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

Chen Yi stood under the streetlight at the side entrance of the resort.

The lingering sensation on my right cheek hadn't completely faded, so I raised my hand and rubbed that spot with my fingertips.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

Chen Yi took out his phone, and a WeChat message from Hanikezi popped up on the screen.

"I'm in my room! Sister Hong didn't notice I snuck out! (Smug cat emoji)"

Chen Yi tapped his fingers on the keyboard.

"Don't be late for the shoot tomorrow morning."

The other party replied instantly.

"Okay! Be careful tomorrow too, don't get photographed by paparazzi!"

The next afternoon, in the first-class cabin of the flight to Shanghai.

Chen Yi leaned back in his chair, wearing a black baseball cap.

Xiao Fang sat next to him, holding a tablet computer and checking the itinerary at a rapid pace.

"Bro, we'll head straight to the photography studio of a domestic fashion brand this afternoon to shoot their autumn posters."

Xiao Fang swiped the screen, "There's an online interview with Harper's Bazaar at 8 PM tonight, and I'm flying to Changsha early tomorrow morning to record a studio variety show..."

Chen Yi did not respond.

He kept his head down, his eyes glued to his phone screen.

In the chat box, Hanikezi sent a photo.

The photo shows an extremely elaborate ancient headdress, covered with pearls and tassels.

"This headdress weighs a full five pounds! I feel like my neck is going to break! *crying*"

Chen Yi types with one hand.

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. Eat more walnuts to nourish your cervical spine."

"Chen Yi! Don't you have any compassion?!"

"No. I'm only concerned about what you're having for dinner."

"The crew's boxed lunch! Boiled cabbage and brown rice! Sister Hong is standing right next to me watching me eat! I want coconut chicken!"

Chen Yi stared at the screen, his lips involuntarily curving upwards into a distinct smile.

Xiao Fang sat down next to him and lowered the tablet computer.

She turned her head and looked at Chen Yi, who was staring at his phone and grinning foolishly, and rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.

"elder brother!!!"

Xiao Fang tentatively said, "If the 'fan site's admin's' photo of you shows that expression, tomorrow's trending topic will be 'Chen Yi's suspected relationship exposed'."

Chen Yi locked the phone screen and placed the phone face down on the small table.

"Send me the interview outline."

Chen Yi's tone instantly returned to normal.

Xiao Fang sighed helplessly and handed over the tablet.

For the next three days, Chen Yi was subjected to an extremely abnormal work rhythm.

With three announcements to keep me busy every day, my sleep time is compressed to the extreme.

But under this pressure, he communicated less and less with Xiao Fang, while his WeChat chat frequency with Hanikezi increased dramatically.

From "good morning" to "good night," their chat window was almost constantly open.

At seven o'clock in the morning, "Chen Yi! I overslept today! Sister Hong is banging on the door!"

"Remember to wash your face before opening the door."

At noon, a photo of the crew's boxed lunch was sent over.

"I got half a chicken leg today! But Sister Hong took half of it!"

Chen Yi took a picture of the weight-loss meal in front of him and sent it to them.

"I don't even have a chicken leg."

At 4 p.m., Hanikezi sent a short video.

In the video, a stray yellow dog in Hengdian World Studios is seen lying on the steps sunbathing.

"Look at this dog, the way it rolls its eyes looks just like you!"

Chen Yi replied with a "block warning" emoji.

10 PM, a photography studio in Shanghai.

Chen Yi, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, sat on the sofa in the rest area.

A dozen or so staff members moved around, setting up the lighting for the next scene.

Chen Chichi walked in carrying two iced Americanos and plopped down next to Chen Yi.

"You're acting strange lately."

Chen Chichi handed over the coffee, "I was watching you take photos behind the monitor just now, and that look in your eyes was absolutely captivating! Old Mai praised your expressiveness, saying it's reached a new level."

Chen Yi took the coffee, but didn't drink it; he simply placed it on the coffee table.

His phone screen lit up; Hanikezi had sent him a photo.

The background of the photo is a street-side barbecue stall in Hengdian, with several skewers of sizzling, oily lamb on the table.

"Sister Hong went to a meeting, so I sneaked out to buy it!"

Immediately afterwards, a second message popped up.

"This barbecue smells amazing, I'd like to eat with you."

Chen Yi's gaze lingered on the last six words.

Chen Yi hovered his finger over the screen for two seconds before typing a reply.

"You can pay the bill."

