Chapter 635: "Corner Also" Season Two Grand Finale |
Xiao He smiled at Sister Liu. "Let's go then. Mom's already been calling to urge us."
Liu Rulan didn't refuse. She followed Xiao He back while narrowing her eyes to inquire, "So, have you been strictly following the diet plan? You have the 'Imperial Enterprise' audition right after Spring Festival. Don't you dare gain any weight."
Xiao He paused. He really hadn't expected Liu Rulan to charge all the way here and still be worrying about this.
"Uh, how about considering it's my birthday today... and with everything that happened today, shouldn't I eat a little extra to calm my nerves?"
Xiao He looked at Liu Rulan with hopeful eyes, carefully holding up one finger. "I promise, just a tiny bit."
The main thing was, his mom had just made braised beef tonight!
Xiao He was ready to just bury his head and eat first, anyway. He could control his weight, and no one would notice a few bites.
But heavens above! Why did Sister Liu have to charge straight here!
I hate anti-fans!!
Xiao He started feeling guilty and very awkwardly changed the subject. "...Okay, I get it. So, Sister Liu, when are you heading back? In a few days it'll be New Year's Eve. Everyone will be scrambling to buy tickets home. If there are no flight tickets left, it won't be convenient for you to get back."
Liu Rulan was so annoyed by his blatant dismissal that she laughed, snorting in response. "No problem. If I can't leave, I'll just stay here for the New Year. I think Teacher Bai would be very welcoming."
"Ahh—"
Xiao He dragged out his tone in extreme disappointment.
Maybe he should just go back instead. There was no way he was spending New Year's with two mothers at the table!
Liu Rulan: ...
Silence was tonight's Cambridge.
A ferocious smile gradually spread across the woman's face. "Don't worry. Once I've coordinated with the lawyer, I'll head back right away. There's still a lot to handle at the company, and I need to control public opinion about today's events. I'm not like some boss who just washes his hands of things the moment trouble hits."
Xiao He blinked, instinctively feeling it was best to keep quiet right now. He could only flash Liu Rulan an ingratiating smile.
Liu Rulan rolled her eyes and strode forward.
-
Sure enough, when they got home, Mother Xiao immediately greeted Liu Rulan with enthusiastic warmth.
"Xiao Liu, you're here! Welcome, welcome!"
Mother Xiao was delighted to see Liu Rulan and quickly gestured for her to come in and sit wherever she liked.
"Hello, Teacher Bai."
Liu Rulan had come in a rush. She was still wearing the professional women's suit she'd had on this morning, making her look less like a visiting guest and more like someone here on business. Only the gifts she'd just bought from the mall, dangling from both hands, slightly softened her imposing aura.
Mother Xiao happily accepted Liu Rulan's gifts, completely forgetting about Xiao He, who had followed them inside.
Xiao He glanced at the two of them but was already used to it. He turned around and carried the bags to put them away elsewhere.
That evening, Liu Rulan stayed at the Xiao family home for dinner, joining in to celebrate Xiao He's birthday along the way.
Even before boarding the plane, Liu Rulan had ordered a cake near Xiao He's house.
The cake wasn't big, just eight inches, roughly the size of an ordinary plate. For the four people seated at the table, it was just right—bringing a sense of ceremony without any waste whatsoever.
The decorations on top were also very simple, featuring some of Xiao He's personal elements and the star power of Linghui Entertainment. At first glance, for a famous and wealthy big star, it was probably considered quite shabby.
But Xiao He, who hadn't had such a solemn birthday ceremony at home in a very long time, stared at the cake before him with visible surprise.
His family really had no sense of ceremony. That was clear even from important traditional festivals like Spring Festival.
But then...
Xiao He looked around at the elders present and smiled helplessly.
Well, it was still nice.
He obediently clasped his hands together and made a wish.
—May everyone here be healthy, safe, and have all their wishes come true.
...
After the birthday came Spring Festival.
Liu Rulan naturally had no intention of actually staying here for the New Year. As his agent, staying at an artist's home for the holiday was just a bit strange. Besides, to avoid competing with the Spring Festival hype, "Corner Also" Season Two's grand finale was releasing early and launching preview screenings, so there would be plenty waiting for her to handle.
