Ji Mingxi clutched the two red envelopes. "Thank you, and congratulations to you too."

Tan You smiled. "Yeah, let’s congratulate ourselves on clearing the challenges today. Did you have fun?"

Ji Mingxi smiled too. "A lot of fun, though it was a little exhausting."

Tan You exchanged a few more words with the hosts, and then the two of them left the television station. This was before the era of social media; all the various platforms for self-publishing had yet to emerge, and people still spent their time browsing forums and writing blogs.

As a result, there was no buzz online about Ji Mingxi and Tan You participating in a show like this. When the two of them walked out of the station, they didn’t run into any fans.

Once they were settled in the car, Tan You looked over at Ji Mingxi. "It’s about that time. Shall we go get some lunch?"

Ji Mingxi rubbed his stomach. "Okay, my treat. You paid for me yesterday."

"I’ll use the prize money we just won."

Tan You paused for a moment, then smiled. "Sounds good."

"How’s your back? Does it still hurt?"

Ji Mingxi rubbed his lower back. "It’s a little sore. It’ll be fine after I get some rest tonight."

Tan You grabbed her large backpack and rummaged inside, pulling out a few pain-relief patches. "Want to try one? I stick these on whenever my back hurts. I can personally vouch for them."

Ji Mingxi raised an eyebrow slightly, then agreed in the next instant. "Okay. Thanks for the trouble."

As Tan You applied the patch to Ji Mingxi’s back, both the cameraman and the script director grew excited. I forgot to mention, today’s script director wasn’t the same one as yesterday. The production team probably didn’t dare to get on Tan You’s bad side too much.

The junior script director was so excited he looked ready to stomp his feet, and the cameraman’s eyes were practically filled with pink, heart-shaped bubbles. Tan You knew what the two were thinking with a single glance and couldn’t help but feel a sense of resignation. ’They’ll ship anything and everything, won’t they?’

During lunch, Ji Mingxi asked about Tan You’s upcoming schedule. "Do you have any plans for this afternoon? I remember we were scheduled to dance together, but I’m afraid that won’t work now."

Tan You took a bite of her food. "You know how to play an instrument, right? Maybe you could teach me? Even though I’m completely tone-deaf, I’m still eager to learn."

Ji Mingxi, of course, had no objections. "Sure! You’ve really never learned an instrument?"

Tan You recalled Lu Wen’s experiences. "My mom sent me to piano lessons for a year when I was little, but I just couldn’t get the hang of it. I preferred dance to music, so I ended up sticking with dance lessons."

Ji Mingxi’s interest was piqued. "Modern pop? Or street dance?"

Tan You shook her head. "Neither. Classical dance."

Seeing that Ji Mingxi was about to ask more, Tan You smiled. "Let’s just eat. Aren’t you tired?"

"I’m just curious," Ji Mingxi said, taking a sip of water. "Is it that kind of..."

He furrowed his brow, thinking for a long time. "The kind of dance... a fairy would do?"

Tan You laughed. "I can’t compare to a fairy. But if you really want to see, I’ll perform a dance for you sometime."

"It’s a deal," Ji Mingxi said earnestly.

Tan You replied, "I never go back on my word. I always follow through on what I say. Of course, to be fair, you have to perform a dance for me too, once you’ve recovered."

Ji Mingxi said, "But I’m not the lead dancer, and my skills aren’t the best in the group."

’Why does that sound a bit... manipulative?’ Tan You thought. Of course, she still had to comfort him. "I’ve told you before, just focus on being the best version of yourself. Everyone has their own strengths. You shouldn’t always wear yourself down with so much internal friction."

"Internal friction?" This was before that term had entered the popular lexicon, so of course, Ji Mingxi didn’t understand.

Tan You explained, "Internal friction means constantly invalidating yourself, forcing yourself to meet conventional standards, and always trying to cater to how others see you. You end up unconsciously comparing yourself to others. That’s mental attrition. In my opinion, all of it is completely unnecessary."

"As long as you shine and do your best within your own capabilities, that’s enough. The people who are meant to like you will like you eventually. As for those who don’t..."

"What about those who don’t like me?" Ji Mingxi blinked, obviously curious about what she would say next.

"If they don’t like me, it doesn’t matter. It’s no loss to me," Tan You said with a shrug. "So, don’t worry about what other people think, and don’t try to cater to them or kiss up to them. I am who I am. Even if I have a lot of flaws, I still accept my imperfect self."

"I don’t see any flaws in you," Ji Mingxi said earnestly. "You’ve always been wonderful."

Tan You chuckled. "That’s high praise. I’m just an ordinary person, and there are plenty of things I can’t do. There’s no shame in that. It’s like you said, you’re not the lead dancer or the lead vocalist, but so what?"

"You’re still exceptional. You still shine brightly."

They were simply eating and talking, the atmosphere gentle and relaxed. And yet, the cameraman and the script director found them incredibly sweet. The part where Tan You comforted Ji Mingxi, in particular, made them declare that they were totally sold on this ship.

Ji Mingxi also felt very relaxed around Tan You. It was almost laughable, really. He used to think he was most at ease when he was by himself, but now, he felt even more relaxed with her.

It was as if she had some sort of Magic Power, always able to bring a sense of peace to the people around her.

That afternoon, due to Ji Mingxi’s back injury, he and Tan You stayed in the hotel room practicing music. Eventually, inspiration struck Ji Mingxi, and he began scribbling on a piece of paper, occasionally bowing his head to strum a few notes on his instrument.

Tan You didn’t disturb him, taking the opportunity to work on her own things. She had to make sure her studio was up and running by the time the program ended; after all, she needed to make a living.

By the time Ji Mingxi had finished a rough draft of his song, twilight had already settled. He looked up, dazed, and it took him a few seconds to remember that he had been practicing music with Tan You all afternoon.

"Finished? Let’s eat. I ordered food." Hearing the silence from Ji Mingxi’s direction, Tan You, who had been busy typing on her keyboard, looked up and noticed his dazed expression.

"Oh," Ji Mingxi snapped out of it. "You’ve been here the whole time? Weren’t you bored?"

"Not at all. I was busy with my own work too." Tan You saved her document. "Let’s eat first. You need to rest well tonight. I ordered some food, so let’s see if it’s to your liking. If not, we can go out and eat."

It wasn’t that Tan You didn’t know how to take care of people. In fact, she had looked after Tan Yue from a young age; being the big sister wasn’t always easy. When she genuinely cared for someone, she was meticulous and considerate about everything.

The reason Tan You was taking such good care of Ji Mingxi was simply on account of him being a decent person and having been good to Lu Wen. If it came to anything else, Tan You truly had no ulterior motives.

"I’m sure whatever you ordered will be great," Ji Mingxi said, stretching lazily. "My back should be mostly better by tomorrow. What are we doing then?"

Tan You thought for a moment. "We’ll just have fun along the way. Let’s just pretend we’re on a company-paid vacation and play it by ear."

Ji Mingxi didn’t act coy. "Sounds great! I’ve wanted to get away and have some fun for a long time, but I’ve always been too busy to find the time."