Chapter 28
In Live Room Two, after Phoebe’s secret discussion with her grandfather, a stunned silence fell. Her grandfather explained that raising chickens in the countryside required minimal effort to recapture them. Chickens and ducks were intelligent animals; they would leave home in the morning and return independently at feeding time. The same applied at night. As long as newly purchased chicks were kept in the coop for a few days before release, they would instinctively return home when allowed to roam freely.
To clarify, Phoebe even asked the director if they could simply wait for the villagers’ chickens to return at mealtimes or nightfall. The answer was a definitive no. With no shortcuts available, she accompanied her grandfather up the mountain, adhering to the show’s rules to catch the birds themselves.
Meanwhile, Rebecca and Charlie, still in the mountains, had mastered the “magical tools” and were in high spirits. Their happiness was short-lived, however, as the unscrupulous crew quickly reminded them of another condition: summoning the chickens back did not count; they had to be caught and confined to prevent escape. Furthermore, the chickens had to be caught in the mountains; capturing them in the village did not qualify.
These sudden stipulations from the director once again unleashed a torrent of comments from the hundreds of thousands of viewers in Room Five, bombarding Ben. The hashtag “Ben is being a bad sport” trended online, and as “A Glimpse into Our Family” became a subject of widespread online jokes, its popularity exploded. The resulting buzz drew in more viewers, and the show’s popularity surged, showing signs of becoming a major hit. Viewership in each guest’s live room increased, with Charlie and Rebecca’s Live Room Five experiencing the most dramatic rise.
In a single morning, the viewership in Live Room Five nearly reached 600,000. And Janet’s live room? Janet checked her live room’s online viewer count and saw only 400,000—almost 200,000 fewer than Charlie and Rebecca’s Live Room Five.
She wondered, “How did this happen? I can’t let this continue! I mustn’t be outdone by Rebecca!” While her face remained calm, her mind was a whirlwind of annoyance and anger. Inwardly, she grumbled, “Why did Rebecca have to join this show? Couldn’t she just stay home and be a full-time housewife?”
Out of the live camera’s view, she gripped the capture net’s pole so tightly it threatened to snap. Janet thought firmly, ‘No! It can’t go on like this! I have to find a way to turn things around and regain my popularity! And as for Rebecca, I can’t let her keep flaunting herself. She’s just a fake heiress who stole someone else’s family. Isn’t it enough for her to stay a commoner overshadowed by me, a true heiress, forever? But I can’t personally cause trouble for now, or the media might catch on, and that would be troublesome!’
With that in mind, she looked toward the forest and thought of Lesley. Janet pondered irritably, ‘It’s been half a day in the mountains. What are those two idiots doing? It’s been so long, and they haven’t made any progress. Useless!’
At that moment, Lesley and Angie were feeling quite pleased. Initially, they had rushed into catching chickens without much thought. Their efforts resulted in sweat, ruined makeup, and dirty clothes. The worst incident involved the first chicken they caught defecating on their hands and clothes. Lesley, unable to cope, screamed and threw the hen away, immediately seeking water to wash her hands. But while Lesley fussed, Angie discovered their live room had over 200,000 viewers—the highest among the remaining rooms, aside from Janet’s Live Room Four and Charlie’s Live Room Five.
Angie was thrilled and immediately summoned Lesley. Seeing the results, Lesley’s excitement mirrored Angie’s. The chicken droppings on their hands became inconsequential, especially to Lesley. They chatted with the audience, confirming their presence, before excitedly returning to catching chickens.
They were so engrossed in the fun that Lesley momentarily forgot the task the company had assigned her. She didn’t remember until they encountered Janet and her mother.
The moment Lesley made eye contact with Janet’s “gentle” gaze, her wandering mind snapped back to reality.
10:50 Fri, 19 Jul uu
Chapter 28
Upon seeing Lesley, Janet feigned surprise, turned to the live camera, made a few remarks, and then led everyone to Lesley. Approaching with a friendly smile, Janet asked, “Lesley, you’re here! How many chickens have you caught?”
Given Lesley’s experience in the entertainment industry and acting skills, she quickly composed herself. Addressing Janet humbly and amiably, as if speaking to a senior colleague, she replied, “We’ve caught three, Janet. How about you?” As she spoke, she instinctively shielded Angie, who was holding the chickens, behind her.
Having worked hard all morning, Lesley felt anxious, fearing Janet might demand the chickens. She was grateful the show prohibited teaming up, preventing Janet from openly seizing her hard-earned catch.
“We’ve caught seven or eight, not too many,” Janet replied.
Lesley breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, ‘Since Janet caught so many herself, she probably won’t want mine, right?’ She then fulfilled her duties, deliberately praising Janet on camera to highlight her success. “Wow, that’s a lot, Janet! You’re so impressive!”
Janet was naturally pleased by the on-camera praise. She smiled warmly and politely said, “You’re not bad either.”
“It’s getting late. Have you seen the other groups?” Janet quickly asked, revealing her true intentions. She primarily wanted information on Rebecca and Charlie, and to subtly remind Lesley to quickly cause trouble for them. Janet wanted no one to outshine her.