The leveling-up speed this time was ridiculously fast, almost like a joke.
After all the system messages finished popping up, everyone in the group chat was left speechless.
【[Dog Bro] Killing Wife to Achieve Dao Chu Qianmo: This update is so unpredictable, it’s like a joke. One moment it says there will be an update, and the next moment it’s already over.】
As usual, Chu Qianmo was being his usual sharp-tongued self. Lin Xi and the others weren’t busy checking the update announcements or greeting new members anymore.
Everyone was just waiting for Chu Qianmo to get a lesson from the group chat system.
Sure enough, just as Lin Xi and the others predicted, Chu Qianmo got punished again with an electric shock from the group chat system, which maliciously livestreamed his embarrassing moment. Seeing that upright, wild afro and his pitch-black face with only his eyes and teeth standing out white, Lin Xi and the others couldn’t help but click their tongues in amusement.
【Post-apocalyptic Wasteland Lin Duxi: Hey, Dog Bro, I gotta ask, is it that you just can’t be comfortable if you don’t provoke trouble every two or three days?】 Lin Duxi admired Chu Qianmo the most for this quality — truly the more setbacks, the more resilient he became.
【1960s Boxer Xiang Qianlan: Terrifying. Getting zapped every few days like this, I actually feel sorry for him.】 Xiang Qianlan, who spent her days scolding her mother-in-law and husband in the village, had also dealt with her mother-in-law’s lover thoroughly. Nowadays, her life was quite comfortable.
Even when she went to the fields to earn work points, it was just enough to get by. After all, she worked hard for those points and didn’t want to give any freebies to those two useless people.
【Immortal World Bai Qingting: Dog Bro, is it that you get some benefit when the system strikes you with lightning? Otherwise, why do you keep acting so foolishly?】
Chu Qianmo candidly admitted that there was indeed a benefit: 【After being shocked by the system, the meridians get expanded, making cultivation speed double, and after the shock, the whole body feels incredibly refreshed.】
Chu Qianmo had never mentioned this before because probably only he and Bai Qingting could endure the system’s electric shocks. After all, the others were all from the normal world and didn’t have the conditions for cultivation.
Bai Qingting looked thoughtful.
Lin Xi and the others weren’t interested in this and clicked to check the group announcements.
【Group Announcement: This update mainly adds video account functionality, allowing group members to upload short videos in the video account interface.】
【Added a drifting bottle feature, where group members can store any harmless, non-living items inside. Once the drifting bottle floats out, group members can receive feedback accordingly.】
【Since all group members come from the Earth dimension, Earth dimension member @[Middleman] Earth Girl Lin Xi will exclusively receive the “Shake” feature. Its usage is: open WeChat’s “Shake” function, and while shaking the phone, you will be matched with travelers who have crossed over into countless worlds.】
【If a traveler replies to @Earth Girl Lin Xi, they will automatically join the group. PS: The “Shake” feature can only be activated once a week, and each time can match two people. Please be aware. This update is now complete. Thank you all for your attention.】
Everyone in the group noticed that the group system had been upgraded twice. The last time, a "Moments" feature was added, and this time, it was the introduction of video channels. People scattered across different places, those who still held some attachment to Earth, were pretty happy about it. Moments only allowed photo posts, but short videos were a whole different story.
Now, everyone could record what they wanted to say and do.
The message in a bottle feature was an even bigger surprise for everyone. After all, for those who were a bit older, there wasn’t anyone who hadn’t played the classic “Penguin Message in a Bottle” game. When that feature became popular back then, it was as big as the Penguin Farm craze.
As for the “Shake” feature, which only Lin Xi had access to, no one else envied it. After all, it wasn’t useful for contacting other dimension travelers—they couldn’t private message each other or transfer resources on their own.
Lin Xi was eager to try out the Shake feature. Her eyes landed on the message in a bottle icon. Based on what she knew so far, she suspected that her father’s disappearance might have been due to crossing into another world.
She had privately asked around, and none of the dimension travelers in the group had ever heard of Lin Zhongxun. So, could it be that he had crossed into a different world?
Could this message in a bottle help her find Lin Zhongxun?
