The spectacular fireworks show lasted for a long time, illuminating Shi Guanghua's face with a kaleidoscope of colors. The changing light and shadows accentuated his handsome features, bringing warmth to his usually frosty demeanor. He had never been one for flowery words or social finesse, but everything he said was imbued with awkward sincerity.
Chu Yueyi remained unmoved by grandiose promises, as only genuine expression could truly touch her. As an experienced actress, she had seen all sorts of performances, so only something entirely different could move her.
He was far from a qualified actor, or even a qualified entertainer, but he was a very, very good person.
That's why she chose to come back.
If the male guest on "Heart-Fluttering Promise" had been someone else, Chu Yueyi was certain she would have chosen to leave the show today, and felt no guilt about her decision. But now she found herself hesitating. Perhaps it was because he had once joked that having her was enough, or maybe she didn't want him to lose this opportunity on the show, or perhaps there were other reasons she hadn't yet realized.
By the time she fully came to her senses, she was already walking alone towards the observation deck.
Chu Yueyi suppressed all her emotions and looked straight at him, saying softly, "You will shine too."
She didn't believe in forever, but as long as he needed her, she would try her best to accompany him for a while longer. Since the show was an opportunity he had waited for a long time, she decided to see how far they could go together.
She wasn't the type to like owing favors, so she considered this as repaying him for his words.
After enjoying the fireworks show at the observation deck, they strolled down the dark path of the mountain, finally seeing the staff gathered in the square.
It was now late at night, time to wrap up work. Chu Yueyi smiled and waved goodbye to him, "See you."
Shi Guanghua's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. He replied knowingly, "See you."
Neither said anything more; everything was understood without words.
After leaving Shi Guanghua, Chu Yueyi hadn't walked far when she ran into Li You, noticing the strange and confused expression on her manager's face. Li You had already heard the news that her artist hadn't chosen to leave the show but had arrived at the observation deck to continue filming, so she was naturally bewildered.
With no man occupying her mind, work became her superpower. Chu Yueyi shook off the emotional influence of the fireworks show, her mind clear once again, rationality taking the lead. She calmly said, "Sister You, please sign the remaining contract with the show's team. I want to continue participating in the filming."
Li You had no objections: "Alright, but why so sudden..."
"Just some new ideas," Chu Yueyi didn't answer directly. She tilted her head in thought for a moment, then continued unhurriedly, "I remember that guests can provide filming suggestions later on. Could you please communicate with the director and the production team about adding some segments that showcase our strengths? For example, a music stage?"
The contract stipulated that the first four episodes' process would be determined by the production team, but if the guests were willing to renew their contracts, the director would introduce personalized designs, taking more of the guests' opinions into consideration.
Li You: "...That shouldn't be a problem."
Li You: But how did it become "showcase our strengths"? Where did this "our" come from?
Chu Yueyi had never been slow when it came to work matters. She now felt that Shi Guanghua's development plan was extremely unclear. If he wanted to consolidate his existing foundation, he needed to appear more in front of people, otherwise, he was just blindly stumbling around.
She had many past film and television works, and given her high standards, it was easy to attract and convert new fans. His work history, however, was all music-related, and although he was well-known in the industry, it was difficult to strengthen his public image. The public would remember singers on stage, but not easily remember song creators, naturally resulting in a low conversion rate.
Chu Yueyi now felt like a concerned career fan. She believed that Shi Guanghua's team was inadequate in every aspect, and continued, "Sister You, you can discuss the matter of joint endorsements with them. I don't think Shi Guanghua's manager necessarily understands, so please explain the pros and cons to them clearly..."
Li You hastily replied, "Okay, okay, I understand. Should we also seek their opinion? If they're willing, we'll proceed, and if not, we won't force it?"
Chu Yueyi agreed immediately: "Yes, exactly!"
Li You gritted her teeth and complained: "Yueyi, please wake up, you're my artist, not his manager!"
Li You: You used to think about developing your own career every day, and now you're even helping with your colleague's career?
Li You couldn't understand Chu Yueyi's bizarre ideas at all. Was the romance of a working person really about developing careers together?
After the fourth episode's filming, Chu Yueyi's attitude towards Shi Guanghua returned to normal overnight. She would still reply to messages promptly, occasionally initiating small talk, just like when they first met. The difference was that their relationship had progressed further, and their wording was no longer formal and polite, becoming more familiar.
The day after the contract renewal, the chief director gathered both parties for a meeting to discuss the subsequent filming.
In the conference room, Chu Yueyi's team and Shi Guanghua's team sat on opposite sides, with the chief director and others sitting in the middle. He looked down at the materials and said gently, "I already have a general idea of what you two want for the filming. Yueyi, you want more opportunities to showcase both of your professional skills, right?"
Chu Yueyi nodded. She was an actress, and Shi Guanghua was a musician, so they needed to bring attention back to their roots.
The chief director: "No problem. I just communicated with Qinguo TV, and we can have a song program for the New Year's Eve gala. Coincidentally, the chief director of the gala is Director Qin, who is an old acquaintance of Guanghua."
Director Qin of Qinguo TV's New Year's Eve gala had previously been responsible for music programs, including the one that Zou Qian and Shi Guanghua had participated in. Given his connection with the "Heart-Fluttering Promise" chief director, he naturally wouldn't refuse.
Shi Guanghua's expression froze slightly. He glanced at Chu Yueyi in surprise and asked, "Isn't it about acting?"
