Chapter 10: Praise

As a TV program host, it's a bit frustrating when a car accident (not even related to her professional work) goes viral on Weibo, while her skills as a presenter get overlooked. This made Yan Xi question her own professional abilities.

The next day, when she arrived at the station, her colleagues noticed that she was driving a new car.

"New car again?"

"This is my dad's car. My own car had some issues, so I borrowed his for a while," Yan Xi explained, omitting the car accident from the conversation. She changed into a sharp outfit, possibly sponsored by a clothing store, and sat down for makeup. "I'll return it in a few days."

Her colleague, Li Tong, a host from Channel 9, was trying to be friendly and often showed warmth toward Yan Xi. "By the way, I haven't had a chance to congratulate you yet. Your show's viewership is growing, and today, an elderly lady even called to praise you."

"Really?" Yan Xi smiled happily. "She praised me?"

"Yes, indeed. It was a senior lady, actually," Li Tong replied, seeing Yan Xi so pleased. She couldn't help but think, even though Yan Xi had some hosting skills, she was still young. With that thought in mind, Li Tong felt a bit like a senior, "You should keep up the good work and try to win over the grandmothers of the whole capital."

"Then the station can give me the title of 'housewife killer'?" Yan Xi laughed. "That sounds good too."

Li Tong chuckled at her, her jealousy vanishing. Some people just naturally have good rapport with the audience and decent hosting skills, so it wasn't surprising they got attention. Li Tong had been in the industry for years without much recognition, and she couldn't even bring herself to feel jealous.

"Xi, ready?" Zhao Peng, the cameraman, knocked on the makeup room door. "We're about to shoot."

Since Yan Xi was the sole host of the show "The Things Around Us", both indoor and outdoor scenes were filmed with her hosting. Right now, she was about to film the indoor portion. Zhao Peng, the only cameraman, was ready.

"Almost, give me a moment, Zhao Ge."

Zhao Peng didn't rush her and returned to a corner to text his wife, while the rest of the staff seemed lazy and uninterested.

While filming the program, Chen Pei watched Yan Xi on the monitor and remarked to a colleague, "It's a shame for Yan Xi to stay at our station. With her composure, clear articulation, and good pacing, she's a talent that could do well with the right guidance and end up on a big platform."

"Haha, Chen Jie, you've been hanging out with Yan Xi for too long and now you're fond of her," a colleague responded casually. "In today's competitive environment, it's lucky enough for her to make it onto the station as a host. Many of her peers are stuck behind the scenes or have changed careers. In this business, you have to learn to be realistic."

After the shoot, it was almost noon. Yan Xi was about to go out for lunch with her colleagues when a notice came in saying that all channel directors, producers, and hosts were required to attend an afternoon meeting at 1 PM. Latecomers would have their wages deducted.

"Why aren't the satellite channel hosts required to attend?" Yan Xi asked, confused. Logically, satellite channels should be the priority for such important meetings.

"Those satellite channels are full of big names," Zhao Peng said, casually crossing his legs. "Some are filming dramas, some are on variety shows, and others are doing commercial performances. There's no way they'd attend a meeting like this. If there were any major decisions, their agents would've been notified already. We'd be lucky to even see them at a meeting outside of the annual gala."

"You're right, Zhao Ge," Yan Xi said, realizing that this high-level treatment had nothing to do with her.

Zhao Peng sighed in exasperation, seeing her so nonchalant. The new generation seemed to be influenced by the station's lack of ambition.

When Yan Xi attended the station's big meeting for the first time, she was excited, but that enthusiasm faded when she followed Director Jin into the meeting room, saw the crowded room of people, and was assigned to a small corner in the back for their channel.

After signing in, they entered the meeting room. She overheard someone greeting a person nearby with great enthusiasm.

"That's the Deputy Director of the advertising department from the satellite channel," Chen Pei whispered to her. "He's a senior figure."

Yan Xi understood right away. The so-called "it's better to be a chicken's head than a phoenix's tail" was a lie. Director Jin, the "head of the chicken," clearly wasn't as respected as the Deputy Director from the satellite channel.

After the meeting, the top leaders spoke about several programs.

"Of course, other channels may not have reached the achievements of the satellite channels due to limited resources, but recently, some programs have received excellent feedback from the local public, such as Channel 1's Marriage Matchmaking, Channel 3's Touching Moments, and Channel 8's The Things Around Us. These have been doing quite well..."

Director Jin, who was used to being invisible, was stunned when the main leader praised their station's program. It took him a moment to realize that he wasn't imagining things. It felt like an abandoned wife hearing that the emperor had suddenly remembered her.

When the meeting was almost over, the main leaders praised a few more channels, including Channel 8, for effectively implementing the policies issued by their superiors.

