After Chu Yueyi and Zou Qian finished cleaning up the kitchen, they joined Shi Guanghua on the sofa. They chatted and ate fruit, not mentioning their brief earlier exchange. The three of them casually discussed their recent lives, whiling away most of the time. It wasn't as fast-paced as previous recordings.
As a performer, Zou Qian also had a busy work schedule and needed to leave the set soon. He changed his shoes and waved to the other two, saying nonchalantly, "Farewell, you two. The clown is taking off!"
The two inside escorted Zou Qian to the door. Shi Guanghua calmly said, "Good luck with the new album."
Chu Yueyi chimed in, "Keep improving, and be a good person."
Zou Qian felt they were like parents sending a child off to boarding school, urging him to study before saying goodbye. His eyebrows twitched involuntarily. "...Stop obsessing over my career. Think more about me as a person, will you?"
Zou Qian looked at both of them and added with a smile, "I hope the three of us will have a chance to eat together again."
"In private, of course." Zou Qian winked meaningfully before turning and walking towards the door, his departing figure looking quite dashing and carefree.
Chu Yueyi pondered for a few seconds. Disliking his attempt to look cool, she muttered, "Now he's putting on airs."
After Zou Qian left, only Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua remained in the room. They decided to fiddle with the game console they hadn't gotten to play earlier. Instead of sitting properly on the sofa, they sat cross-legged on the soft carpet, creating a genuinely relaxed, homey atmosphere.
Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua each held a game controller, taking turns trying out game cartridges to pass the remaining time. They were playing "Super Mario Odyssey," with Shi Guanghua controlling Mario and Chu Yueyi controlling Cappy, working together to complete levels.
Chu Yueyi focused intently on the screen, pressing buttons on the controller while casually asking, "How long does it usually take for your seafood allergy to subside?"
She remembered Shi Guanghua postponing the filming after the first recording, and now realized he might have been having an allergic reaction. His appearance probably wasn't suitable for filming at the time, likely because he had eaten seafood fried rice during the meal. Now that she had grasped this crucial clue, the truth of past events was unraveling, becoming clearer.
Hearing this, Shi Guanghua momentarily lost control, nearly breaking the controller.
The next second, Mario on the screen was hit by a large ball and sent flying, landing in a rather pathetic state.
Chu Yueyi, looking at the game screen, teased, "Mario, you're not doing so well. How are you going to save the princess like this?"
Shi Guanghua simply put down the controller. Instead of continuing the game, he calmly said, "I have a question too. I'll answer yours after you answer mine."
Chu Yueyi's eyes widened in protest. "I asked first."
Shi Guanghua maintained his composure. "There's no rule saying the first to ask gets answered first."
Seeing his poker face, Chu Yueyi rarely witnessed this childish side of him. She muttered reluctantly, "Fine, what do you want to ask?"
Shi Guanghua gazed at her face for a moment. He raised his hands, tracing an upward arc in the air to outline a smile, and asked softly, "When did you start smiling like this so frequently?"
This was something that had puzzled Shi Guanghua for a long time. Her smile mask was so firmly in place, it was like a conditioned reflex etched into her bones.
Chu Yueyi was taken aback. She instinctively touched her cheek, then faced his serious gaze, suddenly realizing what he meant. Shi Guanghua had once said, "It doesn't look good like this." At the time, she had been furious enough to hit him, but now she wondered if he had meant something else.
Warm sunlight flooded the room, creating a cozy and pleasant atmosphere that made everything feel lighter.
Sitting on the soft carpet, Chu Yueyi leaned back against the sofa. She searched her memories, pondering, "Let me think... I believe it started earliest when someone said it looked good, and then my manager and I realized it indeed worked well, so we began deliberately seeking the right angles..."
She had forgotten the exact time, left only with vague, hazy memories.
A warm, radiant smile full of vitality was Chu Yueyi's early trademark. Through this distinctive feature, she quickly established a public image and survived the tough early days of her career.
The entertainment industry never lacks handsome men and beautiful women, but uniform perfection can't secure a foothold. One also needs a mysterious audience appeal. Chu Yueyi was by no means a super beauty with striking features; she relied on an irreplaceable and peculiar quality, or what you might call screen presence.
"Since I work in front of the camera, and my facial features aren't particularly advantageous – I was well aware of this during my school days – I needed to practice a lot. It's similar to idols' expression management. Zou Qian probably had this kind of training at the company before, right?"
Except for Li You, Chu Yueyi had never discussed this with anyone. She didn't know why she was now revealing it to him. She smiled wryly, "But my skills are still lacking, earning criticism from Mr. Shi."
He had directly said, "It doesn't look good like this."
Shi Guanghua blurted out, "I didn't..."
The casual and natural atmosphere of their conversation had made Chu Yueyi relax. She even forgot that the show was still being recorded, and raised an eyebrow to challenge him, "What do you mean you didn't? You definitely said it didn't look good!"
