After two cans of beer, Xie Mi had warmed up. She tossed the blanket to Shen Yeqing and the jacket to Xiao Jingxi, then went over to the grill and started wolfing down barbecue.
Cherish your life. Stay away from romantic battlefields.
The shippers were exasperated with her.
[Old Xie, get back there right now!]
[Stop fighting it. Facing a romantic battlefield is your destiny.]
[That's our Sister Xie! One moment of inattention and she's become the Female Lead of a dating show.]
Some viewers started getting bitter.
[What's with the act? She's probably over the moon inside.]
[Shuangrong clearly had the Female Lead storyline at the start. Investors must've stepped in later, because... both romantic storylines feel pretty forced, yeah.]
[Wow. First, Xu Shuangrong is only the Female Lead in your dreams. Aside from playing up a ship with Xiao Jingxi at the start, did she even have another romantic storyline? Second, Mr. Shen has shown interest in Xie Mi from the beginning. I don't find it forced at all, and given his standing, what investor do you think could control him? Finally, I also find Xiao Jingxi suddenly liking Xie Mi weird, but I chalk that up entirely to Xiao Jingxi being messed up. Stop blaming Xie Mi for everything.]
Qiu Chengye stared darkly at Xie Mi, his grip slowly tightening around his beer can.
During the two-day break in filming, he had watched reruns of the show.
He had discovered that the latter half of their first meeting had been filmed by hidden cameras set up by the production team. Everyone now knew that Xie Mi had pinned him down and beaten him.
Then she had threatened him into calling her Dad and fed him baby food, leaving the entire internet mocking him as a born son.
What a disgrace!
Although he had no idea how Xie Mi had gotten hold of such a private secret of his, he had to do something.
"Come on, have a few drinks with me."
Qiu Chengye carried two cases of beer over and sat across from Xie Mi. He sneered. "Looks like you can hold your liquor. Dare to take me on?"
He had spent years hanging around bars and could certainly hold his liquor. Drinking Xie Mi under the table would be no problem.
People told the truth when they were drunk. Once Xie Mi was wasted, he would take the opportunity to trick her into revealing all her secrets.
Then he wouldn't be the only one making a fool of himself.
Xie Mi slowly narrowed her eyes. She could tell at a glance that the bastard was up to no good.
"A little drinking lifts the spirits. Too much hurts your health. Drink by yourself."
"How about this? I'll throw some work opportunities your way later if you drink with me."
At the mention of work opportunities, Xu Shuangrong immediately looked over.
Xie Mi, however, got angry.
"I finally managed to slack off, and now you want to find me work? Do you think I'm stupid?"
Qiu Chengye got angry too. "Then I'll give you money! Happy now?"
Xie Mi got even angrier. "You think you can fob me off with pocket change? Get lost!"
Qiu Chengye's mouth twitched uncontrollably. At the end of his patience, he abruptly dropped to his knees in front of Xie Mi and roared, "Dad! Your son offers you a toast!"
This time, Xie Mi drained her drink without another word.
Proper toasting method: unlocked.
Everyone else stared dumbfounded, but Qiu Chengye endured the humiliation and curled his lips in a triumphant smile, continuing to toast Xie Mi.
"Dad! Drink!"
"Sure!"
[Confirmed. Qiu Chengye really is a born son.]
[Qiu Chengye's friends in the future: "And don't even get me started on that dad of yours."]
[Hahahahaha, I can't.]
Xiao Jingxi thought his chance to shine had arrived, so he stepped forward to take the drinks for Xie Mi.
"Mr. Qiu, that's enough. She can't drink much."
"Cut the crap. You're drinking too!" Naturally, Qiu Chengye wasn't about to let Xiao Jingxi ruin his plan. Without another word, he shoved several cans into Xiao Jingxi's arms.
"Nobody's holding back tonight. Let's all drink!"
