ASPWL Ch41: Mr. Qin’s Vision

Upon hearing Ye Leyao call him “Second Brother,” not only were the guests present stunned, but even the live stream viewers were taken aback.

—”Second Brother?”

—”Did Ye Leyao’s brother also come to participate in the show?”

—”Is he another non-celebrity?”

—”But why do I feel that his second brother doesn’t seem easy to get along with? Talking so rudely right off the bat, really impolite…”

Before the comments could finish, viewers and guests saw Huo Yan take off his hat and mask, smiling as he greeted everyone.

The comments instantly changed their tone:

—”Aaaaaahhhhh—Huo Yan, my idol!!!”

—”Oh my god! The show actually invited Huo Yan!”

—”Help! I’ve been a fan of Huo Yan for eight years, and I think this is his first time on a reality show since his debut!!!”

Even Zhou Zijian, who had worked with Huo Yan before, was surprised and walked directly over to him: “Huo Yan, is it really you? I never thought you’d participate in a variety show!”

Huo Yan smiled and hugged Zhou Zijian, then waved at Wen Xiangyue, naturally calling out, “Hello, sister-in-law.”

This “sister-in-law” made Zhou Zijian blush.

Wen Xiangyue, on the other hand, remained calm and waved back at Huo Yan.

Before the recording of the second episode of “Let’s Go Traveling Together” started, the official Weibo account had announced that four guests would participate, including Wen Xiangyue and three mysterious guests.

Before the show even began filming, netizens were speculating who these three guests might be, guessing nearly every eligible celebrity.

But they never expected the show to invite Huo Yan!

No wonder fans and netizens were excited.

Huo Yan debuted at fifteen and has always been focused solely on acting. The only way fans could learn about him, aside from his works, was through official interview videos.

He had never participated in a reality show, nor even any variety shows.

It’s not that variety shows hadn’t invited him—practically every show would welcome him with open arms—but he had always declined.

His studio’s explanation was: Huo Yan believes actors should maintain some mystery, and it’s enough for fans to know his work without over-focusing on his personal life.

Fans understood and supported this, but they still wished he would appear on some variety shows, as they really wanted to see more of him outside his roles.

Eight years into his career, he had never been on a variety show.

Who could have guessed that today, “Let’s Go Traveling Together” would give them such a huge surprise.

The moment Huo Yan appeared on the live stream, the comments section exploded with excitement. For a long while, all that could be seen were fans and viewers screaming “Aaaaahhhh.”

Amid the excited and happy screams, some voices of doubt emerged:

—”Even if he’s Huo Yan, he shouldn’t be so rude right from the start, right?”

—”Yeah, does he have a bad temper?”

—”No wonder he’s never been on a reality show.”

Huo Yan’s fans were speechless.

—”Is it possible that Huo Yan and Qin Yao are very close friends in private? Maybe he was just joking?”

—”Yes, didn’t they have dinner together not long ago? Do you not follow any entertainment news?”

—”Speaking of which, I remember the other guy in that photo looked a lot like Ye Leyao!”

—”Maybe they were having a get-together!”

At this point, viewers saw Qin Yao smile, stand up, hug Huo Yan briefly, and say, “Sit down.”

After all, as long as he could share the space with Ye Leyao, it didn’t matter where he listened to the gossip.

More importantly, Qin Yao sincerely thought that keeping some distance from Ye Leyao wasn’t a bad thing.

Ears are important!

But what Qin Yao didn’t know was that Huo Yan had the same idea.

Where he listened didn’t matter!

Who knew when Ye Leyao would suddenly start shouting in his mind?

Enjoying the gossip was one thing, but protecting his eardrums was also crucial!

So viewers and netizens saw Huo Yan laugh and wrap his arm around Qin Yao’s shoulder, saying, “Just joking and creating some show effect. You sit, I won’t sit next to this brat.”

Ye Leyao was momentarily speechless, and retorted bluntly, “Good, I don’t really want to sit with you either.”

Then, in his heart, he cursed harshly: [Damn second brother!]

But this “damn second brother” had no killing power at all. Huo Yan didn’t mind in the slightest and turned around to sit next to Song Zhehan.

Seeing this, Song Zhehan said in surprise, “So you guys are really brothers…”

The others also looked over curiously.

They hadn’t heard Huo Yan talk about his younger brother before!

