Why didn't you fall and die?!

[No wonder these guests passed the fitness screening. They're all well trained, moving as crisply as special forces!]

[Unless I'm mistaken, Jian Li was the first one out and in position? He actually held his own against all the other guests!]

[Held his own? He was outstanding! So he used to be that weak because he was donating blood to Lu Yuanhang?! Now that he's free of their control, he's suddenly a cut above the rest!]

[I seriously don't get why Jian Li used to be so submissive. They weren't even related, so why act as his walking blood bank?! Was he being forced along by the plot?!]

[Speaking of which, Lu Yuanhang is a total joke. Who wears earplugs on an adventure reality show?! Did he get his head caught in a door?!]

[...]

Seeing the live comments overwhelmingly taking one side while the paid trolls he had hired proved completely useless, Lu Siqi hurled the tablet away. "Are viewers all blind these days?! Can't they see Jian Li is a manipulative little fraud?!"

He gritted his teeth, but the assistant across from him calmly picked up the tablet and pressed the screen-lock button.

The livestream audio cut off abruptly.

As things slipped further out of his control, veins bulged on the backs of Lu Siqi's hands. "Didn't I tell you to contact Yuan Feng's agent? Why didn't he help Yuanhang?!"

The assistant sighed silently. "I did. They said Yuan Feng wasn't answering calls or replying to messages, so..."

What was that supposed to mean?

Was he openly defying him?

Looks like he wanted to be benched!

Fine. I'll grant your wish!

Lu Siqi's gaze darkened. "There are still two other guests. Get them on board."

"All right," the assistant replied, then turned and left the office.

At the door, he lowered his eyes to his watch.

Twelve thirty.

Even being worked like a mule should have its limits, right?

And you called the viewers blind?

You can't even see what a bitch your own adoptive younger brother is.

Who's really blind here?!

The assistant rolled his eyes, selected Jian Li in the voting system, then tucked the tablet under his arm and strode into the elevator.

At dawn, the assembly whistle blew.

Jian Li sprang up and flipped out of bed, only to move too forcefully and slam into a solid chest.

"You-" He instinctively stepped back. "Why did you get down without putting your clothes on?"

Huo Xiao lowered his gaze slightly, his eyes settling on Jian Li's faintly reddened ears. His tone was unhurried. "Because I think it's faster to get dressed out of bed."

[Exactly! I'm with Best Actor Huo! Getting dressed in bed is inconvenient, and I can't see anything clearly!]

[The lighting was bad at night, but now everything's crystal clear! I've noticed that besides Huo and Feng, the two veteran actors have great bodies too. Those muscle lines are top quality!]

[That subtle mature charm is exactly the older-man vibe that's so popular right now! Love it, love it!]

[Please! Thirty-one or thirty-two makes you an older man now?! Still, I have to say, they've got the bodies and the faces. Their prime really does last! How did I never notice before?!]

By the time the team members stood at the assembly point, Lu Yuanhang was once again the last to finish dressing and run out.

He glared resentfully in Jian Li's direction, unable to understand why someone who had clearly been weaker than him had suddenly become so strong. Could he really have recovered that quickly after just half a month without donating blood?!

Looks like I'll have to find another opportunity...

The instructor looked at his timer. "Six minutes and twenty-three seconds. Slower than last night. You'll all be punished!"

He turned and pointed at the track. "Twenty laps. Come back and assemble when you're done."

"What?! Twenty laps?!" Lu Yuanhang looked incredulous. "But we haven't even had breakfast! We'll get low blood sugar!"

Jian Li laughed inwardly. Low blood sugar?

I think you're just suffering from stupidity!

In the novel, the original Jian Li had been the one splashed with water last night and punished this morning.

Had that slight change in the plot turned the punishment into something all the guests had to endure?

Well, Lu Yuanhang did buy his way onto the show.

Of course he'd have to get some special treatment!

Jian Li readily accepted the punishment and headed for the track after stretching.

For a scrawny guy, endurance was the foundation. Only after getting his heart rate up should he move on to strength training to burn fat and build muscle.

The other guests did the same, following Jian Li without a single complaint.

Only Lu Yuanhang stayed where he was, protesting. "Hey! Why aren't any of you resisting?! This physical punishment isn't fair at all!"

Luo Xiaohong looked back with a cold scoff. "Whose fault is this punishment?"

"If you've got time to stand there shouting, why not think about how to stop being late for assembly?"

Lu Yuanhang: "..."

Damn it!

They were already taking sides?!

Wasn't this just about crafting a public persona?!

Hah. Who couldn't do that?!

"I'm sorry! It's my fault everyone got dragged into this!" Lu Yuanhang abruptly changed his attitude and apologized, then bowed to the instructor. "I'll make up for my own mistake myself."

With that, he turned and ran.

His frail back looked as though a gust of wind could knock him over.

Lu Yuanhang struggled to keep up with the jogging group, only to discover that no one was willing to spare him so much as a glance.

Their synchronized strides even grew faster and faster, as though they were trying to shake off something that had latched onto them.

Gradually, his breathing grew louder and louder,

and his vision began to go dark in waves...

Feeling dizziness about to hit, Lu Yuanhang curled his lips into a smug smile.

This time, it wasn't that I didn't want to keep going. My body wouldn't let me.

The viewers were bound to sympathize, then curse you all for ganging up on me...

At that thought, he finally began to topple uncontrollably onto the track. To steady himself and avoid too nasty a fall, he reached forward with all his might.

Realizing something was wrong, Jian Li abruptly stepped forward. When he looked back and saw Lu Yuanhang already falling, he swore, "Fuck. Even when you're fainting, you still try to pin it on someone else."

"Why didn't you fall and die?!"