After taking a short break after lunch, Xing Shi applied some simple makeup and began the afternoon shoot.
The six participants traveled back to ancient times and, using their special abilities, took on the identities of officials’ children. To the people around them, they simply appeared as individuals with long hair and dressed in traditional attire.
With the palace banquet approaching, their families placed great importance on the event. Some preliminary preparations were necessary, and these tasks were assigned to them as the younger generation.
Each participant received a mission and headed to the bustling streets. In this segment, they could form teams of two to complete tasks and exchange information from their letters.
However, each of their new identities came with a flaw.
Xing Shi was playing the role of a young general, but since his identity was ultimately fabricated, his weakness was that he couldn’t speak about or touch any weapons.
His family’s mission was to find a legendary weapon and present it to the emperor during the palace banquet.
Since their weaknesses were tied to their tasks, the guests needed to figure out solutions.
Xing Shi tucked his mission slip into his belt and strolled through the marketplace. Before long, he spotted Qi Changyi.
Qi Changyi also saw him. Noticing that Xing Shi was alone, he smiled and asked, “Want to team up?”
Xing Shi replied modestly, “I already finished my mission.”
The PD behind him: “?”
The directing team: “?”
Qi Changyi was surprised. “That fast?”
Xing Shi looked relaxed. “Yeah, it was pretty easy. What about you?”
Qi Changyi said, “I just got to the market.”
Xing Shi offered, “Then I’ll help you. What’s your mission?”
Qi Changyi showed him the task slip, which instructed him to find a rare jade.
Xing Shi quickly understood the situation. He walked with Qi Changyi for a few steps before spotting a small street stall selling jewelry. Picking up a jade hairpin from the stand, he reached out and grabbed Qi Changyi’s wrist.
Qi Changyi stopped in surprise. Before he could say anything, he felt something being shoved into his palm. He looked down and fell silent.
Two PDs: “?”
The directing team: “???”
A staff member hesitated for a moment before picking up a loudspeaker and announcing, “Qi Changyi, eliminated.”
Qi Changyi: “…”
Xing Shi waved at him without the slightest guilt and walked away cheerfully.
The directing team was still debating whether to call a halt to the shoot or capture Qi Changyi’s reaction as behind-the-scenes footage when, just around the corner, Xing Shi encountered Yan Feng.
Two minutes later, Yan Feng was eliminated in the same manner.
The directing team immediately called for a pause.
Xiao Qin, on his first job as an artist’s assistant, was performing exceptionally well. Seizing every opportunity, he handed Xing Shi a cold drink and fanned him with a small portable electric fan.
Xing Shi took a couple of sips of the drink and looked at the director innocently.
Director Jiang sighed helplessly. “Kid, this is not how the game is played.”
Xing Shi blinked. “Huh? Why not? Aren’t eliminations part of the rules?”
Director Jiang swallowed a mouthful of blood, thinking: If I give you ten more minutes, you’ll send everyone home—then what are we supposed to film?
Taking a deep breath, he patiently explained, “You can’t eliminate contestants outright; you have to lead them into a trap.”
Xing Shi pondered for a moment and said, “Oh, that should be easy.”
Director Jiang immediately changed his stance. “You can’t eliminate anyone today.”
With that, everyone was instructed to reset their positions.
When Qi Changyi met Xing Shi on the street again, they exchanged knowing smiles.
Ever since they met, Qi Changyi had noticed that Xing Shi’s personality was quite different from the rumors. But now, seeing him in action, he had to admit the rumors weren’t entirely baseless.
Qi Changyi asked again, “Want to team up?”
Xing Shi nodded cooperatively. “Alright.”
As they walked, Qi Changyi asked, “Should we exchange intel?”
Xing Shi held an outsider’s letter in his pocket and glanced at him twice. “Sure.”
Qi Changyi had already guessed that Xing Shi eliminated contestants this way and suspected he had received a separate commission. Curious about how he would play it out, Qi Changyi said, “My letter mentions a palace maid.”
Xing Shi responded, “Oh, I don’t have that information. My letter mentions a eunuch named Xiao Shun. What’s the name of your maid?”
Qi Changyi wasn’t sure if he was being truthful and studied him carefully.