Huo Yan nodded with a smile, “Of course, we’re on the same household register! Really can’t get any truer, right?”

Huo Yan looked at Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao frowned, “But right now, I don’t want to be on the same household register as you. When the show is over, I’ll go back and tell Mama Huo to move you out!”

Huo Yan widened his eyes, “Ye Leyao! Be reasonable!”

Ye Leyao blinked innocently.

[I’m not being reasonable, so what?]

The guests, seeing the way the two bickered, instantly believed it.

They could see it, they were real brothers. If it were fake, how could they bicker so freely?

The live chat exploded again:

—”So they really are on the same household register!”

—”I just remembered, Huo Yan once mentioned in an interview that he had two younger brothers!”

—”Damn, I knew it! No wonder Ye Leyao had such good resources when he debuted, it turns out he was relying on Huo Yan’s resources!”

—”That means, the reason Ye Leyao knows so much gossip, could it also be because of Huo Yan…?”

—”So Huo Yan participating in this variety show makes sense, he probably doesn’t trust Ye Leyao?”

If Huo Yan saw the comments, he would definitely explain for himself and Ye Leyao.

First of all, Ye Leyao’s debut resources were really not because of his resources, nor did he rely on the family.

This spot was given to him voluntarily by Qin Yao, who even made three visits to invite him. Their whole family was very disapproving of Qin Yao’s choice, but they finally agreed because Ye Leyao himself wanted to join.

Secondly, is it possible that Huo Yan indeed likes gossip, but he really doesn’t know much about the entertainment industry? He just follows Ye Leyao for the gossip!

Lastly, it’s not that Huo Yan doesn’t trust Ye Leyao; the reason he joined the show was simply that he wanted to get close to the gossip!

Unfortunately, the netizens and viewers didn’t know this.

Huo Yan’s fans even crazily thanked Ye Leyao in the comments.

If it weren’t for Ye Leyao, they probably would never see Huo Yan on a variety show in their lifetime.

Thanks to the gossip king!

Not only did he bring them great gossip, but he also let the fans join the feast!

Moreover, Huo Yan’s major fans directly stated that since Ye Leyao is Huo Yan’s real brother, from now on, they are family!

The comments were full of joy.

Just then, another guest boarded the bus.

The newcomer, like Huo Yan, wore an exaggerated hat and mask, wrapping himself up tightly.

Seeing this, Ye Leyao couldn’t help but guess:

[Could it be that the program requires new guests to wear masks and hats to maintain a sense of mystery?]

Huo Yan, sitting in the front row, nodded.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t wear those things; it was really hot!

[So who is the new guest?]

Ye Leyao was curious.

The new guest didn’t keep them in suspense for long, quickly taking off his mask and hat to reveal his face, and introduced himself with a smile, “Hello everyone, I am Lu Bo, the guest for this episode!”

Lu Bo, the leading actor in a recently popular drama, is also a rising star in the entertainment industry.

Seeing Lu Bo, many viewers’ eyes lit up.

—”Ahhh, the quality of the guests in this episode is really high!”

—”Looking forward to it, I’m really looking forward to it!”

—”But, with such high-quality guests, there might not be much gossip in this episode, right?”

The other guests greeted Lu Bo with smiles, but Ye Leyao glanced at Qin Yao beside him with a complicated look, then quickly shook Lu Bo’s hand and pulled back.

Ye Leyao’s reaction was too unusual, and Huo Yan and Qin Yao, who were familiar with him, noticed his odd behavior almost instantly.

Even Song Zhehan in the front row turned to look at Ye Leyao.

Lu Bo…

Could it be more gossip?

Qin Yao’s eyelid twitched.

Then, the next moment, they heard Ye Leyao sigh inwardly.

[What should I say?]

[President Qin’s eye for people is really unique.]

[Does he not approve of any guest without gossip?]

Qin Yao: “…”

Huo Yan: “Pfft.”

Huo Yan, who was sitting next to Song Zhehan, turned his head quickly and covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud.

But how sharp was Song Zhehan?

He raised an eyebrow slightly and took out his phone, logging into his Weibo alt account.

At this moment, Papa and Mama Huo were watching the live broadcast, and seeing this, Mom Huo quickly opened Weibo.

A second ago, Gou Shi posted a new Weibo.

