Yuan Yi lingered at Yan Xi's place, reluctant to leave, finally staying for dinner before leaving with obvious reluctance. As he departed, he couldn't help but think how nice it would be if he and Yan Xi were married alreadyâthen he wouldn't have to live apart from her.
The driver noticed Yuan Yi was in a great mood, so he turned on the car's sound system, playing a cheerful, upbeat song featuring a lively duet between a man and a woman. Gazing at the city lights shining in the night, Yuan Yi suddenly thought that maybe marriage wasn't so scary after all. Spending a lifetime with Yan Xi actually sounded pretty nice.
Back at home, Yan Xi had her door open as she worked on her artwork. When she heard footsteps in the hallway, she got up and went to the door. She saw Song Hai turning at the stairway landing.
"Dad." She called out to him and caught up with him. "Why don't you sit on the couch for a bit? I'll bring out dinner for you."
"I can't believe I slept that long," Song Hai said with a yawn. "No need to bother with dinner; I don't feel like eating."
"You can't skip dinner, Dad. You had so much to drink this afternoon, and if you don't eat something tonight, your stomach will pay for it." Yan Xi brought out a bowl of porridge she had made and set it in front of him. "You really should work on this drinking habit, Dad."
"Alright, alright, I'll work on it." Song Hai took a spoonful of the porridge. It was sweet and fruity, very refreshing. "Fruit porridge?"
"Yep, I figured you wouldn't have much of an appetite, so I made something light," Yan Xi said with a smile. "You seemed really happy this afternoon."
"Of course I was happy. Yuan Yi put so much thought into celebrating my birthdayâit shows how much you mean to him. My biggest worry was that someone like him, a wealthy CEO, wouldn't be serious about relationships. But now, I'm finally at ease."
"Wasn't it because he gifted you a diamond watch, appealing to your tastes?" Yan Xi teased, pointing at the dazzling watch on his wrist.
"You think your dad's that shallow?" Song Hai put on a serious face. "If we're going by that, I'd say my favorite part was the luxury car fleet he arranged to pick me upâa true head-turner that made everyone look."
"Luxury car fleet?" Yan Xi was confused. "What luxury car fleet?"
"You didn't know?" Seeing her bewildered expression, Song Hai realized she hadn't heard about it. "He had a whole fleet of limited-edition cars decorated with fresh flowers come pick me up from my office for the banquet."
Yan Xi: ...
Just imagining that scene made Yan Xi feel a bit overwhelmed. Yuan Er, a proper wealthy CEO, really had some interesting ideasâand her dad totally bought into it.
"Oh well, as long as you're both happy." Yan Xi resigned herself to it. One was her father, the other was her boyfriendâwhat else could she say? All she could do was keep smiling and let them enjoy themselves.
In this world, it's not easy being a daughter or a girlfriend.
Back in her room, Yan Xi posted a short comic she had drawn on Weibo. She then checked the trending news, only to feel that all her previous mental preparation had been in vain.
A crane made of flowers? What kind of thing was that?
Flowers and diamonds arranged in the shape of a birthday wish?
Honestly, if they added a "double happiness" symbol, that setup could double as a wedding parade.
Yan Xi didn't have the courage to read the comments under the news story anymore. She closed the page and looked at the responses under her comic post instead. Seeing the comments from her little "angels" in the comment section was the only thing calming her down.
The next morning, Yan Xi didn't go directly to the TV station. Instead, she went out on the street with Zhao Peng to interview some kids on their way to school, asking if they felt their parents loved them.
The responses were adorable. Some kids were lively on camera, while others were a bit shy, but most answered with a confident "yes."
Of course, one child said "no" and explained it was because his mother had taken all his New Year's gift money.
Yan Xi laughed at the innocent responses, but it was clear that these kids were being raised with a lot of care and protection from their parents.
After finishing the interviews, Zhao Peng turned off the camera, checked the time, and exhaled. "Looks like it's going to snow."
The weather had been unusual this year. Usually, it was snowing heavily by this time, but aside from one light snowfall, there hadn't even been sleet.
"Yeah," Yan Xi said, pulling down the hat on her head and stomping her feet. "Let's head back to the station, Zhao."
Once they got into the car, both huddled in from the cold, they finally took off their hats, scarves, and gloves. Zhao Peng asked, "All this footage we shot this morningâdoesn't it kind of go against the theme of the episode? Are we actually going to use it?"
