Chapter 10

At the Hu family’s home, Hu Qianqian was holding the little kitten, Rice Ball, while watching her son’s variety show.

When she saw Wei Sheng riding a bicycle through the streets, going door to door collecting mushrooms, she nearly laughed herself to tears.

No wonder Wei Zhiyong was always complaining that Wei Sheng wasn’t like the rest of the Wei family—where did their family ever have this kind of business acumen?

Obviously, it was the genes from her Hu family!

“Not bad! This kid takes after his grandpa!” Wei Sheng’s grandmother, Ge Jun, beamed as she glanced at her husband.

The first time she had met her husband was when Hu Yuanzheng had been riding his bicycle through the countryside, collecting duck eggs.

Back then, Hu Yuanzheng had been a poor young man, but with nothing more than a sturdy old bicycle, he went from collecting duck eggs, free-range chickens, and various local specialties to slowly saving up enough money to open a small grocery store. Later, that store grew into the supermarket they owned today.

Thinking about it now, it was fortunate that Wei Sheng had spent more of his childhood with them.

If he had followed that clueless father of his, who knows how many bad habits he would have picked up?

This variety show was really different from the usual slow-paced rural life programs. Or perhaps, originally, the production team had planned it that way—probably even hired someone to write a script, expecting the guests to follow it.

But what they didn’t expect was that none of the four guests they had invited were professional actors!

The production team wanted the guests to express novelty and nostalgia about rural life, but the actual results were—

Wei Sheng: “I never expected such a remote and underdeveloped little town to have so many ways to make money! Once filming is over, I’m coming back to make some extra cash!”

Zhang Zexuan: “What? This insanely delicious corn stalk snack only sells for 0.8 yuan per jin? Wei Sheng, let’s buy two truckloads and sell them back home!”

Chen Mengjie: “These village houses have such an authentic retro vibe from the last century! I have to bring my girlfriends here for a vintage-themed photoshoot!”

Even Ouyang Xia, the local of the group, had originally been assigned a bitter nostalgia script by the director. But as he acted, he completely forgot about it, happily munching on the crunchy rice crust given to him by a villager. It had been years since he last tasted this kind of firewood-cooked rice crust.

Director: “……”

I gave you a prop! Who told you to eat the villager’s prop?!

And Wei Sheng was even worse!

At the end of the first episode, this guy—relying on his good looks and generous spending—actually managed to sweet-talk a local auntie into slaughtering a free chicken and a duck for them.

Then, he bought a slab of cured meat from another villager, gave the auntie 50 yuan as a cooking fee, and somehow ended up with a full table of authentic farmhouse dishes, treating his coworkers to a feast!

Wait a minute—!

The director frantically flipped through the show’s script.

If he wasn’t mistaken, according to the planned storyline, this was supposed to be the moment when the guests, exhausted from struggling with the old-fashioned farm stove, finally managed to cook a few dishes—only to realize the rice was burnt, the food was underseasoned, and they had to spend a miserable night starving!

Dammit! Who told you to pay-to-win your way to a feast?!

You think just because you made more money, you can do whatever you want?

Well, Wei Sheng, the “rich boss,” used cold hard cash to prove to the director and all the viewers—

Yes. When you have money, you really can do whatever you want!

Not only did they have the auntie cook up a full feast, but Wei Sheng and Zhang Zexuan even went to the town’s small supermarket to haul back two crates of ice-cold beer!

Of course, they didn’t forget to bring back a giant bottle of iced Coke for Chen Mengjie.

Chen Mengjie (hugging the Coke bottle, overwhelmed with emotion): “President Wei, your great kindness is beyond words—I am willing to devote my life to you…”

After running around all day, her face was flushed from the heat. The moment she got her hands on that ice-cold Coke, she was practically moved to tears.

Zhang Zexuan (rolling his eyes): “Oh, come on! You shallow women! The moment a good-looking guy does something nice, you want to devote your life to him. But if it were an ugly guy, you’d just tell him, ‘I’ll repay you in my next life as an ox or a horse…’”

Everyone from their workplace knew each other too well.

If Chen Mengjie—this die-hard “anti-marriage advocate”—was really willing to get married, then Zhang Zexuan could swear that the second their tour bus arrived back at the TV station, the Chen family would have Wei Sheng tied up and dragged straight to the wedding hall!

Bride price? Wedding house? None of that mattered!

If anyone could marry their family’s “Lady Chen,” the Chen family would happily gift them a full wedding package, house, car—no bride price needed! They might even compensate the groom’s family for their mental suffering!

The latest episode of the show ended with everyone raising their glasses, feasting on the farmhouse meal that Wei Sheng had funded.

Huh? They hadn’t invited a single familiar celebrity—it was a cast full of nobodies, so why was it so addictive to watch?

As the ending song played, viewers who had been fully immersed in the mouthwatering farmhouse feast of Wutong Town suddenly felt an emptiness in their hearts.

How did it end so quickly? They hadn’t even skipped through any parts—not even the ads!

#BackToHometownWithMyBrosAll-AmateurCast

#HowGoodCanARealAmateurRuralVarietyShowBe

#NoScandalsTonight

Overnight, Back to Hometown with My Bros went viral!

And the craziest part?

Even though the production team had zero marketing budget left, the show still managed to dominate multiple trending searches—entirely thanks to the viewers’ enthusiastic, word-of-mouth recommendations!

