Xie Li had already thought through what would happen if both he and Qiao Ming drew the team leader card. Qiao Ming would definitely keep performing his manipulative-sweetheart routine — sticking close, pretending, angling for every advantage. Xie Li wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.
The special guest arrived tomorrow. As team leader, everything needed to be arranged tonight. He absolutely would not give Qiao Ming an opening to throw dirt at him.
After everyone had been assigned their rooms, Xie Li settled on the sofa, eating watermelon and waiting for the others to fill in their travel wish lists.
Qiao Ming materialized beside him without warning: "Brother, this is wonderful — the two of us together."
Xie Li said nothing, focused entirely on his watermelon.
Qiao Ming swallowed his irritation and forced a smile: "Brother, are you still upset with me…?"
Xie Li picked up the trash bin and spit watermelon seeds into it without any attempt at elegance.
Silence was the only tactic that worked against someone like Qiao Ming — someone who had ten responses ready for every opening you gave him.
[Xie Li is having some kind of episode? He was so chatty earlier and now he's gone mute]
Qiao Ming was still speaking when raised voices from the entrance interrupted him.
"Sir, sir, you can't come in here — we're filming. Please understand."
"I'm looking for someone. I'm looking for Qiao Ming." Feng Siyan was at the gate, one hand holding a box of Yipin Tower pastries, the other pushing against the crew member trying to block him.
Qiao Ming heard the commotion, but before responding, turned to Xie Li: "Brother, Siyun-ge must have come for you. He was just saying things."
Xie Li gave a short, quiet laugh. "Your hearing must be checked. He chased you all the way to a filming location. Clearly his feelings for you are very deep."
Viewers who had no idea what was going on: ??!
Wait — is there a story here?
Qiao Ming's fans rushed to control the narrative: [Feng family young master — a good friend Qiao baby has mentioned on social media. This is clearly jealous crab-mouth — typical that he'd stoop to this, can't help himself]
But the audience's appetite for gossip was stronger: [The man himself said he was there for Qiao Ming — these three clearly know each other?]
Meanwhile, Feng Siyan had talked his way past the director and hurried in. He went straight to Qiao Ming: "Aming, last night going to see Xie Li was only because of our families' connection — I had to maintain appearances. Don't refuse my calls anymore. I bought the pastries you wanted. Please stop being cold to Uncle Xie over your brother's behavior."
The comment section: HIS PHONE! So that's why Qiao Ming's phone was ringing earlier!
Feng Siyan had just finished speaking when he spotted Xie Li sitting beside Qiao Ming, looking at him with open contempt.
Why was Xie Li here too?
Xie Li ate his watermelon and sighed: "What are you people made of, to be this good at performing?"
Viewers: ? He said that with cameras rolling — is this man out of his mind?
In the backstage room, Xiaoxiao was nearly weeping: Ge, this is a LIVE broadcast! LIVE!
Xie Li, however, couldn't care less. At most he'd quit. He wasn't putting up with this.
He was now operating by his new principle: settle scores on the spot.
"Qiao Ming, I'm not interested in performing some heartfelt sibling reconciliation with you, especially not on a show. And Feng Siyan — when you were six years old, your parents dragged you to our house to build connections. You got chased by my family's small Teddy and hid behind me, begging me to protect you. Back then you didn't say you were being 'forced' into it. And now the person who's afraid of even a teacup poodle is… who, exactly? Pathetic."
Feng Siyan's expression darkened. He turned quickly to Qiao Ming: "Aming, it's not like that — don't listen to him."
"Am I wrong? I still have the chat records on my old phone. Maybe I should find a time to show them to the audience."
Feng Siyan's face went pale. After Xie Li lost the Xie family name, Qiao Ming's return had shifted everything, and Feng Siyan's parents had been pressuring him to drop Xie Li and secure Qiao Ming's favor. Li Chengming was also competing for Qiao Ming's attention. If Qiao Ming were to find out about what Feng Siyan had been like as a child…
"Xie Li, stop!"
"And those Yipin Tower pastries have quite a history too. Your family used to be new money looking to get in with the Xie family. To win my goodwill — and ultimately get the then-patriarch, my grandfather, to approve the partnership — they researched what I liked. Whenever I wanted pastries, you would buy them for me, no matter what time of night."
"Nothing 'forced' about it. Just your own greed and overreaching ambition."
Viewers who had absorbed all this: Oh my — elite family secrets!
Qiao Ming: ?
Feng Siyan's dignity had evaporated, but he still wanted to deliver the pastries. "Aming, you…"
"Thank you, Siyun-ge." Qiao Ming accepted them reluctantly, though he had no intention of abandoning this line. "I need some more time to think."
Feng Siyan sighed at this non-answer, took one last look at Xie Li calmly eating watermelon beside them, and walked out of the inn.
The comment section exploded:
[Feng Siyan showing up to chase Qiao Ming like this kind of confirms everything Xie Li said about him trying to get in with the Xie family. This is a big story — Xie Li, can you drop the chat records now please]
[Feng guy is actually decent looking! But I'm not sure he's good enough for our Qiao]
[Only thing I'll say: crashing a variety show taping to interfere with recording is pretty shameless. Did Qiao Ming tip him off on purpose?]
