Chu Yueyi's visit to the cultural park was undoubtedly for work. As she slowly got into the car, she confirmed with her agent, "Sister You, I've never met Shi Guanghua before, right? I mean, before we recorded the show."
"I don't think so. Why are you suddenly asking this?" Li You asked, puzzled. "He only recently returned to China to develop his career."
Chu Yueyi realized this was true. Shi Guanghua had been making music abroad before, so it would be impossible for them to have met. She dismissed the strange sense of familiarity from her mind.
As the car started moving, she looked out the window, watching the lighthouse-like skyscrapers grow more distant until they disappeared at the end of the road.
Li You suddenly remembered something and reminded her, "Oh right, the executive producer discussed the acting matter with me. What are your thoughts now? Do you want to bring Shi Guanghua onto the set?"
The later stages of "Heart-Fluttering Promise" would showcase both parties' professional lives, inevitably exposing their real work environments, just as Chu Yueyi had entered Shi Guanghua's life today. She couldn't possibly guard her private life so strictly, and would have to break the boundary between on and off-camera.
Chu Yueyi was stunned, then anxiously exclaimed, "How could we bring him onto the set!?"
Thinking about this, Chu Yueyi almost had a social anxiety attack. Firstly, the film crew was full of her colleagues, people she saw every day. Secondly, while it was indeed possible to bring people to the set, it was usually only real couples or spouses. Because TV drama filming cycles were long, it was common for partners and family members to accompany actors on set.
If a couple without an official relationship title came to the set for long-term companionship during filming, it would be seen as a secretive and impure relationship between a man and woman. Although such things weren't uncommon in the industry, they were generally frowned upon and not openly acknowledged.
Li You, unaware of her rich imagination, said in bewilderment, "It's just bringing him to tour the set once, why are you reacting so strongly?"
"He's not going to act anyway, it's just a set visit at most."
Hearing this, Chu Yueyi finally relaxed and muttered, "Oh, just a set visit..." A set visit would probably only last a day or two, not a long-term stay on set.
Li You asked suspiciously, "What did you think it was?"
Chu Yueyi certainly wouldn't admit she had overthought things. She casually changed the subject, "A set visit would have to be after the Spring Festival anyway, probably too late for the show's recording."
Logically, the next few episodes would showcase her real life, and the show would be filmed before the Spring Festival when the drama set hadn't even started production. Chu Yueyi hadn't figured out where to take Shi Guanghua yet, and more importantly, how to introduce him if they met anyone. Should she just tell everyone he was her good colleague?
Li You suggested, "Then what should we do? Bring him to our company for a tour?"
Chu Yueyi recalled today's scene and imagined it happening at her agency. She immediately felt a headache coming on and mumbled, "Let's see, we'll take it one step at a time."
Li You continued, "Our company works too. Bring him to the annual party, and then you'll be on holiday. That plan could work."
Li You thought ending the recording at the annual party, with no work before the Spring Festival, sounded quite nice.
Chu Yueyi couldn't help but retort, "...You want to choose the day with the most people?" She must be crazy to bring Shi Guanghua to the company's annual party.
After careful consideration, Chu Yueyi thought a private space similar to Shi Guanghua's studio would be best. It would reveal her real environment without too much interaction with outsiders, but unfortunately, her agency couldn't provide that. If Shi Guanghua showed up, it would definitely cause a stir, as most industry professionals would recognize him.
She now somewhat admired Shi Guanghua. How could he be so nonchalant about entering and leaving the company with a fake business partner?
As Chu Yueyi worried about the upcoming filming location, the fifth episode of "Heart-Fluttering Promise" went live on schedule.
This episode not only revealed the cliffhanger about the Moonlight Couple's departure, ushering in a new stage of the show amidst a sky full of fireworks, but also hinted at the news of both parties preparing a digital album, with the two completing their first composition in the studio. From this point on, the Moonlight Group stopped activities in the show's set and began to reveal their real-life environments.
-- The idol drama has turned into an urban drama, but somehow it feels even sweeter!
-- What? This is their first phone call? Mom won't allow this. From today on, call him not a hundred but a thousand times. It's not what you think, it's what I think!
