Chu Yueyi's claim that she wasn't angry at all was so fake that even the audience wouldn't believe it. She wanted to leave some room for interpretation, making it seem more reasonable. As they say, you have to break it to fix it - all she needed to do was speak up.
In Chu Yueyi's eyes, Shi Guanghua was now a terrible co-star with no acting skills. Whether he reacted or not didn't matter; it wouldn't affect her performance at all.
Chu Yueyi thought: He can't even be called a new colleague now, he's just a new prop to act against.
The tense atmosphere at the table finally eased. Chu Yueyi handed a menu to her counterpart, then looked at her own menu and said, "What would you like to eat? If you don't have any ideas, the waiter also made some recommendations earlier."
Chu Yueyi had spoken with the waiter in advance, having already figured out the restaurant's specialties. She also inquired about Shi Guanghua's dietary restrictions and preferences.
"Anything is fine," Shi Guanghua spoke for the first time, without opening the menu.
Chu Yueyi, who had been looking down while ordering, raised an eyebrow when she heard his low voice. She thought to herself that he wasn't actually mute after all, but her face didn't betray any of her inner turmoil or sarcastic thoughts.
Chu Yueyi's inner monologue: Shocking! Popular musician can actually speak, 1.4 billion Chinese people are speechless after hearing this!
After finishing her order, Chu Yueyi handed the menu back to the waiter and asked, "Is there anything else you want?"
Shi Guanghua hesitated for a moment, then seemed to suddenly remember something and said softly, "Seafood fried rice."
Chu Yueyi turned to the waiter: "Do you have seafood fried rice?"
"Yes, we'll add an order of seafood fried rice for you."
"Alright, thank you."
With the ordering done, Chu Yueyi finally didn't have to rack her brains for awkward small talk. The show's production team took the opportunity to introduce the rules, handing out pretty stationery to both of them.
The executive producer said, "Now we'd like you both to write down your first impressions of each other."
Sitting across from each other at the table, they couldn't see what the other was writing.
Chu Yueyi instinctively wrote the word "mute" on her paper, but feeling it was too impolite, she added the character for "big" in front of it.
Big mute.
Not bad, she thought. It conveyed a hint of playful reproach while also implying that he was tall.
Chu Yueyi was quite satisfied. She felt she could be a screenwriter for sweet romance dramas or a romance novelist. Although there was no pre-written script for the variety show, her ability to improvise was quite good, and her recent clutch performance had been decent.
After they both finished writing their first impressions, they handed the papers to the production team and received new props.
Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua each got an elegant small wooden box containing three intricately crafted, uniquely shaped silver sticks that looked like curved matches or DNA helixes.
The executive producer explained, "These are Promise Keys. Each person has three. When used, you can make a request or promise to the other person. After the other person fulfills the promise, the requester must give the used Promise Key to the fulfiller. Used Promise Keys cannot be reused."
"If you want to politely refuse the other person's request, you can also use a Promise Key to cancel it out. The two mutually canceling Promise Keys will be taken away by us and won't belong to either party. Of course, if you don't have any Promise Keys left, you can't refuse the other person's request. Please use them wisely."
Chu Yueyi had an epiphany after hearing this. She felt it was like baiting out skills in a game - whoever could exhaust the other's abilities first would be able to deliver the final blow at the last moment. If Shi Guanghua used up his props first, she could make a request he couldn't refuse, like having him wear women's clothes and perform crosstalk at the Deyun Club.
Thinking of this, Chu Yueyi felt a hint of pleasure. She had been slightly uncomfortable with Shi Guanghua's cold face before, but now she felt it wasn't a big deal. Even her smile became more genuine.
Moments later, the waiter brought out several delicious dishes one by one. The food created a buffer zone between the two strangers.
Chu Yueyi would occasionally throw out topics for conversation. Although Shi Guanghua's answers were concise, with words coming out one by one, it was a welcome improvement compared to the silent film scene from earlier.
Finally, the waiter brought the seafood fried rice to the table. The steaming rice grains in the wooden bowl were plump, with springy shrimp and squid peeking out here and there, complemented by the tender green of vegetables and scallions. It was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.
Chu Yueyi hadn't had seafood fried rice in a long time, and the sight made her heart flutter unexpectedly. The fried rice at this restaurant wasn't a single serving but came with small bowls for sharing, which suited her perfectly.
