The plane was preparing for takeoff.
In first class, Xiao Yi turned his head to look out the window, Lian Jun's words still lingering in his ears.
Yan Zhi was in the next seat, still chattering about the itinerary for the next two days.
He suddenly turned back and asked, "Is it very stressful standing beside me?"
Yan Zhi froze for a moment, pondering the movie star's question before realizing what he was asking.
"Uh, Brother Yi, do you want to hear the truth?"
The man shot him a cold glance. Yan Zhi swallowed, then said cautiously, "Let alone a future partner, even I, your humble assistant, tread on thin ice and can barely move!"
He looked up at his boss and said with a sigh, "We're all assistants. Is being an assistant to an ordinary artist the same as being an assistant to a movie star? There's a hierarchy in our assistant community too~"
"Oh?"
Xiao Yi rested his chin on his hand, his eyes half-closed. His handsome face drew frequent glances from the passing flight attendants.
"As an assistant to a movie star, the public has already labeled me as the high-level, all-capable type! If I fall short even slightly, I'll be cursed to death, especially by your 'Yimi' fans. They're really fierce~ Although... sometimes they're very warm, but my little heart still gets hurt~"
Recalling the years spent by his boss's side, it had naturally been a mix of hardship and sweetness, bitterness and joy.
Xiao Yi closed his eyes. "Get to the point."
"Oh."
Yan Zhi immediately put away his melancholic reflections and said seriously, "Take Niang Niang, for example. You're interested in her..."
A warning gaze was cast over.
Yan Zhi faltered, slapped his mouth, "I misspoke. It's more like, you have the intention to enhance mutual understanding, not ruling out the possibility of learning and developing together now or in the future..."
He almost got himself tangled up in his own words. After catching his breath, he continued, "Just as Brother Jun said, before Niang Niang has enough ability to handle external discordant voices, how much inner strength would it take to digest all that!"
Xiao Yi slowly sat up. "Is it that difficult to be with me?"
"It's not *too* difficult~ Who told you to be the God Yi!"
Yan Zhi gritted his teeth, hesitated several times, and finally voiced his inner thoughts, "Brother Yi, it's really not easy for Niang Niang to have come this far... So..."
"Mm, I understand."
Xiao Yi leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes.
Alas...
Yan Zhi sighed inwardly.
So even movie stars found dating exhausting. In that case, remaining single was perhaps a brighter path!
—
The next morning at "Love Games," Xia Weiliang's skateboarding competition was scheduled for the indoor stadium. The bowl was ready.
Not many people had signed up for this event. While many might know how to skateboard, few were good enough to compete.
Moreover, after Xia Weiliang's performance in the racing event yesterday, the entire "Love Games" had been elevated by several notches!
It was true that they wanted to attract attention, but it had to be matched by actual skill, otherwise, the gains would not be worth the losses.
"Sister Niang Niang!"
Situ approached, holding his skateboard, and stood beside her with a smile.
"Oh, little Situ, you signed up for this too?"
"Mm."
Situ said, "I'm amateur at it. Brother Sun said it would be good to have someone to join in the fun, so they pushed me forward."
Xia Weiliang glanced at the professional skateboard he was holding and said with a half-smile, "Equipment worth tens of thousands? And you're playing amateur?"
Situ smiled sheepishly, "It's just that I haven't practiced in a long time, and I don't know if I'll embarrass myself later."
"Don't worry, I'll be with you~"
Xia Weiliang wasn't one for commercial collaborations that fell flat. Her skateboarding had been dormant for a long time; she'd only skated around the neighborhood with Brother Yuan last night.
"Mm! Then we have to cheer each other on!"
"Cheer on!"
The two fist-bumped.
This scene was captured by fans present and casually posted on Weibo.
Unexpectedly, this photo went viral, with passers-by commenting, "Ah, this overwhelming CP feeling, what's going on?!"
"My goodness, it's just one photo! This is too good to ship!!"
"Although I really don't like my brother pairing up with other female artists, I have to say, Xia Niang Niang's visuals are absolutely stunning! Standing next to my brother, there's such a vibe!!"
"Niang Niang, have you forgotten about the Su Da fans from the Lake of Repose?!"
"Niang Niang's face is high-class and versatile, she was born for CP!"
At this moment, the "Love Games" were still underway.
Due to the small number of participants in the skateboarding event, especially in the women's category with only Xia Weiliang and a rapper girl, the organizers decided to mix the men's and women's categories to increase viewership, taking the best scores.
As a result, after one competition, Xia Weiliang gained another wave of casual fans.
Who wouldn't like a cool girl who could race cars and skateboard?
At the "Love Games" venue, many young idols became infatuated with Xia Weiliang. Ruirui was even more exaggerated, filling her Weibo with nine-grid photos!
Viewers who watched the live broadcast also commented that although Niang Niang had so many camera shots that one might suspect she invested in the sports industry, her performance in the program was indeed eye-catching.
One could only say, who else could even become famous from sleeping at the venue!
—
At the same time.
In E City, backstage at an awards ceremony, in a makeup room.
Yan Zhi entered carrying coffee, glanced at his boss, who was holding his phone and watching the "Love Games" live broadcast.
He was about to lean in when the phone screen went black.
Yan Zhi: ...
Why so stingy?
He also wanted to watch Niang Niang compete!
Sipping his coffee, Xiao Yi's expression was extremely nonchalant.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Yan Zhi felt his boss's aura was too low. Already on the fringes of social interaction, he now seemed even more isolated.
"Uh... Brother Yi, that 'Love Power' ranking list..."
"No need."
Xiao Yi glanced at his watch and got up to leave the makeup room.
N-no need?
What did that mean?
—
#SkateboardGirl #RacingBeauty #NiangNiangIsMighty... Xia Weiliang had once again climbed onto the trending searches.
Videos of her competition went viral across various platforms. The variety show, originally a niche broadcast, saw its national popularity soar with her participation. The chief director called Director Song overnight, vowing to send him a new "Big White Teacup"...
The self-promoting "Xile Guo," who was good at stirring things up, naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity. Given its relevant attributes, the heat-seeking tactic was immediately put into action!
【Little Le @ Xia Weiliang Wow wow wow! Sister is truly cool and handsome! As expected of Little Le's fairy sister~ So, at this important moment of cheering for sister, why not have a serving of Xile Guo? It's cheap, delicious, and not expensive. It would be a shame not to eat it~】
Netizens: Pfft!
Fortunately for the cunning "Little Le," the program's national popularity increased another level.
Xia Weiliang was too lazy to look at the online drama anymore. After filming the show, she just wanted to sleep for two full days and nights!
Her phone showed a WeChat notification.
Upon opening it, she saw a call from the Tie family.
【Tie Song: @ Tie Niang Niang, Little Liang, not bad. You've boosted another program... Heh, very good, very good.】
【Tie Song: @ Tie Niang Niang, you've been playing for so long, it's time to settle down. Don't forget the Tie family needs you~】
Soon, Brother Cheng came out.
【Tie Tou Cheng: Yo, yo yo, I taste the sourness!】
【Tie Fu Gui: Heh, who told him to introduce blindly? Don't they say competitors are enemies? He deserved it!】
【Tie Jiang Jun: Hehe, anyway, I can be with Sister~】
【Tie Song: ...】