Chapter 23: Lin Xing Must Be Cheating

This week has been a fruitful one for the cast and crew of “Farming with the Stars.” Take Feng Gang, for instance: the viral success of two episodes of “Farming with the Stars” helped him secure his place on Banana Video and proved his worth. Even after leaving Tan Province TV, he was still going strong.

As for the eight lesser-known guests like Duan Hai and Ding Yi, or the two washed-up actors Hong Fei and Guan Peng, their numbers all saw a surge. Not only that, the show brought a wave of new users to Banana Video.

As previously said, when a variety show goes viral, everyone shares in the benefits. That’s why, before today’s latest episode aired, Banana Video gave it a full-site promotion, spotlighting it on their official account.

At noon, as soon as the episode dropped, a flood of viewers rushed in.

“Garbage, garbage! This show is all about faking it.”

“Who even watches this trash anymore?”

“Lin Xing is a joke; he’ll never make it big.”

Almost immediately, the comment section was awash with insults—the same feud that had been raging since Lin Xing announced the dissolution of his fan club on July 16th.

From the perspective of the fan leaders, Lin Xing’s audacity to disband his fan club warranted punishment; they wanted to teach him a lesson and deter other celebrities from making such bold moves. Yet, Lin Xing never responded.

So, they decided to spam the comment section with hate as soon as the new episode aired.

“Where did these trolls come from? Are they sick? I’ve already reported them.”

“Seriously, enough is enough. Are you treating the comments like a microblog?”

“This is just like public defecation. Don’t bother arguing, just report them.”

“Right, it’s annoying enough on microblogs—why bring it here?”

For fans of “Farming with the Stars,” chatting together during the show was a joy. Why did these people have to chase after the show just to insult it? Reporting them became the collective response.

As the episode progressed, more viewers began discussing their impressions.

“I can’t stop laughing—Lin Miaoyin really is a beautiful fool. How did she not pass the first test?”

“Wow, so that’s how the combine harvester exam works. And Ding Yi only graduated elementary school?”

“No wonder the first test was a struggle.”

“As a ten-year fan of Lin Xing, I’ll say he also only graduated elementary school, so don’t look down on that.”

“Hilarious! So Lin Miaoyin and Ding Yi are just a bit dim. And Lin Miaoyin even went to film school.”

“Come on, plenty of film school graduates can barely read.”

As the first test ended, the comment section exploded with chatter.

“It’s actually real—the second test happens alongside ordinary people.”

“That’s how unknown these stars are; nobody recognizes them.”

“Look at those interviews with bystanders—they thought it was the TV station filming a promo for driver’s licenses.”

“If I hadn’t watched ‘Farming with the Stars,’ I wouldn’t recognize any of them either.”

“Forget Duan Hai and Ding Yi, with Guan Peng’s out-of-shape figure, would you dare recognize him?”

Initially, viewers were surprised to see so many ordinary people waiting for the test on the edge of the fields, especially when the production team told them it was for the TV station. Truly, these were minor celebrities in a minor show.

But when the actual exam began, and the combine harvester appeared before them, they were genuinely amazed.

“Is this for real?”

“Have any stars ever taken this test before?”

“In the trailer, Lin Xing seemed pretty skilled—was that staged?”

“How hard can it be? It’s just a bigger car, like a truck license—should be simple.”

“Ha! Hong Fei totally flopped—he stalled before even starting!”

“Cool for about three seconds, then he looked so confident—as if he’d pass in one go.”

“It’s actually tough. Who said it was easy? Just watching makes my head hurt.”

“Wow, Lin Xing is incredible!”

“Wait, is this staged? How can Lin Xing be so good?”

“Lin Xing just passed the second test on the combine harvester in one shot?”

In an instant, the comment section exploded, with viewers flooding it with praise.

Those who came to stir up trouble were drowned out by the flood of genuine comments. Fan circles, especially their leaders, could only control so much.

Most of Lin Xing’s fans understood him, especially the former fan club admins like Big Cat, who knew how laid-back he had always been. The club’s dissolution was for the fans’ own good—to prevent them from being exploited.

Lin Xing was acting in their best interest.

That was enough.

Even though the official fan club was gone, it didn’t stop people from continuing to support Lin Xing.

Many level-headed fans accepted it. In fact, the recent drama stirred by the fan leaders led more bystanders to develop a favorable impression of Lin Xing.

After all, ordinary viewers instinctively resist influencer fandoms, especially those where fans control commentary so tightly that any criticism gets you blacklisted.

Just look at so-and-so.

Say anything negative and you’re immediately targeted.

Ironically, Lin Xing gained some public goodwill during this period.

In today’s episode of “Farming with the Stars,” Lin Xing was once again the standout performer.

“This Lin Xing is really amazing—he’s so skilled with the combine harvester!”

“It’s tough to maneuver such a big machine in and out of the garage. My little sedan can’t even make it.”

“I want to see if Lin Xing keeps passing so smoothly.”

As the viewers chatted away, they watched Hong Fei fail the third test again, while Lin Xing passed it on his second attempt.

The contrast between the two was stark.

The examiner said it was easy.

Hong Fei failed, saying it looked easy but wasn’t.

Lin Xing claimed it both looked and was easy.

Then came the fourth test: Lin Xing was first up, and once again passed effortlessly.

“Well, now it’s clear—this episode is all about Lin Xing’s prowess.”

“More than just skilled—the first test was tough, but the second, third, and fourth? That’s no easy feat.”

“Exactly! And he made it look effortless.”

“Is Lin Xing cheating?”

The viewers began to wonder if Lin Xing was somehow cheating.

For ten years, Lin Xing had been a faded, low-profile star, never trending online.

Then suddenly, thanks to Wu Yao’s scandal, he hit the trending list.

Now, his performance on “Farming with the Stars” was extraordinary.

Harvesting wheat.

Cooking in the big pot.

Driving the combine harvester.

Reflecting on the past half month, if you think about it carefully—

Isn’t Lin Xing practically cheating?

…