Salted Fish is a Rebellious Person – Chapter 43

The system was full of anticipation, and everyone was ready to hear a shocking secret—only to be met with that single sentence.

It was speechless. “If you’re going to say it, just say it. Why all the buildup?”

Having seen all kinds of bizarre things from Xing Shi, he remained unfazed.

He looked at the person across from him and calmly replied, “I do.”

Yan Feng continued seriously, “What is your dream?”

Xing Shi answered without hesitation, “To become a big star.”

Yan Feng’s eyes lit up with approval. This was a good dream—it suited someone who could be his subordinate, working under him in the future.

He instructed the system to roll back the favorability score to 12 and declared with conviction, “I have a dream too.”

Xing Shi asked, “What’s your dream, Brother Feng?”

Yan Feng answered firmly, “I want to stand at the top and become a superstar.”

He analyzed his situation. “Most of my fans have followed me since my talent show days. I’m good at singing and dancing, but not acting. Over the past year, I’ve taken on several dramas, playing second or third male leads. Many of them haven’t aired yet. Right now, most of my work consists of variety shows and scattered media appearances.”

Xing Shi sincerely commented, “It’s already impressive to have that much work within a year of debuting.”

Yan Feng shook his head. “But it’s not enough. Only with constant exposure can I maintain a steady flow of attention and traffic. The greater my influence, the higher my commercial value. Right now, my contract terms aren’t great. If I want better resources and treatment, I have to work hard and climb higher.”

He wasn’t foolish enough to reveal everything to Xing Shi but still had to paint an enticing picture. “Once I reach the top and become powerful, I’ll be able to give back to the company. For example, I can provide you with better resources and opportunities. One of them might even make you famous.”

Xing Shi replied with an indifferent “Oh,” then countered, “Most of your dramas and variety shows haven’t even aired yet. With continuous exposure, you won’t have to worry about people forgetting you. You can take a break and come back just the same.”

Yan Feng rejected that idea outright. “No, I refuse to take even a single day off until my dream is achieved.”

“The doctor never said I had to stop working altogether. I can just reduce my workload and make sure I get enough sleep every day. Look, I’m perfectly fine right now, aren’t I?” He softened his tone slightly. “Please help me persuade the boss to change his mind. If I succeed, it’ll be beneficial for the company too—a win-win situation.”

Xing Shi simply looked at him.

Yan Feng met his gaze with unwavering determination.

After a pause, Xing Shi said, “Oh, I get it now.”

Yan Feng saw a glimmer of hope and started to feel a bit more fond of him.

Then, Xing Shi casually added, “Brother Feng wants to leave and start his own company.”

Yan Feng: “!”

System: “!!!”

The man and system duo were immediately thrown into chaos.

Yan Feng turned to the system. “How did he figure that out?!”

The system stammered, “I… I have no idea, but the data does say he’s very smart.”

Yan Feng demanded, “Did I say something that gave it away?”

The system quickly reviewed the conversation and hesitated. “…I don’t think so?”

Yan Feng turned back to Xing Shi, his expression tense, and denied, “What nonsense are you talking about? The company has nurtured me to this point—how could I be ungrateful?”

Xing Shi remained unconvinced. “Your emotions slipped for a second just now. Now I’m sure.”

Yan Feng was furious. How could this guy be so cunning?!

But Xing Shi looked at him with an understanding smile. “It’s normal to be ambitious. There’s nothing wrong with that. Look, our company was founded after Brother Qi left his old company. When people reach a certain level, they naturally seek other opportunities. You just made the decision earlier because you’re confident in your success.”

Yan Feng eyed him warily. This time, instead of pretending to be clueless, he asked directly, “How did you know?”

Xing Shi answered matter-of-factly, “Your attitude toward my brother and Brother Qi is indifferent, like you don’t see them as your bosses. That alone was enough to make me suspicious. Then, when you talked about ‘standing at the top’ and ‘giving back to the company,’ it sounded like something someone planning their own business would say.”

Yan Feng: “…”

Xing Shi reassured him, “Don’t worry. I think we get along well, and I’ll keep my word—I won’t tell anyone.”

Yan Feng studied him in silence before finally admitting it.

A good leader must display ambition when necessary. He asked, “What do you think of me?”

Xing Shi praised him sincerely. “You’re highly driven—it puts others to shame.”

Yan Feng declared confidently, “I’ll be the same when I run my own company. But unlike Fu Xiuning, I won’t overwork my people. And as long as I have something to eat, I’ll make sure my people do too.”

