Chapter 124: Within a Hundred Miles, Neither Man nor Beast Shall Know Peace

Chapter 124: Within a Hundred Miles, Not a Moment of Peace

When it comes to celebrity couples in the entertainment industry, it is impossible to avoid mentioning Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er.

There are many celebrity couples in the industry, but after Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er high-profilely announced their relationship and drew continuous media attention, celebrity couples seemed to sprout up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Whether it was to boost their exposure or because they were inspired by Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er and no longer wanted to hide or keep things under wraps, many simply chose to go public.

Especially after the reality show "Walking With You" became a massive hit, such announcements became endless. There even appeared quite a few "contractual" couples—both married and dating—who were only together for the sake of hype.

As a local satellite television station with extremely high ratings, Hunan Satellite TV’s influence extends far beyond its home province. Of course, Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er did not accept the invitation because of that; they did it as a favor to He Jun.

"Welcome to Shacheng!"

Outside the airport, He Jun, wearing a large pair of sunglasses, smiled at Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er.

"Teacher He, how could we trouble you to pick us up in person?" Yang Xin'er said with a smile when she realized it was He Jun waiting for them.

"I’m not here as a representative of the production team, but as a friend. What, can’t a friend pick up friends in Shacheng?" He Jun laughed. "Let’s get in the car first. We’ll head to the hotel, then straight to the restaurant. Xie Meng and the others have already booked a table."

"Sounds good!" Zhang Le nodded with a smile.

Seeing Xie Meng again, she was still as unconventional as ever, no different from when she was hosting, but she undoubtedly brought a lot of joy to everyone. As for Wei Hai, he had gained some weight since they last met.

"What’s this? You’ve put on weight again!" Yang Xin'er blurted out the moment she saw Wei Hai.

"Ugh, I’ve always been this chubby, okay?" Wei Hai rolled his eyes. With his coy posture and syrupy tone, anyone unfamiliar with him would surely get goosebumps.

"Oh, sorry. I saw the photos you posted on Weibo last time and thought you’d slimmed down. Didn't the internet even praise you as the new generation of ‘male god’?" Yang Xin'er asked with an awkward laugh.

"Pfft!" Xie Meng laughed when she heard this. "Those photos were photoshopped. Didn't you notice he looked much taller in them? These days, the idea that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ has become history. Especially when it comes to him."

"What do you mean by that?" Wei Hai glared at Xie Meng.

"You should face the reality of being fat with courage," Xie Meng teased.

"Then why don’t you face the reality of being flat-chested instead of using so much padding?" Wei Hai shot back without hesitation.

Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er exchanged bitter smiles; they were already accustomed to the two of them bickering. They often joked quite ruthlessly, yet it was a rare oddity that they never truly got angry with each other.

"You!" Xie Meng was furious. She looked down at her chest, feeling a bit self-conscious, and pointed at Wei Hai, unable to find words for a moment.

"Don't be so stingy all the time. Eat more and nourish yourself; maybe you'll grow a bit. Kid, you're at the age where you're still growing," Wei Hai said with a grin. "After we finish this meal, don't sneak off—remember to pay the bill."

"I’m not stingy, I’m frugal. I’m saving for my dowry," Xie Meng retorted.

"Pfft!" Wei Hai rolled his eyes again. "Frugal is being hard on yourself; stingy is being hard on others! You’re not only hard on yourself, you’re hard on us. When have you ever paid the bill at our gatherings?"

Xie Meng loved to slip away during their gatherings, and Wei Hai would always roast her for it, but most of the time, he was the one who ended up paying. Calling her stingy was just playful banter, not a real complaint.

"Alright, this meal is on me!" He Jun said with a smile.

"Teacher He is the best," Xie Meng beamed.

Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er took their seats with smiles. They were well aware of the tight bond between the three hosts of "Happy Tonight." They also knew that Xie Meng wasn't truly stingy; it was just their dynamic, and she only "slipped away" when she was with He Jun and Wei Hai.

Among the three, Xie Meng came from the most humble background and had the weakest financial standing. Furthermore, she was known to support many impoverished students—something Zhang Le had heard from Wei Hai and the others. Zhang Le could also see that the clothes Xie Meng wore daily were not designer brands, which was quite rare for a famous host. Whether she was stingy or just frugal was something Zhang Le couldn't quite judge.

As for the four pairs of guests on "Fight For Her," Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er were naturally the biggest draws, which was exactly why He Jun had invited them. He needed them to elevate the show's profile.

Of the other three pairs, one was familiar to Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er: Chen Fang and Lin Yang, who had participated in "Walking With You" with them previously. Chen Fang and Lin Yang were still not married, though news of their impending nuptials surfaced frequently, with no date set yet. Whenever asked in interviews, they would firmly state that they would definitely tie the knot before Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er.

Since they were old friends, they chatted quite a bit when they met. The other two couples were quite unique: one pair consisted of a male singer and a female actress, while the other was a female singer and a male actor.

Before filming began, Zhang Le received the script. Although it didn't contain the specific game content, he gained an understanding of the show's format. It involved challenges and competitions in the form of games, testing the rapport and mutual understanding between the couples. It was somewhat similar to a show he had seen in his past life, though he couldn't be sure if the games themselves were the same.

As filming started, the four pairs of guests made their entrances, with Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er appearing as the grand finale.

When the two walked out from backstage, the audience erupted in thunderous applause, the volume noticeably different from the reception of the previous three pairs. None of the other guests were surprised; they knew their own popularity couldn't compare to Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er’s. At best, they were second or third-tier celebrities—how could they compete?

Yang Xin'er had already been crowned a queen in both the music and film industries. Zhang Le was a renowned talent, both in music and film. He had won the Golden Melody Award for his songwriting and composition, along with two Oscars for Best Original Song. He was also a director who had helmed two films with staggering box office numbers. Even as an actor, he had won a Best Supporting Actor award.

These credentials alone were enough to crush the other three pairs, not to mention that Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er were also owners of their own film and television company. Naturally, no one felt any resentment. They might have felt a bit of envy, but they certainly couldn't hate them. Having Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er on the show would draw more attention, which was beneficial for everyone. Plus, recording together and building a rapport was a great networking opportunity.

"Welcome to our four guest couples. Please take your seats!" He Jun said with a smile.

The men and women were seated separately, with soundproofing between them, presumably to prevent them from communicating during the tests of their rapport.

"Hello!" Zhang Le exchanged greetings with the other three male guests before taking his seat. Meanwhile, the four female guests were already seated in front of He Jun.

"I just realized, among our guests, everyone is either a singer or an actor!" He Jun said with a laugh.

"Teacher He, the show isn't going to be about that, right? The three of us are clearly at a disadvantage!" Chen Fang remarked. "Especially me—look at the four male guests; my Lin Yang is the only one who can't sing."

"Lin Yang can't sing? Even though he's an actor, with a singer like you as his girlfriend, he must be able to hold a tune, right?" He Jun joked.

"When he sings, it’s like a plague within a hundred miles—not a chicken or dog is left in peace," Chen Fang said with a roll of her eyes and a look of utter disdain.