The Most Popular Comedian

Chapter 60

A lengthy silence spread between the phone lines. After a while, Wen Zhecheng slowly exhaled a heavy breath…

His voice was cool and deep, his gaze profound. “Thank you.”

Rong Yuheng raised his phone and lifted his chin. “Quite sincere, isn’t it~”

Wen Zhecheng praised, “Not just sincere, but practically earth-shattering.”

Rong Yuheng bashfully replied, “As long as you like it.”

“…”

On Thursday night, the STAR—T idol group did indeed have training. By the time it ended, it was already past nine in the evening. Rong Yuheng hadn’t watched the variety show and went straight to bed after taking a shower.

The next day, when he woke up, he saw that the group chat had exploded.

It was the dormitory group chat from their time on the talent show, including Zhou Shubai and Pu Zaixi.

[Pu Zaixi]: @Rong Yuheng, what’s going on with your Weibo? Lots of marketing accounts are insinuating about your family matters?

[Zhou Shubai]: [Links] Have you seen these?

[Zhou Shubai]: Xiaoji, do you need help with anything related to your family? Should my brother help you handle it?

Rong Yuheng rubbed his still slightly groggy head and clicked on the links Zhou Shubai provided. He saw several public accounts and marketing accounts dissecting the details of the first episode of “Treasure Hunt” that aired yesterday.

Kuiyang Entertainment News: Opening segment of “Treasure Hunt” reveals newcomer’s family secrets?

Bowl Bro Gossip: Male Star Suspected to be from a Farming Background, Insider Reveals

@DiggingGossip: Idol Group Member Rong Yuheng Suspected to Have a Poor Family Background, More Evidence Surfaces [Images]

With a tap of his finger, Rong Yuheng quickly skimmed through a few of these posts and soon confirmed that they were all part of Shi Qiu’s public relations strategy.

The content seemed to be exploring his family background, but it was all vague wording. Most of the focus was on the “Liu Wanjing Leak.”

After finishing reading, Rong Yuheng returned to the group chat and reassured his two well-meaning friends.

[Rong Yuheng]: It’s fine, it’s just PR, no need to worry.

[Pu Zaixi]: ??

[Pu Zaixi]: What PR? Did something happen to you? Wait, Xu Sun is willing to do PR for you? [Shocked.jpg]

[Rong Yuheng]: Forgot to tell you, I just changed managers. [Seal clapping.jpg]

[Zhou Shubai]: !?

[Pu Zaixi]: Is this reverse PR?? Or are you planning to take the difficult path like Meiqiang?

[Rong Yuheng]: Neither, it’s just stirring the pot.

…

After stabilizing the emotions of his two former roommates, Rong Yuheng got up and freshened up, getting ready for the new day’s work.

The STAR—T boy group was preparing for a new concert, and the intensity of their training had increased significantly. In addition, Li Jiao had secured a mobile phone brand endorsement for them, and the six of them had to prepare for a commercial shoot.

They were busy for two to three days straight before finally having some free time on Sunday afternoon.

Thinking of his neglected mentor Wen Zhecheng, Rong Yuheng sent a warm message.

[Rong Yuheng]: Owner~ What are you up to~

Wen Zhecheng’s reply came almost instantly.

[Wen Zhecheng]: Cleaning the empty nest.

Rong Yuheng burst into laughter.

[Rong Yuheng]: How’s the response to the first episode of “Treasure Hunt”? We’ve already started PR over here, but I haven’t watched the show myself.

[Wen Zhecheng]: You haven’t watched it? I haven’t either.

Rong Yuheng was momentarily taken aback. He didn’t know if Wen Zhecheng hadn’t had the time to watch it or if he chose not to because Rong Yuheng hadn’t watched it with him.

Since it was a rare free Sunday afternoon, Rong Yuheng decided to visit his owner’s empty nest.

