Wu Qian, who'd been ready to skin Lu Ming alive just moments before, was now deflated: "Put that thing down. Whatever the problem is, let's sit down and talk it out!"
The other young traffic stars quickly chimed in:
"Exactly! We're all friends here. There's no need to take things this far."
A production assistant rushed over with a camera to the doorway, revealing the scene inside to confused viewers.
Teacher Huang was slumped on the floor, his whole body trembling.
A foul smell spread through the air...
Lu Ming stood holding an uncovered pressure cooker, his body positioned to throw, leaning back with his spine arched as he advanced forward. Under the high-definition camera, viewers could clearly see nearly half a pot of murky, filthy soup, even spotting some dark chunks floating in it.
What the hell was that stuff?!
"I'm warning all of you - nobody's running anywhere, and stop backing up! Anyone moves another step and I'll let them taste this delicious soup!"
Everyone's mouths went dry as they slowly retreated.
This bastard had already wound up for the throw. One little push and he'd splash that soup all over them. Sure, they could gamble on outrunning flying liquid, but looking at that half-pot of slop, they really didn't dare risk it!
"Still walking? Still walking?!"
"Anyone takes another step and I'm dousing Teacher Huang!"
Lu Ming aimed the pot at the collapsed Teacher Huang.
Teacher Huang's eyes filled with terror, his legs going weak!
He swore that in his decades in the entertainment industry, through countless storms and trials, he'd never been afraid. But this time - this time he was genuinely terrified!
Looking at the fearless emotion in the young man's eyes, Teacher Huang's teeth chattered: "Everyone! Stop! Moving!"
They all froze.
Teacher Huang's expression softened: "Kid, do you remember? When you were having trouble recently, Uncle even posted on Weibo to comfort you, telling you not to be too upset..."
Teacher Huang shouldn't have brought up his troubles. The moment he mentioned it, Lu Ming exploded with rage.
"You leeched off my traffic, fed off my misery, manipulated public opinion, practically begged for me to get cyberbullied to death! Then you drag me to Mushroom House and treat me like slave labor - that's how you 'comfort' people?"
Seeing Lu Ming's volatile mood, Teacher Huang shook with fear:
"Uncle admits it - having you cook alone today was inconsiderate, but Uncle was doing it for your own good..."
"Say one more word and I swear I'll give you a hot bath with this delicious soup!" Lu Ming raised the pot high.
Teacher Huang visibly panicked!
Everyone jumped:
"Stay calm!"
"You need to calm down!"
Maybe it was the alcohol, but Lu Ming was fired up beyond belief. Status, connections, social niceties - he didn't give a damn about any of it. Only eight words echoed in his mind:
Life and death don't matter - if you won't submit, then fight!
"Calm down?"
"I can't fucking calm down right now!"
"I'm just a regular person trying to live my life, but somehow I became everyone's target. You all ganged up on me online, talking shit, like everyone had to stomp on me. We're not related, we have no grudges - why did you all have to pick on me?"
"Cyberbullied for no reason, hated by everyone for no reason, attacked by thousands for no reason."
"When you all criticized and cursed me online, I never fought back. I thought if I just backed down, it would all blow over."
"I was wrong. Kindness isn't understood - it just makes bullies worse!"
"After coming here, I get blamed, forced to cook, and now threatened by all of you!"
"Fuck this shit!"
"I'm gonna kill you bastards!"
Lu Ming got more worked up as he spoke. His eyes grew vicious, scanning the crowd. The traffic stars he stared at felt like starving wolves were eyeing them, instinctively unable to meet his gaze. Every one of them cowered.
[Teacher Wu's intimidating stare (Liangkun version) kicked in without him even realizing it.]
Lu Ming glared at Teacher Huang with murderous intent, the killing rage in his eyes almost tangible.
Li Changfeng warned: "If anything happens to Teacher Huang, the entire entertainment industry will have no place for you. Think about your love life, your future, your career!"
Threats?
Someone whose mind was numbed by alcohol was all courage!
"Fuck you! You're so noble, so amazing, you're all good people and everyone loves you!"
"My love life just fell apart because of you people. I've got nothing left now, I'm broke as hell - what future?! You forced me to this shithole, stepped on me, isolated and bullied me, and now you can threaten me with a clear conscience!"
Lu Ming's murderous stare was like a predator eyeing prey, making people's hearts race involuntarily.
"I'm warning you - don't do anything stupid, or no one in the entertainment industry can save you!" Wu Qian instinctively stepped back two paces.
"I'm not afraid of anyone right now!"
"I'm gonna take back everything I lost, step by step by step by step!"
"I'm gonna kill all you hypocritical bastards!!"
