FLME Ch22.1: Program Broadcast

Yu Wen’s first reaction was: Did I get turned into a meme again?

He immediately poured a glass of water, sat on the sofa, and browsed Weibo. “Mountain Courtyard” was trending in the top ten, and scrolling down, he saw many related topics that were rising.

#Sorry to meet “Mountain Courtyard” like this#

#Iconic undercover scenes#

#Are you playing a new kind of undercover game#

#What Yu Wen claims he can know#

Yu Wen clicked on the highest trending topic, and all the popular posts were edits. Contemporary netizens were incredibly fast. The show had been out for less than two hours, and the edits were already flooding in.

The most viewed edit featured the closed loop of undercover suspects Song Chenglei, Tong Li, and Xi Su. Clicking in, it began with Song Chenglei’s famous line: “I suspect Xi Su.”

The next second, the screen showed Yu Wen’s indescribable expression.

His delicate and pale features were covered in sweat, with damp, black hair on his forehead. Perhaps hearing something unbelievable, his brows furrowed slightly, and the usually alluringly curved tail of his eyes was forced wide open.

In just one second, countless complex emotions flashed in his eyes—wanting to speak but stopping himself, and finally settling on a confirming “mm.”

Everyone who watched this episode knew what this “mm” meant.

It meant Song Chenglei had guessed right.

As soon as this “mm” appeared, the comments couldn’t hold back, with colorful and varied “mm” flooding the screen one after another.

[Mm.]

[(You’re right): mm.]

[(Opening mouth) (closing mouth) (Thomas spin 360 degrees) (deeply): mm.]

[(Three parts cold) (three parts disdain) (four parts casual): mm.]

[(Focused on washing shoes and forgot to wash your brain): mm.]

[(Taking off pants) (pooping) (not finished) (cut off): mm.]

[(Handing tissue to the person above): mm.]

[(Sir, you can’t relieve yourself here): mm.]

……

The lively music matched with each person’s serious dialogue made it all the more hilarious.

Yu Wen scrolled further. The quick rise in trending was probably partly due to the show’s promotion, but it couldn’t be denied that the audience loved it. The number of reads and discussions was skyrocketing, far surpassing other trending topics.

He opened another edited video and watched it again, feeling a sense of novelty.

It was the first time he saw his own face on a phone screen. It looked different from the mirror and the monitor during filming. He didn’t know if it was added by the production team or the video editor, but he appeared so delicate, like he could squeeze out water.

Thinking of this, Yu Wen realized he hadn’t watched this episode yet, so he opened the video app.

This episode started with Xi Su and Chu Han waiting under a street lamp. The light was dim, their shadows long, chatting casually, exuding a sense of tranquility.

The show rarely included clips of picking up guest stars, but this episode was unexpected. The comments followed suit, eagerly watching as the production team provided food, even though this CP (couple pairing) had been through ups and downs recently, with signs of breaking up, they still savored the moment.

[Tasty.]

[So sweet, feels like an old married couple, love it!]

[Can you stay together forever? Can you get married?]

[Is this a prelude to divorce, giving us a final treat?]

[Whatever, let it all end, as long as I’m full (happily dead).]

[First time seeing a pick-up scene, must be to give us some sweetness.]

[What’s so interesting about picking up guests? Definitely to give us some sugar (certainly).]

The scene intermittently cuts to clips of other guests.

About four minutes in, a business car marked with the show’s logo slowly approaches from afar.

A single lonely streetlight casts a dim yellow glow over the area. The car door opens, and someone jumps out, carrying a small bag over one shoulder. His figure is thin and slender. The camera angle from below captures his smiling face.

Yu Wen’s appearance is often described by passersby as “delicate.” When he was younger, elders would say he looked as delicate as a doll. As he grew older, his doll-like delicacy made him seem to lack a bit of sharpness, without deep, defined features. There always remained a hint of youthful innocence in his face.

So he looks young. At eighteen, he looks eighteen; at twenty-two, he still looks eighteen.

But because of this, he has a unique talent, especially in the entertainment industry. His pure innocence can perfectly diminish the aggressive edge that comes with a delicate face, amplifying another emotion instead.

—— Affinity, or audience appeal.

Yu Wen’s attractiveness is a kind that instantly feels approachable.

Xie Jiamao, who had been in the industry for many years and met countless people, always believed that one day Yu Wen could become extremely popular. This wasn’t baseless confidence but an intuition built from experience.

[oi…]

[At 8:03 PM Beijing time, I saw my ideal male guest.]

[Isn’t the state encouraging marriage? I want this one.]

[From the trailer, I thought he should look pretty good. Now that I see him, he’s more than just pretty good.]

[Would it kill them to show a close-up in the trailer!]

[This show has so many unknowns. Who’s this unknown?]

[Is he a newcomer? I know most unknowns in the entertainment industry, but not him.]