Xing Shi looked completely harmless as he countered, “Can’t tell me? Maybe your letter is different from ours?”
Qi Changyi couldn’t help but laugh. This guy is great at throwing suspicion onto others.
Xing Shi was well aware that he had been exposed, but variety shows weren’t about serious strategy—so he just played dumb and went with the flow.
Qi Changyi decided to be honest. “Her name is Cuizhu.”
The two exchanged only this piece of information before setting off to complete their missions.
They followed clues to relevant NPCs and acquired the items requested by their families.
Due to their given weaknesses, certain words had to be avoided during negotiations, but overall, the process went smoothly.
One by one, the others also completed their missions, signaled the NPCs to pack their items, and returned home to report.
Then, they all gathered for a second round of intelligence-sharing. Xing Shi carefully pieced together the statements of the others, successfully deducing a key piece of information, and smoothly evaded suspicion.
With that, the afternoon shoot wrapped up. Tomorrow’s palace banquet segment would be filmed at a different location.
Just as Xing Shi finished removing his makeup, he saw Yan Feng and his assistant hurrying out. He called out, “Brother Feng, want to grab dinner tonight?”
Yan Feng replied, “No, I have a gig.”
Xing Shi reminded him, “You have to wake up early for makeup tomorrow.”
Yan Feng responded without looking back, “I’ll be back in time.”
Xing Shi watched him leave and turned to Fu Xiuning. “Is he always this dedicated?”
Fu Xiuning nodded. “He’s hardly taken a break since his debut, and his schedule is packed for the foreseeable future.”
In other words, if Xing Shi wanted to see him again, he’d have to take on more jobs.
Not wanting to make appointments just to meet someone, Xing Shi asked, “Won’t he collapse from overwork?”
Fu Xiuning, while wanting to continue exploiting Yan Feng’s work ethic, found it more important to dismantle the system. So he said, “I’ll warn his agent.”
As dawn broke, Xing Shi and the others got up early and changed back into their ancient costumes.
For cost considerations, the palace banquet, like the previous day’s street scene, was not as elaborate or intricate as in movies and TV dramas—it was kept simple. The location wasn’t an actual palace, just a larger, more elegant residence.
The banquet had yet to officially begin, giving those with special abilities time to gather clues and locate the client.
Yan Feng arrived at the film studio early in the morning.
He took a nap during the ride and had a cup of coffee after getting off the bus. He looked well-rested.
Having been eliminated by Xing Shi the previous day, he said to his system, “Xing Shi must have received a special commission. I have to get rid of him and show him who’s boss.”
The system quickly played along, “That’s right! When the variety show airs, fans will see the boss’s highlight moments!”
Satisfied, Yan Feng nodded. After the first round of clue searching and once everyone had gathered to share their findings, he took the initiative to ask, “Xing Shi, did you find anything?”
Xing Shi responded, “I found out about a maid named Cui Zhu. She works in the prince’s palace. As for the other people mentioned in the letters, their exact locations are still unclear.”
Wen Zixin chimed in, “Yes, I got the same information about Cui Zhu. If we find her, we should be able to learn more about the client. She likes to wear green clothing… uh…”
Yuan Xinyu couldn’t help but tease, “Got a little hot under the collar with that last word, huh?”
The group chuckled, easily guessing that Wen Zixin’s flaw was related to clothing.
Yan Feng glanced at Xing Shi amidst the laughter, wondering—had he been wrong? Maybe Xing Shi hadn’t received a special commission?
Catching Yan Feng’s gaze, Xing Shi continued, “I also heard that the client likes to read. Maybe we can find useful clues in the library. Brother Feng, is there a library in the palace you can check?”
Still doubting his suspicions, Yan Feng replied absentmindedly, “Yes, but I didn’t see any books.”
A staff member immediately announced, “Yan Feng, eliminated.”
Yan Feng: “!”
His character in the game was the youngest son of the Prime Minister’s household, forbidden from engaging in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting.
This brat had deliberately set him up!
Frustrated, he ordered his system, “Move him to position No. 15!”
The system immediately responded, “Got it!”
Then, attempting to console its host, it added, “Boss, it’s only because you’ve been so exhausted lately. If you were in peak condition, this wouldn’t have happened!”
