On June 5th, the day before the semi-finals began.

Xiao Yi and Jing Lu went to the program group as usual to report, to discuss the final details of the songs they would be singing. After finishing, the program director said, "Xiao Yi, please stay back for a moment."

Xiao Yi knew the program director wanted to discuss something with him, so he sat in the corridor, asking Jing Lu to go back first. He scrolled through Weibo, seeing his fans urging him to rest well as the competition was about to start.

Then people began calling Xiao Yi "My Yi," which made him feel a mix of sadness and gratitude, feeling sorry for his fans. Everyone was expecting him to achieve good results, but he was destined to be eliminated. His fans had grown to over two million.

The program director opened the door and asked Xiao Yi to come in.

"We watched the video," the director said. "Um... Xiao Yi, are you sure you communicated with Director Du about this and there's no problem?"

"Yes," Xiao Yi asked, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Yi noticed even the deputy director was there, as well as people from publicity and planning, all in the room.

"Let's get straight to the point," the program director said. "Yesterday, someone came and paid a sponsorship fee for you, directly transferred."

Xiao Yi: "..."

"How much?" Xiao Yi instinctively felt this was serious.

"One million," the program director said. "But I'm not entirely sure about the situation, so I wanted to ask you first. Do you need to communicate with Director Du about this?"

Xiao Yi instantly understood. This was money from his friend, but wasn't the company supposed to handle this matter? He asked, "Who sent the money?"

"Zheng Xiaocong Studio," the program director said.

Xiao Yi immediately knew it was Lu Zhou who sent the money!

"I'll contact them." Xiao Yi said, "Wait for me for five minutes."

Xiao Yi went out to make a call. Zheng Xiaocong's family had some background, and if Lu Zhou asked him to help, it might work. He might directly advance to the next round.

"Um..." Xiao Yi called Zheng Xiaocong's private number. Having been Lu Zhou's assistant for so long, Xiao Yi still had connections. "Xiaocong, it's me."

"Hey, Xiao Yi, what's up?" Zheng Xiaocong's voice was calm.

Xiao Yi knew Zheng Xiaocong wasn't talkative but was loyal. He owed him a lot of favours. Lu Zhou had told him to admire Zheng Xiaocong, and not to act strong in front of him.

"Did you pay the sponsorship fee for me?" Xiao Yi asked, "But I has a prior arrangment with Director Du."

Zheng Xiaocong seemed a bit surprised. "Did Lin Chengshu tell you?"

Lin Chengshu was the deputy director's name. Xiao Yi said, "Yes, I didn't plan to advance to the next round, mainly... I wanted to mentor the new artists in the company."

"Well, that's okay then," Zheng Xiaocong said vaguely with a cigarette in his mouth. "Lu Zhou paid for you, afraid that Du Mei would hold you back. He probably didn't know about the situation between you two. So, feel free to do whatever you want. If you don't want to play, don't play. All these talent shows are the same..."

"Um... Can I return the money to you?" Xiao Yi asked, "Shall I transfer it back to your account?"

"It's okay," Zheng Xiaocong replied, "When you encounter Lu Zhou in the future.", just repay him

Xiao Yi: "Is Lu Zhou with you?"

"No, I'm having fun with my girl, let's not talk anymore." Zheng Xiaocong said, "I'll hang up."

Xiao Yi: "..."

Xiao Yi hung up the phone and returned to the office, where everyone was looking at him.

That day, Xiao Yi resolved everything. When he returned home, he sighed and looked at Lu's account. He wanted to say something but didn't know how to start.

The headline on Weibo that day was: "Lu Zhou Appears in Macau, Gambling Millions."

According to sources, last Wednesday, Lu Zhou and Zheng Xiaocong went to Macau and gambled millions in the casino.

Xiao Yi closed Weibo. The next day, he went to the company as usual.

