6: script for the sacrificial ceremony

"Star Dash Forward" was the variety show Shen Lian had just taken on. He used the three days in between to watch the past two seasons, and his conclusion was that it was just so-so.

It followed a jungle adventure style—broken logs, rushing rapids, mosquitoes, shadows of snakes, and wild beasts roaming. It sounded very interesting, but in reality, the participating guests could only make a tiny bit of progress.

Because they were all delicate, the production team treated every bump or trip like a major crisis, so no one could really let loose.

So, at the end of the day, it focused on the route of torturing the fans.

They couldn't hire big-name stars, so most of the guests were regulars in film and television dramas—even if you couldn't name them, you'd recognize their faces—or internet celebrity singers, or at worst, newcomers shoved in by capital.

As for those obstacle course projects, Shen Lian chuckled lightly. "How is this any different from Candy Crush?"

On the day of the variety show, Shen Lian woke up at seven. When he came out, he didn't see Chu Yilan. Aunt Fen said he had already left for the company shortly after five.

"He is worthy of being the person I set my sights on," Shen Lian thought to himself.

Because he was also a workaholic.

Over these three days, Shen Lian had the intention of adding Chu Yilan on social media, but Master Chu didn't give him any face, saying that if he had anything to do, he should contact the assistant.

Per the usual routine, Shen Lian took a taxi to the filming location by himself.

There were three resident guests on "Star Dash Forward," two men and one woman.

Zhao Lin: Thirty years old, 1.78 meters tall, graduated from the Jingda Film Academy. He had acted in many TV dramas and had high acting talent, but unfortunately, his image did not fit the current aesthetic of young people. With a square face and an honest, sturdy appearance, he was the big brother of the team.

Li Jiabo: Twenty-seven years old, 1.8 meters tall. When he first debuted, his fair, clean appearance and cheerful personality caused quite a stir; he was known as the "Sunny College Guy." However, he didn't encounter a good company. Afterward, he only took on variety shows, quickly exhausting his spark, so he gradually shifted toward the path of a comedian and was now neither popular nor unpopular.

Resident female guest: Zhu Yingyu, twenty-five years old, 1.7 meters tall, with delicate features. She once became popular with the song "Dream in a Winter Night," but all the albums she released afterward performed poorly. Fortunately, her singing and dancing abilities were decent, and her company recently intended to have her try again with a newcomer group.

Besides the resident guests, they would invite three to four temporary guests.

The filming location was in a well-preserved semi-primitive jungle. The investors had spent a lot of money on this land back then, so naturally, they now hoped to earn a bit more.

In the safe area outside, a resting house and a row of staff dormitories were temporarily built; the conditions were truly not great.

It was quite far; Shen Lian spent nearly two hundred on the taxi fare alone.

He found two wearable items from the Original Host's pile of clothes with questionable aesthetic taste: dark gray cargo pants paired with a blue T-shirt. Then, he carried a bag, which contained only a jacket and a few toiletries.

When the staff saw Shen Lian get out of the taxi, they thought he was a colleague, but when they looked closer, they were stunned.

He took Shen Lian to the resting house.

The resident guests were all there. Shen Lian stood at the doorway against the light, revealing only a refined and upright silhouette. He greeted the three of them one by one.

Shen Lian had a pleasant voice, leaning toward what the internet described as a "young master's voice." When he spoke slowly, it gave people a comfortable feeling, like a spring breeze.

Zhao Lin and the others were originally happy, but as soon as they heard the name "Shen Lian," their smiles became stiff.

After all, a month ago, Shen Lian had been insulted across all the charts, scaring his studio and his own Social Media Platform account into a complete suspension. Most of his fans had run away, and he looked like he was about to flop.

Who would have thought he would turn things around and appear on this variety show.

Zhao Lin and the others didn't speak, and Shen Lian didn't care. He walked in with his backpack over one shoulder, surveyed the room, and found a corner spot with just a single chair, which suited him well.

With the light and shadow distinct, the young man's facial features and aura became clear.

The hint of hidden schadenfreude that had been in Li Jiabo's eyes suddenly vanished.

