If You Can Do It, Step Up. If Not, Shut Up

Celebrities who could disregard their public image and slack off as they pleased in the entertainment industry usually had family money to fall back on.

They were the type who could just go home and inherit the family business if they couldn't make it.

Luo Mingyu and Li Sifan were typical examples.

The difference was that the former was especially high-profile, as if he were afraid people wouldn't know he was a playboy. He spent every day in nightclubs, refusing to go home until he was drunk, letting paparazzi capture all kinds of embarrassing scenes. Even when he trended, he couldn't be bothered to spend money suppressing it.

In comparison, Li Sifan kept a much lower profile. Wherever he went, he was content to be a background prop, looking like an edgy teenage poser with his mouth zipped tightly shut—something no one could pry open unless...

Unless he ran into an idiot like Luo Mingyu and couldn't stop himself from wanting to fight.

Of course, the two had once been neighbors for a while. Fighting whenever they met had become an unspoken understanding between them.

It was just that now, in front of the cameras, they pretended not to know each other.

By the time Luo Mingyu and Li Sifan made their way before the cameras, looking thoroughly sick of each other, Xie Ran still looked aggrieved, like someone who had been bullied.

Xie Chen was sitting in a chair, cradling a bowl of porridge and wolfing it down with great relish.

Li Jingfei, who had just woken up, also came out to join the commotion. Yawning, she asked, "Where's my breakfast? Why wasn't it delivered to my room?"

She lived in a single suite on the first floor and had no idea what had happened upstairs. Since she wore earplugs, Director Li's booming voice hadn't woken her either, so she naturally assumed the production crew would provide breakfast.

Hearing that, Director Li said solemnly, "First, the few of you were late gathering and lost your chance to earn breakfast vouchers through the task. Second, Xie Ran chose collective Task A. The remedial measure was to wake you up, but he failed to complete it. Therefore, you have completely lost your right to eat breakfast."

The Best Actress couldn't understand. She raised a hand and pointed at Xie Chen. "Why does he get to eat?"

"Xie Chen chose to do Task B alone, and he has already completed it." Director Li's voice had become mechanical, while his mind remained a complete mess.

How exactly had he found the breakfast vouchers?

Could Wenye have leaked the information?

Impossible!

He had never liked meddling in this sort of trivial matter!

"No one even woke me up." Li Jingfei shot Xie Ran a mildly resentful glance. "In the future, it's best not to choose group tasks you can't complete. Who knows whether you'll drag other people down next time?!"

She directly ignored Xie Ran's bedraggled state after being soaked with water. Too lazy to ask another question, she turned and walked back inside.

The moment Xie Ran heard that, his eyes reddened even more.

[As expected of the sharp-tongued Best Actress. She showed no mercy at all. She couldn't wake up herself and missed breakfast, yet she still blamed someone else?]

[Poor Xie Ran. He meant well, yet got criticized like that. He would've been better off doing the task alone!]

[What's there to pity? Did he not know he signed up for Villains Variety Show? If Li Jingfei hadn't snapped at him, I'd have found that strange! Did you seriously expect the sharp-tongued Best Actress to say anything nice?!]

[Since they're all equally awful, they might as well let themselves go like Xie Chen. At least he's awful sincerely and openly!]

[Exactly! Why pull that green-tea act on this kind of variety show?!]

[Xie Ran isn't a green tea. He really is just kind!]

[Right, right, he's the kindest. So he deserved it, then!]

[When he dumped dirty water all over someone else's head, he didn't seem all that kind!]

Breakfast was soon finished. Director Li entrusted the village chief with assigning the task, while he retreated behind the scenes and sat before the monitors with observer Huo Wenye.

Several times, he wanted to find an opportunity to ask what exactly had happened that morning, but Huo Wenye's blade-thin lips were pressed tightly together. He didn't look remotely easy to pry open.

After struggling for a while, Director Li decided to give up.

It was already good enough that he had managed to invite the man to be an observer. He absolutely couldn't offend this revered figure of Beijing's elite circle over some trivial nonsense.

Once he figured that out, Director Li turned his attention back to the screen. The row of guests standing there in a lazy, disheveled manner immediately came into view, making him frown in distaste.

"Today's task is to take the harvested rice to the market and sell it, then buy some fertilizer to mix with manure for composting..."

The village chief, doing his best to speak in standard Mandarin, had only just said that much when Xie Chen narrowed his eyes.

Generally speaking, harvested rice was best sold immediately. Skipping the drying and storage stages could save a great deal of manpower and resources. Besides, rice prices did not fluctuate much, so waiting for the market to recover would not create much additional value.

The reason Bright Village had not sold last autumn's rice was because the offered price had failed to meet their expectations.

They focused on being green and environmentally friendly, so their production costs and losses were relatively high. Selling it at an ordinary price would mean taking a loss.

Therefore, today's main task was—selling the rice for above market price.

As Xie Chen considered this to himself, the production crew had already arranged for villagers to drive over a tractor. Its rumbling engine immediately drew shocked looks from the other guests.

"We're taking that to sell rice?!" Luo Mingyu asked in astonishment.

Was that thing even meant for people to ride in?!

Was it really not some prop from a TV drama?!

Come on!

The Cultural Revolution's send-down-to-the-countryside era had been over for ages, okay?

Didn't farming use modern machinery now?

A string of questions flashed through his mind before Xie Chen responded lightly, "If you don't want to ride the tractor, you can walk."

"But no one will help transport your share of the rice."

That was right. To create a competitive system and drive up the price of the rice, the production crew had assigned tasks by headcount. Whoever sold theirs at the highest price would take first place and receive winner's privileges.

"Who said I wanted your help?!" Luo Mingyu glared at him. His tone was far from pleasant, but there was no real malice in it.

Though he had not interacted much with Xie Chen, they both moved in high society. Who didn't know everyone else's business?

The Xie Family's harsh treatment of this adopted son had long spread through the wealthy circles. Luo Mingyu had even privately felt indignant on his behalf. Otherwise, he wouldn't have developed hostility toward Xie Ran from the moment they met.

Seeing Xie Chen's completely uninhibited, arrogant attitude, not only did he not dislike it, he found it rather satisfying.

It was about time someone taught those idiots from the Xie Family, with their noses stuck in the air, a lesson!

Still, even if he thought that, Luo Mingyu couldn't make it too obvious.

They were all in the same circle. They had to give each other some face.

At least for now.

"Oh, children, hurry up. Otherwise, the market in town will be over soon," the village chief urged.

Li Jingfei suddenly raised a crucial question. "Who knows how to drive a tractor? Or will the production crew provide a driver?"

"You'll have to figure out how to drive it there yourselves," a staff member shouted.

As soon as the words fell, Xie Chen slipped one hand into his pocket and walked toward the driver's seat. "I'll drive."

Before his raised foot could step up, an irritatingly smug voice cut in. "Brother Xie Chen, do you really know how? You can't force yourself to do something like this. If you don't have driving experience, operating a tractor can be dangerous too."

Xie Chen shot him a sidelong glance, the corner of his mouth curving into a mocking smile. "If you can do it, step up. If not, shut up."