Zhou Kai was in absolutely no mood to head out with the others.
Absolutely none.
But he also knew they were still livestreaming, and his every word and action was on camera. If he showed even a hint of guilt or avoidance, the viewers behind that lens might notice something was off.
At that moment, Zhou Kai began to regret it.
He... should never have come on this livestreamed variety show for the traffic Fu Yunyi could bring.
If it hadn't been live, even if he performed poorly on the show, he could have his manager talk to the production team afterward. What effect couldn't they create in editing?
But a livestream... right now, Zhou Kai wasn't even sure whether he had lost control of his expression when he heard that Xia Zhiyi had caught a snake.
Whether anyone had noticed anything wrong.
Whether...
"Mr. Zhou."
A voice suddenly sounded beside his ear, startling Zhou Kai, who had unwittingly sunk into his thoughts. He instinctively took several steps back, only for someone to grab his sleeve and stop him from retreating any farther.
Zhou Kai remembered where he was, too. Turning to see that he had nearly fallen straight down the slope, he snapped in anger, "You..."
The word had barely left his mouth when he realized the person holding him was Xia Zhiyi.
The non-celebrity guest he had disliked from their very first meeting.
But the real reason Zhou Kai swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue was the dark camera lens behind Xia Zhiyi.
It was clearly an inanimate object, yet Zhou Kai felt as though he could see countless eyes watching him through that lens.
Suddenly, a chill ran through his entire body.
Zhou Kai: This show... I really shouldn't have come.
Xia Zhiyi smiled. "Mr. Zhou, be careful."
On camera, Zhou Kai could only muster a smile and say, "I spaced out for a moment. Thanks for the warning."
He said nothing about having just been startled.
[What's going on with Zhou Kai?]
[Hiss, that startled me.]
[Zhou Kai looked so fierce just now.]
[He doesn't look too well. What's wrong? Could it be heatstroke? He looks a little out of it.]
[The guests can all do what they want. If Zhou Kai isn't feeling well, wouldn't it be better to go back and rest?]
[If Xia Zhiyi hadn't warned him, Zhou Kai would've stepped in horse manure. Who knows what he was thinking? Someone called out to him, and he got so startled he nearly fell down the slope. In that state... tsk, tsk, tsk. That's way too dangerous.]
[Actually, he'd be fine even if he fell. A few scrapes at most. There's a wall blocking the way over there, so he wouldn't tumble all the way down to the foot of the mountain.]
Zhou Kai's odd state was actually quite obvious on camera. He simply didn't know it himself.
At that moment, Zhou Kai's manager, Chen Yun, was watching the livestream too, taking in his every reaction. Seeing him like this, she said in exasperation, "It's just a snake. Nobody got hurt, but he's scared himself half to death. Useless!"
Beside her, Zhou Kai's assistant asked worriedly, "Chen Yun, the viewers can tell something's wrong with Zhou Kai in this state. If someone brings up what happened before..."
Chen Yun said, "It's fine. Arrange for some paid commenters to steer the discussion. The snake didn't bite anyone, and nobody got hurt. It's a minor issue. Just get them to focus on something else."
Chen Yun looked at Xia Zhiyi and frowned slightly.
She remembered him. When Zhou Kai and Fu Yunyi had been filming another variety show previously, there had been a small accident. Back then, she had happened to see Xia Zhiyi in a video, thought he had potential, and tried contacting him.
But Xia Zhiyi had rejected her invitation outright, his attitude decisive.
At the time, she had thought Xia Zhiyi had no interest in the entertainment industry. Besides, she wasn't exactly short on artists, so she hadn't pursued him and had simply left her contact information.
She hadn't expected that the next time she saw him, Xia Zhiyi would be on the same show as Zhou Kai.
And... Xia Zhiyi looked young, a fresh-faced young man, but his very first appearance had practically been a trump card. Despite being a non-celebrity, he had caused several sensations in a short time, completely stealing Zhou Kai's thunder.
According to Chen Yun's original plan, Zhou Kai's livestream should have been more popular than this by now.
This showed Chen Yun Xia Zhiyi's potential, and the idea she had previously put out of her mind stirred again-if she could sign Xia Zhiyi, there would be no substitute for this young man in the entire entertainment industry in the near term.
Xia Zhiyi was good-looking, too. Although he still looked a little young and had some baby fat on his face, with the discerning eye Chen Yun had developed over her many years in the industry, she could tell that once his features fully matured, he would be no worse-looking than any other male celebrity.
Plenty of people were into pretty boys these days.
Chen Yun's eyes flickered. She told the assistant, "Book two tickets to H Province. I'm going to the filming location."
The assistant quickly nodded, breathing a sigh of relief as well-since Chen Yun was going in person, she would presumably be able to handle this accident.
Speaking of which, the assistant hadn't expected Zhou Kai to actually bring a venomous snake there just to show off in front of the livestream audience.
And the result...
The assistant: If I hadn't heard Xia Zhiyi explain it, I'd have thought a venomous snake was harmless once its fangs were removed, too...
Who would have thought a venomous snake could still poison someone to death even after its fangs were removed...
No wonder Zhou Kai was acting strange. The assistant knew some of the inside story and could understand his current state.
It was fear after the fact.
If Xia Zhiyi hadn't caught the snake ahead of time, the plan had been for Zhou Kai himself to step up heroically. If he had accidentally been bitten, the consequences...
The assistant: Hiss.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
"A snake?" Fu Chi paused slightly in the act of undoing his sleeve garters and turned toward the special assistant giving his report. "Since they chose a place like that to film the show, they should at least guarantee the guests' basic safety. What exactly is the production team doing?"
The atmosphere seemed to turn icy at that moment. Facing his boss's deep, dark eyes, the special assistant felt a silent pressure wash over him and instinctively lowered his head to avoid meeting his gaze.
President Fu was angry.
The special assistant felt sweat breaking out on his forehead. Although he knew Fu Chi wasn't directing his anger at him, he was the one facing Fu Chi right now. It was hard not to feel pressured.
"President Fu, I already contacted the production team. They said it was an accident, but they haven't ruled out the possibility of human involvement. They're investigating."
Fu Chi gave a cold laugh. "Human involvement, huh."
The special assistant lowered his head.
The office fell silent for a while. Fu Chi removed his sleeve garters with a cold expression and ordered, "Move up the trip to H Province."
"Yes, sir."
It looked as though President Fu intended to go there in person.
That made sense. President Fu's only young nephew was there, and he had nearly been bitten by a venomous snake right after the broadcast started. How could President Fu feel at ease?
Sure enough, those rumors at headquarters about President Fu and Young Mr. Fu having a bad relationship, or Young Mr. Fu being forced to make a living in entertainment because he couldn't win against President Fu, were all false.