FLME Ch23: Program Broadcast

The scene shifted, and the person labeled as “poor little thing” by the comments, Yu Wen, came out of his room. His hair was fluffy from sleep, with a tuft sticking up, and he stood in front of the stairs in a daze.

[What’s wrong? Not fully awake?]

[My baby looks like he misses me, hurry and send him back.]

[This new guest looks like he has soft lips, very kissable.]

The young man exuded youthful energy, wearing only a thin T-shirt, with no makeup. Just standing there, he attracted countless gazes.

He did nothing, yet the comments spent a long time admiring his looks.

Yu Wen stood there for a while, then rubbed the back of his head in a daze, making his already messy hair even fluffier. With a head of disheveled hair, he walked to the stair railing, leaned on it, and cautiously hopped down one step.

[Ah…]

[Lol, almost forgot he was so tired from climbing the mountain last night that he couldn’t stand up. Today his legs must feel like they were run over by a car.]

[The previous guests’ legs were sore too, but it didn’t seem this bad?]

[Upstairs, in the extended version, he took a different, steeper path.]

[Do you feel it? The production team’s fiery love.]

[Warm enough to cause third-degree burns (Yu Wen’s tone).]

Supporting himself on the railing and cautiously hopping down, he finally reached the kitchen, only to encounter more steps. This time, without hesitation, Yu Wen spread his arms like a bird and gracefully jumped down, landing perfectly.

[Ten points!]

[Elegant, truly elegant.]

[Where did this little zombie come from, so cute.]

[So skilled, it makes me feel sorry for him.]

Chu Han was making pancakes with his back to the door, and Xi Su was helping him. The loud sound of sizzling oil masked Yu Wen’s hopping noise. The unexpected little zombie looked around, found a cup, and poured himself some hot water.

He wasn’t the least bit awkward, helping himself when no one attended to him. Seeing some flower tea bags nearby, he even made himself a cup of flower tea.

Finished, he stood at the door with his tea, watching the busy Chu Han and Xi Su with a thoughtful expression.

[Stop thinking, today’s target isn’t Chu Han, it’s you!]

[Run, wife!]

[Watch out for Xi Su! Watch out for Xi Su! Watch out for Xi Su!]

[Brother Xi Su, are you the ‘gold thief’?]

The two cooking were startled by him. Xi Su naturally denied it and countered: “Compared to you, Teacher Yu, you’re the strange one.”

Yu Wen counted the direct and indirect physical contacts between the two just now.

Xi Su was caught off guard by his detailed observation and blurted out: “The contact points are just one…”

“How do you know? Did you receive a task card?”

Yu Wen’s gaze was direct; his expression was calm, with a sharpness as if seeing through everything.

This scene, edited for the viewers, made it clear that Xi Su had slipped up. His subsequent explanations were incoherent and illogical, and even Chu Han, who had always been close to him, subtly distanced himself.

But Yu Wen listened and believed.

“You’re right. Just physical contact is too broad.”

Then he turned back into the little zombie and hopped out of the kitchen.

[Newbies are still naïve, believing whatever people say.]

[Don’t be too innocent, baby.]

[I’m closing my eyes; I can’t see the future for the good guys.]

Viewers had mostly accepted that the good guys were three naive sweethearts. When Xi Su started acting, only a few comments tried to warn him, while most had resigned themselves to the outcome.

[Don’t let him touch your hair! Don’t let him touch your hair!]

[Baby, your points are going to be stolen…]

[Forget it, it’s a done deal.]

[Feels like tonight’s settlement will leave the three sweethearts bankrupt.]

[Not just bankrupt, Teacher Yu will leave in debt.]

[If they can catch the undercover agents, it’s okay. But they’re being stolen from and are still clueless.]

At this moment, as Yu Wen tidied his hair, a thoughtful expression appeared.

The production team zoomed in on this expression, giving it a three-second close-up, signaling the start of the good guys’ counterattack and laying the groundwork for their eventual comeback.

Unfortunately, at this moment, few viewers could interpret the depth of this expression.

Only a few viewers, rewatching the episode at 5G speed, started hinting at spoilers:

[Did he guess from here?]

[Probably earlier, seems like he locked onto Xi Su when he slipped up.]

