Bai Lixin squatted down silently, picking small mushrooms one by one.
Seeing Shen Mo standing beside Bai Lixin the whole time, the four people became a bit impatient.
The profound and mature guest finally couldn’t hold back, and he nervously walked up to Bai Lixin.
Shen Mo squinted his eyes, pursing his lips as he observed the man’s actions.
Summoning his courage, the man imitated Bai Lixin’s movements and crouched down beside him. With a gentle smile, he said, “Seeing this mushroom reminds me of a joke. The mushroom-picking girl, Xiao Xin, have you heard of it?”
Bai Lixin: “You mean that fairy tale, right? I’ve heard of it.”
The man: “No, no, no, you definitely haven’t heard this one. There’s a modified version. Do you want to hear it?”
Bai Lixin glanced at the man, “Sure, go ahead.”
The man: “A long time ago, in a forest, there was a little girl picking mushrooms.”
“But she didn’t know that a terrifying big gray wolf was sleeping in the forest.”
“One mushroom,” the man plucked a mushroom from the ground and placed it in Bai Lixin’s basket.
“Two mushrooms…” the man picked another mushroom and put it in the basket. When he reached for the third one, he didn’t pick it. “Three mushrooms, three mushrooms, three mushrooms.”
*A hint for those who don’t get it, the girl stopped at plucking the third mushroom because of the wolf.
“Hahaha,” the man burst into laughter while speaking, “Isn’t it interesting?”
He laughed and looked at Bai Lixin. Suddenly, he saw Bai Lixin looking at him with an indifferent expression, and with a cold voice, he said, “Is it funny?”
The man’s expression froze instantly, and his laughter abruptly ceased.
Bai Lixin: “Do you think you’re particularly humorous? Witty? Does making jokes about women give you a sense of accomplishment in your miserable and wretched life?”
The man’s face turned dark instantly. “I’ve been in the industry for over a decade. Even if I’m struggling now, I’ve been very successful in the past. You’re just a college student. Who are you to criticize me?”
Bai Lixin sneered, “So what? Just because you’re a celebrity means you’re not in the wrong? Do you think you’re a precious coin? I can’t scold you? I’m not as accomplished as you now, so I should live without dignity under the shadow of you pathetic men? What are you, anyway?”
The man was thoroughly angered this time. He crushed the mushrooms in his hand, forcefully throwing them to the ground. “Damn it, can’t you speak properly? Don’t think you’re some extraordinary beauty. I’ve seen all sorts of women. If it weren’t for the script, do you think I’d be interested in choosing you?”
“Are you treating yourself as a delicacy?”
“I just kindly told you a joke. It was just a harmless joke. But you took it seriously. It’s really unbelievable.”
“Don’t do such things when you join the entertainment. Even if your agent tells you to do something, you’ll have to obediently take off your clothes and lie down on the bed. Do you really think you’re some chaste and virtuous woman? Why didn’t you just stay in your mother’s womb? I bet you should thank me. I let you know the truth about the entertainment industry and made you face reality sooner.”
When the man finished speaking, he turned his head towards the production team, where the atmosphere had already dropped to freezing point. “I’m one of the investors for this project. Cut this segment out for me. It can’t be broadcasted, understood?”
The director’s expression tightened, and with a hint of anger in her eyes, she glanced at the man before nodding reluctantly. “Fine.”
Suddenly, the man sneered, looking disdainfully at Bai Lixin. “See that? This is reality. As long as you have money, you can do whatever you want. Not only can I cut out the part where I scolded you, but I can also cut out the part where I told a dirty joke earlier. Both the microphone and the camera are in my hands. I can shape whatever image I want in front of the audience.”
“Do you understand now?”
“That’s how the entertainment industry is. It can easily distort the truth.”
Bai Lixin glanced at the production team. The director merely pursed her lips, avoiding his gaze, unable to meet his eyes directly.
“Although I don’t like the way you talk, there’s one thing you said that I somewhat agree with,” Shen Mo, who had been standing beside Bai Lixin all along, took a step forward and calmly spoke, “While having money may not grant you absolute freedom, it can indeed resolve most of life’s conflicts and challenges. If money can solve a problem, then it’s not really a problem.”
The crowd was slightly surprised.
The director who was standing off-camera suddenly turned pale.
She never expected that Shen Mo, who was rumored to not bow to money, would also be this way.
Shen Mo continued, “Money, huh? If you have money, then I probably have more money than you.”
As the crowd remained puzzled, Shen Mo turned to the production team and said, “How much money did he invest? I’ll double it.”
“And if needed, I can buy out all the sponsorships and secure exclusive naming rights.”