Without hesitation, Lin Xi opened the group chat and clicked on the bottle icon at the back, representing the message in a bottle feature.
A white bottle floated on blue ocean water, with yellow sand beneath. Clicking the icon revealed two buttons.
One was “Throw Bottle,” and the other was “Pick Up.” Each person had two chances to pick up bottles daily.
Lin Xi clicked on “Throw Bottle,” wrote down the basic information about the person she was looking for, along with the reward, and sent it out.
Before she even got to use the “Pick Up” feature, the group started buzzing with discussion.
[Original World’s Ah Huahua: Has anyone tried that message in a bottle feature? I just played with it, and there really are people throwing bottles out there.]
Ah Huahua’s only attachment in the modern world was Cao’er. Now that Cao’er could accompany her every night, Ah Huahua had no regrets. Since she couldn’t use the Shake feature, the message in a bottle was the only game she could play.
And honestly, the message in a bottle was quite fun. Some people poured out their hearts, others showed off themselves. Ah Huahua blushed thinking about the bottle she just picked up. She was certain that if that bottle had appeared on Earth’s internet, it wouldn’t have spread so freely—she might even have gotten a call from the internet police.
[Xianxia World’s Bai Qingting: I tried it too. Honestly, some people are really shameless.]
After Ah Huahua and Bai Qingting shared their experiences, everyone started chatting about it.
After all, life was pretty dull after crossing over; otherwise, they wouldn’t be spending all their time chatting in the group. For dimension travelers, the message in a bottle was truly a fresh novelty.
In the entertainment world dimension, Hang Xingyue—the saltfish control group’s representative—was also playing with this very peculiar message in a bottle.
She saw the chat going on in the group and couldn’t help but join in: [Entertainment Industry Slacker Contrast Group Hang Xingyue: Tsk tsk tsk, the reality world's drifting bottle can’t even hold a candle to the dimension-hopping drifting bottle. It doesn’t even come close to the benefits. Just barely skimming the edge of the perks.]
[Earth Girl Lin Xi: Welcome, newcomers, welcome! ] Starting with Lin Xi, everyone quickly ended the previous topic and lined up neatly.
[Switched-at-birth True Heiress Qin Suyuan: Welcome, big sis! Hurry up and tell us your story.]
Now, whenever new members are invited into the group, they see a summary of everyone’s stories. So Hang Xingyue wasn’t at all bothered when everyone asked about her own story.
To be honest, she had a lot to rant about.
[Entertainment Industry Slacker Contrast Group Hang Xingyue: Actually, my story is pretty simple. I was born into this world through a womb-transmigration to a place quite similar to our Huaxia, except here the country isn’t called Huaxia—it’s called Longguo (Dragon Kingdom).]
[The era might be a bit more advanced than Earth’s. For example, the medical industry here is incredibly developed. Diseases like cancer already have miracle cures, and the prices are surprisingly affordable.]
[Without the burden of illness, our Huaxia has always been a people-centered society—everyone knows that—so Longguo is the same. People live peacefully and happily, with some disposable income in their pockets. Naturally, the entertainment industry has been booming at lightning speed.]
[I’m fairly good-looking, and since I had no memories from before the transmigration, I naturally entered the entertainment industry and became a child star everyone watched grow up.] Hang Xingyue only recovered her pre-transmigration memories about a month and a half ago.
She had plenty to complain about, but she wasn’t sure what big problems this world had. When she tried to speak up, the words just wouldn’t come out.
[Oh, I’m currently participating in a variety show, where I’ll be the contrast to the female lead Xia Xuerong, who transmigrated from an apocalyptic world. I go from a well-received, talented rising star to a diva who bullies others, and because I secretly like the male lead, I confess but get rejected and humiliated, ending up blacklisted by the entire internet.]
[My fate? I jump off a tall building. Just to clarify, the apocalyptic female lead Xia Xuerong is a book transmigrant. That means before she arrived, I was the original female lead, and she was the supporting character.]
This last part was a bit convoluted, but everyone here was battle-hardened and immediately understood what Hang Xingyue meant. To put it simply, she was the original female lead who transmigrated without memories, and Xia Xuerong, who came from the apocalyptic world, was the current female lead.
