Chapter 127.2: The Variety Show Ends
Wang Cai sat quietly on the floor, calmly watching Lucky be affectionate with Shen Xiu. Upon noticing that Xu Qingchen wasn’t among the people entering the room, he made no move to run.
Jiang Rong asked quietly, “Shen Xiu, can I take one of your freeze-dried packs?”
Shen Xiu: “Sure.”
But then he felt his tone was too curt, so he added, “Take whatever you want, seriously. Anything’s fine.”
“Thanks.”
Jiang Rong crouched down, opened a pack of freeze-dried treats, and poured a few pieces into her palm. With a warm smile, she extended her hand toward Wang Cai and called softly, “Wang Cai, want a bite?”
Wang Cai sat still for a few seconds, staring at her. Then, cautiously, he stood and walked over. His tail was lowered in wary alertness as he slowly circled Jiang Rong, sniffing as he moved around her.
Shen Xiu, seeing the scene, quietly stepped away with Lucky in his arms, not wanting to interrupt Jiang Rong and Wang Cai getting to know each other.
Jiang Rong remained crouched, subtly pulling her hand a little closer to herself.
The freeze-dried treat smelled too good—Wang Cai couldn’t resist in the end. After circling her twice, he lowered his head and began eating from Jiang Rong’s hand. Even as he ate, his wary eyes kept a close watch on her, ready to bolt at the slightest sign of danger.
You can’t say no after accepting a treat—after taking the first freeze-dried snack from Jiang Rong, Wang Cai couldn’t bring himself to reject her when she reached out to pet him.
As Jiang Rong gently stroked Wang Cai’s little cat head, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Not a single stray had ever resisted her—her sixteen little darlings at home had all been tricked back one step at a time like this.
Shen Xiu’s eyes fell on Wang Cai, and Lucky, displeased, stretched out a paw and batted at Shen Xiu’s face.
He was craving attention again.
“Meow!”
The moment he meowed, Lucky realized he hadn’t controlled his pitch. He froze, then tried to play it off like nothing had happened and meowed again—this time soft and cute: “Meow~”
Shen Xiu: “……”
Had he just imagined that first meow?
He looked down at Lucky, who pretended not to notice the stare, ducking his little head and burrowing awkwardly into Shen Xiu’s arms.
[Lucky: I’ve lost all my little cat dignity!]
[Is no one going to mention how that pitch-black paw on Shen Xiu’s cold, sharp face is the ultimate contrast?]
[Rong Rong really knows how to handle cats.]
[Wang Cai, stunned: I… I have someone who cares about me now?]
[Dead. That first loud “meow” had Lucky shook too.]
Seeing that the time was right, Jiang Rong tried picking Wang Cai up—he didn’t resist, so she stood up with him in her arms.
Shen Xiu gently rubbed Lucky’s head. “Be good and stay here for a bit. I’m packing some gifts for your little buddy.”
After explaining it to Lucky, Shen Xiu set him down and started filling a bag with cat food, freeze-dried treats, and toys.
Since Wang Cai was bigger and also Lucky’s friend, Shen Xiu worried it wouldn’t be enough and packed two-thirds of the bag for Wang Cai.
He handed the bag to Jiang Rong and asked, “Is this okay?”
Jiang Rong replied, “More than okay—this is too much! Is Lucky okay with it?”
Shen Xiu looked at Lucky. “Is that okay?”
Lucky, still wanting cuddles and not interested in the bag at all, didn’t even glance at it and just let out a soft meow.
“Meow~”
Shen Xiu said, “He’s fine with it.”
Jiang Rong: “…Thank you. Thank you, little Lucky.”
She really hadn’t expected someone as cold as Shen Xiu to seriously ask a cat for permission!
Sure, she talked to her own cats like they were people every day, but the fact that Shen Xiu, who looked so aloof, acted just like an everyday cat owner gave her an oddly adorable sense of surprise.
“You’re welcome,” Shen Xiu said, running out of words.
Jiang Rong took the bag. “Then I won’t bother you two anymore—bye~”
“Bye.”
After seeing Jiang Rong off and watching her figure disappear, Shen Xiu closed the door, turned around, picked Lucky up, and sat down on the sofa. He took off Lucky’s dirty little dress and changed him into a new blue one.
In the final day and a bit of the livestream, Wang Cai began living a life completely different from before.
He played with Lucky during the day, slept at the foot of Jiang Rong’s bed at night, and occasionally acted cute to be pampered.
As for what Xu Qingchen said about Wang Cai being aggressive—that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Over the course of two days, Lucky licked Wang Cai, and not once did Wang Cai retaliate—he didn’t even scratch Jiang Rong when she held him. His gentle temperament left Xu Qingchen’s fans speechless.
Sunday.
At 6 PM, the livestream ended.
Episode 26 of the pet-themed variety show concluded, but Xu Qingchen’s career downfall was just beginning.
Even though his manager had whisked him away from the filming site, the evidence of him abusing Wang Cai and feeding him toxic cat food was undeniable.
Later, netizens uncovered that over the past three years, Xu Qingchen had caused the deaths of thirteen cats that looked similar to Wang Cai, solidifying his moral condemnation and completely destroying his career.
