Did you miss me?

The internet exploded at Shen Lian's words.

[I just raised my knife, and now I'm putting it away again. Sigh, that doesn't sound like he's describing Zhou Tangsi.]

[All I can say is that Shen's lovesick brain has come to its senses a little, but not much. Making this stuff up on the spot-does he think we're idiots?]

[Exactly. His social circle is tiny, and the internet already dug through every last inch of it. There's no handsome guy with a buzz cut, okay?]

Indeed, when someone suddenly did a complete about-face, it looked like an act to anyone who knew him.

When Shen Lian had previously been dragged onto the trending list, people had practically combed through his entire family tree. It was no exaggeration to say that his haters and rival fandoms might have known him better than he knew himself.

Once most people calmed down, they couldn't help scoffing at Shen Lian's explanation.

[But looking at Shen Lian's expression, I don't think he's faking...]

[Girl, take a look at how Shen Lian used to grovel over Zhou Tangsi. Now that was real.]

Without realizing it, the netizens' "prejudice" had given Shen Lian a layer of camouflage.

Who could have imagined that he had laid his cards on the table right from the start?

Zhu Yingyu clearly thought the same. She found it a little abrupt and surprising, but on further reflection, distancing himself from Zhou Tangsi was one of the quickest ways to turn his reputation around.

Once Shen Lian finished grilling the fish, he found some large leaves to wrap them in, coated the bundles with mud to keep them warm for a while, then headed back with Zhu Yingyu the way they had come.

Zhu Yingyu wove herself a flower crown. Whenever her fingers fumbled, Shen Lian took it over and helped her sort it out. The two ambled along, stopping here and there. With plenty of food and water, they couldn't have been more relaxed.

The other two groups, by contrast, were already in complete chaos.

Although Zhao Lin and Fang Ke only had each other, they were willing to use their heads. They made their own fishing spears and wove a makeshift net from ghost-thread vines, trying every method they could think of. They weren't as ridiculously capable as Shen Lian, but they did manage to catch some fish. They were just soaking wet, sweating bucket after bucket.

As for Zheng Ge's group, they sweated plenty but had painfully little to show for it.

Li Jiabo looked good but wasn't much use. Too conscious of his idol image, he couldn't quite let himself go. Wild fish didn't care about his image, though, and darted away in a flash.

The river was cold, and Feng Susu, the only woman in the group, soon began to feel unwell.

As for Zheng Ge, he was the champion of uselessness, even worse than Li Jiabo. With an old ankle injury beginning to ache as well, he was essentially dead weight.

This was what Stars, Boldly Charge Ahead was really like. Guests in previous episodes had routinely faced this sort of predicament. They were nothing like Shen Lian!

The production team breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently, they weren't the problem. Shen Lian was.

Zhu Yingyu found wildflowers in three different colors and tucked them into her flower crown. It looked quite pretty when she put it on.

[I just realized Yingyu would really suit a heroine with that countryside vibe.]

[Some people called her frumpy before, but I don't think so. Her features are really striking.]

The road to the finish was long, but with company and their spirits light, they had already found a place to sit by sunset.

After chatting for a while longer, Shen Lian took out the fish and gave Zhu Yingyu one, keeping the other for himself.

Perhaps it was because the fish was wild, combined with the fresh scent of leaves and earth, but Zhu Yingyu thought it tasted wonderful.

Halfway through their meal, Zhao Lin and Fang Ke arrived. Both were bent over like men in their eighties, each leaning on a stick, panting and looking utterly bedraggled.

The moment they saw the fish in Shen Lian's and Zhu Yingyu's hands, they froze.

Fang Ke swallowed.

"Check in," Shen Lian reminded them.

Zhao Lin stumbled forward and checked in with the staff.

"Once you've checked in, we're no longer competitors." Shen Lian held out his remaining half of the fish, along with a bottle still more than half full of water. "Want it?"

"Dad!" Fang Ke slid straight onto his knees to accept it. His movements were so fluid that everyone present stared in disbelief.

