After discussing the promotion strategy with her friends in the group, Yan Xi took out her drawing tablet and began sketching. She had previously discussed with a publisher to release another art book, and had sporadically worked on some drafts. Due to her busy schedule, she had not been able to submit them properly.
At first, drawing small comics was just to cheer up her seriously ill mother, but it had now become her hobby. She felt joy in knowing that someone liked her drawings and that the characters she created could move others.
After drawing for a while, she rubbed her eyes, stood up, and went downstairs to get herself a glass of water. Passing by Song Hai's study, she noticed the light was still on and knocked on the door. "Dad, you're not asleep yet?"
"Yan Yan," Song Hai turned to look at his daughter standing at the door and took off his glasses. "I'll sleep after finishing these documents."
Yan Xi went downstairs and poured Song Hai a glass of water. "Don't stay up too late, your health is important."
Song Hai smiled, put down the pen in his hand, and turned to look at Yan Xi. "Did you go to the original game launch event today?"
Yan Xi nodded. "Yeah, I went to see it in person. The game is actually quite interesting."
"Some of my old friends were asking me this afternoon, 'When is your wedding date with Yu?'" Song Hai shook his head with a laugh. "These old folks are fine with pushing their own kids to get married, but now they're meddling in our business too. Really a bit much."
"You're always hanging out together, maybe they're just trying to show concern." Yan Xi placed the cup to Song Hai's left. "But I don't have any plans for marriage right now."
"Don't have faith in Yuan Yi?" Song Hai asked with a smile. He had seen the interview video today and noticed that Yuan Yi clearly wanted to marry his daughter, but he was worried the media would think Yan Xi was marrying for money. So, he took the initiative to bring it up, not giving the media a chance to speculate.
"He's a really good person. It's not that I don't have faith in him. I'm happy being with him. I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not, and he never uses his background to show off. Although he likes to say that a man should act in a certain way, when we're together, he always makes sure everything is taken care of and doesn't touch on my sensitive points." Yan Xi smiled. "He looks a bit fierce, but he's actually very gentle inside, so gentle that it's cute."
"I didn't expect you to have such a high opinion of him." Song Hai felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart. Seeing the most important man in his daughter's life potentially being someone else was hard for him. As a father, it wasn't easy to adjust his mindset. "Since you think so highly of him, why don't you want to get married?"
"I get a bit confused when I think about sharing a big bed with someone, sharing my private space. Dad, do you think there's something wrong with me?" Yan Xi sat down on the sofa, her voice a little distracted.
"Yan Yan, is it because your mom and I got divorced that you're scared of marriage?" Song Hai felt a little sad. Although he and Yan Yun tried their best to love their child, their divorce still had an impact on Yan Xi.
"Dad, where are you getting that from?" Yan Xi smiled helplessly. "Although you and mom got divorced, you both still love me the same. How could I fear marriage because of that? I just..." Yan Xi sighed with a smile. "I'm just not used to sharing my bed with an adult, sharing my life. I'm afraid I won't be able to adapt."
"Silly child, if you're not used to living with him, you can always come back to stay with me," Song Hai said.
Yan Xi: "Dad, is this really okay? It almost sounds like you're trying to cause trouble between us."
At that moment, Yan Xi suddenly felt that maybe her dad wasn't as eager for her to get married as she had thought. Perhaps he was just casually asking a few questions.
"I was just kidding," Song Hai chuckled, seeing his daughter's helpless expression. "Since you've already started thinking about what you might not be used to when living with him, it means you're already considering the possibility of marrying him."
Yan Xi froze in place.
"If you really didn't want to spend your life with him, why would you be thinking about these things?" Song Hai laughed. "You're usually such a clever girl, but when it comes to your own matters, you seem so confused."
"It's his fault for always bringing up marriage. That's why I'm thinking about these things." Yan Xi said, embarrassed and angry. "Dad, I'm going to bed now."
Seeing his daughter shy away, something he rarely saw, Song Hai smiled happily. But then, realizing that his daughter was embarrassed because of some other guy, Song Hai's mood soured a bit. The conflicting emotions battled in his mind for a while, and finally, he slammed his folder shut. His mood was too complicated to work tonight.
As the saying goes, when things go smoothly in one aspect of life, there's always something else that goes wrong. Yan Xi and the program team had put in a lot of effort to create a parenting education program, but due to concerns from higher-ups about the sensitivity of the topic, the originally scheduled broadcast for Wednesday night was temporarily postponed.
Over the next few days, Yan Xi spent her time brainstorming with her colleagues on how to get the program approved by the higher-ups. Sometimes, when she felt exhausted, she would open the internet and see many ads for the mobile game developed by Yuan Yi's company. Her Weibo homepage and moments were filled with people starting to play the game, even recommending it to others with genuine enthusiasm.
Yan Xi... felt a bit proud for some reason. She almost couldn't resist posting in her moments, saying, "The game you're playing was developed by my boyfriend's company." Fortunately, she managed to keep her composure and refrained from doing something as obnoxious as showing off their relationship.
A few days later, even her colleagues at the station began playing the game. Some of the colleagues who were closer to her asked if, considering their good relationship, she could help them get a few gift card codes.
