Chapter 301: The First Thing Chi Does After Blowing Up Is Forget His Roots
“……What are you talking about? What could possibly be wrong with me.”
In the corner.
Although the assistant said it out of earshot from the others, Shi Jinwei somehow felt that Chi Ye was looking at her, making her feel inexplicably uncomfortable all over. She pursed her lips and denied it: “Don’t worry, I’ll be better off without you.”
“Sis, now I can relax if you say that. Good luck.”
The assistant didn’t know what mentality prompted her, but before leaving, she added: “If it really doesn’t work out, discuss it with Sister Shang. I feel like she really wants to take my role.”
Shi Jinwei: “?”
“Get going, get going, stop with the chit-chat.”
She waved her hand unenthusiastically, but her mood was actually still quite joyful—seeing Aunt Mao and Zheng Chunchun’s sour faces made her feel utterly refreshed inside.
How does that saying go?
“Villains have their own villains to grind them down.”
Chi Ye’s performance this time was pretty good, and with the assistant gone, she reluctantly… reluctantly decided not to argue with him.
With her mind made up, Shi Jinwei returned to the crowd with a mysterious smile on her pretty face.
“What’s up, did your assistant poison us all? Poison us to death and you’ll come out on top? That happy about it?”
Chi Ye couldn’t help but ask curiously when he saw her like this.
Shi Jinwei: “……I really regret not having her poison you a bit before she left.”
Chi Ye was displeased: “What a thing to say. You still have a chance. None of us can cook, so you do it today. Good luck.”
Shi Jinwei was stunned, but this time she didn’t bicker with Chi Ye and looked at the others: “What’s the situation? No one here can cook?”
At this moment, 《Yi Lu Fan Hua》’s live broadcast had already started.
As Mango TV’s ace variety show in preparation, with a killer lineup like Chi Ye + Shang Youshu + Shi Jinwei joining, the online viewer count on Mango TV had already broken through to a new high right after the stream opened.
As for Weibo Hot Searches and Douyin topics, there was no need to say more—clips and hot searches were popping up one after another as the program progressed.
“Ah, it’s not that I can’t.”
Aunt Mao had learned about the program’s current popularity through her connections, so facing the camera, she became “amiable and approachable” again, like a kindly old grandmother.
She said with a touch of composure: “We just usually have an auntie do it for us. Don’t you have an auntie cook at your homes? I haven’t personally cooked in over a decade. I’m afraid whatever I make won’t be edible.”
“You’re overthinking it.”
Yang Zi shook his head: “We’ve even eaten Teacher Huang’s cooking. How could yours be more toxic than Teacher Huang’s?”
Aunt Mao: “?”
Chi Ye looked at Yang Zi in utter shock, thinking to himself: A scholar who was away for three days must be looked at with new eyes.
Yang Zi had really stepped up. Turns out hardworking players can really match talented players after putting in the effort.
He hadn’t even dared to say that line himself, but Yang Zi just blurted it out so boldly—and in front of the entire internet audience, no less.
「Hahaha, Yang Zi!」
「Yang Zi is too wild, clearly learned from my Ye Emperor.」
「Chi Ye Chi Ye Chi Ye!! Aah!! Brother is too handsome!」
「Internal Entertainment god looks X Film Circle first-tier Movie Emperor X Five Seals golden songs contemporary Internal Entertainment’s number one Heavenly King. Some fans stop being cheap, stop with the Peng Ci!」
「A person’s life is just jumping back and forth between loving Chi Ye and loving Chi Ye.」
「Ye Zi is really too excellent. Just standing there makes it impossible to look away. Other women stay away from my brother!」
「With Chi Ye’s current fanbase, you think he can beat Yang Zi? The disparity is huge. Chi Ye has ultimately become the kind of person he hates most, forgetting his roots.」
「Chi Ye forgetting his roots forgetting his roots forgetting his roots!」
《Yi Lu Fan Hua》 is Chi Ye’s second official resident variety show. Ever since 《Jian Ni》, although he’s appeared on many variety shows, it was either as a “judge” or as a guest for publicity and distribution.
The only truly official resident one was 《Jian Ni》.
《Yi Lu Fan Hua》 is the second, and unlike the 《Jian Ni》 period when Chi Ye was an Internal Entertainment freeloader, a wannabe that no one respected—someone who’d bring bad luck just by being glanced at, like a cheap eyebrow pencil.
But when 《Yi Lu Fan Hua》 started filming, Chi Ye was already a “quality idol,” unrivaled top streamer, Music Scene Heavenly King, Film Circle first-tier…
The huge gap in status and identity meant his fanbase was inevitably different from before.