-- Wow, after seeing the company, I discovered that Teacher Shi is a hidden young & rich. I suggest Yueyi consider marriage, the milk powder money is definitely guaranteed.
-- If they get married, I'll buy their album like crazy!
-- Tsk tsk tsk, this episode is full of couple vibes, girlfriend gets angry and scares him on the spot.
-- Chu Yueyi: I'm leaving you some face, now you're getting cocky?
-- Music show hits hard, dating show pussyfoots around, as expected of you, Shi Guanghua.
-- Shi Guanghua's manager: There are such double-standard people in this world.
-- Shi Guanghua: Don't know how to date? Then just annoy her early in the morning and spend the whole day making it up to her.
-- Ahh I'm dying of impatience, you should teach her to play the piano hands-on, this show should be renamed "Impatient Promise"!
-- This awkwardness feels too real, I'm completely hooked.
-- I don't understand why Shi suddenly turned cold? Why did Chu get angry?
-- Those who've shipped couples before should understand, it's a signal of going from public to private, check out the Moonlight Science Club.
-- Fake CP boldly, real CP cautiously, they're probably together.
-- Shi: I want to show off our love. Chu: Shut up.
The elevator conversation between Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua was quite classic, and their awkward reactions after the confrontation were interpreted by everyone. Netizens began to analyze the psychological activities of both parties in depth, completing a new problem in the "Moonlight Science Club" comment section, focusing on "Is our relationship not to be exposed?"
Moonlight Science Club: Students should have their own thinking process, standard answers will be published later, welcome to form groups for discussion.
Colo: Standard answer: They're for real [doge]
Little Cookie: Actually, I don't understand, this is for the show, what's inconvenient? What is Chu worried about?
Fafa: Of course it's convenient for the show, but afraid things have changed in private [doge]
Window Moonlight: Just watching the show isn't enough, you need to consider their personalities. Chu is very career-oriented, Shi is half in the industry, they're bound to have disagreements.
Zhizhi Little Peach: What can't be exposed is definitely not the show but another relationship, if you know you know.
Muse: Not together but falling in love, she's anxious, he's anxious, they're both anxious!
Little Cookie: I get it now! Mama, I've found a real ship, wuwuwuwu!!
"What are these people analyzing now?" Chu Yueyi complained while skillfully logging out of her alt account on Weibo. She hadn't expected that her unwillingness to break the boundary between on and off-camera would be interpreted by fans as her already being together with Shi Guanghua, deliberately creating a smokescreen in front of the camera.
These people even described it vividly, claiming that Chu Yueyi didn't want her career to be affected and needed time to adjust, so she hadn't planned to reveal it for now. Shi Guanghua was obviously love-brained, wanting everyone to know, so he naturally had no concerns, hence the conflict between the two.
Chu Yueyi thought: Is he the love-brained one? It's clearly you guys!
Chu Yueyi found the phrase "not together but falling in love" particularly eye-catching. When had she become anxious? This was complete nonsense!
She felt she shouldn't keep looking at the "Moonlight Science Club", this Weibo account had a terrifying brainwashing ability, always permeated with a toxic and magical atmosphere.
In the cultural park, Chu Yueyi was already familiar with the studio. She casually tucked her phone into her pocket, swiped her card in the elevator, and became cautious with her words and actions, knowing that the show's cameras were everywhere around her. Because the two had been busy with the digital album production recently, "Heart-Fluttering Promise" had long-term camera positions in the studio.
Sure enough, as soon as Chu Yueyi stepped out of the elevator, staff members fitted her with audio equipment. They seemed to have been waiting here for a long time.
In the corridor, Cheng saw Chu Yueyi coming from afar and waved enthusiastically to greet her, "You're here."
"I haven't seen your manager recently," Cheng curiously peeked around. Although Li You never appeared on camera, she used to always accompany Chu Yueyi during recordings, truly dedicated to her job.
Chu Yueyi replied helplessly, "It's just too busy at the end of the year, she's at the company today."
