Chapter 9: Brother Xie, Uncle Xie, Father Xie

“‘Challenge the Superstar’ is live now?”

Dai Zirui heard his manager’s voice and finally looked up from the script in his hands, revealing a handsome, refined face. Dai Zirui and Chu Yiming were somewhat ‘close.’ Back when they competed in the talent show with 101 contestants, Dai Zirui ranked ninth and missed the debut slot for the SK boy band. Instead, he signed with Golden Radiance Entertainment for a solo career.

Compared to the SK boy band, which skyrocketed in popularity with overwhelming resources stacked in their favor and quickly became the hottest boy band in the entertainment industry within two years, Dai Zirui’s career had been lukewarm. He took small gigs, and the company arranged some acting roles for him. If the SK boy band hadn’t been so busy with stages and concerts these past two years, he might not have even gotten those acting opportunities.

“It’s live. Didn’t your investigation mention that Chu Yiming’s father is quite good-looking?” Gao Kai thought of the man on the screen. Although he looked different from Chu Yiming, he didn’t seem like someone to be trifled with.

“Tch~ Who in this industry who can debut isn’t good-looking, parents included?” Dai Zirui scoffed at Gao Kai’s remark, then tilted his head to glance at the phone. The man in the footage, Xie Yunze, was indeed handsome— the kind of good looks that could withstand the harsh scrutiny of CCTV’s cameras. It’s well known that celebrities who came from stage talent shows usually lose their charm under CCTV’s unforgiving lenses. Surprisingly, this stranger was quite good-looking.

“I don’t think this man is easy to deal with. Since the show aired, SK’s fans have treated him like royalty. After all, a construction worker this handsome tends to win over superficial fans quickly. I think exposing Chu Yiming’s background needs careful consideration.” Gao Kai admitted he wanted to bring down SK, but who didn’t?

The entertainment industry was a zero-sum game: if you ate, I couldn’t. Since debuting, the seven members of SK boy band commanded a higher combined price than a single artist. Their fame was undeniable, and their fans were willing to spend lavishly. Not just for common endorsements but luxury brand promotions, they could open seven links for fans to fight over, proving the group’s incredible spending power.

Now, two years after debut, the members were turning eighteen. That age meant more stage options and the potential shift from singing and dancing to acting, further squeezing the survival space for young male actors of similar types.

After learning about Chu Yiming’s background, Gao Kai had pulled strings to arrange the father-son reunion on ‘Challenge the Superstar.’ He hadn’t expected Chu Yiming’s biological father to be such a handsome man...

“Careful planning? Kai, I’m telling you, don’t be fooled by his looks. If their relationship gets exposed, do you think Chu Yiming won’t be troubled?” Dai Zirui’s family was well-off, or he wouldn’t have been able to uncover Chu Yiming’s father’s identity. Back in the show, Dai Zirui and Chu Yiming were ‘good friends,’ but after Dai Zirui missed out on joining SK, they drifted apart. Everyone had their own business. It was Dai Zirui who secretly saw Chu Yiming’s chat history and learned the truth about his parentage, which led to the search for Chu Yiming’s real father.

“Oh? Why? Is the man a gambler or something?” Gao Kai became interested. No matter how handsome a man was, if he was caught gambling or involved in scandals, it would be a death sentence in the industry. Many handsome stars in earlier years entered the industry out of necessity, mostly to help their families repay debts. Knowing Chu Yiming was adopted and had been lost for years, could the father have problems?

“No, nothing like that. After Chu Yiming went missing eighteen years ago, this man left home to look for him and never returned. He has elderly parents, a wife, and two other children at home, but he left without a backward glance. He only contacts the family occasionally for money. Do you think a man like that is responsible?” Dai Zirui showed obvious disdain.

“People like that, no matter how good-looking, what does it matter? He had a child but neglected them, abandoning his parents, wife, and other kids just to find one boy. Can someone like that be a good man?” Gao Kai understood. In this industry, strange characters were common. Once Xie Yunze’s deeds were exposed, many would curse him as useless and might even blame Chu Yiming. But that was not the worst part.

The key was... a man who drifted for eighteen years without returning home—could you believe he genuinely cared about the son he claimed to have been searching for?

