Before parting, Ren Haichuan didn't forget to repeat to An Ya, who had come to pick up Ye Lan, that she should watch Ye Lan's weight. If he lost any more weight after the New Year, he didn't need to be sent back.

An Ya and Ren Haichuan were also old acquaintances. Hearing this, she laughed and said, "I haven't even blamed you for working him too hard. I handed him over in good condition, and you've worn him down by several pounds. How are we supposed to settle this?"

Ren Haichuan smiled and said no more.

An Ya had originally wanted to chat with Jiang Chi for a bit, but with too many people around, she only gave him a polite greeting.

After that, everyone went their separate ways. Ye Lan went off to rest and recuperate, while Jiang Chi braced himself to face the upcoming high-density schedule.

Fortunately, Geng Tian wasn't planning on draining the pond to get all the fish. Although the schedule was packed with announcements, it was well-paced, and the travel arrangements were very reasonable, not making Jiang Chi spend all day at the airport.

Although Jiang Chi had disappeared for several months, his original popularity was still there. A few days ago, he had even stirred up a little "ambiguity" with Ye Lan. Now that he was out doing activities, his popularity was no less than before. After the official website announced Jiang Chi's year-end schedule, fan club chapters in various places quickly organized airport pickups and stakeouts. The spectacle was even grander than before. Jiang Chi, having been in seclusion filming for a long time, was suddenly surrounded by fans again, and he unexpectedly felt a bit of the novelty he had when he first became famous.

"Tomorrow's variety show recording is in the afternoon, but you'll have to go over in the morning for rehearsal. You don't have to get up too early, just as long as it doesn't cause any delays." Geng Tian looked at his memo and said quickly to Jiang Chi, "There's not much to do today, just a magazine photoshoot in the afternoon. Your sense for the camera is impeccable, so it won't take long. You'll be able to rest early tonight."

Jiang Chi was having lunch with Geng Tian and Li Weili at the hotel. Geng Tian couldn't go three sentences without mentioning work. He said while eating, "Pay attention to the variety show tomorrow. It's a major variety program being launched by Jiangxin TV Station at the end of the year. You're recording the first episode. The station takes it very seriously and has been promoting it with all their might for half a month. Be sharp and record it well."

Jiang Chi nodded. "Send me the script tonight. I'll familiarize myself with it beforehand."

"Okay."

This was what Geng Tian was most satisfied with about Jiang Chi. No matter the announcement, as long as it was confirmed, he would treat it seriously. Not only did he never mess up, but he almost always performed exceptionally well.

From the time he entered the industry until now, Geng Tian had managed countless artists, and Jiang Chi was considered the most versatile among them.

Geng Tian didn't have a large appetite. After eating for a short while, he put down his utensils and picked up his phone. A moment later, he discussed with Jiang Chi, "The New Year is almost here. We need to start planning your work schedule for after the holidays. I have a few scripts here, I'll send them to you to take a look. There are also a few reality show teams that have contacted me, asking if you're interested."

"I'll look at the scripts. As for the reality shows..." Jiang Chi took a napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth. "How much is the pay?"

Geng Tian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Are you really that broke? You don't even ask about the content. The prices they're offering you are basically starting with a three and have eight figures as a base. Some offer a direct price, while others calculate it by time."

"That can be considered." Jiang Chi calculated the future pay he could get and smiled. "I'm not that broke, but it's never wrong to save up more."

Geng Tian was quite relieved. Jiang Chi hadn't been so bewitched by Film Emperor Ye that his brain had turned into a fan's. He still knew how to make money. Just as he was about to continue, Jiang Chi asked a little embarrassedly, "Among the reality show teams that asked, did any of them also invite Brother Ye Lan?"

"..." Geng Tian sighed. "Don't even think about it. Film Emperor Ye doesn't do reality shows."

Li Weili, who had been focused on eating, looked up upon hearing this and asked, "Why? Reality shows make so much money now, and they don't take up too much time. You can squeeze out some time in the schedule. Why not?"

"Why? It's the same reason why Jiang Chi wouldn't go cut the ribbon for the opening of the ramen shop next door. You tell me why?" Geng Tian said coolly. "It's long been a consensus in the industry that Film Emperor Ye doesn't act in TV dramas or do reality shows. Are you just finding this out today?"