So after spending one day here, she decisively returned to Shanghai.
Before leaving, Liu Rulan didn't forget to sternly remind Xiao He, "Keep a low profile lately. Don't go wandering around and stirring up trouble."
Xiao He was speechless. "Hey, hey, it can't be that bad, right? I'm usually the unlucky one who gets caught up in things. I never go looking for it!"
Liu Rulan just stared at him with a mocking chuckle.
"By the way, how's your history?"
She suddenly changed the subject.
"Relax. I may be a science student, but I'm not a complete history idiot."
"Since you've got nothing to do at home, stop fiddling with your stuff and watch some history bloggers' explanations instead. Get some historical influence."
Liu Rulan said with a serious expression. "The casting for 'Imperial Enterprise' is no joke. Even without Yun Ziqi, there are other strong opponents. If you can't pull ahead in acting skills, you'll have to make up ground in other areas."
For example, their understanding of the same historical role, just like back when it was Xiao He and Shu Han.
If Xiao He hadn't had a deeper grasp of the script, Shu Yuxiu might not have belonged to him.
Xiao He was always serious about work. Hearing Liu Rulan's words, he dropped his playful expression and nodded earnestly. "Got it. I understand."
-
The day after Liu Rulan returned to Shanghai, which was also the day before New Year's Eve, "Corner Also" Season Two officially aired its grand finale.
The final episode was packed with high-energy moments, with most of the screen time dedicated to Yin Qi. His "white outside, black inside" duplicity was on full display.
One moment, he was cheerfully waving goodbye to his sister with a smile. But the next, as soon as he turned around, the smile on his face had completely vanished, replaced by a gloomy, icy chill.
Even though the test subject before him was dressed in a suit, held a high position, and had gained considerable power and funding overseas, when faced with Yin Qi, he could only weep like a writhing worm, begging for mercy on the spot.
"Please, don't kill me. I can give you anything."
Yin Qi looked down at the man on the ground, the blood on his face still not dry. His eyes, however, seemed to have frozen over with a layer of frost, carrying a bone-chilling cold gleam.
He leaned down slightly, his tone gentle, his voice lilting upward at the end—still that same sunny, bright boy's tone everyone remembered. Yet it inexplicably sent chills down one's spine.
"Huh? That's strange."
"You're already a test subject. You've been granted such a long lifespan and so much time. So why are you still afraid of dying now?"
"Didn't all those years of life teach you to accept death?"
"How unfortunate."
"If someone doesn't want to die, I'll make sure they do. And if someone doesn't want to live, I'll make sure they stay."
Yin Qi's brows curved, his smile disturbingly deranged. In the next moment, he had already cut the man down and, with his bare hands, ripped out the meteorite fragment from his body.
Standing in the sunlight, he raised his blood-drenched hand happily, letting the fragment in his palm glitter brilliantly under the sun. He laughed like a child who had found a toy, his joy unrestrained.
"You're still waiting for me, aren't you, sister?"
He looked up toward the distant East, his smile twisted and unhinged.
-
Most of the test subjects had been killed by Yin Qi. Even the kidnapping at the end of the first season had been orchestrated by himself.
This guy was a mad siscon lunatic.
Before returning from overseas, he had already slaughtered all the test subjects abroad, preventing them from relaying information back. He had left only himself, returning home in a disheveled state, earning the trust of the main team back home.
Unfortunately, Yin Lan knew him too well. Everything he did was for his sister, but the truth was bound to come out eventually.
And just as netizens had speculated, the grand finale of this season cut off right at the point where Yin Lan and Yin Qi had their falling out and died together.
This cliffhanger ending was incredibly tantalizing. With both siblings' fates uncertain, it served as the perfect bait for the third season, drawing viewers in to keep watching.
But for the audience, this was just plain cruel.
When they saw Yin Lan detonate the bomb, the entire world turning into a blinding white, followed by the words "Stay tuned for Season Three" appearing on screen, countless viewers wanted to tear the director Jiao Dai apart.
[??? Season Three? I'm asking you, WHERE is Season Three?]