If You Can Do It, Then Do It. If Not, Stop Running Your Mouth

Celebrities who could completely disregard public opinion and slack off as much as they pleased in the entertainment industry generally had some family backing.

They were the type who could always go home and inherit the family business if they failed to make it.

Luo Mingyu and Li Sifan were typical examples.

The difference was that the former was especially high-profile, as if he feared people would not know he was a spoiled rich kid. He frequented nightclubs every day, refused to go home until he was drunk, let paparazzi capture all sorts of embarrassing behavior, and could not even be bothered to pay to suppress the trending topics.

Li Sifan, by comparison, was far more low-key. He was willing to be a background prop wherever he went, looking like an edgy, pretentious teenage boy. His mouth seemed to have been zipped shut so tightly that no one could pry it open, unless...

Unless he ran into an idiot like Luo Mingyu and could not stop himself from wanting to fight.

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

They merely pretended not to know each other in front of the cameras now.

By the time Luo Mingyu and Li Sifan walked before the cameras, looking thoroughly sick of each other, Xie Ran still looked wronged, as though he had been bullied.

Xie Chen sat in a chair, holding a bowl of porridge and eating 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 had not woken her either, so she naturally assumed the production crew had prepared breakfast.

Director Li said solemnly and earnestly, "First, the few of you arrived late for the gathering and lost your chance to complete tasks for breakfast vouchers. Second, Xie Ran chose Group 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 could not understand. She raised a hand and pointed at Xie Chen. "Why can he eat?"

"Xie Chen chose Individual Task B, and he has already completed it." Director Li's voice was mechanical, while his mind remained a complete mess.

How exactly had he found the breakfast vouchers?

Could Wenye have leaked the information?

Not likely!

He had never liked meddling in such trivial matters!

"I wasn't called at all," Li Jingfei said, casting Xie Ran a somewhat resentful glance. "It's best not to choose group tasks you can't complete in the future. Who knows whether you'll drag others down next time?!"

She directly ignored Xie Ran's bedraggled state after being drenched 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 really doesn't hold back. She couldn't get out of bed herself, couldn't eat breakfast, and still wants to blame someone else?]

[I feel bad for Xie Ran. He meant well, yet he got criticized like this. He might as well have done an individual task!]

[What's there to feel bad about? Didn't he know he was joining a villain variety show? If Li Jingfei didn't curse him out a little, I'd find that strange! Did you really expect the sharp-tongued Best Actress to say anything nice?!]

[Since everyone's equally awful anyway, they might as well let loose like Xie Chen. At least he's awful sincerely and openly!]

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

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

[Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's the kindest, so he deserves it!]

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

Breakfast ended quickly. 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, making him look anything but easy to pry open.

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

It was already good enough that he had managed to invite the man as an observer. He absolutely could not offend this revered figure of Beijing's elite circle over some trivial matter.

Having figured that out, Director Li turned his attention back to the screen. A row of guests standing around sloppily came into view, making him frown in disgust.

"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 Mandarin, had only gotten this far when Xie Chen narrowed his eyes.

Generally speaking, harvested rice was best sold immediately. Skipping the drying and storage stages could greatly save manpower and resources. Furthermore, 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 the rice harvested last autumn was that the price offered had failed to meet expectations.

They specialized in green, environmentally friendly produce, and both their costs and losses were relatively high. Selling it at an ordinary price would mean losing money.

Therefore, today's main task was—to sell the rice above market price.

While Xie Chen pondered this to himself, the production crew had already arranged for a villager to drive over a tractor. Its rumbling immediately drew shocked looks from the other guests.

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

Could people even ride that thing?!

Was it not some prop from a TV drama?!

Come on!

The era of being sent down to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution had ended ages ago, okay?

Wasn't farming modernized now?

As a string of questions ran through his mind, Xie Chen replied 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 competition 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 enjoy the winner's privileges.

"Who said I wanted your help?!" Luo Mingyu shot him a glare. His tone was not very pleasant, but there was no real malice in it.

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

The Xie Family's harsh treatment of this adopted son had long spread among the wealthy families. Luo Mingyu had even felt indignant on his behalf, which was why he had developed hostility toward Xie Ran from the moment they met.

Seeing Xie Chen's completely uninhibited, arrogant attitude, Luo Mingyu did not find it unpleasant at all. Instead, he found it rather satisfying.

It was about time someone taught those idiots from the Xie Family, who looked down their noses at everyone, a lesson!

Still, even if he thought that, Luo Mingyu could not make it too obvious.

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

At least for now.

"Oh, kids, hurry up, or the market in town will be over," the village chief urged.

Li Jingfei suddenly raised a key question. "Who knows how to drive a tractor? Or is the production crew providing a driver?"

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

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

Before his raised foot could step up, a smug voice cut in. "Brother Xie Chen, can you really drive? You can't show off over something like this. If you don't have driving experience, operating a tractor can be very dangerous."

Xie Chen cast a sidelong glance at him, a mocking curve lifting at the corner of his mouth. "If you can do it, then do it. If not, stop running your mouth."