[Rebirth and Transmigration Girl Gu Nuanyang: Then the question is, before the apocalyptic female lead transmigrated, who was your official partner?]
After months of learning, Gu Nuanyang had been living in a small mountain village disguised as a man, rising with the sun and resting at sunset, rarely leaving the village. The people she interacted with were just a handful of villagers.
The person she was closest to was the village hunter. Her mind had finally found some peace. At this moment, she was very different from the person she was just after transmigrating.
After witnessing so many dramatic events in the group chat, she was finally able to view her past life with the same casual attitude as usual.
Gu Nuanyang’s words voiced what everyone was thinking, and the group responded with a flood of likes.
Hang Xingyue tapped away on her phone’s virtual keyboard, the clicks echoing sharply: [Entertainment Circle’s Slacker Comparison: That triple award-winning Best Actor He Zhizhou is the official love interest of my character in the book. Before I regained the memories of my past life, we were in that ambiguous stage—you know, where I knew he liked me, and he knew I liked him.]
[This variety show is actually the reason I came first; he followed me here. His goal was to build a relationship with me. But after the apocalyptic girl Xia Xuerong crossed over, everything changed. He saw my true colors and ended up with Xia Xuerong.]
[Not only that, but my friends and family, after meeting Xia Xuerong, all thought she was better than me—completely out of line.]
Hang Xingyue’s frustration was something no one could ever understand. But she was always optimistic and good at adjusting her mood. Otherwise, stuck in this ridiculous entertainment industry, she would have given up long ago.
Just as Hang Xingyue was about to complain, there was a knock on the partition door—it was a staff member from the variety show: “Teacher Hang, all the guests have arrived.”
She slipped her phone into her pocket and headed downstairs. She was actually quite early because she had been invited into a crossover group chat and had taken advantage of a bathroom break to do some research.
Thinking about meeting the apocalyptic crossover heroine Xia Xuerong soon, Hang Xingyue took out her phone and fiddled with it, starting a live stream.
After all, she was already on a nationwide live broadcast; adding another dimension of streaming wouldn’t hurt.
Lin Xi was bored, so she pulled out her Bluetooth earphones, placed her phone on a stand at the bar, grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, and started snacking while watching.
These seeds were roasted by Chi Xiangping, a mix of sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Following the spirit of “sharing the joy is better than enjoying alone,” Lin Xi had sent a portion to every member of the group chat.
Hang Xingyue’s share wasn’t left out. If she weren’t busy with the nationwide live broadcast, she really would have loved to eat some seeds.
Being a female celebrity was tough—everything she ate or used had to be low-fat. It had been a long time since she had indulged in hotpot, barbecue, or nuts.
Eating bland boiled vegetables every day used to be something Hang Xingyue accepted without complaint. After all, if she wanted to make it as a female star, sacrifices were part of the price.
But now, Hang Xingyue wanted to give up. After awakening, she suddenly felt no sense of belonging in this world called Longguo.
Especially when it came to her parents and siblings. As the saying goes, what can be easily taken away by others never truly belonged to her.
Her parents and siblings should have been the closest people to her. They had spent over twenty years happily together. But just because she had crossed paths with Xia Xuerong, they suddenly thought Xia Xuerong was better than their own biological daughter.
Hang Xingyue was inexperienced—she had never encountered someone so utterly crazy.
Hang Xingyue was the kind of person who wouldn’t tolerate the slightest disrespect. She treated others exactly as they treated her. If her parents were displeased with her, she wouldn’t grovel or beg for their approval.
She wasn’t crazy.
This reality show was a countryside-themed program. At that moment, in a spacious living room of about a hundred square meters, several strikingly attractive men and women sat on the central sofa. A circle of crew members surrounded them, with countless light panels and cameras capturing every angle.
Hang Xingyue walked over and took the only single-seat sofa. Sitting directly opposite her was Xia Xuerong. Xia’s appearance wasn’t particularly outstanding, but since she had just crossed over from a post-apocalyptic world, there was an icy aura about her.