“Gou Shi: Looks like there’s going to be more fun to watch~”

Papa and Mama Huo’s lips curled up, becoming even more curious.

So what fun is there!

Why can’t they be on-site to hear the gossip?!

Is Huo Yan too free?

Should they contact Huo Yan’s manager and get him another movie to shoot?

Jealousy makes people unrecognizable!

Huo Yan was also curious about what gossip Lu Bo had, so after laughing, he quietly waited for Ye Leyao to spill it.

They only heard Ye Leyao sigh deeply:

[A gay man who tricked someone into marriage can be invited by President Qin to join the show. Is there anything President Qin can’t find?]

Huo Yan’s pupils slightly widened.

A tricked marriage?

Gay?

Isn’t Lu Bo always known for his macho image?

Even in his recent hit drama, his character was a high-quality male, which attracted many female fans.

So he not only got married, but is also a scam-marriage gay?

Huo Yan’s gaze towards Lu Bo instantly became meaningful.

Qin Yao was equally shocked.

Because he had done a background check, Qin Yao knew about Lu Bo’s marriage.

Qin Yao didn’t consider being married a blemish since Lu Bo wasn’t an idol. Even if his marriage was exposed later, it wouldn’t significantly impact his acting career, so Qin Yao agreed to invite Lu Bo as a guest for this episode.

But what was this about a scam marriage?

Qin Yao slowly closed his eyes.

Forget it.

Qin Yao almost resigned himself to thinking that this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. In the previous episode, two guests had even started arguing right in front of tens of thousands of viewers at the beginning of the live broadcast!

Maybe the audience actually likes watching this kind of drama!

Qin Yao began trying to comfort himself.

After greeting everyone, Lu Bo simply sat down next to Li Siyuan and started chatting with him.

Ye Leyao’s radar suddenly went off again.

[Could Li Siyuan be Lu Bo’s type?]

Thinking this, he couldn’t help but carefully look back and sneak a glance in their direction.

Ye Leyao thought his movements were very subtle, but the viewers caught it.

—”Report—Ye Leyao has that expression again!”

—”What do you mean ‘that expression’?”

—”You must be new here! Pay close attention to Ye Leyao; he usually looks indifferent and easygoing, but as soon as there’s gossip, his eyes light up!”

—”Ye Leyao is looking in this direction—Lu Bo and Li Siyuan?”

—”Could it be that there’s gossip between Lu Bo and Li Siyuan?”

—”Lu Bo just got famous recently; could he be the fastest artist to fall from grace?”

—”I don’t think Lu Bo will fall. Maybe Ye Leyao is just worried that Li Siyuan, who has a bad temper, won’t treat Lu Bo kindly?”

This fan’s concern was quite valid.

And this was exactly what Ye Leyao was thinking.

[Li Siyuan looked unhappy when he got on the bus and found a corner seat to stay in. Lu Bo, no matter how interested you are in him, shouldn’t you see if he’s willing to talk?]

It was clear that at this moment, Li Siyuan didn’t want to talk to anyone.

After sitting down, Lu Bo introduced himself to Li Siyuan again and started talking about how much he liked Li Siyuan’s work and how happy he was to be on the show with him.

Li Siyuan, wearing a hat with a large brim that covered his eyes, made it hard to see his expression, but it was clear he heard Lu Bo.

No matter what Lu Bo said, Li Siyuan acted as if he didn’t hear, showing no reaction.

With Li Siyuan’s cold attitude, most people would stop trying to talk.

But Lu Bo was different. Without any sense of EQ, he asked directly, “Li Siyuan, why aren’t you talking? Do you not want to chat with me?”

“Since you know I don’t want to talk to you, why ask?” Li Siyuan finally couldn’t hold back, taking off his hat and speaking with obvious displeasure.

The atmosphere in the bus instantly became tense.

Ye Leyao couldn’t help but smile.

Lu Bo seemed to have not expected such an attitude from Li Siyuan, and after a moment of surprise, he explained, “I just wanted to get to know you, I have no ill intentions…”

Li Siyuan smirked as if he had heard something funny, “Get to know me? Am I a female guest or are you gay? Why are you so interested in me at first meeting?”

Lu Bo was stunned.

The other guests were all surprised.

[Although Lu Bo is indeed interested in you, Li Siyuan, it’s really not nice to expose someone’s thoughts so directly!]