For example, at this moment, 《Yi Lu Fan Hua》 clearly had many big stars, Shang Youshu and Shi Jinwei, plus Tan Yue and Wang Chuxing who were traffic magnets—the former two even female top streamers.
But from the start of the program until now, the bullet comments and live broadcast room viewer count had almost been completely dominated by Chi Ye’s fans.
The program team was thrilled at the sight, slapping their thighs in delight. Director Li, who had experienced 《Jian Ni》, sighed inwardly: “Who could’ve imagined this back then? I remember in the first episode of 《Jian Ni》, for the most hated vote, Chi Ye took first place. The backstage bullet comments were all cursing him.”
“……There are still curses now.”
Someone nearby couldn’t help saying: “It’s just that the bad comments ‘he’ deletes.”
Director Li: “……What do you mean?”
“Fans control comments and report.”
“Alright then.”
He stopped talking about the topic. The momentum and popularity right at the start of the broadcast gave him a feeling of reliving 《Jian Ni》, and even at its peak period from the very beginning.
Director Li’s body and mind had been greatly stimulated in a short time, so even his gaze toward Chi Ye and the other guests currently arguing over who would cook dinner became kinder.
“You guys really don’t have an auntie at home?”
“The program team gives only 100 for food per day? What can that buy, feed a pet? My dog eats more than that.”
“No no no, I can’t do it. I really don’t know how to use this kitchenware…”
Living room, kitchen.
Chi Ye and the others arrived in the kitchen. On the first day of 《Yi Lu Fan Hua》, there was no special mission, just requiring the seven resident guests and one guest to cooperate in making the “Prosperous Travel Group”‘s first dinner.
The intent was to let them bond a bit—see what sparks eight people living together could create.
The answer was…
Very sparky.
Aunt Mao was clearly someone accustomed to a pampered life. She became famous early, was older, born in Shanghai, with good family conditions before. She could be said to have never done any “heavy labor” in her life.
Going into the kitchen, a place heavy with oil smoke, was heavy labor in her view.
This kind of thing shouldn’t be for them to do at all. That’s what cooking aunties are for, right?
For someone of her status to do this?
Zheng Chunchun wasn’t as brainless as Aunt Mao. Though she liked to act crazy, she knew this was a live broadcast, facing the camera, so she couldn’t act too outrageous or unrelatable, or it would hurt her public favor.
So she took a “indirect” tactic, sidestepping the cooking and instead bringing up how the program team gave a guest only 100 in living expenses per day.
Only 100 a day? That’s beggar money. The program team is going too far.
Sister Shang, Shi Jinwei, Tan Yue and the others exchanged glances, feeling a bit awkward and at a loss.
“Uh… it’s okay, 100 is actually quite a lot.”
“Yeah, 100 each, 800 total for eight of us. We can pool together for group buying……Why are you all looking at me like that?”
After Sister Shang spoke, she noticed everyone looking at her strangely.
Especially Aunt Mao and Zheng Chunchun, full of confusion: “Group buying? What’s group buying?”
“It’s Pin Hao Fan.”
Chi Ye stepped forward to explain for Sister Shang: “A really tasty kind of meal. I order it often.”
“Hm?”
After learning about the outside situation and feeling Chi Ye’s substantial popularity, Zheng Chunchun’s mindset had shifted. Hearing this, her eyes lit up: “You eat it often? Then I definitely have to try it.”
“I don’t ship CPs.”
Chi Ye saw through her fox tail at a glance and said straightforwardly: “You’re too late.”
Zheng Chunchun: “???”
“Um… cough cough.”
Tan Yue saw Zheng Chunchun’s expression and couldn’t hold back, nearly bursting out laughing.
Because Zheng Chunchun’s wide eyes clearly said: You just said it out so bluntly?
And what do you mean I’m too late…
“Oh, shipping CPs requires lining up.”
Chi Ye looked at Sister Shang and Shi Jinwei: “I have too many CPs.”
“Hahaha.”
Everyone laughed upon hearing this, and the bullet comments were a uniform wave of question marks.
「You know it!」
「Disappointing, upholding male virtues now.」
「So you know you have too many CPs?」
「LOL, Zheng Chunchun actually asked if Pin Hao Fan is good……」
「Am I the only one who finds Zheng Chunchun and Aunt Mao’s reactions scary? These 2.08M really don’t know about this stuff?」
「Very normal, they’re all heavenly dragons now. Who still knows about your Pin Hao stuff.」
「Not really, Chi Ye really lived hard days. He actually knows, I’m crying to death.」
「Indeed, Ye Zi is really down-to-earth. Internal Entertainment’s unrivaled top streamer is actually like this… I really… I like him even more.」
“Alright, let’s first discuss what to eat tonight.”