Once Chu Yiming’s celebrity status was known, if he acknowledged the father, that man would cling on like a parasite, impossible to shake off.

“All right, all right! Zirui, you really dug up something big. I’ll have people watch this quietly and arrange for the media army to leak it at the right time. That’ll force Chu Yiming to properly acknowledge his biological father.”

As long as Chu Yiming recognized this father, he’d become a vulnerability to be exploited.

Dai Zirui smiled proudly. “We’re doing this for Chu Yiming’s own good. After all, he’s been separated from his biological parents for years. We’re helping him find his real father—that’s something he should thank us for. He can’t just reject his father for the sake of his career, right?”

Thinking back to the talent show where contestants needed parental support, Chu Yiming’s warm family was something Dai Zirui had grown to resent. Such families should be broken up.

While Golden Radiance Entertainment’s scheming remained unknown, in the live broadcast of ‘Challenge the Superstar,’ amidst clouds of dust kicked up by a brick truck, piles of red bricks stacked like small mountains appeared. The sight was intimidating. Five guests all felt the pressure at the thought of moving all those bricks.

When the brick truck left and the dust settled, everyone approached the towering brick piles. The guests looked at the bricks, several heads taller than them, and exchanged confused glances with the experienced brick movers.

“Let’s start. Put on the gloves. I’ll teach you how to carry them,” Xie Yunze instructed. Chu Yiming finally snapped out of his daze and quickly pulled out the gloves from his pocket. The white knit gloves were the ordinary type used on construction sites. Xie Yunze put some on himself.

Other guests hurried to gear up. Li Dongfeng and others were seasoned brick movers, their hands already calloused. They were reluctant to waste their gloves, knowing one day of this work would ruin them.

The production team had prepared small carts for the five teams nearby. Xie Yunze went over, Chu Yiming followed closely. After lifting the cart, Xie Yunze began helping push it to the brick piles. The others did the same. Faced with such a heavy workload, the mood suddenly sobered. Everyone’s faces turned serious, worn with hardship.

The live chat, previously full of praise or insults, now showed sympathy as the guests truly began moving bricks. Everyone knew how exhausting physical labor was.

“Pick up the bricks and place them in the cart. I’ll stack them neatly. After pushing the cart twice, I’ll teach you how to stack,” Xie Yunze said confidently, showing his experience.

“Okay, Xie...” Chu Yiming started but was cut off.

“Call me by my name,” Xie Yunze urged.

He stressed it so much that Chu Yiming could only comply.

“Xie Yunze, thank you for teaching me. I’ll work hard.”

He found this man a bit odd—everyone else called him “Brother Xie,” but why couldn’t he? “Uncle Xie” wouldn’t work either. Why insist on using his given name?

With a hint of confusion, Chu Yiming bent down to carry bricks. To move faster, he started on one side of the pile, carefully lifting two bricks and placing them gently in the cart. It was his first time carrying bricks, and he feared breaking them.

“No need to be so careful. These bricks won’t break,” Xie Yunze said, casually grabbing two bricks from the pile and tossing them into the cart to be arranged later.

Kang Bing and the other SK members, led by Li Dongfeng, also began loading bricks into their carts and stacking them. At first, everyone was full of energy. One cart was filled quickly, then they pushed them to the unloading area, usually about 100 to 200 meters away.

“I’ll help you,” Chu Yiming offered, seeing Xie Yunze lift the cart with both hands and start pushing.

“No, you rest. Carrying bricks is tiring. I’ll push the cart,” Xie Yunze refused.

He showed off his strength, lifting the cart easily with two hands. The smooth muscles on his fair arms impressed the livestream audience.

Chu Yiming felt too embarrassed to rest, and since everyone pushed carts in pairs, he followed Xie Yunze toward the unloading area. He wanted to help push but Xie Yunze said it was more of a hindrance. So Chu Yiming just walked alongside, curious about this handsome man who seemed effortlessly strong—pushing a cart full of bricks like it was nothing.

The other four teams helped each other. Even Li Dongfeng, used to pushing carts, showed bulging veins in his neck and arms. Carrying bricks was tough physical labor.