His recording session with Jing Lu was in the afternoon, so they agreed to meet in the company in the morning. Du Mei was scrolling through today's Weibo, as it was Monday, Lu Zhou was in the news again, but the hype had died down. It wasn't as sensational as it used to be, and it seemed he wasn't the talk of the town anymore. However, Li Changzheng was gaining momentum, taking on a new TV drama and seemed to be interested in developing his career in television dramas.

Wu Henggu also came, and Du Mei gave him four scripts to choose from, all major dramas of this year.

Xiao Yi felt that without realizing it, he had stopped caring about many things happening in the TV drama circle. It was only June, less than a year since Lu Zhou got injured last year, and everything had changed so quickly.

"Lu Zhou visited the company the day before yesterday," Du Mei mentioned.

"What did he say?" Xiao Yi inquired immediately.

"He didn't say much, just came back to handle some paperwork," Du Mei replied.

Xiao Yi asked, "Is he doing okay lately?"

"He looks a bit worn out," Du Mei answered, "But overall, he's the same."

Xiao Yi questioned again, "Did he say anything else?"

Du Mei said, "He said you're doing well, and he genuinely feels happy for your achievements."

Xiao Yi: "..."

Tears welled up in Xiao Yi's eyes. Du Mei continued, "He also said he hopes you'll sing well and win the finals. The company also thinks so. Won't you reconsider?"

Xiao Yi shook his head.

"We're leaving," Xiao Yi told Du Mei.

*

Xiao Yi went to participate in the afternoon recording of the program together with Jing Lu. They ate hamburgers at McDonald's, and some fans recognized them, which surprised them. Xiao Yi just smiled and greeted them.

"Can you give me an autograph?" a fan ignored Jing Lu and asked Xiao Yi.

"This will be a limited edition," Xiao Yi raised his eyebrows, smiling at the fan. "Keep it safe."

After finishing their burgers, Xiao Yi said to Jing Lu, "Let's go."

Today's recording was already familiar to them. Jing Lu went up first, followed by Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi's self-selected song today was one he wrote himself. While preparing backstage, suddenly the entire waiting room was abuzz.

"Let me see, is it really him?" Many people ran outside.

"What's going on?" Jing Lu was puzzled, looking around.

"Don't mind them, focus on your lines," Xiao Yi said.

Apart from the songs of the two contestants, there was another segment that had been prepared in advance. Xiao Yi said to Jing Lu "The rest is up to you. I'll be content to lose to you."

Jing Lu said, "I... I only know how to sing..."

Xiao Yi insisted again, "Take my blessings with you, Jing Lu. Defeat them."

Jing Lv put down the script.

"That's enough," Xiao Yi told him. "We're not professional actors. Let the editing take care of the rest."

Xiao Yi took a deep breath. They were the first performance in the afternoon. Xiao Yi looked back and saw that the entire dressing room was empty.

"Where is everyone?" Xiao Yi wondered. "Could it be that we scared them away?"

Jing Lu went out to call someone, then came back looking startled. He said, "Teacher Xiao, a lot of people have come! They're all big names!"

Xiao Yi: "..."

Xiao Yi peeked outside and was almost shocked.

Ning Yaqing, Qi Ai, Zheng Xiaocong, Hu Yang, Wu Henggu, Lei Min... A group of celebrities, and... Li Changzheng! Li Changzheng and Du Ma were sitting together, chatting.

Oh my, what are you all up to! Are you going to let me sing? What's there to see?! Xiao Yi was almost bursting with rage. Suddenly, he felt the urge to urinate. Almost every friend in his WeChat circle had joined the gathering, including the marketing coordinator from a film crew... Xiao Yi couldn't help but wonder, Don't you guys have filming to do?

"Teacher Lu is nowhere to be found..." Jing Lu scanned the surroundings. Lu Zhou was also conspicuously absent. Xiao Yi couldn't spot him either. Feeling a twinge of disappointment, he reasoned that it was probably for the best if he didn't show up.

