She debuted after having a child with a celestial being.

Liu Yifei slowly withdrew her hand, her palm slightly red. Those slaps had landed squarely on Dai Xu's face, each one delivered with full force.

Dai Xu covered his face, his expression blank for a full three seconds, still bewildered even after the scene was over.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry, Teacher Dai..."

Liu Yifei hurriedly bowed and apologized.

"Are you alright? Did I use too much force just now?"

Dai Xu lowered his hand from his face, rubbing his cheek with a wry smile: "Yifei, how much do you hate me for those few blows just now?"

"I... this was the first time I slapped someone, I wasn't very good at holding back. I'm really sorry."

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

Dai Xu took the ice pack from his assistant, applied it to his face, gestured towards Xiao He with his chin, and said in a low, half-joking voice.

"But with your brother acting as my emotional advisor, I guess I've also sacrificed myself for art."

The staff around him laughed, and Liu Yan handed him a bottle of water, patting him on the shoulder with a smile to comfort him.

After work, Liu Yan came over and gently nudged Liu Yifei's lower back with her elbow, giving her a thumbs up.

Several staff members nearby couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Producer Wang Yuren, sitting next to the director, watched the playback and suddenly remarked, "Yifei did a good job slapping him. Why don't we take advantage of this momentum and release a set of behind-the-scenes photos? From a passerby's perspective, just a shot of Pan'er hitting someone from behind. I've even thought of a title—'Sixteen years later, Liu Yifei returns to television: The Fairy Sister has grown up and slaps people to protect her family.'"

Yang Yang turned to look at Wang Yuren, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Mr. Wang, you truly are a marketing veteran. Leaks released by the official channels aren't called 'leaks,' they're called 'official materials.' But if a low-resolution photo is posted by a proxy account, netizens tend to believe it's real."

Wang Yuren nodded in agreement, "Then let the marketing team arrange it as soon as possible. Only capture Liu Yifei's back in the shot, without showing her face, keeping spoilers within a safe range."

That evening, a set of behind-the-scenes photos of "Meng Hua Lu" taken by passersby quietly became a trending topic on Weibo.

The photo has low resolution and is clearly a candid shot taken from a low angle.

Wearing Zhao Pan'er's plain-colored costume, Yi Fei raised her hand and slapped the person opposite her with a swift and decisive motion.

The hashtag #LiuYifeiAssaultsSomeoneOnSetOfMengHua# was used to post a video of Liu Yifei assaulting someone on set. The caption reads: "Sixteen years later, Liu Yifei returns to television dramas. The fairy sister has grown up and become the girl next door. For her family, she is not afraid of power and slaps someone when she sees injustice."

The comment section was quickly taken over by Liu Yifei's fans: "I love it even if she hits someone!" "That slap hit the spot!" "I haven't watched Liu Yifei's dramas in sixteen years, I'm so glad to finally see her!" "The fairy sister has become the girl next door, I want to follow her even more now."

Marketing accounts quickly followed suit, with one film and television marketing account publishing a long article analyzing: "This wave of behind-the-scenes marketing is very clever. They only show the back of the characters, not their faces, and only their actions, not their lines, which both whets the appetite and avoids spoilers. Moreover, the action of 'slapping' itself has a very strong emotional impact, and netizens will automatically imagine who was slapped and why. Liu Yifei's return to television dramas has a much better public opinion foundation than expected, with almost unanimous anticipation in the comments section. The promotional pace of this drama seems very stable at the moment, and expectations have been maximized."

The next day on set.

Yang Yang walked into the dressing room carrying a thermos and handed her phone to Liu Yifei: "Yesterday's leaked photos have garnered over 200 million views. The comments section is full of praise for you, and some people even said, 'I'd love you even if you hit someone.'"

She took a sip of tea, her tone carrying a hint of satisfaction.

"This wave of leaks has been very effective; everyone is looking forward to your TV drama debut."

Liu Yan sat in front of the makeup mirror, fixing her costume and hair, and turned to say, "It's more than just good. My assistant just told me that Tencent has already listed our drama as an S+ level key promotional project for this year. The promotional team is striking while the iron is hot and revised the release schedule for the next few rounds of behind-the-scenes photos last night."