The book described this lingering chill as something that instantly elevated Xia Xuerong’s already eight-out-of-ten looks to a perfect ten. Hang Xingyue’s gaze drifted to the large double-door refrigerator in the open kitchen behind them.
Honestly, sometimes she just didn’t get this kind of artistic writing. She didn’t understand what that chilling aura around Xia Xuerong was supposed to mean—she only saw Xia’s face, expressionless and head held high, as if she didn’t care about anyone.
Just as she was about to look away, she noticed He Zhizhou. He was staring at Xia Xuerong with eyes that gleamed like a dog spotting a bone—pure green light flashing.
Hang Xingyue’s feelings were complicated. There was no denying He Zhizhou’s striking looks; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been involved with him in the first place. But now that she was aware of the storyline, her heart remained completely unmoved whenever she saw him.
She grabbed a cushion and hugged it close.
“Hello, new guests! I’m He Xinxin, a regular on *The Life We Want to Live*. Welcome to the show!” He Xinxin was in her thirties and a top host on Strawberry TV.
She was also the host of this variety show. To her left sat veteran actor Guo Xiangfeng and singer-dancer Xue Xiaoyu; to her right were boy band lead vocalist Chen Rufan and rising star Jiang Haocheng.
Speaking of Jiang Haocheng, he was actually Hang Xingyue’s cousin. Over the years since entering the entertainment industry, he had benefited a lot from her support and always called her “big sister” in a sweet tone. But after meeting Xia Xuerong, he directly accused his cousin of having ill intentions.
“Let me introduce everyone—three-time Golden Statue Best Actor winner He Zhizhou! Welcome, Mr. He. What made you decide to join our show?” He Xinxin skillfully lightened the mood.
As a Best Actor winner in his twenties, He Zhizhou’s fan base was undeniably massive. In today’s world where popularity was king, He Xinxin naturally had to spotlight him.
He Zhizhou glanced at Hang Xingyue clutching her cushion, then at Xia Xuerong beside him, and smiled. “These past years, I’ve either been filming or on my way to film. I just finished shooting a drama recently and planned to take a break. But my agent said lying around at home all day was too depressing, so she shoved me onto this show.”
“He asked me to change my reclusive nature, to come on this variety show to relax and unwind, and most importantly, to make a few good friends here,” He Zhizhou said, his gaze unintentionally flickering towards Xia Xuerong as he spoke the last sentence.
Xia Xuerong seemed lost in thought, her mind elsewhere.
Hang Xingyue was inwardly laughing to herself. If He Zhizhou really had a reclusive personality, then there would be no such thing as a reclusive person in this world.
After all, He Zhizhou wasn’t like this on chat apps. Looking through their chat history, it was almost always He Zhizhou who started the conversations. He was the one who would bring up those affectionate words first.
Hang Xingyue thought to herself that if she hadn’t awakened to the truth, seeing a man who just days ago said, “If you’re going on the variety show, I’ll be with you,” then turning around to treat another woman better than her, her heart would surely explode.
But she believed her personality wasn’t extreme enough to go out of her way to sabotage Xia Xuerong. Still, with everyone around her siding with Xia Xuerong, anyone would lose their mind.
“I hope that our esteemed actor He can make some good friends here on our show. I believe everyone would be more than happy to,” He Xinxin said, then turned to Hang Xingyue. “Hang, you’re a familiar face here at Strawberry TV. May I ask why you decided to join our variety show?”
Hang Xingyue replied, “The show ‘Life I Want’ mainly focuses on pastoral life. After drifting in the bustling world for too long, I just wanted to experience a different kind of life, so here I am.”
She recalled the answer He Zhizhou gave when he awakened — that he came to the show to make friends. She had said the same thing. At first, it seemed harmless, but as He Zhizhou’s growing intimacy with Xia Xuerong became more obvious, that sentence became proof that she was the ‘simp’ in the situation.
Two lifetimes she had never imagined she’d be associated with the word ‘simp.’ Still, as she always said, it was utterly ridiculous.
