Chapter 174

"Sun, you're not playing by the rules!"

"Zhou, you're no better—give me the DV right now!"

Sun Yanzi, one hand gripping Zhou Yi's sleeve and the other blowing on her palm as she prepared to escalate her threat, had just clenched her fists—when Zhou Yi, who had stood motionless a moment before, suddenly released the DV—

In a flash, he shot out his hand and seized her wrist mid-motion.

"?"

Watching helplessly as the DV, recording her humiliation, tumbled from midair, Zhou Yi's white shoe extended just in time, giving it a light bounce—

The DV, not too heavy, bounced twice like a skillful football on his shoe surface before rolling onto the grass beside him.

With overwhelming strength, Zhou Yi effortlessly twisted her struggling hand back, rendering all her resistance useless.

She couldn't even pull away—he held her fast.

"Since we work at the same company, let me give you some advice: don't be so cocky, young person."

Smiling as he gripped her wrist and forcibly made her perform the French military salute, Zhou Yi added with a smirk: "Or the consequences will be severe."

"..."

After two futile struggles, Sun Yanzi gave up—but still refused to yield: "Fine, keep holding me. Don't let go. The director crew for this MV are all my people, you know."

No matter the outcome, she wouldn't lose the upper hand—that was her last shred of pride.

"Oh? So you're planning to call in backup? You in the mob now?"

Looking down at Sun Yanzi, who held her head high in defiance, Zhou Yi chuckled mockingly: "So you're Hong Xing's Thirteenth Sister, huh?"

"Wrong—you should call me Thirteenth Sister. I'm older than you." Sun Yanzi's eyes darted, exploiting her three-year age advantage to correct him.

"Guess who they'll listen to—Thirteenth Sister, or the Crown Prince?"

"..."

Sun Yanzi blinked nervously, her gaze shrinking away from his and shifting instead toward the director crew nearby—

Someone was still cracking sunflower seeds and watching the show; someone else had already turned on their camera to film this behind-the-scenes moment…

Now she was truly too embarrassed to show her face.

Sun Yanzi pouted, grinding her teeth in fury, and shot him a venomous glare: "Someone's filming—let go!"

"Don't worry, Thirteenth Sister—we didn't film anything, and we didn't hear a thing."

A deputy director from the crew shouted this with the subtlety of a man burying silver in the ground, and the entire studio erupted in mirth.

They were all staff who'd worked for Warner since their debut, shooting MVs for Sun Yanzi, Zhou Yi, and other singers—they knew these two inside out.

After all, privately, both were down-to-earth types—never acted like stars or flew into rages.

Seeing someone else draw the heat, Zhou Yi promptly released her hands, stepped aside, and gestured toward the director crew with a polite "after you."

Director crew: "..."

Free at last, Sun Yanzi rubbed her wrist and bared her teeth at Zhou Yi in a threatening snarl: "You better not sleep too soundly tonight."

It was a threat she'd learned from Zhou Yi's own mouth.

"I usually sleep naked."

Whoosh!

Before he could react, Sun Yanzi dropped low and lunged toward the adjacent grass, aiming to snatch back the DV—

"Huh?"

The blank screen made her instinctively look up at Zhou Yi, who casually flicked his wrist—between his fingers now rested a memory card.

"..."

Feeling utterly outmaneuvered, Sun Yanzi slapped her forehead, laughed bitterly at her own futility, stood up, nodded at Zhou Yi, clapped slowly, and gritted her teeth: "You're fast."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Zhou Yi shrugged: "You're not the first to say that."

Sun Yanzi, still resentful, nearly spat in his face, cheeks puffed with anger as she stomped toward the director crew—all while Zhou Yi's smug whistling echoed behind her.

The chief director watching from inside the studio stared at them with gleaming eyes.

This was perfect for the theme of the MV "The Summer Wind Blew."

"Stefanie, keep this exact mood—we're shooting the first scene now."

Sun Yanzi, who'd been about to march back and demand the footage be deleted, was left speechless by the director's sudden burst of energy.

The crew, already prepared, surged forward, dragging the leisurely Zhou Yi over and meticulously reviewing the MV's plot with him.

A simple, fresh, sweet love MV—

Sun Yanzi, studying in Singapore, meets Zhou Yi, a local college student; their paths cross repeatedly around campus corners on bicycles, they meet in the library, and as summer arrives, their romance blossoms.

The core? Pure love.

"Zhou Yi, tone it down—don't smile so naturally. You're playing a shy college student."

The director's pre-shoot warning left Zhou Yi speechless.

"What do you mean 'playing'? I'm naturally quiet, inarticulate, and shy—that's just who I am."

Didn't everyone at Warner know that?

"You're at best a college student."

Sun Yanzi, leaning over immediately to tease him, added: "Oh wait—you're not even a student anymore."

"Thanks for the reminder."

"You're welcome. It's only right."

Having mocked Zhou Yi, Sun Yanzi happily declared victory through mental triumph, skipping off to ride her bike as the script demanded.

According to today's shooting schedule, she'd need to film three or four bike-riding scenes.

"Remember, stop here at the corner and lock eyes."

After the camera positions were set up, filming began.

The two of them, riding bicycles, started simultaneously from both lanes of the street, braking just as they were about to reach the corner—

Bang!

Sun Yanzi, who had pedaled too hard, crashed straight into the front of Zhou Yi's bicycle...

"The bicycle didn't offend you. Did you treat it like me and pedal it?" Zhou Yi, with both feet planted on the ground and his body motionless on the saddle, glanced sideways at the guilty party.

"Again, again. Sorry, that was my fault just now."

Sun Yanzi, reversing back in a dejected manner, coughed awkwardly twice. Zhou Yi, smiling and shaking his head, simply watched her back up.

The summer wind swept through the fallen leaves of the garden square, stirring up a rustling sound.

Two strands of the man's short bangs were blown down to hang over his forehead. Sun Yanzi, having returned to the starting position, raised her hand to smooth her wind-tousled short hair—

As she lifted her gaze, she happened to take in Zhou Yi's figure, smiling calmly beneath the swaying willow branches by the wall...

(End of this chapter)