Shi Guanghua's attitude was open and upright, his tone sounding quite sincere. However, the content of his words was far from what a normal person would say, bordering on the level that could get someone beaten up on the street if they spoke like that.
He even stared earnestly at Chu Yueyi, as if trying to make her believe him with his gaze.
Chu Yueyi was utterly speechless. After a long silence, she thoughtfully said, "I think it was very wise of you to choose to work overseas initially."
Shi Guanghua looked puzzled, not understanding why the topic had suddenly shifted.
Chu Yueyi said sincerely, "After all, with the language barrier, you might not have survived if people actually understood what you were saying."
He simply couldn't have survived developing his career domestically.
Shi Guanghua: "?"
The fact that Shi Guanghua hadn't been assassinated yet was a testament to his incredible luck, something not just anyone could achieve. Chu Yueyi was starting to understand Zou Qian's assessment - the guy looked smart, but his inner workings were a completely different story.
It must be said that Shi Guanghua's outrageous remarks dissipated the awkwardness in Chu Yueyi's heart. She no longer felt the urge to mess with him, but rather felt as calm as an old monk, even thinking she had been overly worried before.
Chu Yueyi thought: Is that all? Is that it? How could he possibly affect me? I could hold him down with one hand.
Considering the vast difference in their levels, Chu Yueyi's emotions naturally settled, and her gaze softened. She suggested, "Let's go take a look at the costumes."
Shi Guanghua noticed her improved mood and asked, "Does this count as coming back to the topic?"
Chu Yueyi looked confused: "What do you mean by coming back?"
Shi Guanghua: "Nothing."
The two returned to the dressing room to check the costumes. They had just rehearsed in their casual clothes, as it wasn't time to wear the formal outfits yet. Although the Qinguo TV station had a performance budget, for the artists' styling to be eye-catching, it still required design and investment from their own teams.
Chu Yueyi had no stage performance experience, so she completely followed Shi Guanghua's guidance. Today was the first time she saw her stage outfit.
Chu Yueyi had a costume change during the performance, so she had one more set of stage clothes than Shi Guanghua, making her wardrobe more diverse. Both of her outfits were well-tailored: one was a light-colored dress made of hazy gauze with palace-style puff sleeves, and the other was a deep black spaghetti strap dress with a flowing fabric, its hem adorned with black swan-like feathers.
Chu Yueyi reached out to touch the high-quality fabric of the skirt. She felt the design looked oddly familiar and casually said, "This one looks a lot like Diva's latest style, just with a shorter skirt..."
Diva was a long-established famous luxury brand. Celebrities considered it an honor to be invited to their fashion shows. The brand had a wide range of products, but their clothing was particularly expensive.
Shi Guanghua nodded and said, "It is that one, just shortened."
Chu Yueyi was completely dumbfounded and asked in disbelief, "You can cut borrowed clothes?"
Chu Yueyi was long accustomed to celebrities' styling teams borrowing clothes, as no one could afford the frequent exposure at events. She was already considered an artist who attended fewer events, so her expenses on clothing and styling weren't huge, but even buying clothes herself, she couldn't afford it.
As is well known, celebrities wear clothes in public only once, never to be reused, accumulating astronomical figures over time.
Shi Guanghua calmly said, "It's bought. After the performance, you can wear it if you want, or not if you don't."
Shi Guanghua's attitude was nonchalant, his tone as casual as if saying, "I bought you two pounds of apples on the way, eat them if you want, forget about them if you don't." He didn't seem to place any importance on the two priceless outfits.
Chu Yueyi looked at his unperturbed state, feeling extremely distressed inside. Her voice rose considerably as she exclaimed in shock, "What kind of talk is that!"
"Wait a moment, I'll tell Sister Youyou to transfer the money to you..." Chu Yueyi lowered her head to compose a message. She now just wanted to shake Shi Guanghua's shoulders vigorously to hear if there was water sloshing in his head. She had just thought that he couldn't affect her emotions, but now she was infuriated by this outsider's outrageous behavior, completely unable to understand what he was thinking.
Chu Yueyi thought: Does this guy have too much money to burn or what?
Shi Guanghua's eyes flickered slightly, and he decisively said, "No."
Chu Yueyi didn't even look up at him, concentrating on sending her message. She replied curtly, "Shut up!"
Seeing her determined attitude, Shi Guanghua felt a surge of stubbornness himself and directly reached out to stop her from sending the message.
His long fingers blocked the phone screen, accidentally touching her warm, soft fingertips, creating an inexplicable sensation like an electric shock.
Both of them were stunned for a moment, seemingly feeling a small spark, followed by a light and subtle tingling sensation.
The subtle and strange atmosphere instantly suppressed the tense confrontation.
Chu Yueyi hadn't expected him to intervene physically, as he always sat upright, maintaining a gentlemanly distance. So she was completely unprepared and forced to stop her actions, looking up at him in a daze.
Her bright almond eyes were clear yet confused, like the wet eyes of a small animal, revealing a hint of bewilderment.
Shi Guanghua also felt the warmth of Chu Yueyi's fingers, but he still gently pursed his lips and repeated in a hoarse voice, word by word: "I don't want it."