As the meeting adjourned, Director Jin walked with a new lightness in his step, his eyes full of warmth when he looked at Yan Xi, as though she were his own daughter.

"Director Jin," Chen Pei smiled at him, "since the leadership praised our program, shouldn't you treat us to dinner?"

"Of course, of course!" Director Jin was so overjoyed, he almost lost his head. "Tonight, I'll treat the colleagues not on duty to dinner. We won't go to the food stalls; we'll go to Baixiangchun!"

"Director Jin is so generous!" Chen Pei pulled Yan Xi out, eager to spread the good news. "I'm going to notify everyone about this great news now."

"Wait!" The station manager, Jin, looked at the retreating figures of his colleagues. He had only said it casually, but now he felt a sense of despair. How would he explain this to his wife when he got home?

A colleague gathering is more lively with hotpot, but nowadays, young people aren't about hardship and simplicity—they just want to eat a big meal!

He had said it, so even with blood and tears, he had to go through with it. But thinking about his promotion evaluation in half a year, Jin gritted his teeth. If it would motivate his colleagues, a meal was no big deal. He could always take on more household chores for a month when he got home!

Bai Xiang Chun was a well-known hotel in the capital city. It was said that the chefs here were descendants of imperial kitchen chefs, though no one knew whether it was true. But the style of the place was respectable, and it was popular among some people.

Excluding those who couldn't leave work, the group from Channel 8 in the capital, consisting of ten people, managed to squeeze into one table. When they were joking around and ordering food, Jin was so distressed that his eyebrows were twitching.

Then, without hesitation, Yan Xi ordered a large bowl of spicy crayfish, a serving of golden ribs, and a squirrel fish, earning enthusiastic applause from her colleagues.

"Good job, Xiao Yan! Order a few more dishes!"

"Enough, enough! Why order so much? You won't finish it all!" Jin stretched out his hand to take the menu, but Zhao Peng grabbed it first.

"If we don't finish it, we can pack it up. We should respond to the clean plate campaign," Zhao Peng ordered a few more dishes, causing his colleagues to burst into laughter. The atmosphere had already gotten lively before the food even arrived.

"Mr. Yuan, please come this way." The waiter led Yuan Yi towards the VIP room. Passing by a private room in the hallway, Yuan Yi heard laughter coming from inside. He paused slightly and frowned.

He was never fond of noisy environments.

The waiter quickly explained, "Our restaurant has excellent soundproofing. Once the door is closed, you won't hear any noise from the outside."

Yuan Yi didn't respond, lifting his foot to continue walking.

"Don't drink and drive, and don't let anyone force drinks on me tonight. If I get drunk, what will I do if the bad chauffeur gets me into trouble? I'm such a delicate girl!"

This voice sounded familiar. Yuan Yi immediately knew the situation in the room without even looking—it must be a chaotic scene inside with both men and women talking.

"Mr. Yuan," the door to the VIP room opened, and a middle-aged man wearing glasses came out, a look of eager flattery on his face. "Mr. Yuan, you've arrived! Please, come in."

Yuan Yi calmly walked through the door. Just as the waiter was about to close the door, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Leave a crack in the door for ventilation."

The waiter was about to explain that the room had an excellent air circulation system, but seeing Yuan Yi's unapproachable demeanor, she didn't dare say a word and obediently complied.

People with wealth and power often have many quirks, she understood.

Thanks to her "refuse to be pressured" and "allergic to alcohol" strategy, Yan Xi didn't have to drink a single drop of alcohol. Her colleagues knew she had some background and didn't dare to force her, so this matter passed smoothly. Yan Xi was clear that if she were an unknown newcomer, she definitely wouldn't have been able to avoid the alcohol today. At this moment, she couldn't help but thank her father again in her heart.

"Xiao Yan," Jin, slightly tipsy, said, "You've only just joined the station, but your show has already been praised by the leaders. If you keep working hard, maybe you'll get promoted. You're still young, and there's plenty of room for development."

He wouldn't dare say this to anyone else, but Yan Xi was different. She had a wealthy and influential father. Even if she couldn't take shortcuts, at least no one could cut her off.

"Keep up the good work," Jin said earnestly. "You have a bright future ahead."

The other colleagues felt mixed emotions, but their desire to get close to Yan Xi strengthened.

It would be pointless to try to befriend someone after they've already made it. It was better to get close before that happens.

Compared to the lively atmosphere here, the mood in the VIP room was much more serious.

"I'll carefully consider the proposal you've brought," Yuan Yi glanced at the time. "It's getting late, so I won't attend any other events."

The hosts, seeing the time was still before 9 pm, knew that this was just the beginning of the night's social activities. But seeing Yuan Yi about to leave, they didn't dare to insist and quickly stood up to see him off.

As Yan Xi's group walked out of the private room, they bumped into a group of social elites in the hallway.