Ruan Yu came to Hai City this time to host the Hai City International Flower Art Festival. The festival was organized by Jiayue Flower Group. The CEO of Jiayue Flower Group has always maintained good relations with Huang Ge, the deputy director of TG Broadcasting. As a result, Jiayue Flowers sponsored all floral decorations for the station’s major events throughout the year.
Naturally, TG was committed to providing full support for this Jiayue-hosted event. Accompanying Ruan Yu were Deputy Director Huang Ge and Shan Anxin. Huang Ge attended as a guest, while Shan Anxin had tagged along with him under the pretext of “broadening her horizons,” merely joining the excitement.
Although the business trip dates had been set early on, Ruan Yu deliberately didn’t tell Teng Yi. She told him everything else daily but specifically kept this matter from him. She thought that since she was always flitting about under his nose if she suddenly disappeared one day, he might become anxious and miss her. If this strategy of playing hard to get could melt his icy exterior, even just a corner of it, that would be good enough.
On the day of the art festival, while Ruan Yu was in the makeup room getting ready, she received a message from Rui Shu. Rui Shu reported that during her absence, Teng Yi had been wearing a sour expression every day, seeming displeased with everyone. However, his smoking and drinking had become less frequent than before. That morning, she had even seen him working out in the gym with a lollipop in his mouth.
Working out with a lollipop?
Ruan Yu read the message and couldn’t help but smile at the mental image.
“Sister Ruan seems to be in a great mood,” Shan Anxin’s voice suddenly came from behind.
Ruan Yu looked up and saw Shan Anxin’s reflection in the mirror.
“Well, anyone would be in a good mood when everything’s going their way,” Shan Anxin added.
“What defines everything going one’s way?”
Shan Anxin curved her red lips upward. “Sister Ruan is now unanimously recognized as TG’s top host. You get the first pick of all the good opportunities. Isn’t that everything going your way?”
With the makeup artist and Jiayue Group staff watching nearby, Ruan Yu didn’t want to argue with Shan Anxin and make a scene.
“Let’s discuss this another time. I need to prepare to go on stage.”
“There’s not much to discuss. I just want to say that while it’s right that the capable should do more, doing more often means making more mistakes. When you walk by the river often enough, your shoes are bound to get wet. Take care, Sister Ruan.”
With that, Shan Anxin turned and left the makeup room.
The people in the makeup room exchanged glances.
“Host Ruan, do all TV hosts speak in such roundabout ways? It’s hard to understand,” someone commented.
Ruan Yu smiled without responding. Truthfully, not only did others not understand, but even she didn’t know what Shan Anxin was trying to express.
The art festival opening ceremony began shortly. Ruan Yu took the stage with her co-host, a male colleague from TG Station. Though it was their first time working together, their coordination was relatively smooth.
This Hai City International Flower Art Festival was the largest “friendship through flowers” gathering of its kind, both domestically and internationally. Jiayue Flower Group had invested heavily in creating a garden town and a flower-lined street to showcase Chinese floral arts. They also invited many singers and celebrities to perform. Multiple television stations and online platforms were conducting live broadcasts to capture viewership.
Among Miya’s backup dancers, Ruan Yu spotted a familiar face: Zhou Xihe.
Back then, Zhou Xihe had signed with Wang Yuling’s Duo Guo, expecting a smooth path to stardom. However, before he could officially debut, Duo Guo encountered a crisis. The then-popular Hou Ming suddenly committed suicide at home, leaving behind a note that bitterly accused Wang Yuling of exploitation. Subsequently, Hou Ming’s relationship with Wang Yuling was exposed. Online insiders revealed that Hou Ming had loved Wang Yuling for years while she exploited him for money while flirting with newly signed young talents. This had deeply hurt Hou Ming, who had repeatedly requested to terminate his contract or make their relationship public, only to be rejected by Wang Yuling. Physically and mentally exhausted with no other options, he ultimately chose to end his life. “Light Beyond Light” became his swan song.
When this news broke, Wang Yuling became a target of public criticism, besieged by Hou Ming’s fans. Duo Guo’s stock price plummeted overnight. Many veteran artists under the company were implicated, and new artists had no hope of debuting.
Zhou Xihe had unfortunately caught this awkward moment. His dreams of wealth and fame turned into nightmares. Since then, he had lingered on the fringes of the entertainment industry, participating in some talent shows and gaining some attention, but none of it lasted.
Wang Yuling’s name became his stigma. Whenever he showed signs of gaining popularity, someone would question whether he was among the young talents who had unclear relationships with Wang Yuling. Zhou Xihe couldn’t defend himself… Later, he accepted his fate. He no longer hoped for major success, only seeking work to make ends meet, even if it meant being a backup dancer like now.
During a backstage break, Zhou Xihe approached Ruan Yu.
“Long time no see,” Zhou Xihe smiled at Ruan Yu, his smile carrying guilt that made him unable to look directly at her.
“Yes, it has been a long time.”
Ruan Yu didn’t want to say much to him. She wasn’t one to hold grudges, but she truly hadn’t gotten over what happened back then. When Zhou Xihe betrayed Xi You, although it wasn’t the direct cause of Teng Hao’s accident, everything was like a butterfly effect. If he hadn’t left, it would never have fallen to Teng Hao to step in as a replacement.
“I heard Teng Yi has returned to the country. How… how are they doing?”
“They’re doing well.”
“That’s good, that’s good.” Zhou Xihe nodded repeatedly.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”
As Ruan Yu turned to leave, Zhou Xihe hurriedly stopped her.
“Ruan Yu, wait.”
“Is there something else?”
“All these years, I’ve been regretting leaving Xi You. I feel like everything that happened to me afterward was karma. I… I just want you to pass a message to Teng Yi. Tell him I’m very sorry, truly sorry. I hope he and Teng Hao are doing well.”
“Alright, I’ll pass on the message. I hope you’re doing well too.”
After bidding farewell to Zhou Xihe, Ruan Yu recalled many past events, feeling deeply emotional.
Life’s journey is long, and one should never abandon principles for immediate benefits. The most important thing in life is to live with integrity. This way, even when facing setbacks, one can stand tall and grit through them, rather than feeling too guilty to fight back and attributing everything to karma.
Thinking of the past naturally led to memories of past sweetness.
She suddenly missed Teng Yi terribly, so very much.
The art festival’s opening ceremony was soon coming to an end, and Ruan Yu left the stage after completing her hosting duties.
Just as she was about to call Teng Yi, her assistant Xiuxiu rushed into the makeup room in a panic.
“Sister Ruan, something terrible has happened! It’s a major incident!”
“What’s so urgent?” Ruan Yu put away her phone.
“The Jiayue staff said you misread Jiayue Flowers’ ordering hotline on stage, saying nine instead of six. The Jiayue CEO lost his temper in front of the deputy director, and now they want you to go over there!”
Ruan Yu’s mind went blank.
Did she misread the number?
Heavens, how could she have made such a basic yet serious mistake?