Chapter 40: What Exactly Did Pu Tong Write?
Xu Lei was in an exceptionally good mood today.
In the third episode, he had cut out every single frame featuring Pu Tong. Even in the classroom-wide shots, he'd deliberately edited him out.
Part of it was because of Yu Zhongheng's warning.
The other part...
Was pure revenge.
"That brat got so much attention from the footage I gave him in the first two episodes. He must've grown addicted to being the center of attention by now."
"Once this episode airs without a single shot of him, he'll completely lose his online popularity. There's no way he can handle that kind of drop."
Just imagining Pu Tong looking dejected after losing all his fame made Xu Lei grin.
"Brat, you're still too inexperienced. If you'd just swallow your pride, admit defeat, and obediently enter the entertainment industry, your future would be limitless."
Leaning comfortably in his chair, Xu Lei leisurely scrolled through his phone.
Even now, he still wanted to recruit Pu Tong into show business.
The kid might be annoying, but Xu Lei had to admit—
Pu Tong's talent was extraordinary.
Handsome.
Able to write songs.
Creative.
Excellent grades.
He was practically born for the entertainment industry.
As a variety show director, Xu Lei simply couldn't bear to see someone like that go to waste. If Pu Tong entered the industry, his future would be unimaginable.
And as the person who discovered him...
Xu Lei would naturally feel immensely proud.
"Once this episode makes him experience what it's like to be ignored... he'll definitely change his mind."
As strange as it sounded—
Xu Lei might actually be Pu Tong's biggest yandere fan.
"Without any attention this week, you're probably miserable already, aren't you?"
Smiling smugly, Xu Lei opened the trending topics list.
The moment the words Pu Tong entered his vision—
He froze.
His mouth hung open.
He swallowed twice.
His throat suddenly felt dry.
Trending No.1: What Exactly Did Pu Tong Write?
Trending No.2: When You Are Young Essay
"...That's impossible."
"I don't believe it..."
"How is this possible?!"
"He didn't even have a single frame of screen time!"
"How did he still create such a huge sensation?!"
Xu Lei stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the exploding trending list.
"...How is this possible?"
"I didn't even have one frame of screen time."
"So how did I still end up causing such a huge stir?"
Pu Tong wanted an explanation too.
In Episode One...
He'd been forcibly paired into a CP and sang an incredible song.
So he became famous.
In Episode Two...
He introduced Werewolf and recited several love poems.
So he became famous again.
But in Episode Three...
He had zero screen time.
He did absolutely nothing.
Yet somehow—
He still went viral.
"What the hell..."
After some thought, Pu Tong came up with a likely explanation.
This wave of popularity probably came from...
People's curiosity.
Nothing attracts people more than the unknown.
It's like an unfinished novel.
Before it's completed, everyone keeps wondering what happens next.
Once a question is thrown out without an answer...
People can't stop thinking about it.
What exactly did Pu Tong write in that essay?
The curiosity generated by that question had already surpassed the essay itself.
People no longer cared whether the essay was brilliant or not.
They simply wanted to know—
What did he write?
And the more impossible it became to find the answer...
The more unbearable that curiosity grew.
Netizens:
"If I never find out what Pu Tong wrote... then my appearance, my figure, my social etiquette, my moral character, my personality—even my soul—will all be ruined..."
"Son! Hurry and let me read your essay!"
Ni Hui immediately started rummaging through Pu Tong's backpack by hand.
"Oh, come on."
"You'd definitely post it online while it's trending."
Pu Tong rolled his eyes at his unreliable mother.
Fortunately...
He had already hidden the answer sheet at home.
Destroying it entirely had crossed his mind.
But...
A perfect-score essay wasn't something a person got very often in life.
He couldn't quite bring himself to throw it away.
"You don't even trust your own mother?"
"Not really."
"Aww, don't be like that."
"I just want to read it..."
Ni Hui blinked pitifully, attempting to play the sympathy card.
Do you know how valuable it would be to become the first person to reveal this essay to the public?
"Absolutely not."
"This time I'm not showing it to anyone."
"We'll wait until this whole thing dies down."
Pu Tong had decided to completely eliminate any possibility of becoming famous again.
He'd even heard that the little girl next door had pasted his photo on her bedroom wall.
He really couldn't afford to become any more popular.
"So you don't even trust your mother anymore..."
"Life is truly lonely..."
Ni Hui sighed dramatically, putting on an expression of melancholy.
If Pu Tong didn't know her personality so well...
He might actually have believed her.
Meanwhile...
"Look! Our Xixi is trending!"
An elegant woman happily waved her phone in the air, her face full of pride.
A closer look revealed that she shared many facial features with Lin Yuxi—
Bright black eyes.
Gracefully upturned eye shape.
"You've done well..."
The man beside her glanced at the phone before secretly looking at the elderly woman sitting across the table.
In the end...
He didn't dare praise their daughter too loudly.
"Hmph."
The old lady let out an unhappy snort.
Holding a spoon, she calmly scooped another mouthful of porridge.
"All she ever does is those flashy TV dramas and variety shows."
"I'd say everything I taught her about dance has gone to waste."
Although the old woman was already past sixty,
there wasn't the slightest trace of frailty about her.
Her eyes remained sharp and spirited.
Her posture was straight.
She radiated the composed authority of someone who had stood at the very pinnacle of her field for decades.
"Mom, you shouldn't put it that way."
"Film and television are also forms of art."
The woman spoke softly.
"Xixi has already done wonderfully."
"Nonsense!"
The old lady's voice remained powerful and imposing.
"I taught her those skills..."
"Not so she could become nothing more than a pretty face!"
She was none other than—
Lin Lan.
The legendary grandmaster of Chinese dance.
One of the World's Top Ten Dance Masters.
And...
Lin Yuxi's grandmother.
"Mom..."
"It seems Xixi's trending topic actually has something to do with you."
The man scrolled through his phone, looking rather puzzled.
"Oh?"
"They had a Chinese exam."
"The essay prompt was about you."
"And Xixi's essay scored very highly."
He opened the second trending topic and looked at the exam question.
Since school examination papers were made public afterward,
it wasn't difficult for netizens to find them once the episode aired.
"That old story again."
"They write about it every single year."
"If only more outstanding young dancers appeared..."
"My achievements from thirty years ago wouldn't have to keep getting dragged out over and over."
The old lady seemed slightly irritated, her complexion growing a little rosier.
Lin Yuxi's parents exchanged helpless glances.
Neither dared interrupt.
"So..."
"How did Xixi do?"
"She got second place!"
The woman smiled proudly.
"She was amazing."
Then...
She suddenly realized something.
If Lin Yuxi had written poorly,
that would have been understandable.
But she hadn't.
She'd written extremely well.
She possessed a unique advantage—
She knew her grandmother better than almost anyone.
She deeply admired her.
She understood both her life and her character.
And yet...
She still came in second?
"...Hmm?"
The old lady slowly set down her bowl of porridge.
Confusion appeared between her brows.
She knew her granddaughter well.
Although the girl sometimes lacked focus,
when it came to understanding her...
There were very few people in the world who knew her better.
So then—
What exactly had the first-place essay written about her?
At her age,
very few things could still stir her curiosity.
But today's incident...
Was genuinely strange.
"What exactly did that essay say about me?"
"Call Xixi."
"I want to ask her about this."
(End of Chapter)
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