Chapter 3
The bullet comments that had been laughing and joking, wishing the world could be even livelier, froze for a moment before bursting into roaring laughter.
[Hahahahahahaha, I’m dying! So polite. Too polite.]
[On how to express “Fuck, I’m starving to death” in polite language.]
[He Erwang, wake up! “I’m so hungry” doesn’t fit your king-of-posturing aura!]
[Help, He Erwang actually seems kind of obedient when he speaks “politely.”]
[Upstairs, do you only have hearing and no eyesight? Look at He Erwang’s purple hair. Does he look obedient?]
[How is he not obedient? Are rebellious boys not allowed to “go astray” once in a while?]
[What the hell do you mean go astray? Being polite is going astray? Mm, that’s right. For He Erwang, it is.]
However, He Erwang was famous in the industry for his bad temper and unforgiving mouth. He was a professional roaster.
But most of the time, his roasting made sense. It was the kind of “roasting” that made people feel his mental state was beautifully refreshing, and it was not annoying.
Therefore, although the bullet comments seemed to criticize him fiercely, they were mostly just joking because they found it funny.
The moment He Erwang made a sound, Shen Jinfeng looked over.
Naturally, he also heard those few consecutive sentences that were somewhat amusing.
After confirming with one glance, he knew: this was an oversized “bratty child.”
But he was not a bad person.
After being tempered by 999 worlds, Shen Jinfeng saw through the essence of the matter at a glance, and his head hurt a little.
He did not particularly “like” especially noisy bratty children.
Although to He Erwang, who currently believed he was a polite person promoting a new civilized atmosphere, this evaluation would count as “slander.”
Shen Jinfeng sat quietly and did not respond.
However, He Erwang’s awakening seemed to be a signal.
The others lying on the ground began waking up one after another.
He looked toward the “corpse” closest to him.
The boy who had just opened his eyes looked very young, a few years younger than Shen Jinfeng. His appearance was delicate and clean, like a younger brother from next door.
His name was Qi Xiu.
From the memories, Shen Jinfeng knew that this boy was only eighteen this year and had just graduated high school. Because he was short on money, he had joined this small exploration team.
The one who had promised to pay him was another member of the team, Gu Shengsheng. It was said that the two of them were high school classmates.
Gu Shengsheng was full of curiosity about wilderness exploration, but he also wanted to bring someone along to look after him, so he had found Qi Xiu.
Shen Jinfeng glanced in passing at Gu Shengsheng, who had also woken up.
The members of this team were all strangely good-looking.
He thought this with some puzzlement.
If Qi Xiu had the kind of appearance that made people feel comfortable when they looked at him,
then Gu Shengsheng was beautiful.
Although using “beautiful” to describe a boy was a bit strange, this young man had only just grown into his features, yet his appearance was already dazzling to the extreme.
However, when stranded on a deserted island, looks were the most useless thing.
Shen Jinfeng withdrew his gaze.
To the audience in the livestream room, Shen Jinfeng had merely glanced at the two of them very casually, then could no longer be bothered to pay attention.
His expression was cold to the extreme, without the slightest joy at seeing his companions wake up.
However, most people’s attention was now attracted by the two new personas the production team had released.
[Name: Qi Xiu
Identity: A high school graduate who agreed to accompany Gu Shengsheng on a wilderness exploration trip in order to earn tuition money
Skills: Academic top student
Personality: Weak, cowardly, afraid of trouble]
[Name: Gu Shengsheng
Identity: A rich second-generation young master who yearns for wilderness exploration
Skills: Good acting
Personality: Selfish, self-serving, arrogant and domineering]
Clearly, neither of them had been given a good persona.
If placed in a TV drama, this kind of combination would be the most common vicious duo: a villain with his little lackey.
[Good grief. Earlier, Shen Jinfeng and He Erwang both had good-person personas, so I thought the production team had finally started properly “being human.” Now it seems they really are properly “being human.”]
[Classic production team move. Every season is basically balanced: three good personas, three bad personas.]
[Sigh, the production team actually arranged a persona for Gu Shengsheng that’s similar to his real self.]
[I watched Gu Shengsheng grow up. I used to like him so much. I originally thought he would go from the hottest child star all the way to the hottest celebrity. When exactly did this kid go crooked?]
[From the nation’s son to someone spat on by everyone… I guess it can only be blamed on him becoming too popular when he was young. After being held high above everyone by the entertainment industry for so many years, and as a child whose mind was not mature to begin with, it’s not strange that he grew crooked.]