It was the end of the year, and every company had a basket of trivial matters to deal with, all employees working non-stop. Although Li You seemed quite nurturing, she wasn't a life assistant after all. At the end of the year, she still had to give PowerPoint presentations at the company, reporting on her artist's growth and earnings.
Li You naturally wouldn't let Chu Yueyi attend a boring meeting; it was better to use that free time to record more content for the show.
Cheng said, "I see. Actually, I have some business to attend to today, so I might not be able to accompany you to view the location for too long..."
The title of their digital album was tentatively set as "Miss9," sharing the name with the song they co-created. The reason for the name was simple and straightforward: Chu Yueyi couldn't play "9" on the piano.
Although Chu Yueyi only contributed a very short melody, with Shi Guanghua composing the rest of the complex parts, she still needed to participate in the music video shooting, which included selecting the MV locations. She came here today to meet up with Shi Guanghua, as they had agreed to go scout locations together.
Now that Chu Yueyi knew Cheng was helping out as a manager and that he had other work to do, she said understandingly, "It's okay, you can go take care of your business."
Cheng replied, "The location team are all old acquaintances, so there shouldn't be any major issues. Just give me a call if anything comes up."
After giving his instructions, Cheng hurriedly walked towards the elevator, seemingly not heading back to the studio, going in the opposite direction from Chu Yueyi.
As Chu Yueyi watched Cheng about to leave, she thought for a moment and called out to him, saying softly, "By the way, since we happened to run into each other, I wanted to ask you something."
Hearing her voice, Cheng turned back, puzzled, waiting for her to continue.
Chu Yueyi pondered for a few seconds, then gently asked, "Do you know what he likes?"
"You mean Shi-ge?" Cheng looked confused and probed further, "His hobbies? Or what?"
Chu Yueyi humbly inquired, "If I were to give him a gift, what would be suitable? Something related to music production?"
She still remembered the costumes from "Double-Faced Muse" and planned to give Shi Guanghua a return gift. However, his lifestyle was notably plain and simple, with no connection to luxury. It wasn't that he lacked financial means, but rather that he had his own system for clothing, food, housing, and transportation, not choosing based on price, but with a strong personal style.
People like him probably prefer practical gifts, but she knew nothing about music equipment, so she could only turn to insiders like Cheng for help.
Cheng scratched his head, troubled, "Ah, he probably already has all the equipment needed for composing. You might not realize it, but that plain-looking room of his is actually a money pit..."
Of course, Shi Guanghua didn't allow anyone to bring water into his studio. Any inconspicuous piece of equipment in the room was worth a fortune; these weren't ordinary machines, but expensive investments.
To dissuade Chu Yueyi, Cheng gave examples of equipment prices, hoping she would give up the idea.
After hearing the casual figures Cheng mentioned, Chu Yueyi's eyes widened in surprise, "But it just looked like an ordinary black box to me."
She had seen the equipment Cheng was referring to but had no idea of its high value, as it seemed so unremarkable in the studio.
Cheng nodded repeatedly, trying to persuade her, "Exactly! So don't buy him any composing equipment. Why should he receive such expensive gifts? Shi-ge doesn't deserve it!"
Ignoring Cheng's resentment, Chu Yueyi keenly caught the key words and asked, "So this means he might not lack equipment for composing, but he might not have all the equipment unrelated to composition?"
People's words often unconsciously reveal information, and Chu Yueyi instantly read between the lines, thinking she might be able to gift other types of equipment.
"Those are probably expensive too," Cheng answered reflexively, then added sourly, "Oh, don't give him expensive gifts, he really doesn't deserve it. Let him buy things for you! Just get him something around 100 yuan, that's what he deserves!"
Faced with Chu Yueyi, Cheng was exasperated at her naivety. He almost wanted to share his girlfriend's gift list, teach her step-by-step how to deal with boyfriends from scratch, and sincerely tell her that Shi Guanghua didn't deserve expensive gifts - he wasn't worth it!
Chu Yueyi looked at the indignant Cheng, speechless.
Although Cheng wasn't a full-time manager, Shi Guanghua didn't seem to be his boss either. Their relationship was truly peculiar.
Chu Yueyi thought to herself: Is this what they call a brotherhood that moves heaven and earth?!