17 – Chapter 17
Living Together After Returning
The final day of filming arrived swiftly—or rather, the final half-day, as everyone would pack their belongings after breakfast and prepare to leave. Their next meeting would be a week later.
Though the conditions here weren’t ideal, after seven days together, it was impossible not to feel a sense of attachment.
Early in the morning, the guests gathered in the small dining area, sipping the congee Si Nian had prepared, all expressing how reluctant they were to leave.
Qin Zishuang sighed, “If only I were a man, I’d marry Si Nian and have her cook congee for me every day. It’s truly delicious! Why don’t you open a restaurant? I’d be a regular.”
“It’s not that exaggerated,” Si Nian laughed, patting Qin Zishuang’s shoulder.
“Not at all! I really envy your future husband,” Qin Zishuang added, winking at Xie Zhi. “Don’t you agree, Xie Zhi?”
“Mm, it really is delicious,” Xie Zhi replied with a smile.
For the last half-day, the production team didn’t stir up any more drama. After breakfast, the group took a walk along the beach before returning to their rooms to pack.
Before the live broadcast ended, the director reiterated that no one was to contact or meet privately.
Everyone nodded in agreement, though no one knew what they were truly thinking.
As the word “goodbye” echoed, all cameras and live equipment were shut down, and everyone on set breathed a sigh of relief.
Soon, vehicles of various sizes arrived one after another, and the guests departed in turn.
Xie Zhi’s assistant, Xiao Yang, had been waiting for a while. As soon as Xie Zhi approached the car with his luggage, Xiao Yang hurried over to take it. “You’ve worked hard, bro! We’re heading back to Rongcheng now.”
“Mm…”
Just a minute into the drive, Xiao Yang fixed Xie Zhi with a complex, excited gaze for a full sixty seconds. Xie Zhi raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
“Well, should we give that person a ride to the airport? It’s on the way anyway…”
“No need. Let’s go.”
“Alright, bro…”
Though Xiao Yang (full name Qian Yang) was actually a year older than Xie Zhi, he’d grown accustomed to calling him “bro.”
In Xiao Yang’s eyes, Xie Zhi hadn’t had an easy start—growing up without a father, losing his mother in his early teens, and being left to fend for himself. Yet, he’d managed to thrive in the entertainment industry through sheer talent, often having his agents and company defer to him—a rare feat in this field.
But sometimes, standing at the top came with its own losses…
Despite Xie Zhi’s usual calm and gentle demeanor, always wearing a smile, Xiao Yang sometimes sensed a loneliness in him, something elusive and hard to grasp…
If he could really fall in love, it might do him good.
As the car started and gradually left the seaside resort, Xiao Yang kept his window down, watching Si Nian.
“Bro, are you really interested in Si Nian?” Xiao Yang chattered like a worried mother. “She’s 22—that’s not too young. And you’re not an idol; dating wouldn’t be a problem.”
“No need…”
“Why not? I think you need to connect more with people…” Xiao Yang tutted, then spotted Si Nian getting into a black luxury car with a young man in the back seat. “No way? She couldn’t already have a boyfriend, could she?”
“That’s her brother,” Xie Zhi replied without hesitation.”Oh… so that’s how it is. You scared me to death! I thought you hadn’t even started dating yet and already got cheated on…” Xiao Yang patted his chest, then suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Xie Zhi. “Bro, you didn’t even watch it, how did you know that was her brother?”
“Uh…” Xie Zhi paused briefly, “I guessed. She seemed to have mentioned it before.”
“Oh ho, seems like you two are quite close?”
“Moderately so.”
After Xie Zhi left, only Lin Yulan and Si Nian remained on site.
But there was a world of difference between the two.
Si Nian didn’t even need to carry her own luggage – carrying just a small purse, she got into the backseat of a luxury car, with bodyguard-like assistants naturally handling everything behind her.
And Lin Yulan? Alone, dragging two suitcases of different sizes, unable to even hail a cab to the airport.
Lin Yulan didn’t know when she had started paying such close attention to Si Nian. Watching the luxury car disappear into the distance, she secretly vowed to work hard and shine brightly in the entertainment industry. Someday she too could be like Si Nian – buying luxury cars, hiring servants, being the center of attention wherever she went…
Little did she know, Si Nian’s grand arrangements were all orchestrated by her own brother.
Leaning back against the leather seat, Si Nian took a deep breath before clinging to her brother’s arm affectionately. “I really missed you, brother.”
Si Lin gave a hollow smile: “If you really missed me, you wouldn’t have hidden from me to come to this kind of place and participate in this messy program.”
“This show is properly registered and quite legitimate…”
“Go explain that to Mom and Dad. It’s useless telling me.”
“Brother…”
Facing his sister, Si Lin couldn’t maintain his cold facade for long. He soon sighed, “I really don’t understand what’s going through that little head of yours? What’s really going on between you and Bai Yanlin and Xie Zhi? Tell me.”
Si Lin had originally thought his sister joined the show to chase after Bai Yanlin, but now she seemed to be getting involved with Xie Zhi too. He didn’t understand, truly didn’t understand.
“You might not believe me, but I’ve lost interest in Bai Yanlin,” Si Nian answered seriously.
“So have you fallen for Xie Zhi instead?” Si Lin asked again.
Just as Si Nian was about to nod, her brother continued, “Mom and Dad have made their position clear – if you can’t make it work with Xie Zhi, then get a divorce. After all, our family’s daughter won’t have trouble finding someone else. No need to force yourself.”
“I’m not forcing…”
“Also, I’ve investigated the backgrounds of those two men Liu Yu and Gao Li. Their family conditions are acceptable, but I prefer Gao Li – he’s a partner at one of the top four law firms. Our company has had dealings with him before, he has good prospects…”
“Brother, I don’t want a divorce.”
“Oh? So you’re really interested in Xie Zhi? Not just using him to get close to the Bai family and Bai Yanlin?”
Si Nian nodded firmly.
“I’ve advised you before – the Bai family might appear glorious on the surface, but they’re torn by internal conflicts. And Bai Yanlin himself is scheming and profound, definitely not a good match. He’s truly not as good as Xie Zhi, even if he is an illegitimate child…”
“Brother…” Si Nian interrupted him, “Stop always bringing up the ‘illegitimate child’ thing. Xie Zhi’s mother was a victim too. If anyone’s to blame, it’s his father for not being able to control himself.”
Si Lin raised an eyebrow: “Oh? Now you won’t even let me say one word against him?”
Si Nian gave a light hum.Si Lin patted his younger sister’s head. “But he hasn’t been treating you well… You’ve been living separately throughout your first year of marriage? And your marital home looks so clean it’s as if no one has ever lived there.”
“We’ll start living together when I return.”
“You’re quite confident.” Si Lin’s tone was affectionate, completely helpless when it came to this sister of his.