As the makeup artist worked on them, the rest of the contestants dashed out to seek autographs from the VIPs. Xiao Yi couldn't help but think, "You guys really..." He felt they should turn around and express gratitude to him. With both celebrities and staff present, the studio could easily host five or six TV shows if dismantled and reassembled.

The nervousness he felt before stepping onto the stage was unlike anything he had experienced in years.

 

Jing Lu sang first, and then the program director came over.

"Um..." the program director said, "Xiao Yi, your friends are all here."

"Yeah," Xiao Yi said, "Yeah, it seems so."

The program director continued, "Should I talk to the mentors again?"

Xiao Yi immediately said, "No need, they're just here for the fun."

"Okay," the program director added, "Perform well."

Xiao Yi thought to himself, usually those who come for fun aren't afraid of trouble. Director, you'd better send some more security guards, or it won't be good if something happens later. Recently, Ning Yaqing and Zhang Xinran have been fighting fiercely. Be careful that they don't explode after watching the competition.

Jing Lu finished singing, came down, and gave a high five to Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi took the mic and walked onto the stage.

"Ah—" Ning Yaqing screamed, "Xiao Yi—!"

"Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi!" Li Changzheng smiled and shouted.

Xiao Yi almost fell off the stage. Qi Ai started calling too, and a group of stars in the audience section cheered. Then the audience invited by the crew noticed the extraordinary situation, everyone stood up, looked towards the back audience section, and then started screaming wildly.

"Oh my god—Li Changzheng ah—"

Instantly, the whole set was in chaos. Xiao Yi immediately said, "Stop!"

Xiao Yi held the mic, and Qi Quan's face turned black instantly. The four mentors stood up and looked back. With such a group of people, all of them well-known TV drama stars, it felt like they'd come to challenge.

"Dear mentors, dear audience," Xiao Yi said, "Hello, I am Xiao Yi. Please wait until I finish singing before you ask for autographs from your idols, okay?!"

The scene quieted down. Zheng Xiaocong smiled and said something to Ning Yaqing beside him, and Ning Yaqing's face was disdainful.

Ning Yaqing was currently in a feud with Zhang Xinran, using all sorts of means to fight. Quan Quan saw Ning Yaqing and instantly wanted to tear off the bra of the female guest next door and strangle Ning Yaqing himself.

However, Zheng Xiaocong was not someone to be messed with, so everyone could only force a smile.

"Flowing water travels far, through the heart..." Xiao Yi hugged his guitar and sang softly, "To fulfill a wish of mine, to meet you..."

After these two lines, the prelude started, and Xiao Yi's singing was still clear. The whole venue was quiet, friends held glow sticks, swaying along with Xiao Yi's singing and the clear guitar sound.

"We once parted here, separated by countless waters and mountains, unable to continue..."

"I still remember the promises made, but you have long disappeared..."

Xiao Yi swept his guitar strings vigorously, resonating.

After a few seconds of pause.

"My love transcends the sky..." Xiao Yi sang loudly, "My love flows endlessly, oh my love!"

"My beloved! When will I meet you again!"

"Even as time flies, youth fades, I still love you..."

"I still love you, as always!"

Xiao Yi sang this once-popular song, but he thought of Lu Zhou, the days they spent together, and how they went from being impoverished to standing on this stage.

He sang the chorus with great force, his voice even choked up a bit. The whole audience was silent, everyone was watching him.

Tears filled Xiao Yi's eyes, nearing the end, he suddenly saw someone, saw in the audience, the last person sitting on the last row on the left.

That person held a bottle of drink, wearing a hooded black sportswear, sports pants, with a hood and sunglasses, silently watching Xiao Yi, his foot rhythmically tapping along.

Xiao Yi immediately put down the guitar, ran to the audience section, the scene stirred again, the person flashed, and ran out from the back door.

Xiao Yi didn't dare to shout, afraid that if he did, the audience would hear. He chased into the corridor, and the director chased after him.