He smirked, brimming with certainty. “Of course, it’s too early to talk about this now. Let’s see how things go. Hopefully, in the future, you’ll consider joining me. Trust me, it’ll be exciting to build a new empire together.”

Xing Shi: “?”

System: “?”

The system hissed, “He knows you’re Fu Xiuning’s brother. He even saw you call Qi Changyi ‘cousin’ during the variety show. We’re already being generous by not exposing this relationship, but he’s still trying to poach you? What is he thinking?”

Xing Shi mused, “Maybe it’s just confidence.”

Recalling Fu Xiuning’s assessment of Yan Feng and the subtle hostility he had noticed during the variety show, Xing Shi speculated that Yan Feng intended to climb higher before making a move against Fu Xiuning. No wonder he was so fixated on his career.

He replied, “We’ll talk about it later. I’ll ask my brother about your situation. Whether it works or not depends on him.”

Seeing that their conversation was wrapping up, Yan Feng stood up and invited, “After you get your meal, want to eat with me?”

Xing Shi declined. “No, I want to eat with my brother.”

Yan Feng considered it for a moment, then stood up with his tray. “Alright, I’ll eat over there too.”

He regretted not building a better relationship with Fu Xiuning before and decided to make amends immediately. “You go ahead, I’ll join you soon.”

Fu Xiuning was waiting for Xing Shi to return when suddenly, a figure sat down across from him. He raised his eyes and said, “This seat is taken.”

Yan Feng adjusted his seat to make room and gave a faint smile. “I’ll eat with you.”

Fu Xiuning rejected him outright. “No need.”

Yan Feng: “…”

Fu Xiuning waited a few seconds, then raised his eyebrows slightly. “Hmm?”

Yan Feng took his plate and left.

This was the first time he had ever been humiliated by Fu Xiuning. Fuming, he snapped at his system, “I was willing to have dinner with him to give him face! What kind of attitude is that?!”

The system consoled him, “That’s just how he is. If he were easy to win over, someone would have succeeded in the past five years.”

Yan Feng scoffed. “Hah, he’s just been overhyped. Once I conquer him, we’ll see how arrogant he still is!”

The system hyped him up, “Yes! Boss, you’re the best!”

When Xing Shi returned, Fu Xiuning was the only one there.

He easily guessed what had happened and sat down with a smile.

Fu Xiuning asked, “What did you two talk about?”

Xing Shi replied, “Dreams.”

Fu Xiuning continued, “The details?”

Xing Shi shook his head. “I can’t tell you. I promised to keep it a secret for him.”

Fu Xiuning had heard Yan Feng’s theory before, so he nodded and didn’t press further.

Xing Shi relayed Yan Feng’s request to return to work. Fu Xiuning simply responded with a “hmm,” offering no further comment.

On the other side, Yan Feng asked his system to monitor their conversation.

After confirming that Xing Shi truly hadn’t betrayed him and had indeed pleaded on his behalf, he grew fonder of him. “This little brother is pretty good. Move him up to number 10.”

The system replied, “Okay.”

Yan Feng knew all he could do now was wait for an answer, so he went home after dinner.

Three days later, his agent called him.

“You’re scheduled to give a class to the trainees,” the agent informed him.

Yan Feng thought he misheard. “What?”

The agent repeated, “Since you have experience with talent shows, the boss wants you to give a talk to the trainees.”

Yan Feng chuckled. “A bunch of kids who haven’t even debuted yet—can they even understand my experience?”

“Just explain it in a way they’ll understand,” the agent responded.

Yan Feng refused outright. “No.”

His agent, already accustomed to his stubbornness, got straight to the point. “You don’t want to listen to the boss? Do you want to be jobless forever?”

The system quickly added, “Boss, training new talent could be good. You might even find some capable younger brothers.”

Yan Feng thought it over. “Fine, I’ll do it. When?”

“Tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.,” the agent replied.

Fu Xiuning had initially mentioned the class to Xing Shi just to change the subject.

But over time, Xing Shi felt it was a good idea and brought it up again.

From System 99’s perspective, Yan Feng and Yu Shu were different cases. First, Xing Shi “didn’t know” Yan Feng was a host. Second, at this stage, Yan Feng had no designs on Fu Xiuning.

Therefore, they couldn’t talk about him too frequently, as that would raise the system’s suspicions. When they did bring him up, it had to serve a purpose.

Fu Xiuning thought for a moment and locked onto a person—Yu Yi.

They suspected Shang Shang Qian was with Yu Yi, but they hadn’t overheard any conversations.