Ye Leyao almost burst into laughter.

[Hahaha, one week without seeing him, and Li Siyuan is still so good at roasting people!]

Qin Yao and Huo Yan both smiled and then looked back.

Lu Bo’s face turned red and white, as if his secret had been exposed, and he hurriedly defended, “No, I’m just…”

“Really?” Li Siyuan said coldly, “Then prove you’re not gay by staying away from me.”

Li Siyuan had said this much.

If Lu Bo continued to sit there, it would prove he was gay.

Lu Bo, face flushed, stood up and walked to the front.

The other guests finally retracted their gossip-filled gazes.

Ye Leyao secretly took out his phone and opened the live chat.

[The comments must be very interesting now!]

The live chat was indeed in an uproar.

Lu Bo’s fans were unhappy with Li Siyuan’s attitude:

—”What kind of attitude is that from Li Siyuan?”

—”Lu Bao just went to say hi, does he have to get so angry?”

Li Siyuan’s fans responded:

—”Is it possible that Li Siyuan’s arrogance is equal towards everyone? Even if it was his manager babbling in front of him, he would still get scolded?”

—”+1, Li Siyuan just has a bad temper towards everyone. What’s wrong with that?”

Lu Bo’s fans shot back:

—”It’s you fans spoiling him. If he doesn’t want to be in the entertainment industry, he should just leave!”

Li Siyuan’s fans countered:

—”Sorry, but our Li Siyuan is equally rude to everyone but is especially gentle to his fans!”

—”Hahaha, really? Do you think we’re masochists? If Li Siyuan treated me like that, I’d have left long ago. Why do you think I haven’t left yet?”

Ye Leyao fully agreed with what he was seeing.

[Li Siyuan is just like that. His bad temper is directed equally at everyone around him, but he’s incredibly good to his fans.]

[I remember last year, at one of Li Siyuan’s concerts, there was a heavy downpour. He had the staff arrange for a hundred buses to ensure his fans could get home safely.]

[If he wasn’t good to his fans, how could he have so many of them?]

Qin Yao nodded slightly.

After spending some time filming together, he had gained some understanding of Li Siyuan.

Li Siyuan had a bad temper, but he wouldn’t lose it without reason.

Generally, when he was angry, as long as no one provoked him, he would cool down on his own.

But if someone irritated him while he was fuming—

Well, one could refer to the argument between him and Du Yueqin in the previous episode.

The silence in the bus was short-lived as the last new guest boarded.

This guest moved even quicker than Lu Bo, immediately taking off his hat and mask, revealing his face. His gaze swept over everyone in the bus and briefly rested on Huo Yan.

A hint of surprise flashed in Huo Yan’s eyes.

Ye Leyao was even more shocked, incredulously glancing at Qin Yao.

[Boss Qin, I can’t believe it! You actually invited my brother’s rival to join him on the show?]

[What were you thinking, Boss Qin?]

Even though Qin Yao had already lost all hope regarding the guests he invited, he was still a bit shocked to hear this.

Huo Yan’s rival?

Really?

Could it be such a coincidence?

If their relationship was really that bad, why didn’t the information reflect it?

Huo Yan, however, wanted to correct Ye Leyao.

Ex-rival!

He no longer had any connection with Su Rui!

But Duan Haoyan, this brainless guy, seemed to still be fooled by Su Rui.

Ye Leyao had read the novel, which had no illustrations, so he couldn’t match every character to real-life people.

But why could Ye Leyao recognize the person in front of him at a glance? Because this man was the third male lead in the novel where Huo Yan was from! After regaining his memories, Ye Leyao had immediately searched for Duan Haoyan’s photos.

After all, Duan Haoyan, besides the second male lead Huo Yan, was another rival to the protagonist!

In the novel, Duan Haoyan often targeted Huo Yan. How could Ye Leyao not be well-informed?

Who would have thought Qin Yao would invite Huo Yan’s rival to participate in the show together?

Ye Leyao closed his eyes.

[Well, I can only wish my brother good luck!]

Huo Yan: “…”

Actually, he thought Ye Leyao should be careful too.

After a brief glance at him, Duan Haoyan quickly shifted his gaze and introduced himself to everyone.

Then Duan Haoyan walked over to shake hands with the guests one by one.

