Peng Fei knew nothing, toiling away diligently for the production crew every day, while his agent rejoiced behind the scenes.
Capitalizing on the buzz, numerous opportunities flooded in.
He began to meticulously select commercial endorsements and invitations for films and television dramas.
The production crew hadn't anticipated the show becoming such a sensation after just one episode. Netizens clamored for more, expressing a desire to watch their live streams. After consideration, and to save on post-production editing, they decided to let the cast stream live.
This approach not only boosted viewership but also generated substantial income from gifts, a win-win situation.
Consequently, the cast members embarked on a daily routine of ten-hour live streams.
One might have expected Peng Fei to lose some fans without the polish of post-production editing, as some of his words or actions might have been less appealing.
However, to everyone's surprise, he became even more endearing unedited.
Each day, he focused solely on his tasks. He wouldn't speak unless addressed, and when given a job, he'd perform it with professionalism and efficiency. He didn't seek out the camera, strike poses, or try to act cool. On the first day of the live stream, the peak viewership reached over 14 million.
Fourteen million was an astonishing figure.
The top male stars in the entertainment industry, who had recently promoted a new movie via live stream, only garnered about 7 million viewers over three hours.
His popularity had surpassed that of top-tier, first-line male actors.
Having only been in the village for half a month and already achieving such fame, what would happen if he stayed longer?
Behind the scenes, the staff's attitude towards Peng Fei immediately shifted, and they began addressing him as "Teacher Peng."
Many advertisers also took notice, with companies approaching the production crew to discuss product placement. His agent was quickly summoned.
New contracts were drawn up to incorporate product placements, with increased advertising fees.
Peng Fei's popularity far outshone everyone else's, naturally driving up his value. His agent quoted 300,000 yuan for a single advertisement.
This was not considered high in the industry, so the production crew readily agreed.
The agent consulted with Peng Fei, advising him to act naturally, showcase products as arranged by the crew, and subtly display them, pocketing the profits.
For the first time, Peng Fei realized how effortless earning money could be. In just over twenty days, he was set to earn 900,000 yuan in advertising fees.
For a young man from a rural background, 900,000 yuan was an almost terrifyingly large sum.
Instantly, he began planning how to spend the money.
His agent urged him to remain calm and not appear overly impressed.
"Continue as you are, maintain this demeanor, don't get ahead of yourself, and don't become arrogant. As your fanbase grows and your popularity soars, you could be earning 3 million yuan per ad. Within half a year, you could easily afford a villa in Nancheng."
"Peng Fei, I always knew you were special. You're destined for great things. My future success will depend on you."
Peng Fei was in dire need of money and had many aspirations, so he heeded his agent's advice.
His agent arranged for a bank card, and two days later, 900,000 yuan was deposited.
Looking at the long string of numbers in his mobile banking app, Peng Fei wept openly for the first time in front of another man.
He wondered if Zhan Jingchun could see him now. If he had earned 900,000 yuan a month earlier, he wouldn't have had to break her heart.
If he could earn nine million, or ninety million, and go to her with the money, would she ever forgive him?
Driven by the desire for money, Peng Fei redoubled his efforts on the show, working even harder.
He followed his agent's advice, mastering the art of virality. When it was time to show off his physique, he did so. After half a month, the show maintained an average daily viewership of around 3 million fans, firmly establishing him as the new king of traffic in the entertainment industry.
Time quickly advanced to mid-August.
After prolonged exposure to the sun while working, Peng Fei's skin tone returned to its natural, sun-kissed hue from his days in the countryside.
With a bright white smile, he harvested rice in the fields, embodying the perfect rural ambassador.
His agent had already scheduled various commercial activities, film and television drama invitations, and television interviews for him until the end of the year.
The reality show was nearing its conclusion. Through six months of hard work, his savings had reached 5.7 million yuan.
Once they finished harvesting, threshing, and storing the rice, and the show officially ended, his agent planned to give him a single day off.
He decided to use that day to accomplish something significant.
That was to use the 5.7 million yuan to help Chen Dongyang repair the roads in their entire town.
He vividly remembered a principle Zhan Jingchun had shared with him in the village: "To get rich, build roads first."
When his agent heard that his first act after earning money was not to buy himself a car or a house, but to use it for road construction, he considered Peng Fei a complete fool.
"Is it necessary? Many people succeed in the entertainment industry, but who would contribute all their earnings to building roads in a remote village for the sake of a few villagers' reputations?"
"Those people don't use the internet or anything else. Your good deeds won't be publicized. What's the point?"
"You've worked hard for half a year, toiling away every day. You should at least reward yourself, right? I suggest you save up, and you'll definitely be able to buy a house by the end of the year."
"In a couple of years, when the hype dies down and you don't want to do this anymore, you can get married, have children, and settle down in Nancheng, can't you?"
Peng Fei felt it was not good.
Every penny he earned was with Zhan Jingchun in his mind, and with every word Chen Dongyang had once admonished him.
He just wanted to prove to them that he wasn't a bad person, and that his hometown wasn't a bad place either. Everyone could change.
Besides them, he didn't care what anyone else thought.
However, he wasn't sure if Chen Dongyang would help him or be willing to meet him.
Fortunately, he still had Chen Jiaojiao's phone number.
On his day off, Peng Fei woke up early. He felt quite nervous when calling Chen Jiaojiao.
Unexpectedly, Chen Jiaojiao had also watched the show and was aware of his newfound fame.
"Peng the great idol, what made you decide to call me? I thought you'd forgotten about me now that you're famous."
Peng Fei assured her that was not the case. After some polite exchanges and expressing his gratitude for her initial recognition, he asked for Chen Dongyang's contact information.
Chen Jiaojiao found it strange, "How do you know Chen Dongyang? How do you know he's my younger brother?"
Peng Fei didn't hide anything, recounting how Chen Dongyang had helped him repair his house.
Although Chen Jiaojiao was puzzled by their connection, she eventually facilitated the introduction, and Peng Fei successfully added Chen Dongyang on WeChat.
Upon hearing that Peng Fei had become famous and his first thought was to build roads for his hometown, Chen Dongyang felt a sense of emotion.
However, he wasn't an expert in that field and introduced Peng Fei to a specialist. He then asked Peng Fei about his future plans.
Peng Fei replied, "Continue earning money. I haven't thought about anything else yet. But I want everyone to have jobs, to leave the mountains, and to realize the current backwardness."
"Brother Chen, you know more than I do. Can you give me some advice on how I can help everyone?"
Chen Dongyang didn't answer immediately. He took the chat history and showed it to Tiantian.