Qiu Chengye went straight into boozehound mode, relentlessly urging everyone to drink as though he intended to drink them all under the table.
Before long, most of the beer in the cases was gone, and everyone was feeling woozy.
Qiu Chengye staggered toward Xie Mi and leaned close to her ear with a sneer.
"Xie Mi, I'm warning you. Don't get too cocky. So what if you know my secret? If we really go head-to-head, making you pay dearly won't be a problem..."
Xiao Jingxi grabbed him from behind and dragged him away. "Get lost. You're acting like a lunatic."
Then he turned to Xie Mi with a tender expression. "I know you resent me over the online harassment you suffered before, but you should be grateful to the people who hurt you. It's because of them that you keep growing, keep improving, and become a better person, isn't it?"
"Like hell!"
Xie Mi shot to her feet, ramming her head hard into his chin. "Grateful, my ass! I wish they'd drop dead on the spot! The person I should thank is myself for making it this far! Everyone else can go die!"
Director Niu jumped and hurriedly soothed her in a low voice. "Teacher Xie, try to be more positive."
Xie Mi blinked drunkenly and revised her curse. "Everyone else can go get euthanized!"
[Are they all drunk?!!]
[I know Teacher Xie is drunk, but I still think she has a point.]
[Exactly. Spare me the toxic motivational crap. I can't swallow it.]
[I'm with Old Xie on this one.]
Qiu Chengye, who considered himself the best drinker but was already utterly wasted, suddenly flipped the table. "Xie Mi, you really think I wouldn't dare do anything to you? Believe it or not, I can make you disappear from the entertainment industry in minutes!"
Xie Mi grabbed a chair and charged over to beat him.
"I only get one life! I'll do whatever I want! Rather than wait to get stabbed or run over someday, I might as well go wild right now! Anyone who tries to control me gets beaten to death!"
"Aaaagh!"
Qiu Chengye fled in every direction as she hit him, with Xie Mi chasing him like a rabid dog.
Xiao Jingxi, who was equally drunk, suddenly stood and shouted at Xie Mi.
"Xie Mi! If you won't accept my love now, don't regret it later!"
[That was so cringe it fried me inside and out!!!]
[??? Not even in my wildest dreams could I imagine a line that cheesy coming out of Best Actor Xiao's mouth.]
[Wait, am I the only one who caught the key word? Best Actor Xiao loves Xie Mi?? Loves?!!]
[Insane. They've all gone insane.]
[Are we recreating that iconic mushroom poisoning scene?]
Director Niu was dumbstruck.
He had thought a romantic scene like this, drinking by the sea, would surely end with the male and female guests using their liquid courage to confess their true feelings...
How had they all ended up going wild drunk instead?!
"Quick! Stop them!"
"Huh? Where's Teacher Xie?"
"Teacher Xie's gone!"
By the time they realized it, all that remained on the nearby beach was Qiu Chengye, knocked flat by a chair. Xie Mi was nowhere to be seen.
The seaside at night was pitch-black, dangerous and mysterious.
"Holy shit!"
This time, even Director Niu panicked. "What are you standing around for? Go find her!"
"Looks like Mr. Shen has already gone!"
"Xie Mi!"
Shen Yeqing's call echoed through the woods. A flicker of panic rose in his usually calm eyes, his voice openly tense.
After searching the area several times without finding any sign of her, he grew increasingly uneasy, his knuckles whitening as he clenched his hands.
Suddenly, footsteps rustled behind him.
He had only just turned around.
"Surprise!"
The girl's cheeks were flushed, her beautiful eyes hazy with drink, yet her grin was radiant.
"Your guardian angel is here to grant your wish!"
She flung the petals cupped in her hands into the air. White petals danced overhead, reflected in Shen Yeqing's eyes.
A crumpled slip of paper fluttered to the ground with them.
Written on it was:
[Shen Yeqing's wish: To see another shower of apricot blossoms.]
Before you continue