Chapter 238: Choice (Nine Thousand Words!)

The scene of Meng Li rushing out shocked everyone.

It was even too late for anyone to make any reaction.

And no one knew what reaction to make.

Meng Li's move startled everyone.

Peng Zhixing stood out to smooth things over, saying: "Meng Li, where does this come from? When did we bully you by holding a group? Is there any misunderstanding?"

Meng Li said: "What are you going to do together now? I'm not even there, you just left me behind, isn't that bullying me by holding a group?"

Peng Zhixing only felt that he was almost wronged to death.

He didn't understand why he originally thought he was just coming to record a very ordinary program, but it was so unsmooth from the beginning.

Although these unsmooth things were basically from Meng Li alone.

Peng Zhixing immediately said: "We didn't leave you behind. I sent a message in the group before, asking everyone to gather downstairs. You didn't come, and we all thought you didn't want to participate."

Meng Li didn't listen to what Peng Zhixing was saying at all.

"You are choosing to bully me with Li Zhibai. I know, you are all in the same boat." Meng Li pointed at them angrily.

Li Zhibai's face was almost sinking into water.

He looked at her full of anger and said: "Meng Li, that's enough. It's fine if you target me, this has nothing to do with them. Why are you throwing a temper at them?"

Meng Li sneered, her eyes full of anger and hatred, "Fine, I won't throw a temper at them, then you tell them what you have done to me! If you have the ability, say it! If you have the ability to do it, why don't you have the ability to say it? Li Zhibai, are you still a man?!"

Meng Li's sharp tone was like a sharp knife slashing at them.

Li Zhibai really never thought that one day he would be asked "Are you still a man" to his face.

It was too unbelievable, making him at a loss.

But the loss was only for a moment. Immediately, Li Zhibai made up his mind.

"That's right, I admit it. In order to take revenge on you while filming, I deliberately wrote you a love letter, making you mistakenly think I liked you, okay?" Li Zhibai stared, saying it in one breath, "It was my fault for doing this, causing you harm. I apologize to you. Whatever compensation you need, you say it, I will definitely compensate you. But this has nothing to do with others. You don't need to hurt others by mistake. If you have anything, come at me!"

After Li Zhibai finished speaking, the whole scene was silent.

Song Lin Xin and the others didn't even dare to look at each other, fearing being captured by the camera.

At the same time, Meng Li's face was full of surprise, looking at Li Zhibai in disbelief—she never thought that Li Zhibai would actually admit it in front of everyone.

When the agents were still negotiating, someone suddenly ran over to find them.

With a panicked expression.

"Meng Li is crying bitterly!"

When the agents heard this, they were all dumbfounded.

Especially Meng Li's agent Li Xia, who showed a look of doubt for a moment.

"Crying bitterly?"

Li Xia reacted suddenly and ran out of the room in a hurry.

Zhou Ping'an and Chen Ziyan followed closely behind.

The direction of this matter was too unexpected. They were all panicked at this moment. Zhou Ping'an was worried that Meng Li's crying was caused by Li Zhibai, and Chen Ziyan was worried that Meng Li's crying was caused by Lu Yan He. In the eyes of the agents, their artists were not fuel-efficient lamps.

First floor, living room.

Meng Li sat on the sofa covering her face and crying, and the crying couldn't stop at all.

Song Lin Xin and Xiao Yun had to sit on her left and right, comforting her softly.

The original trip was directly ruined, and the scene was in chaos.

But at this time, they couldn't ask anyone for help.

The staff said clearly that they would not participate in anything during the recording.

Li Zhibai sat on the other side, listening to Meng Li's crying, only feeling a splitting headache.

Lu Yan He stood behind him, looking at Meng Li, who was crying with her shoulders shaking in front, and suddenly felt that life was so disillusioned.

The phone rang just at this time.

He took it out and looked, finding that someone was adding him as a friend through his phone number.

The other party's message was "Hello, Lu Yan He, I am your counselor Chen Shiqiu, please pass."

Lu Yan He never thought that the counselor of Zhenhua University would add him as a friend at this time.

Lu Yan He passed the friend application immediately.

—Teacher Chen, hello, I am Lu Yan He.

Yan Liang suddenly poked him with his elbow and said in a low voice: "Our agents are here."

Li Xia, Zhou Ping'an, and Chen Ziyan arrived one after another, each with a solemn expression.