Li Weili recalled how even Ren Haichuan had been deferential towards Ye Lan on set and tactfully shut his mouth.

Jiang Chi held back a laugh, feeling a little regretful inside.

'It would be great if I could know in advance what programs Ye Lan occasionally participates in. If the organizers needed other artists, Jiang Chi would be willing to perform for free. Just being able to have fun with Ye Lan would be enough.'

Of course, he couldn't say this to Geng Tian.

Back then, to get into 'The Scum' crew, he had gone behind his company and manager's backs and put in a lot of effort privately. After being discovered by the company, he had almost gotten sued. Jiang Chi knew he couldn't do something like that again and again.

But he still really wanted to.

It had been a week since he returned from the film set.

After getting used to seeing his idol every day, being apart was exceptionally hard to bear.

By careful calculation, it would be nearly another month before he could see Ye Lan again.

Perhaps because the New Year's atmosphere around him was too strong, Jiang Chi, who was rarely sentimental, somehow felt a little homesick.

Yesterday, Jiang Chi had just transferred a considerable sum of money to his father and had his personal assistant, who stayed in North City, purchase a carload of New Year's goods to send home for him. He heard from the assistant that everyone at home was doing well. His grandparents and his stepmother's parents had also come over. The house was decorated with lanterns and colored banners, full of festive cheer, and the New Year's spirit was particularly strong. Before leaving, his father had even smilingly stuffed a sizable red envelope into the assistant's hand.

There was a good amount of money in the red envelope. The assistant didn't dare hide it and told Jiang Chi about it as soon as he left. Jiang Chi smiled and told him to keep it, instructing him to buy something for his own family as well.

The New Year was just like this.

He was genuinely happy for his father's family reunion, but it didn't have much to do with him anymore.

Jiang Chi picked up his phone and fiddled with it for a while. He still felt a little homesick.

But this time, he wasn't missing his parents; he was missing Ye Lan.

He wanted to send Ye Lan a message.

"Today... what day of the twelfth lunar month is it?" Jiang Chi looked up and asked Geng Tian. "Is there any special significance to it?"

Geng Tian was completely baffled. "The twenty-fourth? Or the twenty-fifth?"

"The twenty-fifth," Li Weili said after taking a sip of soup. "The twenty-fifth, stew tofu, paste up the windows. What's up, Brother Jiang? Suddenly thought of this. Want to eat stewed tofu tonight to mark the occasion?"

Jiang Chi smiled. "No, no, just asking."

Jiang Chi searched for the folk customs of the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, found a few auspicious New Year's phrases, and pieced them together to edit a rather official-sounding blessing message.

No matter how he thought about it, wishing someone a happy twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month was a bit of a stretch, but it was better than trying to make small talk out of nothing.

Jiang Chi read it over and over a few times, corrected two punctuation errors, and sent it to Ye Lan.

Jiang Chi stared at his phone screen without blinking.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes, ten minutes passed... Ye Lan still hadn't replied.

"Are you all done eating?" Geng Tian checked the time. "Let's head to the photoshoot location. Magazine editorials take a long time to shoot. The earlier we go, the earlier we start, and the earlier we can rest tonight."

Li Weili nodded, stood up, and shouldered Jiang Chi's bag. Geng Tian looked at Jiang Chi. "Jiang Chi?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." Jiang Chi turned up the notification volume on his WeChat and stood up. "Let's go."

The theme of the afternoon shoot was Vanity Fair. Jiang Chi wore a haute couture suit, exquisite from his leather shoes to his cufflinks. Several female models in evening gowns were specially seated around a huge champagne tower. Behind the champagne tower hung a giant crystal curtain. Jiang Chi stood behind the immense curtain, gently parting the crystal strands to reveal three-quarters of his face. Once the lighting was in place, set against the crystals and the champagne tower, Jiang Chi himself seemed to be glowing.

"Jiang Chi's been in great form recently." The magazine's editor-in-chief chatted quietly with Geng Tian. "Even his gaze has changed. He has more presence on camera."

Geng Tian couldn't help but want to show off, but he pretended to be modest. "He's alright... It's mainly because he's been filming with Director Ren recently. He's benefited a lot."