Zhu Yingyu gave her remaining half to Zhao Lin as well. "Zhao, come on, hurry!"

Fang Ke alternated between mouthfuls of water and fish, his eyes suddenly reddening.

[Hahahahaha! Screenshot that!]

[I'm dying. Look at what they've put that poor boy through.]

[You know what? Shen Lian's pretty decent to his friends.]

[Heh, is that dog Shen trying to buy people off? Then why give it all to Fang Ke? Zheng Ge and the others aren't even here yet.]

Zheng Ge had recently made a huge splash by stepping on Shen Lian, securing plenty of opportunities for himself. How could he possibly have avoided offending anyone? Add his mediocre performance and his fans' arrogance, and naturally more people were getting sick of him.

[Zheng Ge's fans, I've put up with you for long enough! Are you seriously unhinged? Shen Lian got that fish and water himself. He can give it to whoever he wants. Is Zheng Ge some crown prince? Does he have to save it for him?]

[I like what you said, but remember to turn off your DMs. Zheng Ge's fans are like that. Anything good should belong to their precious idol~]

[He got his opportunities by crawling into Zhou Tangsi's bed, and he really thinks he's hot shit.]

[I've wanted to say this for ages. Why does Zhou Tangsi, a businessman, spend every day hanging around showbiz? If he really wants to debut, he should hurry up. Give it another couple of years and he'll be an old has-been. Those two act like they're in a romance drama every day, and their shippers will swallow absolutely anything.]

The live comments erupted into another battle between fans and haters, but hardly anyone was insulting Shen Lian anymore.

Judging him on his merits, Shen Lian's performance in this episode was undeniably outstanding.

They waited almost another hour. By the time Zheng Ge's group finally arrived, it was already dark.

They hadn't caught ten pounds of fish, so, as originally planned, the production team lowered their requirement to six pounds. They had barely scraped through.

Zheng Ge plopped down on the ground. Mud stained his clothes and legs, and his carefully styled hair was a mess. Once it fell flat, it exposed the unflattering shape of his head. His listless appearance dulled his fresh, clean-cut appeal, instantly making him much less attractive.

Hearing the chatter, Zheng Ge raised his head and saw Shen Lian leaning back in hearty laughter, his face bright and open.

Zheng Ge's hand at his side clenched unconsciously.

He remembered the first time he had seen Shen Lian, standing in the light, surrounded by praise.

The livestream ended after all the guests gave their thanks.

The ratings had reached a new high, and discussions were spreading and gathering momentum across the public feed. Shen Lian had indeed blown everyone away, but not by being offered up as a sacrifice.

Once he came down the mountain and got into the car, his assistant Jiang You immediately handed him some hot water. "Shen, you were ridiculously cool today!"

"Good." Shen Lian closed his eyes to rest. "Then hurry up and take your ridiculously cool Shen home. I'm exhausted."

Jiang You was a little curious about why Shen Lian lived in such an exorbitantly expensive neighborhood for the wealthy. But she was new to the job, and following the principle that the less she said, the fewer mistakes she would make, she didn't dare ask.

After getting out, Shen Lian rested a hand on the car door and said, "I'll call if I need anything. You don't have to be on standby twenty-four hours a day. Go have some fun."

"Got it!" Jiang You said excitedly.

As soon as the door opened, Aunt Fen emerged from the kitchen. "You're back, Shen?"

"Mm." Shen Lian's answer was feeble. "Aunt Fen, I want fish with pickled mustard greens."

"I'll make it right now!"

With a creak, someone came out of the study.

Shen Lian looked up and saw Chu Yilan standing at the top of the stairs in dark gray loungewear, one hand tucked into his pocket. The man was unfairly handsome.

Shen Lian's heart skipped a beat. Under the lights, his eyes were bright and gentle, and even his voice softened. "Master Chu."

Chu Yilan said nothing. Out of Shen Lian's sight, he lightly rubbed his fingertips together.

Shen Lian asked again, "Did you miss me?"

He expressed his love boldly, at every opportunity.

Chu Yilan: "..."