Chapter 44: The Heart Is on the Left

“A new record? That means the ratings finally broke 1%!”
“The highest before was 0.98%. Don’t tell me this time it’s just 0.99%!”
Yang Bing exclaimed excitedly, “This time, the ratings not only broke 1%, but by quite a margin!”
Sister Li rolled her eyes and said, “Yang, stop keeping us in suspense! Either show me the ratings chart now, or just tell us how much it is!”
Only then did Yang Bing begin his report: “Last night, the first half of the finals reached a rating of 1.39%!”
“No way! It jumped by 0.4%? Is Qin Haiyu really that popular?”
“No matter how popular she is, she couldn’t have brought such a leap on her own. This surge must be thanks to the show’s revamp! So, Yang truly deserves the credit this time! If Yang hadn’t pointed out the flaws in the voting segment, and if the show hadn’t been revised according to his plan, there’s no way the finals would have seen such a rise!”
“Exactly! Yang Bing has done a great job!”
Yang Bing handed the ratings chart to Sister Li with delight, though in his heart he felt the credit didn’t belong to him, but to Yu Zhile—Qin Haiyu’s husband.
If it hadn’t been for Yu Zhile’s advice, he never could have come up with such a brilliant plan, and the executives and director wouldn’t have agreed to overhaul the show at the last minute.
But Yu Zhile’s involvement had to remain a secret, so Yang accepted the accolades without protest.
Back at his desk, Yang Bing pulled out his phone and messaged Yu Zhile: “The first half of the finals’ ratings are out—an explosive jump to 1.39%! Are you free tonight? Same place after work, dinner’s on me!”
At home, Yu Zhile received Yang Bing’s message and called out, “Honey! The ratings for ‘I Am a Singer’ came out last night—an impressive 1.39%!”
“That’s amazing!”
Qin Haiyu was genuinely surprised. “I heard the previous record was only 0.98%. I didn’t expect such a dramatic rise for the finals!”
Yu Zhile laughed. “That proves how popular my wife is! The moment you entered the finals, ratings soared. You’re incredible!”
Qin Haiyu, seated on the floor, was helping their baby practice standing. She giggled, “Now that’s what I love to hear!”
Yu Zhile chuckled and said, “Honey, I’ll be out for dinner tonight—the same classmate as last time, just a guy.”

Qin Haiyu eyed him suspiciously. “Why are you having dinner with him again? Darling, are you hiding something from me?”
“...”
Yu Zhile sat down and said, “Honestly, honey, do I seem like the type to have secrets like that?”
Qin Haiyu glanced at her husband’s hand and teased, “Your heart’s on the left side, you know!”
“Oh.”
Yu Zhile moved his hand and placed it gently on another prominent spot, his face all seriousness. “Now, honey, you can ask your heart directly!”
Qin Haiyu shot him a look, unable to keep from laughing at his mock solemnity as he took advantage of the moment. “Alright, I believe you! I won’t cook tonight. Just bring me some food when you come home, and don’t be late—there’s still the second half of the finals to watch!”
“As you command, my queen!”
Yu Zhile gave a gentle squeeze, and Qin Haiyu, feigning annoyance, swatted his hand away. “You’re nothing but trouble!”
She decided to lift her shirt and nurse the baby, and only then did Yu Zhile reply to Yang Bing: “Alright, just like last time—see you at seven.”
After putting down his phone, Yu Zhile played with the baby nestled in her mother’s arms. This weekend, his mother was busy, and his father was as enthusiastic as ever about chess, fishing, and hiking, so neither of them came over.
At midday, Xu Ling sent a message. Qin Haiyu checked it and asked, “Honey, Lingling says there’s a milk powder company that wants me as their spokesperson. Should I take the job?”
Yu Zhile thought for a moment. “It’s better not to accept a milk powder endorsement. Our baby drinks imported formula; let’s skip the domestic brands. There have been too many scandals involving problematic formula. Endorsing such a product carries great responsibility—if anything goes wrong, we’d be unforgivable in the eyes of countless parents.”
Qin Haiyu nodded. “You’re right. I won’t endorse any maternal or baby products.”
Yu Zhile added, “But you could have Xu Ling reach out to the diaper brand we use. Products like diapers, which aren’t ingested, are reliable and safe to endorse.”
“Good idea, I’ll let Lingling know.”
Qin Haiyu continued, “By the way, do I have to ask the diaper brand to sponsor a competition too? Feels a little odd to have diapers as a sponsor.”
“Yeah, it does feel strange,” Yu Zhile admitted. “Let’s wait a bit. If a well-known beverage brand wants you as their spokesperson, that would be more suitable for sponsoring a competition. Diapers just don’t seem to fit.”
Qin Haiyu laughed, “If diapers sponsored a competition, the slogan should be, ‘Promoting chess culture—starting from infancy!’ It’s odd, but kind of funny too!”

“It is!” Yu Zhile agreed.
Qin Haiyu rolled her eyes again. Her husband had been acting cheeky lately!
...
Seven o’clock in the evening.
Yu Zhile arrived at the restaurant; Yang Bing was already there.
“Traffic was a bit heavy, I’m two minutes late!” Yu Zhile said as he entered.
Yang Bing grinned, “No worries, I just got here myself. Rush hour, you know.”
Yu Zhile laughed heartily. “So, is this dinner because you got another promotion and raise?”
Not long ago, Yang Bing had been promoted from trainee to full planner, which was a raise in itself.
He motioned for Yu Zhile to sit and explained, “Promotions don’t come that quickly! Tonight’s dinner is to thank you. If it weren’t for your advice, ‘I Am a Singer’ wouldn’t have had such a successful overhaul and ratings boost!”
Yu Zhile replied, “Come on, Yang, you’re being too formal. I only pointed out some issues from a viewer’s perspective. If you all paid closer attention to audience feedback, you’d notice these problems and make the necessary adjustments yourselves.”
Yang Bing laughed, “Don’t be modest. This achievement is all thanks to you. I merely rode your coattails and took the spotlight.
The network will probably have me plan the tenth season of ‘I Am a Singer.’ Did you watch the finals and see how the rankings were announced at the end—oh, I forgot, the finals are split into two episodes. The second half airs tonight!”
Realizing his mistake, Yang Bing gave his forehead an embarrassed tap.
Yu Zhile knew what he was getting at and asked, “You mean, for the next season’s announcement of votes and rankings, whether it’s worth adopting the style Ni Qiqin used during the finals, right?”