Chapter 56

Liu Liu was still sending messages.

Liu Liu: Xiao Man didn't dare to tell you about this, nor did she have the courage to ask for your forgiveness.

Liu Liu: The doctor said her condition is already in the late stages, and she could leave at any time. Our wedding is scheduled for next Saturday, and I sincerely hope you can attend.

He sent the hotel name and address. Seeing that Yan Xi hadn't replied, he added "Please" and didn't disturb her further. Yan Xi looked at the address Liu Liu sent, which was part of Longfeng Group's holdings. The last time she went to pick up her father with Yuan Xiaoer, they went to this very hotel.

Looking at the contents in the chat box, Yan Xi remained silent for a long time before clicking to exit.

That night, Yan Xi had a long dream. In the dream, she was a little white rabbit, and the grass nearby was tender and fat. When she took a bite, it turned into fragrant and spicy stir-fried snails.

When she woke up in the morning, she sat on the bed for several minutes before cupping her face and muttering, "Even rabbits need to eat meat."

After getting dressed and going downstairs, Yan Xi had breakfast with Song Hai.

"Yan Yan, I'm going overseas for an inspection with a group. If there's anything you can't solve, you can call my assistant," Song Hai said, putting down his chopsticks. "I heard young girls like bags and shoes. If you want something, send me a picture and I'll buy it for you from the brand."

"Okay, thanks, Dad." Yan Xi put down her chopsticks and was about to clean the bowls, but Song Hai stopped her. "Don't wash them. Leave them, I'll do it. Be careful driving to work."

After listening to Song Hai's nagging and agreeing to everything, she grabbed her bag and left the house.

During rush hour, the roads were crowded. Yan Xi almost arrived late at the TV station. In the elevator, she encountered a few unfamiliar staff members from the TV station. As soon as she entered, someone greeted her, calling her "Teacher Yan."

Although she didn't know these people, Yan Xi politely smiled back. After returning to the station, she noticed her colleagues were looking at her with extra warmth.

"What's going on with you guys?" Yan Xi glanced at herself, her clothes were something she had worn before, and the jewelry she wore wasn't particularly eye-catching.

"Teacher Yan," said the stylist, "Last night, Things Around Us had the highest ratings in its time slot. Congratulations!"

With the right kind of online promotion and good program quality, Things Around Us had emerged as the leader in its time slot, securing the top spot in viewership.

"Top ratings?" Yan Xi walked over to Xiao Yang's computer and looked at the viewership statistics. Her show Things Around Us indeed had the highest ratings in its time slot, and it was leading by a considerable margin over the second place.

She had gone out for dinner with colleagues last night and, after coming home, had no mood to check the ratings of the previous night's episode because of Xiao Man's situation.

"Xiao Yan," Chen Pei came out of her office, waving when she saw Yan Xi had arrived. "Come to my office for a moment."

Yan Xi smiled at her colleagues and then went into Chen Pei's office. The office was a bit messy, with several file folders lying around on the desk and discarded paper on the floor. She bent down to pick up the crumpled paper from the floor and tossed it in the trash before sitting down in the chair.

"Things Around Us is the ratings champion for the time slot, you should have heard by now," Chen Pei said as she filled Yan Xi's cup with water from the water dispenser. "I heard from higher-ups that if the ratings keep going up in the next few episodes, the program's time slot might be moved to 10 PM, which is right after TV dramas, so there will be more viewers."

Yan Xi held the cup of water but didn't speak. Chen Pei specifically called her in, so it was clear there was more to discuss than just the congratulations.

"I'm getting older, and I might not always be accurate in understanding the latest trends for you younger people. If you have any good ideas, feel free to share them with me. Are your upcoming episodes ready?"

"They're almost ready. Do you want to review them?"

"Have Xiao Yang make a copy for me later," Chen Pei nodded with a smile. "You'll need to work harder in the coming days."

Chen Pei wanted to tell Yan Xi that the station seemed to be interested in nurturing her, but that was still uncertain, so she didn't mention it directly.

After leaving Chen Pei's office, Yan Xi went to the main station's leadership office. Shen Xingyan was listening to the leader talk about how there were many female hosts at the station, but not many who could actually carry a program. The leader asked if she had any younger talents in mind that could be mentored.

Shen Xingyan knew the station wanted her to mentor newcomers, but who would actually want to guide a younger competitor? She made a few diplomatic remarks but didn't make any real promises.

