Chapter 496: Both the Cat and You Want to Know

The camera that had not yet been turned off faithfully recorded everything happening on the scene, including Sa Beining's constant teasing remarks about Zhou Yi.

Seeing him keep shouting "Li Bai," those who knew understood he was calling Zhou Yi, while those who didn't might have thought he was calling his wife.

"If you're not hosting 'Today's Law' and instead come here to make a scene, and you keep barking 'Li Bai,' I'll wish you find a wife named Li Bai in the future." With absolutely no concern for his image, Zhou Yi directly clamped his arm around Sa Beining, who was jumping up and down before him, and muttered curses.

"Impossible, that's absolutely impossible."

With his head trapped by Zhou Yi's arm like the Monkey King pinned under the Five Fingers Mountain, Sa Beining laughed so hard his voice crowed like a rooster: "Which normal woman would have the name Li Bai?"

"..."

Hearing his senior brother say this, a smile Zhou Yi couldn't suppress curled at the corner of his mouth.

Very good, very spirited!

Later, he'd ask the production crew for a backup tape to cut this segment out; when Sa Beining gets married in the future, he'd play it on loop dozens or even a hundred times at the wedding.

While the two were fooling around, Zhu Jun, Zhou Tao, and others who had turned over from next door saw the scene, and a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes; Zhu Jun even smiled and teased, "Xiao Sa, don't bully Zhou Yi again."

"How could I? Leader, look at me—do I look like someone who could bully him? If anything, he's bullying me."

Unexpectedly seeing hosts from the previous generation like Zhu Jun arrive, Sa Beinan's expression instantly turned serious, and Zhou Yi also appropriately stopped the horseplay, straightened his attitude, and greeted the group—

"Brother Jun, Sister Tao."

Zhu Jun, currently CCTV's top male host; in terms of personal style, he can be said to be the most presentable representative of the young generation of male hosts at CCTV following Jin Ye.

Zhou Tao can also almost be said to be the undisputed top female host at CCTV following Ni Ping; her dignified, elegant, and grand style has received widespread praise. Not only the Spring Festival Gala, but even the 2001 Olympic bid success celebration gala was hosted by her.

Currently, rumors are spreading that she is about to be seconded to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, becoming the Deputy Director of the News Department of the Organizing Committee.

In Zhou Yi's memory, later, due to her excellent performance, Zhou Tao was directly promoted in 2006 to become the Director of the Management Department for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Organizing Committee, fully responsible for the broadcast and coordination of the opening and closing ceremonies; her ability was unquestionable.

Of course, Zhou Yi's deeper impression of her was that she had a very overstepping senior simp named Lu Yun, and this wealthy simp had officially taken the position this year—last year Zhou Tao divorced her ex-husband, and in March this year, the simp stepped up and married Zhou Tao.

Although Zhou Tao publicly stated the divorce was due to busy work and fading affection, Zhou Yi seriously suspected it was because this simp named Lu Yun simp-ed so incredibly well that he completely broke the mindset of Zhou Tao's ex-husband.

As a man wealthy enough to be properly called a chairman, Lu Yun simp-ed so hard that even after Zhou Tao married, he continued to care for Zhou Tao and her family, often showering her family with huge sums of money.

When Zhou Tao's mother was sick and hospitalized, Lu Yun even rushed to buy things to visit and personally cared for her, his performance being more like a son-in-law than the actual son-in-law.

If he were Zhou Tao's ex-husband, he definitely wouldn't have been able to stand it.

Which man could tolerate having such a wealthy "good friend" who constantly oversteps boundaries by his wife's side?

"I heard you are also joining the Olympic preparation work, Zhou Yi." Zhou Tao didn't beat around the bush; she smiled and shook hands with him: "I hope we cooperate well; five hundred years ago, we might have been one family."

"With Sister Tao saying that, my heart is much more at ease; to be honest, this is my first time participating in such a high-profile project." Zhou Yi complimented her subtly, and the handshake was merely a polite greeting.

After exchanging greetings and contact information, the group smiled and bid each other farewell.

Once in Zhou Yi's car, Sa Beining was no longer as lively as he was in the CCTV building; while fastening his seatbelt, he wiped his face with both hands, turned to look at the CCTV building outside the car window, and his eyes were somewhat dim.

"What's wrong? Why such a gloomy expression?" Zhou Yi started the car and turned the steering wheel.

"It's not a big deal, it's just that after entering CCTV, I found everything a bit different from what I imagined." Resting his head on the soft, comfortable headrest of the Mercedes, shifting his body a couple of times, Sa Beining felt somewhat emotional, his mood matching the gloomy, rain-threatening sky outside.

