Zou Qian interrupted, forcing Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua to halt their conversation. The three of them carried the prepared dishes to the dining table, with pizza delivery as the main course.
While moving, Zou Qian, carrying a dish of pork with glass noodles, couldn't resist teasing Chu Yueyi: "You still need to ask what Guanghua likes to eat? I thought you already knew and wouldn't need to ask specifically."
Chu Yueyi's brow twitched slightly as she shot Zou Qian a glare, knowing he was about to act up again. When she used to work with Zou Qian on film sets, she had been very popular and knew everyone's preferences by heart. He had teased her about this countless times.
If Shi Guanghua hadn't been so closed off, completely impenetrable like an iron wall, why would she need to ask so directly?
Zou Qian noticed her glare and shamelessly tattled: "Bro, she's glaring at me. Aren't you going to do something about it?"
Shi Guanghua: "Can't help you there."
Zou Qian: "Tsk tsk."
Shi Guanghua watched the two staring each other down and felt a bit surprised internally. He always felt that after Zou Qian appeared, Chu Yueyi's expressions became much more lively, unlike her usual composed demeanor, as if the heavy armor she wore had opened up a small crack.
Chu Yueyi was completely annoyed by Zou Qian. If it weren't for the cameras around, she would have taught him a lesson to stop his sarcastic remarks.
The three of them set the delicious food on the table and began to eat happily, chatting about their past experiences of getting to know each other. The production team had carefully considered choosing Zou Qian as a special guest. On one hand, he had an overseas friendship with Shi Guanghua and had recorded a show together, and on the other hand, he had worked on a drama with Chu Yueyi and occasionally had contact during events.
As Chu Yueyi listened to them talk about their overseas experiences, she curiously asked, "But one of you was a trainee and the other a music producer, could you really run into each other often at the company back then?"
Zou Qian, holding a slice of pizza, reminisced excitedly: "We had a group chat back then with all the Chinese people in the company. We would occasionally have dinner gatherings. That was the starting point of my friendship with Guanghua, from which we developed a deep bond..."
Chu Yueyi looked at Shi Guanghua in surprise: "You actually participated in dinner gatherings?"
In Chu Yueyi's impression, Shi Guanghua was not at all someone who enjoyed socializing, and it was hard to imagine him attending gatherings.
Shi Guanghua calmly replied, "No, my friend had something come up and couldn't take the trainees back, so he asked me to pick them up. But I didn't eat with them."
Chu Yueyi glanced at Zou Qian and smiled thoughtfully: "It seems someone's memory is a bit fuzzy. I thought you wouldn't like dinner gatherings."
Zou Qian was quite indignant: "But I really did meet Guanghua that day, and we've maintained our friendship for many years since then. I even remember what he was wearing when he came to pick people up!"
Seeing Zou Qian at a loss, Chu Yueyi pressed on, continuing to ask: "So what was your first impression of Zou Qian?"
Shi Guanghua pondered for a few seconds. Under Zou Qian's expectant gaze, he honestly said: "A bit noisy."
Chu Yueyi agreed immediately: "Exactly, he's very noisy!"
Shi Guanghua recalled: "I remember he started asking questions as soon as he got in the car..."
Chu Yueyi deeply agreed: "And he asks the strangest things."
Shi Guanghua nodded.
Zou Qian: "..."
Zou Qian was first brutally hit by Shi Guanghua's first impression, then heard Chu Yueyi join in to disparage him. He couldn't help but protest indignantly: "Stop trying to drive a wedge between us, I know your game!"
"Bro, don't be fooled by her appearance. This act of hers is all fake..." Zou Qian started a counterattack, trying to guide Shi Guanghua to see through her true nature. He lowered his voice sneakily, "She's actually super fierce in private!"
Zou Qian's voice naturally reached Chu Yueyi's ears. She immediately put on a flawless smile, raising her eyebrows slightly with a warning look. She acted friendly in front of the cameras, as if she hadn't heard Zou Qian's words, only casting a "kindly" glance inadvertently.
Chu Yueyi: Say one more unnecessary word, and you'll be assassinated.
Faced with the silent threat, Zou Qian shrank back uncomfortably but still stubbornly refused to back down.