After exchanging a few polite remarks, He Xinxin’s gaze landed on the silent Xia Xuerong. “Everyone here is surely familiar with Xia. She is currently starring in a large-scale historical martial arts drama airing on Strawberry TV, where her portrayal of the cold assassin ‘Siyue’ has been widely praised.”
Since the drama was a Strawberry TV original production, He Xinxin didn’t hesitate to promote it while mentioning Xia Xuerong.
Xia Xuerong glanced coolly at He Xinxin but didn’t respond. He Xinxin smiled, but inwardly she was a little annoyed.
Xia Xuerong was a contracted actor with their station. Only after ‘Siyue’ became popular did the station place her on this show. Now that the stage was set for her, Xia Xuerong was refusing to step up?
He Xinxin, a seasoned host with years of experience, rarely encountered such ungrateful artists.
Though displeased, He Xinxin kept her expression composed. “Welcome, Xuerong, to our variety show. May I ask why you decided to join us?”
He Xinxin’s tone didn’t change at all. Xia Xuerong’s voice remained cold and indifferent: “The company arranged it. If I couldn’t afford the penalty for breaching the contract, then here I am.”
The moment she said that, the atmosphere in the room froze. Hang Xingyue, who had already woken up to the situation, knew that at this very moment, a huge wave of haters was flooding into the livestream. Even those who had been somewhat fond of Xia Xuerong were now turning against her because of that one sentence. Criticism snowballed like a blizzard in the chat.
Of course, these netizens would soon be proven wrong. Not even a single episode later, they’d be lining up to apologize to Xia Xuerong, flooding trending topics with phrases like “Owe Xia Xuerong an apology” and “Xia Xuerong, the last genuine soul in the entertainment industry.”
Hang Xingyue glanced again at He Xinxin’s forced smile. That woman was having a rough time. After twenty years of grinding it out at Strawberry TV and over a decade as a top host, she had said a few words to Xia Xuerong on this variety show.
Now, Xia Xuerong’s sharp retort had damaged her reputation and public goodwill.
Xia Xuerong’s words left He Xinxin embarrassed but unexpectedly struck a chord with Jiang Haocheng’s temperament. Seeing the stiff atmosphere, he spoke up to break the tension: “I don’t need He Xinxin to introduce me. Maybe most of you don’t know me. I’m Jiang Haocheng, an actor. I may not have the achievements of Teacher He, but I think I’m doing okay.”
“I hope everyone will look me up and give my Weibo a follow.” After saying this, he stood up and bowed toward the screen.
He showcased the lively, cheerful spirit of a young man to the fullest. If this person weren’t his cousin for life—and if she hadn’t seen the gloomy kid Jiang Haocheng used to be—she might have really believed him.
He Xinxin’s face broke into a smile again: “Haocheng is indeed lively. Since this variety show started, you’re the first one to openly ask the audience for followers.”
Feigning surprise, Jiang Haocheng responded, “Really? The first one? Does that mean I get special privileges? Can I ask for twenty thousand new followers?”
By the end of his sentence, his expression shifted to one of humility. Hang Xingyue quietly observed his little performance.
He Xinxin bantered with him a few times, and the others’ moods lifted as well. The atmosphere instantly became lively. After the casual chat, the show officially began.
The countryside variety show centered on rural life. Although it lacked dramatic twists and turns, if you wanted to eat and drink, you had to do the work yourself.
Everyone was assigned tasks in pairs—some went fishing, others caught chickens, and some dug up the backyard.
There was competition between the groups. If a team failed to complete their task well, it would affect their meals—and even their lodging for the night.
Hang Xingyue was paired with He Zhizhou and assigned to catch fish. Jiang Haocheng teamed up with Xia Xuerong to catch chickens, while singer Xue Xiaoyu and veteran actor Guo Xiangfeng went to dig the ground.
The main idea was that pairing a man and a woman made the work less tiring.
Hang Xingyue leisurely walked toward the fish pond in her waterproof overalls. Behind her, He Zhizhou and Jiang Haocheng were chatting with Xia Xuerong.
Same old story: Xia Xuerong’s blunt, somewhat tactless words may have offended He Xinxin, but they earned her the recognition of He Zhizhou and Jiang Haocheng. Those two idiots actually thought Xia Xuerong was a refreshing breeze in the entertainment industry.
