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

The night breeze at the Dali guesthouse carried the moisture from Erhai Lake.

At 1 a.m., all the camera indicator lights in the corridor went out.

Hanikezi opened the door a crack, poked half her head out, and looked around.

Once she was sure no one was around, she wrapped herself tightly in her large black sun-protective clothing and tiptoed to the open-air balcony at the end of the corridor.

The balcony lights were off.

By the starlight, Hanikezi spotted a tall, slender figure leaning against the wooden railing.

Chen Yi changed into a loose, plain black T-shirt, bent one leg, and looked down at his phone.

Hearing the noise, Chen Yi turned off the screen and turned to look.

"Your positioning is pretty professional." Chen Yi's tone was full of mockery. "Anyone who didn't know better would think you came to steal the crew's lunch boxes."

Hanikezi rushed over in three quick steps, glaring at him in a low voice.

"You still dare to talk! If you hadn't sent those kinds of WeChat messages, would I have had to be acting like a thief in the middle of the night?!"

Chen Yi straightened up and casually pulled her into the shadows of a blind spot in the surveillance camera's blind spot.

"Did Sister Hong scold you again?" Chen Yi asked bluntly.

Hanikezi's eyes darted away.

"No, it was just a routine inquiry about the recording process," she stubbornly insisted.

Chen Yi stared at her without saying a word.

The starry sky in Dali was extremely bright. Chen Yi could clearly see the lingering fatigue on her face.

"Even lying requires skill," Chen Yi bluntly exposed. "The way you were on the phone just now was so loud it turned on my motion-activated light. Did Star Entertainment Media get new management and use your S-level contract to pressure them?"

Hanikezi's shoulders slumped down.

"You heard everything and you still ask?" She leaned against the railing, her voice muffled. "Sister Hong said the new management is even more ruthless than Zhou Jianguo. If they find out we have any private dealings, the company will ruin me."

She turned to look at Chen Yi.

"Chen Yi, I'm a little scared," Hanikezi said uneasily. "Sister Hong's intuition is too accurate; she's already started to suspect me tonight. Tomorrow is the last day of recording, and Lao Wang will definitely cause trouble again."

Chen Yi leaned on the railing with both hands, looking at the dark lake in the distance.

"Star Entertainment Media is currently struggling to survive, and the mess left by Zhou Jianguo is enough to give them a hard time." Chen Yi spoke calmly, "The new executives are using the contract to pressure you now, but it's just a bluff. They're afraid that if you're tied to me, it will affect their ability to sell you off for a good price later."

Hanikezi was surprised by his keenness.

"But you don't even have a proper agency yet, and your studio isn't even set up," she muttered under her breath. "If Star Entertainment Media really goes all out, what will you use to defend yourself?"

Chen Yi turned his head to look at her.

"How about risking your life?" Chen Yi raised an eyebrow.

"Pah! Pah! Pah! You jinx!" Hanikezi snapped, reaching out to cover his mouth. "Who asked you to risk your life for that!"

Chen Yi seized her wrist and didn't let go.

The warmth of his palm made Hanikezi's cheeks burn. She struggled a couple of times but couldn't break free, so she simply let him be.

"Chen Yi," Hanikezi said in a low voice, looking at their clasped hands, "How long are we going to keep this a secret?"

This is a very real problem.

Secret relationships, pressure from capital, and the ever-present lens of the media.

Chen Yi abandoned his usual nonchalance and became extremely focused.

"When I've built my career to a point where no one can touch me," Chen Yi said, enunciating each word with the certainty of stating a fact, "when Star Entertainment Media, even with the full force of the company, wouldn't dare to lay a finger on you, then I'll go public."

Hanikezi was stunned.

She looked into Chen Yi's eyes. There was no empty promise in them, only absolute confidence.

"Your current approach is too one-dimensional; relying on variety shows to maintain popularity won't take you far. You need to have some outstanding film and television works to your name," Chen Yi continued.

Hanikezi smiled wryly: "Good projects aren't easy to come by; all the top-tier projects are monopolized by big companies."

"What's a notebook from a big company?" Chen Yi flicked her wrist with his thumb. "I told you, I'd give you the best. What they can't give you, I will. What they try to take away, I'll chop off their hands."

Hanikezi felt a lump in her throat.

She sniffed, forcibly suppressing her emotions.

"You said it yourself." Hanikezi raised her chin, extended her right little finger, and offered it to Chen Yi. "Pinky promise."

Chen Yi looked at the fair finger and a helpless smile appeared on his lips.

"How old are you to still be playing this?"

Despite his verbal complaints, he didn't hesitate in his actions.

Chen Yi extended his right hand, his well-defined little finger firmly hooking her little finger.

Thumbprints.

"The stamp is valid." Hanikezi smiled, her eyes crinkling, and the gloom vanished.

The two leaned against the railing, enjoying the rare tranquility.

"Tomorrow's the final recording, so you better behave yourself." Hanikezi, remembering what happened during the day, quickly warned, "Don't resort to violence so easily; Old Wang has a very sharp eye!"

"As long as you don't cut your hand or fall into the lake," Chen Yi released his hand and put it back in his pocket, "I promise to stay three meters away from you."

"You even dared to mention cutting hands!" Hanikezi was furious. "Even if it's a Manchu Han Imperial Feast tomorrow, I absolutely refuse to be in a group with you!"

Just as the two were bickering in hushed tones.

On the other side of the second-floor corridor, less than ten meters from the balcony.

Behind a half-open window, a pair of eyes were wide open, staring intently at two dark figures almost touching in the corner of the balcony.

Chen Chichi was wearing pajamas covered in SpongeBob SquarePants prints and holding a half-full glass of warm water.

He watched Chen Yi hook his little finger around Hanikezi's finger, his face contorted in extreme pain.

"What a tragedy," Chen Chichi said in a low voice, letting out an extremely heavy sigh.

He only got up to get a drink of water in the middle of the night, but who knew that when he drew back the curtains he would be confronted with this blindingly bright scene.

During the day, they guard against the camera like they're thieves, but in the middle of the night, they're making a pinky promise here, vowing to never change their minds?

"Chen Yi, you hypocrite!" Chen Chichi mentally raged. "The day before yesterday, I cut my hand and you wanted me to have it amputated, but today someone else has a minor cut and you're practically ready to overturn the stove! Pinky promise? Do you two think this is some kind of idol drama?!"

Chen Chichi rubbed his throbbing temples.

He looked at the half-full glass of water in his hand and realized he wasn't thirsty at all.

I was completely stuffed with dog food!

"With this stickiness, if Old Wang puts on some kind of test of teamwork tomorrow, these two will definitely be completely exposed." Chen Chichi shook his head.

He drew the curtains extremely slowly, completely shutting out the adulterous couple from his sight.

Being an older brother is too hard.