Yan Feng begrudgingly accepted the excuse and headed to the waiting area.
No one expected two eliminations right at the start of today’s discussions.
Yuan Xinyu and the others, who hadn’t seen Xing Shi get benched the previous day, now became suspicious. “You two were together before, right?”
Xing Shi had planned to set up a few layers of deception, but Yan Feng had walked right into the trap. He put on an innocent face and said, “No.”
Qi Changyi interjected, “He was with me.”
Yuan Xinyu and the others nodded, temporarily letting go of their suspicions.
After sharing information, the group split up again to continue their investigations.
On the way back, Xing Shi spotted Wen Zixin and walked alongside her. He sighed dramatically, “It’s so hot. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have picked the role of Major General. It would’ve been nice to wear something like Brother Qi and the others—a long robe with bare legs underneath.”
Wen Zixin laughed. “Well, at least you’ll know better next time.”
Xing Shi nodded, then casually changed the subject, chatting with her about their latest discoveries. As he fanned himself, he offhandedly complimented her outfit, turning to her with a sweet smile. “Sister Xin, your clothes are beautiful. Is that a Tang suit or a Song suit?”
Caught off guard by his smile, Wen Zixin instinctively answered, “It’s Hanfu.”
The staff member immediately announced, “Wen Zixin, eliminated.”
Wen Zixin: “!”
Since the characters in this setting came from modern times, discussing fashion styles wasn’t off-limits. The trick was to lower their guard and make them slip up.
Wen Zixin, weak-willed and vulnerable to good looks, fell right into the trap and was eliminated, leaving in tearful frustration.
Seated in the waiting area, Yan Feng glanced at her and grumbled, “He definitely has a special commission.”
Wen Zixin pretended to sob. “Yeah, I just figured that out.”
With another contestant gone, Yuan Xinyu and Lu Fengya became fully convinced that Xing Shi was playing a separate game.
However, the fun of this variety show was that eliminations couldn’t be done outright—you had to set verbal or physical traps. Qi Changyi, realizing Xing Shi had been exposed, gave them a hint. “Xing Shi’s flaw is related to weapons.”
Yuan Xinyu and Lu Fengya felt emboldened. With three against one, wouldn’t this be enough to take him down?
The answer was no. Xing Shi was too cautious to fall for their tricks. Instead, he managed to set a trap and eliminate Yuan Xinyu.
Seeing what a menace Xing Shi was, Lu Fengya decided to stop playing games, focusing on gathering intel instead.
Once the palace banquet officially started, she and Qi Changyi planned to split up, targeting several suspicious clients to complete their mission first.
However, before they could make their move, a loud voice rang out—
“Your Majesty!”
The hall fell silent as everyone turned toward the source.
Xing Shi stood in the center, staring straight at the person seated at the highest position.
The NPC, feeling the weight of everyone’s attention, hesitated and asked, “What is it, my dear subject?”
Xing Shi declared, “My family has presented a treasure to His Majesty. Has His Majesty received it?”
The NPC nodded.
Xing Shi raised his voice, “Your Majesty, its other name is a spaceship!”
Qi Changyi & Lu Fengya: “?”
Three contestants in the waiting area: “???”
The directing team: “…So reckless?”
But it was highly effective.
According to the game’s rules, the client had to respond when hearing their keyword. The queen, visibly stunned, gasped—and the wine glass in her hand slipped from her fingers, shattering on the floor.
Xing Shi locked onto her immediately.
Lu Fengya, regaining her senses, looked at the people around her and felt like she was hallucinating. “Did he just say spaceship? Aren’t we supposed to be in ancient times?”
Qi Changyi also wanted an explanation, but that wasn’t the priority.
He urged, “He found the client—we need to move fast.”
Lu Fengya immediately snapped back to reality. “Right!”
Unfortunately, they still weren’t fast enough—Xing Shi beat them to the finish line.
In every episode, the program team set up two interconnected commission letters. This time was no different.
The letter Qi Changyi’s team received was from the Crown Princess. She had noticed her husband acting strangely, seemingly plotting something. He frequently visited the harem and was unusually close to Cui Zhu, a maid in the Eastern Palace.