She now resembled a complaining, dissatisfied kitten. It seemed that if he continued to argue or refute, she would haughtily bare her claws.
Caught red-handed by her, Shi Guanghua hesitated before confessing, "I just thought it must be tiring for you."
She constantly wore a flawless smile, her exterior completely opposite to her inner self. Of course, he couldn't lie and say it looked good; he simply felt it must be exhausting for her.
He didn't find her smile insincere, nor was he criticizing her attitude as fake.
It was just that he felt a little...
Heartache.
Shi Guanghua sat beside her, his tone calm and gentle, his eyes clear as winter snow, his attitude frank and open. He wasn't particularly eloquent, but if one dug deeper into his inner self, they would discover his purity and uprightness.
Chu Yueyi was momentarily stunned, at a loss for words.
She remained silent for a moment, then shook her head and reassured him, "It's not tiring at all."
Shi Guanghua gazed at her quietly.
Chu Yueyi scratched her face awkwardly and spoke lightly, "You might not believe this, but I'm actually very grateful to the person who taught me this expression. When I first started acting, things weren't going well. My grades were pretty good in school, but working in the real world was a completely different story..."
At that time, she had been both dejected and unwilling to admit defeat. Her acting skills weren't inferior to others, so why couldn't she find suitable roles and career paths?
Chu Yueyi said earnestly, "But now I have my own advantages, so I don't regret it and don't find it tiring."
She didn't believe that a professional smile was about pleasing others or being insincere. It was simply a tool to improve her work efficiency, and her inner self and personality hadn't changed at all. She wouldn't display her emotions clearly on her face like a child, but she was perfectly aware of everything in her heart.
Why should one show their true feelings to everyone around them? As long as the status quo of "you're good, I'm good, everyone's good" is maintained, that's the most suitable distance between working people. Why create trouble for each other?
Suddenly, Shi Guanghua realized that her all-around consideration wasn't about pleasing others, but more of a kind of indifference!
She simply didn't care about maintaining long-term relationships with others, so she only needed to maintain a friendly yet distant attitude. Not caring meant not getting angry, and there was no need to reveal her true self. Her habitual use of a perfect smile was merely because not smiling could easily lead to conflicts, which was just too troublesome.
Her attentiveness and accommodation didn't mean she wouldn't get angry; more often, she was just too lazy to get angry and didn't want to argue with people. She did treat everyone well, but she had long viewed them as passing acquaintances, which allowed her to remain undisturbed and at ease.
Shi Guanghua found it difficult to describe his feelings. Thinking about it now, her tolerance towards him might also stem from this, which gave rise to an indescribable sense of frustration. His chest seemed to be churning with waves, mixed with the bitter taste of cold seawater, instantly jolting him awake.
Chu Yueyi noticed his subtle emotions in his silence and probed, "What's wrong?"
She wondered if her answer had been too blunt. After all, he had expressed concern about her being tired, and she had flatly denied it. It did sound like a harsh rebuttal.
Shi Guanghua: "Nothing."
Hearing this, Chu Yueyi's eyebrows raised slightly. She'd be a fool to believe him: "..." This was the standard answer for "something's definitely wrong."
"I just suddenly remembered that I still have the prop with me today," Shi Guanghua said, facing her skeptical expression. He took out the silver Key of Promise from his pocket and calmly stated, "I've decided on the first promise."
Shi Guanghua slightly raised his hand, allowing the sleeve to naturally slide down, revealing the light gray hair tie on his wrist. He had indeed kept his promise by wearing it. He handed the key of promise to Chu Yueyi, saying in a measured tone, "When you face me, I hope that all the smiles you show are genuine. If you don't want to smile, you don't have to. It's even okay if you get angry."
He couldn't change her habit of dealing with people, so he could only make a direct request.
If he wanted to avoid being pushed into the circle of casual acquaintances, he needed to establish a deeper connection.
Chu Yueyi was caught off guard by this request. She was immediately stunned, not expecting him to say such a thing and even use a prop. For a moment, her emotions were complex.
Chu Yueyi didn't take the key of promise. Instead, she said in a low voice, "But how can this be judged?"
Shi Guanghua looked down at her, confidently saying, "You can't fake it. I can tell."
Because he had seen her most genuine smile, he would never be fooled by an imitation.
Hearing his assured tone, Chu Yueyi found herself unexpectedly amused, suddenly feeling no irritation at all. She slowly picked up the key of promise and said with a helpless smile, "Yes, Teacher Shi is very impressive."
She couldn't describe her current feelings, only sensing that at certain moments, he was as stubborn as a child, yet it made her want to relax and play along with him.
Seeing her accept it, Shi Guanghua knew the agreement was established. Feeling slightly relieved of the blockage in his heart, he abruptly said, "This one is real."
Chu Yueyi looked up at him, her smile gentle. She responded candidly, "Mm, I can't fool you."