Chapter 38: Ghost Mountain Villa 38 Part 1
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Because this show had become explosively popular so quickly, the arriving audience had their attention continuously caught by the unexpected incidents in the live broadcast. They hadn’t had the energy to focus on other details, including who the specific guests on the show were or what the rules were.
It wasn’t until now that the audience faintly heard Yan Shixuan’s voice coming from the camera that they suddenly realized they might have actually caught a glimpse of this show and its last-place elimination rule!
Those viewers who liked Yan Shixun hurriedly rushed to the show’s introduction section on the video platform to check.
Sure enough, the production team would initiate a popularity vote after the end of each trip.
The production team would score each guest based on several metrics, including their social media followers, subscription count on split screens, highest historical real-time viewers on split screens, and the number of votes received. They would then eliminate the guest with the lowest popularity. A new guest would be added at the beginning of the next trip.
Even though Zhang Wubing was a rookie director with no experience, and he was often timid and scared of ghosts in normal circumstances, often crying in front of Yan Shixuan.
However, he was a graduate of the economics department at Binhai University and, due to his status as a rich second-generation, he had been exposed to the business world from a young age. This background allowed him to understand how to make the most efficient use of existing resources.
The rules of the show were designed to maximize the enthusiasm of the viewers and the fans of the various guests, whether they participated out of a desire to support their favorite celebrities or due to a competitive spirit. They would all get involved in the competition for popularity votes.
People participated not only to ensure that their favorite celebrities wouldn’t lose face by being eliminated, but also to secure higher rankings for them. This dynamic would energize the show.
The number of fans that the guests brought with them and the competition between the guests themselves would translate into the show’s popularity, increasing discussion and exposure.
As expected, this rule was now having its intended effect.
— Although the initial impact was due to Yan Shixun, which was something Zhang Wubing hadn’t anticipated.
Among the performance metrics, one of them was the number of social media followers the guests had.
However, Yan Shixun didn’t even have a social media account, so his follower count was naturally zero! Just this fact alone put him at a disadvantage compared to other guests who were already somewhat famous in the entertainment industry.
The possibility of Yan Shixun being eliminated from the show raised a sense of crisis among the newly formed Yan Mais.
They had just become fans of this strong and charismatic man, and they couldn’t bear to see him being eliminated!
Especially since Yan Shixun was an amateur without any contract with an entertainment company and had not entered the entertainment industry. According to some online rumors, Yan Shixun’s actual profession had nothing to do with the entertainment industry. He only joined this show as a last-minute replacement for a guest who had canceled, possibly due to his connection with the director.
Through a series of coincidences, they were able to see this man on camera.
Moreover, judging by Yan Shixun’s performance, he didn’t seem to have any interest in the entertainment industry. He even showed signs of annoyance when faced with overly enthusiastic comments from viewers.
It was foreseeable that if Yan Shixun was truly eliminated this time, they might never have a chance to see him on camera again in their lifetime!
This sense of urgency united the Yan Mais.
No social media account to follow? No problem, they would create one for him!
Does he not care about his ranking and even expects to be eliminated? No problem, they would vote for him!
As a result, the subscription count for Yan Shixun’s livestream quickly skyrocketed. On social media platforms, discussions and dedicated hashtags about him began to emerge.
Under these hashtags, Yan Mais gathered, working together to strategize and rally support for him. They were preparing for the upcoming popularity vote organized by the show’s production team.
Because the production team had been busy taking care of the injured guests and other miscellaneous tasks recently, they hadn’t had the time to manage the official social media accounts or keep track of changes on social platforms.
With the entire directorial team being swamped, Zhang Wubing, who wasn’t particularly professional to begin with, naturally pushed back the issue of the popularity vote.
He couldn’t possibly have imagined that the impromptu formation of Yan Mais had already begun discussions on how to gather all those who liked Yan Shixun and prepare for his possible elimination.
As for Yan Shixun himself, he didn’t even have social media accounts, so he had no idea about the discussions happening under the hashtag #YanMais’sTop-UpPlan on social platforms, discussing him in such a frenzy.
——However, he did find it a bit strange lately as he frequently yawned. Could it be that someone was calling his name? It felt like a lot of people had him on their minds, it was quite noisy.
A few marketing accounts and influencers who had been following the show from the beginning had taken notice.
Even the popular showbiz Vlogger, Brother Goose, had become a fan of Yan Shixun. After posting a status asking, “Has Yan Mai worked hard today?” he happily clicked on the social media hashtag.
The wallpaper on the phone screen was a screenshot of Yan Shixun forming hand seals in front of the camera.
— There was no way around it. Ever since he watched the show, Brother Goose had been so scared that he felt like there were “people” crowding everywhere in his house, even though he was the only living person there.
