Chapter 32

The firefighter-themed episode was a success, and it made everyone at Channel 8 recognize Yan Xi's abilities. The episode about delivery workers, 《The Delivery Men》, once again attracted attention and sparked discussion among online users, solidifying Yan Xi's position within the station and the production team.

Even Zhang Hao, the most senior host at Channel 8, congratulated Yan Xi before his live broadcast of Midday News the next day.

Yan Xi's background may have earned her some politeness from others, but it was her skills that commanded respect. She had successfully persuaded Chen Pei to plan several episodes, all of which had succeeded. This demonstrated her sharp vision and ability to resonate with the mindset of today's youth. Indeed, the new generation was pushing forward in waves, and the older generation could only watch as they were surpassed.

"It's everyone's effort," Yan Xi said, flipping through some materials as she spoke to Zhang Hao. "It just happened to hit the spot with what the audience wanted."

Zhang Hao smiled but didn't add anything further, admiring Yan Xi even more. Young people who could remain calm and not get carried away by small achievements were destined for greater things.

After the news broadcast, Yan Xi didn't have any outdoor filming plans, so she stayed in her office to scroll through Weibo, organizing various materials while mourning the death of the succulent plants she had killed.

"Yan Jie," Xiao Yang said, noticing that Yan Xi was holding a small pot with shriveled, yellowed succulents. "How many pots is this now? Why not just try raising cacti? They're more resilient."

After dumping the soil and the dead succulents into a larger plant pot, Yan Xi gently touched the healthy small rosewood tree. She snapped a picture of the succulents for a "memorial," saying, "Fallen petals aren't heartless; they turn into spring soil to protect the flowers. Little succulents, I'll bury you here."

"Maybe in your next life, don't end up in Yan Jie's hands, or you won't last more than two weeks," Xiao Yang teased, "But this small rosewood tree is thriving—half of the credit is yours."

Yan Xi, holding the empty pot, found Xiao Yang's smile particularly annoying that day. "Maybe it's because perfect people need flaws to make them more lovable. My flaw is probably not being able to keep succulents alive."

"You're overthinking it," Zhao Peng, who was sitting on a chair playing with his phone, shook his head. "Put down the 'sword' and become a 'Buddha.' Yan Shizhu, you should just give up on these plants."

Yan Xi: ...

Yan Xi: Why is it so hard to raise a succulent? [Image]

Looking at the photo of the completely dead succulents, Yuan Yi glanced at the vibrant little potted plant on his desk and took a picture of it, sending it to Yan Xi.

Seeing Yuan Yi's photo, Yan Xi felt deliberately provoked. So, he has pretty plants, big deal. She sent a rolling eyes emoji and couldn't be bothered to reply further.

Yuan Yi, who had been "rolled eyes," smiled happily and casually watered the roots of the plant with the remaining water in his cup.

As soon as work hours ended, Yan Xi grabbed her bag and hurried out. Xiao Yang, seeing her in such a rush, asked, "Yan Jie, is a handsome guy waiting for you?"

"Actually, yes, a handsome guy, a high-roller," Yan Xi spread her hands, seeing Xiao Yang's eyes light up. "But he likes women with big breasts and long legs."

Xiao Yang sighed, "Men are so vulgar."

"It's okay, women are also vulgar," Yan Xi grinned. "Who doesn't like a handsome man with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs, and eight-pack abs?"

Xiao Yang immediately switched to a double standard, saying, "That's called having good taste." You don't have to be too serious in life. When it comes to friends, you can lower your standards a bit and beautify things.

"Good insight," Yan Xi made a kissing gesture to Xiao Yang and walked out with her high heels clicking on the floor. As soon as she stepped out of the TV station's main gate, she hadn't even taken out her phone to dial Yuan Yi's number when she heard someone calling her name.

"Xi Xi!"

Yan Xi turned around and didn't expect to see Chen Mingdong standing downstairs at the TV station. She paused her phone-dialing motion—what is he doing here?

"Is it really you?" Chen Mingdong didn't expect the host he saw on the video to be Yan Xi. He didn't even know why he insisted on finding her—maybe it was because he realized his mistake from years ago, and his conscience just couldn't let go?

Yan Xi raised an eyebrow, silently waiting.

When Chen Mingdong wronged her back then, she gave him a good scolding. He didn't retaliate or complain, and the matter was settled. She didn't think there was anything left to say between them.