The director suddenly looked up, her face filled with shock and disbelief.
The man was now irritated, and he interjected, “Shen Mo, are you crazy? I’ve signed a contract with the production team. If they kick me out of this project, they have to compensate me tenfold the penalty fee, and also…”
Shen Mo cut off the man’s incessant rambling, “I’ll cover everything.”
———————————
In the live broadcast room
[Ahh, so handsome, so handsome! no matter what kind of man it is, he is the most handsome when he throws money for his wife. ]
[First, he has to be rich. ]
[“I’ll Cover Everything”, “I’m Richer”, shit, it’s romantic to the extreme, I just like such domineering bosses ]
[But that man is demanding ten times the compensation.]
[Heh, you’re underestimating our big boss. He has never been a saint. You think he can endure that sleazy guy insulting his wife like that? Let me tell you, the longer he endures, the scarier his retaliation will be. If the big boss can still speak calmly until now, it shows how fierce his revenge will be later. Don’t talk about tenfold compensation; even if it were a hundredfold, he would spend it without hesitation.]
[I knew he was done for when he told that dirty joke. Maybe it would have blown over if he’d apologized, but he was unrepentant. He deserves it.]
[That dirty joke was so damn disgusting. Is this still a public figure? It’s horrifying. No wonder our real world is full of artists who are involved in scandals. They maintain an image they don’t deserve.]
————————–
The man’s expression gradually contorted uncontrollably. The camera was in the distance, yet he seemed entirely indifferent to it. Suddenly, he lunged toward Shen Mo.
Shen Mo’s robes fluttered, and his arm flashed. The man ended up sprawled on the ground, a mushroom shoved into his mouth, the same one he had held in his hand a moment ago.
No one dared to breathe loudly. The three male guests looked at each other, too frightened to move. They even wished they could find a place to hide.
Shen Mo looked down at the man expressionlessly, then turned towards the director team. “Everything I said just now was true. I’ve invested in this reality show, but I have one condition: throw him out.”
After a brief pause, Shen Mo quickly dialed a number on his phone, then showed it to the still-confused director. “Call this number. He’s my manager. Tell him how much money you need, and he can transfer it to you right away.”
As the director made the call, she finally believed that Shen Mo hadn’t been making empty promises. He truly intended to buy out the show.
The rest of the process was relatively straightforward. The director and manager exchanged a few words, and the next step was for the lawyers on both sides to coordinate.
Once everything was settled, the director heaved a sigh of relief. Pointing at the man lying on the ground, she said, “Big star, you can leave now. We’ll give you the penalty fee within two weeks.”
The wretched man glanced at Shen Mo, then at the director team, and finally directed his hatred towards Bai Lixin.
After staring at Bai Lixin with resentment for a few seconds, the man suddenly smiled mysteriously, leaving without a word and disappearing into the distance.
Once he was gone, the filming seemed to hit a bottleneck. The unexpected turn of events shattered the positive atmosphere that had been prevailing among the crew. The director was pragmatic, she didn’t force the actors to continue. Instead, she chose to end the shoot for the day.
On their way back, the director’s steps seemed a bit hurried, mixed with a sense of anxiety.
As if she was worried about something.
It was only when they returned to the small villa and saw the three girls chatting and laughing together that the tension seemed to ease a bit.
Seeing everyone return so quickly, the three girls were perplexed. High Ponytail was plucking flowers and asked while plucking, “Why are you back so soon?”
The director, “Did Liang Songyuan return just now?”
High Ponytail, “No, why? What’s wrong?”
She swept her gaze over everyone with a puzzled expression. However, when she caught sight of Shen Mo, her eyes widened, and so did those of the other two girls.
High Ponytail looked around and tried to sound composed, “Did you see Brother Yuan? Did he disappear?”
Bangs asked, “Director, what’s going on? Did Brother Yuan really not come back? Has he gone missing?”
The director shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
Blond Hair said, “Why are you so flustered if it’s nothing? Something must have happened. Could that pervert have reappeared? Tell us, Director.”
The director hesitated as she looked at the three girls. Eventually, she gritted her teeth and explained the situation to them in detail, “He seemed abnormal when he left. I was worried he might come back and harm you, so we hurried back. Since you’re all fine, I feel relieved.”
“That’s enough, let him go. I’ll report it to the police later and explain the situation here to them. The rest is none of our concern.”
After listening, High Ponytail’s eyes widened. “He actually told a dirty joke? I thought he was quite polite and refined. How could he do something like this?”
Unlike High Ponytail’s shock, Bangs’ expression was rather strange. She lowered her head, stealing glances at the director, then at her friends beside her, displaying a hesitating look.
