The Prime Minister Becomes a Global Sensation After Transmigrating into a Pariah - Chapter 8

“No. there is no need.” Lou Yishu looked directly into Shen Mo’s eyes through his thick bangs. For a moment, he felt a strange sense of daze, as if this scene were somehow familiar. However, he couldn’t recall the specific details. He decided not to waste his energy dwelling on it, dismissing it as a mere case of déjà vu.

“This is yours; I cannot accept it.”

Lou Yishu wore a faint smile, but his tone was serious. Shen Mo was never one for empty pleasantries; seeing that Lou Yishu truly wouldn’t accept the gift, he withdrew his gaze and gave a flat reply: “Okay.”

Because their seats were tucked away in the back, the other guests paid them no mind, and even the audience barely noticed the exchange except for Qiao Yuxi, who witnessed the entire scene.

Qiao Yuxi couldn’t quite describe his current mood. He was supposed to be utterly disappointed in Lou Qingtai, yet seeing the man smile so brightly and beautifully at Shen Mo left him feeling strangely stifled. After all, he had been with Lou Qingtai for nearly eight months, and the man had never once given him such a sincere smile; every time Lou Qingtai contacted him, it was only for money.

The bus suddenly lurched to a halt, and the director instructed everyone to disembark.

The moment Lou Yishu stepped off the bus, he was awestruck. A helicopter sat before them, its fuselage painted a deep, sleek grey that reflected the cold sunlight like a mirror. He had only seen aircraft on his phone; ever since he learned this modern era possessed such vehicles, he had been dying to try one.

However, the host’s words quickly burst his bubble. “We are now entering the official content of our pilot episode! First, let us congratulate Mr. Qiao Yuxi. Having purchased our exclusive kite, he may take the helicopter directly to our travel destination. Furthermore, he alone shall decide the landing site.”

“The rest of our guests shall enter by boat,” the host added. “Please make proper use of your purchased items. Once you have changed your clothes, our journey begins.”

So, I won’t get to experience the flying machine, Lou Yishu thought with a sigh, feeling a twinge of regret.

Staff members led them away to change. He had expected more stage costumes, but instead, he was handed a set of green outdoor tactical gear, complete with matching boots. This gave Lou Yishu a sinking feeling.

As he was changing, he heard the roar of the rotors. He peered out the window to see the helicopter rising slowly. The pilot, wearing thick goggles, exuded a professional charm.

Qiao Yuxi sure changes quickly. Lou Yishu noted. After all, Qiao Yuxi’s original outfit looked much more complicated to take off than his own.

Once dressed, Lou Yishu looked in the mirror. Grandma Lin’s makeup was still intact, but it clashed horribly with the rugged outdoor gear. He used a bit of water to wash it off.

Lou Yishu’s natural eyes were slightly upturned, and his dark, bright pupils carried a sharp, piercing edge. Grandma Lin had originally styled his eyes to look softer to match the pure white suit, but now, with the makeup gone, his face looked remarkably sharp against the green tactical gear.

After changing, Lou Yishu’s phone was confiscated by the director. He boarded a boat with his dedicated PD (production director/cameraman). The few viewers in his specific livestream feed noticed the change immediately:

• “Why does he look different again?”
• “I noticed it too! Something changed, but I can’t put my finger on it…”
• “Don’t mind me, but he suddenly looks like a Top?”
• “YES! That’s it! He looks so much sharper and more masculine now.”
• “Did he take his makeup off? Or is the foundation still there and he just wiped his eyes?”
• “Anyone with basic makeup knowledge knows you can’t just wipe off eye makeup and keep the base intact. Besides, he was the first one out; he wouldn’t have had time to redo the foundation.”
• “The smart ones are already on his Boliao page asking for his skincare routine. Damn, his skin is so good, I can’t see a single pore.”
• “Wasn’t it said the director gave him a special beauty filter?”
• “Look at the clothes to see if there’s a filter. Everyone is wearing the same thing now—well, except for Qiao Yuxi.”
• “Wait, what happened to Qiao Yuxi? I was in the bathroom.”
• “Nothing much, he just thought the tactical gear was ugly and refused to wear it. The director said he couldn’t afford to replace Qiao’s designer clothes if they got ruined, and Qiao just said he has plenty of money and doesn’t need compensation. LMAO.”

The boat was equipped with a special propulsion system and moved incredibly fast something that didn’t exist in ancient times. Everything felt novel to Lou Yishu, though for some reason, he started to feel a bit dizzy.

Halfway through the journey, the guests were asked to put on blindfolds. The director likely wanted to capture their raw, excited reactions when the destination was revealed.

With his sight blocked, Lou Yishu’s hearing became hyper-sensitive. He could clearly hear the rushing of water and the increasing chorus of birds. Occasionally, a spray of water would hit his face. After an unknown amount of time, the boat stopped. When he was helped ashore and walked a short distance, he could feel the humidity in the air significantly thicken.

His intuition had been right.

When Lou Yishu removed his blindfold, he was greeted by lush, thriving vegetation. Dense trees covered most of the land, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, creating dappled patterns of light and shadow. The Tyndall effect was in full force, creating visible paths of light through the misty air.

The chirping of birds only served to highlight how quiet the surroundings were. The only people present were Lou Yishu and his PD.

Well, it’s not too bad. At least I have the PD, even if he won’t talk to me.

Lou Yishu’s expression remained calm. He walked back along the path they’d come from and saw the boundless, deep blue sea. Only then did he realize he was actually on a live broadcast. He quickly put on a look of surprise and said to the camera: “Oh wow~ this appears to be a deserted island.”

