Chapter 49

It might just be a feeling, but Assistant Meng thought the boss had been exceptionally energetic these past few days. Not only had he been holding meetings with the senior management of various branches, but he had also personally visited some of them. Plus, the new mobile game in development—he didn't know where the boss found the high-paying talent he hired, but the entire planning team had undergone a drastic change in attitude, so much so that it almost felt like they were ready to start chanting slogans to show their enthusiasm.

The boss had great business acumen and was well-regarded in the industry, but he was never really a workaholic. Now that he had suddenly become so diligent, Meng Assistant was a bit unaccustomed to it.

"Boss, this company has solid credentials, but they haven't done this kind of project before. I'm worried they might not be able to handle it," Assistant Meng said as he looked at an unfamiliar company name in a potential partnership.

"That company has been in touch with Song Chao multiple times privately, and I don't trust them," said Yuan Yi, pointing at the company named Yan Hai. "Although they haven't done this kind of project before, I've had people look into them. They're very trustworthy, and most companies that have worked with them are now good friends with the boss. It's clear that the boss of Yan Hai has a lot of personal charm."

More importantly, Yuan Yi could offer the same benefits as Song Chao. If Yan Hai's boss was willing to turn down immediate profits to protect him, how could he let Yan Hai suffer losses? Moreover, he had thoroughly vetted the company to ensure that they could fulfill this task.

"I'll have the lawyers prepare the contract then," Assistant Meng said, circling Yan Hai's name on the list. The name of the company was interesting—why "Yan Hai"? It would be more appealing if they had named it "Yan Coast."

"Yes," Yuan Yi nodded. "Have the publicity department submit their strategy for the mobile game. I want to see something innovative."

Assistant Meng thought, based on the boss's attitude, it was clear he was determined to break into the mobile game market.

When the chief secretary of Yan Hai Company received the call from Heng Tai Company asking them to sign the contract, his first reaction was that it was a scam. But when the call ended without any request for payment, only confirming the time and place for signing, he had to believe it—Heng Tai, a reputable company, was actually interested in the cooperation proposal.

Heng Tai was a well-established company in the industry, and it was rumored that the big boss had connections with Yuan Yi's family. Their rapid growth made other companies both envious of their success and eager to hitch a ride on their "luxury ship."

"What?" Song Hai asked, looking at his secretary in disbelief after hearing the report. "Someone is playing a joke on us, right?"

"This is the contract from Heng Tai," the secretary said, placing the printed contract in front of him. The deal was too good to be true, and Song Hai wasn't sure whether to believe it.

Song Hai glanced over the contract and found it surprisingly fair. He doubted Heng Tai would be so generous to a small company like them. After all, in business, the general rule was that you had to squeeze out as much profit as possible. Yet this contract seemed almost too kind. Was Heng Tai really that kind-hearted?

"Boss, how should we respond?" the secretary asked.

"Do we even need to think about it?" Song Hai slapped the contract onto the table. "Of course, we agree. Let me make the call myself."

Perhaps it would seem more sincere that way?

After the show, Yan Xi felt that hosting the show on her own was more demanding than working with Zhang Hao. By the end of the episode, she felt as though she had just run a 1,200-meter race.

The show's assistant handed her a cup of milk tea. "Teacher Yan, you've worked hard."

"Everyone's been working hard," Yan Xi said, taking a sip of the milk tea. After thanking the assistant, she headed back to her office. These past few days, she had been recording shows and filming content, and even her 'national defense-level' stamina couldn't keep up with the pace.

She leaned back in her office chair for a while, trying to rest. Then, she took out her phone and started scrolling through Weibo. Xu Qiaosheng had just posted a selfie. The post was only half an hour old, yet it already had thousands of comments. He truly was the hottest young star.

Yan Xi thought to herself that Xu Qiaosheng was fortunate to have such good looks and family background. Without them, his narcissistic and naive personality wouldn't survive in the entertainment industry.

There were also fans asking about her relationship with Xu Qiaosheng in the comments—phrasing their questions cautiously, worried about causing trouble for their idol.

Even though her idol could be a bit foolish, his fans were quite cute.

She didn't answer their questions. Given Xu Qiaosheng's fame, anything she said about him could easily be misinterpreted by the media and cause trouble for him.

Just then, her father called. He mentioned that there was an important contract to sign today, and that he'd be having dinner with the company's representatives. He told her not to wait up for him.

"Remember not to drink too much," Yan Xi reminded him over the phone. "Understand?"

