"Poor kid, it really isn't easy, is it?"
Inside the Mountain Retreat cabin, Gordon Ramsey looked at Asher Reed with eyes that were actually, for the first time in history filled with genuine sympathy.
"Yes, but I'm dying to know," Ryan, the host, asked with a mischievous glit in his eye, "Asher, how did you actually feel while filming that 'Bird Stroll' scene? Was the mountain air... refreshing?"
Asher Reed glanced at Ryan, his expression one of pure, unadulterated speechlessness. He looked like he wanted to crawl into the floorboards and never come out.
How could he even answer that? It was the definition of an embarrassing topic. And at that moment, the variety show's director was being particularly ruthless, he zoomed the high-definition camera directly onto Asher's face, capturing every twitch of his awkwardness.
The audience in the live broadcast room erupted in a hurricane of laughter.
[LMAO! I don't admire anyone else in this industry, only this director! He knows exactly what we want to see!]
[Haha! Did Asher offend the crew today? That zoom-in was personal!]
[Ryan, that question was a trap! You have high-level emotional intelligence, but you chose violence!]
[Asher Reed: 'The character Asher Reed is the one who's embarrassed, what does it have to do with me, the actor?!' (Sobs internally).]
Back in the plot of The Outcast, the narrative had shifted to the "World Society" headquarters (The Atlas Corporation).
Asher had already arrived at the corporate skyscraper, and Jo (Riley Evans) was preparing to apologize and win her "slave" back. When Riley appeared on screen wearing soft makeup and a small purple floral dress, every viewer's eyes lit up simultaneously.
She was breathtaking. The "hollow" immortality was still there, but in that dress, she radiated the aura of a mature, sophisticated older sister.
[The legends were true, a girl in a purple dress truly has a unique charm! Riley is a goddess!]
[I'm done. I am officially a Jo-simp. I'll simp for her until the heat death of the universe!]
[She's so beautiful and yet so weird. I wonder if Jo likes girls? Because if so, I'm putting my application in right now!]
Starlight Management Headquarters.
Maya West, Seraphina Vale, Della Rose, Natalie G., Daisy, and several other top-tier stars were gathered in the agency's executive lounge, their eyes glued to the massive screen.
In this world, the relationship between Seraphina Vale and Maya West was close, a stark contrast to the rivalries of the past. As they watched Jade (Feng Shayan), played by Daisy, make her explosive combat debut, the eyes of the other starlets were filled with a visible hint of envy.
"Daisy, your fight scenes... in just three months, your improvement is terrifying," Seraphina Vale noted. She was a veteran of action films, and she could tell the difference between "stunt-double work" and "personal mastery." Daisy's movements were fluid, sharp, and carried a weight that suggested she had been training for years, not months.
Daisy smiled modestly, her face flushing with pride. "It's all thanks to Director Leo's teaching. He doesn't just tell you where to stand; he explains the 'flow' of the energy. He's... he's a genius."
Della Rose leaned in, her curiosity burning. "Is Leo Vance really as amazing as the rumors say? Knowing a little of everything? I heard he even does the catering!"
Hearing this, everyone in the room looked at Daisy. Usually, Daisy was a "nobody" in the agency, a rising star with potential but no major hits. Now, she was the center of attention for the industry's biggest names.
"Director Leo is... well, he's a monster," Daisy said, her expression full of admiration. "He knows the mechanics of the camera, the lighting, the stunts, everything. But more than that... he cares about the crew. Did you hear? He gave us the entire $50 million prize money from the NAC Tournament as a bonus 'Red Packet'."
The room fell into a dead silence.
The stars present felt a sudden lack of oxygen in their brains. Fifty million dollars. In cash. Distributed as a bonus?
Even for a first-tier A-lister, $50 million was a year's worth of hard work, and after taxes and agency cuts, they'd be lucky to keep $15 million. But Leo had just... given it away to the staff?
For a moment, every single actress in that room, including the Seraphina Vale, had the exact same thought: I need to get signed to Celestial Peak.
"Is he really that generous?" Seraphina whispered, her eyes glowing with interest. "It would be an honor to collaborate with a director who values his people that much."
Maya West rolled her eyes playfully at her friend. "Mimi, you think it's that easy? Half the industry is trying to get into his next project. My own actors couldn't even get a supporting role in The Outcast because his standards are too high."
As the broadcast of Episodes 5 and 6 continued, the first major climax of the series arrived.
Jo (Riley Evans) had bravely entered the Atlas Corporation building. To keep her promise to Asher, that she wouldn't fight his "new friends", she stood perfectly still, refusing to defend herself. She was brutally injured by a rival Outcast's technique.
The audience was heartbroken. The live chat was a lake of tears.
[Wuwuwu! Jo is too foolish! She's taking hits for that brat Asher?!]
[My heart is actually aching. Someone save her!]
[If the dog-screenwriter Leo Vance kills her here, I am burning down Hollywood!]
Fortunately, Jo was an immortal "monster," and she survived. But this led to the most significant turning point in the series: The Mystery of Jo's Roots.
As the secret was unveiled through the eyes of the dying old man, Xavier (Xu Xiang), the audience was stunned. It turned out that in 1944, in the midst of a hidden war, Jo and a young boy named Jack had formed a bond.
Jo hadn't aged a day in seventy years. She was a "Static Point" in a changing world.
The story of Jo's survival, her time in the mountains, and her eventual meeting with Asher's grandfather, Thomas Reed, was a masterclass in emotional storytelling. Thomas, afflicted by a deadly curse, had used his final moments to secure a future for Jo, making her guard his grandson in exchange for the "Old Farmer's Technique."
As Xavier lay on his deathbed, Jo sat beside him, her vacant eyes showing a flicker of ancient, buried grief. She began to hum a soft, haunting folk song, a localized Appalachian melody that Leo had carefully selected to replace the original Chinese folk tune.
The scene cut between their past in 1944 and the present. Xavier, the powerful man who had built a secret agency just to protect one girl, stared at Jo with wide, unwilling eyes. He didn't want to leave her alone. He still wanted to protect her.
Jo gently reached out and closed his eyes. Xavier passed away in peace.
The audience was left reeling. The transition from a goofy comedy to a multi-generational epic about loss, duty, and immortality was so seamless it left them breathless.
[I take back everything I said. This show isn't average. It's a masterpiece.]
[Jo is at least a hundred years old?! She's the ultimate 'Loli-Grandma'!]
[How did she become immortal? I need to know the secret of the Eight Origins!]
[Leo Vance... you sick, brilliant bastard. You made me cry over an old man I only met two episodes ago.]
The reputation of The Outcast turned around overnight.
Before Episode 5, people thought it was a fun, high-budget action comedy. After Episode 6, they realized it was a deep, philosophical dive into. The anticipation for the "Raten Taishou" tournament reached a fever pitch.
But just as the "Outcast Fever" was peaking, a new trending topic detonated across every social media platform in the country.
[BREAKING: CELESTIAL PEAK ENTERTAINMENT OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES THE START OF PRODUCTION FOR THE FEATURE FILM: "JUJUTSU KAISEN: HIDDEN INVENTORY".]
The world froze. The Gojo Satoru prequel was finally happening. The "Strongest" was returning to the big screen.