The old car that was once filled with Buddhist chants had already been taken back by the company. As Shi Qiu put it, “You’re aiming for top-tier status now, and you’re still reshaping your image. Don’t drive that old car. It’s not safe to be on the road. Call me if you need to go anywhere, and I’ll pick you up.”

Rong Yuheng made a call to Shi Qiu, asking her to drop him off at Wen Zhecheng’s place.

When Shi Qiu received the call, she was taken aback. She knew that Wen Zhecheng was taking care of Rong Yuheng, but she had assumed it was more of a mentor-student relationship. Now, what in the world was going on? How come Rong Yuheng could casually go to Wen Zhecheng’s house as if he knew the way?

“Does Teacher Wen know you’re coming over?”

Rong Yuheng, already cheerfully packing his things, replied, “I’m giving him a surprise!”

Shi Qiu became even more anxious: A surprise? Rong Yuheng was still a “surprise” to Wen Zhecheng!

With a mix of curiosity and suspicion, Shi Qiu dropped Rong Yuheng off at Wen Zhecheng’s building. She hesitantly asked, “Do you need me to pick you up tonight?”

Rong Yuheng said, “It depends on whether it’s convenient for Sister Qiu. If not, I can just stay at Teacher Wen’s place.”

Shi Qiu quickly reassured, “Of course, it’s convenient!”

“Then I’ll give you a call when I’m ready to leave. Thanks, Sister Qiu~”

Rong Yuheng got out of the car and took the elevator up to Wen Zhecheng’s floor. At the familiar door, he knocked with a “thud thud thud.”

After about ten seconds, there was a sound from inside the door. Soon, Wen Zhongyun’s voice came from within, “Who’s there?”

Rong Yuheng playfully leaned against the door. “Uncle, it’s me! Haha!”

Two seconds later, the door clicked open, revealing a pleasantly surprised Wen Zhongyun. “Oh, little guy, what brings you here! Come in!”

Rong Yuheng placed the gift he had brought from his dormitory on the entryway shelf and slipped into a pair of blue slippers. “I’m here to visit Teacher Wen!”

“Feel free to come. What else did you bring, haha? Wenze is tidying up his room. I’ll go get him.”

“No need, no need. I’ll go find him directly.” Rong Yuheng said and quickly bounded into the room. He pushed open the door and indeed found Wen Zhecheng with his back turned, sorting through a drawer.

Hearing the movement, Wen Zhecheng, thinking it was Wen Zhongyun, didn’t lift his head as he said, “Dad, I’ve put all the batteries together. If you need to replace them…”

Rong Yuheng gave a little kick and suddenly pounced onto Wen Zhecheng’s back. Wen Zhecheng was startled, and his words came to an abrupt halt.

Just as he was about to turn around, he heard a series of giggles—”Khekhekehe, I’ve come to visit you!”

Wen Zhecheng’s heart suddenly raced, and he turned incredulously. “Rong Rong?”

Rong Yuheng was still clinging to Wen Zhecheng’s back, looking up with a triumphant grin. “Surprised? Not surprised? Unexpected? Thrilling?”

Wen Zhecheng’s hand, hanging by his side, trembled slightly. It took him some effort to resist the impulse to pull Rong Yuheng into an embrace.

“Surprised,” Wen Zhecheng said softly, “Why did you suddenly come? You didn’t even tell me?”

“I just finished training, and I have nothing to do this afternoon. Since you said you haven’t watched the show either, I came to watch it with you.”

Wen Zhecheng was instantly melted by the sweetness—how could his little hamster be this good? Although his words were a bit heart-stopping, his actions were always so considerate.

He pulled Rong Yuheng to sit on the carpet in front of the bed, placing a soft cushion under his bottom.

Rong Yuheng bounced onto it and tapped it twice. “What’s this?”

Wen Zhecheng replied, “It’s specially for you, afraid you won’t be comfortable sitting.”

Rong Yuheng, pleasantly surprised, squeezed the cushion. “My throne?”

Wen Zhecheng smiled. “Yes, your throne.”