"No problem! I'll bring you next time! It's on me!"

Hanikezi replied instantly.

Chen Yi looked at the words "I'll bring you next time" and let out a low chuckle.

Chen Chichi sat next to him, craning his neck to try and peek at Chen Yi's phone screen.

Chen Yi flipped his wrist and pressed the screen directly onto his lap.

"What are you looking at?"

Chen Yi glanced at him.

"Look at you, so worthless!" Chen Chichi pointed at Chen Yi's face. "You were laughing so hard your back teeth were almost showing! Do you know how you look any different from a teddy bear in heat?"

"Do you even know what emotional value is?" Chen Yi asked calmly.

I bother!

Chen Chichi cursed, "Why don't you offer emotional value to others? The day before yesterday at Qiandao Lake, Lao Wang was being nice to you, asking you to go over a script, and you just threw the script at his lap! Those people from Xingyu Media offended you, and you just turned around and sent a big influencer with eight million followers to work on a sewing machine!"

"They brought it on themselves."

Chen Yi picked up his coffee and took a sip.

"What about Hani?"

Chen Chichi pressed for an answer.

"She's my partner!"

Chen Yi put the coffee back on the table.

"Partner my ass!"

Chen Chichi stood up, pointed at Chen Yi, and said, "The whole internet knows you two are dating! If you keep pretending, you'll be in for a disaster!"

Chen Chichi left, cursing and swearing.

Chen Yi picked up his phone and continued replying to Hanikezi's messages.

Xiao Fang stood not far away, watching Chen Yi staring at the screen typing. She silently took out her phone, opened the notes app, and created a new document titled "Emergency PR Plan for Relationship Exposure 3.0".

As the clock struck two in the morning, Chen Yi finished the last voiceover for GG and returned to his hotel.

After taking a shower, he leaned against the headboard in his bathrobe and casually picked up his phone from the bedside table.

The WeChat interface was quiet. Two hours ago, Hanikezi posted "I'm going to memorize my lines," and then there was no further activity.

Chen Yi was about to turn off the lights and go to sleep when his screen suddenly lit up with a long text message from Hanikezi.

Chen Yi immediately sat up straight and opened the chat box.

"I've always made decisions quickly since I was a child. Whether it's buying clothes, accepting scripts, or even learning to dance, I never hesitate. There's only one thing that I hesitated for a long time."

"I'm afraid this is just an illusion created by the variety show. I'm afraid that we're nothing off-camera. I'm also afraid that Mr. Zhou and his people will cause trouble for you."

"But when you took my hand on the beach in Sanya, I realized what had happened."

"Chen Yi, I've made up my mind..."

The news ended there.

Chen Yi stared at the last ellipsis, his brows furrowing slightly.

He looked at the screen and saw the message "The other party is typing..." He waited for two full minutes, but the message disappeared without any new messages being sent.

Chen Yi's fingers tapped rapidly on the screen.

"What have you decided?"

After the message was sent, it disappeared without a trace.

Five minutes passed, then ten minutes passed.

Chen Yi threw off the covers, took his phone, and walked to the French windows.

He looked at the pitch-black night outside and opened the chat window again.

Where are they?

Three minutes later, the phone finally vibrated.

Hanikezi replied.

"Never mind, it's hard to explain in words. Let's talk in person next time."

Chen Yi stared at those words, his breath catching in his throat for a second.

"When is the next time?"

Chen Yi pressed, "I'm going to sleep! I need to get up at five tomorrow morning to put on makeup! Goodnight!"

Immediately afterwards, a cat emoji covering itself with a blanket was sent, and Chen Yi immediately made a voice call.

"Sorry, the number you dialed is currently switched off."

A system notification tone came from the earpiece. Chen Yi took the phone away from his ear and looked at the now black screen.

The computer is off!!

This girl whetted his appetite to the limit, and then just ran away.

Chen Yi threw his phone on the bed and ran his hands through his hair haphazardly.

He walked to the bar, poured himself a glass of ice water, and gulped it down in one go.

The ice water slid down my throat and into my stomach, but it couldn't quell the restless fire in my heart.

He walked back to the bedside, picked up his phone, and opened the long text message again, reading it word by word.

"I've made up my mind..."

Chen Yi tossed his phone aside, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes.

Ten minutes later, he suddenly opened his eyes, picked up his phone, and glanced at the time.

At 2:40 a.m., Chen Yi turned over and stared at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep!