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

Only after the other person finished yelling did he put the phone back to his ear and press the voice call button.

"With such a loud voice, it seems I won't be taking care of breakfast tomorrow."

"No way! I want pan-fried buns! And I want congee with preserved egg and lean pork! To celebrate your permanent stay!"

Hanikezi replied instantly, her voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement.

"Okay, I'm going back to Shanghai tomorrow. Just tell me what you want to eat."

After sending this message, Chen Yi tossed his phone aside.

The next afternoon.

A meeting room that Xiao Fang temporarily rented in a high-end office building in Shanghai.

Xiao Fang pushed a thick stack of contracts in front of Chen Yi, his hands trembling.

The lawyer sat down next to him and adjusted his glasses.

"Mr. Chen, I have checked the terms word for word. Mr. Li has indeed shown the utmost sincerity. The top-tier flight price will make up for the difference between the first two episodes. Starting from the next episode, your regular rate will be directly comparable to that of top-tier variety show stars."

The lawyer turned to the last page.

"Most importantly, the clause you requested regarding the rejection of malicious editing has been clearly written into the contract as a supplementary agreement. If the production team breaches the contract, you have the right to terminate the contract and claim compensation at any time."

Chen Yi picked up the pen and signed his name decisively.

Xiao Fang rubbed his hands together excitedly, staring at the contract as if it were a mountain of gold.

"Brother Yi, do you know how many agencies were inquiring about your background this morning? I heard Qin Yu changed his PR team overnight, he's furious."

Whether he changes jobs or not is none of my business. What's the schedule for the rest of the trip?

Chen Yi threw the pen on the table.

Xiao Fang immediately took out a prepared PPT and turned on the projector.

"In the short term, the core is Wuha. You need to stabilize this persona and fully monetize the traffic. In the medium term, I have already screened three national-level brands for endorsements, and two S-level music variety shows are in contact with us."

Xiao Fang switches to the next page.

"In the long term, several scripts for second male leads in historical romance dramas have been submitted, with extremely high salaries. I think it's worth a try."

Chen Yi tapped his fingers on the table, interrupting her.

"Reject all film and television scripts."

Xiao Fang was stunned.

"Why? It's a big production! These days, which variety show personality doesn't capitalize on their popularity to film movies and make money?"

"I have never studied acting, and going to a film crew now would only be a nuisance to the audience."

Chen Yi's tone was calm and left no room for negotiation: "I can accept variety shows and endorsements, but I have to be selective about the quality. I won't accept endorsements from micro-businesses that prey on consumers, nor will I accept endorsements for substandard or counterfeit products. I don't want to make quick money and ruin my reputation."

Xiao Fang looked at Chen Yi's expressionless face and swallowed hard.

"Understood. Bro, you're our studio's cash cow right now, you have to protect your reputation!"

evening.

Chen Yi returned to his rented apartment.

He had just sat down on the sofa when the system panel, which had been dormant in his mind all day, suddenly popped up.

"Ding!"

"Mid-term main quest: Permanent Guest, completed."

"Task rewards are being distributed..."

"Received: Talent Package - Advanced"

"Received: A mystery gift pack."

"Popularity score calculation complete! Current popularity score surpasses 30000 points!"

Chen Yi opened the skill tree panel.

The previously grayed-out icons instantly lit up with a golden light.

"Intermediate Singing Level, unlocked."

"Dance for Beginners, Unlocked"

A surge of heat flowed down my spine and throughout my body.

Chen Yi felt a surge of heat in his throat, as if the muscles around his vocal cords had undergone countless hammering sessions, and his mind was filled with a vast amount of vocal techniques, pitch control, and resonance points.

The joints of the limbs also become lighter and more flexible, and the body's flexibility is greatly improved.

He stood up, picked up the old wooden guitar from the corner, strummed a few chords, and hummed a tune.

The sound quality has completely changed.

His high notes were clear and effortless, his low notes were steady and solid, and his breath control was so long that even he found it incredible.

