Chapter 174: Chen Siyang's Scenes Wrapped

Streetlights stood approximately a dozen meters apart, casting shadows from behind to the front—becoming clear, then blurry, and clear once more.

The resort was located in the suburbs. Once human voices faded, it grew deeply quiet, a stillness that expanded into vast openness, for right ahead lay rolling, undulating groves of small trees.

"You don't want me to get eliminated, do you?" Bai Xiwai asked belatedly, a hint of realization dawning on her.

When Tang Zhichu said he wanted to write a song for her, Bai Xiwai had been genuinely happy.

Her thoughts were simple, much like a friend offering a thoughtfully prepared gift.

After walking a short distance, however, she suddenly sensed something was amiss.

Helping her write a song at this juncture—was he trying to compete against himself in the next episode?

Bai Xiwai didn't care for guessing games. If that truly was Tang Zhichu's intention, she felt she needed to ask outright.

"You're overthinking it, Sister Wei. I purely just want to write a song for you."

Bai Xiwai stopped in her tracks. "I find that a bit hard to believe, but I suppose it's a good approach. There are things I don't know about, but my manager told me that trending video of yours might have been leaked by the production team themselves. When you think about it deeply, it's quite spine-chilling."

Tang Zhichu stopped about two meters ahead of Bai Xiwai, turned around, and gave a small yellow flower by the roadside a light kick.

"Sister Wei, the impression you give me is that of a bright, cheerful, and happy elder sister. Don't listen to nonsense from others, and don't dwell on these things—it's too exhausting. Look." With that, Tang Zhichu kicked the roadside yellow flower again.

"Isn't this flower pretty? If I had someone I liked by my side, I'd pick one and give it to her. Is there any complicated hidden motive? I just wanted to do it, that's all."

When it came to navigating social niceties and worldly sophistication, Bai Xiwai's brain turned at an average speed. But when it came to deciphering the emotional metaphors in interpersonal relationships, her mind raced like lightning.

"Understood."

It felt as though it were yesterday, or perhaps last month, that Bai Xiwai remembered giving Tang Zhichu a similar analogy.

Whether you walk fast or slow, you will eventually reach a certain destination.

For Bai Xiwai, this was a happy occasion.

The beginning of friendship always stems from such subtle and well-intentioned initiatives.

What kind of person was Tang Zhichu? Bai Xiwai didn't care to probe.

She simply felt that Tang Zhichu deserved to walk his path smoothly, and perhaps Teacher Liu Xingyun felt the same way.

The music industry might be complex, but its very elite weren't all that complicated, simply because they didn't need to be—they lacked neither money nor love.

As for the state of the Mandopop scene, the heavy burden rested on their shoulders.

With a figure like Tang Zhichu rising up, even Bai Xiwai felt a sense of relief.

"If you need my help, just say the word."

Seeing that Tang Zhichu remained silent, Bai Xiwai added.

Tang Zhichu looked at Bai Xiwai, a smile forming on his face.

Bai Xiwai frowned slightly, sensing that his smile looked somewhat mischievous.

"Of course, if it's too difficult, I won't be able to help."

"It's not difficult. Sister Wei, in the next episode, take on the top spot of the task leaderboard—grab the Chinese and English promotional song for Dahua Mobile."

Bai Xiwai stared in astonishment, exclaiming, "You call that not difficult? Almost no one dares to touch that task. Rumor has it that Tencent Video only took on that flagship task from Dahua Mobile to save face for the platform."

"I'll write the song for you. Surely you aren't afraid to at least give it a try? Whether we secure it or not doesn't matter, but at least we must make our stance clear."

Bai Xiwai fell silent, deep in thought.

It wasn't that she lacked courage, but rather that the probability of successfully securing this task was dismally low.

Dahua Mobile was China's premier mobile brand, practically one of the nation's business name cards. Projects like this were usually ones where the company sought you out directly.

If you took the initiative and the quality failed to satisfy the audience, you would end up having to shoulder the brand's reputation as well—how absurd was that?

Under normal circumstances, she would have to discuss this with her team.

Yet Tang Zhichu said it didn't matter whether they won the contract or not; the important thing was to adopt the right posture.

Bai Xiwai understood now. Tang Zhichu wanted to quit the show.

Or perhaps, this place could no longer accommodate him.