The comments were instantly charmed:

• “Baby, your reaction time is a bit long, haha.”
• “This is hilarious, it’s like he just realized we’re here.”
• “No wonder the comments were so clean; I didn’t have the ‘all comments’ filter on.”
• “I’m just a passerby. I don’t care about his past; I’m here for the present.”
• “When is Yishu going to drop the skincare routine?”
• “Our feed has exactly 200 people. It feels so cozy~”
• “The haters aren’t very loyal; our room is too quiet for them to even bother coming in.”

Lou Yishu had no experience with live television, so he simply spoke whatever came to mind. He wasn’t worried; as the saying goes, “A man with no shoes doesn’t fear a man with boots.” His reputation couldn’t possibly get any worse. It was a tragic, yet liberating thought.

“It is now noon. We must first solve the problem of lunch,” Lou Yishu said, feeling a bit of a headache. Creating something out of nothing was no easy task. “First, we need to make fire. Right now, I only have a steel ruler, wait.”

A steel ruler?

He pulled the ruler from his pocket. It glinted sharply in the sun. He stared at it for a moment, then looked at the camera with a spark of excitement. “Well, at least I have a cutting tool. Making fire shouldn’t be too difficult.”

The viewers were baffled:

• “Wait? A tool? Is he going to use a ruler to cut things? Can it even cut?”
• “What do you mean ‘fire isn’t hard’? Ye Qi has been striking flint for ten minutes and hasn’t even seen a spark.”
• “How does Ye Qi have flint?”
• “Remember those two rocks he bought for 500? He smashed them and found a magnesium rod and a fire starter.”
• “So how is Lou Yishu going to make fire? Friction? He’ll be rubbing wood until next year.”

As if hearing the audience, Lou Yishu looked at the camera and said earnestly, “We shall use the method of ‘drilling wood’ to start the fire. First, let’s find the proper tools.”

On the other side of the island, Qiao Yuxi had successfully revolted against the director’s ugly clothes. He never compromised his personal style for anything other than a film role. He hadn’t worn a blindfold on the helicopter, instead spending the flight surveying the island before picking a random shore to land on.

Upon landing, the director informed him of the kite’s “perk”: at approximately 12:30 PM, he would receive an “airdrop” containing resources for his use. Currently, however, Qiao Yuxi had absolutely nothing.

Unlike the quiet atmosphere of Lou Yishu’s feed, Qiao Yuxi’s was packed. Nearly half of the total viewers were watching him. Even without him saying a word, the comments were frantic:

• “I still can’t get over the way he looked at those tactical clothes. So cute.”
• “Brother Qiao is so handsome, I feel safe.”
• “I’ve already screenshotted that look. I love it when he looks at me like I’m a stray dog.”

Qiao Yuxi also wanted to prepare lunch. He planned to head into the brush to see if there were any edible fruits. He wasn’t worried about identifying them; he knew the director would intervene if he tried to eat something poisonous.

However, he underestimated the density of the island’s foliage. Before he’d gone far, his hat had been snatched by branches at least ten times, and his elegant clothes were already smeared with mud and leaves.

But Qiao Yuxi refused to believe it was his fault. What’s wrong with wanting to look good? It’s the director’s fault for the ugly clothes. Hmph.

Just as he was silently grumbling about the director, the ground beneath his feet suddenly vanished.

“Aaaaaah!”

With a sharp cry, Qiao Yuxi plummeted into a large pit. The camera jerked and froze for a few seconds. The audience could hear the PD let out a faint sigh of weary amusement.

The camera quickly pointed down into the pit. Qiao Yuxi sat there, his exquisite hair now sporting two leaves, his clothes covered in patches of grey mud. He rubbed his backside, mumbling “It hurts,” his voice trembling slightly. Looking up and seeing the PD still at the edge of the pit, he looked hopeful. “Sir, could you please pull me—”

Before he could finish, the PD, carrying his heavy equipment, slid down into the pit after him with practiced ease.

Witnessing this smooth operation, Qiao Yuxi swallowed his complaints. Being a cameraman was clearly not a job for everyone.

“Can you not help me?” Qiao Yuxi asked. This was his first reality show, and he lacked experience.

The PD shook his head. Guests had to solve their own problems unless it was a genuine emergency.

“Then what am I supposed to do.” Since his clothes were already ruined, Qiao Yuxi just sat on the dirt floor.

The PD, seemingly unable to watch the helplessness anymore, mouthed a suggestion: Shout for help.

“I, I can’t do that—” Qiao Yuxi’s face instantly flushed red, the color spreading from his ears to his cheeks and down his neck. He was too proud and thin-skinned. He muttered to himself, “How embarrassing… shouting for help.”

Though he spoke softly, the viewers heard him perfectly:

• “Poor baby! Let mommy hug you!”
• “Which pit is he in? Wait! Mommy is flying over to save you!”
• “His luck is so bad, haha. How did he manage to step right into it?”
• “WAIT—is Lou Yishu heading in this direction?”
• “What? Let me go check the other feed.”
• “Oh my god, he really is! Brother Qiao, forget your pride! Shout for help!”

Down in the pit, Qiao Yuxi faintly heard the sound of human footsteps.

“He…” His face turned an even deeper shade of red.

“He—help—” His voice was weak, barely a whisper.

The PD, watching Qiao Yuxi practically overheat from embarrassment, was both amused and exasperated. He mouthed for him to go louder.

Qiao Yuxi took a breath, bit his lip, and after reaching a certain level of desperation, his voice finally found some volume: “HELP!”

On the other side of the brush, Lou Yishu’s footsteps suddenly faltered.