Liu Yifei leaned against the dressing table, twirling the plain silver hairpin in her hand.

It's been sixteen years since she played Xiaolongnu in "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and she hasn't filmed a single TV series.

Over the years, she changed countless faces on the big screen, was called box office poison, was given a gold broom award, was mocked by investors as "outdated," and was chased by haters who said she had "zero acting skills."

Now, a single Reuters photo of someone's back has attracted 200 million clicks.

She didn't say much, but when she returned the phone to Yang Yang, she couldn't suppress the smile on her face. She thought to herself: This is all thanks to my bratty little brother, hehe.

After finishing work, Liu Yifei nestled on the sofa in her Shunyi villa, her phone screen lit up—the Fairy Nest group chat had exploded.

She leaned on Xiao He's shoulder and scrolled through the chat history one by one.

In the group chat, Shu Chang's message was at the top: "Feifei hitting someone in the photos! I watched it three times! Every time I felt so good! That slap was so satisfying! What did those haters say about you back then—oh right, box office poison. And now? 200 million views! My Feifei is going back to the top!"

Zhang Liangying's voice followed closely: "Didn't Xiao He already bring Fei Fei back to the top? When 'The Only One' topped the charts, Fei Fei was already number one on the singer charts. What else can you call that but being a top star?"

Tang Yan quickly responded, her voice carrying her signature soft and sweet tone: "It's different, it's different. Being a top star in the singing world and being a top star in the acting world are two different things. Singing was another path that Xiao He opened up for Fei Fei, but acting is Fei Fei's own path to victory. It's more convincing to return to the top in acting through her own strength."

Shu Chang added, "Yes. And when she was singing, some people said, 'It's all thanks to Xiao He writing the songs.' But now, in acting? Fei Fei herself slapped Zhao Pan'er. You can't say that Xiao He acted it out for her, can you?"

Liu Yifei watched their conversation, her gaze lingering on the words "King's Track" for a long time.

From her debut in "The Story of a Noble Family" to her explosive success in "Chinese Paladin," from her triumph in "The Return of the Condor Heroes" to her failure in "Mulan," from being ridiculed as box office poison to standing in front of the microphone and reclaiming everything—now, she has finally returned to the place that belonged to her sixteen years ago, with Zhao Pan'er.

Before Liu Yifei could reply, Tang Yan pressed on, "Wait, speaking of Xiao He, I heard that handsome young man plays Gu Qianfan? You two even have a kissing scene? When was it filmed? Did you even film it?"

Shu Chang immediately chimed in, "There are three scenes! I've read the script: episode 19, the carriage confession; episode 26, the nighttime conversation by the bridge; and episode 34, the courtyard kiss. Each one is sweeter than the last. Fei Fei, hold back a bit, don't go overboard with the kiss."

Zhang Liangying also put down her monitoring headphones in the recording studio and joined in the teasing: "Shuchang, what are you saying? Yifei has been acting for so many years, what professional skills does she lack? But then again, kissing scenes with other people are a matter of professional skills, but kissing scenes with Xiao He, well, I don't know if it's acting skills or genuine emotion."

Liu Yifei leaned on Xiao He's shoulder, the tips of her ears turning a subtle pink. She typed a few words, then deleted them, then typed them again, finally sending only one sentence: "That's enough."

Shu Chang replied instantly: "Not enough, not enough. Fei Fei, tell me honestly, when you kissed, was it him who initiated it or you? I remember someone posted on their WeChat Moments, 'The first time someone used an OST to exchange for an audition opportunity,' what was your relationship back then?"

Tang Yan followed up, "By the way, you said last time that he would come to see you at the recording studio every few days. Later I also heard that he was writing songs for you, one after another, he just couldn't stop. What exactly is your relationship now? Is it... also just nonstop?"

"Little brother, I want..."

"No, Sisi should have said first, 'Little brother, I don't want to.' Then Xiao He should have said, 'No means yes. Sister, I'm here...'"

The girlfriends in the group kept going on and on, describing Liu Yifei's face as red as an apple.