Chapter 33

Chapter 33

That day, Su Ximu both gave and received a gift, along with the anticipation it brought.

As dusk settled, the two at the seaside began their walk back, parting ways in front of the trainee dormitory.

Su Ximu ascended to the third floor and entered his dorm. As he had mentioned to Group Leader Lan 242, he placed the peculiar stone into a potted plant, letting it temporarily keep the mushrooms company.

The other bottle of small red stones was carefully tucked away in a drawer. To prevent it from rolling around, he thoughtfully placed a folded towel beneath it for added friction.

Having completed these tasks, he glanced towards the opposite window.

The curtain fluttered gently in the sea breeze. What could Group Leader Lan 244 be doing now?

***

In the dimly lit room, a sound like tearing silk echoed.

A pair of pale, distinctly jointed hands, glowing faintly in the darkness, were stained with blood.

Blood trickled down the wrists.

Drip, drip, drip.

After a long silence, these hands reached into his own chest and extracted a still-beating heart. Thump, thump, thump.

The vibrant, pulsating heart received no final glance from its owner, being carelessly tossed to the ground. The moment it hit the floor, it ceased its rhythm.

The owner of the hands then retreated to the bathroom, meticulously cleansing himself of all stains. Only when no more blood flowed from his chest and his hands were pristine once more did he emerge, approaching the table.

He clasped his hands together, reverently lifting the small grass figure and placing it into the hollow in his chest.

From this day forward, this beautiful little grass figure would replace his heart, continuing to beat within his body.

***

That night, just before bed, Su Ximu discovered his elder brother had replied, asking if he would appear in the upcoming show.

Su Ximu sat cross-legged, carefully composing his response.

Theoretically, as a staff member, he shouldn't be on camera. However, with so many cameras on the island, he wasn't entirely sure which footage the production team would ultimately include in the main feature.

Still, it was highly probable that if he did appear, it would only be a brief moment in the behind-the-scenes segment. The production team would likely prioritize showcasing the trainees' startled reactions.

After all, his role was merely that of a dormitory supervisor; the trainees were the primary focus of the program.

So, he replied to his 'elder brother': "I might have a small appearance in the first episode's behind-the-scenes footage."

The deputy director had already announced in the group chat that the show would premiere on GYTV Channel 3 at 8 PM tomorrow night, after which it would be available on major online video platforms. Alongside the first official episode, an interesting behind-the-scenes special would also be released.

The first official episode would only cover the trainees' initial evaluations.

The behind-the-scenes footage, however, would include as many interesting moments as the production team had captured, sometimes even revealing parts of the dance practices for the elimination rounds.

Shortly after Su Ximu sent the message, his 'elder brother' replied: "Understood, I'll watch it then. Are you adjusting well to the job there? If anything comes up, just call me."

Reading the reply, he ran his hand through his hair, wanting to tell his 'elder brother' about the beautiful seashells he saw on the beach, about the gift Group Leader Lan 242 gave him, and how well he was adapting to his new job, and that the trainees were all pretty easygoing…

He had a lot to say, none of it particularly profound.

But isn't that how family conversations go? The things shared don't always have to be particularly meaningful.

In the end, though, he simply replied: "Thank you, elder brother. I'm settling in very well here."

"Elder brother: Some of my business partners' children are into celebrities. Xiao Xi, see if you can get a few autographs from the trainees. This is the advance payment for their orders."

"Elder brother: Work it out with the trainees. You can split it nine-to-one with them."

These two messages, sent along with a red envelope, left the young man with no way to refuse.

After all, this wasn’t just a red envelope from his elder brother—it also seemed like a potential income stream for the trainees.

Many of the trainees here likely weren't from wealthy families. This was evident from how some couldn't even afford to buy snacks from the supermarket.

Still, he had one doubt: Had the trainees already picked up fans before the show even aired?

Su Ximu thought this and asked as much.

His elder brother replied: "They like the 'nurturing' aspect."

Well, that was a convincing answer.

Su Ximu believed it.

So, with a tap of his finger, he accepted the large transfer from his elder brother.

On the other end, Su Xuanxiao, having just sent some spending money to his younger brother, was in a good mood. He tapped the surface of his desk, and his assistant, who was waiting outside the office, entered promptly.

The Su Financial Group never slept, operating 24/7, with employees working in shifts around the clock.

The assistant who entered now was the night-shift assistant from the executive office.

As the assistant approached and bowed respectfully, Su Xuanxiao issued a direct order: "Notify the Network Information Security and Control Department. Starting tomorrow, both the day and night shifts will work overtime."

The assistant said nothing, merely made a note of the instruction carefully. After confirming there were no further orders, he respectfully backed out of the office.

***

The next evening at 8 PM, "Tonight's Big Star" aired as scheduled on GYTV Channel 3.

As the channel under CYTV dedicated to entertainment programs, GYTV had a very high national viewership.

Coupled with the substantial marketing efforts by the "Tonight's Big Star" production team before the broadcast, including several hot searches, the show achieved impressive ratings from the very beginning.

