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

As Chen Yi watched the icy blue panel gradually fade from his mind, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

With this connection, the poorly made ancient costume drama scripts that Su Wan was holding became completely worthless.

The following afternoon.

Top-floor conference room at the headquarters of Star Entertainment Media in Beijing.

The air conditioning was set very low, and the atmosphere was so cold it felt like it could freeze.

Xiao Fang, dressed in a custom-made suit with the tags just removed, sat imposingly on the left side of the conference table.

His palms were sweaty, but his back was ramrod straight.

Sitting opposite him was Sister Hong, whose face was ashen, and two senior executives from Xingyu's legal department.

In the past, a personal studio assistant of Xiao Fang's caliber wouldn't even be able to get a key card to enter Xingyu's building.

But today, Sister Hong personally pushed a cup of freshly ground Americano in front of him.

"President Fang," Sister Hong gritted her teeth and slammed a thick document onto the table, "This is a letter of intent for joint endorsements from five national-level brands, totaling over 80 million. Our President Su's idea is that we should all work together to make money. The revenue split will be 70% for Xingyu and 30% for Chen Yi's studio."

Xiao Fang didn't even flip through the document; he simply pushed it back.

"Sister Hong, if this is the kind of sincerity you're going to use to negotiate, then my brother has told me that this contract cannot be signed." Xiao Fang's tone was calm, perfectly mimicking Chen Yi's usual nonchalant yet extremely authoritative demeanor.

Sister Hong's brows furrowed into a tight knot.

"30% is the highest concession Xingyu can offer! Hani is our company's S-level artist, and all her commercial contracts are in our hands!" Sister Hong slammed her hand on the table.

"Really?" Xiao Fang sneered. "Then why don't you call Cartier's Asia-Pacific head right now and tell them that Sister Hani is taking on this Qixi Festival blockbuster all by herself, and see if they're willing to spend tens of millions?"

Sister Hong fell silent.

She knew all too well. This morning, Su Wan smashed two coffee cups in her office because these five national-level brands made it crystal clear on the phone: as long as Yi Zi and his partner team up, if one person is missing, the 80 million yuan investment will be withdrawn immediately.

The board of directors of Star Entertainment issued a strict order: this money must be earned and put into the account to make up for the deficit left by Zhou Jianguo.

"A 50/50 split." Xiao Fang held up five fingers, his voice firm and resolute. "That's the bottom line."

Just as Xingyu's legal director was about to retort, Sister Hong raised her hand to stop him.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Okay, 50/50." Sister Hong opened her eyes, her voice hoarse, "But Xingyu must have absolute say in the filming scale and publicity rhythm."

"Impossible." Xiao Fang stood firm. "My brother said that we must have control over the contract. During the shoot, we must maintain an 'ambiguous but not overstepping' boundary. How we shoot and what we shoot are all up to us. Moreover, all materials featuring the two of them that are released must undergo final review by our studio."

Sister Hong laughed in exasperation.

"Are you treating Star Entertainment like an ATM? You even have to review the promotional materials?"

"Sister Hong, this is called protecting female artists." Xiao Fang leaned forward, staring at her. "You wouldn't want Sister Hani to be photographed in any suggestive or overly exploitative material, would you? My brother is very protective of his own, you know that better than I do."

Upon hearing the words "protecting one's own," Sister Hong's eyelids twitched violently.

She recalled the image of Hanikezi holding her phone and grinning foolishly last night, and then she remembered Chen Yi's famous line on the beach, "Take her home to meet your mother."

"Okay." Sister Hong deflated like a punctured balloon, completely giving in. She pulled out her pen and signed her name on the contract. "I'll do it your way."

Xiao Fang looked at the signed contract, overjoyed inside, but outwardly remained as calm as a rock.

"It's a pleasure working with you."

Two hours later.

Chen Yi's nanny van was parked in a blind spot in the underground parking garage of Xingyu headquarters.

The car door opened, and Hanikezi slipped in like a thieving kitten, immediately taking off her baseball cap.

"Chen Yi!" Her eyes sparkled as she pounced on the seat next to Chen Yi. "Sister Hong came back to her office with a dark expression! She said your studio is practically full of bandits!"

Chen Yi leaned back in his chair, casually took the bag from her hand, and tossed it aside.

"What's wrong with bandits?" Chen Yi asked casually. "Bandits can save you from trying out those lousy scripts."

Hanikezi nodded vigorously, took out a Xinjiang milk candy from her pocket, unwrapped it, and stuffed it directly into Chen Yi's mouth.

"This is a reward for you!" she said, her eyes crinkling with laughter as she leaned close.

Chen Yi bit into the milk candy, the sweetness melting in his mouth.

He looked at the girl's face so close to his own and gently flicked her forehead with his fingertip.

"This reward isn't enough," Chen Yi said, raising an eyebrow.

Hanikezi covered her forehead, and two blushes visibly rose on her cheeks.

"Then... what else do you want?" she muttered softly, her eyes unconsciously drifting towards Chen Yi's lips.

Just then, the passenger door was suddenly pulled open.

Xiao Fang sat down with a stack of documents, excitedly waving the contract in his hand.

"Brother! It's settled! Eighty million! 50/50 split!" Xiao Fang shouted until his voice cracked, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the back row.

Hanikezi was so frightened that she immediately shrank back into her seat and turned her head to pretend to look at the load-bearing wall outside the window.

Chen Yi gave Xiao Fang a cold look.

Xiao Fang felt a chill run down his spine, quickly sat up straight, and coughed twice to cover up his embarrassment.

"Brother, um... the schedule for our first joint endorsement has been finalized." Xiao Fang quickly reported his work, trying to divert attention from his murderous aura.

"Speak." Chen Yi withdrew his gaze.

"Next Tuesday." Xiao Fang opened the document. "The Valentine's Day special project for a certain high-end mobile phone brand has failed. They offered the highest budget and had the most urgent requirements."

Hanikezi pricked up her ears and turned her head curiously.

"Taking a picture of your phone fails? How are we supposed to take a picture then?"

Xiao Fang looked at the proposal in the document, and his expression became somewhat strange.

"The theme the brand gave us is... 'The Distance of Heartbeat'." Xiao Fang swallowed hard. "The director asked that there be no lines in the entire film, and that you two rely entirely on your eyes and body language to create that extreme tension of 'being close yet distant, wanting to touch but pulling back'."

Chen Yi tapped his knee lightly with his fingers, turned his head, and stared directly at Hanikezi's flushed face.

"Aloof yet close?"