Chapter 13: The Dog System, How Dare You Toy With Me

When she finally saw Duan Mucheng’s face clearly, it was just as Lexi had imagined—exceptionally handsome. But the more handsome he was, the angrier Lexi felt; Song Qi was good-looking too, and look how that turned out—he was worse than a pig or a dog.

Lexi lowered her head and continued roasting her lamb, utterly uninterested in having her picture taken. Yet Duan Mucheng deliberately came closer, and as he did, the others followed suit. The cameras clicked furiously, and Lexi was caught in the frame before she could escape.

Amusingly, Lexi noticed Gu Xiaomo’s shoulder acting suspiciously, rubbing up against Duan Mucheng. She was obviously infatuated.

“I’m equally jealous of anyone who gets to take a photo with my dear Mucheng.”

“Gu Xiaomo, what are you doing? Are you trying to take advantage of him?”

“Gu Xiaomo, you’re so shameless! No wonder fans of the top stars insult you—you deserve it.”

Both the director and assistant director approached eagerly, greeting Duan Mucheng with wide grins.

“Mucheng, it’s an honor—a real honor! Your presence elevates our program to another level.”

They smiled so broadly their faces could hardly contain it. The director had invited Duan Mucheng at the start, even offering an astronomical fee, which Duan had promptly refused. Yet, here he was, joining of his own accord without costing them a penny.

“What? The director didn’t know Duan Mucheng would come? Was this a coincidence?”

“I knew it. My Mucheng isn’t the type to appear on a variety show.”

“He’s so dignified and kind. He could’ve kept his identity hidden and just left after buying the lamb kebab.”

“I’m going to cry. My Mucheng is so kindhearted. Maybe he saw all the criticism this show was getting and wanted to help its reputation. I’ve never chosen wrong—he’s truly my angel.”

“Come, let’s go to the car, have some tea, and take a break,” the director invited.

“Hey, do you still want your kebab? If not, I won’t bother cutting it up,” Lexi asked, even if he was a movie star.

“Yes,” Duan Mucheng replied, handing her sixty yuan.

The assistant director tried to please him. “Lexi, you’re still charging Mucheng?”

“Of course she should,” Duan Mucheng interjected.

“My Mucheng never takes a free meal.”

“Assistant director, watch your words! Are you trying to ruin Mucheng’s reputation?”

“Yes,” the assistant director quickly corrected himself with a smile. “Mucheng’s a man of principle. We should all learn from him. Everyone, follow his example.”

The director chimed in, “Mucheng, let’s go have some tea.”

Duan Mucheng glanced at his phone and opened Weibo. The trending topics, once filled with attacks on Lexi, had vanished, replaced by:

#Duan Mucheng in the Wild
#Duan Mucheng on ‘Let’s Be Brave in Love’
#Mucheng is so handsome
#Duan Mucheng’s Variety Show Debut

His assistant also messaged to say that the live chat for “Let’s Be Brave in Love” was now filled with praise for him and criticism aimed at the assistant director and Gu Xiaomo.

Duan Mucheng smiled faintly and slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Maybe next time—I still have work to do.”

“No, Mucheng, don’t go! I haven’t seen enough yet!”

“Don’t leave! Stay a bit longer!”

“Don’t exhaust yourself, Mucheng. He’s an actor, not a variety star. This was just a surprise appearance. Let’s respect him and not insist he stays.”

“Good that he’s leaving. I don’t want to watch Mucheng tangled up with those women—they don’t deserve him.”

“Exactly. If he stays, Gu Xiaomo will just try to get close to him again.”

Once Duan Mucheng left, a crowd followed the aroma to Lexi’s stall.

“I knew something smelled delicious—it’s a whole roasted lamb!”

“It’s been years since we’ve seen a whole lamb roasted here in our little town. Miss, did you roast this yourself?”

“Yes, thirty-one boxes. Would you like one? The boxes are huge,” Lexi replied, showing them off.

Someone nearby reminded the others, “She’s a celebrity.”

“That makes it even more worth buying!”

Gu Xiaomo, just coming out of her daydream about Duan Mucheng, saw Lexi’s booming business and heard the local aunties singing her praises.

“What a lovely girl, and she can roast a whole lamb! Whoever marries you will be truly blessed…”

From afar, Wang Sisi chimed in from behind the crowd, “How is Lexi so amazing?”

Gu Xiaomo was furious and hurried back to her own stall. Gu Junhao stood there alone, not a single customer. Gu Xiaomo rationalized that now she was back, and with her system, people should flock to her stall instead.

Yet after waiting for ages, not a single person even glanced her way.

Gu Xiaomo tried calling the system, but no matter how she called, it didn’t respond. She cursed under her breath, “Stupid system, how dare you mess with me?”

Gu Junhao was stunned—gentle, sweet Gu Xiaomo had just called him a dog.

“What did you call me? A dog?”

Gu Xiaomo hurried to deny it. “Of course not! Why would I call you that? I just meant—how could there not be a single customer?”

He muttered, “True enough.”

She stole a glance at the camera—had the viewers overheard? How did she lose control like that?

“What’s wrong with you, Gu Xiaomo? Why did you call Junhao a dog?”

“You’re the dog, Gu Xiaomo! All you did was try to get close to the movie star, and now you have no customers. Then you come back and insult Gu Junhao.”

“And look at her—after denying it, she sneaks a look at the camera. Such a sly expression. She’s clearly a schemer.”

Because tomorrow was their last day here, the host gathered everyone after returning from the town.

“Everyone, bring out the money you’ve earned these past two days. I’ll tally the current rankings.”

After counting, the host announced:

“First place: Lexi and Huo Hongming, two thousand and eighty-eight.”

“Second place, close behind: Cui Meiying and Deng Jiachao, two thousand and fifty-eight.”

“Third place: Gu Xiaomo and Gu Junhao, one thousand five hundred sixty-five.”

“Last place: Wang Sisi and Wang Zhuorui, thirty-eight.”

“Goodness, the last place is so far behind! Sisi, if only you put as much effort into selling as you do into dancing…”

“Sisi and Zhuorui really are a match—both so stubborn. If corn isn’t selling, move on!”

“If Wang Sisi weren’t so single-minded, she wouldn’t be called the Dancing Machine. If Wang Zhuorui weren’t so stubborn, he wouldn’t end up broke and still insist on holding a concert in a stadium.”

The host said, “Sisi, Zhuorui, you need to work harder. This show is very real—if you draw ‘walking’ tomorrow, you’ll genuinely have to walk to the next filming location.”

“Oh no, seriously?” Sisi gasped.

In the bathroom, Gu Xiaomo stared at her phone and screamed, “How could this happen? Why are there so many comments insulting me? Where are the insults for Lexi? System, system—”

She tried calling the system again, but still nothing.

“Could the system have switched to Lexi? If she becomes popular, what will happen to me? I’ll die of jealousy. No, absolutely not!”

Gu Xiaomo tried contacting Song Qi again.

The next day, just as Lexi set up her lamb on the rack, a hand suddenly yanked her away. The cameraman tried to follow, but several men in black blocked his path.