Shi Guanghua sensed the undercurrents in their eye contact and found himself unsure whether their relationship was good or bad, feeling somewhat peculiar. After a moment of silence, he suddenly looked up at Chu Yueyi and said in a light, bland tone: "You've never been fierce with me?"
Chu Yueyi was in the middle of mentally adding Zou Qian to her assassination list when she heard Shi Guanghua's unexpected words. For a moment, her eyes went blank: "?"
Zou Qian's face was equally stunned as he slowly turned his head to look at Shi Guanghua in confusion.
Shi Guanghua had said this casually, not feeling anything amiss at all. He still looked at her directly, unwaveringly. His eyes were as bright as black obsidian, quietly waiting for her response.
Chu Yueyi was usually good at interpreting others' tones, but for the first time, she felt at a loss for words. She instinctively mumbled: "Ah, well..."
Chu Yueyi: How could anyone make such an absurd request? Is this something to be proud of?!
Sensing the subtle atmosphere at the table, Chu Yueyi's strong survival instinct kicked in. She picked up a large prawn for Shi Guanghua, smiling innocently and ingratiatingly: "This prawn must be delicious. You haven't tried your own cooking yet..."
Chu Yueyi could only resort to the ultimate office worker skill of abruptly changing the topic during a meal to break the stagnant atmosphere.
Just as Chu Yueyi placed the prawn in Shi Guanghua's bowl, Zou Qian reached over and picked it up, putting it in his own bowl. As if he had finally found Chu Yueyi's weakness, he laughed arrogantly and triumphantly: "You don't even know Guanghua is allergic to seafood? And you dare to try to drive a wedge between us? Is that all you've got? Is that it?"
In the past, hearing Zou Qian's repeated taunts of "Is that it?", Chu Yueyi would probably have knocked his head off. But now she caught onto a more important piece of information.
Her eyes trembled slightly, and she looked at Shi Guanghua in confusion, hesitating: "You're allergic to seafood?"
Shi Guanghua was taken aback. He seemed to recall something and suddenly couldn't answer, feeling a bit flustered.
Zou Qian ate the prawn in one bite, still showing off his closeness with Shi Guanghua, fanning the flames: "Of course! When we went to Jeju Island, he didn't eat a single bite!"
Chu Yueyi was completely bewildered: "Then how did you..." How did you order seafood fried rice?
Of course, Chu Yueyi didn't know about Shi Guanghua's seafood allergy. Before the show, there was basically no information about him online, and even if there was, it was only about his past musical works, with no detailed preferences, habits, or taste preferences.
If Zou Qian hadn't traveled with Shi Guanghua before, he certainly wouldn't have known these details either. But seeing how confidently he spoke, it must be true, which made her even more puzzled.
Shi Guanghua, who had been staring directly at her just moments ago, now averted his gaze first. He no longer had the air of waiting calmly for an answer, but instead awkwardly explained: "It's not that serious."
Zou Qian, as the only outsider who hadn't seen the first episode of their show when they met, naturally couldn't sense the unspoken atmosphere. He directly questioned: "Didn't they say you had a reaction right after eating? Very quickly?"
Shi Guanghua gave him a deep look and said in a low voice: "You really are a bit noisy."
Zou Qian: "??"
Heartbroken, Zou Qian picked up his rice bowl and stood up, lamenting: "Alright, I get it, I get it. You two eat at the table, I'll just eat under it. There's no place for me here..."
Chu Yueyi ignored Zou Qian's dramatic behavior, still immersed in great confusion. She had always thought that Shi Guanghua only started to care about his on-camera performance after playing the piano, probably putting in effort after the first recording ended. To be honest, his performance when they first met was terrible, a complete disaster. But now there was a contradiction.
If he was allergic to seafood, he shouldn't have ordered seafood fried rice. But if he already knew about it, why did he act so coldly and awkwardly during the meal?
Faced with her inquiring gaze, Shi Guanghua avoided eye contact and fell silent again, feeling quite embarrassed.
Chu Yueyi now felt like she had caught hold of a light feather, but it seemed that with the slightest carelessness, it would fly away into the air. She couldn't describe her feelings.
Even someone as obtuse as Zou Qian could sense the vague, surging atmosphere at the table. Stuck between their secret signals, he felt truly uncomfortable and tentatively suggested: "So, um, brothers and sisters, shall we play some games after we finish eating?"