Under normal circumstances, Shi Guanghua would never have such close contact with her, but now he seemed to have a bit of a temper too. He didn't easily back down in the confrontation, but instead gazed at her with eyes like black jade, revealing rare stubbornness.
The two were far too close, and when he spoke, his warm breath lightly brushed her face. It was completely different from anyone she usually interacted with, a clean masculine pheromone scent unique to him.
Chu Yueyi's head suddenly felt dizzy. Her aggressive stance also subsided, her brows furrowing slightly as she murmured softly, "But... it's too expensive..."
Now with her brows slightly furrowed, her porcelain-like face slightly lowered, she looked both dejected and troubled, like a pitiful child who had done something wrong, making it impossible to blame her.
Her firm refusal had sparked his defiance, but her soft, gentle retreat instantly extinguished his fire, making him feel guilty for his rash behavior.
Shi Guanghua withdrew his hand in a timely manner. He quickly adjusted his demeanor and said with lowered eyes, "It's alright."
Faced with his casual and natural attitude, Chu Yueyi felt increasingly uncomfortable accepting the costume. She simply looked straight at him and said helplessly, "But what gift should I give you in return?"
Shi Guanghua had caught her off guard, and she couldn't think of an equivalent return gift for the moment, naturally feeling frustrated. This completely went against her principles of action. When had anyone ever beaten her to giving gifts?
And of all people, it was him, the one least versed in social niceties.
Shi Guanghua's jet-black eyelashes fluttered slightly. Looking at her small figure deep in thought, his Adam's apple moved slightly, and he said in a low voice, "I didn't buy it to make you repay me."
"I gave it simply because I wanted to give it, it has nothing to do with you."
Shi Guanghua put his hands in his pockets and stood casually to the side. Although he had been showing occasional moments of clumsiness recently, at this moment he revealed the cold, proud demeanor he displayed on the show.
His gesture wasn't seeking any return; it was simply something he wanted to do from the bottom of his heart.
Chu Yueyi rarely encountered his cold attitude, and she was about to be angered by his blunt statement again. Finally, she burst out in exasperation, "How can you say such things so casually?"
Saying that giving her a gift had nothing to do with her - this was simply nonsense! How could anyone accept this with peace of mind?
Shi Guanghua, not knowing where he had offended Chu Yueyi and suddenly provoked her anger again, righteously counter-attacked, "Didn't you also say such things so casually?"
Shi Guanghua didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said; he now thought there was something wrong with what she had said.
Faced with the accusation, Chu Yueyi's anger flared up and died down before it could fully ignite. She asked in bewilderment, "What things?"
Shi Guanghua's face was serious: "That I'm not that handsome?"
Shi Guanghua was clearly hung up on this, unable to understand which musician had surpassed him to make her emotional transfer so quick. He might have been a bit late today bringing the costumes, but he guaranteed that no one present understood music better than he did.
Chu Yueyi: "???"
Chu Yueyi thought: Is this even a point worth caring about!?
Chu Yueyi couldn't understand Shi Guanghua's train of thought at all. She had just wanted to intentionally put him down a bit to alleviate her internal sense of balance, who knew he would take it seriously and bring it up at this moment.
Shi Guanghua gazed at her impassively, seeming to wait for her proper response, or else he would dredge up old accounts.
Chu Yueyi was rendered speechless by his question, but fortunately, her mind worked quickly, and she immediately fabricated a reason, declaring emphatically, "True handsomeness lies in being handsome without knowing it. Now that you're aware of your handsomeness, you're naturally not as handsome!"
Chu Yueyi: That's right! Today, I represent the masses in punishing your arrogance!
Shi Guanghua: "..." An impressive move to turn the tables.
In fact, Shi Guanghua hadn't thought of himself as handsome before. If she hadn't suddenly brought it up, he wouldn't have contemplated his appearance at all. However, it wouldn't be right for him to refute now. Mainly because he had raised the issue, saying he wasn't aware would seem like a lie, creating a self-contradiction.
Seeing that he couldn't respond at all, Chu Yueyi pressed her advantage triumphantly: "Am I not correct? Isn't it reasonable?"
Shi Guanghua, not being skilled in verbal sparring, couldn't utter a word for a long time. Faced with her eloquence, he was utterly defenseless. He furrowed his brow in consternation for a few seconds before finally squeezing out a response, mumbling, "Fine."
Chu Yueyi, seeing his weakness, felt a rush of victory but also a sense of bullying. She didn't pursue it further and instead muttered, "What do you mean by 'fine'?"
Shi Guanghua mimicked her previous tactic and calmly said, "I'm now performing an on-the-spot memory loss. I've completely forgotten about this matter and returned to my previous state."
In his mind, he deleted the "aware of being handsome" incident and re-entered the "handsome without knowing it" mode.
Chu Yueyi: "..."
Faced with his deadpan humor, Chu Yueyi's emotions instantly dissipated, and she couldn't bring herself to argue further. She found herself amused and placated him, "Alright, alright, handsome, handsome, handsome. Someone who just gave a gift is handsome no matter what they do, even more handsome than before..."
Only then was Shi Guanghua satisfied, considering the matter closed.
Seeing this, Chu Yueyi couldn't bring herself to say what she was thinking and could only grumble internally.
Chu Yueyi: Handsome he may be, but he doesn't seem too bright!