It wasn’t until he printed out the screenshot of Yan Shixun forming hand seals to exorcise ghosts and hung it on the wall that Brother Goose suddenly felt his home quiet down, becoming empty once again.
He was so moved that he almost cried out “Ahh,” and as a result, he became one of Yan Shixun’s unique hardcore fans. There were screenshots of Yan Shixun all over his door, and even his phone’s wallpaper was changed to Yan Shixun’s image.
— Warding off evil spirits.
Brother Goose quietly claimed a “Yan Mai Level 1” badge under the hashtag and checked in. Only then did he politely ask the enthusiastic fans in the discussion if they wanted him to share their posts to increase exposure.
To his surprise, as soon as he asked, he was sternly rejected by the tag’s management.
“No, we can’t let Brother Yan find out what we’re doing. Think about it, during the livestream, he didn’t seem too interested in the entertainment industry. Even An Nanyuan, who is a top idol, has hinted to Brother Yan so many times, offering to help him, but Brother Yan didn’t respond. It’s clear that he has no intention of entering the entertainment circle. He even mentioned he’ll leave soon. If he discovers what we’re up to, he might not be able to leave, and then what? Do you think we can proceed smoothly?”
Brother Goose asked hesitantly, “Isn’t that a bit too much? Even if Brother Yan finds out, what can he do? At most, he’ll get upset, but it won’t stop us from voting for him because we like him, right?”
Another assistant manager shook their head and sighed, “Naive, too naive. Just think about it. Brother Yan can catch ghosts and ward off evil spirits. Do you think he can’t do fortune-telling and divination? What if he finds out? He might use those unscientific powers to interfere with our plans, and our whole plan would go down the drain.”
Other fans under the hashtag agreed.
“Exactly, to be honest, I feel a bit uneasy doing this now. I always have this feeling that Brother Yan might find out.”
“Other people support their favorite stars openly, either through singing, dancing, acting, or variety skills. But for our favorite, he’s good at catching ghosts, warding off evil spirits, and excellent at fortune-telling. What’s that? A mystic idol?”
“I’m dying of laughter, we’re like secret agents, cheering for our favorite star in a covert manner, using secret codes, afraid of getting caught by Brother Yan.”
“Sigh, so what should we do then? Other celebrities are all good-looking and sweet-sounding, but in our case, we have a hot-tempered cool guy at home. When he gets angry, even ghosts are scared. You think if we want to do something behind Brother Yan’s back, we shouldn’t do it quietly? If we get caught, well, you can forget about ever seeing Brother Yan again in your lifetime.”
Brother Goose pondered and thought it made sense. After reaching an agreement with the Yan Mais, he quickly joined their plan and even took on his own role.
Since Yan Shixun didn’t have any social media accounts, this put him at a disadvantage compared to other contestants. Fans brainstormed ways to compensate for the lack of several million social media followers using other aspects of strength.
Moreover, all of this had to be done secretly, behind Yan Shixun and the production team’s backs. This added a thrilling element to the plan, making it feel like an addictive real-life Werewolf game for the fans involved.
Fans discreetly included the word “Yan Mai” in their social media profiles to signal their affiliation and worked together to find any remaining Yan Mais on social media and video platforms, informing them about the popularity vote.
Because the show had just started airing, the overwhelming popularity had not yet subsided. Whether it was due to Yan Shixun’s cool performance on the show or the fact that some fell in love with him for his excessively handsome face, there were a significant number of fans who were dedicated to supporting him.
The number of “Yan Mai” rapidly increased in a short period, gathering under the social media tag and the account of the entertainment Vlogger Brother Goose, treating it as their temporary base. They discussed how to vote to boost Yan Shixun’s popularity and avoid his elimination.
Everything was proceeding in full swing, the Yan Mais exchanged knowing smiles with each other.
The central figure in all these plans, however, remained blissfully unaware.
Due to unexpected events involving several participants and staff from the show, the production team temporarily rented the villa in Gui Mountain as a place for rest and regrouping before continuing their journey.
Those like Liu Yiyi, who were severely injured, had already been promptly transported to a hospital in the coastal city of Binhai for professional treatment and bandaging by the rescue team.
As for the other participants, some were recalled by their management companies, leaving only a few cheerful individuals who decided to continue with the show. Upon learning that Yan Shixun would also stay temporarily at Gui Mountain for the next two days, they happily settled into the hotel.
After all, besides the scare they experienced in Ghost Mountain, the scenery at Gui Mountain was quite nice, and the hotel provided excellent accommodations and services.
However, this situation left a significant gap in the original configuration of the production team, which consisted of eight guests and one tour guide.
Zhang Wubing frowned as he held a notebook, repeatedly writing down names and crossing them out, looking like he was about to lose all his hair due to the stress.
An Nanyuan had been temporarily recalled by his management company. It was still uncertain whether he would continue with the upcoming show’s schedule. After all, he was a highly popular idol who had skyrocketed to fame just last year, and his company couldn’t risk jeopardizing their golden goose over a variety show, especially if he had suffered an unexpected injury.
