Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 728: The Goddess on Stage, Radiant as Ever - She Was Once His Youthful Secret and Dream

Though he had said he wouldnʼt participate in the promotional activities for *Thief Catcher 2*, seeing the May Day season approaching and other films ramping up their promotions, Sister Liu still went to discuss it with Qiu Zhenlong, letting Xiao He take a day off to record a promotional variety show.

But given *Thief Catcher 2*ʼs investment level during the entire May Day season, there was no way they could snag a spot on a national-level variety show like *Daily Happiness*. So this time, the production team chose a popular variety show on another platform, *Mars Collision*.

Coincidentally, this showʼs predecessor was originally *Fearless Journey*.

*Fearless Journey* had once been a nationally popular outdoor reality variety show. But because the showʼs director repeatedly violated regulations by filming dangerous activities, triggering multiple safety incidents, and then there was also some messy business in his personal life, the entire *Fearless Journey* show was eventually implicated and suspended indefinitely.

Xiao He remembered it very clearly. His only connection to that show was when an accident happened during filming - a guest who couldnʼt swim fell into the sea and vanished without a trace. In the end, he, Xiao Chen, and Sister Liu drove a boat to rescue those guests.

That incident had been incredibly dangerous. One wrong move and two lives could have been lost.

It was because of this that the public opinion finally exploded. Even Lin Yipengʼs mother, Qu Qiuyan, heard about it and actively joined in, denouncing the showʼs director at the time and helping other victims find lawyers to speak up.

The final result was naturally very good. *Fearless Journey* was suspended indefinitely, the villain received his deserved punishment, and those who had been hurt were compensated.

And ”indefinite” basically meant an outright blacklist. There was no chance of it ever coming back.

But when one project stopped, a whole bunch of people who had been working on it still needed new projects to keep going.
So this team, except for those kicked out for wrongdoing, was packed up wholesale and transferred to this new project, *Mars Collision*.

However, after going through so much, *Mars Collision* could never reach the heights of the original *Fearless Journey*. Having learned from the lessons of those past accidents, this completely new show *Mars Collision* abandoned all outdoor challenge segments, transforming into an indoor variety show. Its activities and games were mostly cobbled together by copying bits from other variety shows here and there, with nothing particularly novel or eye-catching.

Fortunately, the platform had a big enough stage, and with the connections from *Fearless Journey*ʼs past, *Mars Collision* still had a solid foundation. It was more than enough for promoting *Thief Catcher 2*.

But when Xiao He arrived at the venue, he realized - wow! *Mars Collision* had actually become one of Lin Yipengʼs family investment projects!

”Heh heh.”

Seeing Xiao Heʼs puzzled expression, Lin Yipeng gave a subtle smile. ”I think you probably know about what happened with *Fearless Journey* before, right? It caused a pretty big stir back then. The original investors didnʼt want to keep holding it, afraid it would rot in their hands, and then my family picked it up at a low price.”

Even though the big IP of *Fearless Journey* was indeed ruined and unusable, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The show still had quite a few talented people worth keeping. And with the signboard of its predecessor, plus a reshuffled and reorganized team, they could actually attract some name recognition and the nostalgia of old viewers.

So donʼt misunderstand Qu Qiuyanʼs public stance back then when she spoke up for the people the show had hurt. She simply felt a sense of shared suffering and pity. But behind the scenes, her family was also pushing, taking advantage of the opportunity to scoop some of the director familyʼs projects into their own bowl.

That way, when the other side eventually collapsed, they got the best and most essential parts.

Hearing Lin Yipengʼs vague explanation, Xiao He guessed roughly what had happened and fell into a brief silence.

Damn it! You capitalists really have dirty hearts!

So you guys didnʼt let this opportunity slip by either!

Xiao He couldnʼt help but admire him: ”No wonder youʼre from a big family.”

Seize every opportunity and make every move count!

”Heh heh, but as you can see, this variety show isnʼt doing all that well right now. Itʼs surviving purely on promotional work, creating buzz around traffic stars.”

Lin Yipeng sighed helplessly.

Back in the *Fearless Journey* days, there was at least a core concept of ”pushing limits and discovering oneself.” But after stripping away all that core content, leaving only empty entertainment, *Mars Collision* had completely lost whatever unique trait it once had. It had become nothing more than a pure publicity platform, barely propped up each episode by promoting new production teams and cashing in on old nostalgia.

If it werenʼt for a few veteran guests from the *Fearless Journey* era who still performed quite well, the show probably would have been operating at a loss by now.

Xiao He couldnʼt offer any good suggestions for the current situation.

Besides, after the last *Public Enemy Number One* internet celebrity show barely survived so many twists and turns, Linghui Entertainment had stayed away from variety show projects entirely. So he could only offer some gentle consolation: ”Itʼs still pretty good this way. At least among the promotional channels, you guys are about on par with *Daily Happiness*. You still have fan economy to rely on.”

- But really, thatʼs purely eating off the fan economy.

Sure enough, the rest of the showʼs recording was very simple.

-

To sum it up briefly, it was basically: singing, playing games, singing, playing games, and finally reminiscing about the past.

Hmm, as for the reminiscing part, that was mainly Qu Qiuyanʼs domain. She would lead the conversation about the past, telling stories from those days. It also served as a chance to debunk all those old rumors about her - ”died of illness,” ”went crazy,” ”committed suicide,” ”went abroad,” and so on.

It was also a way to let the people from back then see - she, Qu Qiuyan, was still radiant as ever!

Let the past be the past. She had emerged from the darkness and stepped into a happier life.

On this point, Xiao He truly admired her.

Disfigured at the peak of her career, forced to step away in obscurity, and then, when life finally became stable and happy, she bravely walked back into the spotlight. She accepted the gazes of the public, faced the tragic pain of the past head-on, and was able to shine brightly once again...

Even though her youth had faded and the scars of her repaired injuries would forever remain on her cheeks, the grace and composure with which Qu Qiuyan sat in her seat and spoke freely still made many in the room feel humbled.

At that moment, no one saw her ”ferocity” - decades later, the goddess in countless hearts was still a goddess.

The more emotional female guests and audience members listened to those stories, tears streaming down their faces.

And backstage, Lin Yipeng looked at his mother on the stage, pride shining in his eyes that he couldnʼt hide.

He knew that the real reason his mother had stepped back into the spotlight was for him.

But when he had first created the character of the landlady in *Thief Catcher*, hadnʼt he also harbored that youthful, secret desire to bring his mother back under the dreamlike spotlights she had always longed for?

The goddess on stage was radiant and magnificent, earning everyoneʼs admiration. But as family, what they saw was the painful recovery, and the fleeting look of regret and longing in the eyes of that woman with her face wrapped in bandages as she gazed at the stage.

And so, they came -

A mother, to support her child.

And a child, to fulfill his motherʼs regret.