Chu Yueyi only wanted to probe Shi Guanghua's preferences, but unexpectedly opened Cheng's floodgates of conversation. The latter suddenly no longer in a hurry to leave, instead earnestly lecturing her.
Cheng rambled on, "Don't lose your head, okay? You need to find ways to empty his wallet, but never let him spend too much on you!"
Chu Yueyi frowned slightly, clearly disagreeing with this notion. She said quietly, "That doesn't seem right..."
Cheng, exasperated, replied, "What's not right about it? The one who spends more will care more, it's the sunk cost fallacy. Him spending more is how it should be!"
Chu Yueyi thought to herself that she hadn't asked for his care; she was just repaying a favor. She said amicably, "There should be give and take, and besides, tricks are too..."
"Don't look down on tricks," Cheng said seriously. "Sometimes, seeing through the tricks and still willingly falling for them is what truly shows you care. That's called taking the bait willingly."
Cheng could certainly see through his own girlfriend's gift-giving ploys, but those were all harmless fun during courtship. As long as they deeply understood and trusted each other, there was no need to be overly particular. If both parties were completely without expectations from each other, that would be the real crisis in a relationship.
Chu Yueyi hadn't taken his words seriously at first, but now she was taken aback by his earnest demeanor.
"I know Shi-ge very well. Compared to giving him gifts, he'd probably be happier if you played some tricks on him," Cheng looked straight at her and said gravely, "He's very wealthy, don't try to save money for him. I've seen his bank statements, his savings are quite impressive."
Chu Yueyi: "..." Won't you get fired for talking like this?
Fearing that Cheng might pull out Shi Guanghua's bank statements to show her the next second, Chu Yueyi had no choice but to nod sincerely and use vague language to brush it off, finally managing to send the chatterbox Cheng away.
"Listen to me and you won't go wrong!" Cheng couldn't help but remind her one last time before dashing towards the elevator.
Chu Yueyi watched him leave, momentarily speechless.
She occasionally didn't understand Shi Guanghua's team. Did they truly not understand dating reality shows?
What Cheng had imparted were couple game-playing tactics, but she and Shi Guanghua were merely a couple for show on the program, it couldn't be generalized.
When Chu Yueyi arrived at the studio again, she looked at the flashy equipment around her with a new understanding. Shi Guanghua, sitting on the black swivel chair, was not just a musician but also like a dragon from a fantasy story, guarding countless treasures. Every day he buried himself in equipment, as if lying on a pile of money.
Seeing her appear, Shi Guanghua hurriedly took off his dark down jacket and stood up, saying, "You could have just called me to come down, no need to come up specially."
Chu Yueyi casually replied, "It's fine, I'm here for a surprise inspection of your work, and to chat with Cheng."
Shi Guanghua paused, "What did you two talk about?"
"About how popular you are," Chu Yueyi remarked. "He really thinks highly of you."
Shi Guanghua: "?" Why does that sound so suspicious?
They didn't linger in the studio for long, soon driving to the location scouting site, passing by Chu Yueyi's management company on the way.
Chu Yueyi noticed the scenery outside becoming increasingly familiar, and couldn't help but mutter to herself about how small the entertainment circle on the east side of the capital was, always revolving around the same places, as if all the film and TV companies were clustered together.
Shi Guanghua, gripping the steering wheel, casually glanced at the building outside and suddenly asked, "Is your company here?"
"Ah, yes," Chu Yueyi's heart skipped a beat, but she feigned nonchalance, "I didn't expect we'd come to this area."
Shi Guanghua glanced at the navigation map, "The location we're scouting is nearby."
"I didn't know there was a venue here."
Chu Yueyi began to worry internally, wondering if they might run into someone they knew. With this in mind, she became cautious after getting out of the car, pulling her scarf up and burying her face in the soft cashmere.
Shi Guanghua noticed her tugging at her scarf, and considering they had just gotten out of the car, he asked with concern, "Are you very cold?"
Chu Yueyi, quick-witted, promptly found a reasonable explanation for her behavior: "No, I just don't want the wind blowing on my ears."
Shi Guanghua saw her wearing a light-colored down jacket without a hood, her fair face buried in the cashmere scarf with only the tip of her small nose and ears visible, looking completely obedient and warm. He immediately believed her without question.
Shi Guanghua led the way, "It's a bit cold outside, it'll be better once we're inside."
Chu Yueyi nodded, dutifully following him.
Once inside, the temperature indeed rose noticeably. The shooting location here was quite diverse, all indoor artificial sets, seemingly having accommodated many MV and advertising projects. Shi Guanghua appeared to know the location manager, and they greeted each other naturally and casually, their conversation tinged with familiarity.
The location manager's surname was Li, an older middle-aged man whom Shi Guanghua directly addressed as "Old Li."
While skillfully searching for keys, Old Li glanced at Chu Yueyi standing nearby. Without waiting for Shi Guanghua to introduce her, he abruptly asked, "Is this your girlfriend?"
Chu Yueyi was about to politely exchange greetings when Old Li's blunt and straightforward question caught her off guard, causing her heart to skip a beat. She had indeed been frequenting Shi Guanghua's company lately, but ultimately had only encountered people like Cheng, never directly facing outsiders beyond the show.
Old Li's sudden attack left her greeting stuck in her throat.
She froze like a wooden puppet, unsure how to respond at this moment.
Fortunately, Old Li didn't give Chu Yueyi much attention, as he had been looking at Shi Guanghua when he asked the question.
Shi Guanghua was more composed than her, answering concisely, "Chu Yueyi."
He neither confirmed nor denied, simply stating her name.
Old Li was already accustomed to his way of speaking. He nodded absent-mindedly, only expressing surprise, "Oh, I didn't expect you'd actually know a girl."
