react, Wen Shuang's first move was to cover his head. In a muffled voice, he said, "Don't hit my face!" They were recording the show tomorrow.

Yu Feng: "..."

Yu Feng stared at that fluffy head of hair. There was a small cowlick at the crown, making him look neat and well-behaved. Well-behaved, my ass! An inexplicable rage flared in Yu Feng's chest. He pushed Wen Shuang away, not even daring to use much force. That punch the other day had made this guy "cough up blood." If he shoved him hard enough to crack a bone, judging from Xuan Zhe's attitude, he definitely wouldn't let it go.

He actually hadn't hit him! Wen Shuang instinctively felt himself over. All intact!

"Um..." Wen Shuang lowered his voice. "The doctor said Auntie is calcium-deficient. I'm recording tomorrow, so should I buy some supplements the day after?"

Yu Feng's face darkened. "If you don't leave now, I'll beat you up!"

Wen Shuang fled at once, but once outside, he broke into a smile. He could feel it—Yu Feng wasn't as angry anymore. That was a good thing.

They were recording tomorrow, and the first episode aired today. This would be the format from now on. Timing it this way would also allow them to release some behind-the-scenes clips and keep the show's popularity steady.

Since Jiang Ning was participating, fans had long been sitting in front of their computers, eagerly waiting. Wen Shuang had only learned by coincidence that Jiang Ning was Jiang Suqing's younger brother. Then the rumored sponsor who had been heavily backing Jiang Ning needed no explanation—it was Xuan Zhe. Given Xuan Zhe's relationship with Jiang Suqing, he naturally had a good relationship with Jiang Ning too. Looking after him was no trouble at all.

Sure enough, the big-money backer he'd chosen was freaking awesome! Thinking this, Wen Shuang got into a car back to the company. He was so sleepy in the taxi that he nodded off, naturally unaware of the reaction the show's broadcast was causing online. He knew even less that he had made the trending searches, under the tag #Don't Step on the 700 Yuan#.

Wen Shuang looked great on camera, and even Xuan Zhe, watching the show in his office, had to admit it. The young man stood out effortlessly under the camera without any lighting. The cameraman clearly favored him too, capturing him several times. They were all ordinary people, and Fengsheng Media's Wu Tan had even started building hype two weeks in advance. Photos of the "best-looking ordinary person" had been "accidentally" leaked, already attracting a group of looks-based fans. But compared to Wen Shuang in motion, he still fell far short.

Ordinary people often had an air that seemed deliberately put on, like they were wearing a mask. But Wen Shuang was incredibly real. He genuinely felt heartbroken over those seven hundred yuan, making the viewers roar with laughter.

[Is it just me, or did Wu Tan deliberately step on Wen Shuang's shoe?]

[It's not just you. He did it on purpose. Didn't you see how furious Wu Tan looked after the host gave Wen Shuang the camera time? He even rolled his eyes. Fuck, he looks so ugly when he rolls his eyes. And he's supposed to be the best-looking ordinary person? I'm gonna puke.]

[Turning from a passerby into an anti. I originally thought he was a pretty decent young guy, but he's pulling this kind of low trick.]

[Heh, Wu Tan doesn't need you people as fans, okay? I think Wen Shuang is the real white lotus, acting all innocent. Those steps were steep, and even the host admitted it. Stop spinning conspiracies about Wu Tan.]

After the brief argument, attention returned to Jiang Ning. As a representative of the new generation of idols, his acting was solid and he sang well. He had developed in every area and achieved some results in all of them, so naturally his fans were proud. The bullet comments and comment section were nearly flooded by Jiang Ning's fans, with only a small portion belonging to Chen Zong's fans.

When it came time for the buckle-unfastening segment, Jiang Ning lived up to expectations and took first place. Just as the trending topic praising Jiang Ning was about to rise, some viewers scrutinized the footage frame by frame. The female host had blocked Wen Shuang but not Chen Zong. In the second after the camera moved away, the slipknots in Chen Zong's hands went from only one being undone to just the final one remaining. What did that mean? Chen Zong had to be an octopus! But that was obviously impossible, which meant the only possibility... everyone turned their attention to Wen Shuang again.

[Hmm... I compared the slipknots in Chen Zong's hands afterward with Jiang Ning's. Chen Zong's side seemed to be progressing faster, but Chen Zong wasn't the one undoing them. In other words, the real first place was actually the ordinary participant, Wen Shuang?]

[Fuck! This little brother is really amazing!]

[Come on, ordinary participants are there to be foils for celebrities. I thought everyone knew that. Why make such a fuss? Wen Shuang and Chen Zong are both from Power One. Does Wen Shuang not want to keep working if he dares steal Chen Zong's spotlight?]

That comment directly sparked a war on multiple fronts. Jiang Ning's fans had been proudly celebrating their idol's first place, only for someone to claim it wasn't his; Chen Zong's fans believed their idol had undone the knots through his own ability, and even if he were an octopus, what the hell did it have to do with anyone else? Both sides went after Wen Shuang, only to discover... Wen Shuang had no fans at all. They had picked a fight with thin air.

Then Jiang Ning's fans and Chen Zong's fans stared at each other, testing the waters, only to discover neither side was any good. One side called the other shameless for needing an ordinary participant's help, while the other called them hypocrites, saying that if their idol hadn't lit up later, he should have been first too. Soon, watermelon rinds and rotten bananas were flying across the public feed, and the verbal battle never stopped.

Xuan Zhe had originally considered making a call to set the PR team in motion, but Wen Shuang seemed to have cheats enabled. Somehow, he withdrew from the dispute entirely and even gained a small group of... older-sister fans and mom fans.

His looks were naturally endearing, and the whole seven-hundred-yuan affair inexplicably gave him the inspiring air of a poor young man who was thrifty and positive. On top of that, the company had "interfered," making him give up first place to Chen Zong despite being the first to undo the slipknots. He was both pitiful and adorable, making it easy to awaken some people's maternal instincts.

The moment Wen Shuang entered the company, he ran into several acquaintances from the neighboring department. When two young women saw him, their eyes lit up. They forcibly stuffed a bottle of yogurt into his hands. Wen Shuang liked drinking it, and after declining twice, he accepted it with a smile, trotting out his catchphrase: "Thank you, pretty sister. Sister, hugs!"

"Hugs!" The young women looked as if they had hit the jackpot. They were indescribably satisfied as they left, refreshed and glowing.

The moment he entered the office, Fang Su was already waiting. Seeing Wen Shuang, she immediately opened her arms. "Come on, let big sister hug you!"

Wen Shuang: "?"