"As everyone knows, the first season of our 'Survival Challenge' is a simulated dating-show livestream promoting tourism in the mountains behind Bridgehead Village..."
Holding up his portable microphone, the director launched into an impassioned speech.
The bullet comments rolled their eyes furiously.
[A cook who can't fight isn't a good general, right!]
[A student who can't solve math problems isn't a good hairdresser, right!]
[A director who can't film a survival challenge isn't a good person, right!]
[Hahahahaha... right!]
"Now, to explore the tourism environment of the mountains behind Bridgehead Village in depth, our eight guests have happily and voluntarily split into teams A and B.
"Team A, Qianqian and Manman's team, will head straight to the fishing area. Your mission is to catch thirty fish weighing over a pound each.
"Complete the mission successfully, and you'll receive the mystery gift package our show has prepared for our visitors.
"Fail, and the visitors lose their gifts, while Jiang Mingxi and Zhao Jiayuan each lose ten yuan from their living funds.
"Team B, the boyfriends' team, will begin today's mountain hike. Your mission is to reach the summit and take check-in photos.
"The rewards and penalties are the same as team A's.
"Are you happy?
"Are you excited?
"Everyone..."
Cradling the pig's head, the director drew out that last word, then jumped up and announced,
"Let's go!"
Song Lan had assumed that, given how clingy Jiang Mingxi was with him, Jiang Mingxi would come right over once the director finished speaking.
He would look at him with those enticing eyes and whine, "Good luck, Teacher Song. Give me a hug, Teacher Song. I'll miss you, Teacher Song. Teacher Song..."
Teacher Song watched as Jiang Mingxi turned and huddled together with Zhao Jiayuan the moment the director finished speaking.
The two chatted as they strode off without looking back.
He left?
Not only did he not come over to talk, he didn't even spare me a glance?
And another thing!
Talk to Zhao Jiayuan all you want, but why get so close!
What could they possibly be saying that required their faces to practically touch?
"Teacher Song."
Song Lan stared at the back of Jiang Mingxi's head, his brows drawn together in displeasure, when a gentle voice suddenly came from beside him.
Song Lan turned.
Qianqian's boyfriend had gentle features and a smile. At some point, he had moved over and was standing very close to him. "Time to go, Teacher Song."
That closeness made Song Lan somewhat uncomfortable.
Almost reflexively, he took a step back, but his years of honed acting skills made the retreat barely noticeable. It looked more as though he happened to be setting off.
"I've watched every production you've appeared in, Teacher Song. I'm a huge fan." Qianqian's boyfriend kept close behind Song Lan, speaking at a volume almost only the two of them could hear.
Song Lan turned his head to look at Jiang Mingxi.
His eyelid twitched.
That idiot. So busy talking as he walked, he lost his footing and stumbled. Zhao Jiayuan reached out and wrapped an arm around Jiang Mingxi's waist, steadying him.
Were his arms broken?
Was there nowhere to grab except his waist?
Holding a piece of paper, Zhao Jiayuan kept it out of the camera's view and showed it to Jiang Mingxi.
"A staff member slipped this to me just now."
The paper read: Ask Qianqian about her situation with her boyfriend. Is she being psychologically manipulated? Is her physical safety at risk?
Once Jiang Mingxi had skimmed the contents, Zhao Jiayuan put the paper away. "What do you think?"
"What I think isn't important," Jiang Mingxi said. "What matters is that you're skulking around like an enemy soldier."
Zhao Jiayuan raised a hand and smacked him.
Then he straightened his chest.
[Fuck, are Zhao Jiayuan and Jiang Mingxi plotting to steal land mines? Zhao Jiayuan looks so damn shifty!]
[He suddenly stood up straight and looks even dumber!]
[Hahahahaha, seriously, he was better off looking shifty!]
Jiang Mingxi looked over at Qianqian.
What did he think?
He had felt something was wrong for quite a while.
His keen instincts told him this girl was either being psychologically manipulated or threatened.
