No one ever expected that Xie Xi and You Feibai would be among the final three guests announced for The Maze.
When Zheng Longju shared the official Weibo post, the comments section completely exploded.
"Baby Xi and Feibai? From now on, you are my Sister Zheng!"
"Inviting just one of them would usually require a long promotional campaign. I can't believe Zheng Longju actually got both of them. I underestimated you."
"Holy crap, Sister Zheng, you're really stirring the pot! You actually invited Xie Xi and You Feibai to the same show."
"Wait, why can't they record a show together? You shippers have lost your minds, insisting on shoving your ships right in front of the actual people involved."
With this, all six guests for The Maze were finally assembled: Xie Xi, You Feibai, Ye Qiusuo, Lu Mingzhe, Wan Yurou, and Xia Zhoubing.
In fact, even Zheng Longju herself had not expected her final lineup to be these people.
She had actually invited You Feibai right from the start, but was rejected. His manager was afraid of her editing style. Even after she promised not to maliciously edit the footage and ruin his reputation, Jiang Jingyuan only kept stalling.
Zheng Longju was mentally prepared for this. She originally just wanted to create a new show to improve her own reputation, meaning her editing could not be too outrageous anyway. She was ready for You Feibai's manager to take a wait-and-see approach.
However, Xie Xi's manager suddenly reached out to her, saying they found the show interesting and wanted to give it a try.
Zheng Longju naturally agreed. But the moment she did, You Feibai's manager could no longer sit still and also took the initiative to contact her.
This show was showing every sign of becoming a massive hit before filming even began.
...
Even before the show started recording, Xie Xi had already begun simulating the scene of their meeting in his head. One moment, he felt he should be a bit more reserved; the next, he decided it was best to provide an opportunity to feed the Xie-Ye CP shippers. He absolutely could not allow the Bai-Qiu Forever ship to rise from the ashes.
"Brother Xi, I think there is something you absolutely have to do before going on the show," Zhang Dong said while playing a game in the living room.
"Let's hear it." Xie Xi thought Zhang Dong was going to give him some constructive advice.
"You need to change your phone's lock screen wallpaper. It won't look good if people see it."
"..."
Xie Xi looked down at his phone screen. On it was a piece of Xie-Ye CP fanart drawn by a talented artist. He really liked the atmosphere of the two of them leaning against each other, so he had been using it all this time. Anyway, he usually only went to the recording studio, so no one else ever saw it.
Xie Xi picked and chose but could not find a suitable replacement.
Finally, before going on the show, he custom-ordered a small leaf-shaped lock and hung it on his favorite squeaky duck. He took a picture of the two items together and set it as his new wallpaper.
Since there would be a gap between the recording and the broadcasting of the show, Zheng Longju deliberately arranged for people to wait outside and take pictures when the six guests arrived for filming, or she coordinated with two or three guests to release airport photos, all to generate buzz.
Xie Xi had been tipped off in advance. Knowing there would be cameras snapping pictures at the entrance before he went in, he very cleverly lit up his phone screen at the door as if by accident.
When these photos were posted online, he used his alt account to lead the comments: "A leaf-shaped lock? The Xie-Ye CP will never fall."
"Tsk tsk, to be able to make that connection... I have to say, our Hao Hao is truly impressive."
"Hao Hao, you are surfing on 5G today. So fast."
Yes, because Xie Xi's username was a bit difficult to pronounce, the netizens and fans simply started calling him Tuhao, which eventually evolved into Hao Hao.
This was probably because the majority of these fans were Xie Xi's own fans. They were used to calling him Xi Xi and had developed a fondness for repeating syllables.
"Oh my god, I am so looking forward to them doing a show together. Just thinking about it makes me too excited."
"Actually, Baby Xi and Professor Ye have known each other for a long time. Who knows how close they are in private? After all, they have a teacher-student relationship. Didn't they say that when Professor Ye was doing an endorsement earlier, Baby Xi even went to visit her on set?"
"I am already shipping them."
While Xie Xi was still looking down at the comments, Ye Qiusuo came in through the door. She had originally wanted to greet him when she saw him, but she was stopped by Zheng Longju.
Xie Xi finally heard the commotion and immediately hid his phone in his pocket. He sat up straight and respectfully, watching Ye Qiusuo and Zheng Longju talk opposite him.
"Professor Ye, I remember you don't have a Weibo account yet. Why don't you register one? When the time comes, you can interact with the production team. It'll be a good way to engage," Zheng Longju said politely.
"I do have a Weibo account." Ye Qiusuo had browsed Weibo before. Since reading comments required registering and logging in, she had casually logged in using her WeChat account.
"I don't mean an alt account. How about I help you register a main official account and apply for verification while we are at it?" Zheng Longju looked a bit troubled. "You also know that making a show is not easy. Once the show is over, you don't have to keep using this Weibo account."
"I will register one myself." Ye Qiusuo took out her phone.
It took a little while for Ye Qiusuo to complete the verification process. She used her real name.
By this time, the other five guests had all arrived. Among them, the ones with the highest status were You Feibai and Xie Xi. As a rising star, Lu Mingzhe was not modest at all; he had recently been trending towards stardom.
On the other hand, Wan Yurou's superficial manners were flawless, and she greeted everyone smoothly.
Xie Xi glanced at her and found her somewhat familiar. However, he did not care too much because Ye Qiusuo was walking over.
"Teacher." Xie Xi used this title to distinguish himself from the others.
Ye Qiusuo nodded and looked down at her phone again. After getting verified, the first Weibo post she made was a professional promotional one, congratulating the start of filming for The Maze. Following that, she followed Xie Xi's account, completely ignoring everyone else.
She had absolutely no idea how much room for imagination this action of hers would give to the Xie-Ye CP shippers later on.