"Teacher Xiao!" the director said, "What's going on?"

Xiao Yi stood blankly in the corridor, the corridor empty.

"Nothing," Xiao Yi replied.

Xiao Yi followed the director back to the studio, Lu Zhou leaned against the back of the safety passage, sighing.

Xiao Yi returned to the stage, nodded somewhat confusedly.

Quan Quan smiled and said, "Is that all?"

"I thought you'd come up with something else," Wang Jing said with a smile.

Xiao Yi, holding the guitar, stood in the centre of the stage and said, "This is a song we wrote when we were young."

"It's very nice," Ji Zi said, "Too good."

Pang Niu said, "Want to do another section?"

Xiao Yi waved his hand and said, "No more."

Lu Zhou was back, and now he just wanted to quickly end this competition and hurry back to find him. He didn't even have the mood to record the later programs. But with so many people in the audience, he couldn't just brush it off. Xiao Yi took a deep breath, trying to contain the excitement in his heart.

"Was it good?" Xiao Yi smiled at the audience.

Everyone then applauded, and Xiao Yi said with a smile, "I love you all, thank you for coming to watch me compete today."

The whole audience screamed again. Zheng Xiaocong clapped and stood up first, Ning Yaqing blew him a kiss and also got up to leave. All the stars left early to avoid being surrounded by fans. Security quickly approached Li Changzheng before he left, blocking the way behind him, to prevent any incidents like the collapse of the studio due to overcrowding.

"Both of you sang very well," Pang Niu said, "I don't know who to choose."

Ji Zi smiled and said regretfully, "Can I not choose!"

"Nope," Xiao Yi took over, smiling.

All the mentors laughed. Wang Jing added, "There's still a PK session. How about we watch their impromptu PK?"

Qi Quan agreed, "Let's begin—"

The four mentors simultaneously hit the lights, and the venue instantly darkened.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a pre-recorded male voice announced, "The random song selection session begins. It's karaoke time! Stay tuned!"

The TV wall instantly changed to images of thousands of singers, and four flashing electronic frames swiftly switched and jumped between the images. Wang Jing pressed the button first and shouted, "Wang Fei!" (NT: Also called Faye Wong, Chinese singer and actress)

"Teacher Guan Mucun!" Ji Zi also pressed the light. (NT: Chinese mezzo soprano singer)

Fatty smiled and said, "Chen Huilin!" (NT: Hong Kong singer)

Xiao Yi thought you guys are really putting in effort, indeed, nowadays even being a guest requires acting skills... Then Qi Quan smiled and said, "Jolin Tsai." (NT: Taiwanese singer and actress)

The four electronic frames stopped, landing on the images of the four female singers who were called out, forming a square. Then, diagonally connected, each formed a line, and the two lines intersected at the midpoint, determining a point.

That point landed on the image of the fifth female singer.

"Yang Mi," the deep male voice announced. (NT: Chinese actress and singer)

The whole venue burst into excitement, everyone laughing. Xiao Yi smiled and glanced at Jing Lu.

Jing Lu said, "Xiao Yi, can you sing?"

"A little bit," Xiao Yi gave Jing Lu a thumbs-up and said, "Go for it."

The fans in the audience began to prepare their remote-control buttons. Xiao Yi and Jing Lu walked from the edge of the stage to the middle, with a vertical voting progress bar appearing behind each of them.

"I'll sing the first verse," Xiao Yi said.

Jing Lu made a "please" gesture, the prelude started, and the TV wall behind them began to roll the karaoke lyrics and play the MV.

"Holding you in my hands devoutly, lighting up the candles..." Xiao Yi's voice was deep with a hint of trembling.

Jing Lu: "Trimming a candle, igniting a light..."

Jing Lu and Xiao Yi looked at each other, and they started to duet. Xiao Yi took a step back, glanced at the screen, and then looked towards the audience.

