After Transmigrating into a Cannon Fodder Submissive, I Became Popular by Foraging on the Beach - Chapter 25

The Experiencing Life grand reunion was broadcast over several episodes, taking nearly a few weeks to finish.

However, the later episodes did not go as You Yilian had hoped.

His separation from Shen Qiu’s group not only failed to affect Shen Qiu’s popularity but also didn’t increase his own screen time at all.

He was even less popular than Wang Xiaobai, who clung to Shen Qiu’s leg.

Wang Xiaobai would occasionally make it onto the hot search with funny memes, but You Yilian seemed to be completely unknown.

The popularity was primarily driven by Shen Qiu.

In the final episode, they had to search for treasure in the countryside.

During the quiz section, Shen Qiu frequently buzzed in first.

“What is the second highest peak in the world?”

“K2 (Qogir Peak)!”

“What year in the Gregorian calendar was the 49th year of Kangxi?”

“Ah, let me calculate… 1710!”

【How does Shen Qiu know all these strange things?】

【I apologize to my high school teacher; I’ve forgotten everything QAQ】

【Shen Qiu is so smart!】

【Hahahaha, Shen Qiu’s group is first again. The gap is getting wider】

【Calm down, calm down】

“Congratulations, Shen Qiu. Here is your group’s map.”

Wang Xiaobai eagerly took it and opened it, only to be dumbfounded.

The paper was covered with winding lines and circles, marked with numbers like hundreds and hundreds.

To him, it looked like gibberish.

Another person also leaned in to look, deep in thought: “This, this looks like that…”

“Contour line topographical map,” Shen Qiu answered.

“Exactly!”

【Help, the geography student’s DNA is activated】

【Entertainment industry uneducated people investigation!】

【No, it’s high school knowledge. It’s time to see who didn’t go to high school. The production team is so vicious! I love it!】

Shen Qiu calmly took the map and compared it.

He quickly pinpointed the direction and led his team, taking a commanding lead.

【Shen Qiu is really good. He almost figured it out at a glance】

【It’s not that hard, right? The terrain in the village is simple to begin with】

【It’s really not hard, but compared to the other groups, Shen Qiu’s team is so fast】

【You Yilian confidently led everyone to climb a mountain instead】

【Seriously speechless. Don’t pretend to understand when you don’t】

In the end, Shen Qiu undoubtedly took first place and enjoyed the rewards.

You Yilian arrived late.

“Shen Qiu is too amazing, it’s like he knew the script in advance.”

【Hm? What does he mean by that?】

【Such a tea, such a tea, such a tea! Ugh!】

【The sour chicken couldn’t answer the questions himself, so he said that】

Shen Qiu’s fans reacted first.

Wang Xiaobai: “These questions aren’t hard. The production team is just messing with your mindset.”

【Son, good retort. I’ve long been fed up with his pitiful act】

【Look at You Yilian’s expression. His face is green, hahaha】

You Yilian’s fans already felt their idol had too little screen time and that Shen Qiu, an unknown nobody, was taking up so much. Now they immediately jumped in.

【Oh, okay, okay. A kind compliment has to be maliciously interpreted too】

【Is Shen Qiu that amazing? He hogged all the highlights. How is that not a script?】

【What culture or education can a sea forager have?】

Although the two sides argued a bit in the comments, it was minor and didn’t escalate.

Overall, Shen Qiu’s brilliant performance still attracted many fans. Some even praised him as a rising star in variety shows.

You Yilian’s performance was mediocre. Many passersby even found him pretentious after the show.

Just when Shen Qiu’s momentum was strong, several marketing accounts quietly posted articles in the dead of night.

When Shen Qiu’s fans woke up, they saw unusual comments appearing in the Weibo comment section.

【So, is it a script?】

【Why is there no explanation?】

【I said it! What’s the point of pretending? So fake! Why create a smart, highly educated persona?】

It turned out a major influencer led the charge, reposting several marketing accounts.

The article started with You Yilian’s doubts on the show, then feigned a serious analysis of several celebrity guests on the program.