Song Hai quickly agreed, then hung up. He smiled at the responsible person from En Tai and said, "My daughter has this one flaw—she's very nagging and always tries to manage everything. I can never hold my head up in front of her."

"Your daughter's concern is out of kindness, though. It's not like my son, who barely calls when he's abroad," the representative from En Tai said, offering a comforting remark.

"Young people working outside have it tough. They're so busy they barely have time to sleep, let alone make calls," Song Hai said, then turned to reassure the representative. The two of them, along with their assistants and secretaries, chatted cheerfully about their children and quickly became like brothers.

Sometimes, boasting about your children can have a surprisingly positive effect.

Before the meal arrived, the representative received a call from Assistant Meng, asking them not to drink too much at dinner, as it could affect their health. He specifically mentioned that this was a call from the boss.

After hanging up, the representative smiled at Song Hai and said, "Our boss is young, but he really cares about us. He even called to remind us not to drink too much for our health."

Song Hai had never met Heng Tai's boss, but hearing this made him casually compliment the boss, although he refrained from asking about his personal life.

A boss who cares about his employees' health is certainly a good person.

"Boss, I've already informed Manager Xing," Assistant Meng said, checking the time. "It's almost 8 o'clock. You should head home and rest."

"I know," Yuan Yi said, putting down his pen and glancing out the window at the vast night. "Thanks for your hard work. You should go home and rest too."

"No trouble, no trouble," Assistant Meng replied with a smile, handing Yuan Yi his coat. "As long as you calculate my overtime pay, it's all good."

Yuan Yi got into the car downstairs. The driver, knowing he intended to go home and rest, didn't ask any questions and started driving towards Yuan Yi's new villa.

Even though the weather was getting colder, there was no shortage of cars on the streets. The endless traffic and the crowds on the sidewalks were a reminder of the hustle and bustle of this prosperous city.

Traffic jams were almost a hallmark of the capital. The car would start and stop intermittently. Yuan Yi rolled down the window and gazed out at the endless rows of streetlights. He felt a sudden urge to call Yan Xi. But when he thought about how there was nothing important to tell her, he suppressed the impulse.

As the car turned onto an old street, Yuan Yi saw many alleyways, some still holding the charm of the past century.

At the end of the alley, he spotted a man and a woman leaning against a decorative tree, eating. The man was holding a camera and talking to the young woman next to him.

Yuan Yi recognized the woman immediately—it was Yan Xi.

"Stop the car."

When the car stopped, Yuan Yi got out and walked over. As he got closer, he heard Yan Xi telling the cameraman how delicious the snacks were and complimenting the elderly woman who made them.

"Even if the food is good, you shouldn't be eating by the roadside. Aren't you afraid of the dust?" Yuan Yi asked, frowning slightly as he approached her. "What are you doing here?"

"We were filming with an elderly woman today. We didn't eat with her to avoid disturbing the shoot. Now we're starving," Yan Xi said, her eyes lighting up when she saw Yuan Yi. "What a coincidence! I'm so glad to see you. I've been working all afternoon, and I'm exhausted. Can we sit in your car for a while?"

"Hmph, I wonder if it's me or my car that you're lucky to encounter," Yuan Yi murmured softly. Seeing that Yan Xi was still wearing high heels, he almost reached out to take her bag. But after a slight hesitation, he turned and waved for the driver to bring the car over. Once the door was opened, he said, "Get in."

Zhao Peng tried to follow but Yuan Yi opened the passenger door and said, "Please."

Fortunately, Zhao Peng wasn't picky—he would sit anywhere, as long as he wasn't on the car's roof.

Once the door was shut, Yuan Yi took Yan Xi's small backpack off her and said, "I really don't understand how you women think. You know you're going to work, yet you insist on wearing high heels. Aren't your feet tired?"

"For a good filming effect, what's wrong with wearing high heels?" Yan Xi rubbed her aching legs. "This is called professionalism—being responsible for the audience's aesthetic."

Yuan Yi took two bottles of water from the small fridge. He handed one to Zhao Peng in the front seat, then opened the other bottle and handed it to Yan Xi. "Drink some water, it'll help your throat."

"Thank you." Yan Xi took the bottle and drank a large gulp, as she was feeling parched after eating the pie earlier.

Yuan Yi watched her drink without thinking her actions were crude. Instead, he felt a bit of sympathy. "The footage isn't finished yet?"

