"So, Xiaoliang's image is extremely important! And..." Director Du glanced at Chu Qiao, lowering his voice, "How come I feel like this Mr. Xin has a bit of... uh..."
Chu Qiao, impatient with his dilly-dallying, cut to the chase: "He's interested!"
"Right, right, that's the idea~" Director Du said, "Given this situation, do you think Brother Yi would agree?"
Chu Qiao was also honest: "No."
Just as they were talking, Xia Weiliang returned. "What are you guys chatting about?"
"Oh, Xiao Du is worried you'll cheat on him."
"Chu Qiao!"
Director Du glared at her, then had to admit, "Liang, pity your Brother Du. My burden is too heavy, I'm afraid I'll collapse and be done for if I can't bear it!"
Xia Weiliang pouted. "Why are you two worrying so much? Am I the type of person to cheat? Even if Xiao Yi cheats, I'll be the one standing tall!"
However, since they had brought it up, she decided to let them worry about it.
"Oh right, there's actually another important matter! Our Meiyu has decided to do a wilderness survival reality show. Of course, President Jiang has entrusted this important task to me, this humble servant!" President Jiang cleared his throat with a smile. "As our company's number one and number two sisters, shouldn't you two sisters..."
Chu Qiao: "Liang, I was just about to ask you, where did you get your nails done? They're so beautiful!"
Xia Weiliang: "Can't you tell? Natural beauty!"
Chu Qiao: "...Come on, Xiao Du, tell me about your wilderness survival."
"Simply put, this is our company's major project for the second half of the year! Important things are said thrice: Major Project, Major Project, Major Project! After Liang's 'Courage' ends, it will directly connect with our company's variety show! And Chu Qiao, your urban drama won't start filming until November. Don't waste the two months in between; you need to utilize them fully!"
Xia Weiliang immediately raised her hand to express her disagreement. "I've already said, I won't take on any more variety shows. I'm an actress, not a variety show personality!"
Chu Qiao immediately stood up and spoke, "Everyone in the industry knows that besides focusing on acting, I slack off on everything else. Are you sure I can survive wilderness survival and come back in one piece?"
With neither of them being enthusiastic, Director Du directly laid down the law. "Anyway, I've already accepted it. The company's budget is insufficient, and I've gambled my entire fortune on it. You know, I just went through a divorce not long ago; whether I can have a happy marriage again depends on this!"
Xia Weiliang immediately protested, "Xiao Du, you've gotten bad!"
"Exactly, acting first and reporting later!"
Director Du shrugged. "After the last 'Master,' I finally understood a principle: if you have an idea, you must boldly pursue it, and you must do so without holding back, with all your might! If I don't put my fortune on the line, how can I go all out?"
Xia Weiliang tutted twice. "Being ruthless to yourself, that's true ruthlessness!"
Chu Qiao waved her hands. "I can't, I can't, I can't be that cruel to myself."
Director Du: "Fine, I've already let the word out. Let the sponsoring 'gold fathers' tear me apart. I'm a lone wolf anyway, unlike you two who have people who love and care for you! 'Master' earned us good reviews, but the company made money. The meager profits I received weren't even enough to cover the interest! What is this? Working for love! And I plan to carry this love forward! With the rest of my life, I will illuminate your beauty!"
Xia Weiliang and Chu Qiao exchanged a silent glance.
Chu Qiao: "Xiao Du is setting the bar quite high!"
Xia Weiliang: "Mhm, it's a bit too suddenly lofty."
"What should we do? He's said all that. If we don't join him, I'll feel too narrow-minded."
"But this feeling of being led by the nose is so uncomfortable!"
The two looked at Director Du speechlessly again. Xia Weiliang said thoughtfully, "It's my fault, my fault for elevating his thinking to such a high level. Now, it's like he can't come down!"
"Alas, he's gambled his fortune again. We can't really let him go bankrupt. Knowing Old Jiang's personality, he's not much better than Huatian Entertainment's stingy President Liu."
Under Director Du's lofty and lonely gaze, the two finally nodded.
Xia Weiliang stated her conditions upfront. "I need the script in advance. If it's shoddy or just aims to exploit fans, don't say it's Xiao Du; even Xiao Jiang wouldn't be able to use it!"
Chu Qiao: "Mhm, you're the variety show expert, so I'll leave this to you. As for me, I'm concerned about one thing: the labor fees. They can't be deducted under the guise of donations just because it's our own show, right?"
Director Du was overjoyed. "Don't worry, you two. It's our company's project; how could we let you lose out?"
Xia Weiliang gave a half-hearted smile. "Who knows!"
***
Another week passed, and the second episode of 'Courage' Season 2 was released.
Fans from all walks of life gathered, with the "Liang Yi" CP (couple) fans of Xia Weiliang and Xiao Yi being the most vocal.
[Liang Yi, Liang Yi, my heart's desire!]
[Liang Yi, Liang Yi, all as I wish!]
Watching the barrage of comments, a certain person on this end revealed a slight smile.
He looked up at Yan Zhi opposite him and gave him an approving look.
Well done.
Yan Zhi puffed out his chest, of course!
He might not be good at other things, but when it came to inciting... no, organizing fans to show support, he was definitely the right person for the job!
"Brother Yi, just watch, I guarantee no one will mention the rumors about Niang Niang and En Ge again!"
Xiao Yi didn't speak, merely raising an eyebrow in response, though his expression was quite pleased.
Now that the Liang Yi CP had made their appearance, how could the Xi Wei CP lag behind?
[Heh, have you heard the saying? The less there is, the more one tries to show it.]
[The Liang Yi CP has never been this active. What's going on today? Are they scared of our Xi Wei?]
[Actually, it's nothing much. Our Xi Wei CP knows their place! Fate is something that isn't casually announced as official.]
Staring at these comments, the man's face darkened again.
The Big Yang beside him, while munching on watermelon, chuckled. "The Xi Wei fans have quite strong fighting power! Back in the day, if our Su Da fans had this spirit, we wouldn't be so silent now~"
Tears were in his eyes just saying it!
That guy's eyes were practically welling up!
Xiao Yi watched coldly as the Xi Wei fans were active in the comments, each of them a seasoned "yin-yang master," which was infuriating to see.
"Yan Zhi."
"Here!"
Yan Zhi's heart sank.
"Um, Brother Yi, I really did thorough preparations! But who knew there would be so many fans? My... my work here... does have a tiny, tiny little mistake..."