Initially, Qi Changyi’s team speculated that he was either having an affair, preparing a secret gift, or even planning a coup. However, as they followed the clues, they discovered the truth—he was suffering from a bizarre, unspeakable illness.
And the only cure was a prescription that could be obtained from the queen.
The Star Timeline offered an alternative unfolding of events.
Xing Shi’s commission letter came from the Alien Queen. Her son was half-alien, and unlike humans, aliens reached adulthood much later. Now, as her son approached adulthood, he was experiencing severe health issues. At the same time, she had grown weary of the endless palace intrigues and was torn between two choices—suppressing her son’s alien bloodline to ensure his survival in the imperial court or taking her husband, son, and daughter-in-law back to their home planet. Xing Shi’s victory meant she had made up her mind—to leave.
When a paper spaceship was ceremoniously presented, everyone was taken aback, marveling at how the production team always managed to push entertainment to the next level.
Then, to their surprise, they watched as the Queen joyfully gathered her family and boarded the spaceship. The Emperor and his courtiers, convinced they were ascending to immortality, beamed with excitement.
Yuan Xinyu and the others in the waiting area: “…”
If the heretic organization had won, things would have become irreversible.
But this—this was too irreversible! A spaceship? Seriously?!
They were caught between laughter and sheer bewilderment, turning their heads in unison to stare at the production team in silence.
The crew members themselves were momentarily speechless. They had expected this segment to take longer to film, but Xing Shi had turned on elimination mode right from the start, clearing the challenge effortlessly.
After reviewing the footage, the director determined they had enough material and moved on to the next phase.
The six guests changed back into modern clothing and split into two groups. The four permanent guests returned to the conference room to film the debriefing scene, summarizing the episode’s events before filming individual dream sequences as teasers for the next episode.
Qi Changyi and Xing Shi took turns recording their solo segments.
As the sky darkened, the director finally called it a wrap, prompting cheers from everyone.
The four permanent guests were especially thrilled.
They typically had more filming commitments, and if they hadn’t wrapped today, they would have had to continue tomorrow. But thanks to Xing Shi, they finished early.
By now, everyone had already added Xing Shi on WeChat, and they looked at him warmly, promising to meet up again when schedules allowed.
Even Yan Feng was satisfied with this new junior, finally dropping his grudge over being eliminated. He even offered reluctant praise:
“Not bad, kid.”
Xing Shi humbly accepted the compliment and then asked, “Brother Feng, are you free for dinner tonight?”
Yan Feng responded coolly, “Sure, I have time today.”
Xing Shi smirked. “Not busy anymore?”
Yan Feng nodded. “No rush.”
But deep down, he was already thinking—Since I suddenly have an extra day off tomorrow, can I squeeze in a last-minute booking? Any money I can make is worth it.
As he mulled it over, he followed the group to the restaurant.
The next morning, as Xing Shi and Fu Xiuning went downstairs for breakfast, they saw Yan Feng stepping out of the opposite elevator, carrying a suitcase.
Xing Shi raised an eyebrow. “Brother Feng, leaving so early?”
Yan Feng nodded. “Yeah, I signed a new contract last night.”
Xing Shi asked casually, “Want to have breakfast before you go?”
Yan Feng declined. “I’ll eat at the airport.”
With that, he nodded at them both, took one last look at Fu Xiuning, and turned to leave, suitcase in hand.
Make money. Build capital. Recruit younger brothers. Train and subdue Fu Xiuning.
A bright future awaited him.
Feeling invigorated, he strode towards his car, full of ambition.
Xing Shi watched him disappear from view and made a mental assessment.
Arrogant. Too obsessed with saving face. Stingy—never spent a single penny while we were together.
And most interestingly—despite seeing Fu Xiuning treating me so differently, he didn’t seem to care at all.
Looks like it’s time to ask Fu Xiuning for more details.
After grabbing his breakfast, Xing Shi followed Fu Xiuning to their table, sitting down across from him while quietly studying him.
Fu Xiuning, already holding his utensils, raised his gaze. “Something on your mind?”
Xing Shi smiled. “Nothing, just looking at you.”
