Chapter 136: The Song of the Pig (Please Subscribe, Please Vote)

The next day, after arriving at the set of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy," Xiao Xie entered the dressing room and found the two leading ladies, Liu Yifei and Baby. Both of them seemed a little listless and drained.

“Did you two not sleep well last night?” Xiao Xie asked curiously.

“No, no… I slept very well!” Baby waved her hand in a fluster, her head lowered, unable to meet Xiao Xie’s eyes. A rosy flush crept up her cheeks as she recalled the embarrassing dream she’d had the night before, in which Xiao Xie himself had been the leading man. When she woke up and realized what had happened, she wished she could disappear into a crack in the floor.

Xiao Xie was completely baffled by Baby’s reaction, unable to make sense of it.

“I slept well, too,” Liu Yifei replied, her voice cool and distant.

Yet Xiao Xie couldn’t shake the feeling that she sounded a bit discontented, and her gaze held a faint hint of grievance. He racked his brain but couldn’t recall having offended her in any way. In the end, he could only chalk it up to the whims of women—perhaps it was just that time of the month.

If Liu Yifei were to know what he was thinking, she might cough up blood in fury and reward him with a good lashing.

Just then, the door swung open and Zhao Liying, dressed in a flowing white gown and sporting an adorable double-bun hairstyle in her Hua Qiangu costume, came bounding inside.

“Baozi, what brings you here? Finished filming your scenes?” Xiao Xie asked with a grin.

“I don’t have any scenes this morning. And stop calling me Baozi! Just call me Little Bone!” Zhao Liying retorted unceremoniously, plopping herself down in the chair beside Xiao Xie.

“Alright, Baozi!” Xiao Xie nodded, grinning mischievously. For some reason, every time he saw Zhao Liying, he couldn’t help teasing her. When they weren’t very close at first, he’d call her Little Bone, but as they became friends, he started calling her Baozi instead.

“Aaah!” Zhao Liying was nearly driven mad, but her puffed-up, indignant expression only made her look even more like a steamed bun in Xiao Xie’s eyes.

“Hahaha…” Unable to contain himself, Xiao Xie burst out laughing at her antics.

“Xiao Xie, if you keep this up, I’ll really get angry,” Zhao Liying stomped her foot and exclaimed, teeth clenched in mock fury.

“…Hahaha, sorry, I just couldn’t help myself, hahaha…” Xiao Xie tried to stifle his laughter, but seeing Zhao Liying’s puffed cheeks and exaggeratedly angry face struck his funny bone all over again.

After a while, Xiao Xie massaged his sore cheeks and finally asked, “Alright, Baozi, what did you want to see me about?”

“I told you, stop calling me—oh, whatever! Yesterday you wrote a song for Baby, so you have to write one for me too,” Zhao Liying demanded, waving her hand.

“I wrote a song for Baby?” Xiao Xie was momentarily taken aback, then realized she’d misunderstood. He didn’t bother to correct her, a mischievous smile curling at his lips. "Sure! In fact, I have a song that suits you perfectly."

“Really?” Zhao Liying’s face lit up with delight. She’d come mostly in jest, so Xiao Xie’s offer was an unexpected surprise.

“If you don’t believe me, I can sing it for you right now,” Xiao Xie said with a smile.

“Yes, please!” Zhao Liying said eagerly, opening her phone’s recorder. She planned to upload this song to her Weibo—having Xiao Xie write a song just for her would make so many people green with envy! She’d heard his song “Baby” and loved it; even if this new one wasn’t quite as good, it was sure to be close.

A glint of amusement flickered in Xiao Xie’s eyes as he began to sing:

“Pig, your nose has two holes,
When you catch a cold, your snot still flows.
Pig, your eyes are dark as night,
No matter how you stare, you can’t see the light.
Pig, your ears are oh so big,
Flapping and flapping, but you still can’t hear me call you silly.
Pig, your tail is curly and round,
No matter how you run and jump, you can’t do without it around…”

Zhao Liying’s anticipation instantly turned to outrage. The song was catchy enough, but did he really think of her as a pig? If she posted this on Weibo, she’d be laughed at for sure!

“Xiao Xie, I’m going to kill you!” she yelled, lunging at him and locking her arms around his neck from behind, determined to strangle him out of existence.

“Hehehe…” Baby, who had felt a twinge of jealousy upon hearing Xiao Xie had written a song for Zhao Liying too, now saw how mischievous he was. Watching him get caught in Zhao Liying’s headlock, she spat lightly, “Serves you right, you rascal.”

Liu Yifei, too, couldn’t help but smile sweetly. At first, she’d hesitated about asking Xiao Xie for a song of her own, but seeing how things played out, she decided to forget it.

After a bit more playful scuffling, Zhao Liying, unable to protest further, left with her recording of the Pig Song. She uploaded Xiao Xie’s a cappella rendition to her Weibo, but of course didn’t claim it was written for her—she wasn’t foolish enough for that. She just said it was a treat for everyone. If people knew Xiao Xie had written it for her, she’d never hear the end of it.

The Pig Song was posted, and within moments, Zhao Liying’s Weibo exploded with hundreds of thousands of comments, still rising rapidly, soon to surpass a million. Never underestimate Xiao Xie’s influence—even though he’d only released a few songs and books, his fanbase already numbered in the tens of millions. Some of his songs were even popular overseas.

However, despite his millions of followers, only about a hundred thousand could contribute “admiration points.” The majority were just fans or admirers; only a small fraction truly idolized him. After all, most people claim to like a star, not worship them.

“Discovered the Eleventh Song of Xiao Shen! So happy!”

“It’s definitely Xiao Shen’s voice—even a cappella, it’s still great. Thumbs up!”

“After hearing Xiao Shen’s Pig Song, I was going to get a pet dog, but now I’m buying a pet pig instead.”

“XX Pet Pigs for Sale, 250 each.”

“Top-floor ad gets a hundred points—whoever buys one is a real pig!”

“66666…”

Zhao Liying giggled at the flood of comments. The song might have been a prank, but hey, Xiao Xie wrote it for her! Seeing everyone enjoy it made her genuinely happy.

“Seventieth scene, fourth take—action!”

With the director’s call, Liu Yifei, suspended on wires, soared gracefully through the sky.

“Okay, cut! That’s a wrap!”

Hearing the director’s approval, Liu Yifei smiled faintly and glanced over at Xiao Xie and Baby chatting and laughing together. The smile on her face faded, and her mind drifted. Distracted as she landed, she twisted her ankle.

“Ouch! Ah!” she cried out in pain.

“Xixi, are you alright?” Liu Xiaoli, who had been watching anxiously from the sidelines, rushed over as soon as she saw her daughter hurt. Pulling up Liu Yifei’s pant leg, she saw that the once flawless ankle was now swollen and red. “Quick, call a doctor!” she said urgently.

Xiao Xie, hearing the commotion, hurried over. One look at Liu Yifei’s ankle told him the injury was serious—it would be at least a week before she could walk again.

“Auntie, let me handle it,” he said to Liu Xiaoli, sweeping Liu Yifei up into his arms. Her delicate fragrance filled his embrace, but at this moment, he was in no mood to enjoy it. He carried her straight toward the lounge.

Liu Xiaoli started to say something, but seeing her daughter’s shy, demure expression, she could only sigh helplessly and follow along.

Nestled in Xiao Xie’s broad chest, Liu Yifei’s cheeks grew hot as she lowered her head in embarrassment. Even the pain in her injured ankle seemed to fade away.