Ex-boyfriends, even if they're alive, are no different from being dead. Why would she argue with a ghost?

"Your show was great," Chen Mingdong said, seeing Yan Xi's calm expression, unsure of what to say. "I didn't expect you would go into hosting."

"Sorry, didn't live up to your expectations," Yan Xi said with a fake smile, "Do you need something?"

"I've been transferred to the capital and saw that you're hosting at the capital station, so I thought I'd come by and try my luck," Chen Mingdong smiled bitterly, sensing Yan Xi's coldness and distance. "I didn't expect to really run into you."

Yan Xi quickly took a few steps back, "Chen Mingdong, let me make it clear. I'm not putting the green hat on again."

"Can't we even be friends after breaking up?" Chen Mingdong felt Yan Xi's eyes full of disdain. His guilt and emotions were instantly extinguished like a firecracker that had fizzled out.

"I have so many regular friends, I'm not lacking you," Yan Xi rolled her eyes to the sky, "Go on, do whatever you need to do." With that, she turned to walk away.

"Yan Xi, wait a minute," Chen Mingdong quickly followed, and just as he was about to reach out to her, Yan Xi immediately turned and pointed at his hand, "Try extending your hand!"

Chen Mingdong instantly pulled his hand back as fast as lightning.

"Say it, say it," Yan Xi said helplessly, "Just say everything at once, I'm listening."

Chen Mingtang: ...

Faced with Yan Xi like this, he found himself unable to say a word. When he first started dating Yan Xi, he thought she was a gentle and soft woman. But after spending more time with her, he realized that her personality was quite different from the gentle and soft image.

"Yan Xi, after all these years, you're still like this," Chen Mingtang couldn't help but say, "You can't speak without attacking others, do you feel uncomfortable?"

"I never attack others." Yan Xi emphasized the word "others."

Chen Mingtang's face changed dramatically when Yan Xi called him "not a person." He was at a loss for words: "I came here today to apologize again for what happened back then. I don't have any other intentions. But Yan Xi, have you ever thought about it? With your inability to tolerate any grievances, how many men can stand you?"

"None of your business," Yan Xi calmly threw out the words, making it clear that even after breaking up, her ex still had no right to meddle in her life.

"Just keep being difficult," Chen Mingtang muttered under his breath, nearly enraged, "Yan Xiaoxi, you've really wasted the good looks your parents gave you."

"None of your business."

This time, there was a second voice—another person with a very dark expression: Yuan Yi.

"What are you doing here?" Yan Xi was a bit surprised. "Didn't we agree to meet at the restaurant?"

"If I didn't come, how would I see this idiot pestering you?" Yuan Yi walked up to Yan Xi, putting his hand on her shoulder, looking like a protective big brother. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" Chen Mingtang, seeing Yuan Yi in a branded suit, full of arrogance, looked more like a bad person. His voice became uncertain. "We're all civilized people, so let's not use bad language."

"Who are you calling civilized?" Yuan Yi gave Chen Mingtang a disdainful look. "Yan Xi's pretty enough, but you look like you've saved your parents a lot of money."

Yan Xi almost couldn't hold in her laughter, hiding her face and stifling a giggle.

Chen Mingtang had already been insulted by Yan Xi, so he quickly figured it out, "Are you Yan Xi's current boyfriend?"

"None of your business." Yuan Yi answered coolly.

Chen Mingtang nearly lost his temper. He never wanted to hear that sentence again.

"Yan Xi, I didn't expect you to be like this now," Chen Mingtang took a closer look at Yuan Yi, heartbroken. "How could you find a man like him?"

Yuan Yi: ?

What was wrong with him? Rich and handsome, not messing around with women. What was wrong with him?

Wait, what was wrong with him? Was this idiot blind?!

"Forget it," Chen Mingtang shook his head in disappointment. "I thought you were still you, but now you've changed too."

"Yan Xi, where did you find such a weirdo?" Yuan Yi couldn't hold back his temper. "Is he mentally challenged, or just not very smart, thinking he's in a romance drama?"

"Yuan Xiao'er, you're something," Yan Xi felt embarrassed for being called out for picking a fool as her ex. "Do you think I'm blind, choosing a fool?"

"Where's your car parked?" She tugged at Yuan Yi's sleeve. "Let's go."

"Tsk," Yuan Yi was still not pleased, but gave in. "Fine."

"Yan Xi, wait!"

