If Xie Chen Weren't Such an Eyesore, It Would Be Even Better!

Morning sunlight bathed the backward village.

The smell of manure lingered at the tip of his nose.

And—

The breathtakingly beautiful face before him.

Xie Chen did find it somewhat familiar, like a memory sealed away in some dusty corner that he could not recall for the moment.

However, he did not dwell on it. Warily putting some distance between himself and Huo Wenye, he said, "I remember the production team has a rule that guests can't interact with observers. Sorry, but to avoid suspicion, I should get going first."

With that, Xie Chen moved to leave.

Unexpectedly, Huo Wenye was faster, stepping in front of him and looming over him with his half-head height advantage. "What rule? Why haven't I heard of it? Aren't you looking for breakfast vouchers? I still haven't got my breakfast sorted out. Why don't we go together?"

The esteemed Buddha of Beijing's elite circle was being far too proactive, startling Xie Chen.

He drew his head back, away from the scorching breath, while his mind immediately raced.

What does this big shot mean? This can't be a trap, can it?

Does he know that I know where the breakfast vouchers are, so he came specifically to keep an eye on me?!

Damn it, Huo Wenye wasn't on this show in my previous life. There's no way I could've predicted his moves!

Seeing the resistance written all over Xie Chen's face, Huo Wenye straightened up, a trace of frost appearing on his face. "You don't want to?"

His deep, chilly voice and sharp gaze made Xie Chen instantly understand the unspoken implication: If you don't want to, you must be trying to cheat. And if you're trying to cheat, I'll follow you even more closely.

Xie Chen said, "Then I... do want to?"

The moment the words fell, the overwhelming pressure vanished. Huo Wenye lightly pursed his lips, and a pleased curve flickered at the corner of his mouth before disappearing again. "Good. Let's go."

Seeing this, the livestream comments exploded.

[Was this specially arranged by the director? Are the observers also supervisors? Poor Brother Ye, he actually has to film with the freak he hates most!]

[Brother Ye only films once a year. Usually, he keeps such a low profile that there isn't even any gossip about him. We fans have been waiting so painfully long. Luckily, we can see him in Freak Transformation—he's so handsome it's killing me. It would be even better if Xie Chen weren't such an eyesore!]

[It's probably impossible, but why do I feel like Brother Ye deliberately approached Xie Chen?!]

[Definitely impossible! That assumption is absurd and ridiculous! What the hell is Xie Chen? If Brother Ye weren't completing a task, he wouldn't even spare him a glance!]

[Still, I've never seen Brother Ye this proactive or talkative...]

Naturally, Xie Chen had no idea that Huo Wenye's fans were going wild in the livestream. To avoid arousing suspicion, he turned on his heel and headed in the opposite direction from the breakfast vouchers.

Huo Wenye seemed as if he wanted to say something. His lips parted and moved, but in the end, he silently followed Xie Chen.

After receiving his task, Xie Ran first returned to his room to wake Wei Mingqi.

In his eyes, this gossip-show host had the weakest background, making him the easiest to manipulate and the least risky to offend.

"Brother Wei, it's time to get up. The director is waiting for us to film."

At first, Xie Ran patiently called to him, but there was no reaction from the bed, as though Wei Mingqi were dead asleep.

Gradually, the young master who had been brought back to the Xie Family lost his patience. Sounding helpless, he said, "Brother Wei, if you don't get up, no one will get breakfast. If you really can't wake up, I can only help you."

He turned and walked to the wall, reaching for the washbasin resting on the basin stand in the corner. Before even the cameraman could react, he flung its contents straight onto the bed.

"Fuck, who was that?!" Wei Mingqi shot upright, wiped his face with one hand, and glared at the culprit in confusion and fury. "Are you fucking sick?"

"Sorry, Brother Wei. I called you several times, but you wouldn't wake up. The director was urging us to do the task, so I had no choice..." Xie Ran looked aggrieved and innocent, though cunning and malice hid in his eyes.

Wei Mingqi finally understood. He sneered. "So this is what you do when someone won't wake up?"

He threw back the blanket, put on his slippers, and walked over to Xie Ran. "Come on, I'll go wake the others with you. Let's see what you'll do if they don't wake up! Splash water on them too?!"

The cameraman filming alongside them focused on Wei Mingqi's furious face. Several wet strands of hair hung over his eyes, making him look particularly comical.

[This way of waking someone up is indeed pretty disrespectful. Besides, Xie Ran only called him twice. If someone sleeps deeply, they definitely won't hear it!]

[I keep feeling that Xie Ran did it on purpose. He's not nearly as innocent inside as he looks. He chose Wei Mingqi first because the other guests were harder to offend, right?]

[What eyes did you use to decide Xie Ran did it on purpose?! He called twice and the guy still didn't wake up. Was he supposed to shout through a megaphone all morning? There wasn't even much water in that basin. Does he really need to be this dramatic?!]

[Are people seriously hating just for the sake of hating now? He slept like a dead pig, and they still had to wake him gently? Fuck, if you can do better, go do it!]

Wei Mingqi's words did not bother Xie Ran in the slightest.

So what if you come along?

I'll splash you and not the other guests. What can you do about it?!

An outdated host like you—what kind of storm do you think you can stir up?!

He sneered inwardly, though nothing showed on his face. Looking pitiful, he headed outside and reached the next room after only a few steps.

The staff member had barely unlocked the door with a key when a roar came from inside. "Get lost! I didn't order room service!"

It was Luo Mingyu's voice.

The comments began flooding in again.

[Hahahaha, fuck, the paparazzi really are reliable. Didn't they say last time that Luo Mingyu was either partying at a bar or sleeping in a hotel? Did he wake up confused and forget that he came here to film a show?!]

[What's Xie Ran planning to do this time? Rush in and splash him with a basin of water too? Do you think Luo Mingyu will beat him to death?!]

[Thinking about how Xie Chen picked B now, he really escaped a disaster. These guests are either sleeping like dead pigs or thinking they're in a hotel. They might even file complaints!]

Before Xie Ran could respond, another voice came from the room. "Shut up! If your brain is malfunctioning, get out. Don't disturb other people's sleep!"

It was clearly Li Sifan.

Neither of them seemed easy to mess with.

Xie Ran was feeling troubled when a sinister voice landed in his ear from behind. "Go in. Splash them. Isn't the director in a hurry? Didn't you say you had no choice?"

[Hahaha, I almost forgot there's still a "grim reaper" standing outside. It's like he won't let this go if Xie Ran doesn't splash that basin of water!]

Thus, Xie Ran braced himself and entered the room, calling softly, "Brother Luo, Brother Li, the director wants you to get up and do the task. If you're late, breakfast will..."

Before he could finish, a pillow flew out and smacked Xie Ran squarely in the face.

Xie Father had gotten up early and was watching the show while washing up. Seeing this, he immediately felt both angry and heartbroken. He grabbed his phone and called his eldest son directly.

"How could you let Xiao Ran suffer such grievances on the show?! Does Xie Chen not care?! Is he useless without him?! Send the third one there! It shouldn't be hard to arrange a guest appearance, should it?!"