Chapter 39: TL;DR — No Pu Tong
Gentle Breeze: Um... do you usually watch variety shows?
Ling Ling: Yeah, I do. I've been watching When You Are Young lately.
Gentle Breeze: That one's really good. Who's your favorite?
Ling Ling: I don't really follow celebrities, but I came across Pu Tong's poem online. I really liked it.
Seeing those words on the screen, Xie Mu felt as if something had lodged in his throat.
How could this be?
She actually likes Master the most!
What am I supposed to do? Pu Tong is just too outstanding—handsome, talented... there's no way I can compete with him.
Help!
My online crush admires my master. Urgent advice needed.
Gentle Breeze: Pu Tong really is amazing. Besides him, is there anyone else who left an impression on you?
Ling Ling: Yu Wanwan. I've watched some of her dramas before and have a really good impression of her. She and Pu Tong make such a cute couple.
Xie Mu's eyes immediately lit up.
So she was just an ordinary viewer who shipped the CP.
She had no romantic feelings toward his master.
Fantastic!
As long as his rival wasn't Pu Tong...
His chances of success instantly shot up to 1,000%.
Ling Ling: But I actually dislike Xie Mu in the show.
Ling Ling: [Angry Puffing Face.jpg]
It felt as though a small flame in his heart had just been extinguished with a bucket of cold water.
Xie Mu froze.
His whole body went stiff as if he were falling endlessly into darkness.
Gentle Breeze: W-Why?
Ling Ling: I heard he's a playboy. Apparently he used to date Tang Luocheng, dumped her later, and now that she's in a relationship on the show, he's trying to butt in as the third wheel...
Xie Mu understood.
She had simply believed the rumors circulating online and misunderstood him.
People's understanding of the world is always limited.
First impressions are powerful.
Once someone is misled by false information, they often continue reinforcing that initial belief.
Everyone sees the world through different perspectives, shaped largely by the information they hear and read.
The earliest information people receive can continue influencing their thoughts and behavior for years afterward, eventually forming fixed stereotypes.
Ling Ling: What's wrong?
Xie Mu realized even his breathing had become shaky.
He tried his best to calm down before replying as casually as possible.
Gentle Breeze: Nothing... I was just wondering... what if those rumors aren't true?
Ling Ling: You know, that's actually possible.
It's really easy to encounter false information online, especially celebrity gossip. Maybe I was being too subjective.
Thanks for reminding me.
Reading her reply, Xie Mu finally relaxed.
She accepted information from others...
But she also retained the ability to think independently.
That was a very precious quality.
Many people, once they've made up their minds, simply assume anyone with a different opinion must be wrong.
Then both sides begin attacking each other.
But the world isn't simply black and white.
Gentle Breeze: Thank you.
Even though this girl didn't particularly like the celebrity version of him...
She could distinguish right from wrong.
That was already a wonderful beginning.
Wasn't this exactly what he wanted?
A pure relationship...
Completely unrelated to the glamorous celebrity called Xie Mu.
Ling Ling: No need to thank me.
Episode Three starts tonight. I'm going to watch it now.
Only then did Xie Mu remember the new episode had already aired.
He'd spent the entire evening chatting with her online.
See? Online dating really is dangerous.
"I wonder how I performed in this episode..."
"I hope I won't leave Ling Ling with a bad impression."
He hurriedly opened the show.
His thoughts were a complete mess.
If he'd performed poorly...
Would she end up disliking him?
At this moment...
He desperately needed his master's help.
"Achoo!"
"Did you catch a cold?"
Ni Hui reached over and touched Pu Tong's forehead before saying in surprise,
"Your complexion looks ominous."
"Are you checking my temperature or reading my fortune?"
Pu Tong brushed her hand away and looked back at the television.
They had started watching rather late.
The episode had gone online at eight o'clock.
It was already nearly nine.
Honestly, if his mother hadn't insisted, he wouldn't even have watched this episode.
The thirty-minute episode was already flooded with bullet comments.
Unless they shrank the comment layer to one-quarter size, it became difficult to see the screen.
Pu Tong hit Play.
The very first comment immediately caught his attention.
TL;DR: No Pu Tong.
"Then I'm not watching."
"Then I'm not watching."
The show naturally had its regular audience.
But plenty of casual viewers had come specifically because of him.
Seeing a comment like that at the very beginning...
Anyone watching only for Pu Tong would simply leave.
Have I unknowingly gained this many fans already?
"See?"
"I only heard you weren't in this episode, and so many people already don't want to watch."
"That's impossible."
"It's a huge variety show with lots of top celebrities and plenty of regular viewers."
"If I'm missing, the audience will probably decrease by... maybe 0.5%."
The episode opened with a recap of the previous one.
Just like before...
There wasn't a single shot of Pu Tong.
Looks like Xu Lei had finally figured things out.
The exam officially began as the school bell rang.
The first shot was a sweeping 360-degree panorama of the examination room.
The naturally solemn atmosphere, combined with the serious background music, made viewers instinctively tense up.
"Even in the classroom-wide shot, you're nowhere to be seen?"
Ni Hui was utterly baffled.
She knew Pu Tong had said he wouldn't appear...
But not appearing at all?
That was ridiculous.
Not even a single frame?
"Isn't that great?"
