Chapter 1

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The first time Liu Cheng saw Sun Chen, Sun Chen was scolding his assistant. Sun Chen’s assistant, Gu Qingqiu, had done something for the props team, which led to Sun Chen snapping, “Then why did I hire you? Why didn’t you just join the props team in the first place?” Getting into the flow of reprimanding, Sun Chen didn’t stop there, adding, “Even a freshly graduated college student could do more than you.”

Gu Qingqiu had graduated two or three years ago and had finally gotten the chance to become the assistant to Sun Chen, a top-notch producer. At this moment, he could only swallow his frustration. Liu Cheng noticed the suppressed grievance on Gu Qingqiu’s usually warm and smiling face, and this left him with an even worse first impression of Sun Chen. Liu Cheng already disliked overbearing people, and the fact that Sun Chen was scolding Gu Qingqiu—Liu Cheng’s lover—made it even worse.

To be honest, Liu Cheng had heard of Sun Chen’s name before. Prior to deciding to sponsor a new show on S Channel, Liu Cheng had already heard from his lover about this supposedly highly competent yet rather harsh boss. “No matter what, he’s taught me a lot,” Gu Qingqiu had spoken positively about his boss. In fact, it was Gu Qingqiu who had initially convinced Liu Cheng to invest in the new show. “A show produced by Sun Chen is definitely worth investing in. Cheng, trust my judgment. You happen to be really interested in survival in the wild, so this show won’t disappoint you.”

Liu Cheng never let his lover sway his decisions, but that didn’t stop him from sweet-talking: “If I invest in this show, it’s because I trust your abilities—of course, and your charm too.” After some flirting, naturally, there was some tenderness shared between them.

Afterward, Liu Cheng seriously considered the investment. Sun Chen worked on the sports channel, and sports programs had certain advantages when it came to TV ratings: a stable and large audience. However, the chances of a sports program becoming a major hit were slim. You could say they were stable but lacked explosiveness. Recently, Sun Chen wanted to create a survival reality show. While such shows hadn’t appeared in the domestic market yet, they had been popular abroad for many years. Initially, Liu Cheng wasn’t particularly optimistic about this new show, but since he had a lifelong interest in survival in the wild and no other sports programs fit his product’s positioning better, he eventually considered using his advertising budget to sponsor Sun Chen’s show. Once the decision was made, Liu Cheng happily let Gu Qingqiu take the credit for securing his sponsorship.

Today, Liu Cheng had come to discuss the sponsorship details with Sun Chen. On his way here, he hadn’t expected that before he even met this producer, he would hear his lover being scolded harshly.

The young, beautiful woman responsible for welcoming Liu Cheng, this major client, led him closer. She clearly knew about Liu Cheng and Gu Qingqiu’s relationship, and given the current situation, she looked a bit embarrassed. Before Sun Chen could say anything else, she called out to him, “Producer Sun, Mr. Liu is here.”

Upon hearing this, Sun Chen, who had been facing away from Liu Cheng, turned around. To be honest, Sun Chen’s appearance greatly exceeded Liu Cheng’s expectations. Gu Qingqiu had casually mentioned before that his boss was capable and good-looking. But Liu Cheng hadn’t expected that this behind-the-scenes TV producer would have a face that surpassed most celebrities. As a wealthy man with an interest in men, Liu Cheng had encountered many handsome men, all of whom stood out in a crowd. But if Sun Chen were among them, he would undoubtedly be the one who caught everyone’s eye.

However, perhaps due to his confidence in his appearance, Sun Chen’s eyes were cold, with a distant and aloof air as he looked at Liu Cheng, the sponsor. His tone was indifferent as he spoke, “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Liu. I’m Sun Chen, the producer of the show *Surviving Here*.”

Liu Cheng, who usually considered himself a member of the “Appearance Association,” found himself feeling only disdain upon seeing the most pleasing face he had ever encountered. He had never liked “ice-cold beauties,” let alone one who had just scolded his little boyfriend with such an irritatingly rude attitude. So, naturally, Liu Cheng, who was an expert in rudeness, didn’t hold back. In contrast to Sun Chen’s polite but distant greeting, Liu Cheng completely ignored him and casually walked over to Gu Qingqiu, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and looking at him tenderly. “Are you okay? If you’re not happy with your job, let’s not do it anymore.”