Huo Yan, who genuinely disliked Duan Haoyan, had no intention of shaking his hand.

And Duan Haoyan felt the same way, skipping him after shaking hands with Song Zhehan.

Huo Yan was quite satisfied with this.

No pretense, straightforward and honest, very good.

Song Zhehan raised an eyebrow, surprised.

He hadn’t expected such drama at the beginning of the second episode.

The second round of conflict was already here?

Duan Haoyan quickly reached the row where Qin Yao and Ye Leyao were seated.

Qin Yao shook his hand briefly, then watched as Duan Haoyan extended his hand to Ye Leyao.

This time, Ye Leyao was surprised.

[Duan Haoyan wants to shake hands with me? The live broadcast has been on for a while, he must know my relationship with my brother, right?]

[Duan Haoyan is that magnanimous?]

Ye Leyao had read the novel and didn’t think Duan Haoyan was a magnanimous person.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Duan Haoyan suddenly withdrew his hand. He stood in the aisle between Huo Yan and Qin Yao’s seats, smiling, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Duan Haoyan said lightly, “Sorry, I really dislike nepotism and resource hogs, so I won’t shake hands with you.”

Ye Leyao: “?”

The atmosphere in the bus once again dropped to freezing point.

Ye Leyao couldn’t believe it: “Are you talking about me?”

Duan Haoyan feigned surprise and looked at Ye Leyao strangely: “Did I say anything wrong? As a newbie, you got on an S+ variety show. Isn’t it because of your brother?”

Ye Leyao glanced at Huo Yan in the front row, then at Qin Yao beside him.

[Actually, no.]

Before Ye Leyao could retort, Huo Yan in the front row suddenly snorted.

The viewers in the live broadcast were stunned:

—”Isn’t this show ‘Let’s Go Traveling Together’ really interesting!”

—”Lu Bo’s and Li Siyuan’s fans haven’t finished arguing yet, and now another troublemaker shows up?”

—”But Duan Haoyan isn’t wrong, right? Isn’t Ye Leyao a resource hog?”

Then Huo Yan slowly stood up, with a faint smile: “You got it wrong. You can say I got the spot directly from Qin Yao, but you can’t say Leyao got it through connections. What do you think, Boss Qin?”

Huo Yan exuded hostility, looking very unhappy.

Qin Yao’s face looked even worse.

Without Ye Leyao, he wouldn’t know if the show could smoothly record the second episode.

Qin Yao had put in a lot of effort to get the Huo family to agree to let Ye Leyao join the show. He even promised Huo Jing that Ye Leyao wouldn’t be wronged.

And yet, Duan Haoyan, who had his manager actively contact the show and treated the whole crew to get a guest spot, was here slandering Ye Leyao.

Qin Yao’s gaze bore into Duan Haoyan. “Mr. Duan, when your agent submitted your information to me, it clearly stated that you are known for being kind and amiable. It seems your information was falsified.”

Duan Haoyan hadn’t expected Qin Yao to defend Huo Yan. His expression changed slightly. “I’m sorry, I’m just straightforward by nature. When I speak…”

“Being straightforward is no excuse for distorting the truth,” Qin Yao said coldly. “During the preparation phase of our variety show, I invited Leyao three times. He declined twice and only accepted on the third invitation to join as a permanent guest.”

“And as for you, your agent repeatedly contacted the show, even using connections to contact the director and producers, treating the entire crew to dinner, and finally securing your spot as a guest for the second episode. Do you really think you’re so righteous and above board?”

Duan Haoyan’s face turned pale.

Ye Leyao blinked, silently explaining to himself:

[Well, it’s not that I kept rejecting Boss Qin.]

[It’s just that at the time, all the guests Qin Yao invited were criminals. During the broadcast, everyone around me would be pixelated. That was really scary!]

Huo Yan felt much better after hearing Qin Yao’s words. “Duan Haoyan, I thought you were so righteous. Turns out you’re the one using connections and backdoor methods!”

“Ew—” Huo Yan’s disdainful tone dragged out.

Duan Haoyan’s face darkened instantly.

Ye Leyao couldn’t hold back and laughed out loud, giving Huo Yan a thumbs up.

“Brother, nice one!”

[Isn’t it just face-to-face confrontation? Who can’t do that?]

Ye Leyao lifted his chin proudly.