"Not seeking passion, just seeking love..."

"Love until the end, crying in despair..."

Xiao Yi and Jing Lu stopped singing at the same time, and the chorus began.

"I'll spend my whole life nurturing you, only hoping you'll stop wandering, please grant me infinite love—and the power to be loved!"

Wang Jing pressed the light, and with a ding sound, the progress bar behind Xiao Yi increased by one hundred points. The audience cheered loudly. Then, Qi Quan smiled and also pressed the light, this time voting for Jing Lu.

The audience started to cheer for both of them and began to give them scores. Each person could only give one point, and only to one of them, and a mentor's vote was equivalent to one hundred points.

Xiao Yi maintained a slight lead over Jing Lu throughout. Everyone was shouting, and then Pang Niu gave the third vote to Jing Lu, instantly putting him in the lead again. The audience cheered loudly again, and Xiao Yi's score gradually rose.

"In the bitter sea, you drift, with your old appearance..." Xiao Yi intentionally paused on this line, creating an impression of him faltering.

Ding ding, Ji Zi cast the final vote for Jing Lu.

The two handsome guys sang this song very nicely, Jing Lu started to change his voice, while Xiao Yi added harmonies.

All the votes were used up, and after they finished singing, the whole audience applauded.

"Very good cooperation," Wang Jing said, "It's the first time I've seen competitors cooperate so well."

Wang Jing looked at the other mentors. Ji Zi said, "Why was there such a big reaction when this song came out?"

The whole audience burst into laughter, Ji Zi was puzzled, and Qi Quan smiled and said, "I found that Xiao Yi is very gentle."

"Thank you," Xiao Yi hurriedly replied.

Pang Niu smiled and said, "How about you two advance together, and you can form a duo in the future."

Everyone laughed. Wang Jing said, "The scores are about the same. What should we do?"

The field fell silent. Xiao Yi and Jing Lu looked at each other. Their scores were almost the same. Xiao Yi had 430 points, while Jing Lu had 455 points.

"Xiao Yi! Xiao Yi!" Someone shouted from the audience.

"I lost," Xiao Yi said to Jing Lu, "I didn't sing the last line of the chorus well."

"I noticed," Ji Zi said, "But you still have a chance to come back."

Jing Lu turned to Xiao Yi and said, "You sang very well, Xiao Yi."

Xiao Yi smiled, waved his hand, and said, "Thank you, mentors."

The director shouted, "Cut."

The four mentors drank water, Xiao Yi and Jing Lu rested for a while, and Wang Jing asked, "Did the actors leave?"

"They did," Ji Zi replied with a smile.

The director suggested, "Mentors, take a break. We have some issues to resolve."

The director quickly went on stage, Xiao Yi and Jing Lu stood up, and the director said, "The scores were wrong just now, backstage needs to make adjustments, the difference can't be too small, okay?"

"Of course," Xiao Yi said, "Make the changes. Do we need to re-record?"

The director was a bit headache too. To have everyone be so passionate and do it all over again, are you kidding me? It feels really overwhelming.

Xiao Yi proposed, "How about this, after we leave the stage, once today's filming is over, we'll shoot a few close-up shots of the scores on the TV wall separately, and then edit it in during the competition?"

The director thought about it and accepted, "The planning team suggested the same thing, alright, let's do it this way first. If the effect isn't ideal, we'll let you two know to come back and record it again, mentors don't need to come again, okay?"

Xiao Yi replied, "No problem."

After the mentors rested, the director started preparing again and said, "Let's do it in one go this time. Everyone worked hard, come on."

Xiao Yi and Jing Lu stood in the middle again. Jing Lu looked at Xiao Yi without saying a word for a long time.

Instead, Xiao Yi was very magnanimous. Neither of them spoke. Xiao Yi stepped forward and hugged him tightly.

The director made a gesture, and the whole audience applauded like crazy, everyone stood up.