Li Zhenzhen even asked Lu Yan He if Chen Ziyan was called by him. Lu Yan He shook his head and said no.

As soon as the agents appeared, they went to the next room to have a meeting with Chen Biqiu and Li Zhenzhen.

Although Li Zhibai and Meng Li made such a big thing, the program still had to be filmed. Not filming is a waste of time.

Except for Meng Li who refused to let the cameraman continue to follow, others were still filming normally.

Everyone inevitably discussed this matter, but they didn't expect that even though it was at this time, the cameraman was still following them.

And where the cameraman didn't follow, there were also fixed camera positions.

Lu Yan He and Yan Liang had been accompanying Li Zhibai on the side.

Peng Zhixing sent a message to Lu Yan He, asking: How is Li Zhibai now? I heard that he and Meng Li are making trouble to leave. Can we continue recording?

Lu Yan He saw the message from Peng Zhixing and said to Li Zhibai: "Brother Bai, you are a responsible person. Even if you want to leave this program, at least finish this recording, what do you think? It's not easy for everyone to gather time together. If you leave so lightly, even if the breach of contract fee is paid, it cannot make up for the loss of the program team."

Li Zhibai was somewhat impatient and said: "Film it, film it. As long as I don't have to film with Meng Li, I will finish this recording before leaving."

Sure enough, Li Zhibai is still the Li Zhibai with a knife mouth and tofu heart.

The staff in the workroom watching the camera screen of Li Zhibai's room heard their conversation and breathed a sigh of relief.

At least one was stabilized for now.

Chen Biqiu and Li Zhenzhen both went to have a meeting with the agents. The workroom was presided over by Zheng Hesong.

Someone inevitably worried and asked: "If Li Zhibai and Meng Li really leave this program, what should we do? Can this program continue to be filmed?"

Zheng Hesong said immediately: "Why can't this continue to be filmed? Even if Li Zhibai and Meng Li don't film, aren't there still Lu Yan He and Song Lin Xin? They are both quasi-first-tier popular stars now. Besides, if Li Zhibai and Meng Li leave, we can just find other artists. As long as the program is good and has explosive points, we don't have to worry about not having an audience."

For a variety show, it is really much easier to deal with such things than a film crew.

A film crew cannot modify the script at will, and if an actor quits, it will really cause significant losses. However, variety shows have no established scripts in the first place. If there are guests who leave halfway, just change people if it really doesn't work.

Zheng Hesong was somewhat excited and said: "Think about it, such a thing happened, two popular first-tier stars, and the conflict between the protagonists of the hit drama *Accompany You to the End of the World*. This topic, this popularity, don't even think about it, the first episode will definitely explode."

"Can their team let this segment be aired?"

"The fact that you would ask such a question shows that you underestimate Teacher Chen's ability. Why can every program Teacher Chen makes become popular? It's because he dares to film and dares to air, and absolutely does not yield to the unreasonable demands of the artist team. As long as it is material that can become popular, it will definitely be aired." Zheng Hesong said calmly, "Don't look at the director as Li Zhenzhen, the actual helmsman of this program is still Teacher Chen."

Peng Zhixing gathered everyone downstairs in the group.

He didn't know if Li Zhibai and Meng Li would come downstairs, but he didn't want to watch everyone be affected by this matter and then delay time.

What Peng Zhixing didn't expect was that Li Zhibai actually followed Lu Yan He and Yan Liang downstairs.

To be precise, it was Lu Yan He and Yan Liang who dragged him down.

"Don't do that non-group thing. You are just arguing with Meng Li, not arguing with others. Why do you want others to be affected by your things?" Lu Yan He said to Li Zhibai, "Speaking of which, your things delayed everyone's time and affected everyone's mood. You'd better apologize to everyone."

Li Zhibai had an unbelievable expression, looking at Lu Yan He in disbelief, not expecting him to say that.

Lu Yan He: "Don't look at me like that. Yan Liang, do you think what I said makes sense?"

"You are right." Yan Liang nodded, also looking at Li Zhibai with a firm expression, "You apologize to everyone later."

Li Zhibai had a "why" expression.

But Lu Yan He and Yan Liang were very firm, making Li Zhibai unable to refuse.

As soon as Li Zhibai appeared, the expressions of others were somewhat difficult to describe.

