Clapping back felt good in the moment. Clapping back without stopping felt even better. How had he been such a pushover before?
Previously, he would laugh off every mean review and force himself to endure the insults, telling himself that if he did his job well, right would prevail and public opinion would be on his side in the end.
But this world followed the crowd. Nobody would look beneath the surface to decide whether you were a saint or a monster.
If this incident ended up sinking the variety show, he'd simply go off and wander freely — enjoying whatever time he had left.
Xiaoxiao, staring at the wall-to-wall criticism on social media, was nearly in tears. "Xie-ge, don't take it to heart. But if Sister Anni finds out…"
"So what?"
Xie Li tossed his straw aside, took the soybean milk lid off, and drank straight from the cup in big gulps — not an ounce of the image-consciousness he used to have.
"Let them criticize. And if she comes after you too, Xiaoxiao, you don't need to keep working under someone like that. This kind of leader — squeezing every last drop of blood out of her employees — why would anyone stay except for the salary and the dream? When the time comes, I'll give you everything I have. We'll travel the world together."
"On our own, we won't have to care about any rules the show tries to impose on us."
Sure enough, within minutes Anni called, her tone severe: "Xie Li, what kind of stunt was that? I asked you to build a persona on the show and you go ahead and burn every bridge you had. If the director hadn't decided that your infamy still brings eyes to the screen, the variety show would have been out the window!"
Xie Li blinked. This approach could work?
Fine. He didn't have the money to pay the breach-of-contract penalty right now anyway.
"Sister Anni, don't worry. I'll behave on the show. I absolutely will not let you down."
Anni took a deep breath. Seeing that he was cooperative enough, she couldn't be bothered to waste more words on him.
The call ended. Xiaoxiao, more anxious than Xie Li, hurried to ask: "Xie-ge, we're fine?"
"Mm. Anni I can handle."
The words had barely left his mouth when another call came in. Xie Li looked at the screen with a smile, and the smile froze instantly.
Yang Yanchuan. His mother. Or rather — not his mother. Not anymore. Qiao Ming's own parents had passed away long ago.
If Xie Bi'an represented the most traditional, domineering patriarch imaginable — ruling the household with iron authority, obsessed with face and status — then Yang Yanchuan was the wife who had no voice of her own under her husband's thumb, venting her frustration and pain onto her child instead.
Yet the two of them had somehow been perfectly in sync when it came to treating Qiao Ming like a precious treasure.
Xie Li's expression darkened. He gripped the phone tightly. "What is it?"
The other person seemed not to have expected this tone, and paused before launching into an interrogation: "Xie Li, what exactly did you post on social media? Who taught you that? The Xie family raised you all these years and this is the vicious character they ended up with? How dare you say those things about your own brother!"
Vicious?
Ha. This was vicious?
He was vicious, and he had a sharp tongue, and he was prickly all over — whoever provoked him would get the thorns.
Xie Li gave a short laugh. "Yes, yes, the Xie family produced exactly this kind of character. Go ahead and do something about it. And by the way — I don't have a brother. Wasn't it you two who kept telling everyone I'm not part of the Xie family? Now you're back to claiming kinship?"
"You—!" Yang Yanchuan was both shocked and furious. "After everything we raised you for, you ungrateful wretch!"
At that moment, Qiao Ming cut in from the background: "Brother, stop — please go apologize to Mom. And Brother — those things you posted on social media, you didn't really mean them. You've been through so much lately. Father and Mother will understand."
Xie Bi'an yanked the phone away. "Xie Li, get yourself home tonight. Stop making a spectacle of yourself. Your brother is ten times more mature and considerate and well-mannered than you are. A real biological child is something else entirely — how did I end up raising you? If you dare go on that variety show—!"
Had he gotten this wrong — had he already cut ties with them and yet they still expected all of this from him?
He'd been groveling in that household so long he'd forgotten himself. Well — he had nothing left to lose now. Bring it on.
"Got it." Xie Li ended the call. If they thought they could scare him off the variety show, they were wrong. He was going precisely because they didn't want him to — he'd make every one of them regret it.
✦ ✦ ✦
As he boarded the plane, Xie Li checked the time. They'd arrive at the filming location around eight in the evening. He was about to turn his phone off when the group chat called "Melon-Melon Work Group" suddenly exploded with over ten messages.
Curious, he glanced quickly at the screen. A wall of text plus images, videos, presentations.
[Solulou Wedding Photography: Boss!! Found a big one!! (puppy peeking head out) It's a real huge one!! About a certain actor Liu!!]
The same kind of message had been sent to the group a hundred times before. Xie Li sent back an emoji: [Little cat peering out~]
Then turned off his phone without mercy.
A show production team member was waiting to take them to their hotel when they landed.
"Stars Have Arrived" was shot in a hybrid format — simultaneous livestream recording and post-edited highlight episodes. This round's filming location was Dali, Yunnan Province.
