After filming wrapped up, Li Xuebo organized everyone to go out for a late-night snack.
“There’s a restaurant near the TV station that’s been open for years—the food’s great. Some guests who’ve been there once insist on going again the next time they’re on the show.”
“Teacher,” Chi Yan said, “I asked my assistant to order some skewers. Why don’t we find an empty room and eat there instead?”
Just as she finished speaking, Wang Hui walked over carrying two large bags of skewers.
“Wang Hui, help divide these up,” Chi Yan turned to the director and said, “Director, you and the staff have worked hard too. Please join us.”
The nearby staff members immediately stepped forward to help Wang Hui distribute the food to everyone.
“I’ll pass,” Duan Jing said. “I have to rush to Jingcheng—my flight’s about to leave.”
Qi Kerong also stepped forward, looking a little apologetic. “I have other work to do. Thank you for your generosity, but I really can’t stay.”
Chi Yan understood and didn’t bother to speculate whether they were genuinely busy or just making excuses.
Since Qi Kerong and Duan Jing both said they had to leave, Yang Yueyi also took her leave.
“My mom’s in the hospital. I have to go see her.”
She dropped that line and left quickly.
Ye Jiawen still needed a ride with her, so he stayed and started eating enthusiastically.
Chi Yan smiled and said to He Min and Li Xuebo, “Teachers, eat more. Thank you for looking after me tonight.”
With so many people sharing the food, the atmosphere was lively, and the skewers were gone in no time.
“Jie,” Wang Hui came over to Chi Yan and said, “Sister Ying said to decline any work that can be postponed for now—focus on recovering first. Also, your ankle injury has made the trending topics.”
“How did it get on the trending list? The live audience signed confidentiality agreements—they wouldn’t have leaked anything.”
“A reporter snapped a photo of the doctor treating you, and the show’s official account confirmed your injury.”
Just as Wang Hui finished speaking, the director of Weekly Fun came over to Chi Yan.
After the trending post, the show was receiving a lot of backlash. The director hoped she could say something to help.
“Sorry to trouble you with this.”
“No problem,” Chi Yan said. “But I’ll need to check with my agent before posting anything.”
The director was briefly stunned, then quickly nodded. “Yes, yes, of course. Got to ask Sister Wang Ying.”
Wang Ying soon gave the green light, so Chi Yan posted a clarification on Weibo:
Chi Yan V: “I slipped while dancing, but I’m fine. Please don’t stir things up on the show’s official page. Thank you to the fans who came to the live taping, and those planning to watch as well.”
After a long day, Chi Yan fell asleep as soon as she got in the car.
“I’m going to take a nap—wake me when we get there,” she told Wang Hui.
Ye Jiawen, hearing this, quietly put on his headphones and started playing a game.
Strangely, Chi Yan dreamed of the dance performance on stage.
She clearly saw the liquid on the floor glistening under the light.
Was someone trying to harm her? It wasn’t an accident, but sabotage.
When she woke up, Chi Yan called Wang Ying to report it.
“Okay, don’t say anything for now,” Wang Ying said. “Wait till they send over the edited footage, and I’ll take a closer look. If it’s true, our company will definitely stand up for you! Oh, by the way, Shen Group has reached out to me. They want you to endorse a new product—a learning robot.”
“What do you think, Sister Ying? Should I take it?”
“I think you should. Shen Group is a rising tech company in the past two years, and their R&D is well-regarded. They’re also quite well-known. Actress Zhuang is one of their ambassadors too.”
Chi Yan said, “Alright, sounds good. Let’s take it.”
“I hesitated a bit because Duan Jing turned down this endorsement, and the schedule is pretty tight—they want it shot within the week. But the pay is generous, and you’d also get to attend Shen Group’s New Year’s gala and take part in a prize draw.”
“In that case,” Chi Yan thought for a moment and said, “let’s do it. The pay’s good, no bad press involved, and the company’s on the rise. It’s a great opportunity for me right now.”
“Alright, I’ll confirm it with them. Get some rest.”
“Okay, thanks, Sister Ying.”
But just after hanging up with Wang Ying, Shen Chen called.
“Chi Yan, I saw on the trending topics that you got hurt today. Are you alright?” Shen Chen asked urgently. “I know a surgeon who specializes in sprains and falls. If you need anything, just let me know.”
“I’m fine. The show’s doctor checked it already—it doesn’t even hurt anymore.”
After a brief silence, Chi Yan asked, “Your company contacted me about a sponsorship deal? Something about a learning robot?”
“Yes,” Shen Chen replied. “They said they couldn’t find the right person, so I told them you were my schoolmate, doing great lately, and worth reaching out to.”
“So I have you to thank. I was wondering. Thank you.”
“There’s no need to thank me. It’s the least I can do. Just focus on recovering. The endorsement isn’t urgent.”
“Not urgent?” Chi Yan raised an eyebrow. “But my agent told me your company asked for filming to be completed this week.”
“Ah,” Shen Chen said, “I’ll talk to them. We can delay it.”
“No need. I didn’t mean that. Filming this week is totally fine.”
“Alright, filming will be at our company. Your team can have lunch in our cafeteria.”
“I’ve heard from classmates that your company’s cafeteria is amazing. Finally, I get to try it myself.”
Shen Chen said, “You’re welcome anytime.”
“Great, I’ll remember that.”
The two of them were silent for a while, until Shen Chen finally spoke again.
“It’s getting late. I won’t keep you. Rest well. Good night.”
“Good night to you too.”
