Daily Life of a Villain at Work [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Second Day of Becoming a Hated Celebrity~

According to the production schedule of Deep in the Mountains, there are eight hours of live broadcasting every day: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

The five invited guests are required to complete a specific task during each time slot. Depending on their performance, each person receives a different lunch and dinner.

The lowest-rated performer gets only plain steamed buns and pickles, while the highest-rated can enjoy a four-figure luxury set meal from a private kitchen. The contrast is stark.

…

Turning off her 8:30 AM alarm, Wen Qingyun gave her face a quick wash with plain water and immediately began her skincare and sun protection routine.

It was mid-June. If she stepped outside without proper protection, her skin would darken by three shades in less than a day.

After admiring her exquisite features in the simple mirror for a moment, Wen Qingyun donned a large sun hat and sunglasses. She pushed open the creaky wooden door and appeared in front of the camera exactly on time.

【Here she comes! Wen Qingyun appears with her full set of sun protection gear!】

【Are you kidding me? Is Wen Qingyun here to experience mountain life or to walk a runway? How is she going to work dressed like that? And fans are still defending her, saying she isn’t acting like a diva? If this isn’t “diva behavior,” what is?】

【Does it hurt you? What year is this? Ever heard of freedom of dress? Our sister just wants to look beautiful. Stay mad, haters!】

【To be fair, I never get tired of looking at Wen Qingyun’s face. Her beauty makes everything she does feel justified.】

【Since it’s come to this, let’s just enjoy the aesthetics first!】

Wen Qingyun truly lived up to her “black-and-red” status. Less than a minute after her appearance, the live chat was already in a heated argument, and the viewership skyrocketed from hundreds of thousands to over a million.

In the control room, soaking up the air conditioning, Yue Xing watched the feed with a mix of love and hate. He loved her hype and traffic, but he hated how she refused to give him face. He had only given her a “hint” last night, and she had cracked his head open. So disrespectful!

“Director Yue, it’s almost time for the task drawing. Are we still doing that?” The assistant director held the lottery box, his expression tinged with hesitation.

The production team had tampered with the box beforehand, installing a hidden compartment. Inside that compartment were task cards that were all identical. No matter which one Wen Qingyun picked, she would end up with the grueling task they had pre-arranged.

Yue Xing frowned. “Proceed as planned. We’ve already conceded by letting her draw first. If she still draws a terrible task, we’ll just say she truly has bad luck.”

“But Director Yue, she’s drawn bad tasks for three days in a row. Can we really use the ‘bad luck’ excuse to brush her off again?” The assistant director instinctively rubbed his stomach. That kick yesterday really hurt; it was still throbbing.

Yue Xing’s face darkened. He involuntarily reached up to touch his forehead, hissing as his finger grazed the wound.

Remembering how difficult Wen Qingyun was to deal with yesterday, Yue Xing felt a bit apprehensive.

“There’s a local cadre who wanted some screen time for promotion. Hand the rigged box to her and let her act as the staff member for this segment.” Yue Xing’s mind whirred, coming up with what he thought was a brilliant plan.

The assistant director’s eyes lit up. “Director Yue, you’re so experienced! That Chu Ke might just be an obscure poverty alleviation official, but she’s still a civil servant. Even if Wen Qingyun isn’t happy with the task, she won’t dare flip out on her.”

“Exactly. And if she does flip out, we don’t have to worry. The netizens will condemn her. We can just sit back and watch the show,” Yue Xing said, letting out a chuckle as if he could already see Wen Qingyun making a fool of herself.

“Tell the cameramen to get more close-ups of Wen Qingyun. Most of our ratings and traffic this season come from her.”

“Don’t worry, Director. I told them during the morning meeting—film her every chance they get.”

…

On the other side, the five guests exchanged brief pleasantries in front of the camera before arriving at the fixed task-drawing segment.

“Teacher Wen, why don’t you go first this time?” Han Chi, who had received a hint from the director the night before, was the first to speak.

Han Chi was a singer-songwriter who marketed himself as “original.” However, he was currently embroiled in a scandal involving plagiarizing his ex-girlfriend’s work. Since he couldn’t prove his innocence, netizens—who were frustrated by the drama—voted him into fifth place on the list.

To earn the 200,000 yuan appearance fee and to keep his foot in the industry door, he accepted the invitation with the goal of “whitewashing” his image.

“Fine, I’ll go first.” Wen Qingyun didn’t know the meaning of the word “modesty.” She adjusted her sunglasses and stepped forward.

“Teacher Wen, to ensure fairness and justice in today’s drawing, we have invited Comrade Chu Ke from the Town Poverty Alleviation Office as a special guest. For the next five days, Teacher Chu Ke will be in charge of this segment,” the assistant director popped up and said, signaling the cameraman to focus on Chu Ke.

Wen Qingyun used her index finger to slide her sunglasses down slightly, her calculating gaze landing on Chu Ke.