For his final appearance, he presumably wanted to leave something behind.

Gritting her teeth, Bai Xiwai said, "Alright, I'll take it. But will anyone even dare to accept the challenge?"

Tang Zhichu chuckled. "Rest assured, as long as you take it, someone will step up."

"Why?"

"Sister Wei, don't think too much—it's exhausting. As for you, just focus on making music. Looking at you makes me feel that even though the entertainment circle is messy, the music circle is still relatively pure."

Bai Xiwai was momentarily stunned, her cheeks flushing slightly before she gave Tang Zhichu a gentle shove. "You really have a way with words. If this matter is truly important to you, I can just write my own song."

"I'll write it. Let's head back."

With that, Tang Zhichu turned around, heading in the direction of the dormitories.

He wasn't going back to his own dorm; he was walking Bai Xiwai back.

Having spent a period of time together, Tang Zhichu trusted his own insight. Bai Xiwai had experienced many things, but her core remained one of passion and kindness.

With someone like Shen Jianxin, you had to spell things out clearly beforehand.

As for Bai Xiwai? You simply offered her goodwill first.

Different people called for different strategies.

"Tang Zhichu," Bai Xiwai's voice came from behind.

Tang Zhichu turned his head. "What is it?"

Bai Xiwai smiled. "I think you're pretty pure yourself. In that case, let's keep things simple—let's be friends!"

Tang Zhichu burst into a laugh and replied, "Sister Wei, you really get me."

After dropping Bai Xiwai off at her dorm, Tang Zhichu prepared to return to the small villa across the lake.

Passing by the lawn where they had recorded earlier activities, he spotted a figure.

The person was leaning against a streetlight, as if sensing his presence, and looked up toward Tang Zhichu.

Catching sight of Tang Zhichu, the person offered a shy smile. "Welcome back."

He Shuyuan—it was He Shuyuan taking the initiative to greet him.

A smile crept onto Tang Zhichu's face as he walked over.

"You genuinely welcome me?"

"I genuinely welcome you."

"I underestimated you."

"I underestimated you even more."

Both of them chuckled. Anyone witnessing this scene would likely have thought both men were putting on an act.

What on earth could Tang Zhichu and He Shuyuan possibly have to talk about?

Indeed, there was nothing to talk about.

Yet a few meaningless remarks somehow seemed loaded with significance.

"Keep it up."

"Same to you."

The two men brushed past each other. Not until Tang Zhichu had walked a considerable distance did He Shuyuan raise a hand to wipe his trousers.

He had broken out in a sweat—he had been nervous.

At that moment, He Shuyuan felt a genuine shred of admiration for Tang Zhichu.

When Tang Zhichu faced him, he was completely at ease.

Whereas when he faced Tang Zhichu, he had been putting up a strong front.

Was his insight really that terrifying? Or did he have an even more formidable backup plan?

He Shuyuan shook his head. It no longer mattered; if the other man was formidable, so be it.

Waiting for Tang Zhichu here was merely a signal he wanted to send, and he trusted Tang Zhichu would understand.

Far ahead now, Tang Zhichu glanced back, and seeing that the spot was now empty, he muttered under his breath, "So it really was you."

Earlier, Tang Zhichu had assumed that the video of him making the trends had been leaked by Yu Hua.

Playing the sympathy card to reap benefits.

However, when he chatted with Yu Hua that morning, Yu Hua hadn't mentioned any of it, which had aroused Tang Zhichu's suspicions at the time.

Of course, it had only been a suspicion.

He Shuyuan's deliberate wait for him tonight had confirmed it.

Yu Hua really had no need to leak that video; such a tactic was rather crude.

The things Yu Hua was plotting didn't require such petty tricks.

Furthermore, there was another crucial point.

Xige and the others had mentioned that Tianhe's people could obtain the show's prepared project themes in advance.

This proved that Tianhe had a very cozy relationship with the production team—or rather, with Tencent.

So why would the production team and Yu Hua bother leaking that video?

On the surface, that video targeted him, but in reality, it targeted Qiu Zhen, and targeting Qiu Zhen meant targeting Tianhe.

In hindsight, the probability was high that He Shuyuan had been the one to have someone leak that video.

Without that video, everyone would have been discussing how Tang Zhichu defeated He Shuyuan.

