Jealous again

What is "Running Man"?

It’s one of the hottest variety shows in Asia, consistently ranking in the top three.

And yet,

Cao Cheng secured the rights and partnered with Zhejiang TV, turning the show into an instant blockbuster upon release.

Whether or not people had watched the original Korean version, at the very least, everyone was paying attention.

So The Fourth wasn’t the least bit worried.

And indeed, that’s how it played out.

From Cao Cheng’s memory, "Running Man" had unparalleled ratings in China, backed by a massive fanbase.

While it wasn’t always the undisputed number one, it still far outperformed "Go Fighting!"

At least in terms of data,

Cao Cheng recalled that "Go Fighting!" had less than half the viewership of "Running Man."

In online streaming numbers, "Running Man" hit five billion, while "Go Fighting!" managed just over half of that—around two billion.

Per-episode views? "Running Man" averaged two hundred million, while "Go Fighting!" hovered around one hundred million.

The same gap applied to social media buzz—though both shows racked up tens of billions of topic reads, there was still a fifty percent difference.

The only…

The only area where "Go Fighting!" excelled was reputation.

Even in its later seasons, after revisions and the addition of some questionable assistant roles, its ratings and word-of-mouth still crushed "Running Man."

And that was Cao Cheng’s key to victory!

Ratings could be improved, but reputation… that was much harder to build and all too easy to lose.

……

Cao Cheng sifted through the fragments of his memory.

With his sharp recall, he could dredge up countless news reports from his dreams.

The entertainment industry was great like that.

There was always some new drama unfolding, unlike other fields—like technology—where breakthroughs could stay hidden for decades, quietly brewing.

He remembered "Running Man" aired during prime time on Friday nights.

"Go Fighting!" didn’t have that luxury—it aired on weekends, late at night, past nine o’clock.

Even then, the ratings gap was only half.

Another difference was the audience demographics—one skewed younger, the other older. That was something he could work with, at least to pull in more female fans.

Then there was marketing. In his dreams, the two shows weren’t backed by networks of the same caliber, so their promotional efforts weren’t equal either.

"Go Fighting!" relied more on word-of-mouth and the loyalty of its core fanbase to keep going.

……

……

So,

after just a quick mental review, Cao Cheng felt confident—this was doable.

The timeline was different now.

The broadcasting networks were different too.

Here, Cao Cheng could secure a prime-time slot, and with Hunan TV’s naturally "adorable" young audience, expanding into the younger demographic would be a breeze.

Plus,

The Fourth’s dissatisfaction after watching the first episode wasn’t because the show was bad—it was just that the cast seemed a bit stiff.

After all, many of them were new to this.

But after a few explosive episodes and some backstabbing, they’d loosen up.

Of course,

Cao Cheng would have to stoke the flames.

He immediately called in the director and shared his perspective as a "viewer across two lifetimes."

A touch of humanity was necessary, but it couldn’t feel forced.

The backstabbing had to stay—if not, they could always go the "Who’s the Murderer" route and stick to online streaming.

But the style? That couldn’t change.

He also promised full support—money, connections, whatever they needed. They could challenge whatever they wanted, play however they liked.

Total creative freedom, no restrictions.

After that, he poured money into marketing, flooding every platform.

……

Four episodes later, within a month, the numbers were explosive.

On every rating site, the show scored above nine.

The Fourth was fuming.

One day,

after seeing the latest ratings—almost catching up to "Running Man"—she couldn’t take it anymore.

She stormed out of work early and barged back home.

Then she straight-up attacked him.

In the end, Cao Cheng pinned her down on the couch.

He feigned innocence. "What’s your problem?"

"Let me go."

"No. Explain first. Why come home and start swinging? What’s going on?" Cao Cheng kept her restrained.

It was The Sixth who stepped in, tugging at Cao Cheng’s sleeve.

Only three years old, her tiny voice piped up, "Why is brother hitting sister?"

There was a hint of fear in her tone.

At that age, she didn’t quite understand playful fighting.

She thought it was real.

"Brother’s not hitting her, he’s teaching her a lesson."

Pinned to the couch, The Fourth turned her head and cooed, "Sixie, be a good girl and go play somewhere else."

Fine.

With the little one involved, Cao Cheng couldn’t keep messing around.

He scooped her up instead.

Only then did The Fourth break free.

Once upright, she soothed The Sixth before glaring at Cao Cheng. "Since when do you play this dirty? You’re that desperate to win? How much did you even spend on all that marketing?"

Cao Cheng smirked. "Oh please. Did 'Go Fighting!' ever get as much promotion as 'Running Man'? This was just standard marketing. The real difference is reputation and fan loyalty—need I say more?"

The Fourth scoffed. "You just wanted to win. And what’s with the explosions? Actual explosions?!"

Cao Cheng shrugged. "That’s what 'Go Fighting!' is all about. You think we should just follow a script like 'Running Man'? How boring. Anyway, enough talk—just prepare to lose."

"Sweetie, I’ll even cut you some slack. Surrender now, and I’ll only count it as half a loss."