The comment section was still arguing when the director, watching the data on his monitors, fell into quiet thought: somehow the ratings went through the roof because of celebrity gossip?
Well. It was a good thing he'd stuck to his guns and kept Xie Li on the show.
As for Qiao Ming leaking the filming location — that was a breach of contract. By the rules, the production team had the right to seek damages. But the other party was now the Xie family's true heir.
Tricky. Not someone they could afford to offend.
After Xie Li calmly delivered the elite family gossip, news spread fast. Feng's family could have sent a defamation lawyer — but they didn't. The audience understood immediately.
Every word Xie Li said was the truth.
Viewers addicted to the drama poured into the livestream: [Xie Li is there more? More please? I'm hungry for it (baby bird squawk)]
Off camera, Xiaoxiao had just been getting an earful from Anni when the tone of public opinion began to shift. She sent a quick update. Anni, sharp as a blade, immediately bought trending search space and began quietly cleaning up the narrative around Xie Li — addressing each old incident with its real story. The effect was modest. Online users were only there for the gossip.
Anni shook her head. Xie Li was unsalvageable.
The livestream resumed. Xia Fangxing had been making herself a cup of coffee in the kitchen when the whole scene unfolded around her, and she'd had no idea where to put herself. All she'd wanted was caffeine to stay awake. She really had not wanted to stumble into a live gossip showdown.
She edged sideways with tiny steps, the coffee nearly sloshing out before she caught it with her lips — and the comment section absolutely lost it at this: [Xie Li is pure extrovert energy. Xia Fangxing is introvert in its final form lmao]
[I want to see Fangxing and Xie Li as co-team leaders]
Qiao Ming's gaze dropped to the pastry box. He opened it and held it out to Xie Li: "Brother, your favorite."
Xie Li raised an eyebrow. "Since we're both team leaders, let's go over the tasks."
He took out his phone: "First, confirm the travel wish lists from the regular cast, cross-reference local guides and research, finalize the itinerary, send a pre-arrival questionnaire to the special guest, and go pick them up."
Qiao Ming nodded, smiling: "I'll defer to whatever Brother decides."
Xie Li: ?
These were pre-task logistics any co-leader should handle together. How had it become his call alone?
"Qiao Ming, I'm not falling for that. We're equal-rank co-leaders — we need to discuss things together for consistency."
"…I understand. That's not what I meant…" Qiao Ming looked down, eyes reddening slightly.
Xie Li was exasperated.
Stop performing at every opportunity. The acting was terrible and yet people actually fell for it. Xie Li shook his head. The entertainment industry truly was lost.
"After collecting everyone's information, we put together a travel plan. We have three days in Dali — with a group this size and this many different wish lists, we can't possibly do everything. Time and budget won't allow it. And the production is only providing three thousand five hundred yuan in total." Xie Li was direct: "That includes accommodation, food, and transport. Every yuan needs to count."
"But when you come on a trip, the whole point is to enjoy yourself — good places, good food, good time. Can't we do that…?" Qiao Ming fidgeted.
His fans chimed in from the comment section: [Exactly, travel should be fun — isn't that the whole point?]
But sensible viewers sided with Xie Li: [With a special guest still TBA plus everything else, thirty-five hundred spread over three days including food, accommodation, and transport is genuinely tight. A hotel stay alone could eat most of it]
Xie Li couldn't be bothered arguing. This was thankless labor and he wouldn't volunteer for it. "Then you handle the planning. I've already drafted and sent out the wish list survey — everyone should have it by now. I'll go pick up the special guest tonight."
Qiao Ming blinked. He'd only meant to coast and let Xie Li do all the work — he hadn't planned on taking the reins himself. "Brother, but I—"
"You can do it. Do it your way." Xie Li passed on the pastries, grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds instead. "I'm going to fill out my own survey."
Qiao Ming tried to add something, but Xie Li had already opened the group chat and was asking who had submitted their forms.
One breath of momentum interrupted, one more swallowed insult. Qiao Ming stared at the flood of form submissions coming into the chat and felt his blood pressure rise. Cameras everywhere, he forced it down.
During the break when the livestream was paused, Xie Li chatted with the inn's owner about local customs and Dali highlights. The owner enthusiastically recommended several restaurants and scenic spots. Xie Li jotted them all down.
Three days was too short. As team leader, he had to prioritize everyone else's experience first. Once filming wrapped, he would absolutely come back and do this properly, on his own terms.
He added it to his new-life list: Return to Yunnan.
That was when Liu Yuheng came downstairs, wearing his bathrobe, the polished image of the filming hour replaced by something noticeably coarser. He went straight to the mini-bar, sat down, and cracked open a beer.
Xie Li was fairly sure Liu Yuheng had said in an interview that he didn't drink — alcohol sensitivity. Apparently that was false.
The inn owner noticed and asked the director quietly whether Liu Yuheng might get drunk and cause damage. The director said: "I wasn't aware Teacher Liu had this habit. Let me check with his assistant."
The assistant arrived belatedly, visibly nervous, and promised in front of the director: "Liu… Liu-ge does this sometimes, but it's fine. He has a great tolerance — he's never gotten drunk."
