Xu Tingyu calmed her breathing and pulled herself out of the dancing mood.
She bowed slightly to the applauding crowd as a sign of gratitude, then walked up to Pan Zhi.
Naturally, Pan Zhi praised her to the skies.
Even the assistant director came over to tease.
"Just now our Director Pan was on the edge of a volcano, but now he's in a utopia."
Pan Zhi waved his hand. "Don't mention that. After all these days, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
It was obvious that he had been driven almost crazy these days.
And speaking of the devil, just as Pan Zhi was discussing the details with Xu Tingyu, a sweet voice came over. "Director Pan, when are we going to start shooting? I'm getting a bit sleepy waiting."
The surroundings fell silent for a moment, then people gradually dispersed.
Xu Tingyu also turned to look.
It was a very petite girl. The colorful costume on her looked a bit baggy.
She also looked over at Xu Tingyu.
Her facial features bore a faint resemblance to Xie Yu's, but they weren't as delicate.
Against the backdrop of the costume, she even looked like a child stealing her mother's clothes.
After their eyes met, she suddenly hooked her lips into a smile, looking a bit surprised.
"What a beautiful sister. Are you new here? I don't think I saw you at the script reading."
She spoke in that sweet voice.
Before Xu Tingyu could say anything, Pan Zhi replied impatiently. "Have you memorized your lines? How many more days of overtime do you want everyone to accompany you for?"
Scolded in front of so many people, Xie Shu showed no sign of shame at all. Instead, she continued smiling.
"But isn't this just everyone's job? Director Pan, are you saying that the investment from President Qi isn't enough?"
"What should we do then? Should I call my sister and ask her to persuade President Qi to invest more?"
Pan Zhi was clearly on the verge of an emotional outburst, but due to Qi Ye's presence, he held back and just let out a heavy snort.
Qi Ye sized up Xie Shu and his tone was rarely a bit stern.
"President Qi? Miss, are you referring to President Qi of Qi Group?"
Xie Shu was still young after all and couldn't read the expressions of those around her.
Or perhaps she had been overly protected and didn't need to look at anyone's face.
Seeing someone take the initiative to ask about "President Qi" and it was a rather familiar handsome guy, she felt a bit smug.
"Who else could it be? Are you new here too? What role are you playing?"
A faint smile appeared on Qi Ye's lips.
He didn't expect that shrewd Xie Yu to have such a stupid younger sister.
He had no interest in pressuring a stupid person and didn't even feel like saying another word. He just turned to Pan Zhi and smiled.
"It seems I can't treat you to dinner today. I won't hold you back from making progress."
"Anyway, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Tingyu and I will leave first."
His indifferent attitude enraged Xie Shu.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. Can't you hear me?"
"Do I need to ask my sister to call President Qi and tell him not to let you into the crew?"
Only a person without real talent would always bluff with empty threats.
Qi Ye's upbringing didn't allow him to entangle with such a person.
But Xie Shu still wouldn't let it go.
Just as Qi Ye's patience was running out, Xie Shu's agent finally rushed over, grabbed her and scolded in a low voice.
"Stop causing trouble. This is President Qi's older brother, Young Master Qi."
Xie Shu was stunned for a moment, and a look of joy flashed in her long and slender eyes.
But after seeing Xu Tingyu beside him, she quickly put on an arrogant posture again.
"So what? The Qi family is now under President Qi's control..."
Before she could say any more crazy words, her agent covered her mouth and took her away.
"This girl is a bit slow-witted. Don't mind her. You two go back. We can communicate by phone if there's anything."
Pan Zhi was also shocked by Xie Shu's arrogant words and quickly explained.
Fortunately, Qi Ye didn't show any signs of displeasure. He just waved at Xu Tingyu. "Tingyu, let's go."
The two got into the car, and neither of them spoke first.
It wasn't until they reached the downstairs of the community that Xu Tingyu hesitated to speak. "Brother, you..."
She had been brewing for the whole journey and didn't know how to comfort him.
In the past two years, it had been rumored in the Kyoto circle that Qi Ye wasn't abroad for further study but was "exiled" so that Qi Shifeng could take control of the Qi Group more smoothly.
And Qi Ye's frail body meant that he would never be entrusted with important responsibilities in this lifetime.
Even Xu Tingyu, who rarely went out, had heard such absurd rumors, let alone Qi Ye himself.
So before she could even finish her words of comfort, she was interrupted.
"Tingyu, it's okay. I don't care."
"I never thought of competing with Shifeng for the company. Since he was born, I've been taught that as the older brother, I should give in to my younger brother."
These words hit Xu Tingyu hard in the heart.
She could empathize.
"However, it's not so bad being a good-for-nothing. Otherwise, the one who would be traveling on business everywhere and suffering now would be me."
Qi Ye seemed to be trying to prove that he was really okay. He joked and even let out a couple of laughs.
Gentle people were always like this. Even when they were the ones getting hurt, they would still comfort others.
But Xu Tingyu didn't laugh. Instead, she said seriously, "Brother, what others say is their business. We should value ourselves."
Qi Ye's breath caught for a moment.
She said "we".
The car stopped. His arm was resting on the center console as he turned to look at her.
Her thick black hair cascaded down her back like a pool of ink.
A few strands of unruly hair had slipped to one side and landed beside Qi Ye's hand.
He only needed to move slightly and he could touch it.
But he didn't move. He just looked at her deeply. "I know, Tingyu. I know."
The intense emotions in his eyes were almost overwhelming.
It was a pity that Xu Tingyu wasn't paying that much attention.
She kept recalling Xie Shu's words.
In front of so many people, she could brazenly use Xie Yu and Qi Shifeng to back herself up.
This was probably the confidence of being favored.
She let out a bitter smile in her heart and said goodbye to Qi Ye. "Brother, I'll go back first. Thank you for your help."
Pan Zhi said that if the shooting went smoothly, she would probably need to stay there for about fourteen or fifteen days.
At a rate of 300,000 yuan a day, it was almost five million yuan.
It was a sky-high price.
"You're welcome. Have a good rest. If I remember correctly, your second competition is in a couple of days. Come on."
The calm had returned to Qi Ye's eyes, leaving only just the right amount of gentleness.
That's right. It was almost time for the second competition. Xu Tingyu was even more diligent than before.
She stayed in the dance studio all day long. On the day of the second competition recording, she stunned the whole audience with a dance called "Meeting in Joy".
This time, even Xie Yu had no reason to give a low score.
Moreover, because of all the previous arguments, she even had to praise Xu Tingyu in front of the camera.
"It's obvious that this contestant has put in a lot of effort this time. Her eye expressions have also improved a lot compared to the previous dance."
"I'm quite surprised that she was able to choreograph such a dance in just one week under pressure. I'm looking forward to more excellent works from you in the future."