"Pfft—" The Fourth rolled her eyes.

Surrendering wasn’t an option.

Worst case, she could just cheat later—what was her stupid brother gonna do about it?

Hmph!

Though,

if she was being honest, she wasn’t really here to argue about the bet. She just wanted an excuse to slack off.

Work had been brutal lately. Cao Cheng had dumped a ton of projects on her—songs, films, variety shows… even acquisitions of theaters and distribution companies!

Miracle Media wasn’t the small-time operation it used to be.

They now had hundreds of employees.

In the entertainment industry, that was practically "bloated."

Especially since the actual roster of artists was barely twenty.

Even with each one having their own management team, the workload was insane.

The Fourth was just stealing a moment of respite.

And no, she definitely wasn’t here to keep an eye on Lingling.

Speak of the devil—

"Oh, you’re back?"

Lingling came downstairs, damp hair clinging to her shoulders, fresh from a shower.

A sweet floral scent trailed behind her.

She’d heard faint noises earlier but thought it was her imagination.

Now it was clear—it had been Cao Cheng and Yue Ge roughhousing.

The Fourth stiffened. "Why are you showering in the middle of the day?"

That was… suspicious.

No evening plans, no yoga or workout—just a random shower at home.

This…

Something was up.

Lingling didn’t answer right away. Instead, she glanced at Cao Cheng, cheeks flushing, then stammered, suddenly at a loss for words.

Thud.

The Fourth’s heart dropped, a sudden weight pressing against her chest.

Cao Cheng, ever perceptive, immediately sensed the shift.

He’d been playing with The Sixth,

who sat on his lap, babbling over a toy. Now even she paused, looking up at The Fourth, then at Lingling, her tiny face scrunched in confusion.

Big eyes blinking.

The living room fell dead silent.

The maids? Vanished without a trace.

Actually, when The Fourth came back earlier and got beaten up, they had already hidden themselves.

"What's wrong?" Cao Cheng asked, confused.

The Fourth's eyes flickered.

She stood up, walked over to Cao Cheng, picked up Little Six, and handed her to Lingling.

Then she pulled Cao Cheng up from the couch.

"Lingling, you keep Six company for now. I need to talk to this brat about something."

She dragged Cao Cheng aside.

Lingling looked puzzled but didn’t ask any questions, immediately starting to play with Little Six.

Meanwhile, Cao Cheng, still holding The Fourth’s hand, was led straight upstairs to the second floor.

At a corner in the central hall, The Fourth pinned him against the wall, gritting her teeth as she hissed, "Why can’t you ever get enough?"

"What?" Cao Cheng was utterly lost.

"What do you mean ‘what’? Stop playing dumb! Lingling—Lingling is naive, but you can’t just take advantage of her like that! There are so many aunties in the house—what if word gets out? Couldn’t you at least be a little more discreet?" The Fourth was beside herself, her expression a mix of worry, anger, and some other indescribable emotion.

In any case,

the system took several critical hits in a row.

Clearly, The Fourth’s emotions had spiraled out of control.

"What are you talking about?" Cao Cheng was completely baffled.

Even with all his special abilities—his near-immortality, the Mother-Child Lock that simulated mind-reading, and the Divine Insight—there were still things that escaped him. His sharp eyes had saved him more than once.

Though there hadn’t been any major assassination attempts,

many threats had been quietly eliminated before they could even take shape.

Just the cancer-treating drug alone had already stepped on the toes of international pharmaceutical giants.

This was a fight to the death.

Because of that,

Cao Cheng often acted ruthlessly—if he had even the slightest suspicion, he’d eliminate the threat without hesitation.

It wasn’t that he feared anything himself, but he had to consider the safety of those around him.

And yet,

even with all these abilities, he still had no idea what The Fourth was talking about. Just moments ago, he’d been playing with Little Six, completely focused on helping her with her toys.

……

Their current position was almost like a reverse kabedon.

The Fourth had him pressed against the wall, glaring as she snapped, "Still pretending? Lingling took a shower in the middle of the day—you two… Even if there wasn’t anyone else in the house, the aunties are still around!"

"……"

Finally, Cao Cheng understood.

He couldn’t help but laugh. "No, you’ve got it all wrong. Lingling got dirty—her clothes, her hair—that’s why she took a shower."

The Fourth frowned. "Then why did she blush and glance at you shyly when I asked her about it? She was all flustered and couldn’t even answer properly."

Now it all made sense.

Cao Cheng grinned.

The reason Lingling had showered was because while making a cake earlier, she’d mishandled the eggbeater and splattered uncooked egg whites everywhere.

The girl had her pride, after all.

It was embarrassing enough as it was.

When her best friend asked, how could she possibly admit it out loud?

As for…

The Fourth mentioning Lingling’s shy glance at Cao Cheng—she was probably worried he’d spill the truth.

How mortifying would that be?

But instead of explaining, Cao Cheng flipped the script.

In one swift motion, he reversed their positions, pinning The Fourth against the wall.

"Getting jealous again?"

"……"