"Normal; stability is the priority, you definitely have to endure for ten or so years."

Given Sa Beining's tendency to seek the spotlight, he had been tempered quite a bit after entering CCTV, and Zhou Yi understood.

The share at CCTV is only this big; the old guard hasn't retired yet, firmly occupying seventy percent of the key positions together with the young generation, while the remaining twenty percent is the domain of connections, such as the famous Acceleration Director Zhang.

Only ten percent is a place for young people like Sa Beining, cultivated as reserve forces, to train and accumulate experience.

By all rights, Sa Beining, who hosts 'Today's Law,' is already an outstanding figure among the new generation, but unfortunately, his heart is indeed more ambitious.

This can be seen from the fact that he would later date Zhang Ziyi.

This is actually a manifestation of his restlessness that he can no longer control—Zhang Ziyi wanted to use his reputation as a CCTV talent to whitewash herself, while he, immersed in the gentle boudoir of the entertainment circle, also wanted to use this opportunity to see if there was a chance to jump out and view the scenery outside.

In the end, it was his girlfriend Zhang Ziyi who woke him up.

As a proper scholar who climbed up the hard way at CCTV, Sa Beining indeed could not adapt to the rules of the entertainment circle, and spiritually he could not resonate with Zhang Ziyi, who was already accustomed to entertainment circle rules.

His so-called escape within CCTV was playful behavior within the rules; the older generation all treated him as a junior, part of the mentorship chain; but in the entertainment circle, he was nothing, and no one would give him face.

It was only after his relationship with Zhang Ziyi that Sa Beining, truly recognizing himself, shed his past restlessness and became the man who rose rapidly within the CCTV system.

"You make it sound easy, over ten years."

With his hands folded behind his head, Sa Beining gazed at his youthful self in the car window, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth: "In over ten years, how old will I be? By then, you'll probably have become a towering figure, while I'm still suffering through the grind."

"What you say, I am already a towering figure now."

"Get lost; if you crash the car now and don't get rescued, you definitely will be."

"Get the hell out of here, you're cursing me even though I'm treating you to a meal? Then don't eat."

Zhou Yi muttered curses, randomly found a barbecue shop he used to frequent often, and after parking the car, Zhou Yi put on a sun hat and sunglasses on this cloudy day.

His assistant had booked a table there early on.

Although there was no private room, the shop owner at the back door had creatively fenced off a small area for him. Whenever Zhou Yi came to eat here, this small area at the back door would not be set up with other tables.

"A rich dog like you, you can't let a free meal go to waste."

Sa Beining, who often gathered with Zhou Yi here before, ordered dishes without holding back: "Are you calling anyone else? Old Liu and the others probably want to bring their girlfriends, and Old Liang is even worse; he has to bring his wife and son, saying they want to bankrupt you, the big star."

"I don't know; I'll ask who else I know is in the capital."

Stealing half a day of leisure from a busy life, with not many people in the barbecue shop for once, Zhou Yi, who hadn't gathered with roommates or friends in a long time, took this opportunity to call a circle of people, planning to invite a big star to boost his presence—

Fan Xiaopang was the first to reply: "You should have said so earlier! I'm currently in Wuhan promoting my new song!"

Especially since she was meeting Zhou Yi's friends, she regretted it so much her thigh was almost slapped red.

The song mockingly nicknamed by netizens as 'A Couple of Dogs Sitting at the Alley Entrance' was extremely popular since its release; not talking about commercial performance orders, just the single revenue it brought her already exceeded the total film fees she earned over these past few years.

Especially recently, it was compounded by ringtone revenue that had just started to open up.

For the first time, she intuitively felt how terrifying the money-making ability of a singer with a hit song really was.

The average commercial performance started at a hundred thousand, and combined with her current fame, when encountering wealthy clients, her agent Chen Shufen dared to ask for two hundred thousand per show.

This was much faster than earning money through acting, especially considering her level of diligence.

As a hardworking woman, unlike Sun Yanzi, who was so lazy she wished she could stay at home and grow fur, Fan Xiaopang wished she could sleep only one hour a day and work for the other twenty-three hours.

Xiao Yaxuan: "Get lost, do you think I grew wings so I can fly from Taiwan to the Imperial Capital right now?"

Xiao Yaxuan, who knew Zhou Yi much better, typed with teeth gritted.

She knew perfectly well that her mother and Yao Qian controlled her tightly in Taiwan, not even letting her drink a bottle of cola, yet he still called her to the Imperial Capital to eat barbecue; this dog man was definitely doing it on purpose.