"Teacher Shen, the station is going through a tough time. With the rise of online platforms, our TV station's share of the audience is shrinking, and the competition is fiercer than ever. If we don't inject some fresh blood, how can we compete for more viewers?" The leader didn't want to clash with Shen Xingyan, so his tone was very polite as he placed a list in front of her. "Take a look and see if any of these appeal to you."

Shen Xingyan glanced at the list of four female hosts, all with impressive appearances and popularity, but none of them had the experience to support a program on their own.

Seeing that she didn't respond, the leader smiled, "What, none of them catch your eye?"

Shen Xingyan had long since developed a mutually beneficial relationship with the station, so there was no need to force herself. She flipped the list over and lightly tapped the paper. "I've seen their programs. They all have their own merits, no need for me to mentor them."

It seemed she really wasn't interested.

The leader nodded, "Then who do you think at the station could use some guidance?"

Shen Xingyan thought, "I don't want to mentor anyone." But remembering how the station had helped her, she didn't voice this thought. Suddenly, a younger woman's face flashed in her mind, and she stopped tapping the paper. "Not long ago, I met a new host in the elevator. I've watched her program, and it's quite interesting."

Seeing her give a response, the leader's smile grew brighter. "Who's the new host?"

"It's the host of Things Around Us. If the station is willing, I can mentor her." Shen Xingyan thought to herself, rather than mentoring those young women who were constantly trying to ride her coattails for attention, it would be better to take on someone more agreeable. After all, they both had the character "Yan" in their names, so maybe it was fate.

"You mean Yan Xi?" The leader remembered Yan Xi, whose show had just started airing on satellite TV, but already had the highest ratings in its time slot and a good reputation online. This indicated that the host had potential.

"However, she's only been at the station for a few months, so she might lack some experience."

"Experience is something that's built over time," Shen Xingyan said dismissively, "She's the one."

"Since Teacher Shen has chosen her, then it's her luck."

"Dear viewers, today's Noon News is coming to an end. Please join us again at the same time tomorrow. Goodbye." Yan Xi said to the camera, bidding farewell to the audience. She then turned off the microphone clipped to her collar and gathered the papers on the desk.

"Wrap up."

"Great work, great work."

Yan Xi had just walked out of the broadcast room when she saw many of her female colleagues crouching by the window, excitedly discussing something outside.

"What are you looking at?" Yan Xi curiously moved closer, but the window was already crowded with people, and she couldn't find any space to squeeze in.

"Someone outside arranged a big heart with roses. We don't know who they're going to confess to," the others noticed Yan Xi and made room for her, letting her stick her head out to have a look.

From several stories up, the massive pile of roses below still looked quite grand. It must have cost a lot to create such a display. Yan Xi couldn't help but wonder which rich person had come up with such an extravagant and cliché way of expressing their feelings.

The setup seemed incomplete, with many staff members still arranging the flowers. After watching for a while, Yan Xi grew bored and opened her phone to order takeout. "Hey, ladies, anyone still need lunch?"

"We've all eaten," Xiao Yang said enviously, watching the scene below. "A man who can spend this much money and energy to confess to a woman must really like her."

"Maybe it's a woman confessing to a man," Yan Xi replied, still browsing through her food options.

"Ahhh! A man in a suit just got out of a luxury car! Too bad we can't see his face."

"Who's the one being confessed to? Why aren't they showing up yet?"

Yan Xi leaned over her desk, listening to her colleagues' eager chatter, as she waited for her delivery. She often did programs on delivery drivers, so it seemed like she was blessed, as her food always arrived quickly.

In less than twenty minutes, her food arrived. Just as she opened the lid to start eating, her colleagues' shrill screams broke out.

"Ahh, look! The balloons are floating up with someone's name on them!"

"My glasses! Where are my glasses? I can't see what the words say."

"Who has good glasses? Tell me what it says!"

"Xiao Xi, will you be my girlfriend..."

Her colleagues all turned to look at Yan Xi, who was focused on her meal. Could "Xiao Xi" be referring to Yan Xi?

"Don't look at me. There are probably more than one 'Xiao Xi' in this building," Yan Xi said, taking a sip of her drink. "I don't associate with people who are this extravagant."

Sometimes, it really doesn't pay to be too sure.

When her phone rang and an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen, she suddenly had a bad feeling.

She answered, and the voice of Song Chao came through.

"Yan Xi, do you like the sea of roses I prepared for you?"

"Sorry, are you mistaken about what a sea is?" Yan Xi put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Song Chao, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"Not clear enough? Of course, I'm pursuing you," Song Chao said, standing outside the TV station building, ignoring the surrounding people filming him. "Today's setup was a bit rushed. If you think the flowers are too few, I can have more delivered tomorrow."