Yan Xi, of course... could only smile and agree.
These verification gift codes were part of the promotional strategy, giving players the illusion of getting a bargain. Once they were fully invested in the game, their wallets would no longer be in their control.
Her colleagues were thrilled, and Yan Xi realized her social relationships had taken another step forward.
Using game verification codes to exchange for friendshipâit was both funny and absurd.
Even Xiao Yang became immersed in the game. If it weren't for her professional ethics, she might have spent the entire day glued to her phone.
To ensure the episode on parent-child relationships and education would air, Chen Pei and Yan Xi spoke highly of the program to the higher-ups and presented various national publicity policies to convince them. Finally, they managed to persuade the leadership, and the episode was approved for broadcast.
Once the program was approved, the team swapped the content of the program scheduled for the next day and replaced it with the first part of the episode on parent-child relationships and education.
In the afternoon, when Yan Xi went to the studio to prepare for the recording of the show with Shen Xingyan, she ran into Zhao Wantong in the hallway. Compared to the last time they met, Zhao Wantong seemed to have lost a little more weight, but her eyes looked sharp, and she appeared more energetic as she walked.
"Yan... Yan Xi," Zhao Wantong called out to her, looking somewhat uneasy. "I heard your latest episode has some sensitive topics."
"Huh?" Yan Xi was surprised that she cared about the content of her show. After a brief pause, she replied, "It's fine. It's not really sensitive content. It's just that after the show airs, it might stir up some controversy."
"Really a fearless newcomer," Zhao Wantong said, turning her head away and not looking at Yan Xi. "When the audience criticizes you, don't think it's unfair and want to cry. In our industry, one misstep and you'll face public criticism. You just haven't experienced enough."
Seeing her discomfort, Yan Xi smiled and asked, "Are you concerned about me?"
"I'm just bored and have nothing better to do. Don't read too much into it," Zhao Wantong snorted, turning and walking away without looking back.
Yan Xi watched her retreating figure for a moment and couldn't help but laugh.
The more she worked with Shen Xingyan, the more Yan Xi realized her own shortcomings. Being the number one host on the Imperial Capital TV station was no easy feat.
"You've been improving so quickly," Shen Xingyan said as she sat in front of the makeup mirror, letting the makeup artist remove her makeup. "You've become much more mature in handling language."
"If it weren't for your guidance, I wouldn't have learned so much," Yan Xi sincerely thanked Shen Xingyan. "I'm really grateful to you."
"No need to be so polite. You have the ability to learn on your own. Otherwise, even if I pulled your ear and taught you every day, you wouldn't have made much progress," Shen Xingyan said. Recently, there had been frequent media reports speculating about Yan Xi and Yuan Yi's wedding date. Shen Xingyan thought that Yan Xi might have been distracted and not focused on hosting the show, but she was mistaken. Yan Xi not only took every episode seriously, but she was also growing at a noticeable speed.
If she had met Yan Xi ten years ago, Shen Xingyan thought, she might not have had such a peaceful attitude, because Yan Xi's talent was truly enviable.
After they finished removing their makeup, Yan Xi noticed Shen Xingyan answering a phone call. Perhaps by accident, her finger touched the screen, putting the call on speakerphone. Yan Xi heard a man's voice on the other end of the line, and she vaguely felt that the voice sounded familiar. However, Shen Xingyan quickly turned off the speakerphone, so Yan Xi didn't have time to think much about it. Most importantly, she didn't like prying into other people's privacy, so she quickly forgot about it.
Back in her office at Channel 8, Yan Xi glanced at the listless succulent on her desk and then looked out at the overcast sky. The internet said that succulents could be revived by getting some sunlight, but with weather like this, where was she supposed to find sunlight? Would moving it outside make it freeze to death?
Her mind was occupied with random thoughts, and she briefly reviewed the upcoming episode plans for Things Around Us, selecting two topics that she was interested in and planning to shoot the material herself.
Just as she was finishing some rough ideas, there was a knock on her office door, and her colleague from the advertising department came in.
Upon seeing the colleague, Yan Xi felt a bit overwhelmed. She picked up some documents to hide her face. "Sister Beauty, I'm really busy today."
"We're not asking you to help us get any collaborations today," the colleague smiled. "Our department is having a dinner tonight, and since you're technically an external helper for our department, the director asked me to personally invite you."
"Beauty, that's really unfortunate. I have an appointment tonight, you know." Yan Xi threw a loving look at her colleague.
"I understand, I understand," the colleague said, not pressing the issue. "We'll invite you next time."
After sending her colleague off, Yan Xi checked the time and prepared to head home. Actually, she didn't have an appointment with Yuan Yi tonightâhe had been so busy these past few days that he often forgot to eat. Luckily, she remembered to order him a nutritious meal, or he would have had stomach problems by now.
However, Yan Xi noticed that every time she told a lie, the lie seemed to come true. Looking at Xu Ya standing outside the door, she deeply regretted not fully understanding the essence of the story The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
Once, a little boy who lied all the time was eaten by a wolf.
