Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

The outskirts had fewer cars, and as night fell, the inky sky enveloped the fields.

On the open ground of the farmhouse, a bonfire was burning, and further away were modular breeding areas along the highway. Chickens, ducks, geese, fish, vegetables, and fruits, even a golf course.

To thank the staff of Cicada Studio for their hard work recently, President Pei, on someone's "suggestion", decided to have a team-building day on a weekday.

The team-building location was this little farmhouse in a remote mountain corner, hundreds of kilometers away from Xinghai.

"Didn't you want to listen to Lin Chuan's new song?" Pei Muchan looked up, her face reflecting the light of the fire, and turned to remind him, "It's six o'clock now, you can buy it."

"No rush." Xu Qingyan flicked through his phone, selected a chat with Zhou Mian, and forwarded it to Pei Muchan, "I have something to show you, just sent it."

"What?" Pei Muchan opened the video message he had sent.

The video was shaky and the lighting dim, but it clearly captured the moment Ji Chen of the Xi Liang Band was led away by a group of police officers at the Star Entertainment Building.

No handcuffs were on him, but he was surrounded front, back, left, and right by burly men.

Pei Muchan, after a tiring journey and picking vegetables with the employees at noon, was clearly exhausted by nightfall. She watched the video and hesitated for a moment.

"He got arrested?"

This was a bare patch of ground, with the base of a sliced gas barrel serving as the fire pit. Several nearly burned-out logs were perched on it, casting a gentle glow.

Laughter came from afar, as the studio staff enjoyed an open-air barbecue. There was plenty of beer and beverages, and since the place included accommodation and transportation, it didn't matter if they returned today or tomorrow.

Faint clinks of toasting glasses came from the distance, mingling with the gentle crackling of the nearby bonfire.

"Yeah, because of relations with a minor. Now that it's confirmed, he'll get at least three years to start with," Qingyan said, "It's a big deal now, and it's too late even if the girl doesn't pursue it."

"The social impact is too negative; I guess he'll be sewing in prison for a few years. Later on... if they find anything else, then it might be more than just a few years."

She stared at the bonfire, slightly curling up her body, her gaze a bit scattered.

"Last year he dragged a traffic cop, and afterwards it was..."

"Yes, there's nothing that can be done about it," Xu Qingyan sighed, "Ji Chen still has a chance to come back into the public eye, to keep appearing on shows."

"It might not be long before you see, 'Today's News' or 'Jailbird Ji', sounds good, right? The ratings would definitely skyrocket."

Pei Muchan blanked out for a moment, then quickly recovered, seemingly struggling to keep composed.

"You... why are you breathing so heavily when you speak?"

"We don't need to bother anymore, now that it's come to this, Ji Chen can't turn things around," Qingyan said, throwing a stick into the bonfire and looking down.

"Officials have been cracking down on celebrities with misconduct; they'll probably use him as an example."

"Anyway..."

He turned his head, his gaze landing squarely on Pei Muchan. His voice in the night wind was like thousands of silk threads twisted into a fine rope, gradually becoming clear.

"You can rest easy from now on, there won't be a Ji Chen anymore. He's a dog, will never appear before you again, and if he does it'll be many years later." Explore stories on empire

"The entertainment industry always forgets the old as soon as the new comes along. When he gets out, no one will remember him. Once the verdict is out, you can get a good night's sleep."

The bonfire crackled and Pei Muchan missed a heartbeat, looking stunned.

"Did you do it?"

"Definitely not, what does it have to do with me?" Xu Qingyan's words were firm, "At most, I'd create an alt online to curse a bit, I just saw the news today."

"Ji Chen got what he deserved, reaping what he sowed. What do they call it? Poetic justice? See, the retribution has come, hasn't it?"

Pei Muchan didn't ask further, just looked at him deeply, then said quietly,

"I'm not stupid."

"Indeed." Xu Qingyan agreed with a hint of sentiment.

The bonfire crackled, and without another word between them, they simply sat beside it, watching as tiny sparks burst from the wood.

The tension was so extreme that with a pop, everything scattered like stars.

Pei Muchan sat dazed, curled up and staring into the bonfire for a long while. Her gaze dull, eyes flickering with the reflection of the fire, she seemed lost in thought.

The atmosphere didn't stiffen with silence, the subtle sense of connection became more tangible instead, as if a visible thread wove them together.

With a pop, the wood splintered again.

She suddenly spoke, her voice low and unexpectedly tender, like a flower standing in the twilight,

"Thank you... I really appreciate it, not just for today. These past two months... have been the happiest I've been in years. I never thought I could live so freely."

"To be able to go to the studio every day, not having to be alone in a dark room. Meeting you was really lucky for me, before this, I..."

Pei Muchan couldn't continue, feeling a warm wetness on her face.

She felt no strong emotions, yet she didn't want to go on, afraid that the more she said, the more she'd reveal. Some things, once said, can become a burden to others.

"Don't thank me anymore, it has come to this," Xu Qingyan walked over to Pei Muchan, squatted down, and fumbled in his pocket as if he was looking for a tissue.

Pei Muchan paused, about to say it wasn't necessary when he seemed to forget the tissue. Instead, he reached out his hand, which loomed large before her eyes.

In that instant, the warm tips of his fingers brushed her face. They gently dried the remnants of tears on her face, not slow but taking about two seconds.

The warmth was fleeting; they rarely stood so close to each other.