Although Xie Tangning felt guilty, that didn’t stop her from refusing to back down. “Impossible! I’m Big Brother’s favorite little sister. He’d never bear to do that!”
“And besides, I’ve never once made Big Brother lose face, so could you please stop slandering me?!”
Xie Changyu put on a deadpan expression. “Did I mention even one word about you embarrassing Big Brother?”
“You’re awfully eager to confess. Feeling guilty? Or did a dog eat your brain? Xiaoning, answer me!”
With nothing to say, Xie Tangning bared her teeth at him.
Xie Changyu refused to indulge her and immediately bared his teeth right back.
The two of them were practically a cat and a dog. It took no more than three sentences for them to start “arguing.”
Having once again witnessed this up close and personal family drama, the two directors and the other guests were thoroughly satisfied.
“You two little Xies over there—if you’re done arguing, shall we get to the main event?”
With the show’s countdown approaching, Director Zhang was being unusually gentle. He reminded them with a smile plastered across his face.
He had also abandoned his grand plan to torment the guests, suddenly becoming so kind and benevolent that, no matter how one looked at him, he seemed downright suspicious.
Xie Tangning and Xie Changyu had already returned to their harmonious, affectionate-sibling mode, but even they were startled by Director Zhang’s expression.
They immediately huddled together and began whispering about him.
Xie Tangning leaned two inches closer to Xie Changyu and said quietly, “I really am a country bumpkin who can’t appreciate fancy things. Director Zhang looks like this, and I just find it incredibly creepy!”
Then she pointed at her own arm. “Look. I’ve got goosebumps all over!”
Xie Changyu casually rubbed her arm a couple of times. “Who says otherwise? I also get the feeling he’s up to no good!”
The siblings’ voices weren’t particularly quiet, and several people nearby heard every word.
“Pfft—hahahahaha!”
“You two really have some nerve. Aren’t you afraid of making Director Zhang drop dead from anger?” Wu Weixiang teased, without the slightest bit of sympathy for Director Zhang.
Wu Dacheng, meanwhile, immediately launched into his shameless, unconditional praise of his boss. “As expected of my boss!”
“Just two sentences, and you’ve already made Director Zhang’s face change. Absolutely incredible!”
Liang Zhou turned into an eager student. “As expected of you, Xie Tangning. I’ll have to learn from you!”
The two die-hard fans, Xie Wanwan and Su Xiaoye, unusually refrained from stirring up trouble. Director Zhang even felt a strange glimmer of comfort from it.
Don’t ask why. The answer was that this group of little demons had tormented him to the point of helplessness!
He really had never imagined that all the merciless torment he had once inflicted on other guests would eventually come flying back at him like a boomerang.
When Xie Changyu heard no one praising him, he was displeased and opened his mouth, ready to speak.
To keep himself from getting so angry that his heart stopped, Director Zhang decisively cut him off.
“Xie Changyu, shut your mouth!”
“I never should’ve shown you people any kindness. You’re a bunch of idiots with neither brains nor emotional intelligence!”
“Now enjoy your banquet. Get the singing and dancing started!”
Director Zhang looked as though he had been possessed by an overbearing CEO, his eyes radiating thirty percent aloof indifference, forty percent domineering arrogance, and thirty percent command—practically a living pie chart.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have the looks of one. Without the face of a male lead, he looked hilariously ridiculous.
Watching him act like that, Xie Tangning and the others all transformed into masters of keeping a straight face, using the food to conceal the smiles tugging at the corners of their mouths.
Director Zhang, however, didn’t sense anything unusual. If anything, he thought he looked incredibly cool.
The assistant director squeezed his eyes shut, as though witnessing a colleague even more unhinged than the guests was simply too painful to bear.
So he chose not to look!
And so, over the next hour or so, the guests chatted with viewers on the livestream, sharing delicious food while singing and dancing.
The atmosphere was nothing but cheerful. The show’s usual signature segment—the tearjerking, emotional moment—never made an appearance.