Yan Xi really wanted to pretend she hadn't seen Xu Ya and walk past her, but Xu Ya called out to her, clearly coming to see her on purpose.
"Miss Yan, can we find a place to sit and talk?" Xu Ya held her bag in one hand, while nervously fiddling with her hair in the other.
Yan Xi nodded.
Xu Ya let out a long sigh of relief. As she turned to walk, she even twisted her ankle, and if Yan Xi hadn't caught her in time, she would have likely fallen.
"Thank you," Xu Ya said awkwardly, and Yan Xi just smiled without responding.
Yan Xi didn't get into Xu Ya's car, and Xu Ya didn't seem to insist. Instead, she followed Yan Xi into her own car, instructing her driver to follow behind.
They drove for quite a while in silence. After a long pause, Xu Ya dryly managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Miss Yan, you're really capable. You even know how to drive."
"Many girls these days can drive," Yan Xi stopped at a red light and replied, "You're too kind, Auntie."
"Is that so?" Xu Ya forced a laugh, and once again, the atmosphere in the car became awkward.
Eventually, the two of them found a tranquil tea house to sit in. From the second floor, they could see the rock garden and koi pond downstairs. Xu Ya seemed to really like this environment, and Yan Xi noticed that her demeanor had become much more natural.
Yan Xi had expected Xu Ya to bring up a sum of money to ask her to leave Yuan Yi, but after sitting for an hour, Xu Ya only talked about how good her relationship with her husband had been, how guilty she felt for neglecting the children in the past, and how she now regretted it.
Yan Xi didn't quite understand her intention. If parents regretted their actions, they should try to make amends with their children who had been hurt, not talk about it with her, the girlfriend. But since Xu Ya continued to speak with enthusiasm, Yan Xi silently poured her more tea.
"The house is so empty now," Xu Ya lowered her gaze and sighed, "The second child has moved out, and the eldest doesn't like coming back." She continued, "Miss Yan, you have a good relationship with Xiao Er. He will listen to you. Could you... could you help me persuade him not to be angry with us anymore? His father didn't mean to say those things. He cares about face and couldn't apologize in front of his son, but I know he regrets it."
Xu Ya didn't say exactly what Yuan Yi's father had said, but Yan Xi guessed it was likely related to her. Otherwise, Xu Ya would have said it clearly instead of speaking in vague terms.
"Aunt Xu, although I'm a somewhat immature junior, I think in situations like this, the person who caused the problem should be the one to solve it. If there's any misunderstanding or fault between you and Yuan Xiao Er, it's something you should work out yourselves. I... I don't think I can persuade him," Yan Xi replied.
"Why?" Xu Ya looked at Yan Xi in confusion. "Don't you want to see Xiao Er's family live in harmony?"
"Everyone has their own relationships, both close and distant. If I were to get involved in this matter, I would stand by Yuan Xiao Er, not help you all," Yan Xi gently took a sip of tea. "In fact, my upbringing doesn't allow me to get involved in this at all."
Otherwise, regarding the issue of Yuan Xiao Er's parents stripping him of his management duties, which caused him to be laughed at by netizens, Yan Xi would have long ago stopped pretending to be nice to Yuan's parents, and might have even caused some discord to drive a wedge between Yuan Xiao Er and his parents.
Xu Ya was stunned. She stared at Yan Xi for a long moment, without getting angry. After a while, she nodded and said, "That's true, everyone tends to side with their own people. You're not wrong in doing this."
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you today, Miss Yan," Xu Ya stood up. "Although I had some unpleasantness with Xiao Er in the past, my husband and I will no longer interfere with matters between you and Xiao Er. Please rest assured, Miss Yan."
When Xu Ya was going down the stairs, Yan Xi helped her again.
"Miss Yan, you're a very good girl," Xu Ya said as she got into the car. She turned back and asked, "But aren't you really considering changing jobs?"
"I think this job is fine for me right now, no need to change," Yan Xi smiled politely.
Xu Ya seemed a little disappointed but, remembering what her father had said, she didn't push the issue. She silently got in the car and left.
Yan Xi stood there for a few minutes before turning and walking into a well-reviewed restaurant nearby. After packing her meal, she drove to Heng Tai Company.
The headquarters building of Heng Tai was very grand. After parking her car, Yan Xi had just reached the entrance when the security guard greeted her with a salute. She nodded and returned the gesture before entering the lobby.
The front desk was manned by two young, beautiful girls. When they saw Yan Xi, they were momentarily stunned before their eyes lit up, and they greeted her enthusiastically: "Miss Yan, are you here to visit Mr. Yuan?"
"Yes," Yan Xi smiled at the two girls, "Thank you for your hard work."
The front desk girls cheerfully told Yan Xi where Yuan Yi was at the moment, and as she entered the elevator, they were still waving at her.
When Yan Xi reached the designated floor, she could see employees walking briskly around, all dressed in sharp business suits with work badges pinned to their chests. Holding her thermal container, she felt somewhat out of place among these company elites.
However, the company employees looked at her with warm gazes, and the overall atmosphere was quite pleasant.
Yan Xi arrived at Yuan Yi's office. The door was half open, and she happened to see him standing face to face with a stunning woman.