Pu Tong was thoroughly satisfied.
Xu Lei probably thought this was some sort of revenge.
Little did he know...
It was exactly what Pu Tong wanted.
The fewer scenes, the better.
The exam itself occupied only a tiny portion of the episode.
After all, everyone was quietly taking the test.
There wasn't much material for the production team to work with.
They quickly showed a few shots of the celebrity students concentrating on their papers before moving on.
Before the results were announced, each celebrity was interviewed.
The questions were simple.
"How do you think you did?"
"How many points do you think you'll score?"
Essentially, the production team wanted everyone to set little "flags."
That way, after the results came out, viewers could compare what they'd said beforehand.
It made for better television.
Fortunately, all the celebrities were experienced enough not to boast.
Every single one claimed they hadn't done very well.
Everyone was holding back...
Except the Japanese girl.
She genuinely hadn't done well.
The waiting-for-results segment dragged on for quite a while.
The production team was obviously trying to build suspense.
If this had been broadcast on television...
It would've been the perfect moment for commercials.
"So how did they actually do?"
"This is driving me crazy."
Ni Hui looked impatient enough to fast-forward.
"I actually already know."
"Don't spoil it! Spoilers deserve to—"
She suddenly stopped herself.
"...Never mind."
She almost cursed herself.
Amid countless impatient comments from viewers...
The results were finally revealed.
The program displayed a specially designed report card containing only the celebrity students' scores.
"Lin Yuxi is amazing!"
"Wanwan improved so much! I remember she used to be terrible at studying. Haha!"
"Xuenai, you need to pull yourself together!"
"Tang Luocheng and Chen Siqing are so destined—they even ranked next to each other!"
Although these scores were perfectly acceptable for entertainers...
Pu Tong guessed plenty of people online would seize the opportunity to criticize them anyway.
Of course...
That had nothing to do with him.
Most people who wanted to watch him had already skipped the episode.
Very few comments even mentioned him.
Occasionally someone would ask,
"How did Pu Tong score?"
But nobody answered.
Near the end of the episode came another interview segment.
This one contrasted nicely with the interviews conducted immediately after the exams.
Interviewer: "Wanwan, how do you feel about your results? What's your plan going forward?"
Yu Wanwan: "I definitely didn't do well enough this time, but I'll keep working hard."
"After all..."
"I have a reason why I absolutely must study seriously."
A reason?
Trying to beat me in our bet?
Pu Tong snorted.
Given how obsessed he currently was with studying...
Even if that girl worked hard for another hundred years...
She still wouldn't catch him.
Interviewer: "Xuenai, your results weren't very good this time. Any thoughts?"
Iori Yukino: "I'll just lie flat and accept whatever criticism comes."
"If you do scold me..."
"Please be gentle."
"And don't swear."
"Thanks."
This Japanese girl...
Even her self-reflection came in the shape of slacking off.
Still, judging from the comments comforting her...
No one seemed inclined to attack her.
Interviewer: "Xie Mu, your grades improved tremendously this time. What's your secret?"
Xie Mu: "Mainly because a friend has been helping tutor me."
"I learned a lot in a short period."
"Oh, and I'd also like to thank my Mas—"
"...Pu Tong."
"He helped me a lot too."
That was the first time Pu Tong's name appeared in the episode.
It was only a brief mention by Xie Mu.
Nothing particularly noteworthy.
"That kid really values friendship."
Pu Tong sighed emotionally.
To be fair...
He hadn't actually helped Xie Mu very much.
Everything had simply been a coincidence.
Interviewer: "Luocheng, your score ended up almost identical to Chen Siqing's. Is there some special fate between you two?"
Tang Luocheng: "I'd say that counts."
Sure enough...
Tang Luocheng and Chen Siqing didn't miss the chance to continue promoting their CP.
Xu Lei also gave them plenty of screen time.
It was obvious he wanted to create another popular pairing.
With Pu Tong effectively erased from the show...
The Pu Tong × Yu Wanwan pairing no longer had much momentum.
Under those circumstances...
Creating another, easier-to-control CP was the best solution.
Interviewer: "Gan Hengxu, your results were quite impressive. Any thoughts?"
Gan Hengxu: "I think I still need to work much harder."
"Someone like Pu Tong..."
"He's more talented than me in songwriting, and his grades are outstanding too."
"He'll always be the person I'm chasing."
Pu Tong blinked.
I'm not even close to this guy.
What's going on?
"Son..."
"So how did you do on the exam again?"
"..."
The results had been out for an entire week.
Only now was she asking?
Is she really my biological mother?
Interviewer: "Yuxi, you did very well this time. What are your thoughts?"
Lin Yuxi: "Actually..."
"I'm still far from where I want to be."
"In both studying... and other aspects."
"This time, the Chinese essay happened to be about my grandmother."
"But in the end..."
"My essay only ranked second."
"It wasn't until I read Pu Tong's essay that I realized just how big the gap between us really is."
"I'll continue working hard."
The bullet comments instantly exploded.
???
The essay topic had been about Lin Yuxi's grandmother...
Yet she had only placed second?
For every viewer watching the show...
Only one question remained.
Just what on earth did Pu Tong write?
Nobody knew.
Just like...
Nobody knows what the pangolin actually said.
(End of Chapter)
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