I guess they wanted to ask but were embarrassed to ask.

After Li Zhibai sat down, he shrugged his shoulders and said: "Sorry."

"No, no problem." Xiao Yun probably smiled habitually, but the smile looked awkward, "As long as you and Meng Li are fine."

"Oh, no, I'm not fine with her." Li Zhibai said, "I just apologized to you."

Xiao Yun's eyes widened, and she didn't know what to say.

Her eyes rolled around, looking at others, as if she wanted to ask someone else to speak and save the scene. She didn't know how to pick up.

Lu Yan He helplessly explained for Li Zhibai: "He means that his business with Meng Li is just their own business, and it has nothing to do with us. Please don't worry, and don't be affected by the unhappiness caused by the two of them. Brother Zhixing, what were we planning to do in the afternoon?"

Peng Zhixing said: "I originally thought that everyone would buy some ingredients together in the afternoon, walk around the surroundings, get familiar with the environment, and then we will all make dinner together in the evening."

"Okay." Lu Yan He nodded, "Then why don't we set off now."

Peng Zhixing asked: "Are your agents all here? Don't you need to wait for them?"

Everyone knew that Li Zhibai and Meng Li wanted to leave, and they all thought it was in a pending state, so how could they continue to record them?

Lu Yan He said: "Agents discuss agents' things, we do our things, hmm, we can't just not record as soon as we start recording."

Li Zhibai although looked reluctant, he didn't refuse.

So, a group of people prepared to go out with different expressions.

Li Zhibai was still responsible for driving.

"The supermarket closest to us is also ten kilometers away." Peng Zhixing said, "Let's set off."

As soon as the voice fell, a burst of rapid footsteps suddenly came from the stairs.

I saw Meng Li running down from downstairs, her eyes red and swollen, pointing at them in disbelief, saying: "Are you just bullying me by holding a group like this?"

"Yeah," Peng Zhixing nodded, "I was completely stunned too."

Xiao Yun: "I didn't even dare to breathe loudly inside."

Peng Zhixing: "It feels like since Li Zhibai and Meng Li have ended up like this, one of them definitely has to go."

"Who do you think will go?" Xiao Yun asked.

Everyone looked at each other, and no one spoke.

Answering this question would be too offensive.

What if the person doesn't end up leaving?

The main thing was that there were several cameras inside the car; whatever they said would be recorded, and they couldn't truly let go of their psychological baggage and speak without any inhibitions.

"Should we sit together and have a proper discussion about what to do next?" Seeing the situation stall without any progress, and with Chen Biqiu and Li Zhenzhen nowhere to be seen, Chen Ziyan had to step out to break the deadlock. "Zhou Ping'an, Li Xia, do you think we should discuss this just the three of us, or bring the artists along?"

Li Xia cast a wary glance at Meng Li.

Meng Li's eyes were red and swollen, but her tone still carried a hint of defiance. "Discuss what? What else is there to discuss? You're all just ganging up to bully me anyway!"

A sharp glint flashed in Chen Ziyan's eyes. "Is that so? Well, since this is a show where everyone is bullying you, why don't you just quit?"

Chen Ziyan looked down at Meng Li from a position of superiority, expressionless and without a shred of pity. Her powerful aura left Meng Li stunned for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

Li Xia shielded Meng Li and said angrily, "Can't you be a bit more polite? Xiao Meng is emotionally agitated right now; do you have to provoke her like this?"

Chen Ziyan looked at her coldly, not buying it at all.

"Am I provoking her, or is she throwing a tantrum, thinking that the child who cries gets the milk? Li Xia, she is your artist. I advise you to get one thing straight: how to resolve the issue between her and Li Zhibai is your business. Don't drag others into it, and don't affect others." Chen Ziyan crossed her arms over her chest and sneered. "Li Zhibai and Meng Li have a conflict; we didn't know, but surely you did? You knew full well that Meng Li and Li Zhibai had a conflict, yet you still let Meng Li record this show. What are you pretending to be innocent for now?"

Li Xia was so angry her cheeks turned red and her body was trembling.

At this moment, everyone who heard Chen Ziyan's words secretly applauded in their hearts.

Meng Li's performance today had left too many people speechless—it was just that because she was a star, no one found it easy to step forward and say anything, so they could only watch her go crazy and act out.

Now, Chen Ziyan's merciless words were like piercing through that layer of window paper.

