During a break in filming, Xu Zifan sent Feng Xuanqi a WeChat message: "[How's the food? Today it's Hunan cuisine, do you like it?]"
Feng Xuanqi replied after a while: [It's delicious.]
Xu Zifan continued texting her: "[That's good. My filming went very smoothly today. The members were all easy to get along with, and the team was very dedicated and kind. I feel this will be a very fun program, and I'll be able to make some more friends.]"
Feng Xuanqi hadn't sent any casual WeChat messages like this in a long time. She looked at her phone and hesitated for a moment, thinking it would be too impolite not to reply. Xu Zifan cooked delicious food for her every day. If she were to reply... what should she say?
She hesitated for a moment, then replied: "[The MCs on this show are all nice people. It's good that you get along with them. Be careful.]"
[Okay, I'm going to film now. We'll talk again tonight.]
Feng Xuanqi couldn't help but start thinking, "Talk tonight? What else is there to talk about? Does Xu Zifan consider me a friend? But he's actually an artist in her company. Should she still maintain her authority as the chairperson?"
Xu Zifan filmed the show until 11:30 p.m., and finally the winner was decided. He won the right to sleep indoors and could rest in the room with the other four members. The loser had to sleep in a tent in the woods and endure the heat and mosquitoes.
The moment Xu Zifan got his phone, he sent Feng Xuanqi a WeChat message: "[Are you asleep?]"
[No, I still have some work to do.] Feng Xuanqi replied before realizing how late it was. She got up and stretched her stiff neck, asking curiously, [You just finished filming? What kind of show is this, filming from morning till night?]
[Haven't you seen that variety show from South Korea?]
[No, I haven't watched any variety shows.]
[You should definitely watch it when you have time. It's hilarious and can help you relax and relieve stress. If you don't like watching foreign shows, you can watch mine after I finish filming. I've already filmed three variety shows, and they're all very good.]
Feng Xuanqi was amused by him. "[He's quite confident, praising his own photos.]"
Xu Zifan shamelessly admitted, "[When it comes to confidence, no one can compare to me.]"
Xu Zifan joked, then said, "[I have a feeling this variety show is going to be a hit, Boss Feng, please arrange for someone to promote it for me.]"
Feng Xuanqi said with amusement: "[You're the first one to ask the boss for publicity. Publicity should prioritize your movie. Variety shows will make people like you, but the movie is the most important right now; it's your best chance to prove your abilities, so you must take it seriously.]"
Don't worry, I'll do my best with the work I take on. It's too late, go to sleep. You can finish the rest early tomorrow. Goodnight.
[Okay, goodnight.] Feng Xuanqi heated up a glass of milk and drank it. She opened the refrigerator and glanced at the leftover food. Although it could still be eaten the next day, it was certainly not as good as freshly made food.
She suddenly remembered that Xu Zifan would be filming "Survival on a Desert Island" after he came back, and she felt a wave of dizziness. The feeling of going from a life of luxury to poverty again was really awful. She really wanted to hire Xu Zifan as her full-time chef, no matter how much he paid.
I must probe and ask Xu Zifan when he gets back!
Xu Zifan put away his phone, chatted with the other members for a few minutes, then closed his eyes to rest and quietly cultivate.
[Shaohua: Host, have you decided to pursue Feng Xuanqi? I just found a piece of news: a wealthy heiress, pressured by her parents to get married, suddenly decided to participate in a dating observation variety show. She has a cheerful and lively personality, and a bright and beautiful appearance—just one of your types. This kind of show is similar to blind dating; would you like to check it out?]
[Xu Zifan: No, I've already decided to pursue Qiqi. I've been eating three meals a day with her these past few days. Don't you think we have a lot in common and get along very well? I really like her. If we get closer and it doesn't work out, we can talk about it later. I'm only 22, no need to rush into blind dates.]
[Shaohua: Okay, I think this is more convenient for the task, allowing us to achieve the greatest benefit in the shortest amount of time.]
Xu Zifan slightly curled the corners of his lips. "[You're right. Thinking about the mission that way is correct. That's the difference between a system and a human. Humans have emotions and desires. Even a dimensional messenger needs to act in a way that makes them comfortable. That's how each moment of life has meaning. You can't treat yourself like a machine for completing missions. Everything you do must make you happy and willing; otherwise, you can't persevere.]"
[Shaohua: Understood. I wish you success in your pursuit, that you find a loving partner, and have a happy family. Host, would you like some guidance on how to pursue her? The system's library has many similar books.]
[Xu Zifan:...No need, Shaohua, don't worry about it. Just get along naturally. If you get along, you'll like each other; if not, you can just be friends.]
[Shaohua: Okay, I will record the differences between humans and the system, and in the future, I will become more and more human-like and better understand the host's behavior.]
Several cameras were recording indoors in the darkness, and Xu Zifan barely managed to suppress a laugh. [Shaohua, you really are an ambitious system.]
[Shaohua: Thank you for the compliment, host.]
The next morning, Xu Zifan sent Feng Xuanqi a "Good morning" message and then continued recording, joking and playing around with the other members until noon when he won the game and finally finished recording and went home. The two members who lost had to stay there to climb the mountain and watch the sunset before the recording ended.
Feng Xuanqi received a message from Xu Zifan saying he was back, and the two had dinner together that evening. After eating two meals of leftovers, Feng Xuanqi felt incredibly happy to suddenly eat freshly cooked, hot food.
During the meal, she couldn't help but tentatively ask, "Zifan, what's your cooking like?"