Lu Ming suddenly swung the pot. In everyone's horrified eyes, the thick soup rained down like a storm. They didn't even have time to react before getting drenched like drowned rats!
"Holy shit!"
"Ugh... my eyes, my face, my stomach - I'm contaminated!"
They were genuinely intimidated by Lu Ming's presence. They forgot their numerical advantage and scattered like ants on a hot pan, crying and screaming!
Lu Ming was like a war god, carrying the pressure cooker and chasing everyone around, wildly splashing!
"Help!"
"He's lost it! Lu Ming's lost his mind!"
"This washed-up loser is drunk and crazy - he's trying to kill us! Help!"
"I don't want to die!"
Hysterical screams echoed through the air.
The entire Mushroom House descended into complete chaos!
In the house behind them, Teacher Huang watched the scene with a pale face. He swore that in his decades in entertainment, he'd never been this terrified!
Huang shakily got to his feet. Seeing Wu Qian frantically running toward him while being chased by Lu Ming, he slammed the door shut with all his might and threw his full weight against it!
"Teacher Huang! I'm not inside yet!"
"Open up! Open the door!"
"It's Wu Qian!"
Huang ignored him: "Go die somewhere else - don't get that shit on me!"
"Ahhhh—" Wu Qian let out a heart-wrenching scream like he'd encountered something horrifying.
[6666!]
[I'm gonna piss myself laughing!]
[A whole pot of refined shit splashed on people - I wouldn't dare dream up something this insane! Too crazy!]
[It's... it's getting intense!]
[This is fucking explosive!!]
[Dude, I wasn't this pumped watching Might Guy fight Madara!]
[I literally stood up to watch - sitting down would disrespect this episode's quality. You haters always complain that domestic variety shows have no content and are cringey as hell. I'm asking you - who watched this and didn't yell 'holy shit'?]
[If you're not laughing at this point, you're definitely severely depressed!]
[Depressed? My son was diagnosed with depression and hadn't laughed in three years - now he's cheerful as a monkey!]
[It's a miracle cure!]
[Getting this explosive content for free makes me feel bad for the production team!]
[This episode's gonna be legendary!]
[That vicious look in his eyes actually scared me. If you replaced that pot with a weapon, this scene would be totally believable. If he'd focused on acting earlier with his looks and presence, he might've actually made it big in entertainment.]
[Now that you mention it, for a moment there, he reminded me of someone.]
[Zhao Gao: Using my lines - what authority you have!]
[Friendly reminder: Never try to threaten a drunk person, especially a young one!]
[...]
The audience collectively died laughing at their computers.
Some viewers who'd watched the whole livestream didn't think Lu Ming did anything wrong.
On the contrary, seeing his fearless attitude when facing threats from industry bigshots and seniors gave them a strange sense of satisfaction and thrill.
Maybe this guy did what they'd always wanted to do but never dared. After all, in a society that follows social hierarchies, when faced with oppression from those above, most people choose to swallow their anger because of their livelihood. People brave enough to say 'no' to bullying are rare - someone who actually throws shit at bullies is absolutely unheard of!
"Director... director, are we just letting him go crazy like this?" Production staff hid far away.
The director said nothing, just monitoring the livestream data. After a while, he responded: "Unless you want to get covered in shit too, waiting is our best option until he runs out of ammo!"
"But Director, Brother Qian seems to have passed out from the smell. Shouldn't we do something?" Someone pointed to Wu Qian lying flat in the courtyard, eyes rolled back.
"Trust in science - high temperature sterilization. Even if it's actual shit, after being cooked in a pressure cooker, it won't make you sick. At most there'll be some minor psychological trauma. He's not dying!" the director declared confidently.
All the production staff thought the director made perfect sense.
"Director, how do you know so much about this?" a PD asked curiously.
A helpful colleague whispered: "Shh! If you don't want to get fired tomorrow for stepping into Mushroom House with your right foot first, don't ask too many details!"
Director: "..."
While the crew chatted, Lu Ming had run out of ammunition. Looking at the chaotic scene in the courtyard and the traffic stars still crying and wailing, his anger subsided considerably. He quietly found a chair and sat down.
After the excitement came endless emptiness!
He found the bottle of liquor he'd opened earlier and took two big gulps. The harsh alcohol burned down his throat, the searing feedback immediately clearing his mind of distractions. Lu Ming couldn't help but shout in satisfaction!
[Detected: Host has entered deep intoxication state. "Acting Fundamentals" +20!]
["Acting Fundamentals" advanced to LV2!]
Teacher Huang heard the shouting and killing outside had stopped, so he carefully cracked the door to observe.
Lu Ming, sitting in his chair, turned and made strange humming sounds in an bizarre voice: "%￥*@!"
Teacher Huang: "!!!"
SLAM!