"Have you ever caught fish before?" Carrying the bucket and net the production team had supplied, Jiang Mingxi made casual conversation.
Zhao Jiayuan immediately bounced twice and joined in. "Yeah, do you like catching fish? Oh, that suddenly reminded me of something."
Everyone looked at Zhao Jiayuan.
Looking as though something had just occurred to him, Zhao Jiayuan said, "There was someone who was psychologically manipulated once, and then she died."
[...]
[...]
[What the actual fuck, I just sprayed a whole mouthful of river-snail noodles all over my computer! Fuck! Pay for it!]
[How can anyone be this stupid? Help! How did he even get famous?]
[Hahahahahaha, I knew the production team was going to stir things up, but I didn't expect them to go this hard!]
[Bet even the director's dumbfounded!]
Watching the livestream, the director shot to his feet.
With utmost respect, he set the pig's head in his arms on the table where the guests had just played truth or dare.
Then he swiftly pulled out a cigarette.
The assistant director beside him immediately reminded him, "No smoking on the mountain."
The director lit the cigarette and stuck it in the pig's mouth.
Then he dropped to his knees devoutly. "Please, bless me so I can finish filming without a hitch! No more unexpected disasters! Please!"
The assistant director: ...
The pig's head, forced to hold a cigarette in its mouth: ...
On camera.
The moment Zhao Jiayuan finished speaking, Jiang Mingxi wanted nothing more than to kick him into the river ditch.
But the words were already out.
Jiang Mingxi could only follow Zhao Jiayuan's lead. "What a tragic story."
The bullet comments instantly erupted in laughter.
Jiang Mingxi shifted gears, adopting a broadcaster's voice brimming with lofty righteousness. "Although psychological manipulation itself isn't illegal, if it also involves fraud, distribution of obscene materials, threats and extortion, or physical abuse under the guise of romance, then it is, in fact, illegal.
"If we feel we're being controlled by someone in our daily lives, we mustn't suffer in silence. We must use the law as a weapon to protect ourselves."
[Uh...]
[These two seem equally bad at this.]
[But wouldn't someone who's really being manipulated already be mentally incapable of making sound judgments? Plenty of victims are highly educated, too.]
He paused.
Jiang Mingxi dropped the broadcaster's voice and returned to his usual tone.
Walking toward the river with everyone, he said, "Actually, throughout last year, I was living with the pain of being psychologically manipulated."
While Jiang Mingxi and Zhao Jiayuan had been speaking earlier, Qianqian had kept her head down, avoiding them the entire time.
But now, at Jiang Mingxi's words, she immediately looked at him with some surprise.
Jiang Mingxi smiled at her.
His eyes curved, his gentleness reassuring.
Jiang Mingxi took a deep breath. "You've probably all heard that I have some connection to the Jiang family of Tianli Group."
[Disgusting. Is this clout-chasing bitch going to use this chance to play the victim and gain followers? How shameless!]
[Would he die if he didn't milk Tianli Group for traffic? Can someone blacklist him!]
[Any person jumping in to hurl abuse right now will be treated as a Jiang Mingle fan. All idiots, hehehehe~]
Jiang Mingxi didn't know what the bullet comments were saying, but he didn't care, either.
"When the Jiang family first found me, I was filled with excitement. I finally had a family of my own.
"A mom and dad, and an older brother.
"But perhaps because we hadn't lived together since I was little, a lot of our daily habits didn't mesh.
"At first, to win Mom, Dad, and my older brother's approval and affection, I desperately tried to fit in with them, desperately tried to become what they liked. Sometimes, even when I hated and resisted the things they asked me to do, I would still do them to make them happy and satisfy them.
"I won't list the specific things here.
"But..."
Jiang Mingxi turned to look at Qianqian.
He held out his left hand.
He had always worn a wristband on his left wrist.
Now, in front of the camera, Jiang Mingxi took it off.
[Holy shit! That's such a long scar!]
[Did he attempt suicide by slitting his wrist?]