With that video out, people thought: Was Tianhe really that incompetent? Was Qiu Zhen being suppressed both on and off stage?

He Shuyuan's presence had been diluted in the audience's minds.

He was the ultimate beneficiary.

By the same token, Tang Zhichu had suspected Yu Hua of playing a victim card.

Might Tianhe have thought the exact same thing?

Tianhe's good relationship with the production team didn't mean they had a good relationship with Yu Hua.

At least on this point, He Shuyuan had successfully manipulated everyone's psychological state.

With a light scoff, Tang Zhichu suddenly chuckled again.

At least confirming that this fellow was a "smart" person wasn't entirely without its silver lining.

On August 2nd, in a high-end apartment in Beijing.

Dozily, Chen Siyang fluttered her eyes open.

She rolled over, stretched out on her back, her entire body rigid for a moment before letting out a tiny, involuntary fart.

Chen Siyang giggled softly to herself, looking rather cute and naive.

"Ah... this sleep was so comfortable!"

With a sigh of contentment, she reached over to grab her phone.

Sure enough, just as Chen Siyang had anticipated, it was already nine o'clock.

All of Chen Siyang's scenes for the second installment of *The Realm Within Paintings* had wrapped up late last night.

She had returned at two in the morning, taken a quick shower, and collapsed straight into bed.

"Jinjin, I'm back in Beijing." After sending the voice message, Chen Siyang sat up.

She wore a blue-and-silk spaghetti-strap sleep dress, making her exposed skin look even fairer and more tender than the fabric.

Dressing herself properly, she picked up her phone again.

He Jin first replied with a smiley face sticker, followed by an indicator showing she was typing.

"Don't look for me, I have no time, and I've never been in a relationship either!"

Chen Siyang smiled and pressed down on the microphone icon. "Aish, Jinjin, who said anything about talking to you about men? My project has wrapped, and I want to celebrate!"

"Go back and check our chat history yourself! You dog of a woman!"

Chen Siyang actually scrolled back to check.

Their last chat had been the night before last, with the final message timestamped at 3:00 AM.

"I suddenly realized a truth: if your best friend has never been in a relationship and suddenly gets into one, you might end up going through the whole dating process right along with her," He Jin's message popped up.

"The most absurd part is that you're a coward—you don't even dare to chat with the guy directly, yet you chat with me so enthusiastically every day. Go find that guy surnamed Tang!"

Perhaps burdened by too much resentment, He Jin's messages came one after another.

Chen Siyang shook her head, muttering to herself, "I'm not a coward. I just feel like he and I were clearly doing the exact same thing, so why did he manage to pull off ten things at once?"

During filming, she had been completely absorbed and had no time to ponder these matters.

Now that it had wrapped and she had free time, she really wanted to have a proper chat with He Jin.

Yet her best friend wasn't showing any loyalty at all!

"Jinjin, do you think I'm stupid?"

"Ugh, here she goes again."

Chen Siyang burst out laughing and decided not to bother He Jin any further.

She vaguely remembered that He Jin seemed to be participating in some variety show.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, just as she finished, her phone rang.

Picking it up, she answered, "Hello, Sister Yu? Yes, I'm awake. Alright, I'll head over to the company shortly."

Hanging up, she saw a new reply from He Jin.

"Yangbao, stop overthinking things. One thing is for certain: before you met Tang Zhichu, you barely sent me a couple of WeChat messages. People thought you were aloof and unapproachable, but that wasn't it—you just had a protective shell against the outside world. Tang Zhichu truly opened you up. To some extent, he understands you deeply. Perhaps that's the magic of love; it makes even me want to go find a man."

"Sigh, if I can't find a boyfriend, it's entirely your fault. Where else in this world is there a second Tang Zhichu? One thing we have to admit: we aren't stupid, he's just too smart. Love boldly and build your own private world together, stop tormenting me, I'm begging you!!!"

Chen Siyang chuckled softly, then let out a faint sigh.

If only it were that simple.

Tianhe Entertainment's Beijing headquarters was located in an entertainment industry park—a sprawling seven-story building.

Chen Siyang arrived in a company car.

Liu Yu's office was on the seventh floor. Though titled as a manager, Liu Yu was essentially one of the company's partners.