[Gu Shengsheng only grew crooked? Look at what he’s done! When Director He was at his most difficult time, he came begging for Gu Shengsheng to make a cameo. It would’ve been one thing if Gu Shengsheng refused, but he actually mocked Director He’s work as trash and told other artists not to act in it either. Did he forget who brought him into the industry? Even a dog wouldn’t be this ungrateful.]
[That said, Director He’s movie really was terrible. Because of what happened with Gu Shengsheng, he earned a huge wave of sympathy points, but in the end, the movie still didn’t become popular.]
[I’m dying of laughter. Gu Shengsheng actually still has fans now? Last year, he actually reached out and slapped Li Hao on set! What did Li Hao do to provoke him? Just because his acting was better than Gu Shengsheng’s?]
Just as Sun Xinping had expected, the moment Gu Shengsheng showed his face on the show, the bullet comments were almost all curses.
His current public image was even worse than the two adjectives the production team had given him: “selfish and self-serving” and “arrogant and domineering.”
Sun Xinping looked at the dazzlingly beautiful young man on the livestream screen and sighed.
He had once worked with Gu Shengsheng and had even received kindness from him.
The entertainment industry was full of truth and lies, a blazing fire cooking oil. Before the broadcast began, someone had already sent word that Gu Shengsheng had to be given a persona that was not very good.
Under pressure, Sun Xinping could only agree.
But if it was the young man in his impression, he absolutely would not be a selfish person.
In the first two seasons of “What Kind of Person Are You?”, there had been people who received terrible initial personas but successfully turned things around and became top-tier stars.
As the saying went, human nature could not withstand testing.
But sometimes, human nature was exceptionally capable of withstanding tests.
Would Gu Shengsheng be the exception of season three?
Sun Xinping quietly stared at the bullet comments.
He had already given the opportunity. At least after “What Kind of Person Are You?” started airing, this show would absolutely no longer have any hidden manipulation.
As for the other young man who had now appeared, Qi Xiu—just as the audience guessed, he was simply someone Sun Xinping had thrown into the show to make up the numbers.
Although “What Kind of Person Are You?” had been wildly popular in its first two seasons, the polarization among the guests who participated was truly too outrageous.
A nobody could become a super A-lister overnight.
A top-tier Best Actor or popular actress could fall from the altar in a single day and be spat on by everyone.
There were people who had been hated across the entire internet, only for their reputation to reverse after participating and be praised by all.
There were also stars with excellent public images who overturned live on air.
By the time the third season arrived, there were almost no celebrities willing to voluntarily participate.
Even when Sun Xinping personally went to invite them, he could not get them to come.
He had met Qi Xiu one late night when he was feeling worried and went to a food stall to drink beer and eat skewers.
This kid had seemed rather mysterious, as though he had been observing that food stall for a long time. The moment he saw Sun Xinping, he rushed up to him.
He said to him, “Uncle, my master died. I don’t have money to hold a funeral for him.”
Sun Xinping had been completely confused.
So? What did that have to do with him?
Qi Xiu looked at him with damp eyes. “Uncle, do you have a way to help me hold a funeral for my master?”
Sun Xinping was greatly shocked.
No, it was your master’s funeral. Why did you want me to help you hold it?
But looking at the boy’s delicate and handsome face, and his clear eyes that seemed transparent all the way to the bottom,
Sun Xinping felt pity in his heart, and an idea flashed through his mind.
He stood up and wanted to bend slightly to comfort the boy, only to awkwardly realize that he was not as tall as Qi Xiu.
“Ahem.” He sat back down as if nothing had happened and asked, “Qi Xiu, are you willing to enter the entertainment industry?”
“The entertainment industry brings in money fast. I can introduce a company to you and let you participate in my variety show. What Kind of Person Are You? is my work. Do you know it?”
Qi Xiu shook his head blankly, but agreed very readily. “I’m willing.”
And so, the third season of the “Being Human” production team gained one more guest.
Because the impression Qi Xiu had left on Sun Xinping was far too reckless, and because it would be abnormal for a newcomer participating in a variety show to receive a good persona, the personality setting he gave this kid was weak, cowardly, and afraid of trouble.
With this persona, as long as Qi Xiu showed even half the courage he had displayed when he “recommended himself” in front of Sun Xinping that day, he would be able to break through it somehow.
After all, Sun Xinping had acted as his talent scout. He could not completely trick the child.
However, because Qi Xiu was a newcomer, the bullet comments were currently not discussing him much.
[Who is Qi Xiu? I don’t know him.]
[Don’t know him +1. I just searched him. He’s a newcomer who just entered the entertainment industry.]
[No wonder. With no background, no backing, and no popularity, it’s not strange for him to receive this persona.]