Yang Zi saw these people keep yammering, stealing his screen time, so he rolled his eyes and proactively shifted his identity, suggesting to the crowd in a leaderly tone.
As for him being a guest…
Joke’s on them—since he was here for this program, no one was chasing him away!
Unless Chi Ye left tomorrow, then he’d leave too.
That’s right, I want to crawl twisted and dark like a rat in the gutter, clinging fiercely to the top streamer, sucking his traffic!
“For cooking, there doesn’t seem to be a place nearby to buy ingredients. Can the program team provide transportation?”
Chi Ye turned back to ask Director Li.
Director Li shook his head: “Everyone can walk there.”
“Then no need. I’ll stick with you. The program team definitely has to eat, so just share some with me later.”
Director Li: “……You can order online. For online shopping, use Pin Hao Tuan. Pin Hao Tuan, group buy to good flavors.”
Everyone: “?”
Chi Ye realized: “This is straight-up advertising, huh? Because of this ad, they made us do this segment? For this vinegar, wrapping these dumplings?”
Director Li wasn’t embarrassed at all: “No ads, how can we afford your announcement fees.”
Even Chi Ye fell silent this time.
Bullet comments exploded.
「Director Li, yyds!」
「LOL, this program is too wild. Guests and director both going full free spirit?」
「Can I hear this? I want to know how much their announcement fees are!」
「I don’t know about others, but Chi Ye is definitely 2.08M, boycott 2.08M!」
「Haters, that’s enough. How much money do you think the sponsors make inviting Chi Ye? Before boycotting, see how much benefit he brings the businesses first?」
「Indeed, I hate those brainless bandwagon haters the most. In this environment, you still complain variety shows are fake? Be more real, and you don’t like it anyway.」
The bullet comments started arguing again, but perhaps because Director Li had been through the baptism of 《Jian Ni》, the style of 《Yi Lu Fan Hua》 really was a bit free-spirited.
Emphasizing “sincerity” and “speaking one’s mind.”
——Audiences love this kind of variety show.
Love it, watch more, bring more.
“Alright then, we’ll buy ingredients online, then… Teacher Yang Zi, can you cook?”
“No.”
“Pliers… Teacher Shi?”
Shi Jinwei met Chi Ye’s gaze, feeling a bit awkward. She gritted her teeth, about to nod and say she could try.
But Chi Ye’s gaze had already moved past her: “Sister Shi probably can’t.”
“……I can poison.”
“Heh, no need for you. Line up and wait for your number.”
After Chi Ye spoke, his gaze turned to Sister Shang.
Sister Shang spread her hands innocently, looking at him: “Wa… want to eat Wallace together? I have coupons, the kind that can be inflated.”
Chi Ye looked at Director Li: “Cut this segment. Wallace didn’t pay ad fees.”
“……Got it.”
Director Li nodded: “Mosaic it, P Wallace into Burger King.”
“Why?”
“Don’t you know? One of our program’s sponsors is Burger King.”
“……”
After intense “discussion,” in the end, the trembling newcomers Tan Yue and Wang Chuxing said they could cook. But from their reactions and appearances, it was obvious they were forcing themselves in front of the senior big stars.
Sister Shang pulled Tan Yue aside and asked quietly: “You really can?”
Tan Yue was a bit guilty: “I… I can do tomato scrambled eggs and boil noodles… Does that count?”
“Of course it counts.”
Sister Shang was delighted: “Little Tan, I can tell you really want to progress. Don’t worry, seize this opportunity later and perform well.”
“Thanks, Sister Shang.”
Tan Yue nodded, then curiously looked toward Chi Ye not far away.
At this moment, Chi Ye and Yang Zi were sitting together, arguing over what to use a certain empty spot in the living room for.
“I think this spot can be turned into a study… Though we’re only here three days, my personal habit is books always at hand. I can’t sleep at night without reading something.”
Yang Zi lectured Chi Ye: “You, you just lack literary flair. You’re still young, career developing well, but you still need to learn more, read more…”
“Stop, do you even know words? Reading books? You can fool me, but don’t fool yourself.”
“No, saying that hurts my feelings, Chi Ye. To me, you’re…”
“Sis, Teacher Chi… he seems really interesting.”
Tan Yue looked away, full of admiration: “Someone as popular as him has zero burden when filming a show.”
Sister Shang was taken aback, glanced at Chi Ye, and after a long silence: “Once you get familiar with him and he does this to you, you won’t say that anymore.”
