Song Lan looked past Jiang Mingle into the courtyard.
The courtyard was empty.
There wasn't a soul in sight, not even a ghost.
He'd left pretty fast!
Drawing back his gaze, Song Lan said coldly and distantly, "No, thank you."
With those three words, he stepped back to shut the door.
Jiang Mingle watched helplessly as Song Lan's expression changed from the faint, ambiguous smile he'd worn when opening the door to this cold distance.
It hurt as though someone had slapped him.
No one had ever treated him like this before.
His eyes reddening, Jiang Mingle hurried a step forward. "Teacher Song, I want to explain what happened today..."
Bang!
Before Jiang Mingle could finish, Song Lan slammed the door shut.
Jiang Mingle abruptly halted midstep, nearly having his nose knocked off.
Humiliation surged through him.
Only the thought that Jiang Mingxi had also left this place looking dejected just now made him feel somewhat better.
Jiang Mingxi must have been harassing Song Lan and angered him.
He'd just happened to walk into the line of fire.
That bitch!
Seething with anger, Jiang Mingle turned and left.
Back in the shabby room, Jiang Mingle grabbed his phone and called Jiang Ke.
The call connected almost instantly.
"Lele."
Jiang Ke's gentle voice came from the other end.
Jiang Mingle began crying, his voice trembling. "Big Brother, what should I do? They all seem to hate me. Xiaoxi won't even talk to me!"
His crying nearly broke Jiang Ke's heart.
He comforted him in an even gentler voice.
"That's just Zhao Jiayuan's temper. He wasn't targeting you. He probably only lost his temper because you didn't do the task today."
They had invited Zhao Jiayuan onto the show precisely to use his foul temper to highlight Jiang Mingle's beauty and kindness.
As for Chen Chong-
Chen Chong and Zhao Jiayuan were sworn enemies. Putting those two together was bound to cause a shitload of trouble.
That would make them even better foils for Jiang Mingle.
No one had expected things to turn out like this on the very first day of the livestream.
Jiang Ke wanted to slaughter Jiang Mingxi.
Jiang Mingle pouted.
"Big Brother, can't you have the production team give us some easier tasks?"
His soft voice made Jiang Ke's heart melt.
But all he could do was sigh helplessly.
"We sent Song Lan four or five variety shows to choose from, and he only accepted this one. If you want to win his approval and ultimately get the chance to work with him in a movie, you'll have to perform well on this show.
"I know it's hard on you, Lele. I'll speak to the directors and ask them to look after you as much as possible."
Hearing that, Jiang Mingle knew there was no getting out of this hardship.
"Then I'll be good and do my best. I won't embarrass you, Big Brother."
Jiang Ke wished he could fly over to the set and stroke Lele's head.
He patiently soothed him for another full hour, until Jiang Mingle fell asleep, before reluctantly hanging up.
The moment the call ended, his expression darkened.
That bitch Jiang Mingxi had actually disobeyed him and dared to bully Lele on the show!
Bang!
Jiang Ke slammed his hand down on the desk.
He took out his phone and called his secretary.
The secretary: ...
For fuck's sake!
It's after work, okay?!
Cursing inwardly, the secretary spoke respectfully. "President Jiang."
Jiang Ke ordered coldly, "Contact Jiang Mingxi. Warn him that if he dares bully Lele again, he can forget about ever returning to the Jiang family! Tell him to take good care of Lele on the show. If I see Lele cry again, I won't go easy on him!
"Also, contact the production team..."
Jiang Ke spent a full ten minutes giving instructions.
"Understood, President Jiang."
After hanging up, the secretary sent Jiang Ke's words to Jiang Mingxi without changing a thing.
It was already early the next morning when Jiang Mingxi saw the text.
With a few taps of his fingers, he posted on Weibo.