The Shang Shang Qian system was highly intelligent. It would likely suspect Fu Xiuning and Xing Shi were working together. If it was unable to return to the main system due to injury or lack of energy, it would seek help from another host.

Xing Shi rarely took on jobs, but if Shang Shang Qian knew he had just recorded a variety show with Yan Feng, it might suspect Yan Feng as a host and push Yu Yi to contact him.

Thus, Xing Shi didn’t bring up the class just to create an opportunity for himself to see Yan Feng—it was also a chance for Yu Yi to reach out.

But in reality, there was no need for Yu Yi to even talk to Yan Feng. As long as he knew Yan Feng would be at the company and observed his reaction, he could deduce the truth.

Fu Xiuning looked at Xing Shi.

Xing Shi smiled expectantly. “I heard Brother Feng is really skilled at singing and dancing. Besides sharing his experience, I hope he can give us a singing and dance lesson too.”

Fu Xiuning noted that Xing Shi had brought it up twice. That meant his motive wasn’t just to test Yu Yi.

Xing Shi pressed, “Brother, what do you think?”

Fu Xiuning nodded slightly. “Okay.”

He then messaged Yan Feng’s agent to finalize the plan.

—

The next morning, Xing Shi excitedly shared the good news with his classmates.

Feng Zifan had left for a variety show the previous day. Seeing an opportunity, Hou Zhang immediately ran over to flatter him. “Really? That’s great! The boss is so kind, always thinking about us. I feel like I’ll learn a lot from this class.”

Xing Shi noticed Yu Yi glancing over and responded, “Well, my brother has always taken us seriously.”

Hou Zhang enthusiastically added, “Yeah, but this is thanks to Brother Shi. We’re just lucky to be around him!”

Although the others found Hou Zhang’s habit of saying “we” annoying, they had to admit he was right.

Someone asked, “When is Brother Feng coming?”

Xing Shi replied, “My brother has asked the training department to adjust the schedule. If all goes well, it’ll be in the next two days.”

And sure enough, after discussions between all parties, the class was set for 3:30 p.m. tomorrow.

—

Yu Yi heard the news and immediately called out to his system.

The system had not commented on his past actions, but Yu Yi could sense its dissatisfaction.

Since its data had not yet recovered, the system had simply told him to check which artists had recorded the variety show with Xing Shi, then went dormant again.

Yu Yi had been scouring the internet for information but found nothing. It wasn’t until Xing Shi returned and the other trainees started gossiping that he learned the show was “The Time and Space Client.”

June Culture had only one permanent guest on that show—Yan Feng.

Now that Yan Feng was coming to teach, Yu Yi didn’t want to miss his chance.

But despite calling out to his system all day, he received no response.

—

The next afternoon, Yu Yi followed the group into the designated classroom, feeling both nervous and anxious.

Since a former talent show contestant was giving the talk, almost all the trainees attended—including the female trainees from the fourth floor.

The classroom was packed. As soon as Yan Feng entered, the room erupted into thunderous applause and excited screams. Some even asked about his health.

Standing at the front, Yan Feng took in their admiration and suddenly thought—this isn’t bad at all.

If all these trainees were his subordinates, wouldn’t that be even better?

No matter. He could win them over with his personal charm, leave a lasting impression, and then poach them later.

He smiled faintly. “Hello, everyone. I’m Yan Feng.”

Another round of applause and cheers followed.

Yan Feng continued, “I’m fine now. Thank you for your concern. I’m also happy to have this opportunity to share my experience today…”

Xing Shi sat below, watching calmly.

After a day of observation, he was certain now—Shang Shang Qian was with Yu Yi.

Their seats had been arranged by Fu Xiuning, placed deliberately near the corridor. At this moment, Fu Xiuning should be listening just beyond the wall.

The talk lasted for over an hour. By the second half, Yan Feng abandoned his script and spoke freely. It was only when his system reminded him multiple times that he reluctantly wrapped up the session.

But the trainees weren’t done yet.

As soon as he finished, they swarmed him for photos and autographs.

The moment Xing Shi returned, Fu Xiuning was the only one there.

It wasn’t hard to guess what had just happened. Xing Shi sat down with a smile.

Fu Xiuning asked, “What did you two talk about?”

Xing Shi replied, “Dreams.”

Fu Xiuning continued, “The details?”

Xing Shi shook his head. “I can’t tell you. I promised to keep it a secret for him.”

Fu Xiuning had already heard Yan Feng’s theories before, so he nodded and didn’t press further.

Xing Shi relayed Yan Feng’s request to return to work. Fu Xiuning simply responded with a “hmm,” offering no further comment.