The two of them pulled out a small tabletop in front of them, where a laptop was placed. Wen Zhecheng brought some snacks and water over, and they started watching the variety show.

“Treasure Hunt” had been airing for three days now, and the early promotion had been effective. As soon as it started, a barrage of comments flooded the screen:

—Su-ge, I’m here!! [Heart]

—Looking forward to our Rong Goose Baby~

—Step Lingchuan, ahhh…

Wen Zhecheng turned to ask, “Why are they talking about ‘Step Lingchuan’?”

Rong Yuheng explained, “It’s a TV drama starring Ji Yanchu and Wen Ying, they’re here to promote the drama.”

Wen Zhecheng nodded, and the two of them leaned in to continue watching. The show began with the program logo and the three major sponsors, then the scene switched to the stage.

Host Liu Wanjing recited an opening statement, then turned the stage over to the five guests present. “We have a question to start off with. Please tell us something that you have at home but the other guests definitely don’t.”

At this point, several live comments flashed by:

—So, this segment… I came from Weibo.

—What’s wrong with this host? Subtly insulting Rong Yuheng,

—What, what were the ones before saying??

…

After Ji Yanchu and the others finished speaking, it was almost Rong Yuheng’s turn. Liu Wanjing smiled and said, “Actually, this question should be easy for Yuheng. For example, a coal stove or firewood? I’m sure the other guests on stage definitely don’t have those, hahaha…”

Comments:

—??

—What’s it to you?

—I’m new here. Is this artist’s family really poor?

—I heard that Rong Rong’s family isn’t well off, but saying that on the show is a bit… emmm…

—It’s not allowed to talk about being poor? What’s this, you’re complaining about your background now that you’re famous? Heh, this is how current celebrities are.

Rong Yuheng was resting his chin on his hand, enjoying the witty comments from the netizens. Suddenly, he felt a change in the atmosphere next to him. He turned and saw Wen Zhecheng’s face clouded, his gaze fixed on the barrage of comments…

Rong Yuheng asked, “…Master?”

Wen Zhecheng seemed angry, his voice muffled. “How can they say those things about you?”

Wen Zhecheng even thought about disabling the comments. Freedom of speech should be built on the foundation of respecting others. Now, these slanderous remarks were being thrown at Rong Yuheng in the name of “freedom.”

Rong Yuheng nudged him, chuckling, “It’s just the comments, they’re always like this.”

On screen, the camera had already shifted to Rong Yuheng. He said with a light tone, “Actually, we don’t have anything like that. In recent years, we’ve been promoting environmental protection, so we switched to using natural gas.”

The barrage of negative comments from a moment ago instantly turned into laughter.

The show’s production team even cleverly captured the moment when Su Yuyin laughed and included it in the later editing.

Rong Yuheng, still sitting beside Wen Zhecheng, continued with a serious expression, “After all, we need to follow the national policy, so we have a wind turbine at home.”

Wen Zhecheng couldn’t help but smile. The anger that had surged up just now was instantly extinguished. He reached over and plucked a strand of Rong Yuheng’s hair. “Very clever.”

…

After this segment, the five guests moved on to the next part of the program according to the schedule.

The theme of the beautiful blue ocean made one’s heart flutter with anticipation. In his mind, Wen Zhecheng began to imagine a future trip to the seaside with Rong Yuheng…

On screen, the current popular actor Fang Zhixu was stomping her feet playfully. Ji Yanchu’s suggestions were being rejected one by one. The comments started flooding in again:

—FZX is being too dramatic.

—Ugly people often make a fuss.

—My sister Zhixu is a born queen, thanks. This sandy ground is just hard to walk on.

Then, Rong Yuheng comforted her with a couple of sentences and went to a back room by himself to find shoes for Fang Zhixu.

Wen Zhecheng remarked, “I’ve noticed you’re quite attentive to girls.”

Rong Yuheng replied, “Taking care of the girls around us is an honor for us gentlemen!”

