People's Platform—a show that tells stories of everyday folks.
Ming Wen and Ming Wu were a pair of well-known twins in their small county. The older brother, Ming Wen, was smart and became the first local student ever to get into a top university in the capital. The younger brother, Ming Wu, lived up to his name—he liked weapons and fighting from a young age and became a full-blown street punk.
The county's People's Platform did a special report on the two brothers. The moral was clear: learn from Ming Wen, not Ming Wu. Same parents, same upbringing, yet Ming Wen had a bright future, studying at a prestigious university and getting the best education. Ming Wu, on the other hand, dropped out of high school and became a regular at both the police station and the hospital. He ended up shedding blood almost every other day.
Over time, even their parents gave up on the younger son. Once, when Ming Wu was badly injured, they didn't even show up—just paid the hospital bill and left him alone.
Their drastically different paths made them famous around the small county. Naturally, people praised the older brother and scolded the younger one. They admired Ming Wen's success and cursed Ming Wu for being unfilial.
Their story spread further thanks to a newspaper article. Ming Wen had already left for college and couldn't hear the compliments, but Ming Wu had to endure the growing number of insults. Still, Ming Wu didn't care.
Today, once again, he was surrounded by a group of seven or eight guys. Ming Wu never ran with a gang—he always fought solo, even when outnumbered.
Just like every other time, he stood calmly among the group, fists clenched, waiting for them to make the first move.
"If you don't kneel and apologize to our boss today, you're not leaving here."
Their leader stepped forward. "Kneel, and crawl under my crotch. You messed with my girl—do that, and we'll call it even."
Ming Wu's voice was cold. "I'm in a bad mood. Get lost."
"Boss, this punk's really asking for it."
The leader's face darkened. "You don't want to toast, so now you'll drink the penalty wine. Get him!"
"Got it!"
The group charged in. The fight broke out. It wasn't pretty—just raw fists slamming into flesh. Blood appeared fast. But even alone, Ming Wu held his ground. He had a ton of experience with this kind of fight.
Seeing that even his own guys couldn't take Ming Wu down, the boss's expression turned ugly. The girl he liked had been stolen, and his gang couldn't handle it. His pride was shredded. And now Ming Wu was holding his own? He couldn't just let it go.
"You could've just kneeled and ended it clean. But you forced my hand," he growled, pulling a switchblade from his pocket.
"Ahhh!" he yelled, charging forward and stabbing from the side.
By the time Ming Wu noticed the knife, it was too late. Pain ripped through him. The blade had pierced beneath his ribs and went into his lung.
Blood quickly soaked through his coat.
"Boss, did you just kill him?" One of the more seasoned thugs panicked. Normally, they never used knives. Fights were about pride, not murder. A death messed things up for everyone. That's why they usually fought barehanded or, at most, used sticks.
Now that blood was spilled, everyone froze.
A life had been taken. The gang panicked and scattered in all directions.
Ming Wu felt his consciousness slipping away. Then everything went black.
At his university campus, Ming Wen received a strange admission letter. It said he had been accepted into a special school. He was intrigued, because the entire letter was made from some kind of tough, metallic material—yet it felt incredibly light. Since he majored in materials science, Ming Wen's curiosity was naturally piqued.
So he brought the metal to his professor for analysis.
"This is incredible. This definitely isn't from Earth," the professor said confidently. "Ming Wen, you should go. Whoever sent this clearly has serious resources. Who knows, you might gain something unexpected."
Ming Wen was just as curious. What kind of school could this be? He decided to check it out. But first, he searched online and found almost no information. Standing on his dorm balcony in the warm sunlight, Ming Wen felt a rush of excitement, like he was standing on the edge of an unknown world. He was too outstanding—so outstanding that people around him felt suffocated. But he craved the unknown. Only the unknown could fill his heart.
These two brothers, who had gone down completely different paths, had no idea that the wheel of fate had already shifted. Their roles were about to change.
Boom—
An explosion rocked the lab where Ming Wen worked. He and two of his classmates were killed instantly. But it wasn't an accident. Still, no one could find any evidence or catch the culprit.
News of Ming Wen's death sent shockwaves through their small county. People kept saying, "The good die young. The wicked live a thousand years." How did the heavily injured Ming Wu survive, but his model student brother ended up dead?
No one from the Ming family came to the hospital. They had all rushed to the capital to claim Ming Wen's body.
Lying in his hospital bed, Ming Wu learned of his brother's death from a nurse. "…"
He didn't say anything. Back then, it was precisely because his brother was too good that Ming Wu had dropped out. He couldn't stand living in that shadow. He should've felt happy. The cloud hanging over him had vanished. He should've seen the light. But instead, it felt like something inside him had gone missing.
Ming Wu was fiercely competitive. He had chosen a different path only because he knew he couldn't beat his brother in academics. But now, with Ming Wen dead, he'd lost his rival. The purpose he'd clung to suddenly felt like a joke.
He closed his eyes, unwilling to believe it. No. He wouldn't accept this. Not unless he saw Ming Wen's body with his own eyes.
Ignoring his wounds, Ming Wu escaped the hospital. He had to find out for himself whether his brother was truly gone.
"Master, isn't it selfish to eat all this good food by yourself?" Liu A'dou hadn't been back home in a long time, and he was making the most of it—planning to eat from east to west, north to south, and feast his way across all of China.
But plans never keep up with reality. There are always surprises. Just as Liu A'dou was devouring his way through a massive spread, he ran into two of his disciples—Ben and Kailan.
When he spotted them, Kailan was licking three skewers of candied hawthorn. Looked like the princess of the Green Elves had also fallen to the charms of Earth's cuisine. Thankfully, her Force had helped her find Liu A'dou so they could reunite here.
"Long time no see. Looks like you made it across the Pacific. Congrats!"
"We've been here for three months," Ben said.
"…Three months? You've been here the whole time?" Liu A'dou frowned. "What happened to traveling the whole world?"
"Uh, we are on our world tour. It's just… the food here is too good. So we stayed a bit longer," Ben explained. "It was Kailan's idea."
The princess shot him a look. "You're the one obsessed with tofu! You said you had to try the most authentic vegetarian mapo tofu, and you've been chasing down famous chefs for it!"
"You're the one eating all those candied hawthorns! You said you were going to try every flavor!"
"That's enough, you two!" Liu A'dou sighed. 'It's just tofu. Do you really have to be this picky?' "Anyway, since we've run into each other, this is a good time to test your skills. Come with me."