Chen Yi put down his guitar and found a notebook.

The system provides the basics and muscle memory, but to truly perform with ease in front of the camera, you still need to reinforce it daily.

He picked up a pen and wrote down his daily training plan on a piece of paper.

I run five kilometers at six in the morning to practice my breathing.

Practice guitar fingering and vocalizations before bed at night.

I catch up on my studies by watching top-tier talk shows and reality shows from both domestic and international sources whenever I have a spare moment.

He is well aware that regular guests need to consistently provide content.

In the first two episodes, he could amaze the audience with his contrasting style, but as time goes on, the audience's threshold will be raised.

8 PM.

The official Weibo account of "Five Ha" released a major update without any prior warning.

"Welcome our new friend, and also our old friend @ChenYi, to the Wuha family! See you next time!"

The accompanying image is a solo poster of Chen Yi sitting on a stage, holding a guitar.

The comment section exploded within a minute of the Weibo post being published.

#ChenYiStaysAtWuha# suddenly became the number one trending topic.

Hanikezi immediately liked and shared the post, with a very straightforward caption: "From now on, the crew's meals will be taken care of!"

Chen Chichi quickly followed up with a repost: "Cousin, please take care of me in the future (not really)."

The Yi Zi CP super topic is filled with the atmosphere of Chinese New Year, with fans flooding the screen with messages.

But half an hour later, the wind direction changed.

Xiao Fang called, her voice urgent.

"Yi-ge, have you checked Weibo? There are paid trolls stirring up trouble!"

Chen Yi opened Weibo.

The top comments section was flooded with a large number of similar posts, causing the number of likes to skyrocket abnormally.

"How can an ordinary person squeeze out a professional artist? Did they get in through connections because they're Chen Chichi's cousin?"

"I was lucky in the first two episodes. You can't stay a regular on a show just by talking."

"Without real talent, you'll inevitably fail sooner or later. I feel sorry for my brother being cheated by capital."

"I'm waiting for the next episode to reveal their true colors. You can't fake a sense of humor for long."

It's obvious who hired these online trolls.

Xiao Fang was so anxious on the phone that she jumped up and down.

"Qin Yu's backers have made their move! Since they couldn't get a spot, they're trying to smear you in the media! Should I contact a PR firm to suppress the trending topics?"

"Need not."

Chen Yi spoke calmly.

"But they said really nasty things! They said all you can do is cook and ride the coattails of trending topics!"

"Let them curse."

"Brother Yi?"

"In the era of internet traffic, being famous even when you're not is still being famous. They're paying me to get attention, why should we stop them?"

Chen Yi exited the Weibo interface.

"But the pressure of recording the next episode will be immense! Everyone will be watching you, and if you make even the slightest mistake, they'll magnify it a thousandfold!"

"Then let's not make a mistake."

Chen Yi hung up the phone.

A new message popped up on WeChat.

Hanikezi sent a meme of someone angrily banging on a table.

"I'm so angry! I just used my alternate account to yell back! How dare they say you got in through connections!"

Chen Yi typed a reply.

"Don't use alternate accounts to spread rumors, or you'll be exposed. Don't worry about this."

Hanikezi: "But they went too far! They said you'd definitely show your true colors in the next episode!"

Chen Yi: "Then let them watch the full movie."

Chen Chichi also sent a WeChat voice message.

"Cousin, don't listen to the comments online. I'll protect you next time. With me here, no one can mess with you."

Chen Yi replied.

"You should take care of your weight first."

Chen Yi placed his phone face down on the table, stood up, and walked to the window.

Outside the window is the dazzling night view of Shanghai.

He could hear in his mind the comments section where people were shouting "wait for it to crash and burn".

His first appearance as a regular on the show was met with intense scrutiny across the internet.

Chen Yi looked at his reflection in the glass window, his eyes calm, but the competitive flame in his heart had been completely ignited.

Want to see him fail?

We'll see.