A simple white shirt, black pants, and a neat bun made this young official look clean and efficient. Chu Ke’s features were gentle and dignified; she wore no makeup today, which added to her approachable, “woman of the people” persona—very fitting for a grassroots cadre.

【Detected World Protagonist: Chu Ke. Host can increase mission progress by creating obstacles for the protagonist.】 The system’s notification rang out and then went silent.

Wen Qingyun pushed her sunglasses back up and casually extended her hand. “Teacher Chu Ke, I am Wen Qingyun. I’ve heard much about you.”

“Hello, Teacher Wen. Welcome to Shishu Village. If you encounter any problems during filming, you can contact me.” Chu Ke shook her hand, unable to resist taking an extra look at her.

The large black sunglasses obscured Wen Qingyun’s striking eyes, making her skin look even paler by comparison. Standing at 1.67 meters, Chu Ke had to look up slightly, catching a glimpse of Wen Qingyun’s high bridge of the nose and full, red lips.

The corners of Wen Qingyun’s mouth curled into an impeccable smile. “Oh? I can contact Teacher Chu Ke for any problem?”

Chu Ke paused. “Yes. I’ll be staying at the village committee office for the next few days. Teacher Wen can come find me anytime.”

Wen Qingyun nodded and said no more, using her sunglasses as a shield to shamelessly observe Chu Ke.

What was the poverty alleviation office thinking, sending a beautiful woman in her early twenties to be a short-term resident cadre in the deep mountains? Was it trust in the cadre herself, or trust in the “purity” of Shishu Village’s residents?

Since this place was chosen by Deep in the Mountains, it certainly wasn’t the latter. A mountain village filled with bachelors in their thirties was rarely a place of “pure” folkways.

“Ahem, Teacher Wen, you can draw today’s task now,” the assistant director urged, handing the lottery box to Chu Ke.

Chu Ke took the box and held it out to Wen Qingyun. “Teacher Wen, please.”

Wen Qingyun glanced at the assistant director. Through her sunglasses, she saw the guilt hidden deep in his eyes, confirming that the box was rigged.

“Everyone, would you like me to draw for all of you?” Wen Qingyun turned around, looking at the four guests behind her, each wearing a different expression.

“I won’t trouble Teacher Wen. I’ll do it myself,” Han Chi was the first to decline, having guessed the internal situation.

The other three guests hesitated. However, on a show like this, if you didn’t follow the crowd, you were easily singled out for targeting, so they followed Han Chi’s lead and declined as well.

【What is Wen Qingyun doing? She’s even stalling over a task draw. Is she trying to pull some trick to give the bad tasks to others?】

【How is that possible? If Wen Qingyun could cheat, would she have been so miserable the first two days? I think she’s just seeking attention to get more screen time.】

【Don’t you guys think this young official is actually quite pretty? Her bare face isn’t as good as Wen Qingyun’s, but compared to the others on site, she’s second only to her.】

The live chat launched a new round of criticism against Wen Qingyun’s stalling, and the haters began spamming her old scandals.

In contrast to the lively chat, the atmosphere on site was strange and tense. Chu Ke held the box in front of Wen Qingyun; Wen Qingyun stood with her arms crossed, unmoving; and the guilty assistant director looked like he wanted to speak but didn’t dare to urge her.

After a full minute of stalemate, just as the assistant director swallowed hard for the third time, Wen Qingyun slowly reached her hand into the box.

The assistant director and Yue Xing (in the control room) breathed a sigh of relief. But before the relief could reach their faces, they saw Wen Qingyun pull out five task cards at once. Their breath hitched again.

“Quick! Be ready to cut the feed! If things go wrong, mute Wen Qingyun’s mic immediately!” Yue Xing shouted in the control room, standing up nervously and staring at the monitors.

Under Yue Xing’s tense gaze, Wen Qingyun didn’t open the cards. Instead, she held the five envelopes and looked at Chu Ke.

“Teacher Chu Ke, I’ve encountered a problem. Can you help me solve it?” Wen Qingyun asked with a smirk.

The unsuspecting Chu Ke nodded. “Of course. What do you need help with, Teacher Wen?”

“My luck hasn’t been great lately. Teacher Chu Ke, can you help me eliminate a wrong option?” Wen Qingyun smiled. “Let me try choosing one out of four instead.”

“No! Stop her! Emphasize the rules of the drawing!” Yue Xing screamed in the control room. His voice was so loud that the assistant director, wearing a headset, winced.

“Teacher Wen, according to the rules, the guest must draw the card personally. You can’t do that,” the assistant director said, forcing himself to speak. “You can only choose one and open it.”

“I must choose one from these?” Wen Qingyun asked.

“Yes. To ensure fairness, every guest must personally draw their card.” The assistant director swallowed, his sense of impending doom growing.

Upon hearing this, Wen Qingyun sneered. She grabbed a megaphone lying nearby and began speaking directly into the recording equipment.

“Assistant Director, how about a bet? If the task cards in all five of these envelopes are identical, how about you eat them?”