Some people saw through Sun Xinping’s painstaking intentions.
[Why do I feel like Old Dog Sun is actually taking pretty good care of the newcomer? With a timid and cowardly personality, as long as this newcomer can break through the initial persona during the exploration and act a little braver and more responsible, won’t he visibly gain fans?]
However, most people did not agree with this view.
[What are you thinking? This is wilderness survival. Even brave people would become timid after going there. If the initial setting is cowardly, wouldn’t he be frightened out of his wits from the start?]
On the screen, Gu Shengsheng and Qi Xiu had both woken up.
After realizing their current situation and feeling the hunger in their bodies, the two of them, as if by tacit agreement, began rummaging through things, looking for their backpacks and searching for food.
At this moment, the camera shifted to the fifth person to wake up.
Finally, it was no longer a lineup of young people.
What appeared on the screen was a slim middle-aged man.
The man was dressed in a sorry state, but his expression was calm. He carried the composure accumulated through years, and his temperament was quite refined and scholarly.
His facial features were also very good-looking. At first glance, he was a handsome uncle.
An introduction lit up on the screen.
[Name: Mo Fan
Identity: Middle-aged and unemployed; decides to go exploring
Skills: Starts fighting whenever someone annoys him
Personality: Somewhat irritable]
The bullet comments were somewhat puzzled.
[No, why did Old Dog Sun give him this kind of persona? His desire to stir up trouble is so strong even a coffin lid couldn’t hold it down! Is he hoping this Mo Fan will start fighting everyone as soon as he appears?]
[Irritable temper + starts fighting whenever someone annoys him. With Mo Fan here, this exploration team lost the possibility of unity from the very beginning.]
[Maybe the others will group together and reject him? But speaking of which, this uncle looks really familiar.]
[Nonsense, of course he looks familiar! Haven’t you watched the nationwide hits Li Daodao and I Am the Divine Fortune-Teller? Both starred Mo Fan.]
[Holy crap! I know him now! This uncle was seriously handsome when he was young. His looks crushed the young pretty boys in the entertainment industry now. I often see him in handsome-man rankings.]
[Yes… but what he’s more famous for than those handsome-man rankings is domestic violence. His ex-wife couldn’t stand his abuse and practically shed a layer of skin before she managed to divorce him.]
[Holy shit! I just searched it up. So scary. No wonder the director arranged this kind of persona for him.]
[No, although the purpose of “Being Human” is to explore human nature, is it necessary to invite this kind of legal-case celebrity onto the show?]
[Probably to make it more watchable… Don’t even mention it. Although Gu Shengsheng and Shen Jinfeng are covered in scandals, these two both look pretty delicate and don’t seem very lethal.
Look, what do you think would happen if Gu Shengsheng dared to slap Mo Fan?
What would happen if Shen Jinfeng acted like a big shot toward Mo Fan? Oh, wait, almost forgot. Shen Jinfeng received a big shot persona. Can he actually command Mo Fan?]
[You really can’t judge a person by appearance.]
[The production team really has good intentions. So they wanted villains to be dealt with by other villains.]
Sun Xinping looked at the bullet comments, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
The netizens this year must have all gotten full marks in Chinese back then.
Their reading comprehension was so strong.
However, from the looks of it, the first conflict was about to arrive.
Gu Shengsheng turned his backpack upside down and spoke weakly. “Qi Xiu, I don’t have any food.”
He paused. Then, his voice trembling slightly, he ordered Qi Xiu, “Give me all the food you have.”
[Good grief. As expected of Gu Shengsheng. The moment he opens his mouth, he demands someone else give him their food—and all of it, too! Where does he get the nerve?]
[His initial persona is selfish and self-serving, and Qi Xiu is his little follower. It’s not strange for him to say that.]
However, Qi Xiu also rummaged through his backpack and even forced himself to search the surroundings.
“I don’t have any food either.”
He Erwang, who had woken up earlier, was extremely hungry. His voice was somewhat weak, but his tone was very “polite.”
“I’m also very hungry. I also don’t have any food.”
Mo Fan was even worse off. Even his backpack was gone, probably washed away by the waves.
At this moment, the sixth guest, who had yet to appear on camera, also spoke.
The sixth guest’s voice was not as weak as the previous few. His cool and indifferent tone was very pleasant to hear, but it was equally grave.
“I don’t have any food either.”
For a moment, the audience did not have the time to wonder why the production team was hiding the last guest’s face and refusing to show it.
Probably because the distance was a little far.
The important point now was—
No one had food?
Except Shen Jinfeng?!!