"Wait for what?" Yan Xi couldn't take it anymore, turning back to Chen Mingtang. "Chen Mingtang, enough with the nonsense. If you keep talking, do you want me to beat you up? Are you annoying with all your jabbering?"

"Now that I'm with whoever I want, what business is it of yours? Even if I have a handsome man on one side and a pretty girl on the other, I can handle it. You should find something to do, stop showing up here and talking nonsense. Didn't you cheat back then and still talk about feelings?" Yan Xi scoffed. "Are you out of your mind?"

Chen Mingtang: ...

Yuan Yi: ...

Yan Xi raised her chin and said to Yuan Yi, "Let's go!"

Yuan Yi's knees slightly trembled, but he couldn't help following behind Yan Xi. When he opened the car door for her, he glanced back. Chen Mingtang was still standing there, looking as though he hadn't come to his senses yet.

"What are you looking at?" Yan Xi turned to him.

"Nothing." Yuan Yi shook his head and got in the car, closing the door.

After driving for ten minutes, Yuan Yi didn't say a word. He swiped aimlessly on his phone screen but wasn't really paying attention to it. Eventually, he couldn't hold back, "Yan Xiaoxi, what's your relationship with that guy?"

"It's nothing," Yan Xi replied calmly, scrolling through her Weibo.

Yuan Yi's irritation was slightly soothed.

"He used to be my boyfriend."

"My what?" Yuan Yi turned to look at her.

"Ex-boyfriend," Yan Xi met his gaze with a casual smile, "I told you before, I had a lot of people chasing me back then."

Thud.

A huge stone seemed to fall on Yuan Yi's chest, leaving him with an uncomfortable feeling mixed with an inexplicable sense of grievance. He averted his gaze, no longer looking at Yan Xi, "Your vision must not be very good."

"Yeah, my ex just said the same thing." Yan Xi nodded with a grin.

Misunderstanding that she was still with him, Yuan Yi, who had been mistaken for a fool: ...

"You need to tell me, what exactly is wrong with me, what is it that I'm not good enough for you?" Yuan Yi felt his temper rise again, "What kind of boyfriend did you pick, your eyesight is worse than mine!"

"Let's make this clear, he's my ex, not my current boyfriend. I'm actually a diamond single dog now," Yan Xi took a drink from the fridge, opened it, and took a sip. "No dramatic love stories, no true love. My intuition tells me that my future man is out there looking for me on the path of true love."

Yuan Yi took the soda from her hand and swapped it for juice. "Maybe he thinks the road is too long and doesn't want to come."

"Your mouth needs a beating," Yan Xi made a fist, raising it at Yuan Yi, "My future true love will be handsome and gentle, he'll never want to miss someone as cute as me."

Yuan Yi: Women can really make a man restless when they lose all sense of modesty.

After dinner, Yan Xi grabbed a set of lipstick to pay for it. Since Yuan Yi had already given her a gift, she insisted on treating him to the meal.

"Isn't that Yuan Xiao'er?" Zhang Wang, who had just come out of the private room, stopped in his tracks when he saw Yuan Yi. "He's eating out, and still expects a woman to pay for the meal?"

Xu Qiaosheng, who was walking with him, adjusted his sunglasses and looked closely. "Wait, isn't that really Yuan Yi?"

"Hold on, let's not go over there," Zhang Wang stopped Xu Qiaosheng, waiting for Yuan Yi to leave with the unfamiliar woman before speaking in a low voice, "Has Yuan Yi ever mentioned a woman?"

Xu Qiaosheng shook his head in silence. "He never mentioned anything like that."

Although they were cousins, Zhang Wang had a better relationship with Yuan Yi. If he hadn't told him, then no one else would have known.

"That woman looks familiar though, I think I've seen her before," Xu Qiaosheng thought carefully, "Although I couldn't get a good look at her face, I'm sure I've come across her."

Xu Qiaosheng was a popular celebrity, so how many women had he encountered?!

"You didn't say anything," Zhang Wang waved his hand. "Don't meddle in this. Since Yuan Yi hasn't mentioned her, maybe it's just a business relationship, not something romantic."

Zhang Wang knew very well how much Yuan Yi hated love affairs.

When Zhang Wang got home and had just finished talking to his new girlfriend, he received a message from Yuan Yi.

Yuan Yi: "Wangzi, I think there's something wrong with my health."

Upon reading the message, Zhang Wang immediately thought of countless incurable diseases and was so frightened he nearly dropped his phone.