Shen Lian's posture was relaxed, his right leg bent horizontally and resting on his left knee, unintentionally revealing the demeanor of a big boss.

The three of them, Zhao Lin and the others, looked at each other, their expressions full of confusion and bewilderment.

"But he is so handsome," Zhu Yingyu thought.

Soon, the remaining three guests arrived one after another.

At the same time, the camera crew followed them in.

For the sake of publicity, the self-introduction segment before the start of the show was live-streamed; it was meant to show the guests in their most authentic state.

Almost as soon as it started broadcasting, viewers flooded in.

"Long time no see, Three Musketeers! Hugs to Sister Yingyu."

"Hurry, hurry, my Fang Ke!"

The temporary guest, Fang Ke, twenty-three years old, became an overnight sensation through two web dramas. His development prospects were currently very good, and his fan stickiness was quite strong. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and was full of energy.

"Susu, good luck!"

Feng Susu, twenty-seven years old, the other female guest, 1.68 meters tall, with a clean, wine-red short haircut. She was an internet celebrity with tens of millions of followers. Her cosplayed characters often went viral, and she recently had a trend of developing into the entertainment industry.

"Who are the rest? I'm looking forward to it."

In order to whet the audience's appetite, the Assistant Director came up personally, beaming with a smile. "This time, we have also invited a heavyweight guest!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the camera panned to the door.

A young man in a white tracksuit walked in with a smile. From head to toe, everything was meticulously groomed. His facial features were distinct, his skin was fair, and his eyelashes, in particular, were fluffy. He was about 1.78 meters tall, and when he smiled, he had two small dimples, which made people feel favorable toward him at first glance.

It could be said that he was quite cute.

"Holy shit! Zheng Ge???"

Oh, wow! Shen Lian raised an eyebrow.

He finally understood why Qian Gao had relented at the coffee shop that day.

Were these bastards planning to use him as a sacrifice?

You have to know that Zheng Ge's fans had just finished tearing into the Original Host, and their emotions hadn't subsided yet.

Furthermore, no matter the time, the identity of a "homewrecker" was always something everyone wanted to beat up.

Admittedly, every time it was Zhou Tangsi who called the Original Host over, but in the end, for the sake of Zheng Ge's reputation, Zhou Tangsi could sacrifice the Original Host without hesitation to build momentum for his sweetheart.

Fine. Now, with explosive gimmicks and infighting, they had every element.

Couldn't they win over the audience now?

Sure enough, because Zheng Ge's studio had kept it airtight, the fans had only just received the news and rushed over.

"I'm going to kill the studio! How could they not say anything!"

"It's an adventure game, sigh. Xiao Ge just got discharged after spraining his ankle. Won't it relapse if he participates in this kind of show? I'm really worried."

"Calling President Zhou! Quickly take your Xiao Ge away!"

There were many people online shipping the CP. Zheng Ge's luck had been excellent lately, and the comments were all full of praise, and his image outperformed both Fang Ke and Li Jiabo.

"Are there only three new guests?"

"Ahem." The Assistant Director coughed lightly. "There is one more guest."

Speaking up to this point, the Assistant Director paused strangely. It wasn't intentional, but he also found it hard to say.

Finally, the Assistant Director quickly shouted two words as if his mouth were being burned: "Shen Lian!"

"???"

"???? Who did you say again?"

"Is the production team stupid? Are they doing this on purpose?"

"Ahhh, I want to take a taxi over there and kill Shen Lian! Why does this dog thing keep pestering Xiao Ge? He's like a ghost that won't go away!"

The camera panned over appropriately.

Shen Lian didn't know when he had stood up and was leaning against the chair, his two long legs clearly visible. He didn't look very happy—after all, he had been handed the sacrificial script—but without the bangs that usually covered his eyebrows, the young man's appearance became extremely impactful under the enhancement of his arrogance.

Shen Lian put his hands in his pockets, met everyone's gaze, and nodded lightly. "Hello, everyone."

Fawning or flattery was impossible. He would play however he wanted to play; he wasn't going to indulge them.