The staff members, who had been endlessly annoyed by Meng Li's actions, felt a sense of relief that their own inner thoughts had been voiced.

Li Xia was so angry her cheeks were twitching.

Chen Ziyan's words just now had been completely merciless; it was as if she and Meng Li had been slapped twice in front of everyone.

However, Li Xia had no way to refute them.

Or rather, she didn't know how to refute them.

She and Zhou Ping'an had reached a consensus long ago and had foreseen that Li Zhibai and Meng Li would clash, even thinking about using it to stir up topics—but neither of them had expected the conflict to escalate to this point, making it difficult to turn back. Now, of course, she couldn't question Li Zhibai's actions toward Meng Li; she had already reached a consensus with Zhou Ping'an on this matter and couldn't go back on her word. And since Li Zhibai had broken the pot and spilled the beans about their history, she no longer had any leverage to threaten Zhou Ping'an.

Could she really go and threaten Zhou Ping'an again, saying, "I'm going to expose what Li Zhibai has done"?

Li Zhibai had already exposed it himself.

Li Xia took Meng Li to her own car.

"Lili, tell Sister Xia the truth: are you still willing to record this show?" Li Xia asked.

The grievance and fragility on Meng Li's face vanished, replaced by anger and hatred in her eyes.

"Sister Xia, whether I record this show or not isn't important, but I want to make Li Zhibai pay the price!" Meng Li said through gritted teeth.

Li Xia looked at Meng Li helplessly and said, "Lili, Li Zhibai is not someone we can easily shake. I know he hurt you, and I promise you, we will definitely make him pay the price in the future, but for now, we have no way to do so."

"Why is there no way? I want everyone to know what he did to me on set; he toyed with me!" Meng Li said.

"But, Lili, the reason he did this—if you two start a war of words over this, can you ensure that anyone on the crew will speak up for you?"

Li Xia didn't spell it out, but in reality, she was concerned about the fact that Meng Li was resisted and disliked by almost every actor on *Accompany You to the End of the World*.

Li Zhibai stuffing love letters into Meng Li's room and toying with her was something several others had done as well.

Such behavior was certainly wrong, but once exposed, Meng Li's own annoying behavior on set would also be revealed.

For Meng Li, this was also a "kill a thousand enemies, lose eight hundred" move.

Li Xia certainly didn't want Meng Li to do that.

Meng Li immediately understood what Li Xia meant.

She clenched her teeth and said, "Sister Xia, I really hate Li Zhibai right now. I wish he would get hit by a car and die."

"I understand that you're hurting inside, but you can say things like that to me, not to others." Li Xia held Meng Li's hand. "Li Zhibai has Zhou Ping'an backing him, and his parents as a shield. If we go to war with him openly, we might not have the upper hand."

Meng Li: "Is Li Zhenzhen unwilling to kick Li Zhibai out?"

A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Li Xia's mouth.

Meng Li's blunt naivety left Li Xia not knowing where to begin—Li Zhibai's popularity and buzz remained high; what capital did they have to make the production team kick him out?

Meng Li suddenly thought of something, the corners of her mouth curling up in a smile full of cold and vicious hatred. "Then if we can't kick Li Zhibai out, what about Lu Yan He? He has repeatedly helped Li Zhibai mock me and attack me. Sister Xia, tell Li Zhenzhen that I am unwilling to record the show with Lu Yan He. Either he goes, or I go. I brought two commercial sponsorships to the show; I don't believe the production team would be willing to give me up."

Li Xia was stunned, not knowing what to say.

"Meng Li wants Lu Yan He to quit the show?"

Chen Ziyan raised an eyebrow, her face full of mockery. "Where does she get the confidence to say such things?"

Li Zhenzhen also smiled helplessly. "I've already rejected their unreasonable request. I didn't expect them to make such an unreasonable demand; it's clearly a matter between her and Li Zhibai, yet they actually proposed having Xiao Lu leave."

"That's naturally because she knows very well that you definitely wouldn't kick Li Zhibai out for her sake."

"And we wouldn't kick Lu Yan He out for her sake either. What is she thinking?"

"That's not necessarily true. Aren't the two brands she endorses both your sponsors?"

"You mean she'll have the brands she endorses withdraw their funding?"

"It's not impossible; it depends on how crazy she is." Chen Ziyan smiled slightly. "Actually, I came here today to talk to you about this."

