Kuang Yuan earnestly finished the last bite of rice, then picked up the cloth bag on the table. “Mom, I’m going to bring the food to brother and the others.”
Inside the bag were three large lunchboxes filled with snacks Kuang Yuan’s mother had spent the whole morning making: crispy fried dough twists, corn cakes, and spicy duck necks. She came out of the kitchen and added a steaming box of beef jerky into the bag, reminding her, “Be careful on the way.”
Kuang Yuan carefully tied the bag’s straps, her eyes crescent-shaped with a smile. “Got it!”
She walked out of the complex and greeted the two uniformed soldiers standing guard at the gate before heading toward the Research Bureau.
This residential compound was designated for families of Research Bureau employees and was built just 500 meters away from the Bureau itself. To allow the researchers to work without any distractions, the accommodations for their families had been arranged to the highest standards. Ever since the compound was completed, the Kuang family had moved in.
When Kuang Zheng became a government researcher, Kuang Yuan’s parents were overjoyed. Life here had been very comfortable. His mother now had more time to experiment with recipes and often had her daughter bring food over for her son and his colleagues to share.
Kuang Yuan had been to the Bureau several times before, and today she arrived just in time—the group was having lunch. Everyone was gathered in the break room, chatting and laughing merrily.
“Hello, everyone.” Kuang Yuan placed the bag on the table and said with ease, “These are from Mom. She asked me to bring them over for you all to enjoy.”
Kuang Zheng patted his sister’s head and started taking out the food. A rare light smile appeared on his usually quiet and reserved face. “Thanks for the trouble.”
The most striking and flamboyantly handsome young man in the room, with long hair, leaped over the couch and strode over with his long legs. He picked out a few duck necks and placed them in his lunchbox, cheerfully saying, “Thanks, little sister. And thank your mom too.”
Kuang Yuan smiled shyly. “You’re welcome, Chief. My mom made it extra spicy just for you. Give it a try!”
Jiang Luo’s eyes lit up. He took a bite and immediately gave a thumbs up. “Fragrant and spicy—your mom’s cooking is amazing!”
Kuang Yuan beamed with pride and chuckled again.
Jiang Luo walked up to her and bent down. Tall and lean in his combat boots, he had to lower himself considerably, otherwise Kuang Yuan would have to look way up just to meet his eyes. But Jiang Luo had always been thoughtful. He gently asked, “Yuan Yuan, why do you always call me ‘Chief’? Didn’t I tell you to just call me ‘Brother’?”
Kuang Yuan replied honestly, “I’m used to calling you Chief.”
Maybe it was because that title gave her a sense of security. Every time she said it, she felt like she was part of the Research Bureau herself—a little soldier full of energy, wanting to do something together with her big brothers.
It wasn’t that she was being affectionate with Jiang Luo. Rather than affection, it was admiration she felt for him.
Jiang Luo chuckled. “Alright then.”
He straightened up, picked up his lunchbox, and sat beside Ge Zhu on the couch.
Ge Zhu looked longingly at Kuang Yuan and said mournfully, “I miss my little siblings.”
Ever since his ties with Dazhao Temple had been restored, Ge Zhu’s younger brothers and sisters had returned there to study. Though they were his biological siblings, the bond they shared was no less than that between Kuang Zheng and Kuang Yuan. Watching the two of them interact always reminded Ge Zhu of the loving, thoughtful kids back home.
Jiang Luo checked his watch and suddenly smiled mischievously. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV. “You can’t see your siblings right now, but you can see your dog of a big brother.”
Ge Zhu’s gloomy face froze. “There’s news about him?”
Ge Wuchen had been off the radar for a long time. In fact, Ge Zhu worried more about his younger siblings than his actual big brother. Aside from the rare moments when they were genuinely emotional, the relationship between the two had always been awkward.
Ge Zhu still felt guilty about having wronged Ge Wuchen, but he also bore years of resentment and trauma from being hurt by him. His insecurity, pain, and psychological scars all stemmed from Ge Wuchen.
When Ge Zhu had nearly died, Ge Wuchen had cried like a madman, tears dripping onto Ge Zhu’s face. In that moment, Ge Zhu had felt a strange mix of melancholy—and bitter satisfaction.
He still resented Ge Wuchen.
It was a paradox—he felt both heartache and the urge to punch his own brother. The contradiction tied him in knots.
Jiang Luo knew exactly what was on his mind. He gave Ge Zhu a mysterious smile. “You’ll find out very soon.”
Everyone was drawn in by Jiang Luo’s attitude. They gathered around the couch as the table filled with food and snacks. Ye Xun was the first to sit beside Jiang Luo, whispering, “What’s going on with Ge Wuchen?”
“Ye Xun, you should really learn to curb your curiosity,” Jiang Luo replied loftily. “At the very least, have some patience.”
Ye Xun fidgeted with his pet bunny, a pleading look unconsciously forming on his normally expressionless face. “Jiang Luo…”
Jiang Luo, cold as ever, said, “You’ll find out in one minute.”
Ge Zhu, eavesdropping nearby, grew even more curious.
