Chapter 499 - Walking Encyclopedia

On the other hand, when Hyson was waiting in the VIP waiting area after getting his boarding pass, he was surprised to see his new manager there. He raised his brows at her in question.

Li Xinxin came to sit a little distance away from him as she informed him, "I'll be going with you."

"Huh?" Hyson was dumbfounded. That was unexpected for sure. "Why?"

Now, it was Li Xinxin's turn to look at him in surprise. "You're my artist. It's my responsibility to be there for you."

Hyson was taken aback by such a response, "But you really don't have to. And don't you have other things to do?"

Li Xinxin casually scrolled on her phone as she replied, "I'll help you settle in with the crew first. I'll stay for a week and will only come back once you've adjusted well. You don't have to worry about my work. I'm an artist manager. My first and foremost responsibility is to take care of my artist."

"That's very nice of you, Xin Jie," commented Hyson.

"I'm not being nice," said Li Xinxin. "I'm just doing my job." She actually felt the need to make that point clear to him because she couldn't take in the gaze with which he was looking at her. His gratitude was unnecessary since it really was her job. 

However, seeing him like this, she understood why after all these years he managed to gather an army of elder sister fans. It was because he looked like a dumb but adorable little brother who evoked that tender feeling within and forced even her to want to protect him well from the world.

What kind of talent was that?!

Hyson didn't know what his manager was thinking all by herself. And even if he did know, he wouldn't have cared. It's not like he intentionally acted like that. He was just like that. He might be a little dramatic around his family and friends but most of the time, he was very real. He never tried to put up a front.

And he wasn't afraid of showing people what kind of a person he was. 

"You should interact with your fans more," suggested Li Xinxin after a while. 

Hyson looked towards her.

"Since you're joining the production again, it's good to share little details with fans to keep them excited," said Li Xinxin seriously. "Entertainment circle is always changing. Today's top star might get buried by new talent tomorrow. So, you shouldn't be lazy when it comes to such things."

"I'll keep that in mind," answered Hyson.

"Although we aren't in a hurry, I'm still looking for new projects for you," told Li Xinxin. "You won't be able to work in the next couple of months because of shooting but after that, you'll have to appear in the eye of the public again. How about a variety show? They are always the best to gather new fans and to also generate traffic. And you must know that traffic is as important as talent these days. Some people even believe that traffic stars are even more worthy than talented ones. After all, everyone wants to create a buzz."

"I'll follow your lead," was all Hyson said.

Li Xinxin was surprised to hear that, "You don't have a plan in mind? A direction you want to follow?"

"Not really," replied Hyson.

Li Xinxin was silent for a minute before questioning, "Then what kind of a variety show should I pick for you?"

"What do you have in mind?" asked Hyson in return. He had the least interest in such things. As he really had no dreams in life, he always just went with the flow. 

"I looked through a couple of popular variety shows. One is survival in wild, another one is related to food and travel, there is one where you have to live in the countryside and do stuff like farming and cooking."

"I'll be honest with you, I have no survival skills," said Hyson honestly. "I can't even tell the difference between salt and sugar, don't expect me to know how to cook much less know how to farm. Although I love eating, I am not the kind of a person to pursue delicacies."

"That's very honest of you," commented Li Xinxin. She didn't know how to react to what he said. 

Hyson noticed her expression and smiled behind his mask, "Xin Jie, you can just say that I look like a well-protected child."

Li Xinxin pursed her lips but couldn't disagree with that. That's exactly how she felt about Hyson. One, he gave off a noble aura. Two, he looked like he had been protected from the cruelty of the world. 

"I won't disagree with you," said Hyson. "It's true that I grew up in the countryside when I was young but I really have no skills. I'll have to trouble you to find a different show."

Li Xinxin hesitated before telling him, "Actually, a team had contacted me before wanting to invite you over for a season."

"Which show?"

"The Brain Game," she told him. "It's where people have to solve difficult puzzles. One needs to have a high IQ and also it needs high attentivity. One also needs to have a vast knowledge of things."

"Oh, I like this one," said Hyson without any hesitation.

"You agree?" asked Li Xinxin in surprise. "You sure? If you do badly, you'll be criticized badly."

Hyson chuckled, "I have never been scared of negative comments." He offered her a reassuring smile, "Have some faith in my intelligence. I might not be a genius but trust me, I'm still good. And I grew up with a walking encyclopedia. You have no idea how vast my ocean of knowledge is."

Li Xinxin didn't understand his meaning but Hyson was amused by his own words. Of course, the 'walking encyclopedia' was his best friend, Raelle.. With her around, how could he be ordinary? If his intelligence was really that questionable, it would have been impossible for him to connect with a genius like Raelle.