You're Rotten to the Bone

[That fake-sweet talk is unbearable. When is the guest star leaving? Is he going to stay for the whole season?]

[He really affects the viewing experience. Compared to Xie Ran acting cute over every little thing, I'd rather watch Xie Chen and the others stuffing their faces enthusiastically!]

[Exactly! Xie Chen has really stood out this season. He acts all arrogant, like he's slacking off, but he's actually been leading the guests in completing their tasks—and even helped Bright Village launch a "crime crackdown"!]

[It even made the headlines. The authorities seem to be taking it seriously—they said they might form a special inspection team to investigate! Who knows if it's true, but at least Bright Village's problems are finally getting attention!]

[If he gets this resolved, Xie Chen will truly deserve the credit. But seriously, what was he thinking? His talent performance was actually a talk show. It's so damn original—he immediately grabbed the villagers' attention!]

[Can you stop praising him so ridiculously?! I think Xie Chen is just exploiting the situation and feeding off his fans' sympathy. Since he can't help himself, he's relying on public opinion?! And he has the nerve to act proud of it?!]

[If not public opinion, then you? Brain-dead haters are everywhere!]

Just as the livestream chat was about to erupt into a keyboard war, a scream of utter terror suddenly came from the kitchen, followed by a clatter of pots and pans.

"What happened?!" The village chief dropped his farm work and hurried toward the sound. The moment he entered, he let out an incredulous roar. "Kid, what are you doing?! My stove!"

The cameraman, who had just gone to grab a bite to eat, heard the commotion and had no choice but to get up and chase after them with his equipment. The camera immediately captured the mess strewn across the kitchen floor as a voice that seemed to be smiling yet not smiling sounded nearby.

"Oh, pianist, are you cooking? Looks more like you're wrecking the place!"

The muffled voice made the already furious Xie Jinran even more frantic. He turned and saw Xie Chen lazily leaning against the doorframe, holding a bowl of rice, with traces of grease still lingering at the corner of his mouth...

"You're here to watch the show too?!" He held up the back of his hand. "I got burned, do you know that?!"

"What good would it do for me to know? Go find a doctor yourself!" Xie Chen said indifferently.

He felt even less sympathy.

Perhaps in the past, he would have rushed over without hesitation to bandage the third brother he had admired since childhood. But now?

Xie Chen only thought that this so-called third brother was an idiot when it came to daily life, and he could not help mocking him a few times.

Beyond that, there was nothing else.

After all, in his previous life, this pianist had used those precious hands to inject anesthetic into him while he was imprisoned in the basement...

"Third Brother, are you okay?!" Xie Ran rushed in at just the right moment. "Did you get burned?!"

He abruptly turned toward the camera. "What's wrong with your production crew? You deliberately made things difficult for the guests, caused such serious consequences, and you still haven't called the accompanying doctor?!"

Before the village chief even had time to mourn his large iron pot, those words scared the life out of him.

After all, this had happened in his kitchen. If things blew up, he would have to take responsibility!

The village chief glanced at the burn, which was not very serious, then hurriedly turned to get some soybean paste. "Kid, put this on first. It won't hurt in a while! It might leave a little scar, but it won't be serious. It'll be fine!"

"A scar?!" Xie Jinran frowned deeply and looked down at the back of his hand, which had only been lightly singed by the flames. "It won't leave a scar, will it?!"

The moment Xie Ran heard that, he seemed to remember something. Feeling somewhat guilty, he shoved the village chief. "Who are you trying to fool?! Can that stinky soybean paste treat burns?! You're obviously trying to set up my third brother!"

The village chief was old, and his legs and knees were both in poor condition. Caught off guard by the shove, he immediately lost his footing and staggered backward. Just as his head was about to strike the threshold, someone steadily caught him by the shoulder from behind.

Everything happened too quickly. Xie Ran had not expected to shove him so hard either, and his heart skipped a beat. Seeing that the village chief had not fallen, he immediately turned the tables. "You old man, are you trying to scam us?! Rural people really are all terrible!"

Xie Chen lifted his eyelids, his gaze icy. "You really are rotten to the bone!"