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

The system notification in my mind faded away completely.

Three days later, at the Qiandao Lake recording base in Hangzhou.

Chen Yi got out of the nanny van, and Xiao Fang followed behind carrying two bags, walking very fast.

"Brother Yi, this way, the production team has left a separate passage for us."

Xiao Fang lowered his voice, his tone revealing barely suppressed excitement.

The two walked through the corridor and stopped in front of the largest lounge at the end of the corridor.

The sign on the door reads in gold lettering: Chen Yi (Flying Guest - Special Invitation).

The door was pushed open from the inside.

Chen Chichi, clutching half an apple in his hand, peeked out and scanned the doorplate and Chen Yi's face three times.

"Has Old Wang gone mad?"

Chen Chichi took a bite of his apple and mumbled, "I've been a regular for three seasons, and I'm crammed into that run-down room next door with Deng Chao that doesn't even have windows. And you, a guest star, get a private bathroom and a leather sofa?"

"Maybe it's because I'm more pleasing to the eye than you."

Chen Yi walked past him and went inside.

"Don't give me that crap! Capital isn't about looks; it's about data!"

Chen Chichi squeezed in and closed the door behind him. "I heard that the views on your clips from last episode were so high they brought the platform's servers to a standstill. Old Wang is treating you like royalty now."

Chen Yi threw his coat on the sofa and ignored him.

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the lounge.

Old Wang leaned in halfway, not holding his usual large tea mug, and wore a perfectly professional smile.

"Xiao Chen, are you done packing?"

Old Wang didn't even glance at Chen Chichi. "President Li is waiting for you in the conference room on the second floor. He said he wants to talk to you about a few things before the recording starts."

Chen Chichi stopped chewing the apple.

"Mr. Li? Producer Mr. Li?"

Chen Chichi's eyes widened. "He came to oversee the scene in person?"

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Chen Yi stood up and straightened his collar.

Second floor conference room.

The door opened, and at the end of the long conference table sat a middle-aged man in a custom-made suit, holding a cup of hand-drip coffee.

"sit."

Mr. Li pointed to the chair opposite him.

Chen Yi pulled out a chair and sat down, his back straight, without saying a word.

"I've seen the data from the first two periods, and it's very impressive."

Mr. Li put down his coffee cup, tapped his fingers twice on the table, and said, "Young, witty, and can even cook. The online response to your interaction with that Xinjiang girl has far exceeded expectations."

"Mr. Li probably didn't call me to praise my cooking."

Chen Yi spoke in a flat tone.

Mr. Li smiled.

"I just enjoy talking to smart people. 'Five Ha' is a long-term project, and we need people who can consistently generate buzz. The production team is considering a major overhaul of the regular cast."

Chen Yi looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"But variety shows are a magnifying glass. Creating a couple on screen can bring temporary popularity, but once the audience gets tired of it, the backlash is also the fastest."

President Li leaned forward, his gaze fixed on Chen Yi. "I want to see just how strong you are at handling the main storyline on your own, detached from the romantic subplot."

"so?"

"This recording was an exam."

Mr. Li leaned back in his chair. "Give it your all. If the ratings can maintain the same increase as last episode, I'll personally hand you the permanent contract after filming is finished."

Chen Yi tapped his knee twice with his finger.

"Mr. Li, making empty promises is the boss's prerogative, but I don't have a good appetite and can't digest empty talk."

Mr. Li frowned slightly.

"I'm willing to sign the contract, but I have two conditions."

Chen Yi looked him straight in the eye. "First, the appearance fee will be settled at the top market rate, making up for the difference between the first two episodes. Second, I will only be myself, and the production team cannot use malicious editing to force conflicts between me and others."

The meeting room was silent for ten seconds.

Mr. Li suddenly burst out laughing.

"You're just an ordinary person, and you're talking to me about top-tier pricing?"

"Data doesn't lie."

Chen Yi stood up. "Since President Li has seen the data, he should know that I'm worth this price. The recording is about to start, I'll go downstairs to prepare."

Chen Yi turned around, opened the door, and walked out without looking back.

Mr. Li sat in his seat, watching the closed door, picked up his coffee, took a sip, and a mysterious smile appeared on his lips.

Back in the lounge, Chen Yi had just opened the door when he saw Hanikezi sitting on his leather sofa, swinging her legs.

She wore a light blue sporty trench coat today, and her hair was tied in a high ponytail, giving her a refreshing and energetic look.

"Where did you go?"

Hanikezi jumped up, pulled a small paper packet from her pocket and stuffed it into her hand. "These are roasted walnuts my assistant brought from Xinjiang. I secretly saved a handful for you."

Chen Yi took it and squeezed the paper package.

"Too high in calories, confiscated."

He casually stuffed the paper package into his pocket.

Hanikezi's eyes widened.

"How could you be like this! I brought you food out of kindness!"

"Your sister Hong posted your weight data in the group yesterday, and you're 1.5 pounds over the limit."

Chen Yi remained unfazed. "We have a water mission this afternoon. You don't want to be unable to zip up your life jacket when you're wearing it, do you?"

"Chen Yi!"

Hanikezi stomped her feet in anger and reached into his pocket, shouting, "Give it back!"

Chen Yi took half a step back and pressed down on her wrist with one hand.

"Stop fooling around, you're about to appear on camera."

Hanikezi's wrist was pressed against his warm palm, and her movements froze instantly, her ear tips visibly turning pink.

She abruptly pulled her hand back and turned her face away.

"Fine, don't give it to me then, you stingy person."

The assistant director's voice, calling for everyone to assemble, came from outside the door through a megaphone.

"Let's go, let's meet at the square."

Chen Yi picked up his coat.

The two walked out of the lounge one after the other. Just as they reached the corner, Xiao Fang rushed over from another corridor, grabbed Chen Yi's arm, and looked very upset.

"Brother Yi, something's happened."

Xiao Fang glanced at Hanikezi beside her, then hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but didn't.

"Just say it."

Chen Yi spoke.

"I just went over the script with the coordinator and got some inside information."

Xiao Fang took a deep breath and spoke very quickly, "President Li does intend to reserve a permanent spot for this term, but he doesn't plan to give it to you directly."

Chen Yi stopped in his tracks.

"The investors forced someone in; they just arrived on site today."

Xiao Fang gritted her teeth and said, "The production team has changed the permanent spot to a two-out-of-two selection. For all the tasks in this episode, you two will compete on the same stage, and whoever has the higher overall score will get the contract."

Hanikezi frowned as she listened from the side.

"Isn't this just too unfair? Chen Yi's stats in the first two rounds were so good, why does he have to compete with others?"

Chen Yi's expression remained unchanged; he simply turned to look at Xiao Fang.

"Who are our competitors?"