Wang Jing shook his head, sighed, and the camera turned to him. Wang Jing sighed and applauded.

On the stage:

"You're a very gentle person," Jing Lu's voice trembled, "Thank you, Xiao Yi. In the days I've known you, I've learned a lot."

Xiao Yi said, "You sing very well, better than me. That's my honest words. My gentleness is superficial, yours is in your songs."

Jing Lu looked at Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi continued, "The rest is up to you now. I'm willing to lose to you." Xiao Yi pinned his badge on Jing Lu's sleeve.

Jing Lu said, "I... I only know how to sing..."

Xiao Yi said again, "Go with my blessings, Jing Lu, defeat them."

Jing Lu stepped down from the stage, and Xiao Yi whistled at him.

"Keep going!" Xiao Yi shouted earnestly, "Got it!"

The whole audience burst into applause again. Jing Lu, with tears in his eyes, came down and hugged the mentors. Ji Zi pinned the third shining badge on Jing Lu's collar side. The camera followed Jing Lu and took a close-up shot of his face. Jing Lu wiped away his tears and gave a thumbs-up to the camera.

Left alone, Xiao Yi stood on the stage.

"Tell us about yourself," Wang Jing asked.

"Hey, I found that in every season of the show," Pang Niu noted, "There's always a very unique person, have you noticed? "

Pang Niu gestured with both hands, pointing towards Xiao Yi and said with a smile, "Last time, I remember there was a tall and thin guy who didn't say anything and just sang when he came up, this time, there's someone like him."

Xiao Yi smiled slightly but didn't say anything.

Ji Zi said, "His temper is really good. No matter what you say, he's always smiling."

Qi Quan added, "He's really into singing when he sings."

Xiao Yi replied, "Yeah, participating in this competition, I've made a lot of friends, it's the happiest time of my life."

"Actually," Xiao Yi thought for a moment and continued, "I came to participate in this competition to tell someone something, a sentence. There are some things I can't say to him, maybe he's thousands of miles away from me... just like the song sings, my love crosses the sky..." Xiao Yi started singing, "My love flows incessantly, oh my love!"

"My love! When will I meet you again..." Xiao Yi smiled sweetly with a hint of sadness.

"So, are you here to confess?" Wang Jing said, "Which girl? Is she here? Stand up!"

Everyone burst into laughter again. Wang Jing said, "Oops, I forgot, what you haven't said yet."

"Yes," Xiao Yi said, "I love you. I, love you. It's that kind of love, yes, it's the love you're thinking of now."

The whole audience was in an uproar. Xiao Yi looked seriously at the camera and said, "The love of a lover, the love of a lover. Although I've said it many times, you always take it as a joke, but I want to say it here, you will definitely believe it."

"Gentle boy," Ji Zi shook his head and laughed, "I think you should be put into the national finals, so that more people can hear your confession."

Wang Jing said, "Is your girlfriend here today?"

Xiao Yi thought for a moment and said, "Not here."

Ji Zi asked, "What's the name of the person?"

Xiao Yi said, "No need to say, they will know."

"But seriously," Qi Quan mentioned with a smile, "You fought through all obstacles, made a path to confess, have you thought about the future development?"

Wang Jing smiled and spoke, "After the preliminary rounds aired, you became famous overnight."

Xiao Yi smiled and replied, "Well, but I probably won't sing in front of everyone anymore. First of all, I want to thank my fans for their support. Wherever I am, I promise, I'm just disappearing in front of the camera. In fact, I've always been here."

"As for my future," Xiao Yi pursued, "The program team recorded a video for me. If I get eliminated, it will be aired. I think I've said what I need to in the video. Goodbye, everyone!"

Xiao Yi finally finished his script smoothly, ran off the stage, and everyone stood up and applauded. The mentors watched Xiao Yi with interest. Xiao Yi ran out of the studio, through the corridor, and the camera kept following him.