Since it was his first variety show, Yu Wen wanted to finish it, but his body didn’t obey his brain. Halfway through, he couldn’t resist the onslaught of sleepiness and dozed off on the computer desk.

The next morning, the doorbell woke him from his groggy sleep. He woke up with a splitting headache and a sore throat.

“…Baojuan, Baojuan?” He amused himself for a while, took a sip of cold water to soothe his throat, wrapped himself in a small blanket, and got up to open the door.

At 8 AM, there shouldn’t be any visitors. Yu Wen assumed it was a delivery he had forgotten about, so he opened the door without any defenses.

As soon as the door opened, he saw Xie Heyu.

In a flash, his cold-addled brain was overwhelmed by guilt, and he paused for a moment before his body reacted before his brain—he closed the door.

Xie Heyu moved quickly, using both hands and feet to block the door.

Xie Heyu didn’t react immediately, his brows and eyes showing a bit of surprise. But when his gaze fell on Yu Wen’s face, after scrutinizing him for two seconds, his usually expressionless handsome face slowly furrowed, and his expression turned from indescribable to dangerous.

He said, “Open the door.”

Yu Wen sat obediently on the sofa, looking very well-behaved.

There were no regular medicines at home, so Xie Heyu went downstairs to buy some. He entered the door carrying a plastic bag, changing into slippers.

“Teacher Xie…” Yu Wen’s voice was hoarse, so much so that he was startled himself. Then, under Xie Heyu’s chilly gaze, he sat even more upright. “There are new slippers for you in the shoe cabinet, the blue ones…”

This apartment rarely had visitors; only occasionally, Xie Heyu would be called over by Xie Jiamao to help restock the fridge or make some meals, so he could heat them up when busy.

As the end of the semester approached, Xie Heyu’s studies became heavy, and he visited less frequently.

The new slippers Yu Wen bought for him were still unopened.

Xie Heyu found the described slippers in the shoe cabinet, put them on, and said coldly, “Don’t talk.”

Oh.

Yu Wen obediently shut his mouth.

Xie Heyu went straight to the kitchen, while Yu Wen sat on the sofa, not daring to move, staring at his five-toe socks in a daze.

He lifted one big toe, then put it down, lifted it again, and put it down.

After playing a few rounds and feeling bored, Xie Heyu was still busy in the kitchen, not saying a word to him.

Teacher Xie usually talked little, but not like today.

Silent.

With a cold war-like silence.

The first thing Xie Heyu did upon entering was to turn on the air conditioner. The heat slowly rose, making the room dry and warm. Yu Wen touched his cheek, not sure if it was from the heat or a fever, it was burning.

The plastic bag was on the coffee table. Yu Wen carefully glanced at the kitchen, hesitated for a moment, then picked at the plastic bag himself, found the electronic thermometer, and took his temperature.

The screen turned a dangerous red.

“37.8?” A clear voice suddenly sounded above his head. Yu Wen’s hand shook, and the thermometer slipped from his hand, falling onto the carpet.

He looked up and said, “Teacher Xie.”

Xie Heyu looked down at him from above, his dark, sharp brows furrowing.

He extended his hand, and the back of it touched Yu Wen’s cheek briefly.

“So hot…”

The back of his hand was icy cold. Yu Wen instinctively tilted his face towards it, but before he could lean in, Xie Heyu had already withdrawn his hand and was rummaging through the plastic bag for medicine.

Yu Wen stared intently at his distinct knuckled hand.

“You need to take antipyretic medicine. Your throat might hurt this week, remember to drink cough syrup…”

“…Oh.”

Yu Wen picked up a capsule from the coffee table, broke it open, and was about to swallow it.

Xie Heyu grabbed his wrist, “…What are you doing?”

Yu Wen: “Taking medicine.”

“Did you eat breakfast?”

“…”

Seeing his silence, Xie Heyu knowingly nodded and placed a bowl on the coffee table. Inside were two peeled boiled eggs and a small steamed bun.

“You can’t take medicine on an empty stomach. Eat these to fill up, you might choke, here’s some soy milk.”

Xie Heyu inserted a straw into the soy milk for him, then went back to the kitchen.

The stove was on, and something was cooking. Yu Wen could hear it.

He slowly finished the steamed bun. Xie Heyu came out of the kitchen with a freshly mixed potion, holding an empty cup in his other hand.