Fu Xiuning asked knowingly, “Are you thinking about Yan Feng?”
Xing Shi shrugged. “Not really. He’s just so hardworking, it makes me feel guilty. Are the other artists in the company this busy too?”
Fu Xiuning knew he was actually inquiring about the other hosts and answered, “More or less. Many of them are filming right now.”
So, they’re on set.
That explained why Yan Feng’s schedule was more flexible—he was constantly hopping between different jobs, allowing him to join the variety show.
Xing Shi sighed. “They really work hard.”
Fu Xiuning said, “Your daily training isn’t easy either.”
Then, as if dropping a hint, he added, “Yan Feng’s been pushing himself too long. It’s time he took a break.”
Xing Shi immediately caught on—Fu Xiuning was setting up an opportunity for him. He nodded in understanding.
At this moment, the system, having waited patiently, finally spoke up:
“Why are you still talking about Yan Feng? Let’s talk about your bet~”
Xing Shi refused to engage. “No bet.”
The system chuckled. “Does that even matter? Your brother won’t let you off the hook.”
Xing Shi felt a sudden jolt, realizing he had accidentally set a trap for himself. Before he could backtrack, Fu Xiuning smoothly added, “He was selected from a talent show and has strong professional skills. How about asking him to give you a lesson and share his experience?”
Xing Shi carefully noted that no favorability notification appeared, meaning Fu Xiuning had resisted the urge to react this time.
He shut the system up and replied, “Okay.”
Fu Xiuning hummed in approval. Their eyes met momentarily before looking away, both understanding each other perfectly.
Xing Shi’s willingness to use a “wildcard favor” as a bet meant he was open to bypassing the system’s surveillance through unconventional means.
Fu Xiuning, of course, understood.
But they both hesitated.
Because—could the system really be trusted?
Many apps claim not to collect user data, but in the end, they always do it secretly.
Neither of them had been forced to that extreme yet, so they needed to carefully consider this option.
After breakfast, Qi Changyi finally woke up. He grabbed a quick meal and joined them on the way to the airport.
Returning to City Z, life resumed its usual rhythm.
Fu Xiuning spoke with Yan Feng’s agent, learning that most of Yan Feng’s work had already been pre-arranged and contractually bound.
Canceling would mean breaching the contract.
At this point, the best they could do was stop accepting new work and wait for Yan Feng to finish his current obligations before taking a break.
Fu Xiuning did the math—by the time Yan Feng finally got some rest, the other hosts would also be back from filming.
For a brief moment, he considered letting this workaholic keep going.
But in the end, he stuck to his original plan.
Plans never seem to keep up with change.
A week later, Xing Shi was sitting next to Fu Xiuning, casually scrolling through his phone, when a new trending topic caught his eye—
#Yan Feng Fainted#
Xing Shi: “?”
System: “?”
The system exclaimed, “Oh my god, did he finally overwork himself?”
Fu Xiuning, still focused on his book, showed no reaction.
The next moment, Xing Shi leaned over with his phone in hand. “Brother, Yan Feng fainted.”
Fu Xiuning glanced at the screen and saw that it had happened during yet another indoor variety show. The game’s intensity had been too much, and after just one round, Yan Feng had collapsed on the spot.
He stood up immediately. “I’m making a call.”
News spread quickly online. Fans, digging into Yan Feng’s year-long schedule, realized that he had not taken a single break. Outraged, they immediately began tearing into the company for overworking him.
Over at June Culture, the PR department did not act right away, waiting for Fu Xiuning’s instructions.
Meanwhile, Yan Feng regained consciousness after being sent to the hospital. Seeing the public backlash, he panicked, fearing that this might halt his work.
In an effort to control the narrative, he hurriedly posted screenshots of his chat records with his agent, proving that he had taken on these jobs voluntarily. His agent had tried to persuade him to slow down, but he had insisted—he wanted to become his fans’ greatest pride as soon as possible.
Fans were deeply moved, shedding tears and begging him not to push himself so hard.
Only then did the PR department step in, releasing an official statement:
The company has always prioritized the health of its artists and will now enforce a mandatory rest period for Yan Feng.
The fans cried even harder—first, apologizing for misunderstanding the company, then thanking them, and finally pleading with them to take good care of their beloved Yan Feng.