Five carts soon reached the unloading zone. The five guests expertly tipped the carts over. As the carts were pulled away, perfectly stacked square piles of bricks appeared—satisfying to anyone with obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

“Oh, so this is how bricks are stacked properly…” Kang Bing, a first-time brick mover, admitted.

“Yes, stacking the bricks neatly helps with counting and makes it easier for workers to use later,” Li Dongfeng nodded, accustomed to construction work.

Everyone understood and returned to carry more bricks. The novelty lasted five or six trips, but as time passed, fatigue showed in their faces and bodies.

Not just the nearly forty-year-old Kang Bing; even the four SK members, just past adulthood, were drenched in sweat after an hour of work. Their clothes clung to their skin, soaked through front and back.

It was early July, and by 9:30 a.m., the heat was already stifling. The sun beat evenly on everyone’s faces. The guests were dripping sweat, as were Li Dongfeng and his team. Only Xie Yunze remained fresh, with just a slight dampness at his temples.

The livestream audience was stunned watching what should have been a ‘boring’ hour of brick-moving.

“My goodness, working non-stop for over an hour. Look at how exhausted my baby is,” one comment read.

“Lazy Sheep: The highest temp in Mingzhu City today is 37°C. It’s already 30°C now. Is it safe to work outside like this? Won’t they get heatstroke?”

“Crazy Dancer: Does anyone know how many bricks they’ve moved? Six thousand isn’t easy. Can the guests finish?”

“Summer You: Am I the only one noticing everyone looks like they’re about to collapse? Xie Yunze really doesn’t seem tired at all! He looks so relaxed! Everyone else is struggling to push carts, but he won’t even let Chu Yiming help and just pushes on his own…”

“plmnji888: Thanks to Big Brother Xie for taking care of my Yiming! Hehe! I thought you were just a useless pretty boy, but you’re actually the strongest physically among them! With a big brother like you, two thousand bricks are a breeze! Thanks for taking care of Yiming!!!”

Indeed, no one expected that Chu Yiming, chosen by Xie Yunze, was actually the most relaxed among the five guests. He only carried bricks, and every time bricks were ready to be moved, Xie Yunze let him rest to regain energy, making the surrounding guests envious but unable to say anything.

After all, Xie Yunze had the strength. The others pushing carts and unloading didn’t.

Fueled by the system’s energy pills, Xie Yunze moved bricks effortlessly. Even after more than an hour, he showed no fatigue. Were it not for cameras, he could push the cart with one hand, or even just a finger.

Chu Yiming was initially hesitant to let Xie Yunze push alone, but as the work dragged on, he grew genuinely exhausted. After placing bricks in the cart, he had no strength left and could only sit on the ground, watching Xie Yunze unload. Multiple trips later, he gave up resisting. Their team moved two cartloads for every one cart moved by others. Chu Yiming rested but was truly tired.

Honestly, dancing wasn’t this exhausting...

Xie Yunze’s performance amazed not only the production team and livestream viewers but also Li Dongfeng and others. Kong Miao even gave several trust points, seeing Xie Yunze work so hard for the first time.

Back when Xie Yunze was with them, they moved about ten thousand bricks a day. Now with his son here, he was unstoppable. At this rate, twenty thousand bricks a day was easy. No wonder he was a retired special forces soldier...

The four men were inexplicably motivated and competed harder, making Kang Bing and the other four guests exhausted beyond words. For the first time, they truly felt how grueling brick-moving was.

By nearly eleven o’clock, not only were the five guests exhausted, but Li Dongfeng and his team were worn out too. Worried about their health, the production team quickly called for a break and thoughtfully brought bottled water.

Everyone sighed with relief and sat down right there on the construction site, drinking to rehydrate.

Xie Yunze took a few sips, feeling refreshed, then told Chu Yiming sitting nearby,

“Yiming, rest here for a bit. I’ll keep moving bricks.”

Chu Yiming almost choked on his water, unable to stop him. Watching Xie Yunze walk away, his heart sank.

Brother Xie! Uncle Xie! Dad Xie! Please stop! I’m scared!!

I know you can move twenty thousand bricks a day. Please, stop working so hard! Let me rest a little, okay???

I’m pretty sure you’re no longer part of the ‘royal family’ of the show. Which ‘royal family’ can haul bricks like you...