Xiao Yi threw a flying kiss at the camera and said, "Take care!" He was impatient to stay here any longer and ran all the way out.

The mentors returned to their seats, and the director began to play the video Xiao Yi recorded. Xiao Yi had watched this video, and so had the director and the staff, but the live audience and the mentors hadn't seen it.

"My name is Xiao Yi."

Early summer in Beijing, under the shade of the trees, Xiao Yi carried a backpack, standing by the shade of the trees at Houhai. As he walked, the voice-over started, his voice calm, gentle, like a gentle breeze everywhere.

"The production team asked, if I got eliminated, what message would I like to send to the audience in front of the TV."

Xiao Yi sat on the stone railing of Shichahai, smiled at the camera, and said:

"I never thought about advancing. Maybe before the finals, I'll stop my steps."

"As for after that."

Xiao Yi, wearing a clean white shirt, with short hair, raised his eyebrows slightly when speaking, like a clean-cut big boy.

"I'll go where I belong," Xiao Yi said, "Let go of all worries, do what I want to do. Someone once taught me to sing boldly."

"But compared to singing, I prefer another career that I can't give up no matter what. After leaving it, for many days and nights, I couldn't let go. I think what I learned from him is to pursue what I want. When I understood myself, nothing can stop me from running forward."

"If you're my fan," Xiao Yi pointed at the camera and then pointed at himself with his thumb, smiling, "please give me strength. After I'm eliminated, I will withdraw from the internet and pursue my career and love. I won't appear in public again. But I promise you, one day, everyone will hear the songs I write."

As the lights came on, Beijing, the dust settled.

*

Xiao Yi sat on the steps, calling Du Mei.

Du Mei said, "I watched this afternoon's segment. The production team said your confession was too long and needs to be cut."

Xiao Yi said, "Oh, it's okay. Those words were actually meant for myself."

Du Mei affirmed, "I'll try to keep as much as possible. You've put a lot of pressure on Jing Lu. In the next round, if he can't perform well, it'll be troublesome."

Xiao Yi answered, "He'll be fine. Everyone's attention will be on him in the next match. My fans will also support him. The more magnificent my farewell, the stronger the topic of his next match. Because when they see him play, fans will think of me, and he'll work hard for my share too."

Du Mei said, "It's really a headache, but it's true. That boy needs to work harder."

Xiao Yi hung up the phone, thinking about how to smoothly handle Du Mei's resignation. In summer, mosquitoes were everywhere, biting his neck full of bumps. Xiao Yi slapped the mosquitoes, scratching his arms and thighs, while chatting on his social media.

In the circle of friends, everyone seemed to have agreed not to mention this matter. Everyone invited Xiao Yi out for dinner. Xiao Yi scratched his arms and thighs, saying okay, and put the phone close to his mouth to speak softly. In the dark night, the light from the phone made his face green.

"Wow!" Lu Zhou suddenly roared.

Lu Zhou came back home holding the car keys, unexpectedly seeing Xiao Yi's face lit by the phone, with a weird smile and rolling his eyes at him, almost bursting a blood vessel from being scared.

" Zhou ge! It's me! It's me!" Xiao Yi howled and rushed forward, hugging Lu Zhou, almost crying.

Lu Zhou leaned against the railing, breathing heavily, took a while to recover, and said, "I'm getting old... Can you stop scaring me..."

Lu Zhou went to open the door, suddenly felt something was wrong, his face changed, and then he became a bit unnatural.

"Why are you here!" Lu Zhou said, "Get out!"

Xiao Yi said, "Let's go inside first, don't argue outside. Don't air dirty laundry in public..."

"You... You also know you're dirty laundry!" Lu Zhou roared, wanting to drive Xiao Yi out, but Xiao Yi refused to leave, clinging to Lu Zhou's thigh, with a ridiculous expression on his face, was dragged into Lu Zhou's home.

 

Translator : DarNan