"Hm?" Li Zhenzhen didn't immediately grasp what Chen Ziyan was trying to say.

"Let's wait for Chen Biqiu to come and talk about it together." No sooner had Chen Ziyan finished speaking than Chen Biqiu arrived.

Chen Biqiu's face was dark, looking as if someone owed him a hundred million.

"Director Chen, who upset you again? Your face is so dark."

Chen Biqiu said, "Li Xia just came to see me. The implication of her words was that if we don't give her a satisfactory solution, both Bihuo and Shanliangxing will withdraw their sponsorships."

Bihuo and Shanliangxing were both sponsors of *Young Days*. If they withdrew their sponsorship, the production team would lose a large sum of income.

In this respect, Li Xia and Meng Li's move could be considered a heavy investment.

Clearly, a very important reason why Bihuo and Shanliangxing were willing to sponsor this show was because of their spokesperson, Meng Li.

Hearing this, Li Zhenzhen frowned, looking at Chen Biqiu with some concern.

She knew Chen Biqiu very well and knew that, given his personality, no matter how much he disliked this behavior from Li Xia and Meng Li, he would definitely yield to the real money of the sponsoring brands.

She was worried that Chen Biqiu was genuinely considering having Lu Yan He quit the recording.

Chen Ziyan looked at Chen Biqiu with composure and smiled slightly. "I guessed they would do this, which is why I came over today."

"Hm?" Chen Biqiu looked at Chen Ziyan with some surprise. "You knew Li Xia and Meng Li would want Lu Yan He to quit the recording."

"I knew that once they clashed with Li Zhibai and Zhou Ping'an, they wouldn't be able to make Li Zhibai quit the show because his commercial value is higher than hers, so they would settle for the next best thing and target Xiao Lu." Chen Ziyan said, "Taking their anger out on others to establish their authority—isn't that how Meng Li has risen over the past few years?"

Chen Biqiu: "Her method is indeed quite effective."

"Because she's crazy enough." Chen Ziyan said. "Let's speak plainly. I came here this time because Xiao Lu has an endorsing brand that heard he was recording this show and wants to become a sponsor. I don't know what you two think?"

Chen Ziyan looked at Chen Biqiu and Li Zhenzhen with confidence.

Li Xia gave Meng Li a reassuring look and said, "Don't worry, Chen Biqiu can't possibly ignore the opinions of sponsors just to stand up for a small star. No matter how high the media praises him, or how high his college entrance exam scores are, variety shows don't care about that. Whoever pays is the boss."

Meng Li still said resentfully, "It's a pity we can't kick Li Zhibai out."

Li Xia said, "Can we stop dreaming? When you can steadily suppress him, you'll be able to kick him out."

Meng Li said, "It's fine to make Lu Yan He suffer this time too. If he dares to join Li Zhibai in toying with me, don't blame me."

Li Xia: "If Lu Yan He is kicked out by us this time, you'll have made an enemy, Lili."

"Let him be an enemy, am I afraid of him?" Meng Li said. "Someone who hasn't become popular after debuting for so many years—how long can he stay popular just by relying on college entrance exam scores? If having high scores meant you could be popular, then what would we be needed for?"

Li Xia looked at Meng Li helplessly and said, "That may be so, but no one can say for sure about the future. There's no other way this time; we have to do it. If we don't, others will just treat you like a soft persimmon that anyone can squeeze."

"Do they dare? Except for Li Zhibai, they're all newcomers. Do they have the guts to provoke me? Do they think I've spent these years doing nothing?" Meng Li snorted coldly.

Li Xia: "You, you always say things like that, even though you've only debuted for a few years yourself."

"That's still longer than them." Meng Li said.

At this moment, Li Xia's phone rang.

"Li Zhenzhen is calling." Li Xia said, "I'll answer it first."

Meng Li immediately said, "Put it on speaker, I want to hear."

Li Xia didn't see any problem with that and turned on the speakerphone.

"Hello, Director Li." Li Xia's voice sounded quite light, clearly confident about what Li Zhenzhen was about to say.

"Sister Xia, regarding the suggestions you mentioned to me earlier, I've communicated with Brother Biqiu." The moment Li Zhenzhen's voice came through, Li Xia suddenly felt something was wrong; this wasn't the tone she had expected.