"Why not? I think it's great material," Yan Xi replied, thinking that the kids' bright smiles and innocent little worries were precious footage. "Parent-child relationships aren't just about conflict. The warmth and harmony are just as important."
Yan Xi had her own principles when it came to hosting programs. She always believed that simply criticizing or praising wasn't a good approach. People who are more emotionally sensitive tend to empathize easily while watching TV. For example, some children, upon seeing news reports about parents abusing their children, may internalize that content. Then, if one day they make a mistake and their parents scold them even mildly, they might imagine themselves as the abused child from the news, leading to changes in both their personality and inner world. This is not good for kids.
On the other hand, if adults watching the program can realize their own mistakes through the parents depicted, and change their attitude toward educating their children, that would be the greatest achievement.
After hosting the news segment and having lunch, Yan Xi dragged Zhao Peng out for fieldwork. As soon as they stepped outside, she couldn't help but shrink her head into her scarf because it was freezing cold.
"å° Yan, not to brag, but before you came to the station, half of my week was spent inside, enjoying the air conditioning. Since you arrived, I've been running around outside every day, and my skin has gotten a lot darker," Zhao Peng said as he loaded the camera into the car and turned to Yan Xi. "How do you put up with this weather?"
"I can't stand it either," Yan Xi shivered, her teeth chattering. "But all for the sake of work."
"Didn't the station assign us an outdoor reporter for collecting material for this program?" Zhao Peng's tone turned a bit cold when he mentioned the station's strategy. "Why bother doing this to yourself?"
"I find it more interesting to gather material for certain programs myself, but it's a hassle for you, Zhao Ge," Yan Xi flashed a bright smile at him. "I'm used to working with you, and I like your filming angles."
"Seeing how much you're flattering me, I guess I'll have to suffer along with you," Zhao Peng snorted. "Anyway, aside from you, none of the more prominent hosts would even consider working with me."
Years ago, he had offended a big-name celebrity, and since then, he had been relegated to a local station. The people who used to call him "Zhao Ge" or "Zhao Laoshi" had all distanced themselves. Now, someone like Yan Xi, who was young yet already hosting major programs, had many people at the station wanting to collaborate with her. But when she went out for fieldwork, she still brought him along, always treating him as a senior. This loyalty and emotional connection were rare in the cutthroat world of fame and fortune.
"Who said that? Our Zhao Ge's photography skills are amazing!" Yan Xi cheerfully flattered him. "This can only prove one thing."
"What's that?" Zhao Peng turned to look at her.
"It proves that I have great taste."
Zhao Peng: "Xiao Yan, your skin is getting thicker and thicker."
"It shows my growth."
Zhao Peng: ...
Thinking back to when Yan Xi first joined the station, their banter used to be pretty even, but now he was constantly losing. This showed just how much being a host toughened one's skin.
Yan Xi didn't directly interview the left-behind children or children suffering from domestic violence. Instead, she interviewed the neighbors and people around them. Through their brief comments, she aimed to let the audience understand their current situation.
The most common feedback about the left-behind children was: sensible, able to endure hardship, introverted, diligent and hardworking in school, or mischievous, staying out late, and fighting.
As for the children severely abused at home, in addition to sympathy or praise for their maturity, some also criticized them for being timid, having poor grades, bad tempers, or being introverted, among other things.
Yan Xi contacted a young man who had been left at home and abused by relatives. He was only eighteen years old, but he had given up on his studies a few years ago. When Yan Xi found him, he was playing games in an internet café.
This young man, whose hair was slightly greasy and whose jacket was stained, looked very awkward in front of the camera. It wasn't until Yan Xi repeatedly assured him that his face would be pixelated and his voice altered that he relaxed a bit.
After leaving the internet café and seeing him shivering from the cold, Yan Xi found a nearby hot drink shop. They sat down, and she slowly started talking to him.
Yan Xi asked him if he hated the relatives who had abused him. The young man nodded. "Of course I hate them. I even wanted to go back and beat them up, but I don't want to anymore."
"Why?" Yan Xi asked, watching the young man. She pushed some snacks in front of him, but the boy was too shy to pick them up and eat them.