To put it in the language of those domineering CEO quotes from earlier days, Xia Xuerong was a woman who successfully caught their attention—they saw her as different from the usual mediocre crowd in showbiz.
Hang Xingyue was so fed up internally that she couldn’t even bring herself to complain anymore. She knew that if she didn’t chat with those three now, once the livestream was out, people would definitely talk. But Hang Xingyue didn’t care.
She had only just woken up to reality a few hours ago and planned to quit the entertainment industry after finishing this episode. After all, she’d made quite a bit of money growing up, and she hadn’t signed with any company—her studio was her own.
Better to dissolve the studio early, too, so that in the end, her manager and assistant wouldn’t all turn to Xia Xuerong.
“Cousin, I’m calling you,” Jiang Haocheng said, clearly annoyed. He had called Hang Xingyue several times already, but she just acted like she didn’t hear him at all.
Jiang Haocheng had always liked tagging along behind Hang Xingyue since they were kids. He was used to her care and protection. But today, Hang Xingyue was definitely acting strange—not only did she not speak to him the moment she saw him, she even ignored them during their mission.
Jiang Haocheng couldn’t stand being ignored by her. From his point of view, he could ignore Hang Xingyue, could choose not to talk to her, but she couldn’t ignore him—she absolutely couldn’t pretend he didn’t exist. Jiang Haocheng could secretly dislike Hang Xingyue, but he could never accept her treating him badly in any way.
Hang Xingyue looked at Jiang Haocheng with an unusually calm expression.
What’s the story of the farmer and the snake? What does “a favor for rice can turn into hatred over a handful of rice” mean? That was exactly their relationship.
How good had she been to Jiang Haocheng? When she found out he was being abused by the nanny as a child, she exposed it and took him home to treat him like her own brother. When he said he wanted to enter the entertainment industry, she paved the way for him with her own resources.
But in the end, when another woman targeted her, he didn’t defend her. When she was dragged through the mud online, he was the first to throw dirt on her. That long post he wrote completely nailed her as the despicable third party destroying someone else’s relationship.
“What are you trying to say?” Hang Xingyue used to really like Jiang Haocheng as a little brother, but after waking up, she found her past behavior incredibly strange.
She had biological brothers, so why did she even take Jiang Haocheng in? His parents weren’t poor—if the nanny was bad, why not just replace her? Was she out of her mind to bring him home? And not only that, she selflessly dragged him into the entertainment industry. What was she after? Just because in the first book she was the female lead and had to be kind and saintly, and in the second book she was the original female lead, did she have to be a hypocrite?
“I just said, catching fish and catching chickens are both physical tasks. You and Sister Xuerong can just stand by the side, and Brother Zhizhou and I will do the catching.” Because of the subtle tension between Hang Xingyue and He Zhizhou, Jiang Haocheng also became quite familiar with He Zhizhou.
Back then, Jiang Haocheng thought his cousin and He Zhizhou were a perfect match, but now he didn’t think so anymore.
He believed that the gentle and refined Zhizhou and the cool, aloof Xuerong were a better fit. One warm and one cold—how complementary!
Hang Xingyue glanced at Xia Xuerong, who was standing behind He Zhizhou with a faint smile, then looked again at He Zhizhou, who was busily trying to find topics to chat about like a peacock showing off.
“Alright.” In the story, Jiang Haocheng arranged it this way, and then she and Xia Xuerong waited on the side while the two of them tried to catch the chickens and fish.
But both of them were useless. The one catching fish was covered in mud from head to toe, and the one catching chickens had feathers all over his head. After all their hard work, there wasn’t a single fish or chicken caught.
In the end, it was Xia Xuerong, who came from an apocalyptic world, who couldn’t stand it anymore. After all, resources were scarce in the post-apocalyptic era, and food was limited. Before traveling through time, Xia Xuerong was most satisfied with the abundance of food here.
She didn’t want to work or make money, but for delicious food and drinks, she was willing to turn over a new leaf.