On the other side, Yan Feng instructed his system to monitor their conversation.

After confirming that Xing Shi truly hadn’t betrayed him and had indeed pleaded on his behalf, Yan Feng’s opinion of him improved. “This little brother is pretty good. Move him up to number 10.”

The system replied, “Okay.”

Yan Feng knew that all he could do now was wait for an answer, so he went home after dinner.

—

Three days later, his agent called him.

“You’re scheduled to give a class to the trainees.”

Yan Feng thought he had misheard. “What?”

The agent repeated, “Since you have experience with talent shows, the boss wants you to give a talk to the trainees.”

Yan Feng chuckled. “A bunch of kids who haven’t even debuted yet—can they even understand my experience?”

“Just explain it in a way they’ll understand,” the agent responded.

Yan Feng refused outright. “No.”

His agent, already accustomed to his stubbornness, got straight to the point. “You don’t want to listen to the boss? Do you want to be jobless forever?”

The system quickly added, “Boss, training new talent could be good. You might even find some capable younger brothers.”

Yan Feng thought it over. “Fine, I’ll do it. When?”

“Tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.,” the agent replied.

—

Fu Xiuning had originally mentioned this training session just to change the subject.

But over time, Xing Shi felt it was actually a good idea, so he brought it up again.

From System 99’s perspective, Yan Feng and Yu Shu were different cases. First, Xing Shi “didn’t know” Yan Feng was a host. Second, at this stage, Yan Feng had no particular thoughts about Fu Xiuning.

Therefore, Xing Shi and Fu Xiuning couldn’t bring up Yan Feng too frequently, or the system might get suspicious. Every mention had to serve a purpose.

Fu Xiuning considered this and locked onto a possible target—Yu Yi.

They had long suspected that Shang Shang Qian was bound to Yu Yi, but they hadn’t overheard any direct conversations.

The Shang Shang Qian system was highly intelligent. It would definitely be wary of Fu Xiuning and Xing Shi potentially working together. If it was unable to return to the main system due to injury or lack of energy, it would seek help from another host.

Xing Shi rarely took on jobs, but if Shang Shang Qian had learned that Xing Shi had recently recorded a variety show with Yan Feng, it might begin to suspect Yan Feng as a host and push Yu Yi to contact him.

Thus, Xing Shi’s proposal wasn’t just an excuse to see Yan Feng—it was also a chance for Yu Yi to make a move.

But in reality, Yu Yi didn’t even need to speak to Yan Feng. As long as he knew Yan Feng was coming to the company and observed his reaction, he could deduce the truth.

Fu Xiuning looked at Xing Shi.

Xing Shi smiled expectantly. “I heard Brother Feng is really skilled at singing and dancing. Besides sharing his experience, I hope he can also give us a singing and dance lesson.”

Fu Xiuning noted that Xing Shi had brought up Yan Feng twice. This meant Xing Shi’s goal wasn’t just to test Yu Yi—he had another reason.

Xing Shi pressed, “Brother, what do you think?”

Fu Xiuning nodded slightly. “Okay.”

He then messaged Yan Feng’s agent to finalize the arrangements.

—

The next morning, Xing Shi excitedly shared the news with his classmates.

Feng Zifan had left for a variety show the previous day. Sensing an opportunity, Hou Zhang immediately ran over to flatter him. “Really? That’s great! The boss is so kind, always thinking about us. I feel like I’ll learn a lot from this class.”

Xing Shi noticed Yu Yi glancing over and responded, “Well, my brother has always taken us seriously.”

Hou Zhang enthusiastically added, “Yeah, but this is thanks to Brother Shi. We’re just lucky to be around him!”

Although the others found Hou Zhang’s habit of saying “we” annoying, they had to admit he was right.

“When is Brother Feng coming?” someone asked.

Xing Shi replied, “My brother asked the training department to adjust the schedule. If all goes well, it’ll be in the next two days.”

And sure enough, after discussions between all parties, the class was set for 3:30 p.m. tomorrow.

—

Yu Yi heard the news and immediately called out to his system.

The system had not commented on his past actions, but Yu Yi could sense its dissatisfaction.

Since its data had not yet recovered, the system had simply instructed him to check which artists recorded the variety show with Xing Shi, then went dormant again.

Yu Yi had been scouring the internet for information but found nothing. It wasn’t until Xing Shi returned and the other trainees started gossiping that he learned the show was “The Time and Space Client.”

June Culture had only one permanent guest on that show—Yan Feng.

Now that Yan Feng was coming to teach, Yu Yi didn’t want to miss his chance.

