It must be said that Shi Guanghua and the others arrived at just the right moment, instantly breaking through the dilemma. Cheng and his group were the first to enter the studio, heading straight towards Boss Wang and the others to greet them.
Shi Guanghua didn't follow Cheng inside. Instead, he stood beside Chu Yueyi, taking off his headphones and asking, "Do we need to change our styling later?"
"There should be stylists to handle that," Chu Yueyi replied curiously. "Didn't you film commercials on your previous show too?"
Shi Guanghua had recorded a music program before, which also included advertising content, so he should have experience.
Shi Guanghua paused for a moment, seeming to fall into thought, then answered, "I wore my own clothes at the time. I can't quite remember now."
Chu Yueyi was gradually getting used to his delayed reactions and couldn't help but laugh, "You really don't seem like a celebrity at all."
The two of them stood chatting in the corner. Their relationship had deepened, and they weren't currently filming, so the atmosphere was more like that between friends. Chu Yueyi drew a clear line between on-camera and off-camera behavior. She wouldn't say strange things off-camera, and of course, having shed her initial prejudice against Shi Guanghua, she no longer held any grudges against him.
Shi Guanghua: "I'm not a celebrity to begin with."
Chu Yueyi raised an eyebrow and blurted out, "Don't you want to transition into being a singer?"
Shi Guanghua had given a stunning performance on the music show, and Chu Yueyi thought he had plans to move from behind the scenes to the spotlight, which was why he was participating in a dating reality show to increase his popularity. She had even watched clips of his singing and had to admit that although he usually spoke little, he sang with great feeling.
Shi Guanghua looked at her in surprise: "I have no plans to become a singer."
Chu Yueyi was quite astonished: "Then why did you come on the show?"
Shi Guanghua: "..."
Shi Guanghua was caught off guard by her direct question. His eyelashes fluttered slightly, his eyes flickered, and he unconsciously pursed his lips, looking at her for a long time as if he wanted to say something but couldn't, seeming both awkward and a bit embarrassed.
The two had developed a growing rapport, and Chu Yueyi could actually read his micro-expressions. He inexplicably looked like a shy young bride, showing a subtle annoyance as if thinking, "How can you ask such a question?"
Chu Yueyi: "?" We were just chatting nicely, why suddenly get upset?
Chu Yueyi didn't know what was excessive about her question, but seeing that Shi Guanghua didn't want to answer now, she considerately changed the subject, pointing at his Bluetooth earphones: "What are you listening to?"
Shi Guanghua had casually taken off one earphone earlier to hear her better. He hesitated and said, "It doesn't have a name yet. Do you want to listen?"
Chu Yueyi took the earphone he offered. She heard an unfamiliar melody, realizing it was instrumental music without lyrics, probably a new composition by Shi Guanghua. She knew nothing about music but thought it sounded quite good, and simply praised, "It's really nice."
Encouraged by her approval, Shi Guanghua became enthusiastic and volunteered, "I also have..."
"Shi-ge... huh, where is he?" Cheng, who had been chatting with Boss Wang and the others, turned around to look for Shi Guanghua but found him missing, and called out loudly, "You two, come over here!"
Shi Guanghua was about to make a recommendation when he was interrupted, a flash of dissatisfaction crossing his face.
Chu Yueyi reassured him, "Let's go over there."
Everyone else had already gathered around the monitor, while Shi Guanghua and Chu Yueyi were whispering in the corner, which naturally seemed a bit odd.
Li You raised an eyebrow at this, actually thinking it was fine for Shi Guanghua to chat casually with Chu Yueyi. Her own artist didn't need to come over and meet the rival's manager, but she hadn't expected Cheng to speak up and break the status quo.
Li You stole a glance at Shang Qing, who was nestled close to Boss Wang, as if looking at a fly that had suddenly appeared, but suppressed her annoyed expression. Bai Yiyang wasn't here today, and Shang Qing had come with Boss Wang, so Li You couldn't just chase her away.
As Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua came over, the scene presented a three-way standoff, with Li You, Cheng, and Shang Qing each standing at a corner, surrounding Boss Wang from Leyuan and the Chief Director.
The Chief Director enthusiastically said, "Yueyi, Guanghua, let me introduce you. This is Boss Wang from Leyuan Group."
Boss Wang was a capable and cheerful female deputy general manager. She smiled broadly as she shook hands with Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua, even patting their arms in a leader-like manner: "Hello there."
The two hurriedly exchanged polite greetings: "Hello, Boss Wang."
After introducing Boss Wang, the Chief Director tentatively looked at Shang Qing: "And this is...?"
Shang Qing had come in directly with Boss Wang, so the Chief Director actually didn't know her identity. Li You, of course, knew who Shang Qing was, but she certainly wasn't going to introduce her voluntarily, preferring to stand aside and watch coldly.
As a manager, Shang Qing naturally had good social skills. Seeing Chu Yueyi approaching and wanting to intimidate her a bit, she smiled insincerely and said, "Hello, I'm Bai Yiyang's..." manager, Shang Qing.
Shang Qing mentioned Bai Yiyang firstly because that was her primary identifier, and secondly to create a sense of crisis. Having the rival's manager so close to the big boss and flaunting it right in front of them would make anyone uncomfortable and change the power dynamic.
Shi Guanghua, who had just finished greeting Boss Wang, responded without thinking: "Hello, Teacher Bai."