One minute later, the commercial ended, and the variety show A Beautiful Rural Life began.
Everyone looked puzzled. They turned to Jiang Luo, who wore a smug expression, and decided to keep watching despite their confusion.
They were familiar with the show—a well-known “slow life” program about living in rural villages for seven days without modern conveniences. Each episode was filmed in an extremely remote location, showcasing the guests’ struggles and revelations as they tried to survive.
But… what did this have to do with Ge Wuchen?
Their confusion deepened.
Then, the host introduced the guests—and they understood everything.
Oh my god. Ge Wuchen was on the show?!
“Holy cra*p holy cra*p holy cra*p—am I seeing this right?”
“Is that really Ge Wuchen? That has to be him, right? This can’t be just some lookalike?”
“Ge Wuchen became a celebrity? From monk to idol—this is a rags-to-riches story if I’ve ever seen one!”
On screen, Ge Wuchen stood in the farthest corner, seemingly gentle and warm but with hollow, lifeless eyes.
When the camera pointed at him, he even stepped back, hiding behind another male guest, as if just appearing on a variety show was unbearably shameful.
…Which, honestly, it kind of was.
This was the infamous “Evil Monk” of the metaphysical world, a formerly feared figure in Chi You’s inner circle… now a reality show contestant?
Ge Wuchen tried to stay unnoticed, but with his striking looks, it was impossible. The host jokingly asked, “Hey there, why did you decide to join our show?”
Ge Wuchen’s smile was stiff. “This show has… a lot of meaning.”
The host rolled with it, launching into a passionate speech about the show’s values, then asked, “We’ve got a lot of tough jobs—like chopping wood, cleaning pigsties, hauling manure… Are you up for that?”
Ge Wuchen: “…I guess I’ll try.”
What choice did he have?
He’d pissed off Jiang Luo, after all.
Everyone watching was stunned into silence at the sight of the usually aloof monk in such a disheveled setting.
A few seconds later—
Ge Zhu burst out laughing. “HAHAHAHAHA!”
His laughter set off an explosion of laughter in the room.
The episode was 90 minutes long, and the whole group was glued to the screen. Every time Ge Wuchen appeared, their stomachs and cheeks hurt from laughing so much.
Whether it was bad luck or the show’s producers just targeting him, Ge Wuchen’s first task was picking up horse manure. Draped in ethereal robes, the so-called “Son of Buddha” had to hold a dung fork and dustpan while stiffly collecting poop from one end of the village to the other.
The funniest part? The comments section was filled with sympathetic viewers.
[He’s so pitiful… first day and already stuck with manure duty. His face is literally turning green!]
[Why must fate be so cruel to hot guys? 😭]
[…This “Ge Jing” guy is really my type, such a little celestial… but watching him scoop poop kinda killed the vibe.]
Ge Zhu couldn’t stop laughing: “HAHAHAHAHA!”
He added, “Pfft—HAHAHAHA!”
After the episode aired, a flood of messages poured into Ge Wuchen’s phone—deeply “heartfelt” messages of encouragement.
Except every single one of them was basically a backhanded slap. Jiang Luo, for example, wished him more popularity and hoped he’d become the program’s favorite.
Jiang Luo had been waiting for a response. But none came. According to Liao Si, Ge Wuchen had locked himself in his room after reading the messages, shut off his phone, and refused to receive any more communication.
A Beautiful Rural Life aired twice a week. After watching Monday’s episode, everyone eagerly looked forward to Wednesday.
Sure enough, this time, Ge Wuchen had to clean the pigsty.
The comment section exploded again—half sympathy, half jokes. Someone even asked why he was always on poop duty.
As episodes aired, people noticed a pattern. This “Ge Jing” always seemed to draw the dirtiest, hardest tasks. Eventually, it became a running joke among fans.
Even his own fanbase posted:
[Ehhh, our prince really is a poop-scooping master. Follow him and you’ll scoop your way to riches!]
[Actually, I think “Poop Prince” has a nicer ring to it XD]
Somewhere in a bedroom…
A ghostly blue light lit up Ge Wuchen’s face.
Hands trembling, he scrolled through the comments one by one. His face was pale, as if he hadn’t slept in days.
Every time an episode aired, his mouth turned bitter. He wanted to disappear into a forest with no signal, no internet, nothing.
He regretted it so much. Why—why—did he ever cross Jiang Luo?
And it wasn’t just the variety show. He’d also been forced to film a trashy idol drama where he played an over-jealous second male lead, constantly screaming at the heroine, “Why won’t you love me?!”
Those two months had been pure h*ll.
Now, with just this show airing, he barely dared step outside. Once the drama aired… how would he even face the metaphysics world?
How would Ge Zhu look at him? How would anyone in that world look at him?
The more he thought about it, the more devastated he felt.
Much later, when his stomach finally rebelled from hunger, he staggered to his feet, forced himself to get presentable, and went to the kitchen.
As soon as he walked in, Liao Si and Huali, sitting at the table, looked up.
There was a beat of silence.
Then someone burst into laughter. “The Poop Prince is here…”
Ge Wuchen: “……”
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