As Yi Xing was about to head backstage to leave the show, the host and the director who had interviewed him walked over and blocked his path.
He looked at the two in front of him with confusion, not understanding what they meant. He stopped and asked, "What are you two doing?"
"Student Yi Xing, it's like this: after every recording, all the contestants will have a dinner together later. I wonder if you're free to join us? Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Li Hao."
The host quickly explained his intention. This was a custom after recording the show; everyone would eat together to foster relationships, because if there were opportunities later, these people would be needed to return.
After all, excellent contestants were hard to find, not to mention Yi Xing, who entered the Hall of Fame on his first try—the kind you couldn't find even with a lantern. Since he had come to them, how could the production team easily let him go?
"Is it now?"
"In an hour, we'll meet downstairs at your hotel."
"Okay, I'll be there."
"See you there."
"Mm, see you there."
After receiving Yi Xing's affirmative reply about attending the dinner, the two moved aside, watched him walk away, and then exchanged whispers.
"Hey, when do you think was the last time we had such a high-quality contestant?"
"I can't remember the exact date, but it was quite a long time ago."
Li Hao said with emotion. Besides the director, he had the most opportunities to interact with contestants. Almost every week, a new batch would come, but most were just fleeting, failing to leave a deep impression on him.
Back at the hotel, Yi Xing quickly packed his belongings. He only had an hour, and then he would take his luggage to the dinner, eat, and then slip away directly, without any lingering attachment.
An hour was neither long nor short. When Yi Xing appeared in the hotel lobby with his luggage, he saw the other contestants who had participated today already waiting there.
It seemed he was the last to arrive, but he didn't care. Isn't there a saying that the protagonist always appears last? He was, of course, the protagonist among everyone, otherwise how could he defeat them?
After waiting patiently for a while, Li Hao appeared at the entrance with the others, waved to the crowd inside, and told them to follow him towards a nearby restaurant he thought was delicious.
He saw the luggage in someone's hand and said helplessly, "Yi Xing, you're really cutting it close, aren't you? Are you planning to go back right after dinner?"
"I'd love to tour around here, but I don't have a guide, so I might as well go back early."
"You should have asked me! I've been here for so many years. I might not know every road, but I certainly know all the good food and fun places. Let's add each other as friends, and I'll organize a guide for you later."
"Then thank you, Brother Hao," Yi Xing accepted without hesitation. From the other party's words, he could feel an intention to befriend him, so he changed his address to narrow the distance between them.
"Since you called me Brother Hao, these are all small cases!"
Soon, the group arrived at the entrance of the restaurant Li Hao recommended. He was a regular here; as soon as he pushed open the door and walked in, the owner recognized him and greeted him happily.
"I wondered why my left eye was twitching today. So it was you!"
"Hahaha, Old Wang, you know the usual."
"Understood, understood. The innermost private room is already prepared for you. Just take these people behind you over there."
"OK, OK."
At this time, Yi Xing was chatting with others. When he was abroad, he was a solitary person, rarely socializing with foreigners, mainly because he physiologically couldn't quite tolerate their perfume scents.
For his sense of smell, it was undoubtedly a huge test. He was afraid he would faint while chatting, so it was better not to socialize. Returning to China made him much more relaxed, and his conversation box, which had been dormant for two years, suddenly opened up.
"Hey, Yi Xing, how old are you now?"
"Me? I just turned 20."
Hearing him say he had just turned 20, everyone around him gasped. They had thought he was young, but not *that* young, making those aged 22 to 26 wonder how they could live.
Unknowingly, they entered the private room. Everyone found a seat and sat down. Since none of those present cared much about fame or such things,
Yi Xing inexplicably sat next to Li Hao. He didn't know how these people arranged it, but if they told him to sit there, he would sit, not bothering with unnecessary details.
Of course, how could a dinner party not have alcohol? Even before ordering, Li Hao, at the head of the table, stood up and raised a toast.
"To the successful recording!"
"Success!" xN.
After finishing this glass, he poured another for himself and also filled the glass of Yi Xing next to him.
"How did you find our show after this recording? Did you find it very interesting?"
"Indeed, it perfectly met my expectations."
"Then for such an interesting show, do you have any thoughts on coming a few more times in the future?"
"As a challenger or a challenged?"
Yi Xing's eyes lit up when he heard he could compete on the same stage with others. He was only 20, an age for fun.
"Both."
"Then I have no problem. Just send me a message when the time comes; I will definitely be there."
"Brother here will toast you first!"
After clinking glasses, Li Hao drank the wine in his hand without another word. Yi Xing was not to be outdone, and everyone followed suit. Under the influence of alcohol, the atmosphere of the entire venue became increasingly lively.
Among those present, only Yi Xing had studied abroad, and he unfortunately became the center of attention. Everyone wanted to know what life was like abroad and what the differences were compared to China.
"Yi Xing, what was your biggest feeling during your time studying abroad?" Liu Xuhui, sitting on Li Hao's other side, asked.
"Wanting to return to China early to eat all kinds of Huaguo cuisine."
"Was there nothing good to eat over there?"
"How to put it? Have you ever seen sausages dipped in mashed potatoes? Have you ever seen bacon stewed with carrots, with some sauces I can't even name added in? Over there, you can experience different ways of cooking every dish, but I didn't dare to eat any of them. Do you understand how I felt?"
As soon as he said this, everyone looked at Yi Xing with sympathetic eyes. Just hearing about the two dishes he mentioned was enough to know his culinary treatment over there.
"Since you're back in China, eat more. Come, come, this dish is the specialty of this restaurant, try it." One of the hosts noticed the awkward atmosphere and quickly livened things up.
"Delicious!"
"I order this dish every time I come here because it's really delicious! By the way, have you ever seen a gunfight abroad?" Li Hao also had a curious mind.
"I haven't seen a gunfight. The place I lived was a school district, and it was very strictly controlled. But I specifically went to experience shooting."
"Really?"
"Really! Here, these are my photos." Yi Xing took out his phone and flipped to photos of him playing with guns, showing them to everyone. The boys present immediately became excited.
No man in Huaguo could resist the temptation of firearms, even if only seeing them in photos... At this dinner, Yi Xing certainly made a splash. After the meal, he took his luggage and boarded the plane home. He exchanged contact information with everyone he had dined with, officially starting his social life in China.