But despite calling out to his system all day, he received no response.

—

The next afternoon, Yu Yi followed the group into the designated classroom, feeling both nervous and anxious.

Since a former talent show contestant was giving the talk, almost all the trainees attended—including the female trainees from the fourth floor.

The classroom was packed. As soon as Yan Feng entered, the room erupted into thunderous applause and excited screams. Some even asked about his health.

Standing at the front, Yan Feng took in their admiration and suddenly thought—this isn’t bad at all.

If all these trainees were his subordinates, wouldn’t that be even better?

No matter. He could win them over with his personal charm, leave a lasting impression, and then poach them later.

He smiled faintly. “Hello, everyone. I’m Yan Feng.”

Another round of applause and cheers followed.

Yan Feng continued, “I’m fine now. Thank you for your concern. I’m also happy to have this opportunity to share my experience today…”

Xing Shi sat below, watching calmly.

After a day of observation, he was certain now—Shang Shang Qian was with Yu Yi.

Their seats had been arranged by Fu Xiuning, deliberately placed near the corridor. At this moment, Fu Xiuning should be listening just beyond the wall.

The talk lasted for over an hour. By the second half, Yan Feng abandoned his script and spoke freely. It was only when his system reminded him multiple times that he reluctantly wrapped up the session.

But the trainees weren’t done yet.

As soon as he finished, they swarmed him for photos and autographs.

Yu Yi: “…”

The Best Fortune said, “Whether this ends in social death or a successful test depends on you.”

The second class was about to begin.

This time, Yan Feng didn’t leave in a hurry after class. He patiently interacted with the enthusiastic trainees and only departed much later.

Yu Yi, despite receiving disdainful glances from those around him, followed him out once again.

Yan Feng stopped and turned to look at him. “I believe I already said—”

“I lied.” Yu Yi interrupted hastily, his voice anxious. “I actually have something really important to tell Teacher Yan. This isn’t some melodramatic confession—it’s serious business! I swear on my life, it’s really important. Please, just give me a chance to explain!”

Yan Feng thought to himself—just as Xing Shi had predicted. After two failures, the third attempt would make them desperate.

He nodded, signaling Yu Yi to follow him.

The two walked, one ahead and one behind, until they reached the lounge upstairs.

Yan Feng didn’t have a private resting room in the company, but he had requested one from the boss in advance—because just moments ago, Xing Shi had sneaked in alone and hidden here.

Glancing around subtly, Yan Feng guessed Xing Shi’s exact position before turning back to Yu Yi.

He wasn’t sure what Yu Yi’s actual purpose was. Their relationship with Fu Xiuning wasn’t close, so why would he help?

With a hint of curiosity, he asked in a calm tone, “What do you want to tell me?”

Yu Yi took a deep breath and spoke rapidly, “I recently read a novel that I really want to share with you. The story is about many ‘hosts’ being bound to a system, working together to capture a single target.”

Yan Feng: “!”

System: “!!!”

Shang Shang Qian had been closely observing Yan Feng and caught the faintest change in his expression. Immediately, he made the judgment—“He’s one of us.”

Yu Yi nearly burst into tears. He had finally found his people. His voice shook as he choked out, “You’re a host too, right? Me too. We need to strategize and capture—”

Yan Feng’s voice turned ice cold as he cut him off, “What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

But it was already too late.

The next moment—

Xing Shi burst out of the hidden compartment.

Yu Yi: “!!!”

The Best Fortune: “…”

Yan Feng and his system: “…”

System 99 was utterly shocked. “Yu Yi is a host?”

Xing Shi: “Yeah, totally shocking.”

Saying that, his gaze landed on Yu Yi.

But he wasn’t just looking at Yu Yi.

He stepped forward and demanded, “What do you mean by that? Who exactly are you trying to capture? My brother?”

Yu Yi’s face instantly turned pale. He trembled, frozen in place.

If Xing Shi knew, then Fu Xiuning would know.

If Fu Xiuning knew about the hosts’ mission, the Main System would punish him—and the blame would fall entirely on him.

Would he… would he die?

Yan Feng and his system were thinking the exact same thing.

They had all witnessed Xing Shi’s intelligence firsthand.

Even though Yu Yi’s words had been vague, and he had yet to fully confess, they couldn’t afford to take any risks.

Fu Xiuning had been targeted by extreme situations for years now. That wasn’t normal.

If Xing Shi told Fu Xiuning even a single sentence, Fu Xiuning would connect the dots, start doubting everything, and from there—things would spiral completely out of control.

Xing Shi… couldn’t be allowed to stay.