[What’s his name?]

[Don’t tell me, I might write him on my marriage certificate tomorrow.]

[So this clip wasn’t to hype a CP, but to assign me a boyfriend!]

[Production team, you’re awesome!]

He jogged over in small steps, his hair a bit messy, a smile on his lips, and his eyes reflecting the hazy streetlight like a still lake, astonishingly bright.

As he ran, he bowed, “Teacher Chu, Teacher Xi, hello to all the teachers…”

[So polite, such a good baby.]

[Come here and let mom dote on you for a while.]

At this moment, the viewers sending comments clearly forgot about his performance in the trailer.

In the next ten minutes, Yu Wen vividly demonstrated what it means to not judge a book by its cover.

“I’m younger than you, how can you call me brother?! Brother, my good brother!”

“How could I have dignity? That’s simply alarmist talk!”

“After I die, please divide my property into three parts: one part to repay Ant Credit Pay, one part to settle the tab at the corner shop, and one part for the dog in the community garden…”

“It’s just a mountain path; at worst, I’ll die here!”

[Man, you owe quite a bit.]

[Who? The dog in the community?]

[What, are you fighting the dog for food?]

[Is your talkativeness innate or acquired? If it’s acquired, maybe you should treat it.]

[Just a mere life, at worst, don’t want it, haha.]

[Hahaha, I knew it, good-looking people are often quirky!]

[I like it!]

[Good looks are common, but an interesting soul is one in a million. He has both!]

Chu Han didn’t say much the entire way. Those who follow the show know he has a taciturn personality, which is why his CP (couple pairing) seems particularly special.

But after Yu Wen arrived, there were clear signs of him breaking character.

Especially when he couldn’t bear it anymore and poked Yu Wen’s waist with a stick, telling him to get lost, yet still begrudgingly holding Yu Wen’s wrist.

[Chu Chu once said they are friends.]

[My Han Bao is much more lively, I’m so touched.]

[These two together are just like me and my friend.]

[I also mess with my friend like this! And my friend also pokes me with a stick!]

[This guy is a pure extrovert, haha, no need to worry about him fitting in.]

The first half hour was filled with a joyful atmosphere, dense with humor, and the screen was full of jokes. Saying it was hilariously entertaining wouldn’t be an exaggeration; it pushed the atmosphere to its peak.

The undercover drawing scene was even more filled with laughter.

But soon, the comments stopped laughing.

The drawing results needed to be shown to the camera.

After drawing, Song Chenglei’s lips curled up meaningfully as he unfolded the paper, revealing a black-and-white ghost face.

At this point, the audience was still calm.

[Oh? They just told us?]

[If it were in a battle royale next door, they wouldn’t show us this paper until the last second.]

[Let’s see who the lucky one is who gets stolen from the most tomorrow.]

[Can Teacher Song handle it? Teacher Tong is very sharp.]

[Don’t get caught too quickly, leave some face for Teacher Song…]

Tong Li followed, glanced at her paper, remained calm, and unfolded it.

A black-and-white ghost face.

[Damn——]

[Two undercovers?]

[The show only said there were undercovers, not how many.]

[They always dig traps like this, seriously.]

[How are they supposed to play?]

[It’s over, the two smartest ones are together, and the rest are all innocent kids.]

[Let me see who can take the lead… Forget it, you’re on your own.]

[They’ll probably get stolen from so much that they won’t have any underwear left.]

Just when the audience thought this was the limit, Xi Su also unfolded a black-and-white ghost face.

[What a strange grouping.]

[They said it was a draw, but I don’t believe it.]

[Is there really no manipulation? The remaining three are two newcomers to the industry and one simple-minded Chu Han, clearly bullying them, right?]

[At least leave them Xi Su, he’s the most efficient worker.]

[These three with their skinny arms and legs, even without undercover agents, they can’t complete the tasks better than the other three.]

The three naive darlings in the eyes of the audience were completely unaware of what had happened, and were smiling at the camera while making peace signs.

Yu Wen and Chu Han were standing next to each other. They had similar builds, but the handsome boy with a tear mole at the corner of his eye always seemed like a soft creature, leaning softly towards Chu Han.

Like an adorable pair of conjoined twins.

[Report! Two sweethearts are whispering to each other!]

[They don’t give off any CP (couple pairing) vibes at all, but it feels so heartwarming.]

[Off-topic for a second, considering how cute they are, can we let them off a little…]

[There are only three undercovers in total, right?]

[No, if there’s another one, it won’t be an undercover war, it’ll be a good guys’ war.]

[The production team still hasn’t learned how to edit. Revealing the results now, how will they create a tense and thrilling atmosphere later?]

[I was just about to say, revealing the results now doesn’t seem appropriate…]

[There’s still an hour and a half left, it might lack impact, let’s just watch.]

At this point, the audience didn’t know that the real high-energy moments were yet to come.