The rest of the guest spots were also vacant. Two guests had suffered severe injuries and were sent back for medical treatment, while an older guest had voluntarily decided to quit. He had reasoned that even though the show had brought him a fanbase several times larger than what he had in his previous entertainment career, he was already middle-aged and didn’t want to risk his life for a variety show; it wasn’t a gamble he was willing to take.
That guest’s argument made sense, and Zhang Wubing had no reason to disagree.
After properly handling the personal accident insurance and compensation for all the guests, Zhang Wubing personally escorted them away from Gui Mountain Villa. He also updated these developments on the official social media accounts of the show, sending best wishes to the departing guests.
In front of the camera and outsiders, Zhang Wubing behaved with great courtesy and composure. However, as soon as he turned around and faced only Yan Shixun, he burst into tears.
“Brother Yan, what are we going to do? QAQ.” Zhang Wubing held a notebook filled with crossed-out names, looking distressed as he said, “We’re missing a tour guide and four guests. Where am I going to find all these people in such a short time?”
Yan Shixun asked curiously, “Now that everyone knows the show is haunted, can anyone still come? I thought people would be quite afraid of ghosts, but it turns out they have such strong courage. Aren’t they afraid of death?”
With a gloomy expression, Zhang Wubing replied, “Brother Yan, you understand ghosts, but you don’t understand the entertainment industry. Hauntings are nothing! As long as it can increase their followers, some people are willing to keep ghosts as pets.”
“Brother Yan, you don’t have social media accounts, so you don’t know. Besides Liu Yiyi and that male singer who insisted on leaving the mountain at the beginning because his on-screen behavior was so annoying, the follower counts on the social media accounts of all the other guests have increased by several hundred thousand at the very least, and people like An Nanyuan have doubled their counts. They now have tens of millions of followers, almost ranking as top-tier idols.”
Zhang Wubing shook his phone in front of Yan Shixun, showing him recent messages from his second and third-generation friends in entertainment.
They expressed their desire to send their company’s artists to the show. One of them even boldly stated that if they could ensure his participation in the show to meet ghosts, fulfilling his lifelong dream, he would guarantee that the show would not be shut down.
Yan Shixun took a glance at the chat logs. The conditions proposed by this third-generation figure were extremely generous. He promised Zhang Wubing that as long as he could let him participate in the show to meet ghosts and satisfy his curiosity about what ghosts looked like, he would ensure that Zhang Wubing’s show wouldn’t get canceled.
Yan Shixun raised an eyebrow and sneered, “Some people are troubled every day because of their innate ability to attract ghosts, that their elders worry about their safety in every nook and cranny they can’t watch over, despising ghosts and supernatural phenomena. Then there are those who are eagerly rubbing their hands together, wanting to meet ghosts out of sheer curiosity about what they look like. Xiao Bing, what do you think after seeing this guy’s wish?”
With a weary expression, Zhang Wubing pointed to the very bottom of his phone.
He showed the chat history with the rich third-generation guy, which stopped at the message he sent that simply said, “Get lost!”
“Brother Yan, I now understand what you meant when you asked me about ‘Humblebrag’ before.”
Zhang Wubing nodded seriously, “If I could, I really wish I could trade places with this jerk and let him experience what it feels like to wake up in the middle of the night and see a ghost grinning at him from the edge of his bed.”
“Humblebrag, it’s despicable.”
“I didn’t expect you to grow quite a bit while doing this show. If your dad saw you like this now, he probably wouldn’t object to your dreams anymore, saying they were just empty talk, right?”
Yan Shixun looked a bit surprised and then chuckled, “But Xiao Bing, considering your constitution, are you really sure about becoming a director? Who knows, if you do a travel show, it might turn into a horror survival show, and your movies might become realistic horror films. Haven’t the next guest and location been decided yet? It’s not too late to regret now.”
“No way.”
When it came to his dream, Zhang Wubing immediately transformed from the sulky and disheartened appearance to a resolute and spirited one. “There’s no reason to retreat just because of difficulties! Even if I end up as a director of horror films, I will definitely become a director! I won’t give my dad a chance to mock me!”
Talking about the show, the rich third-generation young man, who had shown confidence just a moment ago, now appeared as a struggling newcomer director.
He retrieved the third-generation guy he had earlier rejected from the blacklist and, after hesitating for a while when seeing the name “Song Ci”, he sent a reluctant remark “ok”.
“Anyway, his wish can’t be fulfilled,” Zhang Wubing grumbled. “A person can’t have a string of bad luck, right? Last time it was because that assistant tricked me. This time, another assistant shouldn’t trick me again, right?”
Yan Shixun heard this but only raised an eyebrow, offering no comment.
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