Chapter 172: Heroes Gather, Crouching Dragons Assemble
Chi Ye was stunned, looking at Jin Xia in slight confusion: “What did you say?”
Jin Xia felt a bit unconfident under his strange gaze, her peach blossom eyes darting around before she forced herself to stay calm: “You… why aren’t you moved?”
With that, she prepared to pull out the notebook she always carried to check the “strategy.”
“After not seeing each other for so long, where did you learn such cheesy lines? Jin Mou, you’ve gotten greasy.”
As Chi Ye spoke, he spread his arms, gesturing:
Come here, little Jin Xia, huh, playing this game too, are you?!
“Wait, don’t move around!”
Jin Xia dodged nimbly, her gaze alert: “I’m telling you, Teacher Chi, I’ve returned after mastering my skills. This time for the tutoring session, I’m no longer the same as before.”
Chi Ye was stunned, frowning: “Then you have to top up, right? If you don’t top up, how can I let you enjoy this kind of treatment?”
Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow, giving a preventive shot, emphasizing: “I really am not the same as before, Teacher Chi… you have to accept my fickle self.”
Chi Ye: “……What exactly are you trying to do?”
“Wait, let me find another line.”
Jin Xia backed out nimbly, then walked back in, clearing her throat lightly: “Um… if I count to three and the dream hasn’t ended… um… what was it again…”
“……”
Seeing Empress Dowager like this, Chi Ye looked as if he had found some treasure, reaching out to gently pull her over: “Come here and think slowly, no rush.”
“Hey, Teacher Chi, don’t move around, I’m not ready yet.”
“I didn’t move…”
“Wait, wait, there are still people outside.”
Hearing this, Chi Ye indeed stopped moving.
In fact, he had only pulled Empress Dowager to his side, his nose tip catching the familiar fresh scent on her, inexplicably relaxing.
Yes, he was really under Jin Xia’s control.
But, willingly.
“Um…”
“……”
“Hm? Where’s everyone?”
Chi Ye noticed there was no movement outside and was very “angry”: “Oh, you dare to trick me?”
“Hmph hmph, Teacher Chi, what is our relationship? How can you just touch me casually?”
Jin Xia had smugly “escaped” the cage, standing up again, tilting her snow-white little chin, “questioning”: “Do you do this to other girls too?”
Chi Ye was honest: “I only do this to you.”
The corners of Jin Xia’s mouth curled up smugly, but she still deliberately puffed her cheeks, not speaking.
“What trick are you up to now? What exactly do you want to say?”
Empress Dowager glanced back at the closed room door, and at Chi Ye Team who had tactfully retreated since she came in, her little face turning “aloof”: “Then let me ask you, what is our relationship?”
Chi Ye was taken aback.
What relationship?
It seemed the two of them had never truly confessed from beginning to end, just that tacit understanding between them.
Jin Xia secretly glanced at Chi Ye, and only when he looked back did she pretend to clear her throat: “Um… that… so, I’m not your girlfriend… if you want to do anything to me, you have to listen to me!”
Chi Ye eyed her obliquely, saying nothing.
“What kind of attitude is this? Is this the attitude you should have?”
Jin Xia was dissatisfied, knocking on the table: “Perform again.”
Chi Ye shook his head: “No way, I’m a rebellious person. I feel like you’re training me like a dog right now… I can’t listen to you.”
“I’m not.”
Jin Xia was greatly anxious, her little face flushing red: “I… I just… I’m not, Teacher Chi, don’t say that about yourself…”
Seeing his words had the desired effect, Chi Ye immediately kept a straight face: “I mean exactly that.”
Jin Xia: “……Fine, then I do.”
Chi Ye: “?”
“Anyway.” Empress Dowager proactively sat beside Chi Ye, straightening his collar, staring at him: “You have to listen to me, whatever I tell you to do, you do it.”
Chi Ye suddenly felt a bout of “suffocation”.
So domineering, this feeling of being “managed” was just too much.
He leaned in, asking curiously: “So what do you want me to do?”
Jin Xia instinctively wanted to dodge, but looking at Chi Ye’s face, she “persisted”, stammering: “What you wear on the red carpet has to be up to me.”
“That’s it?”
Chi Ye paused, dumbfounded.
“There’s more… you… you have to let me do your makeup, I want to do it myself…”
“Ah?”
Chi Ye paused again, even more dumbfounded.
“What’s wrong with that? You’re mine… you’re my pet, you have to obey.”
Empress Dowager couldn’t hold on anymore, shrinking into a ball.
Chi Ye stared at her for a long time, this time without pausing, pressing his face close.
The two separated, Chi Ye’s expression unchanged: “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
Jin Xia silently lowered her head, looking dejected and empty, as if she had lost all her dreams.
“No need.”
Chi Ye: “Ah?”
He looked at Empress Dowager in confusion, thinking she was a bit angry, just about to speak.
Then he heard Jin Xia say: “Teacher Chi, next time can you not bite me? Also… I like the taste of strawberry, next time can you finish the strawberry first?”
Chi Ye: “???”
“What if I don’t?”
“……Then I’ll eat it myself.”