The chief director chuckled, "Acting opportunities don't come easily. Yueyi also said to look for a stage first. Although the time is a bit tight now, we can start rehearsals right away. Just be careful not to be photographed in the early stages, as we haven't edited the fourth episode yet."
The production team wanted to create suspense about whether the Moon Light couple would leave the show, so it would be a spoiler if Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua were seen together publicly.
Shi Guanghua's team hadn't requested a music segment, but Chu Yueyi had already thought it through.
Cheng looked at Chu Yueyi with increasing approval. He rarely encountered such an easy-to-work-with artist and exclaimed admiringly, "That's really great."
It's too late to give when others make requests; true thoughtfulness is having without needing to ask. Cheng looked at someone else's artist with envy. His own artist only made him apologize and kowtow every day. Where were such warm and touching moments?
The three-party meeting continued to progress. Chu Yueyi's team had clear plans and covered all aspects, while Shi Guanghua's team had no requests and went along with everything, showing completely different styles. After finalizing the details with the guest teams, the chief director left with the staff.
Cheng was quite satisfied with the subsequent details. Li You and her team didn't use their influence to pressure them and respected both parties' interests throughout.
After the meeting ended, the guests sitting on opposite sides finally had a chance to talk. Shi Guanghua looked at Chu Yueyi as she stood up and abruptly said, "Actually, you don't need to consider me. It's fine if there's no music stage."
Shi Guanghua knew Chu Yueyi's work habits well. She had never participated in any New Year's Eve programs and was completely disconnected from any activities outside of acting. She was a person of strong principles and wouldn't touch things she wasn't good at.
Cheng wanted to glare at Shi Guanghua, silently cursing him for not appreciating others' kindness.
Chu Yueyi was taken aback and asked, "Don't you want more people to hear your songs? Don't you hope your works become more popular?"
Shi Guanghua's expression remained calm as he said slowly, "My works are already popular enough."
Chu Yueyi: "?" Are you the king of showing off?
Cheng knew that Shi Guanghua's words weren't wrong. His works were indeed spread across China and overseas, and he could receive substantial royalties even without new works every year. However, the truth shouldn't be stated so bluntly. He painfully held his head and reflexively apologized, "I'm so sorry, Brother Shi is..."
Before Cheng could finish, Chu Yueyi walked straight to Shi Guanghua, looked at him expressionlessly, and said calmly, "Shi Guanghua, do you think you're so great? Look at the wider world."
Cheng looked at Chu Yueyi, who had revealed her true face: "!!?"
It was the first time Shi Guanghua had been called by his full name by her, and seeing her solemn and serious expression, he suddenly felt a jolt and became inexplicably nervous.
Chu Yueyi passionately exclaimed, "Let's just talk about our country. Ma Huateng and Wang Jianlin have both been the richest men, and they're still working diligently. What right do you have not to work hard!?"
Shi Guanghua: "..."
Li You looked at the dumbfounded Cheng and apologized matter-of-factly, "I'm really sorry, Yueyi is a wage slave."
Li You thought to herself: Don't talk trash in front of a wage slave, or you'll be beaten to the ground.
Shi Guanghua tried to defend himself: "I don't plan to make that much money..."
Chu Yueyi earnestly guided him, "But faced with a music industry full of chaos, don't you feel a sense of social responsibility as a musician?"
"..."
Shi Guanghua, who was never good with words, was left speechless.
Seeing his silence, Chu Yueyi sighed softly and asked tactfully, "It's been a while since you've done your primary job, hasn't it?"
Chu Yueyi still engaged with projects and production crews, privately persisting in studying new scripts. But she felt that Shi Guanghua hadn't been working for long. The months they had known each other were her adjustment period, gradually detaching from the feeling of her previous drama and slowly immersing herself in new stories. It wasn't a waste of time.
Reflecting on her reminder, Shi Guanghua realized that his music composition output had indeed decreased. Mainly because his head was always filled with thoughts of her, and since creation was related to emotions, he really couldn't stabilize. His only recent work was that sentimental song for Zou Qian, inspired by her. Other pieces couldn't be called complete.
Chu Yueyi was a person with tenacious ideas about her career, something Shi Guanghua had known for a long time. It was one of the shining points that attracted him to her. His attitude softened, and he spoke in a gentler tone, covering his mouth as he pondered, "You're right."
Shi Guanghua thought to himself: She probably doesn't appreciate people without ambition. It seems I can't maintain the status quo for long, completely revolving around the variety show.
Originally, Shi Guanghua wanted to cooperate with her, so he invested time in the show, but it seemed a change was needed. He used to think it was enough for her to shine brightly, and his own career was just so-so. But the reality wasn't like that. Both parties were tied down to some extent, truly a case of shared glory and shared loss.
After understanding this, Shi Guanghua's thoughts became clearer. He promised seriously, "I'll prepare well."
He would think about how to make the stage performance stunning in the near future, especially since it was a rare duo performance. He couldn't mess it up carelessly.
Seeing Shi Guanghua so reasonable, Chu Yueyi immediately showed a satisfied expression, changing her step-by-step hammering attitude with a Sichuan opera face-changing technique. She beamed with a gentle smile and cheered, "That's great! Let's work hard together, and please give us more guidance, Teacher Shi!"
Cheng, watching the mature wage slave change her face in a second, suddenly dispelled his earlier envy towards Li You: "..."
Cheng thought to himself: Is this what a formidable insider in the industry is like?!