Chapter Eighty-Seven: Chen Nan and Li Xiyan

The next morning, the two of them arrived at the airport with their suitcases and boarded the production team’s car.

A great many viewers had risen early, all eager to see who these two guest stars were.

The moment they got on the vehicle, the livestream audience’s eyes lit up.

The young woman wore a white short-sleeved shirt and denim shorts, her long hair tied high at the crown of her head, bright and fresh as spring.

The man, by contrast, was unremarkable in appearance, dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and long pants—one of those people who would disappear into a crowd at a glance.

So it was Li Xiyan!

It was actually Li Xiyan! Who had she come with? The man beside her looked vaguely familiar…

Wasn’t that the singer of the hot new song everyone had been listening to lately, the one behind “A Person Like Me”? Chen Nan!

People had long heard online that the two of them were very close, and no one had expected them to appear together on a romance variety show this time. Were they planning to use this opportunity to make their relationship official?

Everyone began to speculate, but from the moment they got on the car, both of them greeted the camera and the viewers, giving simple self-introductions.

Li Xiyan looked tired, as though she had not slept well.

“Um... sorry, I’m going to sleep for a bit. I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

She gave the camera an apologetic smile, then winked at Chen Nan, before leaning back and closing her eyes.

Lately, Li Xiyan had been so troubled by what had happened before that she could hardly sleep at all.

Even her phone number had somehow been exposed. These past few days, she scarcely dared switch on her phone; the moment she did, it was flooded with text messages and calls.

She had already reported it to the police, but there was still little to be done.

Those fans spoke with vicious tongues. She could have ignored it, but she could not stop herself from taking a look or two—and once she did, she would be unable to sleep that night.

Li Xiyan had always been thin, and after all this, she had lost several more pounds.

Seeing his good friend like this, Chen Nan came up with a plan.

He had brought Li Xiyan here as a guest for one episode, just for a single day—to wander around by the sea and give her a chance to relax.

More importantly, she had wanted to ask Lin Ze to write a song for her.

What had happened last time, when he had gone to Lin Ze and asked him face-to-face, could not be kept secret for long; sooner or later, it would reach the ears of the singers in that group chat.

This was also a good opportunity. Perhaps one song would be enough to pull Li Xiyan out of her present predicament.

Chen Nan had always been a somewhat socially anxious person. After getting in the car, Li Xiyan, whom he knew quite well, had fallen asleep, and he was not close with the cameraman opposite him, either. After exchanging a few awkward words, he sat obediently in the car, scrolling through his own data.

The carriage swayed back and forth, and as it rocked, Li Xiyan’s head ended up resting on Chen Nan’s shoulder.

Fortunately, Red Leaf Inn was not far away; sixty or seventy kilometers took only an hour or two.

The production team had all gotten up as well. Seeing in the livestream that the two of them were about to arrive, and with nothing else to do, they waited at the entrance.

The production car pulled up to the door, and the two young guests got out. As soon as they stepped down, they saw at once that all the senior figures in the entertainment world were actually waiting there for them.

“Oh my, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts—how could we possibly trouble you all to come out and meet us...”

Chen Nan hurried forward to shake everyone’s hands one by one.

From the oldest to the youngest, he greeted each person in turn. When he saw Lin Ze, his face lit up with excitement.

“Little Lin! If you ever have a song that suits me, you absolutely have to give it to me!”

Lin Ze nodded repeatedly. “Of course, of course.”

When Li Xiyan saw Lin Ze, the weariness on her face vanished at once.

“Hello, hello, Brother Lin! It’s been so long—finally I get to see you.”

Then, lowering her voice, she asked, “Do you have a song?”

“Yes, yes,” Lin Ze said with a nod.

Hearing his reply, Li Xiyan’s heart lifted. “Thank you, Brother Lin!”

After speaking, she let go of Lin Ze’s hand and turned to Su Zitan.

“Sister Zitan, seeing you here in person is even prettier than seeing you on the livestream. It’s such a shame you didn’t enter the entertainment industry.”

“I don’t have that kind of talent,” Su Zitan said warmly, taking Li Xiyan’s hand. “I’m no good at singing or dancing.”

Last time, Su Zitan had spoken up for her, and that had made the two girls hit it off the moment they met.

“Come inside and talk, come inside and talk,” Chen Weiguo called everyone in.

He first took the two of them to their room so they could put down their luggage, then brought them back to the courtyard.

“What would you like to eat? You came all this way, so you should choose the dishes,” Zhao Funing asked kindly after sitting down.

“I want braised beef with potatoes!” Chen Nan rubbed his hands together. “After watching the show last week, I’d been craving it, but every time I ordered it at a restaurant, it never tasted good.”

“Then I want chicken wings.” Li Xiyan smiled sweetly. “Can we order dry pot too?”

“Of course, no problem~” Zhao Funing agreed at once.

“This is the last day anyway, and there’s nothing much going on. Lin Ze and Zitan, why don’t you take Chen Nan and Li Xiyan out for a walk? Be sure to be back for lunch,” Chen Weiguo said, glancing up at the sky.

The two of them had only just sat down and were still a little stunned. They had barely settled in, and now they were being sent off already.

“It’s still cool now. In a little while, the sun will get fierce,” Bai Qiong added. “Take a walk along the sea until noon, then come back for lunch. In the afternoon, you can go to the ancient city or somewhere like that.”

Only then did the two of them understand the elders’ intention, and they hurried to their feet.

“Uncle Chen is kicking us out already; let’s go,” Lin Ze said, rising quickly as well.

“Hah? You brat.” Chen Weiguo pointed at Lin Ze in exasperation. “If I get maliciously edited online, I’ll come after you first!”

Got it, I’m going to cut that right now!

Actor Chen Weiguo acts like a diva on the show and drives away the young singers~

“Hahaha.”

After exchanging farewells, everyone went to rent vehicles nearby.

Lin Ze went to pay, while Su Zitan moved closer and asked in a low voice, “You two... one car, or?”

“We...” Chen Nan hesitated.

Although they could take passengers, for two people on one vehicle, they would have to hold on to each other to sit steady. Li Xiyan was still in the rising stage of her career, and it would not look good if photos of that were released and seen by the audience.

“One vehicle,” Li Xiyan said. “I haven’t been sleeping well lately, and I’m a bit tired now. If I drive while fatigued, something could go wrong. Let Chen Nan take me.”

She said it at just the right volume for the cameras behind them to pick up.

The viewers in the livestream, hearing this perfectly reasonable explanation, all let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Even though they knew their chances were vanishingly small, there was still a little...

Jealousy!

Lin Ze rented two electric scooters and, sneaking a glance at the pair beside him, tried to see what was going on.

He saw that after Chen Nan got on the vehicle, he moved forward a little, leaving only half his seat occupied.