Wen Zhecheng didn’t feel jealous; he thought this aspect of Rong Yuheng was quite good. He said, “Taking care of a small pet is also an honor for a pet owner.”

…

However, even with Rong Yuheng’s heartwarming remarks, when Wen Zhecheng saw him emerge from the room with a pair of fins, he was deeply shocked!

Wen Zhecheng glanced at Rong Yuheng suspiciously, trying to figure out the meaning behind his “taking care of.”

The barrage of comments was going crazy, and even those who had previously mocked Fang Zhixu’s dramatic reaction were now expressing sympathy:

—Holy crap! I’m dying of laughter. What’s with the fins?

—Hahaha, put them on quickly, flat and comfortable!

—Damn, these are women’s fins! And they said fins, hahaha…

—Little Mermaid, Frog Prince. Hahaha, noble temperament! Hahaha… I’m laughing so hard I’m going to puke.

The five guests moved to the second room amidst the continuous laughter from the barrage. The room was covered in white feathers, with several large seashells placed around.

Wen Ying and Ji Yanchu were huddled together, carefully examining the characters on the wall. Their fans couldn’t help but exclaim with tears: Wuwuwu, I feel like I’m back under the white wall and eaves of the red plum branch in “Bu Lingchuan”…

Before the drama fans could finish sobbing, the camera turned to Su Yuyin and the others. Rong Yuheng held his face and said, “The more beautiful something is, the more dangerous it can be.”

The barrage went wild again: I feel like I’m back to the day he became the treasure boy.

In the silence of everyone, Rong Yuheng slid into the shell and, at the same time, the large shell slowly closed…

The guests’ microphones were still active, and Rong Yuheng, now sitting in front of the computer, clearly heard Su Yuyin and Ji Yanchu murmuring, “The shell seems to be closing,” “What if it ends up trapping someone inside?”

Rong Yuheng, “???”

The crucial moment came when Su Yuyin turned around and said firmly, “No problem, you can sit a little longer.”

The barrage burst into laughter again:

—Su-ge, you’re getting dark.

—Hahaha, Su-ge, you don’t love your Rong Bao anymore?

—Why does Su-Rong feel a bit adorable? (whispering)

Suddenly, Rong Yuheng felt Wen Zhecheng nudge him. Then he heard him say, “How come I didn’t know that hamsters could be put together?”

Rong Yuheng burst into laughter, his cheeks puffed out as he ate. Crumbs were all over his mouth. Wen Zhecheng reached over and wiped them away. Rong Yuheng quickly caught the crumbs, saying, “Your carpet will get dirty.”

Wen Zhecheng said, “If it gets dirty, it gets dirty. I’ll clean it up later.”

Rong Yuheng replied with an “oh” and still held up the hem of his clothes.

Wen Zhecheng continued, “After this episode, the PR work will come to an end.”

Rong Yuheng sensed the underlying message and hesitated for a moment. “I also want to go home and see, but…” His cheeks stopped puffing, and he began to fidget with his hands.

Wen Zhecheng’s heart tightened. Could it be that Rong Yuheng still hadn’t overcome that hurdle?

He reached out and gently placed his hand on Rong Yuheng’s shoulder, trying to convey strength. “No matter what happens, the bond of family won’t break…”

Before Wen Zhecheng could finish his sentence, the show’s camera suddenly switched to the large shell.

Rong Yuheng looked up at the computer screen. “Until before this Thursday, I felt the same way.”

Wen Zhecheng, “?”

Onscreen, his own mouth was already hanging wide open.

Rong Yuheng’s expression was complex. “…But now, it’s not so certain.”

Author’s Note:

Rong Tianshen: Release “Always Coming Home.”

Rong Congyan (happily): Dad, have you come to your senses?

Rong Tianshen (pulling out a feather duster): I have. First, deceive him back, then close the door and deal with him.

Rong Congyan:… (Little Heng, run!)