Xia Weiliang had experienced many mortifying moments, but this time she was truly, utterly humiliated!
She stood frozen on the spot, gazing at the old man drawing little flowers, her expression no less colorful than his artwork.
Xiao Yi glanced at her, shook his head with a chuckle, and placed a hand on her head, patting it gently. "This incident is between heaven, earth, me, and the goose. No other species will ever know."
Xia Weiliang looked up at him stiffly. Was this what they called comforting? It was so refreshingly unconventional, she wondered if she had just resurrected.
The old man walked over with a smile, looking from her to Xiao Yi. "Xiao Yi?"
Xiao Yi inclined his head respectfully. "It is I."
"Heh, I've seen your movies. Among the younger generation, you have a keen insight."
The elder spoke with the demeanor of a seasoned artist, making it hard to believe he was the one drawing flowers in the goose enclosure.
"Thank you."
He shifted his gaze back to Xia Weiliang, who wished she could hide behind Xiao Yi.
How embarrassing!
How could she have believed such a ridiculous story, one that was clearly meant to be a joke?
Even more embarrassing, she had almost sworn an oath of brotherhood with him…
"Niangniang?"
The old man's address almost sent her to the grave!
"No, no, please don't call me that. Just call me Xiao Liang! If it's too much of a mouthful, any of the Da Ya or Er Ya names will do!"
The elder seemed to particularly like her, smiling kindly and with great affection.
"I heard your fans call you that."
Xia Weiliang felt a bit embarrassed. "They're just calling it for fun~"
"Heh, you've been keeping me company these past few days, haven't you?"
"Mhm." She remembered the goose again and lowered her head.
He looked at Xiao Yi with a knowing expression. "She's a good girl."
Xiao Yi smiled. "Indeed."
The old man gathered his brushes and picked up his small paint bucket. "Alright, my work for today is done. I should be heading back."
Xia Weiliang responded obediently, "Uncle, please take care on your way."
"Heh, not calling me 'big brother' anymore?"
Xia Weiliang's face flushed red. "I wouldn't dare, I was too presumptuous!"
"Haha…"
The old man chuckled heartily.
Even after he had walked far away, Xia Weiliang hadn't recovered from her mortification.
After a long pause, she finally said, "...You are not to tell anyone about this!"
Xiao Yi leaned in. "Don't worry, from now on I'll only tell our son."
Xia Weiliang glared at him. "What son! Not even a daughter!"
"Look! Is that Xiao Yi?"
"Ahhh! It's Xiao Yi and Niangniang!"
"My idol!!"
From somewhere, a loud shout erupted, and then a crowd of students came running over.
Seeing this, Xiao Yi grabbed Xia Weiliang and ran.
It wasn't because he was aloof, but rather to avoid disrupting the normal order of the school.
They reached the back gate, where he immediately crouched down. "Step on me to climb over."
Xia Weiliang didn't hesitate. She stepped on his shoulders and swung herself over the railing. Xiao Yi then took a few steps back, sprinted, pushed off the wall with his left foot, followed by his right, grabbed the railing with both hands, and leaped down with agile grace!
However, there was no one below.
He looked up. "…"
Xia Weiliang was still hanging above.
"Why didn't you come down?"
Xia Weiliang, straddling the wall, could barely hold back a sob. "I wanted to! But…"
"Which class are you in?!"
Below, the Dean of Students, out of breath, grabbed one of Xia Weiliang's feet, preventing her from getting down!
She was wearing a school uniform, which explained why she was mistaken.
Just then, the main crowd caught up. They kept taking pictures of the person hanging on the wall.
"Quick, look! Niangniang is stuck on the wall!"
"Take a picture quickly!"
"Wow wow wow! Yi Shen! It's Yi Shen!"
Xiao Yi climbed back in, gestured for everyone to quiet down, and then explained the situation to the Dean.
"You're an actor?"
The Dean didn't follow celebrities, but he knew there was a film crew shooting at the school.
"Aren't your film crews all in the old campus? Why did you come to the teaching building?"
"I'm sorry…"
Xia Weiliang stood obediently in front of him. The Dean had been a formidable figure during their school days, and that sense of awe was deeply ingrained in her.
"Considering it's your first offense, I won't pursue this further! However, you will submit a self-reflection report when you get back! It must be no less than three thousand characters, and you must profoundly recognize your mistakes! It will be read aloud during the flag-raising ceremony next Monday!"
"…"
Xia Weiliang looked at him with wide, terrified eyes. "Dean! Can't we just…?"
"No? Fine then, let your director write it…"
"I'll write it! I'll write it! Three thousand characters, not a single punctuation mark missing!"
The Dean waved his hand. "Alright, you may go! Use the main entrance!"
"Yes…"
Xia Weiliang was on the verge of tears.
Xiao Yi pursed his lips, his eyes full of amusement. Regardless of whether the chasing students were watching, he directly took her hand and walked towards the entrance openly.
A collective scream erupted behind them!
"Ahhhh! I'm going blind!"
"They're holding hands! They're holding hands~"
"They're a couple now!!"
"My male idol and my destined goddess are finally together!"
Once they were outside the gate, Xia Weiliang finally realized, "That's not right. Why is it just me writing the report? What about you?"
Xiao Yi thought for a moment. "Perhaps they mistook me for a parent."
"How can it be so biased?"
They had climbed the wall together, and he had abandoned her to develop on his own! Wasn't that too cruel?!
The man beside her strode ahead, walking leisurely in front of her. "You should focus on thinking about how to write your report. Next Monday, the flag-raising ceremony…"
She swore! She could hear the man laughing!!
Soon, the news of Xia Weiliang having to write a report spread among the students. On WeChat moments, Weibo, and everywhere else, there were photos of her stuck on the wall, her foot caught by the Dean, unable to get down.
The internet became lively again. When something happened to Niangniang, it was no big deal!
But… but this was just too hilarious!!
Especially when they heard she was fined three thousand characters for a report and had to read it publicly at the flag-raising ceremony, everyone was laughing their heads off.
The film crew received the news that day. Seeing Xia Weiliang writing a self-reflection report during her downtime, someone casually posted on WeChat moments: [First time seeing a female celebrity write a self-reflection report on set.]
The comments below were filled with requests to ensure proper supervision, and that every character of the three thousand must be present.
In contrast, Xiao Yi, who was also photographed that day, didn't generate as much buzz as she did. He was completely relegated to being a high-level tool.
The media jokingly said that this time, the film emperor had genuinely ridden on Niangniang's coattails.
To this, the Yi Mi fandom did not voice a single objection!
After all, a celebrity stuck on a wall and caught by the Dean of Students was like a rare animal. There was nothing wrong with the buzz it generated!
Xiao Yi chuckled when he saw the news, recalling her terrified expression that day when the Dean had confronted her.
Da Yang whispered from behind, "Why is he so unconcerned? He's riding on his wife's popularity, doesn't he feel any urgency? Where's his career ambition? His drive?"
Yan Zhi, with an expression as if he had seen through the world, said, "Don't you understand yet? Now, as long as his name is mentioned alongside Niangniang's, Brother Yi feels it's a compliment. Who cares if he's riding on her popularity?"
Da Yang suddenly realized, "Brilliant insight!"