Originally, the plan was for Xia Siyu to slowly walk in front of Bo Yan after her dance. However, the cameraman suddenly noticed that even while Xia Siyu was spinning, Bo Yan was already pacing towards her.

He turned to glance at the on-site director, who didn’t call for a stop but instead instructed the cameraman to continue following. By the time Xia Siyu had just collapsed, he was already by her side.

As Xia Siyu was adjusting her breathing, preparing to get up, a warm palm appeared in front of her eyes.

On New Year’s Eve, even though it was an indoor venue, it was still very cold. Xia Siyu was dancing a Tang Dynasty dance, and to display a sense of ethereal grace, her attire was very thin. Although she wasn’t particularly afraid of the cold and she had been exercising, it was still winter, and it was somewhat chilly.

At that moment, in addition to the warm palm in front of her, there was also the sound of cheers erupting from the audience below.

Their relationship had been public for more than a year now. Initially, many people were skeptical, especially Bo Yan’s fans. Although bystanders were just watching the drama, they couldn’t help but feel that Xia Siyu was not quite a match for Bo Yan. However, this year Xia Siyu won two Best Actress Awards and her film with Bo Yan won the Golden Lion. On paper, her capabilities even slightly surpassed Bo Yan’s.

With strength comes undeniable truth; now, apart from a small group of Bo Yan fans who still held grudges, the majority had a welcoming attitude towards them. They were a feast for the eyes together, especially with Bo Yan now helping her up.

Xia Siyu looked up, and immediately her gaze collided with Bo Yan’s handsome features. She actually remembered she was in costume, and without directly smiling and squinting her eyes, she used her wide sleeves to partially cover her face. She bowed her head slightly, wearing a demure and shy expression, wanting to look but finding it a bit daunting to stare directly.

In the past, Xia Siyu was always domineering and bold, with an attitude of saying one thing and not two. The characters she played in earlier roles were innocent and cute, to put it simply, naive and silly, with shyness that was typical of urban girls who didn’t dare to confess their love. Later, she played roles like a seductive lady boss or a duplicitous drug lord, which were not like this. Even in historical dramas like "Divine Catcher" or "Overthrows the Country and the City", where she played a carefree swordsman or a seductive concubine, her character was reserved before the male lead, but not ladylike in this way, requiring such a bashful demeanor.

But at the present moment, her expression was exactly like a sheltered lady from a wealthy family on stage, shyly walking away, yet lingering to smell the plum blossoms. Especially as she covered her face, her posture remained impeccable, with her back straight, her long neck not leaning forward, and the hair ornaments on her head gently swaying with her movements. Coupled with the dance move where she was still sitting elegantly on the ground, her posture was simply impeccable.

The audience erupted into screams. Truly, it had been a long time since anyone had seen such graceful movement from an actor, unless watching traditional opera or flipping through old dramas. Although Xia Siyu hadn’t practiced opera for long, and many of her movements weren’t entirely precise, her stance was impressive. Especially her face, her makeup coupled with her current expression was simply stunning, leaving the audience screaming. Initially, one could hear their names being called by invited fans, but now, it wasn’t their names being shouted—rather, it was the sound of uninhibited awe, where words failed, culminating in nothing but excited yells.

The stage lights illuminated their faces, and without needing a word, Bo Yan’s new film, the love story traversing time, and Xia Siyu’s film "Overthrows the Country and the City" were both perfectly advertised.

When Bo Yan extended his hand, Xia Siyu slowly reached out. Her gesture was also very poised, her fingers delicate like scallions, lightly touching his fingertips. In ancient times, strict boundaries existed between men and women; hugging, kissing, and even shaking hands were considered breaches of propriety. Such a gentle touch had an added benefit, apart from the perfect posture; once Xia Siyu stood up, standing next to him wouldn’t appear as though she was being led along by him, but rather showed them standing shoulder to shoulder as equals.

This slightly added scene not only didn’t disrupt the program but became the most talked-about topic of the night. Especially Xia Siyu’s bashfulness behind her wide sleeves. Before this, no one ever imagined that she could portray a wealthy young lady, crucially, she truly captured that sense of elegance and demure shyness.

The following interviews were nothing worth mentioning, filled with obligatory questions. The respective artist teams had previewed them, and they all answered with safe terminology.

After the performance, the two retreated backstage, quickly changing out of their costumes, removing headpieces and accessories, but the makeup was hard to remove immediately, so they had to dash to the airport with it still on.

On the way to the airport, it continued to snow lightly. Xia Siyu leaned against the seat and slowly fell asleep, while Bo Yan was beside her, covering her with a blanket.

The flight lasted two hours and surprisingly arrived in Yancheng ahead of schedule. When they landed at 1:40, the two disembarked and hurried home. Xia Siyu slept soundly along the way, while on the plane, Bo Yan was engaged in conversations, coordinating the matters at hand.

He had already figured out how to reveal the financial report fraud, how to leak it to foreign media, how to strike, and how to withdraw. After all, a spotlight on wrongdoing was inevitable. As they drove back to Qingcheng Apartments, Xia Siyu was still sound asleep.

By now, it was already 3 AM. Bo Yan didn’t want to disturb her; he carried her back to bed and followed the usual routine to remove her makeup and cleanse her. This time, she must have been truly exhausted, as she didn’t wake up at all until the next morning.

At 8 o’clock sharp, the doorbell rang, and Xia Siyu opened the door for her father.