Daily Life of a Villain at Work [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Fifth Day of Maintaining the Villain Persona~

【Congratulations Host, task completion has increased. Current progress: 50%.】

“Hmm? 5% in one go? Did hiding a bit of news really hit Chu Ke that hard?” Wen Qingyun lay on her reclined car seat, resting her eyes behind a steam eye mask.

【The protagonist projected a special kind of emotion onto the Host and automatically filtered the Host’s actions through a positive lens. Discovering the deception was quite a blow to her.】

Wen Qingyun was stunned for a moment, but she quickly figured it out.

She was well aware of her own stunning looks. To be able to run rampant in the entertainment industry without relying on her family, 90% of the credit went to her face.

She and Chu Ke had spent quite a bit of time together in close proximity. Whether Chu Ke was “seduced by beauty” or attracted to her vivid personality, it was only natural for feelings to develop.

Judging by the task progress Chu Ke contributed, the physical factor probably mattered less than the latter; after all, a tiny bit of deception doesn’t make her any less beautiful.

After a shallow analysis in her mind, Wen Qingyun soon drifted from a light nap into deep sleep. For someone who loved late-night internet surfing, waking up at 4:00 AM was torture. It was impressive enough that she had lasted this long before crashing.

What? Should she check on Chu Ke?

Sorry, a villain’s motto is: Don’t initiate, don’t refuse, and don’t take responsibility. She never promised anything.

…

Between her statements during the livestream and the subsequent 5.6-million-yuan lucky draw, Wen Qingyun firmly occupied the top trending spots, becoming the most talked-about artist in the industry.

With the July-August summer break approaching, variety shows featuring livestreams were scrambling to invite her, hoping to pocket some of that heat for themselves.

Sister Xiao received a total of eighty-five invitations. After three days of screening, she picked out three.

“These three offer the highest pay. The filming time is under ten days, and each quote is over a million yuan,” Sister Xiao explained, holding the contracts.

“The first is a travel reality show. You’d need to fly abroad, tentatively to Southeast Asia. Pro: filming is relatively relaxed. Con: you have to follow a group and adapt to foreign cultures and food.”

“The second is an invitation to be an observer on a dating show. This pays the most—two million per day. The production crew will likely use you to stir up hype, so you’ll probably end up with more ‘black material’ by the end of it.”

Wen Qingyun popped a grape into her mouth as she listened. “And the third?”

“The third… you probably won’t want to go. It’s a survival challenge show. Guests need to complete survival tasks in uninhabited deep mountains.” Sister Xiao paused. “It’s a 24-hour livestream. The crew only ensures no major injuries. Unless you quit the task, they won’t provide any help during the challenge.”

Wen Qingyun raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that just looking for trouble? Sister Xiao, why did you pick this one?”

“The next challenge is a bit special. The director plans to split the groups by gender,” Sister Xiao handed over the contract. “Each team consists of three artists and one professional guide. It’s a challenge, but also a competition between men and women.”

“If you can endure the hardship, regardless of whether you win, you can clear a lot of your negative reputation,” Sister Xiao added. “And your female fan base will become even more loyal.”

“Sounds good, but I’m not going,” Wen Qingyun said lazily. “If I have to choose one of the three, I’ll take the easy one—the dating show observer. How many days total?”

“There are seven episodes in total. Two million per episode, to be finished within a month.” Sister Xiao flipped to the corresponding contract. “The first three episodes are already edited. During the livestream, you’ll watch the final cut with the audience. It’s a ‘show-within-a-show’ livestream.”

“Are you sure?” Sister Xiao asked. “The crew is purely aiming to leach off your popularity.”

Wen Qingyun nodded. “Compared to struggling for survival in the wilderness, sitting in an air-conditioned room critiquing others is much more my style.”

“Fine. Tomorrow is your last day of rest; we leave the day after.” Sister Xiao wasn’t surprised by the result. “I’ll send you the materials later. You don’t need to memorize everything, just match the names of the ‘non-celebrity’ guests to their faces.”

Wen Qingyun made an ‘OK’ sign and slumped back onto the sofa, resuming her role as a beautiful, useless potato.

…

As soon as the contract was stamped, the production crew of Heartbeat began a frantic promotional campaign, buying the top trending spot for the news of Wen Qingyun joining as an observer.

【The crew is playing with fire. Don’t they know she’s literally in her ‘man-hating’ era? With her as an observer, the male guests are going to get torn to shreds, right?】

【I admit, Wen Qingyun is sharp-tongued, but she doesn’t just attack randomly. If someone doesn’t have issues, why would they get scolded?】

【Rubbing my hands together in anticipation! Last season’s observers were too diplomatic; it was boring. We need someone as piercing as Wen Qingyun!】

Accompanied by the record of hitting the hot search five times in two days, Wen Qingyun arrived at the observation room right on time. After polite greetings with the other three guests, she sat on the center sofa, claiming the C-position.

Heartbeat was no different from traditional dating shows: six “non-celebrity” guests with decent looks were picked to live together. The first two episodes were for introductions, the middle four for various dates and partner-swapping, and the final episode for the “confession battle.”

The beginning was a bit dull for Wen Qingyun. It was just footage of the guests introducing themselves and exchanging polite pleasantries.

After forcing herself to watch for ten minutes, her mind began to wander. She started observing the observation room itself, performing her “observer” duties in a roundabout way.

“Teacher Wen, what are your thoughts on the three male guests?” One of the other observers, prompted by the director, took the initiative to cue her.

Wen Qingyun rested her chin on her hand and thought for three seconds. “They’re alright. Their heights aren’t fake, they haven’t had plastic surgery on their faces, and they look quite ‘clean’—not frail.”

“Oh? I didn’t expect Teacher Wen to focus most on their height and appearance,” the observer gave a dry laugh, trying to keep the conversation going. “Then, what are your thoughts on the three female guests?”

“They are all such lovely girls,” Wen Qingyun said, a smile appearing on her face, her eyes curving slightly. “Two Master’s degrees, one PhD candidate… They are all outstanding young women who have achieved a lot in their respective fields.”

“In my personal opinion, romance is just a garnish to their lives. I hope their future careers become even more brilliant.”

…

【Hahaha, Teacher Wen’s double standards are so obvious, but I love it! We need this kind of vivid commentary!】

【Wait, why is she critiquing the male guests’ height and looks? Isn’t that rude?】

【And are you being polite? Who gave you the right to critique my sister’s words? Is it that extra sprout between your legs?】

【Here we go again, the ‘mansplaining’ energy is so strong. Freshness spray—pssh pssh pssh—】

【Of course she should critique them. If a man can’t even offer height or a decent face, what else does he have? Is he going to brag that the national defense budget was funded by his cigarette tax?】