“It can be seen that famous celebrities who graduated from University X were tormented and embarrassed on the show, yet the obscure eighteen-tier celebrity SQ could repeatedly answer correctly. Furthermore, he was strongly supported by the other guests. The editor is also curious about what’s going on?”

“Or did a bold guest reveal on the show: It’s all a script!”

The comments were full of passersby whose minds were swayed by the rhetoric.

【It’s true, Shen Qiu seems to have it too easy on the show, right?】

Shen Qiu’s fans saw this. How could they allow this?

Seeing the sarcastic tone, they quickly tried to control the comments.

【This is clearly a marketing account. Keep my Shen Qiu out of this】

【Are people not allowed to have genuine skills?】

【Shen Qiu’s fans are claiming Shen Qiu has genuine skills? Where is the evidence? I’ve actually found some interesting things. Come and see if Shen Qiu really is highly educated [link]】

This person reposted on Weibo, attaching a link.

The gossip crowd clicked on the link, shocked.

The slow-simmering incident suddenly saw a surge in comments.

This person had found the public records of M University’s admissions list over the years and circled Shen Qiu’s name, which matched Shen Qiu’s age.

There were even photos from the university’s commencement ceremony that year.

The gossip crowd quickly found Shen Qiu in the corner of the photo. Aside from a slightly youthful appearance, it was clearly Shen Qiu.

The problem was that this M University, while not a complete disaster, could only be described as unremarkable.

It was a regular first-tier university, not even a key university, and certainly couldn’t be compared to the likes of University A or B.

【Got owned, got owned! How dare he claim a high-education persona with this kind of mediocre university?】

【Speechless. It’s confirmed to be a script, isn’t it?】

【Based on his ability on the show, he shouldn’t have gone to an ordinary university, right?】

【Variety shows also use scripts? It’s better to be honest and straightforward like others】

【You Yilian is also miserable. He was probably cut to pieces just because he spoke the truth】

The hired trolls in the comment section took the opportunity to distort the facts.

Shen Qiu’s fans were dumbfounded.

Inevitably, some new fans abandoned him and turned against him.

【So everything I liked was fake. Goodbye】

【Looking down on a first-tier university】

【Here comes the academic discrimination again? Are people not allowed to improve themselves in college?】

【What kind of definitive proof is this? Does this prove there’s a script?】

In short, the topic quickly blew up. Uninformed viewers were swept up by the public opinion and rushed to the show’s comments demanding an explanation, which consequently affected the reputation of Experiencing Life.

Shen Qiu was sitting on the sofa, looking completely bewildered when he received a call from the director’s office.

“How did I get on the hot search again?”

“Please take a look quickly and let’s discuss how to handle this?”

Shen Qiu opened Weibo. The first things that popped up were @ notifications and various private messages.

The first few messages were insults from haters.

Shen Qiu couldn’t help but frown.

Lu Yidong came over at some point and sat beside him.

He reached out and touched Shen Qiu’s brow: “What’s wrong?”

Shen Qiu blinked, looked at his phone, then at Lu Yidong.

He suddenly pouted, opened his phone, and said: “Someone is insulting me again.”

“Out of nowhere. I don’t know who I offended this time,” Shen Qiu added.

He drew out his words, complaining helplessly, sounding like he was pouting.

Lu Yidong’s Adam’s apple bobbed. A slight smile appeared on the corner of his lips: “Mhm, I know.”

Shen Qiu waited for a long time but didn’t hear him say anything more.

“That’s it? I learned my lesson last time and told you immediately when I ran into a problem.”

Lu Yidong couldn’t resist. He rubbed Shen Qiu’s head: “Yes, I know. I’m very happy.”

“I found out that You Yilian bribed the marketing accounts. Do you need my help?”

Unsurprisingly, Shen Qiu wasn’t overly angry.

Shen Qiu chuckled: “Let me talk to the director first.”

He patted Lu Yidong’s hand: “Save your ultimate move for last.”