Cheng Hao's reply was simpler: "?"I'm working. Come back first, then we'll talk."

As for whether they would talk about barbecue after returning or about dumping all the approved work onto Cheng Hao, that was another story.

Lu Yi, Zhou Xun, Ren Quan, and others were not in the Imperial Capital due to busy schedules, and Zhang Shaohan had already joined a crew to start filming a new idol drama; after a round of busy searching, the only available person in the phone book was obvious—

Warner's lazy dog, Sun Yanzi.

"Huh?"

Warner, Sun Yanzi's lounge.

Sun Yanzi, who had been called out, was biting into a hot dog bun, sitting idly at a computer busy with work; noticing the message content, she couldn't help but frown: "Who are you calling a lazy dog? I'm at work at the company right now; aren't you the one slacking off?"

"Cut the nonsense, just answer me: are you coming or not?"

"Coming, free food is free food."

Sun Yanzi, who stuffed half a hot dog bun into her mouth in three quick motions, jumped up from her chair; dozens of seconds later, Sun Yanzi, who had just left the lounge, returned to close the game interface on her computer—

Then she opened a music software with only one source file, changed 【New File 1】 to 【Meeting】, nodded in satisfaction, clapped her hands, hummed a little tune, and left the company.

"Miss Sun."

At the elevator exit when leaving the company, Sun Yanzi also encountered a young man who looked very unfamiliar standing with Wang Feng; when the young man saw her, he was obviously much more restrained and hurriedly spoke to greet her.

"Hard work, get off work early~"

Remembering this was the new recruit Hu Yanbing the company had poached, Sun Yanzi smiled at the two: "I'm leaving first; remember not to tell Teacher Li Sisong, just pretend you didn't see me."

Hu Yanbing: "..."

Wang Feng's face remained normal, obviously already used to it.

This sister at least stays at the company often; Number One Brother Zhou Yi is the one who is frequently like a divine dragon appearing only with his head or tail visible.

And when Sun Yanzi appeared at the dinner gathering in disguise, it even drew applause from the men and women who were already chatting heatedly—

"Yanzi, I'm your fan, can you sign an autograph for me?"

"Yanzi, Yanzi, I'm your fan too, I even bought your album."

"You bought a pirated copy, that so-called 'Warner Love Story'; don't think I don't know you're a fake fan."

"Get lost, Zhou Yi, don't slander people here."

"..."

Since Zhou Yi had been mutually calling each other father and son with his dorm mates before becoming famous, and after becoming famous he did not deliberately distance himself from old friends, Zhou Yi's relationship with this group also maintained a cursing father-son relationship—

He was the father, so naturally he had to tolerate these rebellious sons.

Sa Beining, who had eaten with Zhou Yi and Cheng Hao last time, raised an eyebrow, directly chose to delete that memory, and repeatedly said "Yanzi, I'm your fan too," livening up the lively atmosphere at the table.

Sun Yanzi, who also came to get familiar with Zhou Yi's social circle, was not timid; her lively and cheerful personality often made her the source of joy.

After eating and drinking enough, and after others who all had work the next day took their leave one by one, only Zhou Yi with a toothpick in his mouth and Sun Yanzi, who put down her wine glass, hummed, and took another bite of grilled fish, remained in the backyard.

"It hasn't been this lively for a long time; the last time so many people had a group dinner together was before the New Year, right?"

Because the fish meat was scalding hot and spicy, Sun Yanzi, who inevitably puffed her cheeks and blew on it repeatedly while eating, fanned herself wildly with her left hand while still greedily constantly reaching her chopsticks into the grilled fish plate.

The more she ate, the more addicted she became.

Before, with so many people, she had to be a lady and maintain her star image.

Zhou Yi found it amusing: "Order another one for you?"

"Forget it, if you order another one I definitely won't be able to eat it—burp~"

Sun Yanzi, who let out a burp, was so spicy that she kept hissing in her mouth; she skillfully poured herself a glass of beer: "I still have to work overtime tonight."

"Meow~"

Just as she was speaking, a small orange cat raised by the shop owner, perhaps because there were fewer people here, darted over from somewhere, circled around Zhou Yi and Sun Yanzi once, and then squatted by the latter's feet—

Raising its round head, its big bright eyes like black pearls looked at the human eating fish: "Meow~~"

While meowing, the orange tail swept back and forth on the ground, and its pink tongue occasionally licked its lips; the cute appearance made Sun Yanzi's eyes almost turn into red hearts.