Shang Qing's voice abruptly stopped: "..."
With Shi Guanghua's words, the scene suddenly fell into an icy silence. He had ended the whole situation with just one sentence!
Chu Yueyi saw Li You nearby nearly fainting from holding back laughter. She slowly turned her head to look at him with an expression of disbelief: "?"
Shi Guanghua noticed her gaze and looked back innocently: "What's wrong?"
Chu Yueyi: "..." You dare to ask what's wrong? You actually don't know Bai Yiyang!?
Chu Yueyi: Is this what a terrifying outsider is like?
Chu Yueyi suddenly felt that Shi Guanghua wasn't so bad to her after all. At least he knew who she was and had even watched her previous works. She should be grateful and not demand more from him.
Li You was trying hard not to laugh herself silly on the side, while Cheng's face was full of pain as he slowly covered his forehead. After struggling, he quickly adjusted his demeanor, almost ready to kneel and kowtow to Shang Qing on the spot. He gritted his teeth and explained, "I'm so sorry, really sorry. Shi-ge is always immersed in music and doesn't know much about other things. He sometimes gets confused..."
Chu Yueyi also reacted impressively. She couldn't watch Shi Guanghua crash and burn, so she switched to her professional smile in an instant and said sincerely, "He's complimenting you on how beautiful you look!"
Cheng wanted to praise her to the skies and immediately chimed in, "That's right, that's right. You look just like a star!"
Shang Qing: "......"
Before Shang Qing could react, she was stunned by this combo, now left without even a reason to get angry, and couldn't say a word for a long time.
The most infuriating part was that Shi Guanghua, the instigator, was still calmly watching the scene, seemingly unaware that he had said anything wrong, truly looking like someone who didn't know Bai Yiyang.
Shang Qing: This is the highest form of humiliation!
Finally, Boss Wang broke the deadlock with a laugh. She kindly smoothed things over: "Haha, musicians and film industry people are indeed a bit different. It seems Guanghua really doesn't follow entertainment news..."
"Alright, Qingqing, why don't you head back for today? We need to get started here," Boss Wang finished mediating and then politely asked Shang Qing to leave.
Shang Qing had wanted to make a strong first impression, but unexpectedly got knocked down by Shi Guanghua. She was quite reluctant and said softly, "Then about what I discussed with you earlier..."
Faced with her persistence, Boss Wang replied diplomatically, "We'll talk about it later. I see the popularity isn't that high after all. There are still people who don't recognize her, right?"
Boss Wang appeared friendly with Shang Qing on the surface, but she was always decisive. From her tone, it was clear there was no room for further discussion.
Shang Qing's earlier persuasion had been unexpectedly shattered. Feeling extremely frustrated but unable to confront the real culprit, she was naturally very upset and could only slink away dejectedly.
After Shang Qing left, the Chief Director and Boss Wang began discussing the set arrangement. Li You leisurely went over to communicate, even happily humming a tune: "Blow, blow..."
Cheng wanted to complain to Shi Guanghua, but he still needed to listen to the director's arrangements and couldn't attend to the clueless man for now. He could only hurry after Li You, throwing a helpless glare at a certain someone before leaving.
That certain someone didn't even notice Cheng's resentment.
As the onlookers dispersed, Shi Guanghua took out his phone and moved closer to Chu Yueyi. As their distance shortened, music flowed from the Bluetooth earphones. Completely undisturbed by the recent minor incident, he eagerly resumed the topic: "So, what do you think of this song?"
Chu Yueyi didn't answer his question. She removed her Bluetooth earphones and stared at him suspiciously: "You didn't do that on purpose, did you?"
Chu Yueyi had never mentioned Bai Yiyang to anyone, but rumors circulated that they had a strained relationship and had even competed for the same award. She briefly suspected Shi Guanghua of seeking revenge on her behalf, but was he really such a chivalrous and loyal person?
"What?" Shi Guanghua looked puzzled. Recalling everyone's strange reactions, he suddenly realized, "Did I say something wrong earlier?"
"You dare to ask!" Chu Yueyi was both amused and annoyed by his oblivious demeanor. She instinctively raised her fist to punch him but suddenly felt that physical contact wasn't appropriate, especially since they weren't filming. She awkwardly retracted her hand.
Chu Yueyi nonchalantly stretched her arm outward, pretending to clench her fist and stretch. She casually turned her head and explained, "That was Bai Yiyang's manager, I think her name is Shang Qing. She's not Bai Yiyang herself."
Shi Guanghua replied straightforwardly, "I don't know her."
Chu Yueyi gave him a sidelong glance, speechless. She now realized that this guy wasn't pretending; he genuinely didn't know.
Shi Guanghua hadn't thought much of it initially, maintaining his cool 'Brother J' demeanor. But her complex gaze made him feel uneasy, and he began to hesitate. Remembering Chu Yueyi's earlier movement, he gently tugged at her sleeve, guiding her right fist to lightly tap his arm.
Chu Yueyi, caught off guard, felt her right hand being pulled up, barely grazing his left arm twice, feeling the slight warmth beneath the fabric.
After guiding her to punch him lightly twice, Shi Guanghua adopted a conciliatory tone and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Although he wasn't sure what he'd done wrong, apologizing seemed like the best course of action.
Chu Yueyi was left speechless, her thoughts a jumble of surprise and confusion.