"Ren Haichuan?" The editor-in-chief was surprised, then smiled. "No wonder, then. Jiang Chi's recent development has been really good."

Geng Tian was satisfied inwardly and exchanged pleasantries for a while.

During a break in the shoot, Jiang Chi blinked his eyes with effort, which were dazzled by the brilliant lights from all directions. Before he could recover, he hurriedly asked Li Weili for his phone.

The phone was as quiet as ever. Ye Lan still hadn't replied.

The photographer called Jiang Chi over to look at the sample shots from just now, praising him endlessly. Jiang Chi hadn't felt much while shooting, but he was a little surprised when he saw the proofs. He smiled and said, "They're really good. Everyone is very skilled."

The photographer quickly said modestly that it was Teacher Jiang who was skilled. Jiang Chi looked at them again and again, then asked, "Can you send one or two of these to me? I won't make them public, just show them to a friend."

They were photos taken before the magazine's publication. Although they hadn't been retouched and the final selection hadn't been made, the photographer didn't dare give them to Jiang Chi directly. He compromised, "Let me ask the editor-in-chief. Please wait a moment."

The editor-in-chief came over, understood the situation, and said cheerfully, "Send them, send them."

The editor-in-chief smiled at Jiang Chi. "You think they're pretty good too, right? I was just telling Manager Geng that you're in excellent form recently. Would you mind working a little longer and taking a few more shots?"

Jiang Chi smiled and agreed, "Of course."

The internet in the studio was working, and in a short while, a few of the best photos were sent to Jiang Chi's phone.

Jiang Chi sat to one side, picking and choosing. He found the one he thought was the best, hesitated for a moment, and sent it to Ye Lan.

'That blessing message from before looked too much like a group message. It's normal that Ye Lan didn't reply after seeing it. This time I'm sending a photo directly, he should... reply, right?'

After sending the photo, Jiang Chi typed: Just took this. I remember you did a magazine shoot with a similar theme the year before last. It's not as good as yours, but I wanted to show you.

Jiang Chi looked at the chat window, feeling a little anxious. 'Is this too forward?'

The photo had a high resolution and took a short while to send successfully. Before he could see Ye Lan's reply, the photographer was calling for Jiang Chi again. Jiang Chi had no choice but to hand his phone back to Li Weili.

The next set of photos took nearly another hour.

In his mind, Jiang Chi kept imagining how Ye Lan would reply.

'He'll probably give a few words of praise, right? Ye Lan is usually quite polite to me.'

'I hope Ye Lan's reply isn't too short, otherwise it will be hard to continue the conversation.'

Although Jiang Chi had something on his mind, it didn't affect his performance. He was very cooperative throughout the entire shoot, and the quality of the photos was quite high. The photographer praised him endlessly, and the editor-in-chief was also extremely satisfied.

An hour later, the shoot was finally finished.

Everyone told each other they'd worked hard. The editor-in-chief even came over to exchange pleasantries with Jiang Chi for a long time. Jiang Chi was complaining endlessly in his heart. After finally finishing the small talk, he quickly took out his phone to check.

The message notification was still blank.

The smile on Jiang Chi's lips faded a little. He opened WeChat, clicked on his chat with Ye Lan, and saw that the last message was still the one he had sent an hour ago.

The editor-in-chief brought over the souvenirs and small gifts they had prepared for Jiang Chi in advance. Jiang Chi quickly put on a smile and thanked them, then signed several autograph cards for the magazine staff.

On the way back to the hotel, Jiang Chi was not in high spirits. He politely declined Geng Tian's suggestion to have a drink together that evening.

Jiang Chi opened WeChat for the nth time and scrolled through his Moments.

He didn't see any updates from Ye Lan, but he did see a few family photos his father had posted. Of course, he wasn't in them.

His Moments were flooded with posts from people joyfully preparing for the New Year.

Jiang Chi gave a faint smile and locked his phone screen.

Just as he was about to hand the phone to Li Weili, it started buzzing.

Incoming call, Ye Lan.

Ye Lan's voice was a bit nasal, sleepy and languid. "Just woke up... At a magazine shoot?"