#If you're uneducated, you can learn. If you're ugly, you can get plastic surgery. If you're rotten inside, there's no cure. @Tianli Group Jiang Ke @Jiang Mingle
If Jiang Mingle acts like a bitch in front of me again, he's a purebred fucking idiot! Feel free to accuse me of photoshopping, but idiots, please don't rush to claim the label#
The blunt, brutal post came with equally blunt, brutal pictures.
The first was a screenshot of Tianli Group's announcement yesterday, saying that they refused to acknowledge Jiang Mingxi's identity because of his poor character.
The second was a screenshot of the text message.
The third was a meme: Life is dull and dreary; a toad is disciplining humanity.
Heeheehee~
Another day full of energy.
You can do it!
Jiang Mingxi!
After washing up, Jiang Mingxi had just stepped out of the courtyard when he ran into Jiang Mingle.
"Good morning, Xiaoxi."
Dressed in a fresh-looking tracksuit, Jiang Mingle greeted Jiang Mingxi with a sunny, energetic smile.
Then he looked a little timid and uneasy.
"You're not angry with me anymore today, are you?"
Jiang Mingxi hadn't expected to run into him right after posting on Weibo and stepping outside.
Hey!
This was my imperial moment to show off!
He cleared his throat with a couple of coughs.
Ignoring Jiang Mingle, Jiang Mingxi asked a nearby staff member instead, "Could I borrow your phone?"
Once the livestream started, the guests' phones had been collected by the staff.
The staff member didn't know what Jiang Mingxi wanted to do, but took out a phone anyway.
Jiang Mingxi took the phone.
He opened Weibo.
Kekekekeke~
Number one on trending!
Right in front of the livestream camera, he shoved the phone in Jiang Mingle's face.
Utterly confused about what he was doing, Jiang Mingle looked blankly at the screen.
Then-
[Jiang Mingxi posts on Weibo] sat right at the top of the trending list.
Jiang Mingxi tapped into the topic.
When Jiang Mingle saw the contents of the post clearly, his vision nearly went black and he almost passed out on the spot.
He instantly glared at Jiang Mingxi in fury.
But with the livestream still running, he clenched his teeth hard before barely managing to maintain his expression. "Xiaoxi, what are you doing?!"
His reproach carried a hint of helplessness.
Jiang Mingxi returned the phone to the staff member.
Then he stepped back, putting distance between himself and Jiang Mingle.
He said, "I'm just telling you clearly: don't go out of your way to be a fucking idiot! You and your fans can say I photoshopped them, say I made up everything in these pictures, or say I have no manners and rotten character. But stay the hell away from me. Get lost!"
With that said.
Jiang Mingxi put both hands in his pockets and walked happily away.
Jiang Mingle stood rooted to the spot.
He nearly exploded!
That bitch!
How dare he!
What on earth had gotten into him?!
Before, he'd groveled like a dog just to return to the Jiang family and gain their acknowledgment.
How did he dare openly defy Big Brother now?
Wasn't he afraid of thoroughly infuriating Big Brother?
[Just got back from Weibo. Here to watch the joke.]
[Gotta say, Jiang Mingxi has serious guts. He shoved that Weibo post right in Jiang Mingle's face. I admit it, he looked hot again!]
[Are you sick? Trash like this has fans? Everyone online knows Jiang Mingxi is a clout-chasing bitch. He's obviously pulling a stunt for attention and trying to get famous through hate. He'll do anything for traffic. Absolutely vile and disgusting!]
[Couldn't Jiang Mingle just ignore Jiang Mingxi? But ever since this show started, it seems like Jiang Mingle has been the one going out of his way to talk to him!]
[Lele is just filming the show normally. They're on a show together. Is he supposed to say nothing?]
[Does he absolutely have to talk to him? Even when the guy calls him a fucking idiot to his face and tells him to get lost, he still has to talk?]
As Jiang Mingle trembled with rage, he looked up and saw Song Lan coming out of the courtyard.
An idea struck him, and he immediately went over.