The heavy door closing attracted Lu Ming's attention. He grabbed his bottle and staggered toward the room, slurring: "Teacher Huang... Teacher Huang... Teacher Huang..."
Under the pitch-black night sky, Teacher Huang pressed against the door with all his strength, feeling like ants were crawling all over his heart: "Stop calling for spirits out there!"
Lu Ming didn't respond, just kept pushing the door.
"Don't come in!"
"Uncle has no grudge against you - just let Uncle go!"
"Stop pushing! Uncle's begging you!"
Just as Huang panicked, Li Changfeng shouted: "He's got nothing in his hands - why are you still hiding in there?"
"You animal! I'm gonna kill you today!!"
Li Changfeng dragged his battered body forward.
Lu Ming turned to see Brother Feng, who'd been shouting threats just moments ago, now bent over and retching with "gag gag gag" sounds.
"Look how stuffed my buddy got!"
"Bro, next time you want gourmet food, just call me. I'll come cook at your place specially!"
Lu Ming said drowsily, completely drunk.
Li Changfeng, who'd been barely holding it together, finally threw up when he heard this!
Brother Feng didn't speak, just kept dry heaving.
Fuck, I'm gonna kill you someday!
...
Soon after, as sirens grew closer, an ambulance pulled up to Mushroom House. Before the medics even got out, Wu Qian, who'd been playing dead on the ground, suddenly saw salvation and crawled desperately toward the ambulance.
"I'm here! I'm here! I've been poisoned - pump my stomach!"
The other traffic stars quickly followed:
"Me too!"
"I don't think I can make it to the hospital - do it now!"
"Same here!"
Li Changfeng glared at Lu Ming and cursed him out, but Lu Ming, now deeply intoxicated, had completely lost his hearing and didn't catch a word. Instead, he smiled and responded: "There's none left, seriously not a drop. Even if you're still hungry, you'll have to wait till next time..."
"Fuck!"
Brother Feng broke down cursing, then climbed into the ambulance.
The already cramped space became crowded.
Seeing no one paying attention to him, Lu Ming plopped down by the door frame and fell asleep.
Teacher Huang, seeing the kid was truly passed out drunk, breathed a sigh of relief. Noticing the ambulance about to leave, he shouted: "Wait! I haven't gotten on yet!"
"Let's go - he's fine!" Wu Qian urged the driver resentfully.
Fortunately, the driver was reasonable and waited for Teacher Huang to board before driving the carload of celebrities to the nearest hospital for stomach pumping.
With all the stars gone, this episode of Mushroom House's livestream came to an end. Soon after, Kiwi TV's stream went offline.
"Finally over!" Teacher He looked at the mess and thought for a moment before calling the director: "Call his agent and have them pick him up tonight!"
"That seems too hasty. The guests just arrived this afternoon, and we still need to film breakfast and farm work content. How about we carry him inside to sleep it off?" the director suggested.
He'd just gotten a call from leadership, who insisted the show continue filming and promised to handle any problems. With this guarantee, plus witnessing the livestream break multiple variety show records, the director knew this was his chance at history!
"You still want him making breakfast?" Teacher He's eyes widened.
The director felt guilty: "Not really. Today was purely Teacher Huang wanting to slack off that caused this livestream disaster. When Teacher Huang gets back from stomach pumping, tomorrow our head chef will definitely do the cooking."
"Do you think Teacher Huang might poison the breakfast after what happened today?"
Director: "..."
He wasn't sure about others, but if Lu Ming took one bite, he'd probably meet his maker immediately.
"Besides, you don't have to wait till tomorrow morning. When they get back from stomach pumping tonight and see this kid passed out drunk, do you think he'll survive the night?" Teacher He said helplessly.
Director: "..."
Though he desperately wanted to seize this life-changing opportunity, for safety reasons, half an hour later he reluctantly watched Lu Ming get into his agent's car and drive away from the country road outside Mushroom House.
Watching the car's taillights disappear, both the Mushroom House director and Teacher He had complicated feelings.
The entertainment industry has no right or wrong, only interests.
Because the #ZhengMing Breakup# hashtag had exploded across the internet, all sorts of industry players rushed to chase the heat. Even D-list celebrities wanted screen time during this attention-grabbing moment.
Nobody cared who was right or wrong in Zheng Jie and Lu Ming's breakup. Everyone knew they couldn't afford to offend Zheng Jie, but they wanted exposure and traffic, so stepping on Lu Ming became the obvious choice.
After all, a bloated traffic star who'd relied on his ex-girlfriend, now exposed and collapsed after their breakup, was destined to fade from entertainment anyway. Naturally, no one feared offending such a small fry who posed no threat.
This kid had caused such a huge mess. After this goodbye, they probably wouldn't see him again in this lifetime.