My cousin asked me to go to Wuha, and Hanikezi stuck to me.

"I want to be on your team next time!"

Hanikezi pointed at Chen Yi.

Chen Yi looked at the fingers so close to his face.

"Go back and eat your steamed bun first."

Chen Yi reached out and pried her fingers apart.

Hanikzi was so angry that she stomped her feet.

"How can you have no compassion at all!"

She accused him.

Chen Chichi rushed over and pulled Hanikezi behind him.

"Stop trying to sway my teammates!"

Chen Chichi pointed at Chen Yi.

"So what if you won the password box? Just wait and see at the bonfire party tonight!"

"We'll see if you can conjure seafood out of thin air!"

Chen Yi countered with a question.

Chen Chichi was speechless. He snorted coldly, grabbed Hanikezi, and turned to leave.

……

8 PM.

A huge bonfire was lit on the beach.

A long wooden table was placed next to the campfire.

On the left is Deng Chao's team's luxurious seafood feast, including lobster, oysters, and king crab.

On the right is steamed buns with pickled vegetables from Chen Chichi's team.

Chen Chichi took a cold, hard steamed bun and took a big bite.

His eyes were fixed on Chen Yi, who was peeling shrimp across from him.

Deng Chao placed a peeled crab leg into Chen Yi's plate.

"Chen Yi, eat more. You'll be a big contributor this afternoon."

Deng Chao couldn't stop smiling.

"These crab legs are so plump and sweet; some people can only watch helplessly!"

Across from him, Chen Chichi chewed on a steamed bun, his teeth grinding together.

"Old Deng, don't get too cocky!"

Chen Chichi pointed at Deng Chao.

"What goes around comes around; who knows who'll be eating seafood tomorrow!"

"We'll talk about tomorrow tomorrow. Anyway, I'm eating king crab today."

Deng Chao deliberately waved the crab leg in front of Chen Chichi.

Chen Chichi swallowed hard, turned to look at Chen Yi, and put on a smiling face.

"Cousin, I've always treated you well, haven't I?"

"When you forced me to sign the contract of servitude, you were certainly quite generous."

Chen Yi didn't even look up.

"That's to train you!"

Chen Chichi retorted illogically.

"Look how much attention you're getting now. Get me an oyster, I'll taste it to see if it's cooked through."

"It's cooked, you don't need to taste it."

Chen Yi refused outright.

Hanikezi sat next to Chen Chichi, holding a twig with a piece of steamed bun skewered on it.

She held the slice of steamed bread close to the campfire, but her eyes kept glancing across to the other side.

Chen Chichi waved his hand in front of her eyes.

"What are you looking at! Can't a steamed bun shut you up?"

Chen Chichi lowered his voice.

"Don't forget who your brother is!"

"Brother Chichi, this steamed bun is too dry, I can't swallow it."

Hanikezi swallowed.

"You have to swallow it even if you can't!"

Chen Chichi said firmly.

"We may lose the fight, but we won't lose our spirit!"

Chen Yi pushed a plate of grilled oysters in front of him to the center of the table.

"Brother Chao, we can't finish it all, should we share some with them?"

Chen Yi looked at Deng Chao.

"Sure, for Honey's sake."

Deng Chao waved his hand generously.

Chen Chichi immediately reached out to take it.

Chen Yi picked up his chopsticks and tapped them directly on the back of Chen Chichi's hand.

"There's none for you."

Chen Yi pushed the plate towards Hanikezi.

"For her!"

Chen Chichi covered the back of his hand.

"Chen Yi, you've crossed the river and burned the bridge!"

Chen Chichi shouted.

"I'm your cousin!"

My cousin even tried to hit me in the face with a volleyball this afternoon.

Chen Yi spoke in a flat tone.

Hani Kezi immediately picked up an oyster, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

"Thank you, Chen Yi!"

She said loudly.

Chen Chichi watched as Hanikezi ate with relish, and he became even angrier.

……

After dinner, the staff cleared away the tableware, and everyone sat in a circle around the campfire, with Old Wang holding a megaphone.

"Everyone's tired during the day, so evenings are for relaxing—chatting and singing whatever you want!"

Deng Chao pulled out a wooden guitar from somewhere and shoved it into Chen Yi's arms.

"The one from during the day was too short."

Deng Chao patted Chen Yi on the shoulder.

"The atmosphere is so great tonight, let's have one more song!"

Chen Chichi jumped out again.

"He was just lucky during the day; he'll definitely be exposed at night!"

Chen Yi plucked a string, ignoring Chen Chichi's provocation.

He chose a slow-paced folk song, his slender fingers dancing across the strings, the sound of waves crashing on the beach, the crackling of firewood in the fire, and Chen Yi's deep, clean voice.

He didn't show off his skills; he was just telling a simple story.

Lu Han leaned back in her chair and nodded gently in rhythm with the music.

Deng Chao closed his eyes and tapped his knees with his fingers.