Blond Hair tugged at Bangs’ arm. “Tell me, did he sexually harass you too with his words?”
High Ponytail’s pupils contracted, and Blond Hair’s words instantly drew everyone’s attention to the two of them.
The color drained from Bangs’ face. She forcefully pushed Blond Hair away, “You, what nonsense are you talking? I haven’t.”
Blond Hair didn’t get upset after being shoved away. She cast a deep look at Bangs, then turned towards the director. “She didn’t, but I did!”
Everyone was shocked again, and the director’s face turned pale.
Blond Hair forced a bitter smile. “It was yesterday afternoon. At that time, he and I were assigned to the kitchen to wash dishes.”
“There were quite a few dishes,” her eyes reddened, “all of you went out to sing, and only the two of us were left in the kitchen.”
“He’s a senior, and I’ve always respected him. At first, everything was fine. We were chatting and laughing. When he gradually moved closer, I wasn’t on guard.”
“Then he…” Blond Hair choked up even more, “He suddenly reached into the sink and grabbed my hand.”
“At first, I thought it was unintentional, but later he started to get rubbing it even more. He did it on purpose!”
High Ponytail widened her eyes. “Why didn’t you say anything? You should have told the director. She would have definitely stood up for you.”
“Would she?” Blond Hair forced a bitter smile and looked at the director.
The director’s face turned pale, and she avoided eye contact, her gaze shifting away.
Seeing the director’s expression, everyone suddenly fell silent.
“Don’t be upset,” High Ponytail consoled, “You’re right. Actually, I’ve also been harassed by him. Remember yesterday evening, or the day before? He approached me and started a conversation. He said he could read palm lines, even the love and career lines.”
“He sounded so serious that I believed him.”
“Then suddenly, he followed my palm up to my arm.”
“Wuuu,” High Ponytail suddenly cried, “I was so frightened at the time. Luckily, you all came back from outside at that moment. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”
Blond Hair: “He touched you, you could have run away. And we were all outside, why didn’t you seek help?”
“It’s… I was scared,” High Ponytail choked back her tears and wiped her eyes. “He’s so tall, his hands are twice the size of mine, and he’s so much stronger. I froze up when he got close and couldn’t move at all.”
“I wanted to refuse, but I just couldn’t move.”
—————————–
In the live broadcast room
[Sigh, this sleazy man deserves to die.]
[It turns out he did so many things.]
[Girls outside really need to protect themselves, especially against men. If possible, they really should learn some self-defense. Men are naturally stronger than women. If a man has ulterior motives, most girls can only accept it. Even if they call the police later, what’s the use if the criminal ends up in jail? The harm to the girl has already been done.]
[I’m studying law. I’ve researched a set of data before, and in criminal cases, 70% are due to emotional issues. Killing wives for insurance, causing severe injuries, even killing their own children… looking at these cases, it’s easy to feel depressed. Why are people so evil? I’m not saying there are no evil women, of course there are. But one cannot deny that statistically, the probability of male criminality is much higher than that of females.]
[…]
[Back to the topic, given the various evidence, it seems this man is the culprit, right?]
[it’s clearly him.]
[But he’s gone now, he ran away. And even if it’s him, there isn’t enough evidence to prove he committed a crime.]
[Damn, I’m suddenly so angry.]
————————
After a horrifying workplace disaster, people consoled each other.
The crew prepared a feast to help everyone unwind.
Shen Mo had already left, and the remaining artists from the reality show avoided mentioning the creepy man in their conversations, as if he had never appeared.
After lunch, the director allowed everyone to take a nap.
When Bai Lixin returned to his room, he found the window open. The curtains swayed lazily in the wind, forming different shapes.
When he walked to the window to close it, he glanced outside and saw the dark-clothed man, whom he had seen twice before.
The man still held the pitch-black umbrella, blending into the shadows of the trees.
The man’s umbrella lifted slightly, and the concealed gaze beneath it seemed to be glancing in this direction.
Bai Lixin blinked, and the man disappeared once more.
Temporarily setting aside thoughts of investigating the dark-clothed man’s actions, the young man closed the window and drew the curtains.
He washed his face in the bathroom and then used a towel to cover all the cameras before comfortably lying down on the bed.
Because the curtains were closed, the once bright room dimmed significantly.
Lazily flipping over in bed, the young man was about to close his eyes when an unexpected incident occurred.
Without warning, the heavy quilt suddenly lifted and covered his face.
On top of the quilt were some faintly visible, eerie depressions.
An invisible force pressed onto the quilt, vigorously concealing the young man’s face.
In the darkness, chilling laughter echoed.
“Hehehe, hehehe.”