"We have finally reached a consensus. It's like this: we sincerely hope that Meng Li can continue to participate in our subsequent recordings. Of course, we also respect your choice. If, after weighing it, you feel it's truly impossible to continue, we can't force you. Things done under duress are never good; that's true for making shows, and it's the same for being a person."

Li Zhenzhen laughed softly at this point. "As for the sponsorship fees, well, it doesn't matter. If they want to leave with Miss Meng, we can't say anything. Anyway, the contract is signed in black and white, so we'll just proceed as planned. I sympathize with you and Miss Meng, and I also ask you and Miss Meng to sympathize with me. Everyone knows this is my first time making a show, and having such a terrible start has already become a fixed reality in my career. I can only continue with this unpleasant beginning. Sister Xia, if Miss Meng is still willing to continue recording, I will be grateful and remember this favor; I know that would be giving me face. If Miss Meng truly cannot accept it, that's fine too. Let's part on good terms, and may we meet again in the future."

The car was silent.

Li Xia was stunned.

Meng Li was also stunned.

Li Xia opened her lips and said, "Director Li, these two companies combined have over ten million in sponsorship fees."

"Fortunately, *Young Days* isn't a very expensive show, so we can afford such a loss." Li Zhenzhen remained unmoved. "Compared to temporary gains and losses, I care more about long-term things."

Li Xia suddenly became anxious.

"No, Director, you also know that Li Zhibai and Lu Yan He are bullying our Xiao Li like this. Are we just going to let this go?"

"I am also a woman, and of course, I think using methods like writing love letters to toy with a girl is very immoral. Therefore, I don't intend to cut out the segment where he admits to this; I will put it in the final cut. At that time, he will bear the responsibility he should bear, and he himself has agreed to this."

"How can you put it in the final cut? Think of how much public opinion this will stir up!"

"But shouldn't that make many viewers sympathize with Miss Meng and stand on her side?" Li Zhenzhen asked. "I thought this approach was the way to truly seek justice for Miss Meng."

Li Xia: "No, Director, this segment absolutely cannot be broadcast."

"Sister Xia, the contract you signed with us clearly states that all materials filmed during the recording process are under the final editing and broadcasting rights of our production team." Li Zhenzhen said calmly.

"Director, let's speak plainly. Tell me, what will it take to not broadcast this segment?" Li Xia took a deep breath, calmed down, and asked.

Li Zhenzhen said, "If Miss Meng can finish filming the show amicably with Li Zhibai and provide enough good content, then of course we are willing to show less content that might cause controversy."

Li Xia clenched her fingers into her palms.

At this moment, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

"Don't worry, nothing will affect you." Chen Ziyan sat in the car and said to Lu Yan He, "I told you, just focus on doing your own thing. Leave everything else to me. Whether it's Li Xia or Meng Li, they are just monkeys claiming to be kings in the absence of tigers in the mountains. They've been used to being overbearing and have tasted plenty of sweetness, so they think this act of throwing a tantrum works everywhere. It's a pity they ran into me."

Lu Yan He didn't know what to say; every time he heard Chen Ziyan speak like this, he felt an extra sense of security.

"Sister Ziyan, will Meng Li continue to record our show?"

"If she's not stupid, she will." Chen Ziyan said. "That agent of hers seems shrewd but is actually foolish beyond belief. Li Zhibai's approach was inappropriate; even with a reason, the approach was inappropriate. At this time, someone slightly smarter would know how to utilize this incident to get the benefits they can. But she, instead, was fooled by Zhou Ping'an and actually thought she was clever, planning to use the discord between Meng Li and Li Zhibai on the show to stir up buzz. Now, even the moral high ground she was standing on is unstable."

Lu Yan He listened, only half-understanding.

Chen Ziyan: "Forget it, you don't need to know the specific details. We learn from our mistakes. In the future, when dealing with such people, arguing with them face-to-face is the most meaningless thing; they might even drag you into their mess."

Lu Yan He asked: "Then what should I do?"

Chen Ziyan said: "That's something you have to figure out for yourself. When you meet someone you don't like, confronting them head-on is the simplest but also the easiest way to 'lose eight hundred to kill a thousand.' Those with real ability strike at the vital point and defeat the enemy in one blow."

"That's so profound, I feel like I can't do it."

"It's okay if you can't do it yet; ponder it slowly and learn." Chen Ziyan said with a smile, "Just learn a lesson, take your time."