Hanikezi rested her chin on her hands, the firelight reflecting off her face, her gaze fixed on Chen Yi.

The song ended.

Everyone watched him quietly.

A relaxed atmosphere spread across the beach.

"With your talent, it's a shame you're not releasing an album."

Deng Chao gave it extremely high praise.

"Just playing around."

Chen Yi put the guitar aside.

……

At 10 p.m., the campfire gradually dimmed.

Deng Chao and Lu Han yawned and got up to go back to the hotel.

Chen Chichi walked over and pointed at Chen Yi.

"You, come with me!"

Chen Chichi's tone was stern.

I'm not sleepy yet.

Chen Yi remained seated in his chair.

"You have to go, even if you're not sleepy!"

Chen Chichi lowered his voice.

"The first day of filming is over. Stop causing trouble and get back to your room!"

Hanikezi stood up.

"Brother Chichi, you should go back first."

She straightened her skirt.

Chen Chichi turned his head warily.

"What are you going to do?"

I want to see the sea.

Hanikzi pointed to the dark sea.

"Why are you looking at the sea in the middle of the night!"

Chen Chichi got anxious.

"My head hurts from being in the sea breeze too much!"

Hanikezi walked to Chen Yi's side.

"Chen Yi, would you like to walk with me?"

She looked down at him.

Chen Chichi gasped, about to lash out, when Chen Yi stood up.

"Let's go."

Chen Yi patted the sand off his clothes.

The two walked side by side toward the sea.

Chen Chichi stood there, stamping his feet in anger.

He tried to chase after them, but the assistant director grabbed him.

"Teacher Chen, please don't interrupt this part; the material is excellent."

The assistant director pointed to the camera in the distance.

Chen Chichi gritted his teeth and could only watch helplessly as the two walked away.

The sand is very soft.

The sea breeze carries a salty taste.

The two walked slowly along the coastline, the waves washing over their feet.

"You looked really cool when you were calculating passwords during the day."

Hanikezi broke the silence.

"Basic common sense."

Chen Yi spoke calmly.

"Are you always this calm?"

She turned her head to look at him.

"I panic when something is worth panicking about."

Chen Yi answered.

"for example?"

"For example, my brother forced me to go on this show."

Hanikzi burst out laughing.

"Actually, I'm quite grateful to Brother Chichi."

She kicked a seashell that was at her feet.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have met such an interesting partner as you."

Chen Yi did not respond.

Hanikezi stopped and looked at the lighthouse in the distance, which was flickering on and off.

"When I first came to Beijing, I was just like this afternoon, unable to understand anything."

Her voice lowered.

Chen Yi stopped where he was and turned to look at her.

"Back then, I was carrying two big suitcases and standing in the square of Beijing West Railway Station. I didn't even know how to take the subway."

"Later, I went to auditions everywhere, but I kept running into walls."

"Some directors don't even look at me and just tell me to leave."

"Some producers said that my appearance is too limiting, and that I can only play supporting roles with exotic features."

"People say that Xinjiang girls are beautiful and have a natural advantage."

Hanikezi lowered her head and drew circles in the sand with her toes.

"But I've found that there are just too many good-looking people in this industry."

"Dance is my trump card."

She looked up, her eyes filled with confusion.

"But I don't know how long this trump card can be played; the audience will eventually get tired of it."

Chen Yi listened quietly without interrupting her.

Chen Yi only spoke after she finished speaking.

Do you think the entertainment industry is a place where looks matter?

"Isn't that right?"

Hanikezi countered with a question.

Yes, but not entirely.

Chen Yi looked at the lighthouse in the distance.

"Your face is just a stepping stone; what keeps you there is your irreplaceable qualities."

"Your flying dance is your irreplaceable quality."

"You don't need to play your trump card your whole life."

Chen Yi continued.

Hanikezi was stunned for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"The hole cards are just tools to help you stay on the table."

Chen Yi looked at the sea.

"As long as you're still at the table, you'll always get new cards."

"Acting skills, variety show presence, and even public appeal—these are all new assets."

"What you need to do now is not worry about when your trump card will expire."

"Instead, while we're still at the table, we should try to get as many good cards as possible!"

Hanikezi opened her eyes wide, pondering the meaning of those words.

The anxiety in my heart seemed to be soothed by this simple sentence.

She looked at Chen Yi's profile.

The sea breeze lifted her long hair, and a few strands brushed against the corner of her mouth.

She suddenly turned to look at Chen Yi.

"You're different from people in the entertainment industry; you're very genuine."

Her tone was very serious.

Chen Yi turned his head and met her gaze.

A very faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Because I'm not originally from the entertainment industry."

The surveillance cameras in the distance rotated silently.

The red indicator light flashed in the darkness.

Record this scene completely.

This footage will go viral when it airs later!

Ps:

[New book launch, seeking support! Three quick actions: add to bookshelf, urge for updates, write a review. The writer is online begging for support!]