Yuan Hexiao, as usual, arrived early and waited outside Su Yanke's house.
As soon as Su Yanke stepped out, she noticed that Yuan Hexiao looked different today. He was dressed in casual clothes, with moderately fluffy hair, making him look energetic, just like a fresh graduate from college.
Su Yanke was clearly taken aback and couldn't help but take a second look at him.
Yuan Hexiao sensed Su Yanke's gaze and felt a bit uncomfortable. He had dressed like this on the advice of Xiao Liu, who said that young girls nowadays liked cute and innocent guys. He had spent several hours in the supermarket and finally found this outfit, which he thought was suitable, so he bought seven or eight similar ones.
"Is there something wrong with my outfit?" Yuan Hexiao asked nervously.
"No, I think it looks great. It's different from your usual style and very special," Su Yanke said with a smile, looking at Yuan Hexiao.
"Then... do you like it?"
"Yes, I do!"
Hearing this, Yuan Hexiao couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
Su Yanke looked at Yuan Hexiao, who was grinning foolishly, and wondered what had happened to the elite Mr. Yuan.
It wasn't until they started eating that Yuan Hexiao finally stopped smiling.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Yuan Hexiao finally brought up the matter.
"We've found some clues about the painting that disappeared from the Cultural Relics Bureau."
"What are they?"
"Do you remember the letter I gave you last time? Another one has arrived. It says, 'If you want to know the truth, find him quickly.'"
Yuan Hexiao sighed and continued, "We immediately started monitoring the dark web. After three days, we finally found the sender in a small village in the southwest."
"The sender is a villager. According to him, fifteen years ago, a man with strange scars on his body gave him a large sum of money and asked him to send the letter to this address at this time. He doesn't know anything else."
Su Yanke was speechless for a moment. She never thought that this had been planned decades ago. Her mind was in a complete mess, and she had no idea what to do.
"I'm telling you this because I don't want you to get involved any further. This is more dangerous than I thought. Stop investigating. Leave the rest to me. All you need to do is take care of yourself."
"No, I have a feeling that this has something to do with me. In the past, I was powerless, but now I have the ability. After this show is over, I'll give you an answer. Trust me. Don't even think about leaving me out. There's no way."
Yuan Hexiao stared at Su Yanke for a long time without saying a word. Suddenly, he let out a soft laugh and reached out his hand to her. "We'll stick together, Su Yanke."
Su Yanke immediately understood what he meant and reached out her hand to hold his. "We'll stick together, Yuan Hexiao."
When Su Yanke was about to pay the bill, she found that Yuan Hexiao had already taken care of it.
"How could I let you pay when I'm here?"
"You've treated me so many times. You can't fight me next time!"
Yuan Hexiao let out a soft laugh and looked at Su Yanke tenderly, nodding in agreement. "Okay, then you'll be in charge next time~"
Su Yanke didn't catch the hidden meaning in Yuan Hexiao's words and simply nodded in response.
Before they knew it, it was time for the show. This was a large-scale entertainment show, and the mentors and judges were all big names in the dance industry. Su Yanke had joined the show unexpectedly, and the first round of rankings had already taken place.
The top-ranked dancer was Hou Yuheng, a sophomore in college. Next were Lu Xingmi and Mi Qianqian, and the last two were Zheng Qianqian and Li Xinchao.
Su Yanke was stunned when she saw Lu Xingmi's name. It sounded familiar. Her manager, Liu, reminded her that he was the boy who had taught her how to take pictures. Only then did Su Yanke remember.
Su Yanke watched the previous episodes of the show and got a better understanding of each dancer's strength. She found that Lu Xingmi was really good, only slightly behind Hou Yuheng.
Then Su Yanke looked at Hou Yuheng. She felt that there was something strange about his dance. It was as if there was a sense of resentment slowly eroding his dancing soul, giving people a feeling of oppression.
Su Yanke also noticed a familiar face in the judge's seat, Feng Qiuhan, a well-known dancer.
Manager Liu was very confident about this variety show. He had seen Su Yanke's dancing skills, and as long as she didn't cause any trouble, he could go and take care of the movie related to the show.
The next day, as soon as He Huanhuan woke up, she received the news that Su Yanke was going to participate in the show. She was so excited that she almost fainted.
He Huanhuan was a behind-the-scenes staff member of the show. She had been unable to get a copy of Su Yanke's magazine for weeks and had been very sad. If she could get Su Yanke's autograph this time, she would be over the moon.
It was amazing how powerful Su Yanke's fan base was. Manager Liu had only announced the news at 2:30 a.m., but by 5 or 6 a.m., the area outside the stage was already decorated with banners and other props by her fans.
There were all kinds of snacks, ointments, and mosquito repellent bracelets, even more than what Manager Liu had prepared.