The viewer currently connected to the show was a fan of Xie Tangning, and this particular fan was quite the character herself.
The moment she opened her mouth, she showered Xie Tangning with so much affection that the girl nearly floated up to the heavens. To thank this lovely fan, Xie Tangning immediately began making bold declarations.
“Thank you for liking me, beautiful lady! To express my heartfelt gratitude, I’m going to sing a song just for you!”
“Music~ Let’s go!”
But the moment she said that, the fan who had been screaming excitedly just seconds earlier took the initiative and cut the connection.
Her allotted connection time hadn’t even ended yet, but it was obvious that the fan was terrified of suffering a magical attack from her own idol.
Xie Changyu was the first to react and immediately began laughing at her.
“Hahahaha! Xie Tangning, shut your awful gong of a voice!”
“It may still be daylight over here, but it’s already past eight at night. Stop singing, or you’ll scare her so badly she won’t be able to sleep!”
Xie Tangning puffed out her cheeks in anger. “How infuriating! You people simply don’t know how to appreciate true art! This is obviously the voice of an angel!”
“Great-Grandpa was right. Mortals just can’t understand my divine music!”
Children’s emotions came and went quickly. While the other guests were taking turns connecting with their fans, she soon grabbed Su Xiaoye and started dancing for the audience.
The dinner party had now reached its climax. The guests weren’t the only ones singing and dancing—even a whole crowd from the production team joined in.
Director Zhang and the assistant director had even started awkwardly dancing in front of the cameras, making the audience nearly think the two of them had gotten drunk.
Still, there was no denying that the two directors’ talents were highly entertaining. Waves of applause and cheers rang out across the venue.
“Woohoo! The assistant director is so handsome!”
“Director Zhang dances amazingly! Who knew he’d been hiding this talent all along?”
“Assistant director, I love you! You’re so handsome!”
The guests all transformed into crazed fans, leaving both directors blushing with embarrassment.
“Keep it low-key, keep it low-key~ It was nothing special~”
The assistant director put on a modest air, but the corners of his mouth were practically flying off his face.
Director Zhang’s persona remained completely intact. He opened his mouth and immediately began provoking them. “See that? Now this is what dancing looks like!”
“Look at the nonsense you were doing earlier! Sure, every one of you is a big star, but your actual skills aren’t anything special!”
The little performance by Director Zhang and the assistant director instantly awakened the guests’ competitive spirits. They swore they would outdo the two directors.
After all, anyone who could become a celebrity had at least a few talents up their sleeve, and one by one, they brought out their secret weapons.
Xie Changyu picked up a guitar and improvised a song to match the mood of the moment. All one could say was that he was blessed with extraordinary talent.
When it came to cheering for her big brother’s performance, Xie Tangning was the first to show her support, applauding enthusiastically.
“Xiao Xie, Xiao Xie, the strongest in the universe!”
“Changyu, Changyu, the most handsome man in the world!”
“That was absolutely amazing! You’re the greatest singer in the entire world!”
With a flick of his bangs, Xie Changyu happily accepted every compliment, then came over to Xie Tangning and high-fived her.
“Excellent taste, and impressive command of the language—you praised me beautifully! I’ll cover your allowance this month!”
By “cover,” he meant that he would give her an extra allowance on top of what Lu Huaiyu already gave her.
Being hit with such a huge surprise out of nowhere, Xie Tangning immediately showered him with even more sweet talk. Once again, Xie Changyu was praised into a state of blissful delight.
Only after forcibly suppressing the urge to raise the little brat’s allowance yet again did he turn to the other guests, fishing for their applause.
“How was that little display of mine? Surely there’s no problem with winning over a whole crowd at the drop of a hat!”
The young man’s eyes and brows were filled with confidence and youthful pride. Though his expression was deliberately smug, it didn’t seem the least bit greasy.
There was no filter in the world more dazzling than someone shining in their area of expertise.