Liu Cheng had always been willful, utterly indifferent when he didn’t want to show someone respect. Sun Chen’s expression didn’t change, but Gu Qingqiu was quite embarrassed. He quickly tried to smooth things over: “Mr. Liu, you’re here. Perfect timing, Producer Sun and we were just about to discuss the new show. Let’s head to the meeting room.”

Liu Cheng, who excelled in sweet talk and ignoring social conventions, smiled casually at his lover, “Actually, I have no opinion at all. I’m not really sponsoring this show—I’m sponsoring you.”

Gu Qingqiu, well-acquainted with Liu Cheng’s temperament, had no choice but to push the situation forward as professionally as possible. “Mr. Liu, let’s go inside and talk.”

Throughout this, Sun Chen remained indifferent, not giving Liu Cheng’s provocations a second thought. He calmly instructed, “Xiao Gu, take Mr. Liu to the meeting room. Ding Yao, please gather the directors and have them in the meeting room in ten minutes.”

After Sun Chen and the beautiful woman named Ding Yao walked away, Gu Qingqiu, who was leading the way to the meeting room, couldn’t help but lightly scold, “Cheng, you were too much just now.”

Liu Cheng feigned innocence, “Your boss treats you like that, and you don’t think he’s over the line, but you think I am?”

“Producer Sun wasn’t wrong, actually. I wasn’t doing my job and got involved in someone else’s work. Every employee gets scolded by their boss. Cheng, I know you’re upset for me, but don’t take it too personally.”

Liu Cheng raised an eyebrow, mimicking him, “Well, don’t sponsors get pushed around by the people they sponsor? However I treated your boss, you don’t take it too personally either.”

Gu Qingqiu couldn’t help but sigh, “Cheng, did you ever think that by treating Producer Sun like that, he might take it out on me later?”

Liu Cheng hadn’t considered that at all. He never worried about consequences. “Then just quit working under him.”

“You have no idea how many people want to work for Producer Sun and learn from him.”

“What, learn how to scold people?”

“Producer Sun doesn’t just scold people; it’s normal for him to have high standards. Besides, given how young he is, how could he become the top producer at the station without real skills?”

Liu Cheng couldn’t help but smile dismissively. “Good-looking people always have the advantage.” The implication of this statement was a bit over the line, but there was no such thing as “over the line” in Liu Cheng’s vocabulary.

“That’s discrimination based on looks,” Gu Qingqiu countered seriously. “Actually, Producer Sun really made it on his own ability. If he were better at handling relationships, things would be different. You know, Producer Sun initially joined the TV station to be an anchor, but after offending the station’s ‘Crown Prince,’ there were rumors that the Prince forbade Sun Chen from appearing on camera, which led to where he is today.”

Liu Cheng doubted Sun Chen had the skills, but at least he acknowledged Sun Chen’s looks. “If Sun Chen wanted to be famous, why didn’t he just switch stations? With a face like his, he should have some market appeal, right?”

“Producer Sun seems to have a special attachment to our station. Despite many offers from other stations in the past two years, none have lured him away, no matter how good the conditions.” As he spoke, Gu Qingqiu glanced at Liu Cheng, “You see, you’re judging him by his looks, but other stations understand Producer Sun’s abilities.”

Liu Cheng deliberately smiled suggestively, “Why bother understanding him when understanding your ‘abilities’ is more than enough for me?”

For Gu Qingqiu, this was fortunate—Liu Cheng didn’t mind—as just after Liu Cheng’s suggestive teasing, the meeting room door opened.

Despite his reckless behavior in life, Liu Cheng was quite serious when it came to business. As the sponsor, once Liu Cheng and the station had finalized the sponsorship details, there was no need for him to have much further involvement with the show *Surviving Here*. However, Liu Cheng had higher expectations for a show bearing his product’s name, and due to his interest, his level of involvement could almost be compared to that of a producer. Today’s meeting was convened for just that reason.