Since Shi Guanghua had ordered the seafood fried rice, Chu Yueyi didn't want to appear too eager. She took the initiative to pick up the utensils nearby and first filled a bowl for her new colleague, even topping it with a pale pink shrimp that looked particularly appetizing.
Chu Yueyi handed the small bowl to the person across from her and said with a smile, "Here's your seafood fried rice."
Shi Guanghua was silent for a few seconds before reaching out to take it, saying softly, "Thank you."
Having taken care of him, Chu Yueyi had no more reservations. She immediately scooped a bowl for herself and started eating without hesitation.
As soon as the warm seafood fried rice entered her mouth, the delicious flavor of the shrimp exploded, leaving her completely satisfied. Chu Yueyi had been putting on a fake smile earlier, not really tasting the food, but now she finally felt alive.
Shi Guanghua didn't touch the seafood fried rice. He quietly watched as she chewed like a small animal, even her eyebrows showing the joy of eating something delicious.
Chu Yueyi looked up and unexpectedly met his gaze, almost choking on her food. She quickly swallowed the fried rice and discreetly covered her mouth with her hand before curiously asking, "Aren't you going to try it? It's very good."
Chu Yueyi's inner thoughts: Bro, stop staring at me and eat! You're scaring me!
Under her eager and bright gaze, Shi Guanghua carefully scooped up a spoonful of seafood fried rice, precisely the shrimp on top, and finally slowly put it in his mouth.
Chu Yueyi asked expectantly, "Isn't it delicious?"
Shi Guanghua didn't respond.
Chu Yueyi felt resigned. She realized that eating with him was extremely tiring, even worse than eating alone.
Fortunately, the awkward and numbing filming eventually came to an end. The executive producer announced the official wrap of tonight's shoot just before Chu Yueyi's smile became completely frozen.
Chu Yueyi returned her lavalier microphone to the director and was immediately embraced by her manager, Li You. Li You patted her back comfortingly and said with sympathy, "You've worked hard, really hard..."
By this point, Chu Yueyi's social energy was completely depleted. She was barely holding on at the scene with her last bit of strength – the final dignity of a working person.
After wrapping up, the set became noisy. Chu Yueyi followed Li You out of the restaurant towards the lakeside parking lot to get in their car.
The night wind rustled, and the lake sparkled.
At the restaurant entrance, Li You noticed that Chu Yueyi was dressed too lightly. She rubbed her artist's chilly arms and instructed, "Don't go over there. Wait here, and I'll have them bring the car around."
Chu Yueyi obediently went to wait in a corner. The production team was all gathered inside, packing up equipment, leaving the entrance quiet and deserted. However, she didn't expect that someone else had their eye on this spot – it was her taciturn new colleague.
Shi Guanghua had put his black mask back on, revealing only his sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, standing silently by the door, making his tall figure even more striking.
Chu Yueyi silently complained: That mask must be part of his body, or maybe it's semi-permanently attached to his face.
Now, whenever Chu Yueyi saw Shi Guanghua, she would reflexively put on her professional fake smile and search for a topic of conversation to avoid an awkward atmosphere. After much thought, she finally managed to squeeze out, "Mr. Shi, shall we add each other on WeChat?"
She wasn't sure how to address Shi Guanghua, given their peculiar relationship, so she settled for the common form of address used on set.
To be honest, Chu Yueyi wouldn't have been surprised if Shi Guanghua had directly refused, but he silently took out his phone from his coat and chose to exchange contact information with her.
Chu Yueyi smiled and said, "Thank you!"
Shi Guanghua looked at her polite and courteous smile and suddenly said, "Your smile doesn't seem to have changed."
Chu Yueyi had a set of smiles reserved for work, precisely calibrated to the most perfect arc and maintained with extreme stability. This industry never lacks high-profile figures, but the key is how to stand out and have a distinctive personal brand. Her oxygen-like smile was one of her major selling points.
Chu Yueyi was instantly alarmed. She had long been able to use her smile skillfully, fooling even numerous veteran celebrities, but she never expected to be seen through by Shi Guanghua upon their first meeting.
She was about to brush it off with a light joke when Shi Guanghua's next words proved even more devastating.
Shi Guanghua stared at her for a long time before bluntly saying, "That doesn't look good."
Chu Yueyi: "..."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yueyi's face showed no emotional change, but her blood surged, and she felt her head buzzing.
