The variety show that needed Jing Yi to come to the rescue was a children's martial arts program.
The show had invited over a dozen children, including both celebrity kids and ordinary ones, hoping to prevent the show from flopping too badly.
At first, although the show's popularity wasn't high, netizens were still interested in the adorable little ones. However, this enthusiasm couldn't sustain till the end, prompting the director to invite some celebrities to teach.
They managed to invite someone, but the guest canceled just before arriving at the recording site. With no other choice, the director had to beg Director Xu for help.
Jing Yi, a guest who knew Sanda and had a fan following, was the perfect candidate.
The director hurried over, his joy evident in his expression. He grasped Jing Yi's hand, excitement in his voice, "Miss Jing! Thank you! Thank you so much for agreeing to come to our rescue!"
How did his little show deserve such honor?
The director's enthusiasm startled Jing Yi a bit. She forced a smile, "You're too kind." She quickly introduced the person behind her, "This is our show's cameraman. He'll be following me throughout. Did Director Xu mention this to you?"
The director nodded rapidly, "Yes! Yes! You can rest assured about that. We won't interfere with your normal filming."
Jing Yi's smile was polite but somewhat awkward. She was starting to believe Director Xu's words about "doing whatever she wanted" - just how desperately did this show need a guest?
Since Jing Yi had to rush back to the villa that evening, the director didn't chat for long. He began explaining the work of the flying guest, which basically boiled down to interacting with the kids and teaching them some basic moves.
Jing Yi breathed a sigh of relief. That seemed simple enough.
That is, until Jing Yi stood in the square, looking at the group of children on the stage and the circle of staff surrounding them.
Oh? An outdoor show?
The director explained that these children would have a martial arts performance in the next few days, so they wanted them to get used to the venue in advance. But the real reason was that they couldn't afford to rent a large indoor space.
Jing Yi felt a headache coming on. Was it the kids who needed to adapt, or her?
Fortunately, this was a small, relatively unknown show, so there weren't many onlookers. Most of them were there to see the children. Otherwise, Jing Yi would have wanted to find a hole to hide in.
[Hahaha, Jing Yi is starting to feel embarrassed!]
[Where is this? Quick, quick, friends, don't let her relax, rush to the front line!]
[Hey up there, are you trying to get Jing Yi killed?]
[Teaching here? How is this any different from performing on the street?!]
[Hey! Don't say it like that! You could say it's street performing.]
Jing Yi composed herself and began to focus on teaching. After all, since she had accepted the task, she had to do it, right?
To be fair, although the director making children 'perform' on the street was quite doggy, the safety measures were quite adequate. They all wore professional protective gear, and thick mats were laid on the ground.
Jing Yi first demonstrated a set of basic Sanda moves to the children. "Alright, now let's do this move together." Although the children's movements were a bit clumsy, they added a touch of cuteness.
Looking at the slightly tottering figures, Jing Yi found herself amused and lowered her head, laughing silently.
Jing Yi taught very attentively, correcting their postures one by one, guiding them hands-on how to punch and kick.
Gradually, more and more onlookers gathered around.
"Teacher Yi Yi, we want to see you perform," a chubby little boy standing by her leg said, looking up at her.
As soon as he said this, several other children rushed up, saying the same thing.
Jing Yi had no choice but to ask them to move to the side, leaving her an open space.
She stood in the center of the area, her posture upright, her gaze determined. As she moved, the air seemed to tense up with her.
Suddenly, she threw rapid punches, each one carrying great power and speed. Her fists traced arcs through the air, accurately hitting the target, producing loud thuds.
Her movements were clean and crisp, without any unnecessary flourishes.
Jing Yi slowly lowered her arms and legs, and a round of applause broke out around her. Her body stiffened slightly as she finally noticed the dense crowd that had gathered around the stage.
When did so many people arrive?!!
Now it really had turned into street performing. Jing Yi quickly called the children to start moving, intending to hide behind them.
But the children were completely mesmerized by Jing Yi's moves and crowded around her, demanding an encore.
Jing Yi felt a bit helpless, "But I just performed for you. When you learn it, you'll be as good as me."
However, these kids didn't seem so easy to persuade. They could tell the difference between the moves they were taught and how impressive they actually were, and they weren't willing to compromise.
Since they were still filming the show, Jing Yi quickly gave in. "Alright, I'll find someone to demonstrate for you one more time, but this is the last time, okay?" The children started cheering.
Jing Yi, however, was getting a headache. Kids really were hard to deal with.
She looked towards the staff, thinking it might be easier to find someone there.
Whether it was because she had briefly demonstrated a few moves on her livestream before, the staff's gazes were deliberately avoiding her.
The onlookers, however, were very enthusiastic, raising their hands one after another.
[Hahaha, have those staff members seen the video of Jing Yi sparring before?]
[Where exactly is this? It looks so lively!]
[It's looking more and more like street performing!]
[This is the first time I've seen so many people volunteering to get beaten up.]
Jing Yi scanned the crowd. There were many eager volunteers, making it hard for her to choose. Should she pick someone who looked sturdy?
Jing Yi's gaze paused for a few seconds, focusing on someone not far away.
Oh? Wasn't this sturdy one just presenting himself?
On the other side, Shen Huaichu noticed Jing Yi's gaze on him. He quietly turned off the livestream on his phone, a sense of foreboding flashing through his mind.
The large crowd gathered here hadn't caught Shen Huaichu's attention, but he knew Jing Yi was in the middle of it.
He had only gotten out of the car to take a look, but now it seemed he couldn't leave.
Sure enough, he saw Jing Yi smiling with her eyes curved into crescents, saying, "Then let's have that gentleman over there." Everyone's gaze shifted towards him.
[Oh, which company's CEO is this?]
[Wow, he's quite handsome!]
[He looks oddly familiar to me, like I've seen him somewhere before...]
[Why did Yi Yi call him? He doesn't look like someone who'd be willing to cooperate.]
Shen Huaichu paused, not even sure why he was hesitating. He should have turned and left.
"Let your bodyguard come instead. You can just stand and watch," she said straightforwardly, her tone carrying a hint of challenge.
