Page 42

Of all the variety shows, Yu Man loved Somewhere Else with You the most. She had rewatched the previous seasons over and over. Every time she saw glamorous celebrities having to work hard to earn a living on the show, racking their brains to save a little money, she found her meals more satisfying and overtime more motivating.

—The happiness of corporate drones was plain, simple, and unpretentious.

Yu Man had just returned from working overtime. Before she even had time for dinner, she ordered takeout and watched as she ate. Knowing Cao Paoli was a fan of Xie Ran and Fang Huiwang, she deliberately teased her, "Let's make this clear first. If I can't help laughing when I see your boys suffering later, don't hit me, okay?"

Cao Paoli knew all about her roommate's little hobby. She rolled her eyes helplessly and let out a joking "Hmph." "You wouldn't dare. Not only will I hit you, I'll expose you in our group chat!"

The two laughed and fooled around for a few moments. Then the familiar opening theme of Somewhere Else with You began playing, and they hurriedly stopped to watch the television with rapt attention.

Resting her chin in both hands, Cao Paoli wore an inexplicable smile as she said dreamily, "But as long as Xiao Ran and Brother Wang are together, no amount of hardship can taste anything but sweet!"

Yu Man gave her a thumbs-up. "...You CP fans really have impressive powers of imagination."

Somewhere Else with You began with the guests setting off for the airport, introducing them one by one. When Xie Ran appeared, Yu Man couldn't help letting out a "Wow." She exclaimed, "Is that Xie Ran? Why does he seem so different from before? His presence is way too powerful!"

Cao Paoli nodded. "Xiao Ran seems to be transitioning lately. He's changed a lot."

Yu Man's mouth twitched. "Only you fans can still call him Xiao Ran. If it were me, I'd be kneeling and calling him President Xie."

Cao Paoli made the sound of a brainless fangirl. "I don't care. Our big brother will always be our baby!"

Yet as the show went on, an odd silence gradually descended over the room.

Yu Man held it in and held it in, but she couldn't anymore. She awkwardly let out a "Ha." "Is it just me, or does your baby Ran seem like he doesn't really want to pay attention to Brother Wang...?"

The show claimed to be about good friends traveling together. Before the cameras, the guests all wished they could interact more to demonstrate their friendship. That was why Wangran CP fans had been so certain they would catch plenty of sweet shots of Xie Ran and Fang Huiwang together on the show.

Yet in the footage aired so far, Fang Huiwang had been quite warm toward Xie Ran, while Xie Ran's perfunctory attitude toward Fang Huiwang was obvious to the naked eye. He gave Fang Huiwang fewer looks than he gave the other guests.

Cao Paoli was a little dumbfounded too, but she stubbornly struggled on. "They haven't worked together in ten years, after all. There's bound to be an adjustment period. Isn't that perfectly normal...?"

The moment she finished speaking, an argument suddenly erupted from the television. Fang Huiwang had gotten into a dispute with Xie Ran over his plan to trade stocks. Arguments like this were common on variety shows; even guests on the same team would not always agree. Usually, they would discuss it, make up, and reflect on themselves together afterward. It was a classic formula.

But this time, the development left every viewer stunned.

On television, Fang Huiwang asked Xie Ran, "Are you planning to split up from me?"

Xie Ran answered without hesitation, "Yes."

Then Xie Ran really did unilaterally announce that he was parting ways with Fang Huiwang.

Cao Paoli: "...?"

Yu Man: ??? Huh?

If that segment had been a blow to Cao Paoli, what came next was a critical hit on Yu Man.

After Xie Ran and Fang Huiwang split up, the show entered Yu Man's favorite celebrity-work segment. She had no time to comfort Cao Paoli and eagerly picked up a chicken drumstick from her lunchbox, eating as she watched.

Then, little by little, she lost her appetite.

It was one thing for Xie Ran to choose stock trading instead of working. He was actually taking a leisurely vacation too!

It had to be said that Snowball TV's editing was truly devilish. Not only had the post-production team maliciously intercut the footage of the other guests with Xie Ran's scenes, they sometimes even put footage from both sides on screen together, making the contrast all the more stark and direct.

In the show, the other guests set out early to work at a tourist attraction, while Xie Ran leisurely ate breakfast and went swimming.

While the other guests worked hard serving customers and promoting products, Xie Ran sat by the beach, enjoying the sea breeze and sun. Hotel attendants even came over from time to time to refill his drinks and bring him desserts.

By afternoon, the other guests were drenched in sweat and covered in dust, while Xie Ran woke from his nap, changed into comfortable, stylish clothes, and took a taxi to an art museum to see an exhibition.

At one point, the production crew could no longer stand it and spoke from offscreen. "Xiao Ran, don't you need to check on your stocks?"

Xie Ran rested with his eyes closed. "No."

The production crew at the time: "..."

The viewers at that moment: "..."

In a daze, Yu Man asked Cao Paoli, "Did Snowball TV accidentally edit footage of Xie Ran from some other show into this one?"

Otherwise, why did Xie Ran's scenes look so aesthetic and romantic during this segment where celebrities were supposed to suffer and toil?

Blue skies, ocean waves, sunshine, beaches,

delicious food

art, and Xie Ran himself, who looked like a fashion magazine model. This had to be a tourism commercial, right?

This was not what Somewhere Else with You was supposed to look like, okay!

Cao Paoli was just as baffled as she was. "...How should I know?"

They were far from the only two people left frozen on the spot by Xie Ran's antics. Similar scenes were playing out across the country.

"What the hell is this show doing?! Are they going to let us live or not?!"

"Xie Ran is having way too much fun! Isn't this exactly the life I want?"

"Damn it, this isn't the plot I wanted to see!"

"Hahaha, this is way too funny! With Xie Ran as a comparison, everyone else looks even more miserable!"

Meanwhile, discussions online were escalating in real time, and netizens reacted far more intensely than people watching in person. Before the episode had even finished airing, calls condemning Xie Ran had already reached the trending topics.

[Xie Ran is unbelievable, isn't he? He really went to trade stocks. Fang Huiwang is too miserable, ending up with a teammate like this.]