TRYMBPIETM 8: The Ancient Tree’s Deep Shade(2)

Four days later, the second season of “Scenery Along the Way” officially started recording.

As per tradition, the live broadcast would begin once the guests disembarked from their flights. Therefore, the guests took different flights, arriving in Qunqing Province from various locations.

Chi Qingzhou had been in the industry for less than three months and had no major works yet. He wasn’t suited for being too high-profile, so his manager had only arranged for an assistant to accompany him.

The flight landed on time. He and his assistant picked up their luggage and walked off the plane, where the production team was already waiting in the lobby.

Lu Man walked up to greet him with a big smile.

Chi Qingzhou had taken a nap on the plane and was in good spirits. He waved at Lu Man with a small gesture and smiled, his eyes squinting into crescents.

The main live broadcast room for the show was flooded with barrage comments.

Many people immediately began to curse, with some comments discussing his appearance, which stood out quite a bit.

[Is this the illegitimate child who’s been making a lot of noise online lately?? No wonder he’s so arrogant, with this kind of appearance, he really does have some capital.]

[This face looks a bit familiar, but I can’t quite place it.]

[Holy cow, CQZ is handsome! I don’t care, I’m just here for his looks!]

[Totally shocked! I thought that face in the single interview was the result of heavy photo editing, but it turns out he looks better in natural light??]

[With this face, why does he bother with CQN for publicity? They aren’t even in the same category, right?]

In addition to these, occasional ellipsis comments flashed by in the live broadcast, clearly coming from viewers who had seen Chi Qingzhou’s single interview.

Chi Qingzhou couldn’t see the live comments. He stopped in front of Lu Man, exchanged a few pleasantries, then turned and walked with the cameraman towards the production team’s rented bus.

Lu Man had to wait for other guests, so he stayed in the lobby.

The production team quickly opened Chi Qingzhou’s personal live broadcast room, and soon, viewers began flooding in.

Chi Qingzhou didn’t have many fans, and the genuine passersby were few. Most of the viewers were fans of Chi Qingzhou’s rivals, such as Chi Qingning, who came specifically to criticize him. The screen was quickly filled with profanity.

The production team wasn’t particularly surprised by the direction of the comments.

They had seen Chi Qingzhou’s single interview, which had indeed left an impact, but many viewers hadn’t seen the preview content, so they hadn’t learned to be more restrained yet.

The strong malice flooded in, but Chi Qingzhou didn’t seem bothered. He glanced at the live camera by accident, and unexpectedly, his smile grew even more charming.

A few viewers who were heavily insulting him paused for a moment, then began to curse even more viciously.

A few neutral viewers, seeing this, felt a little sympathy.

[Is he not angry? Does he not know that everyone is cursing him?]

[He’s smiling, which is nice, but don’t smile! The more you smile, the worse they’ll curse you.]

[He seems pretty calm, why does everyone call him a shameless madman?]

Such comments naturally led to counterattacks.

The neutral viewers, weak in number and uncomfortable with the negative atmosphere, responded briefly before leaving Chi Qingzhou’s live broadcast room in frustration.

Soon, the room was filled only with those who disliked him.

Chi Qingzhou sensed the growing malice, tilted his head slightly, and his smile took on a strange quality.

Xing Shuangzhan, hidden in his shadow, chuckled quietly.

“That’s some thick emotion. The entertainment industry is indeed a great place, but with just an online layer, I’m only absorbing about thirty percent.”

Chi Qingzhou, avoiding the camera and microphone, smiled and responded, “Thirty percent is already a lot. In the past, I might not have even received that much in a year. The audience is so lovely and kind; I really like them.”

The system, which had been trying to find loopholes recently, detected their conversation, and suddenly, its code began to glitch.

This host was really strange and bizarre.

Had it overlooked something?

The logic module quickly worked, and the system grew quieter.

It felt like it needed time to figure out more of the host’s anomalies.

Chi Qingzhou didn’t pay attention to the system’s reaction. He separated from his assistant in the parking lot, grabbed his suitcase, and boarded the guest bus.

It was a standard passenger bus, just like the first season, with a simple environment.

The first two guests to arrive were already seated in different spots, complaining loudly about the production team’s penny-pinching ways.

The male guest, Liang Ji, said loudly, “I think the director is just jealous of how handsome I am, so he keeps making things difficult for me!”

