The Eunuch Is A Heartthrob On A Survival Variety Show [Ancient To Modern] - Chapter 1

“Our young master is an only child for nine generations, pampered and precious, raised in a golden nest. His family feared he would melt in their mouths or shatter in their hands, like a precious treasure.”

Assistant Zhou paused, his gaze sweeping over the person before him with a mixture of doubt and disdain. He could not see how this person was qualified for the job of a bodyguard.

“I do not know what the master saw in you to hand over such an important task as protecting the young master’s personal safety. Remember, you must not let the young master get even a scratch on the show, not even a broken patch of skin.”

Wei Xing looked composed and aloof, his tone as calm and clear as ever: “Understood.”

Assistant Zhou nodded. Others were either deeply respectful or harbored secret flattery when facing him, but only Wei Xing, whom the master had picked up halfway, had maintained this indifferent and aloof attitude from the moment he entered the Zhou household.

Assistant Zhou pulled out a photograph: “This is our young master. Look closely. Also, the most important point is that you must never let the young master discover that you are a Zhou family bodyguard sent by the master to protect him. Otherwise, your salary will be deducted entirely.”

Wei Xing took the object, which in the Great Qi Dynasty would have been considered a portrait, but in this era was called a photograph. It was narrow, clear, and full of distinct colors, prompting him to take a second look.

Having arrived unexpectedly in this era, which was a thousand years removed from the Great Qi Dynasty, only seven days ago, many things remained outside his understanding.

The person in the photograph was quite different from what he had imagined.

He had assumed that the young master nurtured like precious jade, whom Assistant Zhou spoke of, would be pampered into a delicate and fragile state, or perhaps a spoiled and arrogant young master. He certainly had not expected him to look like this.

At the shooting location of the wilderness adventure reality show Hell Survival, ten minutes remained before filming began.

Twenty guests were participating in the show, including actors, singers and dancers from the entertainment industry, a newly crowned and intensely popular extreme sports athlete, internet bloggers with a certain degree of public recognition, adventure enthusiasts who loved wilderness survival, and unknown novices of mysterious backgrounds.

Zhou Youlan was checking his backpack. He pushed away an extra umbrella beside him and said with some displeasure: “Just shield yourself, you are in the way!”

Big Mac held the umbrella back over him with a cheeky laugh: “If you get any darker, nobody will even be able to see you if you streak naked at night.”

The image and style Zhou Youlan maintained when he first debuted were not fair and tender like other traffic stars in the industry. After spending a few months shooting a drama in the desert, he became several shades darker. Although this added a more rugged and wild edge to his temperament, getting too much sun was still bad for the skin.

Zhou Youlan asked: “Did the old man send you?”

Big Mac was Assistant Zhou’s son, and they had grown up together.

Zhou Youlan had been very busy with work lately and had not been home for a long time. For Big Mac to appear on this show meant it was likely arranged by his family.

Did the old man really think he could not even make it to the end of a survival variety show and needed someone to protect him, just waiting to make a fool of him?

The old man always thought he could not do anything right, and it had been that way since childhood.

“It was not the master’s arrangement. I saw you were coming to this show, and since they allow novices to participate, I came along,” Big Mac shrugged. “My dad does not even know I came to find you, but once the show broadcasts, he will definitely find out.”

Zhou Youlan remained half-convinced.

“I am really not lying to you. You know my capabilities, right? Could I protect you? Not holding you back is already a blessing.”

Zhou Youlan’s expression softened slightly, and upon second thought, that made sense.

Big Mac’s health had been poor since childhood, so Assistant Zhou probably would not let him suffer in a place like this anyway.

The director raised his megaphone to gather the guests, and the staff members busily made preparations in an orderly fashion.

The guests stood in line one by one, with several well-known stars naturally arranged in the optimal center shooting positions to draw viewership for the show.

The director intentionally placed Zhou Youlan right in the middle, as his tough-guy image suited this type of show’s promotion very well.

Moreover, the box office earnings of several films starring Zhou Youlan over the past two years had been quite impressive. He had soared to front-line status, won the title of Best Actor, and possessed an extremely loyal fan base.

Furthermore, because of his participation, the production team secured far more sponsorships than originally planned. Thus, this center position naturally fell to Zhou Youlan.

Zhou Youlan did not care much about these things. He tried to yield his place to the two veteran actors from the industry beside him, but everyone pushed him forward.

“Director, director, there is still one guest who has not arrived,” a staff member suddenly rushed over and said anxiously.

The director took off his earpiece: “Someone has not arrived yet? What is the logistics team doing? Filming is about to start, and there are still guests missing?”

How could they make such a low-level mistake? Were they messing around?

“It is a novice guest,” the staff member whispered in his ear. “The guest originally scheduled decided they did not want to come, so this one was notified to join the cast at the last minute. They probably got delayed on the way.”