She stepped into the pond and casually grabbed a fish with one hand. She reached into the chicken coop, and the chickens willingly settled into her palm.
Because of this, her reputation online improved, and He Zhizhou grew increasingly interested in her. Jiang Haocheng, the idiot, admired her even more.
Meanwhile, Hang Xingyue became a mere supporting character to Xia Xuerong. As Xia Xuerong gained more fans, Hang Xingyue was labeled as an online loser.
Ah, just thinking about it made her angry.
Hang Xingyue thought about Jiang Haocheng’s constant belittling of herself and elevating of Sister Xuerong, and she just couldn’t be bothered with him.
She didn’t even give him an eye roll. When she reached the pond, she didn’t rush into the water but instead found a fish basket nearby.
By the time she returned to the pond carrying the basket, Jiang Haocheng was already in the water, mud covering his head and body.
Xia Xuerong was leaning against a tree, staring into the sky lost in thought. He Zhizhou was nearby in the chicken coop, chasing the chickens until they were flying in circles.
Hang Xingyue thought that the online crowd must be crazy—how could they be so blind? Weren’t those two guys the real useless ones? Just because they became Xia Xuerong’s groupies and invisible groupies, did that mean they weren’t useless anymore?
She couldn’t understand it, but she put the fish basket into the water.
She walked over to sit under another tree and waited. The view of the pond was pleasant—the distant forest reflecting in the water, the gentle breeze causing the surface to shimmer.
The sky was a clear blue, and the clouds looked as perfect as those in a comic strip. Hang Xingyue’s mood instantly lifted.
Even though there were plenty of idiots around, she couldn’t give up her love for life just because of that, right?
In a great mood, Hang Xingyue suddenly felt someone watching her. She turned her head and met Xia Xuerong’s gaze.
Xia Xuerong looked at Hang Xingyue with deep confusion in her eyes. It was as if, in her heart, Hang Xingyue shouldn’t be so at ease.
Hang Xingyue silently cursed under her breath and turned her head away. Jiang Haocheng, who had been struggling in the water for a long time without catching a single fish, noticed how far Hang Xingyue had distanced herself from Xia Xuerong, and instantly felt displeased.
He climbed out of the water and walked over to Hang Xingyue’s side, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction: “Sis, why aren’t you chatting with Sister Xuerong? I’ve noticed you’ve changed. You used to be so understanding—you’d never just leave a girl sitting all alone like this. It’s really awkward for her.”
“We’re live streaming right now, and the viewers will definitely think badly of you later. It could seriously affect your career,” Jiang Haocheng kept nagging.
“Sis, you honestly feel so unfamiliar to me now. You weren’t like this before,” Jiang Haocheng said, his gaze at Hang Xingyue filled with an indescribable disappointment.
Hang Xingyue gave him a faint, almost mocking smile: “Jiang Haocheng, I’ve noticed your way with words has improved a lot. You’re way better than the first time I met you.”
At the mention of their first encounter, Jiang Haocheng’s expression instantly darkened. The look in his eyes carried a complicated anger that was hard to explain.
Seeing all this, Hang Xingyue understood everything. There’s no such thing as hatred or love without a reason.
The real reason Jiang Haocheng was helping Xia Xuerong so much, liking her was one thing, but the main reason was probably because he had long harbored resentment toward her.
Suddenly, Hang Xingyue recalled a line from the little essay Jiang Haocheng had written about her in the story: “Hang Xingyue’s greatest talent is destroying other people’s relationships, whether family or love.”
She had never considered the possibility that Jiang Haocheng might hate her. Now, with that answer in mind, it made sense why Jiang Haocheng would seize the opportunity to kick her when she was down.
“Sis, it’s been so long. Why are you still bringing up these things?” Although Jiang Haocheng was a newcomer in the entertainment industry, he was only eighteen years old.
Having his most private thoughts exposed left him embarrassed. Since they were live streaming, he was worried Hang Xingyue might reveal things from his childhood, so he grew anxious.
“Sis, can we talk about this later, just between us?” Jiang Haocheng’s eyes held a pleading look as he spoke to Hang Xingyue.
