Chapter Ten: Defying Explosions, Ignoring Warnings

"Mr. Lin, what dish are you preparing?"
"Big Pot Stew," Lin Xing replied as he sliced the meat.

In Lin Xing's northern hometown, Big Pot Stew was indispensable; it was served at every wedding and funeral, always accompanied by the customary steamed buns. Of course, back on Earth, Lin Xing had never cooked this dish. He only learned after arriving here, especially during his charity trips to various regions, where some children hadn't tasted meat for months.

Eventually, Lin Xing decided to learn to cook for himself—Big Pot Stew. Traditionally, in his hometown, the stew contained only pork, but Lin Xing soon began adding beef and lamb. He apprenticed with a chef for some time, which led to this new version.

Cooking, at times, is its own form of pleasure. Especially when Lin Xing prepared Big Pot Stew for the children at Dafeng Mountain, watching them devour it ravenously was his greatest enjoyment.

Lin Xing had arranged for the show crew to prepare a large pot in advance. He chopped firewood, set up the pot, lit the fire, and poured in the oil. Rustic, authentic farmhouse style.

Unlike harvesting wheat—which Lin Xing hadn't done in ages—he had recently made Big Pot Stew at Dafeng Mountain, so his movements were nothing short of expert.

"Camera two, three, four, all focus on Lin Xing,"
"Close-ups, especially on his knife work,"
"Get a tight shot of the pot,"
...

Feng Gang was visibly excited at this moment. "Farming Together" was all about celebrities working the land, and authenticity was key. Lin Xing's Big Pot Stew couldn't be more fitting. Feng Gang even instructed his team to come up with several promotional slogans for the dish.

All afternoon, Feng Gang sat behind the monitors, concentrating on capturing Lin Xing's cooking.

In Feng Gang's mind, inviting Lin Xing this episode was meant to reverse the show's dwindling popularity, to break out of its niche. Even if it meant being criticized, anything was better than being ignored. It was a gamble, and everything had to revolve around Lin Xing.

But he never expected Lin Xing to surprise him so completely.

By five in the afternoon, Duan Hai, Guan Peng, and the others returned from the fields.

"Hey, is Mr. Lin cooking for us?"
"Wow, it smells amazing—what is it?"
"Big Pot Stew, we make it all the time where I'm from."
...

Everyone chimed in, voices overlapping and excited.

"That's right, it's Big Pot Stew." Lin Xing smiled. "It's ready now."
He lifted the lid, revealing a steaming, aromatic stew that filled the air.

Of course, everyone was hungry. Harvesting wheat is exhausting work, and as long as the food wasn't terrible, it would taste delicious.

They dug in.

With the meal finished, the recording came to an end.

"Xingxing, thank you for your hard work today," Feng Gang was the first to approach. "I'll have Old Guo drive you back to the hotel. Get a good rest tonight, and tomorrow he'll take you straight to the exam site."

"Director Feng, this was hardly hard work," Lin Xing laughed. "Shouldn't I be sleeping here tonight?"

"No need," Feng Gang chuckled. "We never left accommodations for guests here, unlike other shows that film sleeping scenes. Besides, tomorrow you'll not only take the certification exam but continue harvesting wheat. It'll be even more tiring, so you absolutely need a good night's sleep."

With the matter settled, Lin Xing didn't insist further. Sometimes, less is more.

Back at the hotel, Lin Xing took a bath, then checked the trending topics on Weibo.

Wu Yao's scandal had been brewing for two days, and the controversy wasn't cooling down—it was escalating. After all, a superstar's downfall is everyone’s favorite drama.

Wu Yao was essentially finished. Only his fans were still shouting, "My brother was wronged," but almost no one believed him anymore.

As Sister Dao had predicted, the endorsements and resources lost by Wu Yao were up for grabs. Everyone wanted a piece. Who wouldn't want to stomp on Wu Yao now?

His negative trending topics had been bought in bulk.

Then there was Lin Xing.

Lin Xing was also targeted with negative trending topics—to prevent him from becoming popular. Though Lin Xing was far less famous than Wu Yao, his association with Wu Yao’s scandal had propelled him up the trending charts.

Within just two days, Lin Xing’s popularity on Weibo skyrocketed. Other artists were certainly wary, trying to prevent Lin Xing from regaining fame.

Because Lin Xing had spent the whole day filming "Farming Together," he was unaware of the situation on the trending topics. Sister Dao, however, knew; her company's PR department monitored everything in real time.

Already, the trending topics were rife with slander: "No one from Starshine Ocean is any good; Lin Xing was practically illiterate back in the day." "Chu Hai had a secret marriage and child; Wu Yao cheated, abused, and frequented prostitutes, and now Lin Xing is feeding off Wu Yao’s downfall," and so forth.

Public opinion is always thus.

Netizens are fickle; today they curse one person, tomorrow another. Why else are long-form posts so popular?

Lin Xing paid little mind to it. On his way back to the hotel, he told Sister Dao there was no need for PR or response. If you respond, you’re just letting them lead you by the nose.

How could you ever prove your innocence with a few bowls of noodles?

Especially since they were already preparing ways to suppress him—likely with a hundred tricks up their sleeves.

The next day, Lin Xing and Lin Miaoyin continued filming.

In the car, Guo Biao explained the upcoming certification exam. Lin Xing chimed in occasionally, but Lin Miaoyin seemed in poor spirits. Even with makeup, faint dark circles were visible.

Lin Xing assumed she was simply tired from the previous night, unaware that she had spent the night fighting online under a pseudonym.

She couldn’t stand the attacks on Xingxing.

She even asserted, "Just wait until you see the latest episode of 'Farming Together'—you'll see how talented Lin Xing really is."

Unfortunately, her words were met with ridicule.

"A joke—what talent could an illiterate possibly have?"
"What kind of garbage show is 'Farming Together'? Never even heard of it. Is Lin Xing supposed to be some farming expert?"
"'Expert'—good one. But with Lin Xing's acting skills, the whole thing will be embarrassing."
"Fans of an illiterate are illiterate themselves. How could farming possibly showcase talent?"

Originally, Lin Miaoyin wanted to promote Lin Xing, but instead faced fresh waves of mockery. She barely slept all night.

But for Feng Gang, it was a dream come true.

Negative attention is still attention.

Lin Xing’s trending suppression brought "Farming Together" to the hot search for the first time—a happy accident.

"When Lin Xing arrives, make sure every camera is on him," Feng Gang instructed at the exam site.

...

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