Shen Lian didn't need to look to know how people were trashing him online.
The moment Zheng Ge saw Shen Lian, he fell apart.
His smile froze, his eyes shifting unpredictably, with deeply buried wariness and resentment lurking within them. But he seemed to quickly remember he was on camera. Those ugly emotions vanished in a blink, replaced by resignation and composure as he said hoarsely, "Long time no see, Shen Lian."
Not bad acting, Shen Lian thought. Why did those haters online keep smearing Zheng Ge as nothing but a pretty face who couldn't act?
Shen Lian nodded. "Long time no see."
[Fuck! Our poor Ge has to put up with so much.]
[What the hell is Shen Lian playing at?!]
[New here, so please don't bite, but is this the Shen Lian you all said had crooked eyes, a twisted mouth, and a face like an old loofah?]
[Holy shit! I clicked on this variety show recommendation by accident. Who's that hot guy in the blue T-shirt? I want his entire life story in three minutes!]
[To the person above, even Shen Lian does it for you? Are you that desperate?]
[Replying to the person above: I'll like whoever the hell I want. What's it to you?]
The live comments erupted into an all-out argument.
Truth be told, even some professional haters fell silent.
They had planned to stir things up around Zheng Ge, since he generated plenty of buzz, but no one had expected Shen Lian to come back swinging after two months of silence.
Had he changed his persona?
Honestly, this new one was kind of interesting.
Everyone decided to watch a little longer.
Either way, the clash between Zheng Ge and Shen Lian had produced far better results than the Program Crew had expected!
The Program Crew had originally intended for Shen Lian to draw all the fire, dumping every bit of the audience's negativity onto him. He wouldn't need much screen time. He was so good at digging his own grave that a couple of pathetic moments would be enough to rile people up.
Who knew that, standing among the other guests now, Shen Lian would look like a proud pine braving the wind, catching everyone's eye at once?
And people like that were undoubtedly a camera operator's favorite subjects.
Noticing that the camera had lingered on him a little too long, Shen Lian narrowed his eyes and gave a faint smile.
The live comments: [???]
[Wait, does this asshole think acting hot will actually make him hot?]
[As a certified perv, I've assessed him. He really is hot.]
No one noticed that Shen Lian's follower count on Weibo, which hadn't budged in forever, was slowly rising...
They had boxed lunches at noon, and filming officially began in the afternoon, still in a livestream format.
The atmosphere in the break room was deeply strange.
Hardly anyone spoke.
"Shen Lian, is that little bit of food enough for you?" Zhu Yingyu approached with her lunch box in her hands, the rice inside divided into two portions.
Zheng Ge glanced over.
Shen Lian looked up. "It's okay. Can't finish yours?"
"No." Zhu Yingyu nodded. "I need to watch my figure."
Shen Lian held out his lunch box. "Then give it to me."
Whether the Program Crew had done it deliberately or not, Shen Lian's lunch was not only smaller, but mostly vegetables. Compared to the other guests' three meat dishes and one vegetable dish, it was downright pitiful.
The Program Crew was waiting, too, waiting for Shen Lian to get upset so they'd have something worth watching once the livestream resumed.
Instead, he remained utterly unruffled.
As Zhu Yingyu scraped rice into Shen Lian's box, she also gave him some of her braised pork and meat-stuffed green peppers.
Shen Lian looked at Zhu Yingyu and said quietly, "Thanks."
Zhu Yingyu smiled.
Once Zhu Yingyu sat back down, Feng Susu, who had watched the whole exchange, suddenly bit her chopsticks and said, "Yingyu, you're like a big sister who's friends with everyone."
Zhu Yingyu wore her hair in a single ponytail today and was dressed practically, while Feng Susu wore candy-colored clothes that looked less like casual wear and more like an anime character's outfit.
Meeting Feng Susu's gaze, Zhu Yingyu felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
The next second, Shen Lian drawled, "If I remember correctly, Zhu Yingyu is younger than you."
Feng Susu's eyelashes fluttered.
Shen Lian twisted the knife. "By two years."
When the guests' profiles had been announced earlier, Shen Lian had memorized everyone's.
Feng Susu stopped talking and lowered her head to eat, but anyone with eyes could see she wasn't happy.
"Oh, come on, two years is nothing." Li Jiabo jumped in to smooth things over, smiling at Feng Susu as he said, "You should learn from Shen Lian. His mental resilience is unbeatable."
He always spoke with a broad smile, neatly concealing his underlying hostility and making everything sound like a joke.
Feng Susu's expression changed as she suddenly remembered Shen Lian's role: this show's punching bag.
Her confidence restored, Feng Susu set down her chopsticks and gave two exaggerated coughs. "Shen Lian, could you share some pointers?"
"Thick skin," Shen Lian replied. "Make it thick enough and nothing can touch you."
Feng Susu was just about to laugh when Shen Lian continued, "But you're a natural. You probably don't need lessons. Spend a couple of days in this industry and you'll have it down pat."
His tone was perfectly natural, without the slightest hint of sarcasm. He even sounded like a senior colleague sincerely passing on his experience.
Feng Susu was nowhere near his level. The corner of her eye twitched violently twice.
Li Jiabo looked mildly disapproving. "Shen Lian, be a little nicer when you're talking to a girl."
"You're so busy thinking about your 'sunshine boy' persona all day that you never put any thought into your acting. Look at Fang Ke. He's only been in the business a year, and although he's done web dramas, every one has been a hit." Shen Lian still hadn't entirely shaken off the glory of his previous life, and he spoke with commanding authority. "Keep it up, Fang Ke. You've got a bright future."
Fang Ke was naturally humble and eager to learn, and Shen Lian was his senior. At the praise, he immediately nodded repeatedly. "Okay, okay. I'll keep working hard."
Zhao Lin, the oldest of the group, watched Shen Lian spit words like bullets, opening fire on anyone who dared approach. His instinct for playing it safe told him to keep his mouth shut.
"Hey." Zheng Ge set down his lunch box and finally looked straight at Shen Lian. His expression carried an air of natural innocence, his voice pitying and helpless. "Shen Lian, don't be like this. Tangsi and I..."
"Zhou Tangsi." Shen Lian cut him off. He pressed his fingers against his brow as if he couldn't bear it and said earnestly, "Could we please stop mentioning that cursed name?"
He'd already reduced the original owner of this body to a dog.
It was fair to say that without Zhou Tangsi's exploitation and wanton cruelty, the original owner would never have ended up like this.
Zheng Ge stared in astonishment.
Everyone else looked as if someone had hit their mute buttons.
Never mind Zheng Ge-who here didn't know that Shen Lian was hopelessly in love with Zhou Tangsi? Over the years, he'd done so many inconceivable things for Zhou Tangsi that he could practically serve as a textbook example of a pathetic simp.
That had been true of the original owner. To Shen Lian, Zhou Tangsi was a selfish, pigheaded asshole with no moral limits. If possible, he'd prefer their paths never to cross in this lifetime.
"Eat! Let's eat!" Zhao Lin couldn't help calling out twice.
The Program Crew: "..."
They had meant to get under Shen Lian's skin, not let Shen Lian get under everyone else's.
Later, when Zheng Ge stood up, he still seemed caught in the shock of what Shen Lian had just said, looking thoroughly dazed.
Shen Lian was casual and cold. Since getting along peacefully wasn't an option, he would use the lousy hand he'd been dealt to blow everyone away.
Before you continue