The director’s facial flesh twitched with anger: “How last-minute could it be? We notified everyone to arrive a day early to avoid delaying the shoot. Are they deaf or blind? Do they have no concept of time? So many major and minor celebrity stars dared not throw tantrums and all arrived ahead of schedule, yet a mere novice is pulling this stunt of arriving at the absolute last second!”

The director slammed what was in his hand onto the ground: “Go urge them immediately!”

Wei Xing was dropped off by the driver before reaching the assembly point because the show’s gathering area was sealed off to the outside, and external vehicles were not permitted inside.

Unfamiliar with the road conditions, he circled the outer perimeter several times before finding the entrance to the shooting location.

The staff member waiting at the entrance was anxious and stunned at the sight of Wei Xing approaching, quickly comparing him to the guest photo information on their phone.

Before Wei Xing could speak, the other person grabbed his arm: “You are Wei Xing, right?”

“Yes.”

“Let us go, everyone is waiting for you. The director is so angry he is smashing things. Why are you so late and what were you doing?”

The live-streaming equipment had already been turned on, and the live broadcast room was swarming with fans of various stars, internet celebrities, and bloggers.

Long before, the production team had heavily promoted and marketed the show: the guests who made it to the finish line would split a high cash prize of one hundred million, the filming had no script or backstage manipulation, and apart from a few accompanying cameramen, there would be no other staff members following along.

The guests would face all kinds of accidents and dangers, and might even lose their lives during the adventure.

A prize of one hundred million, no script, no accompanying staff besides cameramen, independent exploration throughout, and the constant threat of losing one’s life.

Any one of these points alone was enough to spark public debate and argument.

“What is going on? They told us to stand here and now there is no movement?”

“What does this mean? Are they wearing down our patience?”

“Wow, it is so hot. What is happening? Are we waiting for someone?”

Zhou Youlan was also growing impatient.

There were twenty guests in total, but only nineteen had arrived.

The production team had explicitly requested guests to arrive at the designated hotel the night before, yet someone was still dragging their feet right up until filming started.

Although he had encountered all sorts of people who threw tantrums during filming and required directors to beg them repeatedly before they agreed to perform, the biggest names among the guests this time were the two seniors standing right beside him. Even they had arrived early, yet this latecomer was a mere novice? A newcomer?

Weren’t they a bit too bold with their airs?

When the staff member brought Wei Xing over, the other guests had already been standing there for nearly ten minutes. Normally that would be fine, but it was currently May in the summer, and the midday sun was exceptionally fierce.

“Director, they are here!”

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, the director opened his mouth to hurl curses, but a calm and clear voice cut through the stifling heat: “Sorry, I am late.”

Wei Xing’s tone was steady, unlike the flustered and rushed demeanor of others.

“You” The director turned around and suddenly choked on his words, his tightly squeezed eyes widening as he looked the newcomer up and down.

The entertainment industry never lacked pretty faces, but faces stunning enough to be described as heavenly at first glance were rare.

Wei Xing possessed precisely such a face.

Wei Xing nodded in apology: “I was delayed on the way, my apologies.”

The young man who brought him had been complaining the whole way about him delaying everyone, and indeed, he had arrived late.

“Fine, fine, fine,” the director waved his hand impatiently. “The live stream has been running for half an hour, get in there quickly.”

Wei Xing scanned the line of people standing over there, instantly locating the young master of the Zhou family, his protection target, Zhou Youlan.

“Quickly go find a spot to stand, it is about to start.”

Under the staff member’s whispered reminder, Wei Xing stepped forward.

“Damn, who is this? Looking this majestic?”

Someone among the guests let out an exclamation of surprise, drawing everyone’s gaze toward Wei Xing.

“Such a personalized styling, no wonder he dared to show up last time.”

“To dare make hundreds of thousands of viewers and a bunch of major stars wait this long, so he relies on his face to commit crimes.”

“His hair is so long, but looking at his figure he does not look like a woman. Is he a guy or a girl?”

“That mole between his eyebrows must be a beauty mark, right? Is it natural?”

“Am I some kind of masochist? Why did Nuwa mold someone so exquisite while I turned out as a lump of mud?”

As soon as Wei Xing appeared in front of the live stream camera lens, the comment section exploded even more wildly than the crowd on-site. Everyone was asking why this guest was not in the previous promotional trailers, and when the domestic entertainment industry secretly spawned such a godly visage.

People could not help sighing in regret: with such a one-in-a-million beauty, if he had appeared on a boy group talent show, wouldn’t he have been born to debut the moment he showed his face?

Why abandon a broad path relying on looks to come participate in wilderness survival and suffer.

Facing various probing, amazed, and disdainful gazes, Wei Xing stepped forward steadily. His slender figure stood straight like green bamboo, and the calm, undisturbed indifference between his brows carried a sense of aloof detachment, possessing a striking and captivating coolness.

He looked like someone who disliked socializing, remained aloof in temperament, and cared nothing for competition.

Who would have thought that without a trace of panic, he walked straight over and stood right beside Zhou Youlan, picking an excellent spot for the camera frame.

Everyone: “?”

Can an unknown novice really stand in the center position?