Zhan Zihua had joined Tianhe later on; in terms of genuine status, he couldn't compare to Liu Yu.

In the past, if Chen Siyang wanted to see Liu Yu, she would have had to make an appointment beforehand.

And now?

Her path was completely unobstructed, and the staff she passed greeted her with utmost politeness.

Giving a soft knock and hearing Liu Yu's voice telling her to enter, Chen Siyang pushed the door open.

Closing the door behind her, she saw Liu Yu standing by the desk with an affable smile on her face.

Chen Siyang resumed her cool, composed demeanor, though she still softly greeted, "Sister Yu."

"Have a seat. I have some nice tea here, give it a try."

Liu Yu closed a folder as she spoke and walked out from behind the work area.

"Don't go to any trouble, Sister Yu. I'm fine with plain water."

"Try it, it's no trouble at all."

Chen Siyang had no choice but to obediently sit in the reception area.

Reflecting on it, the last time she had been in this office was before joining the romance reality show, when she had sat by Sister Yu's desk for just a brief moment.

"Director Lin Chi praised you to me, saying you have talent, your acting is vibrant, and you're exceptionally photogenic..." Liu Yu placed a cup in front of Chen Siyang.

Chen Siyang murmured a polite thank you.

"However..."

Chen Siyang looked at Liu Yu, a faint smile touching her lips. "Sister Yu, just spit it out."

Liu Yu smiled as well. "It's nothing much, it all depends on how you see it yourself. Lin Chi said you're too pretty; no matter how well you act, the primary impression you leave on the audience might just be 'pretty'."

Chen Siyang was startled for a moment before waving her hand. "Sister Yu, stop teasing me. The director must have meant my acting was bad."

Liu Yu shook her head. "No, it's the truth."

"Huh?"

Chen Siyang felt her worldview take a slight hit. Did things like that really happen?

"Let me name a few people, and try to think of the impression they leave behind: Tao Shiqi, Ji Lin. What comes to mind?"

Chen Siyang reminisced. Ji Lin was a female star from Hong Kong and Taiwan—stunningly beautiful, an instant big-screen goddess from the moment she debuted... wait, indeed, even in Chen Siyang's mind, the overriding impression was simply beauty.

Tao Shiqi, a top-tier actress in her thirties who had even worked in Hollywood, capable of both dramatic acting and action roles.

Yet, when you recalled her, the primary impression remained: beautiful.

"Sister Yu, you can't compare me to them, I'm nowhere near their level," Chen Siyang said quietly.

Liu Yu took a gentle sip of tea. Some things only needed to be said once.

"Never mind, let's not dwell on it. With your looks, countless people would kill to have them. Work hard, and you can at least reach Tao Shiqi's level."

If someone had praised her like this before, Chen Siyang would have been thrilled.

What about now?

It somehow left a strange taste in her mouth.

Liu Yu stood up and retrieved a document from her desk.

"It's a company project, the money is reliable. Take a look, and if there are no issues, sign it, and I'll have the finance department transfer the funds to you."

At the mention of money, Chen Siyang temporarily pushed those thoughts aside.

For *The Realm Within Paintings 2*, Chen Siyang's character positioning was quite unique—not quite the female lead, yet surpassing her in impact.

Her pre-tax remuneration was seven figures; after taxes and the company's commission cuts, what landed in her hands was still close to seven figures.

For Chen Siyang, this was her first major paycheck since entering the industry.

She felt a little flutter of excitement.

"Thank you, Sister Yu!"

"Don't mention it. Now that the project is done, I'll give you a break for a while."

Delighted, Chen Siyang signed the papers and stood up.

"Oh right, Tang Zhichu ran into some minor trouble over there, he's back in Chengdu now," Liu Yu remarked with a smile.

Chen Siyang's face flushed slightly. "Sister Yu, what are you talking about? I'm not going to look for him. Didn't the reality show end, and we went our separate ways?"

Liu Yu chuckled heartily, then waved a hand. "Go on then. You're the only one who can keep your cool, but don't forget you still have two competitors."

Chen Siyang fell silent, turned around, and walked out the door.

Once she was gone, Liu Yu's gaze grew gradually profound.

A moment later, she muttered almost to herself, "Some people grow a backbone and really think the company has no way to handle them. Tang Zhichu, let's see you show me what you're truly made of."