"About the album?"

"Yeah, I'm not like you; English major already has enough quotas."

Sun Yanzi, who originally wanted to pick up a slice of fish meat for the small orange cat, considering the spiciness, instead put a grilled saury she had eaten down to one-third into a small plastic bowl, placed it in front of the cat, and then cautiously extended one finger to try touching it—

Discovering the small cat did not fluff its fur but instead lowered its head to sniff and then immediately buried its head to gnaw on it, the bolder Sun Yanzi started using her hands to stroke the cat's soft body and fur, her face beaming with a smile: "Do you have any ideas for your Chinese major fourth year yet?"

"Not yet currently, but I feel there should be a little clue." Zhou Yi, watching this scene, couldn't help but smile at the corners of his mouth.

"?"

Sun Yanzi, who was cautiously squatting on the ground happily petting the cat, heard this and couldn't help but turn her head to look at the man, a few doubts climbing onto her brows.

What does "not yet currently" mean, and then "feel there should be a little clue"?

"Are you lying to me?" With a smart brain thinking, Sun Yanzi had already discovered the truth.

"How is that possible? I never lie to people, okay."

Zhou Yi disdainfully pouted: "Otherwise, let heaven strike me with five thunderbolts—"

Boom!

Before the words finished, the already dim sky instantly flashed with several lightning bolts that tore the sky; the deafening thunder made Zhou Yi, who had just been stubborn, instantly shut his mouth. Sun Yanzi, squatting on the ground, blinked her eyes, pointed one finger at him, and her mouth stretched open so happily—

"Oh ho~ Haha, let you talk nonsense for no reason; Heaven is watching."

"Get lost, you; if you talk more tomorrow I'll go be your supervisor." Zhou Yi, with no right but full confidence, bared his teeth at her to threaten.

"Am I afraid of you?" Sun Yanzi, stretching her neck and making a funny face, challenged him without yielding; after Zhou Yi's assistant finished paying the bill, the two put on sunglasses, masks, and sun hats again, and even took an umbrella—

"Why is your disguise the same as mine?"

"You ask me who? Isn't this what the makeup artist gave me?"

"I'm asking about the umbrella."

"Isn't this the company's?"

Both were habitual pilferers at the company; upon discovering the umbrellas in each other's hands were both snatched from the company, they couldn't quite keep their composure.

As if recalling something, Sun Yanzi guiltily pressed further: "How many did you take—borrow from the company and forget to return?"

Zhou Yi, who had also just remembered the recent rumors circulating in the company about several public umbrellas mysteriously going missing and wondering if a thief had broken in, looked somewhat strange: "I don't know, three?"

"Then I have one less than you, two." Sun Yanzi decided on the spot.

Zhou Yi gave her a look reserved for idiots.

But before he could even speak, their furtive demeanor was noticed by customers at the door not long after they stepped out—

"Hey? Aren't you that—that—that someone?!"

A middle-aged man, shirtless with a toothpick in his mouth, took a closer look upon seeing the two emerge; driven by his sensitivity to celebrities, he instantly recognized Zhou Yi and Sun Yanzi's disguises, which stood out as rather abnormal among the crowd.

The bodyguards, already blended into the stream of customers, rose immediately, which only further highlighted the superstar's identity.

The younger people, more adept at chasing stars, immediately let out cheers, sweeping away all the pain of having worked this lousy shift all day—

"Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi!!!"

"Yanzi! Yanzi!!"

It started raining outside; holding umbrellas, Zhou Yi and Sun Yanzi exchanged greetings and immediately turned to run!

The crowd that quickly gathered upon hearing news of the celebrities was no joke.

"Ah!! My umbrella, my umbrella!"

"Forget the umbrella, running is the priority!"

Watching the strong wind flip the umbrella in Sun Yanzi's hand, Zhou Yi immediately wrapped an arm around her and pulled her under his own umbrella; amidst Sun Yanzi's chatter, the two ran side by side toward the parking lot!

One umbrella couldn't cover two bodies; bending over while forcibly straightening the flipped umbrella, Sun Yanzi felt the rain constantly beating against her, and the expression on her face was unclear whether she was laughing or just laughing—

By the time they got in the car, half her body was already soaked.

Her eyes darted, and she shook herself like a cat; shaking her wet short hair, raindrops splashed all over Zhou Yi's face.

"Hehe."

Facing Zhou Yi's speechless gaze, Sun Yanzi playfully tilted her head, blinked a wink, and simultaneously raised her right hand to her chin to make a V-sign.

(End of this chapter)