Chapter 4

As the saying goes, “Different fates for different people.”

Because of his poor social skills and suspected mistreatment of his wife and children, Wei Zhiyong had such a bad reputation at work that he couldn’t even get an employee dormitory!

Wei Sheng, on the other hand, was assigned to a self-produced variety show on his second day after officially starting his job.

For new employees like them, who had just passed the interview and were still on probation, it was unheard of to be given actual work immediately.

But hey, Wei Sheng got lucky.

Due to an unexpected situation, the show’s production team needed a large number of technical staff for post-production work.

After reviewing the personal portfolio Wei Sheng submitted during his application and testing his skills on the spot, the department head realized that this kid was actually pretty good at post-production. Without hesitation, they assigned him to the post-production team for the show.

Wei Sheng was overjoyed!

This was practically half a step into becoming a full-time employee!

Getting into a production team during probation meant that as long as the show aired successfully, he would receive a solid performance evaluation. Securing a permanent position would be a sure thing!

Among the dozen or so people hired in his batch, most were assigned to editorial and operations roles. Only he and another guy named Han Zekai were assigned to post-production.

However, Han Zekai wasn’t placed in the same department as him. Instead, he was sent to the highest-rated evening news program at J Province TV.

Wei Sheng immediately understood.

He had originally wanted to get to know this new colleague, thinking they could look out for each other. But now, he didn’t even dare to try.

Getting assigned to the most prestigious department right away? Clearly, the guy had powerful connections and didn’t need any “mutual support” from a nobody like him.

Better not embarrass himself.

Unexpectedly, though, before Wei Sheng could approach Han Zekai, Han Zekai took the initiative to sit across from him during lunch.

“Hey!” Wei Sheng greeted him, still holding his chopsticks in his mouth, looking a bit silly.

“Hey, my ass! You better get your family to pull some strings and get you transferred out of that garbage show! You’re being thrown into a pit, and you don’t even realize it!” Han Zekai muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed.

What the hell?

Wei Sheng blinked in confusion.

With too many people around in the cafeteria, it wasn’t the right place to talk.

After lunch, Wei Sheng—smart as ever—invited Han Zekai to a milk tea shop near the TV station.

He had actually wanted to treat Han Zekai to coffee, but the only coffee shop nearby was a Star Daddy (Starbucks)…

Sorry, but with his current intern salary, he couldn’t afford to be a Star Daddy VIP.

Better to go with Xuewang’s fresh orange juice—big portion, filling, and most importantly, cheap!

While waiting for their drinks, Wei Sheng finally learned why Han Zekai was urging him to leave the show.

The reason was simple: this variety show was absolute poison! A post-production hellhole!

Ever since “Back to My Hometown with My Bros” started filming, the entire J Province TV station had been plagued with bad luck.

Originally, the show had been planned as a positive, feel-good program.

The production team invited male celebrities from rural backgrounds to return to their hometowns with a few “bros” (who were actually other guest stars arranged by the show). They would reminisce about their childhood, play up emotional connections, cater to the audience’s nostalgia, and tie it all into the trending rural revitalization movement—basically, a wholesome and heartwarming slow-paced variety show.

Nobody expected that right after the first episode aired, while the second episode was still being filmed, the main host and two of his “bros” would get arrested on set by the police…

There are no secrets in the entertainment industry.

Soon enough, the clueless production team found themselves at the top of the trending search list.

A certain popular young actor had actually booked “takeout services” (escort services) with his bros at a hotel while filming the variety show? Gross!

The producer was in tears.

This was not the kind of trending topic they wanted!!!

But trending topics aren’t something you can just erase at will.

And so, J Province TV’s self-produced variety show went from “Back to Hometown with My Bros” to Ordering Takeout with My Bros.

According to paparazzi reports, the reason the show got dragged into the scandal was that these three scumbags, in an effort to avoid being caught by paparazzi, had someone impersonate the show’s director. They falsely claimed to be selecting ordinary people to participate in the program, tricking a group of young, pretty newcomers into an “audition”—without spending a single dime.

The result? Predictable.

Some desperate-for-fame entertainment industry newcomers were actually willing to “offer themselves up” for a chance to appear on the show.

If it had just been a sleazy exchange of benefits, it wouldn’t have warranted a police raid.

The real disaster was that these three scumbags, looking for an extra thrill, had targeted a girl who was still preparing for her art school entrance exams!

And just like that, the three of them were handcuffed and escorted off to enjoy free government meals together.

The biggest victims? The post-production team.

The unfinished second episode? Scrapped. New guests had to be brought in for reshoots.

But what about the already-aired first episode?

It had to be taken down immediately! And then, frame by frame, the editors had to painstakingly edit out the disgraced celebrities.

By the end of it, the post-production team was so fed up that they just slapped a half-assed mosaic blur over someone’s face and called it a day.

That might have been tolerable since each episode (minus ads) was only about an hour long.