"That's great! Have you ever thought about making money from this? Like becoming a private chef or something; with a high salary, it could be comparable to what you earn in the entertainment industry, and your life would be much simpler."
Xu Zifan shook his head. "I haven't considered it yet. Becoming a big star and reaching the top in the entertainment industry is my dream. Maybe I'll quit when I get tired of that kind of life."
"Oh, I see. Hmm, pursuing your dreams is great." Feng Xuanqi was disappointed, but she quickly ate a few more bites while she could still enjoy the delicious food.
Seeing how quickly the food was being eaten, Xu Zifan laughed and said, "I'm going to film'Survival on a Desert Island' tomorrow and won't be back for four or five days. I'm planning to do a giveaway for my fans later and make some food for Boss Feng too. What would you like to eat?"
Another lucky draw! And she can even order food!
Feng Xuanqi quickly thought for a moment and said, "Spicy is the best, I want to eat spicy crab, but it seems a bit inconvenient to send this to others, it wouldn't be good if they didn't eat it directly."
"It's okay, I'll make one for the fans and spicy crab for you. I'll go back first and bring it to you when it's done."
"good."
Xu Zifan had never known that being a good cook could actually help him woo girls. He made spicy crab and matsutake chicken soup for his fans. After the lottery results came out, he suddenly heard Shao Hua say that Feng Xuanqi's alternate account had been selected as the winner.
As usual, Xu Zifan sent out three servings of matsutake chicken soup to the address, and then delivered the spicy crab to Feng Xuanqi. This time, he used a pink lunchbox. As soon as Feng Xuanqi saw it, she calmly accepted it and said goodbye to Xu Zifan.
She felt a little flushed for no reason, as if Xu Zifan had discovered her girlish heart. She felt embarrassed, as if a secret had been exposed. The contrast between her private self and the ruthless queen rumored in the business world was too great.
After Xu Zifan left, she received the matsutake chicken soup she had won in the raffle from the security guard, and her mood instantly improved. Although she could eat it every day, the feeling of winning was just amazing, completely satisfying her girlish heart!
However, this joy did not last long. Xu Zifan's schedule was moved up at the last minute the next morning. She had to set off to meet the group before dawn and had no time to cook. In other words, she would not be able to eat anything good for almost a week!
On this day, the Holy Emperor saw that Feng Xuanqi's employees all felt that she was emanating a dark aura, and they were careful not to speak carelessly. Who knew that it just so happened that Director Chen's new movie announced the casting results, and then a group of online trolls appeared to imply Xu Zifan, spreading video clips of Xu Zifan's stiff acting in the second movie everywhere, questioning why a vase like him could get the male lead role in Director Chen's movie.
The online trolls also listed the various resources Xu Zifan had recently acquired, all of which were top-tier resources, questioning what kind of spell he had cast on the Emperor, who then helped him terminate his contract and vigorously promoted him—it was all so confusing.
Feng Xuanqi was in a bad mood. After listening to the morning meeting report, she immediately ordered the public relations department to remove the false rumors, find out who was behind them, and launch a strong counterattack.
Tan Yi was unlucky; he ran right into the line of fire. Xu Zifan and Shao Hua didn't make a move, but Feng Xuanqi used the evidence to slap him in the face and even used this opportunity to promote Xu Zifan.
The Emperor released several clips of Xu Zifan participating in training courses. In the videos, Xu Zifan made rapid progress in everything he learned, and the teacher kept praising him and giving him a thumbs up.
The official Weibo account of Shenghuang Entertainment responded, "[Our artist @Xu Zifan has never been just a pretty face, but a talented individual who has shown his extraordinary potential only after meeting his discerning mentor. This year, Zifan will complete one film, one TV series, and three variety shows. We hope everyone will look forward to his performance and appreciate the fruits of his labor. You will all fall in love with him.]"
The Holy Emperor didn't say much about Xu Zifan's abilities; the video proved everything.
To truly gain public recognition, we still need to wait for representative works, but these are enough to refute the rumors.
Xu Zifan's fans were ecstatic, flocking to the official Weibo account of Shenghuang to express their gratitude and praising Xu Zifan for finding a good agency. They also expressed their high expectations for Xu Zifan's new works.
The online trolls couldn't sway the narrative at all; instead, Xu Zifan was labeled as someone blessed with natural talent. The trolls could only desperately imply that Xu Zifan was just hyping himself up, accusing him of exaggerating and waiting for his image to collapse. While this might have some impact, evidence speaks for itself. Everyone should wait for Xu Zifan's movies and TV series to be released before judging his true abilities. This time, they definitely won't blindly follow the trend of attacking him.
Just then, the Holy Emperor discovered that Tan Yi was behind the online trolls. Xu Zifan had just stolen Tan Yi's resources, and Li Hua didn't want to get involved with Xu Zifan anymore. Chairman Bai also wanted to take this opportunity to teach Tan Yi a lesson, so he simply didn't interfere. Tan Yi couldn't hold back and hired his own online trolls, but he was extremely careful not to leave any evidence.
With a single order from Feng Xuanqi, his subordinates would do their utmost to dig up dirt on Tan Yi. They're all professionals; anyone can make veiled accusations. Back then, Xu Zifan was attacked online without any solid evidence, right? Given Tan Yi's current situation, people will believe it even without concrete proof.
The online trolls hired by the Holy Emperor quickly posted veiled criticisms: "Is he a true brother or a venomous snake? Tan Yi, the master of backstabbing, will teach you what real plastic brotherhood is!"