"This episode is a bit complicated, and filming will take several days. It'll probably be split into three episodes," Yan Xi said, drinking half the bottle in one go. "We still have to film tomorrow."

"Isn't tomorrow Saturday? The 'Midday News' is being revamped and won't be live on Saturdays anymore. Why are you still working?" Yuan Yi frowned even more tightly. "You're a rich second generation; why are you doing this job? What's the point?"

"Because it makes me happy," Yan Xi said lazily, leaning back against the seat, holding the bottle. "My mom was an amazing painter, and many people thought I should inherit her talent and follow her path. But I didn't have a knack for painting. The works I created lacked spirit and my skills weren't great. Back then, my mom told me that everyone is an individual, and as children, we shouldn't sacrifice ourselves for our parents' ideals and hobbies. She said ideals and art are nothing compared to personal happiness. As a woman, I should persist in what I love, so that I don't live a life in vain."

At first, she started posting comic strips on Weibo to cheer up her sick mother. She was her mother's first fan, the first one to follow, comment, like, and share.

"Even though your drawing skills aren't great, you still have quite a few fans," Yuan Yi couldn't bear to see Yan Xi's downcast expression. He would rather she talked back and annoyed him. "It's passable, so don't be too self-deprecating."

"Thanks," Yan Xi rolled her eyes, "What kind of consolation is that?" Then, she added, "By the way, the 'Midday News' revamp announcement was only made yesterday. How did you know about it?"

"I have an aunt, Aunt Li, who's your diehard fan. How could I not know?" Yuan Yi said with a stern face, but his tone carried a hint of disdain. "I still don't know what's so great about your show. All these old folks sit in front of the TV every day to watch."

"Because I'm cute," Yan Xi said, holding her face and making a funny face at Yuan Yi.

"Yan Xi, you should have some self-respect," Yuan Yi turned away and coughed awkwardly. "Where does your friend live? I'll have the driver take him home first."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Zhao Peng quickly gave the address. Only at this moment did he feel like he actually existed in the car.

After dropping off Zhao Peng, Yuan Yi turned to Yan Xi and asked, "Is it usually just you and him filming on location?"

"Yeah, most of the time. There aren't many people at the station, and if I bring too many people, there won't be anything for them to do," Yan Xi yawned. "That's how it is at small stations."

"You're not short of money. Why don't you hire an assistant for yourself?" Yuan Yi raised an eyebrow. "Are you stupid?"

"You don't understand," Yan Xi lazily leaned against the seat. "Every place has its own survival rules. If a small station reporter like me brings a personal assistant, it'll look bad to other colleagues. They'll treat me with courtesy because of my background, but if I start acting special, that courtesy will turn into distance and coldness."

Even the veteran hosts like Zhang Hao didn't have personal assistants, so if she, a newcomer, made her way into the station as a host and brought an assistant with her, even if she had hosting skills, she wouldn't be liked by the staff.

"I just feel a sense of achievement when the elderly like the program I host," Yan Xi smiled. "It's not like I work this much every day. Once in a while, it's fine."

"Boss Song, it was a pleasure working together, a pleasure," Manager Xing said as he saw Song Hai off. "Let's get together again next time if there's an opportunity."

"Thank you, Manager Xing, for the ride," Song Hai said with a smile. "Please take care of any future work matters for me."

"Not at all," Manager Xing replied with a warmer smile, purposely avoiding mentioning the issue with Song Hai's car engine. Bringing it up would be awkward, so it was better left unsaid for everyone's sake.

After exchanging pleasantries with Song Hai, Manager Xing was about to turn back to leave when a car slowly approached. In the dim light, the color of the car was hard to make out, but the license plate number looked familiar—he felt like he had seen it somewhere.

As the car got closer, Manager Xing's expression grew more serious. This looked like... the big boss's car?

Could the big boss live in this neighborhood too?

Although surprised, Manager Xing quickly reacted. He lowered his head and instructed the driver to move the car aside to avoid blocking the big boss's way. But to his surprise, the big boss's Bentley stopped right at the entrance of Song Hai's house.

The car door opened, and the impeccably dressed big boss got out, turning to say something to someone inside the car.

After a while, a young woman sleepily stepped out of the car. Her hair was messy, and she seemed to be complaining about something, clearly annoyed that the big boss had woken her up.

Manager Xing's eyes suddenly lit up.

Gossip—the big boss's gossip!

Could this be the "mysterious girlfriend" everyone had been talking about?