Chapter 35: Shujian, You Are Too Honest

In the eyes of the production team, Zhang Qidong was clearly one of those self-important, seasoned variety show veterans. Crucially, these behind-the-scenes dynamics could not be leaked; otherwise, one might as well forget about working in the industry.

From the crew's perspective, Yu Hui was not innocent. He and Zhang Qidong were "colluding," fixated solely on creating show effects and manipulating the audience's perception. For Yu Hui to be so proactive toward Xu Shujian at this moment—even going so far as to unplug his microphone—looked, to the production team, like a big bad wolf baring its fangs at a little lamb.

Much like Tang Mingyue’s impression, from the start of the recording until now, Xu Shujian had been perfectly normal, still playing the part of the neglected, pitiful figure within his marriage. The main thing was that he was handsome. In private, a group of female staff members felt sorry for him, often joking that he should just divorce Song Yue so they would have a chance.

The male staff had been a bit jealous at first, but that changed once they learned about the song Xu Shujian had written regarding his life with Song Yue—the one titled "I Endured the Cold Wind for You." Xu Shujian hadn't allowed it to be recorded, a topic they had discussed among themselves. Their consensus, from a bird's-eye view, was that the song would have brought endless criticism upon Song Yue. You took Xu Shujian from the screen, yet you didn't cherish him, and you even drove him to write such a vulnerable, "little man" song—especially considering that the Xu Shujian of the past had been incredibly bold and flamboyant.

Comparing the two, it was like looking at different people. The contrast was stark. If the audience saw this evolution, wouldn't they tear Song Yue apart?

The staff gave Xu Shujian a thumbs-up in private for his actions. Yu Hui was nothing compared to him; this was what a real man looked like. Initially, the production team hadn't intended to intervene—fishing segments weren't that important in a divorce variety show—and they had only been worried for Xu Shujian over the walkie-talkies, fearing he was being led astray. It wasn't until Tang Mingyue’s voice came over the radio, ordering them to go check on him, that the crew steered the boat over, resulting in the warning.

On the small fishing boat, Yu Hui saw the crew pulling Xu Shujian aside and assumed they were reprimanding him. He shouted, "It has nothing to do with Brother Xu! I was the one who unplugged it. We were just talking about some private matters; don't give Brother Xu a hard time."

A staff member smoothed things over with Yu Hui, saying they weren't giving him a hard time, just reminding them to be mindful of the recording. Of course, it was also a subtle nudge for Yu Hui to stop doing such things. The staff member who had pulled Xu Shujian aside gave him a look that said, "You see?" and whispered, "They are highly calculating. You’ve been away from this circle for too long; don't be too naive. When it's time to perform, you must perform. Understand?"

Xu Shujian felt his face flush and nodded. "I understand. Thank you, brother."

The man patted Xu Shujian on the shoulder. "Good luck. Go on."

...

At noon, the small boat Xu Shujian had rented docked. Both he and Yu Hui were wearing smiles. They had fished all morning and caught only two fish with their rods, but their net had yielded quite a bit, including two ten-pound Qionghai whitefish.

The two men carried the net toward the guesthouse. They had negotiated with the boat owner earlier, as he was willing to buy their catch. The Qionghai fish had a certain novelty, and in front of the cameras, the owner offered a generous price. Altogether, the haul weighed over fifty pounds, and the owner rounded the figure up to seven hundred.

Turning two hundred into seven hundred made Xu Shujian slightly satisfied. He tucked the seven red banknotes into his pocket; there simply weren't many other ways to make money in this place.

As Xu Shujian and Yu Hui walked inside, they heard an argument erupting in the main living room.

"Brother Hui! Shujian! You're back! Quick, do something about President Zhang. I’ve already bought instant noodles, and he’s insisting on ordering takeout!" As soon as Pan Yun saw them, she began to complain.

Xu Shujian didn't respond, heading straight for the kitchen.

Zhang Qidong grew energized and turned to Yu Hui. "Let's just eat lunch now. We'll make do in the evening. The point is we're hungry, and isn't there an important segment this afternoon? You need to be well-fed, right? If we're hungry at night, we can just snack a bit, or just go straight to sleep."

Yu Hui frowned. Everyone except Song Yue was in the living room, and it was clear that the majority sided with Zhang Qidong. They all wanted to eat lunch now; otherwise, Pan Yun wouldn't have been complaining to those who had just returned.

Yu Hui coughed twice. "Why are you all making such a fuss? Just discuss it. What else can you do? Just take a vote. Sister Yun wants to save money, and President Zhang wants to enjoy himself—how could you possibly come to a consensus?"

Pan Yun raised her hand. "We already voted. It's three to one. Now it's up to you two."

Yu Hui asked, "Three to one?"

Pan Yun glanced at Chen Linye and then said, "President Zhang, Xiaoxian, and Miomiao all advocate eating now. Someone else abstained."

Yu Hui looked toward the kitchen and called out, "Brother Xu, what do you think?"

Xu Shujian’s voice came back: "Anything works for me. I picked some vegetables from the plot nearby this morning. We can add them to the instant noodles, or if we order takeout, I’ll just stir-fry a vegetable dish to go with it."

Yu Hui pondered this. Clearly, Brother Xu was staying out of the fray. He had his own food and his own money, and Yu Hui certainly wouldn't ask him to contribute, as that was money he had earned through his own hard work.

Since he didn't have to worry about Brother Xu, Yu Hui glanced at Huang Miomiao and raised his hand. "Let's order food. I agree with eating now."

Zhang Qidong was momentarily stunned. This kid Yu Hui had been attacking everyone indiscriminately, yet now he was on his side? That was fine. He immediately looked at Pan Yun. "Alright, it's settled. Shujian abstained, Brother Hui agrees—even if we counted President Song, you still wouldn't have enough votes."

Pan Yun continued to shake her head. "No, Brother Hui, trust me. We’ll definitely be hungry at night. If we make do now and eat tonight, we’ll be hungry for a longer stretch. Money should always be saved for the final stretch."

Yu Hui covered his ears. "Aren't we supposed to follow the majority? If so, then let's order. If not, then just divide the money according to our shares and let us manage our own."

Pan Yun fell silent.

Yu Hui continued, "Why must we be so tangled up over such a small matter? If we don't decide now, the afternoon's activities will be delayed again. Yesterday’s cycling was already a mess; we can't keep doing this. Sister Yun, be decisive. What do you say? It looks like saving money, but in reality, you're just wasting everyone's time."

Chen Linye stood up to smooth things over. "Honey, it's fine. It's everyone's money anyway. Let's just order. I'll go place the order."

Pan Yun looked slightly annoyed. "Fine, fine. Let’s see what you do when you're starving tonight."

Zhang Qidong gave Yu Hui a thumbs-up. "Impressive. It really is Brother Hui. I like your personality."

Huang Miomiao frowned. She assumed something unpleasant must have happened between Yu Hui and Xu Shujian, otherwise, why would he be so fired up the moment he walked in?

She stood up and pulled Yu Hui aside. "What’s going on? Don't tell me you had an argument with Shujian?"

Yu Hui widened his eyes. "What are you thinking? Is Brother Xu the type of person to have a bad temper? Don't talk nonsense. We shouldn't be discussing people behind their backs."

Huang Miomiao replied, "I..."