As soon as Su Yanke got out of the car, she heard the cheers of her fans. Her sleepy head immediately woke up.
As soon as Su Yanke frowned, the fans immediately fell silent, as if someone had choked their necks.
Su Yanke was a bit surprised and found that they were all covering their mouths, afraid of making any noise that might disturb her.
Su Yanke couldn't help but laugh at their cute reaction. "Hello, everyone. You don't have to be so nervous. I was just a bit shocked. Relax. Have you all been up all night? You came so early!"
"Hello, cutie. We're not sleepy. This is your first variety show, and we're here to support you and make sure you don't get bullied," said a chubby girl in a cyan support uniform.
"Yes, cutie. It's still early, and not all the staff have arrived. Have you had breakfast? We've brought all kinds of delicious food from different places. You can try some."
Hearing this, Su Yanke felt hungry. "Wow, there's so much delicious food. I'm really hungry. Have you all eaten? Let's eat together!"
No one could resist Su Yanke's invitation, and soon the place was filled with laughter.
The sky was still gray, and the warm light of the street lamps shone on these lovely people. Their laughter brought a touch of warmth to the dull night.
Lu Xingmi had also received the news and had left early to make sure that Su Yanke would be okay on her first variety show. Since Manager Liu wouldn't be around, he was worried that something might happen to her.
However, when he arrived at the show, he saw such a scene.
Su Yanke was sitting in the middle of a group of fans in cyan support uniforms, looking very comfortable. There were all kinds of snacks on her right and various juices and milk on her left. Lu Xingmi couldn't help but feel hungry.
Lu Xingmi looked at his watch and found that it was still early. He asked the driver to buy some breakfast from a nearby restaurant.
Lu Xingmi didn't get out of the car. He just sat in the car, watching Su Yanke eat and drink, and swallowing his saliva.
Lu Xingmi knew that if he got out of the car, Su Yanke's fans would feel embarrassed and uncomfortable. Moreover, these foods were the fans' way of showing their love for Su Yanke, so why should he spoil the fun?
After Su Yanke had eaten and drunk her fill, Lu Xingmi finally got out of the car.
"Shall we go in together?"
"Sure! I'm going in. Thank you all for the delicious food. Please be careful on your way home!"
Su Yanke turned around and gently reminded her fans. To show her gratitude, she drew a small lucky charm on each autograph, afraid that they might be in danger on their way home due to lack of sleep.
As soon as Su Yanke entered the backstage with Lu Xingmi, she noticed that her table was different from the others. It was her favorite color, cyan, and there were carefully arranged flowers, snacks, and yogurt on it.
Lu Xingmi couldn't help but tease her. "Hey, I've participated in so many shows, but why has no one ever brought me any food?"
Su Yanke grinned. "Maybe I'm just too greedy. They're afraid I'll starve."
Lu Xingmi smiled. Just then, a voice rang out. "Brother Xingmi, I miss you so much!"
Su Yanke turned around and saw a little girl in a light pink lolita dress running towards them.
Su Yanke quickly stepped aside. Mi Qianqian didn't expect Su Yanke to dodge and couldn't stop in time. She stumbled forward and fell to the ground.
"Why didn't you catch me?" Mi Qianqian looked at Su Yanke with accusing eyes.
Su Yanke thought this was unreasonable and looked at Lu Xingmi without saying a word.
Lu Xingmi frowned and looked at Mi Qianqian, who was sitting on the ground. Out of good manners, he reached out his hand and helped her up.
When Mi Qianqian got up, she gave Su Yanke a provocative look, as if declaring her ownership.
"Brother Xingmi, my hand hurts so much. Can you take a look?"
"I don't know how to do that. You should ask your assistant," Lu Xingmi said indifferently. Then he nodded at Su Yanke and went to his seat to tidy up his clothes.
Su Yanke looked at Mi Qianqian's face and knew that she was also one of the dancers. Remembering what the fans had said, she realized that Mi Qianqian had a crush on Lu Xingmi, so she must have regarded her as a rival in love.
Su Yanke found it quite interesting. This was the first time she had been regarded as a rival in love. It was really fun!
"Brother Xingmi, I'm sorry. I was just too excited to see you and didn't notice this sister. I accidentally tripped. It's not her fault. Brother Xingmi, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? I've brought some. Let's eat together." Mi Qianqian said and was about to sit between Lu Xingmi and Su Yanke.
"It's clearly your own problem. You know that yourself. I've already had breakfast. You can eat it by yourself. Go and get ready. The show is about to start," Lu Xingmi said calmly without even looking at Mi Qianqian.
Mi Qianqian's face froze, but she knew Lu Xingmi's personality well. She had no choice but to straighten her legs, glared at Su Yanke, and left in small steps.