After watching the first episode, viewers flocked to the show’s official account to leave comments:

"Whose brilliant idea was this? I thought a few dozen trainees would be a lot, but they brought in over a hundred? This is going to be fun."

"Hehehe, Trainee No. 34’s collarbone is so pretty. I want it."

"Is the show doing a giveaway? I want Trainee No. 73’s hands! Hand fetishists, unite!"

"Wait, am I the only one who found this episode pretty boring? What’s going on? Not a single trainee was eliminated in the first episode."

"Are you blind? Or deaf? There were 104 trainees when they arrived on the island, but only 91 by the initial evaluations."

"I’ll tell you straight! Without seeing the elimination process, what’s the point? I’m here to watch a show, not play house. Terrible—I’m giving it a bad review!"

"If you’re not blind, then read the show’s announcement. Did you miss the huge link to the behind-the-scenes footage?"

According to Su Ximu’s assumption, his screen time in the behind-the-scenes footage would be minimal.

But viewers who followed the link to the streaming platform to watch the behind-the-scenes segment were left confused.

Wasn't this supposed to be a compilation of trainees getting eliminated?

The beginning of the behind-the-scenes footage was somewhat appealing to some viewers.

In the darkness of night, the fourth-floor Dormitory Selection Officer, holding an axe, cornered one of the trainees. Under the trainee's terrified and desperate gaze, he sneered and stepped forward.

A creepy viewer, sitting in front of their computer, excitedly gnawed on their fingers, maniacally muttering with a frenzied expression, "Yes, just like that! Just like that!"

"Chop him! Chop him to pieces with that axe!"

What wonderful begging—only such sounds could live up to the hype of this absurd survival show marketed by this damn production team!

Onscreen, the creepy figure raised the axe high.

Offscreen, the creepy viewer, in their excitement, bit their fingers hard enough to draw blood.

The next second, *zila~*

It wasn't the sound of blood splattering, but the camera abruptly going black.

The creepy viewer, who had been biting their fingers in excitement, froze mid-action.

After a long while, a crackling sound came from the speakers, and the screen finally displayed footage again.

But it was a Dormitory Selection Officer he had never seen before, wearing a cloak and holding a scythe, chasing another trainee.

Because the cloak's hood was somewhat large, his face wasn't clearly visible on the screen.

The video caption indicated this was the third floor.

Third floor? Fine, third floor it is. The third and fourth floors are pretty much the same.

The finger-gnawing creep reluctantly tried to work up their excitement again, not taking their eyes off the actions of the third-floor Dormitory Selection Officer.

He pushed open the door to the trainee dormitory.

He selected his prey.

He placed the scythe against the prey's neck.

The prey pushed the scythe away and ran.

He stood still for a few seconds before giving chase.

The finger-gnawing creep curled a smile, finally regaining interest.

This Dormitory Selection Officer knew how to have fun with this—was he planning to mess with his prey before killing it?

After watching for a while, the selected trainee, number 44, finally collapsed, exhausted, closing his eyes in despair.

The creepy figure in the black cloak sneered, pulled something out of his pocket and reached toward him...

The short-haired young man in front of the screen switched to gnawing on a different finger, bracing for the climax.

And then...

"Fuck!!!"

Su Financial Group Headquarters

The Network Information Security and Control Department was on full alert, eagerly preparing to go three hundred rounds with online trolls.

They had received clear instructions.

The third-floor Dormitory Selection Officer featured in the behind-the-scenes footage of *Tonight's Big Star* was none other than the actual young master of the Su Financial Group!

At the department head’s command, every employee sprouted eight extra hands, each pair assigned to a computer.

Amid the flurry of motion, the keys were practically sparking from the furious typing.

Some employees, aiming for efficiency, even created a separate chatroom for the trolls who were badmouthing their young master, jumping on mic to confront them directly.

“Do you even understand behind-the-scenes footage? Such emotional brushstrokes, such brilliant doodles! Being able to see these on the trainees’ faces is a privilege of a lifetime for you!”

The troll on the other end of the line was infuriated: “What did you say? My honor? Even kindergarten trolls wouldn’t watch this garbage!”

“Behind-the-scenes videos are trash! Real trolls should face life’s bloody truths! [unintelligible cursing]!”

The curse was so foul that it made the InfoSec employee see red: “What did you say? I dare you to say that again!”

“[expletives]?!”

“Who says you can’t create a chatroom online? Freedom of speech—I’ll say whatever I want! If you have the guts, crawl through this screen and find me!”

This was even more vulgar.

The Information Department employee’s face flushed red with rage. How dare the other party insult their young master’s work like this!

Having worked their way up to their current positions within the financial group, they were deeply loyal to the Su Financial Group.

As the saying goes, when the master is shamed, the servant must die. This was no exception.

“Crawl over? Fine!”

He slammed the table, retracted his extra eight hands, and launched himself headfirst into the computer screen, into the digital realm.

Author's Note:

Troll: You wanna piece of me?

Employee: Coming right at you!