"I don't want to go back to that place. Now I'm working outside, I have money to spend, there's the internet, food, and drinks. I never want to go back to that horrible place." The young man held his milk tea cup, looking somewhat proud, but there was a sense of forced courage in his expression. "Besides, hitting people is illegal. If I get caught, my mom will cry again."
"Do you hate your parents?"
The young man was silent for a moment, his sharp black-and-white eyes fixed on Yan Xi. "Does it matter whether I hate them or not?"
Yan Xi couldn't think of any more probing questions to ask, so she gave him a gentle smile. "Well, then just talk to me about anything. I saw you playing a game earlier, I used to play that too. But the maps in the game were too complicated, I always got lost, so I eventually stopped playing."
Talking about a game he liked instantly caught the young man's attention. It seemed that in front of this young and beautiful woman, he finally had something to feel confident about. As they talked further, he even lamented that if Yan Xi had continued playing, he could have become her teacher.
Yan Xi glanced at the plate of snacks, and the young man, now in a better mood, ate a little over half of the snacks, but left the rest untouched.
They spoke for two to three hours, until it was getting late, and Yan Xi decided to wrap up the interview.
"Actually, whether I hate them or not doesn't really matter anymore," the young man suddenly said. "I don't have much feeling for my parents. They don't want to take care of me, and I don't want to bother them. No one bothers me usually, and I'm pretty comfortable like this."
Hearing these indifferent words made Yan Xi feel a little sad. She looked at the young man's rough hands. "Have you ever thought about going back to school?"
"Never thought about it. The people who study are just bookworms," the young man said with a grin. "Maybe I'll become a millionaire in the future, and then those bookworms can work for me."
Zhao Peng, who was filming nearby, thought to himself, "A million and he thinks he can have the top students working for him? This kid is dreaming."
But for the young man, a million might seem like a fortune, and it was the only future he could see. It wasn't his fault.
When they left the hot drink shop, Yan Xi bought another snack for the young man.
"Thank you," the young man said, holding the snack package as he spoke to Yan Xi. "You're not like the host I imagined."
"What did you imagine a host would be like?" Yan Xi asked, covering most of her face with her scarf, as it was incredibly cold.
"Serious, not joking around," the young man scratched his head. "When the show airs, can you let me know in advance? I mean, I'll be on TV, after all."
"Sure," Yan Xi nodded. "I'll have the staff send you a text."
The young man thanked her again, then zipped up his jacket and slowly walked away in the cold wind.
Yan Xi watched his back for a moment, until he disappeared around the corner of the street, before turning and getting into the car.
"I thought you were going to give that young guy some money," Zhao Peng said.
"It wouldn't be appropriate," Yan Xi shook her head. "If I gave him money, it might feel like an insult to him."
"Tch," Zhao Peng shook his head. "You'll become more indifferent as you interview more people."
Yan Xi smiled without replying. Who could say what would happen in the future?
It took a few days, but eventually, Yan Xi finished collecting all the materials. The episode was scheduled to air on Wednesday evening the following week, so Yan Xi had the staff send texts to the main interviewees, informing them of the broadcast time.
After finally wrapping up the work, she spent the weekend with Yuan Yi, and then it was time for the press conference for the mobile game Yuan Yi had developed.
As Yuan Yi's girlfriend, Yan Xi dressed up beautifully and sat beside him in the VIP section.
"The live host you hired is pretty quick on his feet," Yan Xi whispered to Yuan Yi. "He really knows how to liven up the atmosphere."
Yuan Yi, dressed in a well-tailored suit, sat upright with an air of business elite, but his words didn't sound particularly elite: "That's why his appearance fee is quite high."
This game is adapted from traditional stories and myths that have been passed down for thousands of years. Whether it's the character designs or the gameplay, there are many praiseworthy aspects. Most importantly, Yan Xi noticed that during the promotion, the game was being marketed with a focus on local traditional culture, which added a sense of sentimental value.
As an outsider, Yan Xi didn't know much about game development, but even though the media event was still ongoing, this person who just liked to play games casually was already filled with curiosity about this game, which was enough to prove the success of the event.
However, for the media, the game was fun, but the gossip about the wealthy family was even more intriguing.
For example, the fact that Yuan Yi openly sat at the main table with his girlfriend at such an important press conferenceâdid it mean that their wedding was near? Was Yan Xi definitely going to be the boss lady of Hengtai?