In the end, Wang Ying finalized the shoot with Shen Group for Saturday.
Early in the morning, Wang Ying brought along the company’s makeup artist and Wang Hui to pick up Chi Yan from her villa.
Chi Yan was already ready. “Good morning, Sister Ying!”
“Morning,” Wang Ying said after observing her, “You look pretty good. Today’s makeup shouldn’t need much work.”
“Let me introduce you. This is our company’s senior makeup artist, Ms. Huang Yun. I just sent you her WeChat. For future important events, you can contact Ms. Huang directly.”
“Got it.” Chi Yan greeted her politely, “Nice to meet you, Ms. Huang.”
You can’t afford to offend a makeup artist—if they’re in a bad mood, they might just give you a hairstyle everyone will mock.
Following that principle, Chi Yan was always respectful to every makeup artist she worked with.
“Nice to meet you,” Huang Yun replied. “Just contact me one day in advance.”
“Sure, thank you.”
After some small talk, they arrived at Shen Group.
Shen Chen had specially arranged for someone to receive them. As they came out of the parking lot, they were greeted by a Shen Group employee.
“Miss Chi, welcome. President Shen asked me to guide you on a short tour of the company before the shoot, so you can experience our corporate culture.”
“Thank you,” Chi Yan replied. She remembered him—last time when she dined with Shen Chen nearby, this man was there. Shen Chen had called him “Secretary Fang.”
“Please follow me.”
Shen Group occupied a whole skyscraper in Haishi’s CBD—clearly well-capitalized.
“Our robotics and tech products are mainly displayed on the 5th to 7th floors. Guests often come to visit. Since you’re filming today, President Shen canceled all online appointments.”
Tech companies were truly different. In the lobby stood intelligent navigation robots and robotic cleaners.
“Shen Group is really impressive,” Wang Ying marveled. “Even the elevators are voice-controlled.”
“You flatter us. President Shen has prepared gifts for you. After the shoot, each of you will receive our latest housekeeping robot.”
“That’s awesome,” Wang Hui said.
“Secretary Fang, you mentioned the 5th to 7th floors for the tour—where is the shoot happening?”
“Oh, that will be on the 11th floor. It’s equipped with our most advanced filming equipment, and footage uploads directly to the computer after shooting.”
“Got it.”
On the 5th floor were smaller robots, with default voices similar to Siri or Xiao Ai, but with the option to switch voices. Overall, they were adorable. The educational robot Chi Yan would endorse was among them.
On the 6th floor, the robots were much larger—about 1.6 meters tall—mainly used for navigation and explanations.
The 7th floor had mostly large touchscreen devices, packed with functionality.
After the tour, Secretary Fang led them to the 11th floor.
The shooting set was already in place, with several educational robots displayed on the table.
The director was the same one who had filmed her and Ye Jiawen’s Swift Auto commercial before—familiar faces made things easier.
“This is Director Zhao, our in-house commercial director,” Secretary Fang introduced. “He also shot your Swift Auto ad. Swift Auto is actually a Shen Group subsidiary.”
“I see,” Chi Yan said. “Director Zhao, looks like we’re working together again. I look forward to it!”
“Likewise,” Director Zhao replied. “Please familiarize yourself with the robot’s features. We’re shooting a series of commercials, and in this first one, we just need you to demonstrate the robot briefly.”
“Okay.”
“Then take 30 minutes to get familiar with it. After that, we’ll need to finish makeup within an hour—is that doable?”
“Yes,” Chi Yan nodded. “Plenty of time.”
She began studying the educational robot.
She had briefly seen it on the 5th floor, but hadn’t really understood its functions or performance then.
“Miss Chi,” Secretary Fang handed her a small manual. “Here’s the instruction booklet. You can follow this. President Shen needs me elsewhere, so I’ll leave you to it.”
“Okay. Thanks for making the trip.”
“It’s no trouble at all.” Secretary Fang couldn’t help thinking about the current office rumor—if it turned out to be true, Chi Yan could very well be their future CEO’s wife.
Chi Yan started reading the manual.
The robot, standing just under 40 centimeters tall, was packed with advanced technology.
Its appearance resembled a panda—black eyes with a white body.
The black eyes could scan text from books, and if a user encountered a difficult question, it could upload it to a database and provide a detailed explanation.
Its neck was flexible—when idle, it looked like a big toy on the desk, but during use, it could tilt its head downward to “focus.”
Another fun feature: it could pronounce words for children to write down, and even practice English conversation.
With the addition of other language packs, it could help children practice other foreign languages too.
The more Chi Yan explored, the more she liked this robot.
“If I had such a fun ‘study buddy’ back in school, I probably would’ve done way better.”
Wang Ying laughed, “Your academic background is already impressive. Haida is one of the top universities in the country. Any higher, and you’d be in Jingda!”
Jingda was the top-ranked university in the country and internationally renowned.
“I was just saying,” Chi Yan chuckled.
“Alright, you’re probably done studying it now. Time for makeup. Ms. Huang Yun has been talking to Director Zhao for a while now—looks like they have specific ideas for your look today. You’d better go now.”
Wang Ying’s guess was right. As soon as Huang Yun saw Chi Yan, she asked, “Can we start makeup now? The look today is more complex—it might take a while.”
“Yes, let’s begin.” Chi Yan thought back—her longest makeup session had been three hours.
When she played modern roles, she usually didn’t need much makeup. Every artist who had done her makeup praised her skin quality. Usually, an hour or so was enough.