Even more unbelievable—by the next day, as more and more curious netizens flocked to the J Province TV app to watch the replay, this outdated, unpolished, and entirely free provincial TV app saw its download count in a single day exceed the total for the entire previous year!

Wei Sheng, Chen Mengjie, Zhang Zexuan, and Ouyang Xia—these so-called “nobodies”—had their backgrounds quickly dug up by the ever-resourceful netizens.

As expected, the netizens’ instincts were right. Even if these guests were labeled as ordinary people, they were by no means “ordinary.”

Among the four, the one with the most impressive background was undoubtedly Chen Mengjie. The Chen family made their fortune in coal mining—legitimate, filthy rich coal barons. Not only did they own coal mines, but they had also invested in real estate, freight companies, home furnishing markets, and other industries. Rumor had it that the chairman, Chen Yongfu, had a net worth exceeding ten billion.

Miss Chen was, without a doubt, a billionaire heiress…

But it couldn’t be helped. While Chen Yongfu worked his eldest son to the bone, he practically worshiped his youngest daughter, Chen Mengjie, refusing to let her suffer in the business world. Instead, he pulled some strings to get her into the TV station.

With Chen Mengjie, the “billionaire heiress,” drawing most of the attention, Zhang Zexuan, the government official’s son, seemed much more low-key.

Still, no matter how low-key, he was the son of a senior leader at the provincial broadcasting authority.

By comparison, within the entire show’s cast, only Wei Sheng and Ouyang Xia could truly be considered “grassroots.”

Even so, that was only in contrast to the other two. On their own, they weren’t exactly ordinary either.

Ouyang Xia was a top student from Huaxia Communication University. After graduating, he joined J Province TV Station and had already climbed to the position of Deputy Director of the New Media Department.

Wei Sheng, though still an intern, reportedly came from a family that owned a supermarket—middle-class at the very least. And with that face of his—tsk tsk—he could be dirt poor, but just standing there, he’d still be the center of attention.

With the show making a comeback, everyone was in high spirits. Even the station executives approved extra funds for promotional efforts. A few advertisers who had previously withdrawn their sponsorships also called back, expressing interest in working with them again.

Everything seemed to be heading in a good direction.

However, just as the production team was preparing to depart for the second filming location for the next two episodes, Vice Director Pu Xiangdong approached Producer Wang Yang and asked him to remove Wei Sheng from the show. Pu had a connection he couldn’t turn down who wanted a spot on the program.

“This… Vice Director Pu, Wei Sheng has gained some popularity online. The audience likes watching him. If we suddenly replace him, what if the viewers don’t accept it?” Wang Yang was reluctant to make the change.

Although all four guests had roughly the same level of online discussion, Wang Yang knew that the success of the first episode came down to one key factor—Wei Sheng, the “catalyst.”

Without him, the contrast between “city kid” and “rural native” wouldn’t highlight Ouyang Xia’s endearing clumsiness in farm work.

Without him, the audience wouldn’t have sympathized with Chen Mengjie, who was hardworking yet never favored by luck, especially when compared to Wei Sheng’s cunning “middleman” antics.

Simply put, the reason the show had so many comedic moments was largely thanks to Wei Sheng.

However, Pu Xiangdong wasn’t interested in the producer’s explanation.

“He’s just a contract worker, isn’t he? And still in his probation period? What, he’s going to challenge the station’s decisions now?”

With a single command from the Vice Director, Wei Sheng’s name was removed from the guest list.

That said, the production team still honored the original agreement and paid him his appearance fee—40,000 yuan for two episodes.

“Wei, I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect you…” Wang Yang sighed, patting Wei Sheng’s shoulder.

He had wanted to fight for Wei Sheng, but the reality of the station’s hierarchy was clear. The old station director was about to retire, and Pu Xiangdong was the designated successor. Offending him could cost Wei Sheng his job entirely.

Compared to the stability of working at the TV station, sacrificing one guest slot was nothing.

Wang Yang didn’t say much more, but with a few subtle hints, Wei Sheng understood.

Though frustrated, he knew that Wang Yang was right. Compared to his career, losing a guest role wasn’t a big deal.

“Look at it this way—if you step aside gracefully, Pu will owe you a favor. Your transition to a permanent position will be a sure thing in the future.”

“I understand. Thank you, Mr. Wang. I know you’re all looking out for me.” Wei Sheng sincerely expressed his gratitude.

Unlike Chen Mengjie, he didn’t come from an ultra-wealthy family. Unlike Zhang Zexuan, he didn’t have deep political ties. Nor did he have Ouyang Xia’s experience in the station. If someone had to be cut, it was undoubtedly going to be him.

“Hmph! When the show was struggling, they all ran faster than rabbits! Now that it’s gaining traction, all kinds of shady characters are crawling out of the woodwork!”

Hearing that Wei Sheng was being replaced by some connected candidate, Han Zekai was even angrier than Wei Sheng himself. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to hop online and stir up public outcry.

The show had gained a lot of attention, and with Wei Sheng as its “face,” if the audience found out about his replacement, public backlash could be massive…

“Which would mean I’d be screwed!!” Wei Sheng sighed, pressing down on Han Zekai’s eager hands. “Forget it. We still have to work at the station. Why make an enemy out of the new director over one show?”

Han Zekai, frustrated by Wei Sheng’s passive stance, stormed off.

Wei Sheng chuckled bitterly, picked up the two freshly made iced Americanos, glanced at them, and decided to take both.

He was fuming too. He needed double the caffeine to cool down.

(End of Chapter)