The only bright spot, according to netizens, was that Wang Cai had finally escaped the clutches of a monster and found a true owner who loved him.
During this time, Shen Xiu focused on his studies and had long since put Xu Qingchen out of his mind.
Just as Shen Xiu was about to enter exam week, the system suddenly notified him: the drama crew of Immortal Path had been criticized online and was trending for all the wrong reasons.
Shen Xiu was confused. “Why?”
During filming, everyone—from the director to the actors—had been serious and professional. The atmosphere on set was great. There hadn’t even been a single argument within the crew, let alone with fans online.
He couldn’t figure out how they had managed to get flamed.
The system replied: [The production team of Immortal Path released a ‘joke’ teaser video, and because of it, people are bashing the show as trash and calling it an emotional scam.]
Shen Xiu: “…”
Given the show’s filming schedule, it shouldn’t have wrapped that long ago.
Normally, it would be a while before a teaser trailer was released. Shen Xiu couldn’t understand why the production team would rush to push one out right after wrapping.
He silently picked up his phone and tapped into his Weibo account, which the system had been managing for him and which he hadn’t checked in ages.
Before watching the video, Shen Xiu didn’t dare to speak recklessly.
Five minutes later.
After watching the one-and-a-half-minute “joke” teaser, Shen Xiu realized he had unknowingly held his phone a little too far from his eyes.
Silently, he brought the phone closer and closed the video.
Only one thought remained in his mind: Well deserved.
There were hundreds of thousands of comments under the video, but Shen Xiu didn’t have the courage to open them.
Avoiding the truth, he asked the system, “When was the video posted?”
With so many negative comments, it must have been out for a few days, right?
System: [Today at 6 PM.]
Shen Xiu looked at the phone screen, which showed 9 PM, paused quietly for a moment, then sighed softly, “My mindset just isn’t broad enough.”
The anger of the netizens was even more terrifying than he had imagined — otherwise, how could there be hundreds of thousands of comments in just three hours?
Thinking about how he might also need to act and direct in the future, Shen Xiu felt both cautious and a little scared.
Buzz buzz buzz…
Just as the pressure mounted, the phone on the table vibrated.
Even now, seeing the incoming call, Shen Xiu couldn’t help but feel a shiver down his spine.
The call was from Xuan Ji again. Thinking about the flood of online criticism, Shen Xiu muttered, “Could Xuan Ji be calling for comfort?”
Oh no, he was terrible at comforting people!
Breathing heavily under the weight of anxiety, Shen Xiu answered the call, “Hello…”
Before he even finished his word, a torrent of words came from Xuan Ji on the other end:
“Shen Xiu, I remember tomorrow is Saturday, are you free?”
“Please, can you come to my studio tomorrow?”
“Wuwu, I’m willing to kneel and beg you, really, you’re the only one I have!”
His dad had belittled him until he was worth nothing, netizens had torn him apart with vicious insults, and everyone on the team said the editing was great. Xuan Ji felt like life was so dark.
Even darker, his dad warned him that if Shen Xiu wasn’t satisfied, then K Corp wouldn’t be either—meaning no one would dare invest in his future projects.
The only person Xuan Ji could think of to save him was Shen Xiu.
After hearing Xuan Ji out, Shen Xiu let out a sigh of relief: “Okay.”
As long as it wasn’t about comforting him, anything was fine.
Xuan Ji, planning to continue begging, was stunned by how easily Shen Xiu agreed. Afraid Shen Xiu might change his mind, he quickly said, “Then see you tomorrow. I’ll send you the address soon. At 10 AM, a driver will pick you up. We won’t leave until we meet!”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, knowing his first acting role had been slammed, Shen Xiu feared getting more angry calls and didn’t hesitate to turn off his phone.
—
The next day.
11 a.m., Immortal Path editing room.
After watching the second version of the trailer edited by Xuan Ji, Shen Xiu looked at him.
Shen Xiu wanted to say something, but remembering that everyone had different tastes and should respect each other’s aesthetics, he hesitated and held back.
Xuan Ji: “…Shen Xiu, don’t just look at me like that—say something, I’m begging you.”
That cold, silent stare was seriously creeping him out.
Following Xuan Ji’s request, Shen Xiu looked away and turned his gaze to the screen still playing the trailer. He finally spoke: “Do you think this looks good?”
Assistant director Zhao Heng: “…”
As expected of Shen Xiu—he really doesn’t hold back! Not even leaving the director a shred of face.
Xuan Ji: “?”
Now that he was no longer under Shen Xiu’s direct stare, Xuan Ji felt a bit more relaxed and looked at the screen.
“It doesn’t look good? The atmosphere is maxed out, isn’t it? A lot of shows do this now—everything’s about the vibes! Shipping is king!”
Soft lighting, dramatic music, slow motion… the atmosphere was cranked to the max.
Shen Xiu wanted to argue, but the moment he thought of the long list of critiques forming in his mind, he instantly deflated. He didn’t even have the energy or courage to explain it all. Powerlessly, he said: “Let me cut one instead.”