What an outrageous insult.
Chu Yueyi thought: You can say I'm not good-looking, but you can't say my smile isn't good. After all, the former is innate, but the latter is about work attitude!
Chu Yueyi was well aware that her objective conditions weren't perfect, but her work ethic was impeccable!
Since he originally had a mute image, why couldn't he just stay mute for life? He'd be better off keeping his mouth shut than speaking!
Chu Yueyi had been exceptionally accommodating and considerate towards Shi Guanghua during the recording, stemming from her professional ethics as an excellent worker. But now that work was over, she wasn't one to be pushed around.
Faced with this provocation, not only did she not show a hint of annoyance, but she smiled innocently and said softly, "Is that why you never smile? Because you don't look good when you do?"
What good was Shi Guanghua's handsome face if he was just a big mute who couldn't smile?
Before Shi Guanghua could respond, the wooden floor creaked.
Chu Yueyi turned to see an unfamiliar man, seemingly Shi Guanghua's manager or assistant, awkwardly shrinking behind them. When she spotted him, he waved timidly, having eavesdropped for who knows how long.
The man nervously said, "Ah, sorry, please continue your chat..."
Chu Yueyi noticed Li You returning in the distance and had no desire to linger. Even though she'd been caught retorting to Shi Guanghua, she remained composed, exchanging pleasantries before leaving, saying warmly, "I'll be going then. Thank you for your hard work today."
The man, seeing she was addressing him, responded flustered but politely, "No, no, thank you for your hard work!"
Before leaving, Chu Yueyi only said goodbye to Shi Guanghua's staff, without sparing him another glance, as if he were merely a patch of cold air beside her.
Cheng watched Chu Yueyi enter her car, then turned back to question, "My dear brother, why did you say something like that? We're lucky Chu Yueyi is so well-mannered, I was afraid she might punch you!"
Cheng wasn't a manager or assistant, but Shi Guanghua's friend and confidant, helping him handle business affairs. Shi Guanghua wasn't really a professional artist yet, he didn't have celebrity dreams, and even after gaining popularity, he still treated it as a hobby.
Shi Guanghua: "She indeed doesn't smile as nicely as before."
Hearing his tactless explanation and recalling his bizarre behavior during the recording, Cheng's temple throbbed. He frowned and said, "To be honest, if I were a female guest, I'd be very angry with your attitude on the show too..."
Shi Guanghua looked slightly puzzled: "She was angry?"
Cheng: "?"
Cheng exclaimed in frustration, "During dinner, when she saw you take off your mask, she said 'seeing this, half my anger is gone.' Doesn't that imply she was angry before? Did you not hear that at all!?"
Shi Guanghua's initial refusal to speak, shake hands, or acknowledge anyone - a complete "three no's" attitude of rejecting interaction - would upset anyone subjected to it.
"No," Shi Guanghua paused, trying hard to recall the dinner conversation, but only had a vague memory. He admitted helplessly, "I couldn't really process what she was saying."
Cheng: "???" How can you be so arrogant? Just because of that face?
Cheng was about to berate him that being handsome doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants, when he suddenly noticed Shi Guanghua's exposed skin was slightly red. Given his naturally fair complexion, the reddish rash was particularly noticeable.
Cheng asked worriedly, "Brother, what's wrong with your face? Take off your mask, did you suddenly break out in a rash?"
Shi Guanghua hadn't noticed until now, but following Cheng's prompt, he became aware of a slight itch and sting on his face.
"Oh, I'm allergic to seafood," Shi Guanghua calmly removed his mask and said nonchalantly, "I might be having a reaction."
Cheng was alarmed: "Then why did you eat it just now!?"
"Forgot," Shi Guanghua said dismissively.
"How can you forget something like that?" Cheng, seeing his carefree attitude, asked in disbelief, "What were you thinking about the whole time? You didn't initiate conversation, didn't listen to others, and even ate things you shouldn't!"
Faced with the inquiry, Shi Guanghua really couldn't answer.
"I'll go find some medicine for you, you're definitely not yourself today..." Cheng, long accustomed to his reticence, didn't press for an answer and instead went to look for allergy medication.
What was he thinking about the whole time?
Shi Guanghua felt Cheng was overestimating him. He wasn't thinking about anything the entire time, he could barely even hear.
From the moment he first saw her, he lost the ability to think.