When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds-Chapter 129: Yi Ru 13

Tan You made a gesture. "No problem. I’ll send you the list later."

Perhaps it was because she’d found something she could do, but Yi Ru’s mood gradually improved. She glanced at the dishes on the table—all heavy, greasy, and cold foods. They were clearly not suitable for Teacher Wang.

After a moment’s thought, Yi Ru stood up. "I’m going to the restroom."

Yi Ru left the banquet hall and found the kitchen. After giving the head chef her request, she went to the front desk. By the time she returned to the hall, a receipt had been added to her purse.

When she got back, the kitchen had already delivered what she ordered: an astragalus and codonopsis pork rib soup, and a five-red porridge. She hadn’t just ordered them for Teacher Wang; she had a serving brought to every table.

A classmate laughed. "Yi Ru, the spread tonight is already so lavish. There’s no need to add more dishes."

Yi Ru ladled a bowl of the five-red porridge for Teacher Wang. "It’s just these two. Five-red porridge is great for nourishing your qi and blood. I noticed a few of the women have dark circles under their eyes. You all need to take better care of yourselves."

"Yi Ru is so thoughtful," the women said, not thinking much of it. It was a kind of dietary therapy, and of course, they wouldn’t refuse a kind gesture from a classmate.

Besides, they could see that even though Yi Ru was very successful in her career, she was low-key and didn’t show off at all. She never brought up her achievements when talking to them, which was a rare quality.

Teacher Wang hadn’t been sure before, but she understood the moment Yi Ru pushed the five-red porridge and pork rib soup in front of her. For the rest of the evening, Yi Ru would occasionally serve her food—all high-protein, low-carb items—and Teacher Wang knew for certain.

Although she didn’t know how Yi Ru had found out, she was honestly in a good mood. They had an unspoken understanding, and the fact that Yi Ru didn’t reveal her situation made Teacher Wang feel much better.

She didn’t refuse Yi Ru’s care. Come to think of it, she hadn’t done much to look after Yi Ru back when she was a student. Receiving such consideration now gave Teacher Wang complicated feelings.

At a class reunion, it was inevitable that people would have a few drinks. Some even came to toast Teacher Wang, but Yi Ru intercepted them all. The classmates didn’t think much of it. As for alcohol, people drank if they wanted to, and it was fine if they didn’t. The culture of pressuring others to drink was long out of fashion.

As a result, Yi Ru didn’t touch a drop of alcohol for the entire reunion. Just before everyone was about to leave, the class president went to the front desk to pay the bill, only to find out that Yi Ru had already taken care of it.

The class president was a bit unhappy. "We agreed this was a get-together for everyone. We all pitched in money..."

Yi Ru said, "Class President, please don’t argue with me about this. I’m usually busy with work and don’t have time to get together with everyone. Just consider this my way of making it up to you all. I’ll have to trouble you to return the money to our classmates."

The class president sighed in resignation. "Alright. But look at you... it’s not easy for you to earn money either."

Yi Ru’s eyes crinkled into a smile. "It’s fine. We’re all happy, and that’s what’s most important."

After seeing Teacher Wang off into her husband’s car in front of the hotel, Yi Ru watched the car drive away and let out a long sigh. From ancient times to the present, humanity’s greatest torment has always been disease.

Especially cancer. Thinking about Teacher Wang’s condition, Yi Ru’s steps slowed. ’I heard there’s a famous oncology hospital in G Province,’ she thought. ’Maybe I should go check it out this time?’

She had just looked at the list Tan You sent her, and at the very top was the G Province Oncology Hospital. Having made up her mind, Yi Ru booked a flight to G Province for the next day as soon as she got back.

The moment she stepped out of the airport, Yi Ru saw Zhou Yan. "Sister Yan, you came all this way just to pick me up?"

Zhou Yan laughed. "Of course! You’re our show’s prospective main sponsor now. I had to come pick you up to show my sincerity."

Yi Ru glanced at her. "You’re the host. You shouldn’t be in charge of attracting investment, right?"

Zhou Yan sighed. "I don’t want to be, but I don’t have many shows on my plate right now. This dating show’s popularity has really dropped, and if it gets canceled..."

Yi Ru understood what Tan You had meant. She had considered this as well. "Let me be blunt. The script for this show is too obvious. I don’t think those male contestants are actually there to find a partner."

"I know what you mean," Zhou Yan said, not at all offended by Yi Ru’s directness. She started the car. "But the show has been revamped several times, and it’s always just been superficial upgrades to the set design and stage. Nothing else ever changes."

Yi Ru mulled it over. "Have you ever thought about completely overhauling the show?"

Zhou Yan’s interest was piqued. "How would we do that?"

Yi Ru said, "The theme is still matchmaking, but we could reduce the number of male contestants. When you have too many, it inevitably feels cluttered and unfocused. How about this: the show has a fixed cast of five or six male contestants."

"Then, the women still come on to find a match, but we add more interesting elements on the men’s side. For example, we could require the parents of both the male and female contestants to participate in the show. That would generate a lot more buzz."

"To be honest, your old format was a lot like kids playing house."

Zhou Yan stopped the car. "Tell me more. I think this sounds very interesting." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Yi Ru went on to describe two dating shows she had seen before. Zhou Yan gradually became lost in thought. "Your idea is brilliant. I need to go back and write up a proposal. You have to help me."

"And the female contestants need to be chosen carefully. We need women who can generate buzz but are also exceptional..."

"The shows we’ve already recorded can air for another two months. If the station greenlights the project..."

Zhou Yan was a powerhouse, and as it happened, so was Yi Ru. The two of them got together and hammered out the proposal for the new dating show in less than three days. As for how Zhou Yan negotiated with her TV station, Yi Ru trusted her. She knew Zhou Yan wouldn’t let herself get a raw deal.

Sure enough, Yi Ru became the show’s chief title sponsor for an extremely low price. As for future sponsorships, other brands would probably only see the show’s potential after the brand-new version came out.

And by then, the sponsorship fees would have nothing to do with Yi Ru.

"You’ve already submitted the proposal to your station, so why are you still dragging me along? I don’t know the first thing about show production," Yi Ru said, a little reluctant. ’Seriously, why did Zhou Yan bring me here?’

Zhou Yan said, perfectly justified, "You’re the one who came up with the idea for the show. You definitely have more ideas in your head than anyone else. Right now, I’m just agonizing over casting the contestants. It’s so hard."

"I’m asking colleagues at the station to make introductions everywhere. At the very least, the contestants can’t be beneath a certain standard."

"If you ask me, someone like you would be perfect for the show. You’re exceptional and would generate a lot of buzz."

Yi Ru firmly declined. "No, thanks. I’m perfectly happy sitting quietly in the audience. And let me make it clear: I’ll attend the live taping for two episodes at most. After that, my company’s vice president will be coming."

"I know, I know, you’re a very busy woman." Seeing that she really couldn’t persuade Yi Ru, Zhou Yan didn’t press the issue. She had a very good sense of boundaries in her friendships.