Compared to Xiao He's cold sneer, Liu Rulan was much more diplomatic, wearing a smile on her face as she said to Liu Chenyan, "It's nothing, we just happened to encounter the situation this time. Being able to offer a little help is an honor for us."
Xiao He: "..."
Every time he saw Sister Liu speaking sweetly to humans and smoothly to ghosts, he felt she was practically a superwoman.
Frankly, when encountering such people, he considered it an achievement just to refrain from slapping them across the face, let alone managing to smile.
Liu Rulan clearly knew what Xiao He was thinking. After exchanging some superficial pleasantries with Liu Chenyan, she brought up their departure: "My clothes got wet during the rescue too, so I'll head back first with our Xiao He."
Liu Chenyan glanced at Xiao He, then turned his gaze toward Xu Yin who had already been carried onto the ambulance, before saying with a smile, "I think Xiao He is quite remarkable—handsome with good character. He's a real hero for our program team this time. How about joining our program as a temporary guest?"
Xiao He: "..."
Xiao He barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
Xu Yin was in that condition, and this guy was still thinking about recording the next episode?
He even wanted to drag him in to temporarily replace Xu Yin?
Hah, how could someone have such thick skin?
Liu Rulan's expression also changed.
"Sorry, Director Liu, our Xiao He has filming scheduled today. The director is already waiting for him on the island, so it's really not convenient."
The smile on Liu Chenyan's face faded slightly. "Really not possible?"
Liu Rulan: "Yes, truly sorry, Director Liu. You know how tight filming schedules usually are. We're worried about leaving a bad impression with the director."
"You're afraid of leaving a bad impression with that director, but not afraid of leaving one with me?"
Liu Chenyan asked with a meaningful smile.
Xiao He: "..."
Hold back, Xiao He, absolutely do not smash your fist-sized into this guy's face!
However, Liu Rulan's smile remained unchanged. "We naturally wouldn't dare leave a bad impression with you, Director Liu. It's mainly because, as you know, the situation today was urgent, and we weren't prepared. We're afraid of disrupting your program's recording schedule. Besides, Xiao He has never appeared on such programs before and isn't particularly articulate. What if he ends up hindering your filming instead of helping? Don't you agree?"
Liu Chenyan looked Xiao He up and down. "This kid has never been on a variety show?"
Liu Rulan patted Xiao He. "Ah, he's just a college student fresh into society, doesn't understand all the twists and turns, and tends to offend people when he speaks. Nothing we can do about it."
"He does seem like a young man who doesn't talk much."
Liu Chenyan thought about the script requirements for their program and didn't press further.
"Alright, then you can go. Regarding today's incident, we hope you'll minimize discussion online. Our program team has our own marketing plans. You understand, right?"
"Of course. We wish Director Liu and your program smooth sailing for the remainder."
Liu Chenyan didn't bother with Liu Rulan anymore, simply putting his hands behind his back and strolling away leisurely.
Seeing that Xiao He looked like he had something to say, Liu Rulan shot him a glance, indicating they should discuss it back at the hotel.
"Xiao Chen, have you notified Director Ren?" Liu Rulan first confirmed with Xiao Chen.
With something like this happening, they probably wouldn't make it there this morning.
Xiao Chen nodded: "Director Ren said we just need to arrive before the afternoon filming starts."
"Okay."
The group returned to the hotel.
After Liu Rulan finished showering and changed into dry clothes, Xiao He finally frowned and asked her, "Sister Liu, what exactly is this Director Liu's background?"
To be honest, this was the first time he'd seen Liu Rulan act so subservient.
Liu Rulan showed no embarrassment about her previous bowing and scraping, casually tousling her wet hair as she sat on the sofa and said unhurriedly, "His family has some connections. It's best to avoid offending them if possible."
The entertainment industry, after all its twists and turns, remains a small circle. When encountering such people, it's better to be polite to avoid trouble.
Xiao He smirked sarcastically: "But he shouldn't be so arrogant!"
"The methods those people have are far more powerful than folks like us who only play with public opinion and wag our tongues." Liu Rulan shook her head. "Take Qu Qiuyan, for example. You know her, right?"
Xiao He nodded: "Of course I know her. Goddess Qu, Lin Yipeng's mother."
"Qu Qiuyan retired from the entertainment industry after an accident while filming a commercial MV, becoming a regret and eternal white moonlight in countless people's hearts. But very few people know that Qu Qiuyan was actually implicated by the Lin family back then—targeted by an opponent of Old Master Lin."
Xiao He gasped: "There's actually such a story behind it?"
Thinking about Qu Qiuyan's case, Liu Rulan sighed with emotion: "The prop master involved was sentenced to three years in prison for negligent causing of serious injury. The production crew involved ultimately only paid three million in compensation. But they used one person's three years and three million yuan to destroy a female star at the peak of her career. Do you think that was a good deal?"
Xiao He fell silent.
Liu Rulan let out a long sigh: "Although the Liu family's influence is far less than the Lin family's, we also don't have a background like Qu Qiuyan's. Even someone like Qu Qiuyan could fall victim. If we encountered something similar, we'd probably be wiped out completely. So small fries like us should stay out of big shots' affairs—avoid offending them whenever possible."
Xiao He pressed his lips together, then pressed further: "What about Qu Qiuyan and her family? Did they just let the matter rest back then?"
If it really was a retaliatory move by an opponent as Liu Rulan said, did Qu Qiuyan's side just swallow the injustice and do nothing?
"Of course not."
Liu Rulan snorted lightly and tapped Xiao He's head. "They naturally had their own means and methods to retaliate. But if you encountered such a situation, what could you do?"
Xiao He shrunk his neck, covering his head: "Well, in that case, there really isn't much I could do..."
"Exactly..."
Liu Rulan walked to the bathroom, picked up the hairdryer to dry her hair. Before starting, she leaned out and said one last thing: "Don't worry about this matter. We probably won't have further contact with them anyway. Just focus on preparing well for this afternoon's shoot."
Xiao He nodded obediently: "Okay!"
But what Liu Rulan didn't know was that after she entered the bathroom, Xiao He quietly opened his laptop.
Twenty minutes later, Liu Rulan emerged refreshed and said to Xiao He, "We don't know how long the program team will be recording here. Let's board the boat from the other pier later to avoid running into them again. What bad luck."
Xiao He nodded while putting away his laptop: "Okay, Sister Liu."
This time, without any obstacles or pressure, the group safely reached the island by boat.
But the moment they stepped onto the island, a mysterious wave of public opinion suddenly emerged online—