The female guest, Xu Xinxin, clapped in agreement, “Yes, yes, Liang ge is so handsome! The director is so stingy! I feel like this bus is about to be retired. I wonder if it’ll be bumpy later.”

Liang Ji was a professional variety show personality brought up by PutaoTV. Although his public image leaned toward the comedic, he held a fairly high position at Putao TV and was very popular with the public.

Xu Xinxin was from a second-tier girl group and was the group’s main dancer. She had taken impressive rankings in several dance variety shows and had a good reputation and popularity.

The two of them bantered back and forth, creating a good atmosphere in the live broadcast room. Many viewers started reminiscing about the director’s “achievements” from the first season.

Then, Chi Qingzhou walked over.

For a few seconds, both their live broadcast rooms went silent. Soon, comments began appearing, insulting Chi Qingzhou.

Liang Ji and Xu Xinxin’s fans were both worried and frustrated, quickly flooding the comments to suppress the insults.

[If you want to curse, go to Chi Qingzhou’s live room! This is Xinxin’s room, and her fans just want to see our treasure!]

[Liang Ji hasn’t done anything wrong, why drag him into this? Just curse Chi Qingzhou if you must.]

These fans, who were rebutted, couldn’t stay quiet. Except for a few stubborn ones, the rest quickly moved to Chi Qingzhou’s live broadcast room, unwittingly providing Xing Shuangzhan with another wave of high-quality emotions.

Xing Shuangzhan almost wanted to thank them.

Chi Qingzhou, still smiling, watched.

Liang Ji probably realized the shift in his live room’s atmosphere. He quickly stood up, greeted Chi Qingzhou with a smile, and complimented him, “No wonder the director is acting like this, he must be jealous, definitely jealous!”

He wasn’t young, and he had seen all kinds of people in the industry.

Chi Qingning had been on the show since the first season. After watching him for a few months, Liang Ji had already figured out what kind of person he was.

The more Chi Qingning’s fans disliked Chi Qingzhou, the more Liang Ji doubted the rumors. Naturally, he treated Chi Qingzhou more calmly.

Chi Qingzhou sensed Liang Ji’s goodwill and blinked at him, returning the compliment warmly.

When he blinked, he always looked particularly cute, giving off a sense of innocence that was hard to describe. Liang Ji was momentarily stunned before reacting.

He patted his head, remembered Xu Xinxin, and quickly turned to introduce her to Chi Qingzhou.

Xu Xinxin instinctively leaned back, giving a dry greeting. Her eyes were filled with an unease that she didn’t even realize herself.

Before joining the show, she had looked up Chi Qingzhou’s information. At the time, she didn’t think much of it, but now, after actually meeting him, she felt an uncomfortable feeling rising.

She couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of the discomfort, but it was enough to make her instinctively want to distance herself from Chi Qingzhou.

Sometimes, fans are sharper than detectives.

The moment Xu Xinxin showed a subtle expression of discomfort, her fans began to panic.

[What happened to our girl? Is she feeling unwell?]

[Why does Xu Xinxin look a bit scared? Did Chi Qingzhou threaten her just now?]

[No way, the cameras have been on them the whole time, and I didn’t see anything unusual with Chi Qingzhou.]

[LOL, you fans are so naive. Do you really think someone as crazy as Chi Qingzhou needs to make big gestures to scare Xu Xinxin? He’s crazy enough that just a glance would be enough! Where’s the production team? Why aren’t they stepping in?]

[No way, right?]

In the live stream, voices cursing Chi Qingzhou appeared once more.

This time, Xu Xinxin’s fans, filled with doubt and concern, didn’t aggressively suppress the insults.

Chi Qingzhou glanced around the camera, his gaze lightly falling on Xu Xinxin. He politely introduced himself.

He thought lazily to himself, It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone with such strong inspiration who hasn’t entered the world of metaphysics. She’s managed to live this long—her natural good luck must be her greatest asset.

Xu Xinxin’s scalp tingled slightly, and a thin layer of sweat began to form on her forehead.

Liang Ji, quick to notice, thought Xu Xinxin was just believing the rumors. He sighed inwardly and quickly took on the role of lightening the mood, starting a conversation with the two of them about local gossip.

Out of politeness, Chi Qingzhou attentively listened to Liang Ji. Xu Xinxin secretly relaxed, quickly adjusting her expression and joining in.