But nobody expected that after bringing in a new lead host, the show would run into trouble again by the fourth episode!

They had just invited a second main guest, made it to the fourth episode, and—bam!—another disaster struck!

This time, it wasn’t even because of the guest. It was the small village where the guests were “experiencing rural life.” Overnight, it got completely surrounded by even more police officers!

Dozens of police cars arrived in a single night!

Even police drones were dispatched for public announcements!

The scene was so intense that the director was trembling in fear, wondering if he had accidentally stumbled into some drug cartel’s secret hideout.

After everyone was taken back for questioning, the director finally learned the truth.

It all started when a netizen spotted a local village woman in leaked set photos and realized she looked eerily similar to their sister—who had been missing for over a decade.

Then, another person posted online that they had noticed several village women in the background of the set photos who seemed mentally unwell.

These days, netizens have eyes like hawks, and younger generations have a strong sense of justice. Unlike the older generation, who might turn a blind eye, these netizens didn’t hesitate. The moment they suspected human trafficking in the village, they called the police—just in case!

And so, episode four of “Back to Hometown with My Bro” suddenly turned into I Go on a Human Trafficking Raid with My Bro.

Poor new main guest—he didn’t do anything wrong, yet he still ended up at the police station to give a statement. The paparazzi even snapped photos of him there, spreading rumors that he had been arrested for a crime…

At this point, netizens were losing their minds laughing.

This show is cursed, right?

It’s only on its fourth episode, and they’ve already been to the police station how many times?

Maybe they should just ditch the name “Back to Hometown with My Bro” and rebrand as “I Boost Prison Quotas”.

One episode, one (or several) legal cases. If they keep this up for a whole year, the entertainment industry might actually get cleaned up for good…

Because it’s “too toxic,” Back to Hometown with My Bro has now become the most dreaded show in Chinese entertainment.

The moment talent agents hear their clients are being invited to this show, they hang up immediately—no questions asked.

Are you kidding me?

No one in this industry dares to swear they’ve never made a single mistake in their life!

Even if they themselves are squeaky clean, there’s no guarantee their relatives or friends haven’t done something shady, thinking they could get away with it using their celebrity connections.

How many celebrities have been ruined by their own family members over the years?

“Honestly, the network has basically decided to bury this show.”

“Most sponsors have pulled out—only two are left, and they’re relatives of the station’s execs, so they’re stuck.”

“I heard the post-production team has been editing their eyes out. If you join now, you’re just cannon fodder! And you’re happy about this? Get out while you can!” Han Zekai scolded.

Wei Sheng gratefully acknowledged Han Zekai’s concern, but after thinking for a moment, he could only chuckle bitterly and shake his head.

“If my family had connections with the higher-ups at the network, do you think my boss would’ve shoved me into this doomed project?”

“We took the interview together, Han. You know I got in completely by accident—I don’t have any insider connections.”

“But now that you mention it… Maybe the only reason I even got this job is because this show needed a post-production team.”

To put it bluntly, Wei Sheng was either naive or hopelessly optimistic, depending on how you looked at it. He thought about everything Han Zekai had told him and somehow came to the conclusion that this wasn’t all bad for him.

“Post-production on this show is a nightmare. But isn’t that a golden opportunity for a newbie like me?” Wei Sheng smiled. “Plus, since this show has clearance issues, the execs(executives) will definitely keep a close eye on the editing process. Whether or not the show continues, I—this little nobody—will at least get noticed by the higher-ups, right?”

“As long as they remember me, I should be fine getting through my probation period. The country’s regulations on variety shows are so strict now—if I prove myself here, maybe next time they’ll call on me for other challenging projects.”

Han Zekai was stunned.

It sounded absurd, yet somehow… it made perfect sense?!

Yeah—whether the show tanks or not, that’s the producers’ and guests’ problem. What does it have to do with a small-time editor?

On the contrary, the more trouble the guests cause, the harder the post-production team has to work, which only highlights their importance.

Honestly, variety shows are so profitable. Even if this one flops, does anyone really think the network will stop making them altogether?

If they want to keep producing shows, they’ll need a solid post-production team. And if the workload is high, they’ll have to offer better salaries to retain their editors.

After all, J Province TV’s post-production team had already made a name for itself in the industry—if they didn’t keep their people happy, other networks would definitely poach them.

Thinking about it this way, this “cursed” show was absolutely disastrous for its guests.

But for Wei Sheng, a post-production editor still on probation?

It was perfect.

“Anyway, thanks again for telling me all this. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have known about all these behind-the-scenes messes. Han Zekai, I really appreciate it! Are you free tonight? Let me treat you to a meal.” Wei Sheng seized the chance to invite him.

He might not have connections in the industry, but cannon fodder had its own way of surviving.

What everyone else saw as “toxic,” he saw as an opportunity. After all, the only reason he even landed this contract job was because of this doomed show.

Since he had already benefited from it, he wasn’t about to back down when it was time to put in the work.

(End of Chapter)