Zou Qian: It's your show, why am I the one cueing the schedule?
Hearing this, Shi Guanghua finally found an excuse. He quietly stood up with his bowl, intending to leave by cleaning up.
"I'll clean up later, I'll do the dishes!" Zou Qian urged, "I've been eyeing the game console for a while. There's a game that's perfect for you two called Overcooked..."
Chu Yueyi knew all too well about Zou Qian's mischievous ideas. She smiled sweetly and said, "There are only two controllers here. Do you plan to eat under the table and play games under the sofa?"
There were three of them now. If Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua played the game, Zou Qian would be left as a mere spectator.
Unwilling to continue being the odd one out, Zou Qian scratched his head in frustration and started rummaging through the game cards. "Let me see what else we have..."
Shi Guanghua suggested, "Why don't you two play Overcooked then?"
Chu Yueyi responded with equal generosity, "You can play with Zou Qian too. I'll just watch from the side."
Zou Qian: "..." So I'm the one being left out no matter what?
After flipping through all the game cards, Zou Qian finally exclaimed in exasperation, "Come on, the production team must be doing this on purpose. Three people but only two controllers? We don't even have a chance to play multiplayer games. Is this some kind of cruel joke?"
The production team's intention was probably for Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua to team up and compete against Zou Qian. Unfortunately, all three of them really wanted to play games, so now they were taking it seriously.
"You really can misuse idioms," Chu Yueyi remarked as she took out her own phone. Offering a practical solution, she casually said, "Alright, let's log in."
Zou Qian, who had been feeling slightly annoyed, immediately caught on to her meaning. His attitude changed dramatically, and he instantly became sycophantic: "Oh, we're playing Honor of Kings? Big sis, please carry me!"
Chu Yueyi's eyelid twitched in disgust at his subservient behavior. She turned to look at Shi Guanghua, seeking his opinion, and said in a gentle voice, "Shall we play this?"
Shi Guanghua came over to look at the game screen. After a moment's pause, he admitted honestly, "I don't know how to play."
Chu Yueyi's eyes widened in surprise. She immediately put down her phone and changed her tune, "Oh, then maybe we should..."
Zou Qian jumped up anxiously, "No, no, no! I'll borrow an account for Brother Shi! Let's play this, please!"
Seeing his agitation, Shi Guanghua asked curiously, "You want to play that badly?"
Zou Qian, abandoning his previous disrespect towards Chu Yueyi, declared firmly, "She's incredibly good at this game!"
Shi Guanghua's mood subtly shifted. His eyes deepened as he probed, "Do you two often play together?"
Chu Yueyi responded decisively, "That would be too much for Zou Qian. His rank isn't high enough to match mine."
Zou Qian, who was eagerly borrowing an account, took a moment to explain, "She hasn't played for a season, so her rank has dropped. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Shi Guanghua reminded them, "But I really don't know how to play."
Zou Qian: "It doesn't matter!"
Having quickly borrowed an account, Zou Qian left Shi Guanghua with no choice but to download the game and join them. Being a true cave dweller when it came to entertainment, he stared blankly at the game screen and asked the legendary pro-gamer Chu Yueyi, "Which one should I choose?"
The account Zou Qian borrowed had a full roster of heroes and skins, and the rank was just right for the three of them to play ranked matches together.
Hearing his question, Chu Yueyi leaned over. She selected a game hero for him and offered expert advice: "Choose this hero. She looks cute."
Shi Guanghua ended up picking Yao, which immediately caused the other two players in the team to send "?" in the chat. They were clearly quite shocked.
Shi Guanghua, who now only knew that the hero was called Yao, saw the in-game messages and asked again, "What does this mean?"
While selecting her own proficient hero, Chu Yueyi nonchalantly fibbed, "They're praising your hero for being cute."
Shi Guanghua: "..."
A moment later, one of the random players in the game couldn't hold back anymore and typed: "How about we start over?"
Chu Yueyi didn't respond to the stranger. She glanced at the enemy team's lineup and finally chose Bai Li Xuance with the White Tiger skin.
Seeing that she had chosen to jungle, Zou Qian became even more brazen. He turned on voice-to-text and replied, "From now on, everyone praise the love story of the Jungle Queen and Princess Yao!"
Shi Guanghua: "..."