Though it was summer, the night air was cool. Xie Li in his thin short-sleeved shirt shivered slightly against the breeze. Xiaoxiao had noticed and was already reaching into her bag for the jacket she'd packed.
"Excuse me, are we not heading to the hotel yet?" Xiaoxiao asked the nearby crew member.
The crew member didn't bother explaining. Xie Li, who had been in a decent mood, felt it begin to evaporate. On principle, he preferred not to make a scene — particularly since his reputation had already caused the show trouble before they'd even started. But they'd been standing here for half an hour now. Surely at this point even a hint would be appropriate.
The crew member rolled his eyes and went back to scrolling on his phone.
Xiaoxiao closed her mouth awkwardly, rubbing her hands together.
Xie Li saw this, walked directly over to the crew member, and crouched down beside him. The member's lanyard displayed his name. Xie Li considered for a moment and said: "Pardon me for asking — Xiao Shu, are you by any chance unable to speak? If you are, you could text my assistant. She'll apologize to you if she caused offence."
Xie Li said this with complete sincerity, and Xiaoxiao's eyes went wide.
It was obvious that this "Xiao Shu" was deliberately ignoring them out of contempt — Xie Li had seen this treatment many times before and usually let it slide. Why was he playing innocent now?
Before she could think further, the previously stone-faced Xiao Shu turned red. His petty game had been called out right to his face, and he couldn't exactly blow up about it in this situation. He was forced to give a direct answer: "We're waiting for Teacher Liu — everyone needs to go together."
Xiaoxiao, frowning: "Why? This is the car for picking up guests. Teacher Liu is on the same flight as us — how is he still not out?"
"He just came off another project and hasn't eaten dinner yet. He's getting something at the airport. Can't you wait a little?" Xiao Shu turned away with a mutter: "If you had Teacher Liu's caliber and work ethic, we'd be happy to wait for you too."
Xie Li nodded calmly, stood up, and brushed himself off. "That's a very fair point. Teacher Liu is so incredibly dedicated — being late past the meeting time really is no big deal at all. So in that case, we'll head back on our own. I'll post the cab fare in the production group chat and ask the director to reimburse it — since we were originally supposed to share the ride."
"He's probably eaten something that didn't agree with him and is currently dealing with a personal matter. You all just keep waiting here." Xie Li stretched. "Xiaoxiao, get us a ride."
"Ah… okay?" Xiaoxiao was baffled.
From Xie Li snapping back at the Xie family this morning, to calling out the production crew just now — was this still the proper, considerate, gracious Xie-ge she knew? The one who had always swallowed his pride for the sake of the Xie family's reputation?
Polite, but just barely. Gentle, but with a blade underneath. Small things? Not willing to let a single one go.
One word — sharp.
The crew member stood up in a panic. "You — you're being completely unreasonable!"
Xie Li spread his hands with an innocent look: "Am I? I'm just doing exactly what you said. I really have been wronged."
Xiaoxiao gazed with admiration at Xie Li's mask-covered face, those crinkled peach-blossom eyes — small and pitiful. She recalled a clip from a show about a certain neighboring country: "Ah! It's so cold."
Our Xie-ge — what exactly did he do wrong?
What gives you all the right?
She had learned the lesson!
"Xie-ge, the car's here, it's the white one. Let's go." Xiaoxiao picked up her bag, unable to suppress the grin tugging at her mouth.
Xie Li gave a quick "Yep" and took hold of her luggage trolley.
Just before closing the door, Xie Li paused to address the handful of other crew members who had been standing in the wind for half an hour looking ready to mutiny: "Do you all want to come with us? Leave Xiao Shu to wait on his own. You've all fulfilled your duty — go on ahead."
The young women hesitated, tempted, uncertain. Xie Li said warmly: "You were sent here to meet us. Splitting up is completely reasonable. Come on."
They piled in, faces bright with gratitude.
Because when was the last time a celebrity had simply done the right thing?
✦ ✦ ✦
By the time Xie Li arrived at the inn for hair and makeup, filming had already started. The production team had set up cameras throughout the guest rooms, tripods wedged into every corner. The comment section of the livestream was already buzzing.
[Every celebrity on this show is someone I love — except Xie Li]
[Ugh. I'm genuinely excited for this kind of travel format but Xie Li being a permanent cast member feels like swallowing a fly…]
[The viewer count is climbing so fast because everyone's here to watch Xie Li embarrass himself lmao]
[Here for Qiao baby, excited for my husband, keep a certain someone away from him please]
[Leave our little crab alone — he's the one who's been wronged here]
[Crab fans are just like their idol — always smelling like fish wherever they go]
Just as the production had predicted, the collision between Xie Li and Qiao Ming — the two most talked-about names of the year — generated explosive chemistry the moment they were together, and the comment count was rising like a river in flood.
The director was already strategically pitting their camera time against each other.