“……”
What temper!!
……
Golden Eagle Festival.
This “festival” is not just about holding the Golden Eagle Awards Ceremony; it’s a biennial grand event in the internal entertainment circle, lasting three days total.
First day opening ceremony, second day Golden Eagle Awards Ceremony, third day closing ceremony.
Many big stars and top streamers in the industry, as well as the general public’s most anticipated event, is actually the second day’s Golden Eagle Awards Ceremony.
The Golden Eagle Awards Ceremony officially starts at 7:30 PM, with the Golden Eagle Red Carpet segment two hours prior.
Chi Ye and Jin Xia, along with other artists as guests for this Golden Eagle Festival, arrived locally in Xiangnan on the opening ceremony day and checked into the official hotel.
Then… then Empress Dowager had her team book a better, more advanced hotel herself.
Because she actually had very high requirements for living conditions; the more he interacted with her, the more he understood her, the more Chi Ye realized that although Empress Dowager was very novel about many things she hadn’t seen, deep down she was indeed quite “particular,” with extremely high demands in all aspects.
Of course, this was also Schrödinger’s requirement, because anything Chi Ye brought, no matter how bad, she would say was good; clearly unpalatable things, she would pretend to happily eat them.
“Don’t worry.”
Second day noon, the day of the Golden Eagle Awards Ceremony.
Chi Ye looked at Empress Dowager tearing up from the spiciness and swore: “Follow me and you’ll enjoy life. From now on, I’ll take you to the dirtiest, messiest places you’ve never seen in your life.”
“Three meals a day, every one with gutter oil and lymph meat; at night, we’ll lie under a bridge arch watching the stars… the dream life so many girls yearn for, and you’ve got it so easily. How many girls will envy you?”
Jin Xia listened expressionlessly, and after a long while said: “Hearing that, I’ve truly got it for life.”
“See, you’re different from other girls.”
Chi Ye listened happily, also feeling that Empress Dowager had it made for life.
Ding ling ding ling.
At that moment, the room door’s doorbell rang.
Chi Ye walked over: “Who is it?”
“Me, Yang Zi!”
Chi Ye was stunned, opened the door, and saw Teacher Yang Zi with a gutter oil hairstyle, shiny and gleaming, who at the sight of him crooked his mouth into a grin: “Chi Ye, did you miss me?”
Chi Ye: “?!”
“Are you sick? How do you know I’m here? And… why are you here?”
“Tch, the way you put it—I sponsored this year’s Golden Eagle Gala a little, so why can’t I be here?”
Yang Zi walked in without any reservation, and upon seeing Empress Dowager and Xiao Liu and others inside, he was stunned, greeting: “Xia Xia’s here too.”
“Hello, Kid Sister Teacher.”
Empress Dowager stood up politely to greet.
Yang Zi: “……”
The old lecher grinned, pointing at Jin Xia, then looking at Chi Ye, playing his true colors: “Oh my, look at you… I didn’t expect your progress to be this fast…”
“Do you have business? If not, get out. I’m on a diet lately, can’t touch too much oily stuff.”
Yang Zi: “?”
He turned to close the room door properly, then pulled Chi Ye to sit, blaming: “Look at you, as a brother coming to see you, what’s with this attitude?”
Chi Ye quietly watched him, not speaking.
Because he knew Yang Zi coming over meant nothing good.
Sure enough, Yang Zi first exchanged some empty pleasantries, then pulled out a box of Heavenly Bead from his bag.
Yes, Heavenly Bead from his brand.
“What do you think of this?”
Yang Zi raised an eyebrow, smugly handing it to Chi Ye.
Chi Ye frowned: “I don’t like this stuff.”
“Too tacky, a bit tacky.”
Yang Zi set down the Heavenly Bead, then said enthusiastically: “I’m planning to build these Heavenly Bead models into a world-class luxury brand, and then get you to endorse it, what do you think?”
He was sincere: “This way, you’ll have another luxury brand endorsement, and we won’t have to put up with Yu Yan!”
Chi Ye: “……So, you want me to put up with you first?”
“Hey, the way you say it—I just had this idea!”
Chi Ye was straightforward: “That idea of yours is pretty dangerous.”
Yang Zi: “……”
“Forget it, we’ll talk about that later. Actually, the real reason I came to find you this time is another matter…”
Yang Zi revealed his true intentions: “You know, I’m doing a boy group now… you know Rice? Rice, heard of it? They’ll be performing during the gala, dancing your 《Full Firepower》, so do you think you could…”
He stated his request to his “good brother.”
……
Meanwhile.
One hour before the red carpet starts.
The area outside Xiangnan Convention Center was already packed with fans holding fan support items; they held light signs and various fan support sticks, with top streamer fan groups even wearing unified clothes and using the same support color.
The crowd was lively, with fan photographers and reporters everywhere.
And on the street opposite the crowd’s outer side, a man wearing a baseball cap was setting up a stall with lots of chicken feet, duck necks, small cakes, and various drinking water and other snacks.
And most eye-catchingly, every snack’s packaging bag was marked with 100% zero additives, clearly big-brand snacks.