But Yan Feng himself was furious.
He immediately called his agent, demanding to resume work, only to be firmly rejected.
Feeling trapped, he turned to Fu Xiuning, lowering his voice for the first time.
It didn’t work.
Frustrated, he lost his temper. “Why are you all making such a big deal out of this? I’m fine now!”
The system tried to reason with him. “Boss, just take a few days off. You literally fainted.”
Yan Feng scoffed. “It was just for a moment. No need to blow it out of proportion.”
The system, exasperated, reminded him, “Even the doctors said you’re overworked and need more rest!”
Yan Feng let out an annoyed “Hmph” and refused to admit it was his fault. “This is on you. You stuck me with a weak body.”
System: “…”
To be honest, with the way you push yourself, even an iron body wouldn’t hold up!
You’re lucky you lasted more than a year before collapsing!
But the system swallowed its frustration and apologized tactfully. “Sorry, it’s our fault.”
Yan Feng wasn’t done. “Then do something useful. Figure out a way for me to start working again. Can I take jobs on my own?”
The system checked the contract and replied, “You can’t sign with third parties without authorization. Doing so would be a breach of contract.”
Yan Feng’s expression darkened. “Then I’ll terminate my contract.”
The system, though reluctant to see him leave Fu Xiuning’s company, didn’t object outright. Instead, it calmly listed the termination penalty fees.
Yan Feng fell silent.
The system pushed further. “Besides, if you leave, you’ll have to find your own resources. You won’t be able to make nearly as much money.”
Yan Feng gritted his teeth. “Then what do you suggest I do?”
Seeing an opportunity, the system steered him in a different direction. “Why not reach out to Xing Shi? He has a good relationship with the boss. Maybe he can help you plead your case.”
Yan Feng considered this—it actually made sense.
Unfortunately for him, Xing Shi always set his phone to silent mode while sleeping, so he missed the call.
By the time he saw the message, it was already the next day.
Since he had classes in the morning, he quickly replied:
“Brother Feng, are you discharged yet? How about coming back to City Z for a face-to-face talk?”
Yan Feng, having nothing better to do, agreed. “I’ll be back tonight. Let’s meet at the company.”
That evening, after class, Xing Shi met Yan Feng at a restaurant near the company.
Ironically, he chose the exact same seat where Yu Shu had sat before.
As soon as he sat down, Yan Feng got straight to the point—he wanted Xing Shi to convince Fu Xiuning to let him work again.
Xing Shi shook his head. “Nope. Not unless you give me a legitimate reason.”
Yan Feng was taken aback. “Isn’t the fact that I’m perfectly fine proof enough?”
Xing Shi didn’t budge. “That’s not what the doctor said.”
Yan Feng forced himself to stay calm. “The doctor just told me to rest. I’ll cut back a little, that’s all.”
Xing Shi stared at him intently, letting the silence stretch before speaking in a serious tone:
“Brother Feng, we’ve known each other for a while now. I treat you as an older brother. I genuinely want you to be well. But… I also want you to be honest with me. Just once. You’re already rich. You’re famous. You’re still young, with endless possibilities ahead. So tell me—why are you pushing yourself this hard?”
Yan Feng clenched his jaw. “Young people should hustle.”
Xing Shi remained firm. “If you won’t tell me the truth, I won’t help you. But I promise, no matter what your real reason is, I’ll keep it a secret. I won’t tell anyone else.”
Yan Feng fell completely silent.
Xing Shi waited, wondering if Yan Feng would finally reveal what was truly driving him.
The two locked eyes for half a minute.
Then, Yan Feng took a deep breath, steadied himself, and said, “Fine.”
Xing Shi leaned in, expectant, offering an encouraging look.
Yan Feng glanced around, making sure no one was eavesdropping. He lowered his voice and asked seriously:
“Are you absolutely sure you won’t tell anyone?”
Xing Shi nodded without hesitation.
Yan Feng: “Alright. Then answer me this one question first.”
Xing Shi: “Go ahead.”
Yan Feng locked eyes with him, then slowly, word by word, asked:
“Do you… have a dream?”
Xing Shi: “?”
System: “…”