After about ten minutes of conversation, two more regular guests boarded the bus.

The man walking in front stood at least 1.8 meters tall, with sharp, handsome features. His expression carried a natural touch of flamboyance, yet it wasn’t annoying. Instead, it gave him a lively presence.

When Liang Ji saw him, he chuckled and went forward to hug him. “Xiao Tang, long time no see, you’ve gotten even more handsome!”

“Brother Liang, you’re still as handsome as ever!” Tang Qichen patted Liang Ji’s back vigorously, flashing a smile that revealed a pair of tiger teeth.

Tang Qichen, like Liang Ji, had participated in the first season of “Scenery Along the Way” and had a good relationship with him.

He was well-known as a rich second-generation, the kind of person who would inherit the family business if he didn’t become famous. With a strong natural acting talent, he was now considered a rising star with a large and loyal fanbase.

He cheerfully threw his arm around Liang Ji’s shoulders as they talked. Behind them, Chi Qingning placed his luggage, turned around, and gave Chi Qingzhou a polite but distant greeting.

“Second brother, good morning.”

Chi Qingzhou looked over, smiled, and responded, “Good morning, little brother.”

Chi Qingning’s tone was polite but distant, showing no obvious dissatisfaction.

However, his colder-than-usual expression, seen by the fans, was taken as evidence that he had been mistreated.

His devoted fans felt heartbroken for him, proud of his good upbringing and ability to greet Chi Qingzhou despite the situation. They also mocked Chi Qingzhou, saying he had no shame for acting so thick-skinned.

[How can Chi Qingzhou have the nerve to call him ‘second brother’??]

[Some people have no manners, expecting to be greeted by the legitimate son’s biological brother.]

[Chi Qingzhou, do you even deserve this?]

[I feel so bad for my brother. Don’t be upset, little brother, the Little Sweet Plums will always support you!]

[Wishing for Chi Qingzhou to be defeated by nature in this episode.]

Tang Qichen, hearing their exchange, released Liang Ji and turned his gaze towards Chi Qingzhou.

In that moment, both his personal live stream and those capturing the scene from other cameras were filled with viewers showing eager anticipation.

Who didn’t know that Tang Qichen hated illegitimate children?

When he first debuted, there were rumors that at 17, he had been almost drowned in a reservoir by one of his father’s illegitimate children.

Later, after his mother passed away, a few illegitimate children caused trouble at her funeral, and he beat them up so badly they ended up in the hospital.

At that time, he had stated, “I’ll beat every illegitimate child I see, one by one, or even in pairs!”

Chi Qingzhou was an illegitimate child. And just now, without any shame, he had taken on the identity of Chi Qingning’s “brother.” As Chi Qingning’s friend, would Tang Qichen take action?

Some viewers who loved to watch drama were eagerly waiting for what would happen next.

Chi Qingzhou’s senses were sharp. He sensed Tang Qichen’s gaze and naturally turned to look at him.

His lips curled up slightly, and his beautiful almond-shaped eyes, under the bus’s dim lights, became even more blurred. His clean brow arched with an otherworldly elegance.

Tang Qichen’s muscles tightened.

Why was Chi Qingzhou smiling at him?

Earlier, his assistant had said that Chi Qingzhou liked to ride the coattails of male celebrities, so was he trying to target him this time?

He was straight, damn it!

He wasn’t going to stir up any rumors with a man!

ang Qichen instinctively clenched his fists and took a step forward.

The entire bus fell into silence.

Chi Qingning seemed a bit startled and hurriedly reached out to tug at Tang Qichen’s sleeve, but was a moment too late, missing him by just a fraction.

Liang Ji was also stunned, trying to stop him, but when he saw the smile in Chi Qingzhou’s eyes, he suddenly froze.

The online trolls, who had been persistently insulting Chi Qingzhou, didn’t notice this small detail and continued to send a flurry of comments.

[Tang Qichen is such a real man! Come on, hit him!]

[Hit him! Hit him! Hit him!]

[I used to think Tang Qichen was just a pretty boy, but today, I realized he’s quite the man.]

In the midst of the barrage of comments and the strange atmosphere on the bus, Chi Qingzhou’s eyes curved in a smile, his expression unchanged.

Tang Qichen’s ears subtly reddened as he stiffly said, “Hello, I’m Tang Qichen, you can call me… Brother Tang.”

Viewers: [………………???]