Yu Wen thought he must have calmed down, sniffed, and boldly asked, “What’s cooking in the kitchen?”

“Milk.”

Yu Wen: “There’s a microwave.”

Xie Heyu: “I’m making ginger milk pudding.”

Yu Wen immediately knew who it was for, protested, “I don’t eat ginger.”

Xie Heyu poured the potion back and forth between two cups to cool it quickly, and said indifferently, “I was going to make ginger soup.”

Yu Wen: “…”

Ginger soup has a stronger flavor, implying he has already shown mercy.

He handed the cooled potion to Yu Wen, who didn’t take it. Xie Heyu glanced at him and said flatly, “There’s no other food in the fridge. I’ll prepare it for you, you don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to.”

Yu Wen still didn’t say anything.

“…I’ll make something else for you later.”

Though his tone didn’t soften, it was clear that Xie Heyu had no choice but to indulge him a little. Despite the cold tone, Yu Wen heard a hint of indulgence.

His fingers, hidden in his sleeve, curled slightly.

At this point, Yu Wen couldn’t continue being stubborn. He took the cold medicine and drank it all in one go, followed by half a cup of soy milk to swallow the antipyretic.

After taking the medicine, he found a comfortable corner on the sofa, wrapped a thick blanket around himself, and crouched like a little mushroom.

The little mushroom grabbed the remote on the coffee table and turned on the TV.

The pungent smell of ginger filled the apartment.

Yu Wen wrinkled his nose in disgust, convincing himself it was trash, not food, and Teacher Xie would throw it away soon… Meanwhile, he found “Mountain Courtyard” on TV, rewound to where he left off last night, and continued watching the show.

Xie Heyu finished making the ginger milk pudding but didn’t bring it out, leaving it on the counter.

He wiped his hands, preparing to go to the market to buy some food. The little mushroom on the sofa seemed lost in thought, and as soon as he appeared, those black eyes were like magnets, following his every move.

Xie Heyu’s hand on the doorknob couldn’t ignore the intense gaze.

He turned around and asked, “Do you want something?”

Yu Wen snapped out of it and blinked, as if returning to his senses.

“Do you have class today?” he asked.

Xie Heyu: “No, why?”

“Nothing.” Yu Wen shook his head, speaking vaguely, not knowing what he wanted to say, “You can go.”

He said goodbye to the colleague who had taken care of him all morning while he was sick, in what he thought was a very polite tone.

The door closed with a soft “click.”

Before leaving, Xie Heyu had told him to sleep in the bed, not on the sofa, as it was easy to catch a cold.

Yu Wen fiddled with the remote control, thinking to himself, “You’ve already left, how can you still control me?”

He didn’t want to sleep.

He just wanted to sit on the sofa.

He took his phone and looked at the date—Saturday. Xie Heyu probably didn’t have any classes.

Maybe he had other things to do.

Yu Wen watched TV absentmindedly. The more he watched, the more he felt his sick brain was particularly sluggish. The smooth reasoning in the show now seemed like mist, elusive and hard to grasp.

It seemed he was very dumb today, not suitable for thinking, he thought.

–

The TV had already played the scene of him and Song Chenglei picking mushrooms.

“Xiao Yu, your shoes are muddy.”

“It’s fine.”

“White shoes are hard to clean when they get dirty. Wipe them. My daughter is just like you, always getting her shoes dirty when she comes home. She especially likes white shoes, it worries her mom and me a lot.”

Yu Wen had to squat down to wipe his shoes, frowning, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have worn white shoes. It’s really troublesome…”

Before this, the program showed the conversation between him and the accompanying PD in the car. His line “I hope Teacher Xi doesn’t steal my points today” made many viewers see a chance for victory, but most viewers just thought he was lucky and didn’t have high hopes.

Unlike last night, today’s bullet comments had many “spoilers,” from people who had already watched the first round and were watching the second or third time.

[Indeed, it’s a newbie protection period, and he guessed right, haha.]

[Teacher, trust your instincts! Xi Su is the bad guy!]

[Is it possible to reverse the situation with this handsome guy’s luck…?]

[I advise everyone to stop guessing and just watch ahead.]

[Don’t underestimate our Xiao Yu, you jerk! (in a passionate anime voice)]

[Get ready to be amazed.]