Chen Ziyan left.

Lu Yan He returned to their "House of Youth" and smelled the fragrance of food.

"It smells so good, what are you making?" he asked pleasantly surprised.

"You're back!" Song Lin Xin turned back to look at him with a surprise, saying: "Brother Zhixing is making braised shrimp."

Lu Yan He leaned over and saw Peng Zhixing, Song Lin Xin, Qin Zhi, Xiao Yun, and Yan Liang, all five of them wearing aprons and busy in the kitchen, preparing dinner for today.

"Wow, looking at it makes me drool." Lu Yan He said.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the kitchen was harmonious.

For a moment, Lu Yan He felt as if nothing unpleasant had happened today.

Lu Yan He asked: "Is there anything I can help with?"

Peng Zhixing said: "Can you chop vegetables? Can you help me cut the carrots into chunks and the potatoes into shreds?"

Lu Yan He nodded immediately and said: "No problem."

Yan Liang smiled and said: "Brother Zhixing, you can safely ask him; he often cooks for himself."

"Oh?" Song Lin Xin looked at Lu Yan He in surprise. "Do you often cook for yourself?"

"Yeah." Lu Yan He nodded. "I live with Yan Liang and Li Zhibai, and we have a kitchen, so we often cook our own meals."

Xiao Yun also sighed: "That's amazing. I feel like there are very few boys who can cook nowadays."

"Same for girls." Song Lin Xin made a pitiful expression. "I'm a total kitchen idiot."

Xiao Yun: "Me too."

The two girls looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

Conversely, Peng Zhixing was at the stove, Yan Liang was seasoning the soup, and Lu Yan He had already washed his hands and started peeling the potatoes and carrots, his movements nimble—one look and you could tell he did it often.

In the workroom, a group of staff members saw this scene, and someone sighed: "This is what this show should look like."

"Yeah, these boys are quite impressive; they can actually all cook."

"Oh, look at Qin Zhi in the corner; he can't do anything at all."

"Hahaha, he's been standing in the corner the whole time, wanting to help but not knowing what to do. I thought he was a very cold person, but I didn't expect him to be so stupidly cute."

"Stupidly cute? You dare say that? Do you know how much money his family has?"

"I don't care, I love this type—handsome, speaks little, has an icy face that keeps strangers away, very ascetic, yet he's actually a little puppy who's very enthusiastic but doesn't know how to express it." A girl let out an irrepressible, excited squeal, and the other men who saw her like this all showed expressions of disdain.

"So... what about Li Zhibai and Meng Li?" someone suddenly asked.

Once this question came out, the workroom, which had been full of laughter, suddenly went quiet.

This question still hadn't been resolved.

At this time, in a car outside, Li Zhibai and Zhou Ping'an were having an extremely serious conversation.

"Li Zhibai, I won't say much else. Even if I did, you wouldn't bother to listen or believe it. But I will tell you one thing very seriously: if you still have passion and pursuit for the profession of an artist, and if you don't want this career to stop, after you get out of the car later, no matter what happened between you and Meng Li before, in front of the cameras, you must pretend to be friendly. Just act like nothing happened. Don't mention the love letter thing again. The production team won't broadcast it either. Just act as if you and Meng Li simply don't like each other and have a conflict."

Li Zhibai lowered his head in silence.

"I have nothing else to say. If you've listened, get out of the car and go back, acting like nothing happened. If you feel you can't swallow this, and you absolutely cannot record this show, then OK, I'll take you back now. But whether Meng Li will leave, and what she will do, I don't know." Zhou Ping'an said. "You make the decision."

One second.

Two seconds.

Li Zhibai opened the car door and got out without a word.

He walked into the "House of Youth," and as soon as he entered, he saw the busy figures in the kitchen.

As soon as Li Zhibai came in, he was seen.

The first time Song Lin Xin saw him, she wanted to greet him, but her hand was halfway up, and her open mouth closed again.

She seemed not to know if Li Zhibai was willing to talk to them at this time.

Li Zhibai took a deep breath, raised a smile at the corner of his mouth, and asked with a bright face: "Are you making dinner? Making it yourselves? Is your cooking reliable?"

At this moment, Li Zhibai sincerely discovered that everyone's praise for him was true.

He really had a talent for acting.

Self-taught.