At this moment, he lifted his head, occasionally glancing at the crowd opposite, his eyes complex and dejected especially upon seeing the huge “Chi Ye Fan Gathering Spot” support sign.
Many fans and audience members passing by bought some of his stuff.
Suddenly, his gaze froze, spotting three people getting out of a big Mercedes.
These three, the leader in a crisp suit and tie, slicked-back hair, but unable to hide his muscular build, in very good shape.
The other two also in suits, handsome-looking, with a smug air.
Ji Zhua Zhang, Lin Ze Yu, Su Ran!
Jiang Mou recognized his good teammates at a glance, then gritted his teeth nearly to pieces!
Because of various food hygiene issues, he had been investigated twice before the 《Singer》 program even started; later, thunderclaps came one after another, now he was bankrupt down to his underpants.
Still having to hide from debt-collecting suppliers, at his wit’s end.
But Ji Zhua Zhang’s internet-famous sales promotion career was booming more and more, even bringing along Rise sister-in-law group and the two honest guys, all mixing with him now.
Clearly, he came first!!
Why! Unfair!
Jiang Mou grew angrier, seeing Ji Zhua Zhang and the three strutting toward the venue, he hurriedly stood up, waving toward them: “Xian Ming! Xian Ming!”
“Hm?”
Ji Zhua Zhang, about to enter, was stunned, turned back, and saw a baseball cap man furtively gesturing at him.
“Fans, no autographs no photos, I’m not an internet star, I’m a people’s entrepreneur.”
Ji Zhua Zhang waved impatiently.
Fuck!!
Fan your ass!
You who sold chicken feet at Screaming Night, and now you’re an entrepreneur?!
Jiang Mou trembled with rage, taking off his hat: “It’s me!”
Ji Zhua Zhang and the two honest guys were stunned, dumbfounded: “No way… how are you here?!”
Ji Zhua Zhang even saw the stall in front of Jiang Mou, incredulous: “You filming?”
Jiang Mou’s face flushed red, but given his current situation worse than Ji Zhua Zhang’s, he could only say humbly: “See if you can think of a way to let me in… I…”
“Hey, who are you? You legal celeb wanna crash the red carpet?”
Before he finished, the already restless Lin Ze Yu waved: “Go go go, over there, that garbage collector grandpa, borrow his clothes and get in.”
Jiang Mou was furious: “Don’t look down on people!”
“No… how are we looking down on you? Besides, what have you done that’s worth looking up to…”
The few were about to argue.
“Hey, you there, who let you set up a stall here?!”
A few uniformed uncles noticed, pointing at Jiang Mou and shouting.
Jiang Mou: “?!”
He quickly packed up his stall, hopped on his tricycle proficiently, not forgetting to shout back at Ji Zhua Zhang and the three: “You three remember this! When the sun sets in the west you don’t accompany, when it rises again in the east who are you!!”
Ji Zhua Zhang and the three: “……”
“You know him?”
The security uncles ran over, puzzled.
“……No no, don’t know him.”
“Who is he?”
“How would we know him.”
The three hurriedly waved, covering their faces and slinking into the venue.
……
On the other side.
Official hotel.
Chi Ye and the Circulation film crew reunited again; just meeting, everyone was filled with mixed emotions.
“You, I knew back then you’d make it big!”
Director Zhang happily patted Chi Ye’s shoulder: “Heard you’re walking the red carpet twice this time?”
“Mm.”
Chi Ye was also very happy to meet Director Zhang again; as the director of his first TV series after rebirth, they got along well, and Director Zhang had introduced him to quite a few resources back then.
Beijing dude, real deal.
“Gonna promote Xing Ni with Xia Xia.”
“Xing Ni… oh, that drama your studio produced? The song Shi Daifu sang on Singer…”
Director Zhang immediately recalled.
“Yeah, remember to promote it for me then.”
Chi Ye nodded, then greeted Ran Qiao and the others.
Among them, Ran Qiao seemed a bit more mature than during Circulation; after Circulation aired, as the lead actors, their career paths diverged—Chi Ye, with boosts from Singer and such, had stepped onto a whole new level in his career.
While Ran Qiao wasn’t as explosive as Chi Ye, after Circulation, she too successfully shed the child star label, now landing female lead roles… though not many big productions, but definitely much better than before.
“Chi Ge, take me along.”
Chi Ye glanced at Kid Sister, nodding: “When you stop fishing, then I’ll take you.”
Ran Qiao: “……”
“Let’s go, red carpet’s about to start, let’s head out.”
Director Zhang greeted a few friends, then called out; everyone headed outside together.
……
Yue Na Headquarters.
Young President Liu on the phone, nodding: “Mm… this red carpet and gala performance is crucial for Rose… what damn Rice! Yang Zi’s group is a rip-off!! Get it? We’re the official Rise second-gen group!”
“Ignore them, Rose will definitely outperform Rice this time!”
“Good, that’s it, hanging up.”
……
Inside the venue.
Yang Zi’s newly recruited Rice boy group, targeting Yue Na’s Rose, also 14 members, all spirited at the moment, staring at the Rose mouse boy group sitting opposite, tension thick in the air.