Song Chenglei went to the bathroom, and Yu Wen sat on the steps in a daze.

He opened his mouth and asked, “How many points did Teacher Song just steal from me?”

He looked at the camera, perhaps asking the accompanying PD. Not getting an answer from the PD, he started counting on his fingers.

[Once, twice, three times… eight, or nine? The last time I pretended to wipe but didn’t, so that shouldn’t count, so it’s about eight, right?]

[I really like this phrase from the entertainment industry: huh?]

[???]

[Did I miss it? How did he know?]

[Is this a case of Inception? A spy within a spy?]

[That scared me.]

[It couldn’t be an omniscient perspective, right? That gave me goosebumps, haha…]

The accompanying PD asked: Why do you think Teacher Song is also a ‘gold thief’?

Yu Wen rested his chin on his hand, thinking.

This was the highlight moment.

The previously unreleased footage of Yu Wen in the car finally aired. From Xi Su’s line in the morning, “It can’t just be physical contact without constraints,” to the previous night when Yu Wen proposed the rules in the car. His exact words, “Points are stolen by physically touching a fixed spot, and touching a team member doubles the points,” were dissected and reassembled in his mind in a few moments, analyzing the loopholes and identifying potential traps from the program team’s perspective.

When Xi Su made a move in public, Yu Wen immediately sensed something was wrong. He succinctly summarized and deduced Xi Su’s action formula.

Having the spy’s action formula, he used the previously identified traps to determine the constants and variables in the action formula, finally deriving a complete, preliminary action formula.

The entire logic was edited into a one-minute-and-twenty-second gray-toned flashback, almost as clear as a mind map. Then the program team mischievously played a line from Yu Wen earlier in the timeline: “Am I the only good guy today…”

The three spies were revealed under his casual reasoning, one by one, fully exposed. The text below read:

‘Gold Thief’ Exposed!

With a small bracket beside it (3/3).

At this point, all the spies were exposed—none remaining, all caught.

The bullet comments during this segment were sparse “…” compared to the lively atmosphere before, it was eerily quiet.

[…]

[…]

[Huh?]

[What is he talking about? What am I listening to?]

[No way, buddy, are you Conan?]

[I really got goosebumps…]

[Wow, this thinking and observational ability—]

[Holy…]

[Wait, wait, let me kneel, I have to listen to this kneeling.]

[This move, this move is in the stratosphere.]

[Isn’t this an omniscient perspective? (confused) (helpless) (crazy) (running around)]

[Make way! The real deity is here!]

The bullet comments went crazy for a while, ignoring the etiquette, with swear words flying, calming down only after some time.

This chaotic atmosphere lasted until Song Chenglei jokingly asked: “You’re not a ‘gold thief,’ are you? You seemed deflated after not stealing any points?”

Yu Wen looked at him in shock, his eyes full of colorful emotions, mixed with heartbreak, frustration, and disbelief.

Song Chenglei restrained his expression, cautiously asking him: “Do you know who the spies are?”

Yu Wen, expressionless, shook his head.

Song Chenglei: “I suspect Xi Su.”

Yu Wen: “…Hmm.”

[‘I suspect Xi Su’ ‘Hmm.’]

[Damn, haha.]

[There it is! The iconic scene!]

[Xi Su: Seriously?]

[I’m dead, I can’t look at Teacher Song seriously anymore…]

[Every time I think of him acting so seriously while the other side already knew everything, I want to laugh.]

[Earlier, they asked Teacher Song to take care of the newbie. Now this newbie should let Teacher Song off the hook; after all, he is older.]

[Am I the only one curious about what he’s going to do next?]

[Although he guessed one right, it’s still hard to convince Chuchu and Lingyun with his reasoning. Those two don’t use their brains and can be easily misled by anyone.]

[The good guys only have three votes in total. Even if they stick together, they can’t decide the outcome.]

[The fortunate thing now is that both the spy team and the good guys don’t know each other’s identities.]

[The best strategy now seems to be to maintain the status quo?]

[I agree with the above. First, earn points. As long as all three spies are voted out at night, the stolen points will be preserved.]

[I remember there’s a mysterious big gift pack for winning each round.]

[Yeah, this round is difficult. Hopefully, the program team will be generous.]

…

[I don’t know why, but I have a subtle premonition that we’re overthinking this.]