Had Xia Zhiyi considered, before calling the police, that the Song family might end up in its current predicament? He certainly had.
He agreed with the saying that people were shaped by their environment. So, if they could choose to hire a killer outright in a struggle over interests, how clean could the Song family's own internal environment be?
How did that saying go again?
[If you see one cockroach, it means thousands upon thousands more are lurking out of sight.]
If they could kill for profit, who could guarantee they hadn't committed other illegal acts for profit over all those years?
Perhaps the law enforcement authorities shared that suspicion and had decided to look into the Song family and Song Corporation while they were at it.
And from the looks of things, the only question for the Song family was whether just one of them had broken the law, or two, or all of them.
While the entire Song family was in deep trouble, cursing Xia Zhiyi behind his back in all sorts of vicious terms, the variety show Xia Zhiyi was taking part in began its publicity campaign.
"Incredible 24H" was also renamed "Incredible Life."
Seemingly overnight, the internet was flooded with content about "Incredible Life."
The recent #Extreme Speed City car accident# seemed to have been forgotten by everyone. Orchid TV's new variety show, on the other hand, quickly attracted enormous attention thanks to its unprecedented livestream format, making several trending lists before filming had even officially begun.
The production team did not reveal the guests' identities before filming, instead offering a few cryptic labels to encourage netizens and fans to make their own guesses.
While the internet was abuzz with speculation about which celebrities dared to take part in this livestream variety show, few people paid much attention to the two non-celebrity guests the production team had mentioned.
Through widespread advertising, Orchid TV's video platform, the Orchid App, also received a huge influx of traffic. When rumors spread that Fu Yunyi might take part in filming, its daily downloads broke records.
Xia Zhiyi paused when he saw the news. "Fu Yunyi's taking part? Isn't the production team going way too far with this fan baiting?"
For one thing, Fu Yunyi had never hidden his identity as the young master of a wealthy family, even when he debuted. People didn't dare make a move against him lightly and even had to curry favor with him for the sake of the money behind him. He had no need whatsoever to join a livestream variety show like this to raise his profile.
Then there was the plot: the first time Fu Yunyi lived under the same roof as other celebrities on a variety show, he was with the female lead, Gu Miaomiao. It was also the opportunity that allowed the two of them to interact closely and get to know each other.
Either Fu Yunyi or his manager would have to have lost their mind to join a variety show with such uncertain prospects for no reason.
"But this news looks fake at a glance. Why do so many fans believe it?" Xia Zhiyi looked at the reviews beneath the Orchid App's listing in the app store. Plenty were celebrating and saying they looked forward to seeing Fu Yunyi on the new variety show, leaving him utterly baffled.
Xia Wanyi brought over a plate of cut fruit and sat beside him, asking gently, "What are you muttering about?"
As she spoke, she glanced at his phone. "More and more people have been discussing this show online lately. Filming starts tomorrow. Are you nervous?"
The production team had originally scheduled filming for August 10, but later moved it to the 11th for certain reasons. Filming would last fifteen days in total, leaving Xia Zhiyi just enough time to rest at home for a few days afterward before reporting to school.
Xia Zhiyi said, "No."
Xia Wanyi said, "Mm, the production team should come straight here tomorrow. In the morning... hmm, do you want to get up early and put on some makeup or something?"
At that, Xia Zhiyi blinked and turned to his sister. "Do you think I don't look good without makeup?"
Xia Wanyi said, "Of course not. You look the best. My little brother is the most handsome!"
Although she had always thought her little brother was mainly cute, she did know that, to boys, being called cute was more like an insult.
"Then do I need to tidy up the house some more?" Xia Wanyi asked.
Xia Zhiyi said, "No need, Sis. I'm just a non-celebrity. Obviously, not many people will pay attention to me at first. Just let things take their course."
Xia Wanyi hugged him gently, her voice soft. "All right. I also think fussing over it too much could backfire, so we'll do as you say."
Before bed, Xia Zhiyi received a message from the production team reminding him that filming would begin tomorrow and to have his luggage ready.
He would be away from home for half a month, eating and living with strangers, and needed to bring some clothes of his own.
What he didn't know was that, at that same moment, in another residence in the city, someone he had met once before was also discussing him with someone else.
Only that day had Xu Chang learned from a colleague that a young man who had caught his eye at first sight was a guest on the show Orchid TV was about to start filming.
He immediately recalled the shock the boy had casually given him that day and called his older sister, Xu Chen, at once.
"...Xu Chang, you'd better have a reasonable explanation. What's so important that you're staying up in the middle of the night and waking me up? Do you know I haven't had a proper rest in half a month?"
Only then did Xu Chang notice that it was already eleven thirty at night. He ducked his head. "Ah, sorry, Sis. I didn't notice the time."
Xu Chen said, "So why are you calling?"
Xu Chang said, "Sis, didn't I tell you before? I met this absolutely stunning, incredibly cool kid and gave him your business card. Has he still not contacted you?"
Not expecting Xu Chang to still be thinking about it after so many days, Xu Chen rubbed the space between her eyebrows on the other end of the line, sat up in bed, and turned on the light. "No. I said he hasn't! Besides, you're a writer-director. Why do you insist on stealing my work as a talent manager?"
Xu Chang said, "I really think he has potential. You saw the videos before, didn't you, Sis? And the photos, right? He's got both the looks and the figure, and he knows kung fu! He can fly! He'll definitely be a hit if he debuts!"
"Who in the industry right now can do what he does? He just flies right up!"
Xu Chen said, "...Fine, fine, I know you think he has potential. But what can I do if he doesn't contact me? Do you think I have so much free time that I can go harass a kid when I don't even know if he's of age?"
Xu Chang said, "But he's taking part in 'Incredible Life.'"
Xu Chen said, "..."
Xu Chen said, "If he's signed with another company, there's nothing I can do about that either."
Xu Chang said very quietly, "As a non-celebrity guest."
Xu Chen said, "..."
Pressing the space between her eyebrows, Xu Chen fell silent for a long while. Thinking of the two videos she had watched before, she had to admit that she was actually a little tempted.
Xu Chen said, "All right, got it. I'll contact Orchid TV tomorrow and see if I can get his contact information."
She had thought he wasn't interested in the industry, but now it seemed that... might not necessarily be the case?