Hang Xingyue smiled: “Jiang Haocheng, you yourself know some things are better said in private. So what were you just saying to me? Who I choose to hang out with and who I don’t—do you really need to tell me how to act?”
“You’ve been in the entertainment industry for a few years now; you’re no newbie. Everyone in the world knows our relationship. From the moment we met today until now, you haven’t said a single word to me, and now you’re talking just to say those things? Hmm?”
“Don’t you know how many fans you have? What, are you trying to lead your fans to cyberbully me?” Hang Xingyue, who had fought her way through the entertainment world for so many years, wasn’t about to let this slide.
She was clear-headed—she had never thought ill of Jiang Haocheng before; she had always treated him like her own younger brother.
Jiang Haocheng’s face suddenly turned deathly pale. Their conversation was being livestreamed, and everyone in the chatroom stopped what they were doing to watch and send comments.
Xia Xuerong stood up abruptly from under the tree.
Hang Xingyue had no intention of letting Jiang Haocheng off the hook. If he hadn’t said those few words in front of her, she wouldn’t have bothered to pay him any attention.
But now that Jiang Haocheng had come dancing right up to her, he shouldn’t blame her for being ruthless.
“Jiang Haocheng, I wasn’t planning on dealing with you at all, but since you’ve said what you did, if I don’t respond, how can I live with your accusation that I’m ‘unkind’?” she said.
“The first time I saw you, you were being abused by your nanny. Your aunt and uncle ignored you completely. When I found out you were being mistreated, I drove your nanny away. Afraid you’d be hurt again, I took you back to my home.”
“At that time, your aunt and uncle weren’t on good terms—they would fight every time they saw each other. By the time they made up, you had already lived with me for three years. When you returned to them, they had another son.”
“Of course, once there’s a younger child, you’re no longer important. You stayed there for a while, then came back to my home again. My family raised you. As your sister, I treated you better than my own brother.”
“Looking back now, maybe I was wrong to take you in. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought you home, right?” Hang Xingyue said this, staring straight at Jiang Haocheng.
Jiang Haocheng’s face turned even paler. He hadn’t expected Hang Xingyue to show him no mercy at all—she laid bare the one thing he least wanted the world to know, right there in front of thousands of viewers.
He looked at Hang Xingyue in disbelief. He thought she had changed. Hadn’t he just said something with a tiny bit of malice? Was it really necessary for her to be so harsh?
But Hang Xingyue didn’t care what he thought. As long as she was satisfied, that was all that mattered.
Her phone rang. Hang Xingyue pulled it out and made a call.
“Alright. I’m coming right now.” After hanging up, she turned to the PD following nearby and said, “I’m not filming this show anymore. I’ll pay the penalty fee directly to your account.”
“By the way, tell your chief director that if he wants to step on me to pave the way for someone else, he’d better see if I’m willing first.” With that, Hang Xingyue walked away.
She had originally planned to finish filming this episode, but after thinking it over again and again, why should she let those who disliked her disgust her right in front of her face?
It was better to just quit. After all, she had been working in the entertainment industry for so many years—she wasn’t without connections. She had also earned enough money long ago. She used to love being an actress because it allowed her to experience different lives.
But now, having awakened, Hang Xingyue thought all that was nonsense. What she wanted now was simply to find a place to sleep soundly and finally eat all the things she had wanted but never dared to try before.
Let whoever wants to be the control group for love go ahead. She said she was quitting the industry, and she meant it—unlike someone who claims to want to be a slacker and give up, but somehow ends up with everything anyway.
Ignoring the uproar from the production team and netizens, Hang Xingyue posted a Weibo announcing her retirement from the scene, then got into her car and left without a second thought.
After turning off the parallel world livestream, the time travelers’ group chat was buzzing with activity.
Bai Qingting saw her message in the group and immediately tagged her: [Immortal World Bai Qingting: @Entertainment Industry Slacker Control Group Hang Xingyue: Have you noticed anything different about Xia Xuerong?]
[She’s been sneaking glances at you just now. Did you catch that? If I’m not mistaken, she might be using some kind of secret fortune-shifting technique. Do you know anything specific about her situation?]