Chu Yueyi wasn't sure what Old Li meant by his "oh," as if they were communicating on a wavelength completely incomprehensible to others.
"You two can come in to scout the location, but people with cameras aren't allowed. No random filming, okay?" Old Li didn't pursue the question further. Seeing the cameramen behind them, he swiftly gave instructions and then walked inside with his keys, seemingly unaware that they were recording a show.
Shi Guanghua and Old Li's casual conversation left Chu Yueyi tense beside them, her feelings incredibly complex.
This was a completely disjointed exchange.
Shi Guanghua sensed her intense gaze and looked back at her puzzled, hesitantly asking, "Are you still feeling cold?"
Chu Yueyi didn't understand his abrupt change of topic. Her emotions were quite mixed at the moment, and she mumbled, "What?"
Shi Guanghua pointed and said directly, "Your ears are red from the cold."
Her ear tips, which had been as white as jade outside, were now inexplicably flushed red, though it was unclear when they had gotten cold from the wind.
Hearing this, Chu Yueyi suddenly covered her ears and rubbed them, saying irritably, "It's the temperature difference between inside and outside."
The show's cameramen couldn't enter the venue, so only Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua followed Old Li.
Old Li didn't inquire further about their relationship, focusing entirely on giving a professional introduction. Chu Yueyi wasn't sure if he lacked curiosity or had already drawn his own conclusions; she couldn't make any assumptions.
The three of them examined several shooting locations together. When Old Li heard the reason for their location scouting, he exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, so you two are shooting an MV?"
Shi Guanghua: "Yes."
Old Li pondered, "I see, I was wondering why you rarely come here. It's good that you've finally grown up."
Chu Yueyi: "..." Great, now she knew what Old Li was thinking.
The location scouting went very smoothly. The two of them did a rough selection on-site, leaving the final decision for tonight's discussion.
Old Li locked up the venue and left work on time, handing over a lot of location information to the two of them. Chu Yueyi surmised that Old Li was someone close to Shi Guanghua. She didn't understand why he allowed the misunderstanding to persist, wondering what his intention was. Could it be that he truly didn't care?
The location scouting took several hours, and their return coincided with the evening rush hour.
In the car, Shi Guanghua looked at the bright red congested road sections on the map and seemed to sense trouble. He frowned and said, "It'll probably be very congested if we go back now."
The capital's evening rush hour was extremely terrifying. If they left by car now, they wouldn't be able to get off the road easily, likely to be stuck in traffic until very late before reaching their destination.
Sure enough, the director in charge of filming approached their car and began to negotiate, "Yueyi, is your company convenient? Let's find a meeting room there to finish recording, otherwise it'll take too much time to get back."
Chu Yueyi's management company was nearby, making communication convenient. It seemed to be the best solution at the moment. It wasn't appropriate for them to disband on the spot, and they couldn't leave due to the traffic jam anyway.
Chu Yueyi's eyes flickered, and she said hesitantly, "Ah, well..."
Of course, she understood the director's intentions, but why did it have to be today of all days? Today was the day of the agent's big meeting, where Li You would report the artists' achievements for the year to the company.
She couldn't even begin to imagine the scene if she brought Shi Guanghua along. On stage, Li You would be reporting to the boss about the commercial value of hyping up celebrity couples, while down in the audience would be sitting her own on-screen partner for this very purpose, along with a whole bunch of producers from the show?
Chu Yueyi thought: This would be the ultimate social death scene for a working professional.
Seeing her troubled expression, Shi Guanghua's gaze lowered, his eyes dimming.
He had actually noticed that she was reluctant to encounter people from outside the show with him, and that she carefully protected her own territory, not wanting her private life to be exposed to the cameras, maintaining a sense of neither too close nor too distant.
He understood her protective psychology and tried his best to choose the studio, not wanting to trouble her too much.
Although Shi Guanghua felt disappointed inside, his face remained calm and unruffled. He softly tried to help her out of the situation: "Let's forget it and think of another way."
The follow-up director was taken aback: "Huh? But we can't go anywhere else now. The company should be the closest."
Before Shi Guanghua spoke, Chu Yueyi hadn't noticed anything, but as soon as she heard his voice, she instantly picked up on some emotions. She didn't know why she was so sensitive, probably because his personality was too reserved, causing her to tune her perception of him to the maximum, afraid of missing any important signals.
He seemed a bit down, and he wasn't saying why.
What was wrong now?
Could it really be that time of the month again?
Detecting something amiss, she immediately turned to look at Shi Guanghua with curiosity, scrutinizing his expression repeatedly, attempting to find any clues.
Shi Guanghua didn't dare to look at her directly at this moment, but averting his gaze would also reveal his thoughts. He simply took the initiative to grab the steering wheel, evasively saying, "Let's go back then."
Chu Yueyi felt even more certain that something was up with him. She gazed at him deeply, reminding him, "We can't go back now."
Shi Guanghua: "It's fine."
Chu Yueyi tilted her head slightly, becoming increasingly sure of his mood. She deliberately said, "Something's wrong."
Shi Guanghua remained silent.
After a moment of silence, Chu Yueyi decisively said, "Why don't we go to my place then?"
Her tone sounded casual and calm, but those who knew her well would understand that this statement was anything but simple.
Shi Guanghua had originally thought Chu Yueyi was unwilling to expose her privacy, who would have thought she'd jump straight from the company to her home? He immediately looked shocked. He looked at her in disbelief, at this moment dumbfounded and at a loss, seemingly completely caught off guard.
Faced with his astonished expression, Chu Yueyi sheepishly scratched her head. She decided to lighten the mood herself, flashing a Versailles-style smile: "After all, I'm a Beijing resident with a Beijing house, practically the cream of the crop among locals, right?"