Yan Xi stood up and walked to the window. Song Chao was standing at the entrance, looking up, but he couldn't see her behind the window, nor could she see his expression. It felt like a farce disguised as a confession, but who exactly was this farce for?

"I don't like the person delivering flowers. Even if you give me a bunch of diamond flowers, I still won't like them," Yan Xi laughed. "Mr. Song, you seem to enjoy being the center of attention, so I'll leave you to it."

She hung up the phone, chuckled, and went back to her office to rest.

A rich man confessing his love, a mysterious woman rejecting his grand gestures under a veil of powerful affection—would this make it to the tabloids?

However, Yan Xi underestimated the ability of netizens to gossip. At that moment, someone had already opened a live stream, filming the love-struck man in the background, including the rose-filled display, causing many netizens to wonder what kind of goddess could inspire such a grand gesture.

So many roses on the ground—this wasn't flowers, it was money!

Ten minutes passed, then half an hour, then an hour, and the man still stood there, while the mysterious goddess remained absent.

Some male netizens started to gloat, thinking that no matter how rich the man was, if the goddess didn't want him, it was all for nothing. Others felt sorry for him, thinking it was heartbreaking that his sincere feelings were being trampled like this. Even if the girl didn't like him, she shouldn't have let him stand there waiting so long.

Still, many others felt that this kind of behavior was a moral hijacking. No matter how rich the man was, if the girl didn't like him, he was making a huge public scene and didn't seem to consider her feelings.

Listening to the growing chatter, Song Chao called Yan Xi again.

"Yan Xi, you really are heartless."

Yan Xi replied with a hint of sarcasm, "When have I ever had feelings for you? Song Chao, are you not embarrassed to make such a scene?"

"Embarrassed?" Song Chao suddenly laughed. "Yan Xi, tomorrow, everyone in the industry will know about my pursuit of you. Do you think Yuan Yi will look at you the same way?"

Yan Xi increasingly felt that Song Chao's psychology was a bit twisted. If she and Yuan Yi had already developed feelings for each other, Song Chao's grand stunt would not only cause friction between them but also make her appear like a "flirt" in the eyes of others. The Yuan family, with their prestigious background, would never allow a woman with such a reputation to marry into their family.

Meanwhile, Song Chao would only appear as a pitiful, lovesick man—maybe even winning the sympathy of a few naive young girls.

Such tactics...

Song Chao must be an excellent graduate of the palace intrigue and family drama academy, right?

"I don't know how he'll look at me, but how about I call him and ask?" Yan Xi laughed, exasperated by Song Chao's tactics. "Song Chao, I just want to ask, what's the point of all this self-destructive behavior?"

"What's the point if there's none? As long as I see something that's not mine, and in the end, it ends badly, that makes me happy," Song Chao's smile was unusually gentle. "Yan Xi, you managed to hitch a ride on Yuan Yi's big ship, but I have ways to make him push you off."

Yan Xi: ...

As a normal person, she couldn't understand the thought process of a madman.

"Song Chao, I think you should watch less palace dramas and family intrigue shows. Watching those too much isn't good for your brain," Yan Xi paused in her tone. "Oh, and one more piece of advice: don't stop taking your medication. Stopping it will harm both you and others."

She hung up the phone and immediately dialed Yuan Yi's number.

"This plan..." Yuan Yi's voice paused as he spoke to his secretary, "Sorry, I need to take this call."

"Yuan Xiaoer, I've been blocked at the TV station."

"What happened?" Yuan Yi stood up from his chair. "Did you run into an unreasonable audience?"

"It's worse than that," Yan Xi sounded pitiful and wronged, "A crazy person brought a huge pile of roses to confess to me, causing a crowd of onlookers, and I'm too scared to go outside."

Yuan Yi felt a pang of emptiness in his heart. Grabbing his jacket from the chair, he said, "Don't worry, I'm coming over right now. Who's the one confessing to you?"

"It's Song Chao. With all this drama, what are people going to think of me?"

"It's okay. Just go downstairs and reject him. Tell him you have a boyfriend," Yuan Yi said as he walked into the elevator. After a brief pause, he added, "At worst, I'll take a little hit and pretend to be your boyfriend."

"Yuan Xiaoer, you're truly the kindest, most handsome person in the world."

Yan Xi kissed her phone after hanging up.

The snail-flavored weed had been delivered to her door.

Yuan Yi hung up the phone, straightened his shirt collar and tie, and took a deep breath.

Don't panic, just make an effort to stay calm. Who knows, maybe this fake could become real.