Chapter Nineteen: This Is the Reason

2:00 PM. Even without speeding up the playback, the latest episode of "Farming with the Stars" had already finished. Discussions on Weibo were growing.

"Honestly, I've seen tons of reality shows, but this is the only one that doesn't feel staged."

"I don't recognize any of those young idols, but they're really working hard."

"Yeah, watching them rush to harvest the wheat, you can tell they're giving it their all."

"I remember how some celebrities used to record shows and spit out their food after eating; but seeing this show is truly surprising."

"I love watching genuine reality shows like this."

...

This wave of discussion was now coming from ordinary viewers. You could easily distinguish between regular audience members and fans by their choice of words. Especially the ones who said, "I'm just a passerby, but I think it's pretty good"—ten out of ten times, those were fans pretending to be casual viewers, trying to shape public opinion.

Now, "Farming with the Stars" was beginning to win over real outsiders. A popular influencer on Weibo, Old Zhong, commented: "Some people don't understand why a show about celebrities farming is getting so much attention. Let me tell you why.

Because it's authentic.

Because it's relatable.

These stars are genuinely working in the fields. If you don't believe it, check out their 24-hour livestream on the official account. They're not deceiving the audience—unlike some shows that do three minutes of farming and two hours of chatting.

I hope the production team keeps their original intention. If they maintain this style, I'm confident the show will become a huge success."

Old Zhong had quite a following on Weibo. What set him apart was that he never posted ads or accepted money for promotion. Precisely because of this, his post caused a stir among fans.

"What the heck? Old Zhong actually thinks 'Farming with the Stars' is good?"

"Well, since Old Zhong says it's worth watching, I'll give it a try."

"I'll check it out too."

...

More and more people joined in recommending the show, including some promotional efforts from the production team.

It was exceeding expectations.

Feng Gang had originally hoped "Farming with the Stars" would just break out of its niche and attract some attention. He was well aware that the only real traffic generator among their cast was Lin Xing. So he put all his bets on Lin Xing. The last-minute edits for this episode revolved around Lin Xing, though the other eight guests and Lin Miaoyin also received plenty of screen time.

How to put it?

None of them dropped the ball.

The key, as Feng Gang had previously said, was authenticity.

Previously, the production team was most worried about Lin Xing and Lin Miaoyin—after all, they had been invited, and Lin Xing's popularity meant it would be awkward if he refused to work in the fields.

But unexpectedly, Lin Xing was diligent and cooperative beyond measure.

Lin Xing brought surprise after surprise to Feng Gang, and now he had real hope for this episode.

As long as it didn’t flop.

Now, Feng Gang needed to prove his own vision, to show he could succeed even after leaving the platform.

Before "Farming with the Stars," he had been the subject of endless ridicule.

But now, it felt as if a light boat had sailed past countless mountains.

"Let's have a meeting," Feng Gang said to chief planner Xia Lin. "This proves our persistence was right."

Xia Lin smiled. "Exactly. Today's audience is immune to those idyllic countryside reality shows. People aren't fools, after all."

"Tell post-production to give it their all. Tell them bonuses are doubled this month."

Feng Gang turned to chief editor Li Xia. "Xia, revise the scripts for the upcoming episodes. We need to emphasize authenticity..."

He paused for a moment. "Notify everyone about the meeting. I'll call Lin Xing."

Villa.

Lin Xing hadn’t gone to the office today; he’d told Sister Dao last night that he was taking a day off. After four and a half days of filming "Just Waiting for You," he hadn't rested properly. Today was a chance to relax.

"Director Feng."

Lin Xing was on the treadmill when he answered Feng Gang's call with a laugh, "No, I'm not busy—I’m just jogging at home."

"Jogging?" Feng Gang sounded delighted. "Xing, you've finished filming?"

Lin Xing laughed. "Yes, it was a special guest role. I’d reserved a month just in case, but it finished three days earlier than the original schedule."

"Great." Feng Gang couldn't help but exclaim. The sooner Lin Xing finished filming, the sooner he could return as their guest star.

"Xing, this episode’s popularity has exceeded expectations. Banana Video's backend shows lots of new users, so we've drawn in quite a crowd..."

Feng Gang shared the viewership stats with Lin Xing, his voice barely able to contain excitement.

"Congratulations, Director Feng! I always believed in your talent and your grasp of the market," Lin Xing said with a smile. "This proves you were right."

"Hahaha, don't flatter me, Xing! I should thank you—without your star power, our show would still be a minor, obscure production."

Feng Gang laughed heartily. "So Xing, I’ll need your help in carrying this little-known show forward."

"Director Feng, you’re too polite. Even without me, the show would eventually be discovered. Audiences have been longing for quality reality shows."

Lin Xing waved his hand lightly. "I only added a bit of sparkle; the real breakthrough comes from your excellent management."

Feng Gang knew Lin Xing was being modest, but it was pleasant to hear.

He added, "Xing, the program will be even more down-to-earth and authentic next time. It might be tough for you."

"No problem, Director Feng. This kind of hard work is nothing," Lin Xing replied, frowning slightly. "But what about the other guests?"

Feng Gang felt reassured by Lin Xing's question. "Don’t worry about them. Xing, can you join the recording next week?"

"Not next week—I have a commercial shoot," Lin Xing said, thinking of the schedule Xiao Nan sent that morning. "After the 24th."

"Alright, that's settled. Xing, there's an extra episode airing tomorrow—can I trouble you to promote it?"

Feng Gang nodded gently.

"You’re too polite, Director Feng. It’s my duty."

After a few more words, Lin Xing hung up. He glanced at Weibo and saw that "Farming with the Stars" was indeed breaking out.

The word of mouth for this episode was quite good.

It had scored an 8 on Douban.

Of course, the score was high because there weren’t many ratings yet. "Farming with the Stars" was still a minor show among minor productions.

But online discussions had shifted to tomorrow’s bonus episode.

The first episode’s teaser featured Lin Xing driving an electric tricycle, pulling Lin Miaoyin along for a few seconds—a scene that reminded some viewers of the viral preview.

Some people left comments under the official account of "Farming with the Stars":

Will there be a big communal meal next episode?

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