Liu Cheng genuinely wanted to have his ideas incorporated into the formation of the show, but before the meeting started, he occupied the chairman’s seat and opened with a pretentious remark: “As a sponsor of this program, I don’t have much say in it. I’m just curious—are you guys professional enough? I would think a professional team wouldn’t make a sponsor wait in the meeting room for the others to arrive.”

Sun Chen, with his usual calm expression, walked over and replied, “As a professional team, we’ve scheduled the meeting for 9 o’clock, so it will start at 9 o’clock sharp. Mr. Liu, if you’re pursuing professionalism, please be on time next time. Also, in terms of professional opinions, your seat is not here.”

Sun Chen’s direct confrontation wasn’t something Liu Cheng expected, but it didn’t surprise him either. As someone who excelled at being arrogant, Liu Cheng didn’t bat an eye and remained seated as if nothing had happened. “Since you’ve already had the meeting, just report the results directly to me.”

Sun Chen didn’t press the issue of seating any further and took a seat at the other end of the table. The rest of the production team adjusted their positions accordingly, all moving closer to Sun Chen’s side, including Gu Qingqiu. Liu Cheng playfully gave his little lover a look, but everyone pretended not to notice. No one showed the slightest reaction to Liu Cheng’s entirely “unprofessional” behavior—except for Sun Chen, who didn’t bother hiding the disdain in his eyes. After sitting down, Sun Chen immediately instructed Gu Qingqiu, “Xiao Gu, please brief Mr. Liu on our current concept for the show.”

The look Gu Qingqiu gave Liu Cheng held a hint of helplessness and mild reproach, but he quickly adopted a professional demeanor and began the introduction.

Liu Cheng still had many grievances left unsaid, but he never slacked when it came to business. He listened attentively as Gu Qingqiu gave the briefing. To be honest, Sun Chen’s plan matched Liu Cheng’s adventurous spirit well, but from a television program perspective, it seemed too risky. After Gu Qingqiu finished his presentation, Liu Cheng pondered seriously, “You’re planning to explore an untouched primeval forest. Have you considered the risks involved?”

Sun Chen quickly responded, “No need to worry; we’ve obtained all the necessary administrative approvals.”

Liu Cheng wasn’t afraid of danger, but he valued human life more than Sun Chen seemed to. “Producer Sun, do you think that just because you have administrative approval, it’s okay if someone gets hurt or worse during filming?”

Sun Chen remained calm, “Mr. Liu, having a driver’s license doesn’t prevent car accidents. Would you stop driving because of that risk?”

Liu Cheng was momentarily at a loss for words. Usually, he wasn’t bad at debating, but that might have been because no one usually dared to challenge him.

At this point, Gu Qingqiu quickly intervened to ease the tension: “Mr. Liu, don’t worry. As we mentioned earlier, there will be professionals guiding us on-site, and we’ll conduct thorough inspections beforehand. Most importantly, the sponsor’s name will only be revealed after the show airs. If anything happens during filming, your company’s reputation won’t be affected.”

If Sun Chen’s earlier comment had left Liu Cheng momentarily speechless, then Gu Qingqiu’s statement nearly stunned him. Liu Cheng wasn’t primarily concerned about his brand’s image—people always say that businesspeople are profit-driven, but Liu Cheng realized that this production team might be even more ruthless than businesspeople. He consoled himself that Gu Qingqiu had just been influenced by a bad boss, and after some thought, he dropped the subject.

“The celebrities you mentioned earlier aren’t exactly top-tier,” he switched topics.

Unexpectedly, Sun Chen immediately responded, “The celebrities we’ve selected have been carefully considered. They’re better suited to participate in the show in terms of physical fitness and personality. Big-name stars are unlikely to have enough time to commit to the necessary training. For safety reasons, we’ve chosen these candidates.” His words subtly hinted at who really didn’t understand safety issues.

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