Chu Yueyi's joke instantly broke the awkward silence, prompting the directors around to start teasing. The atmosphere among everyone relaxed in an instant, no longer tense like during their earlier conversation.
The follow-up director said, "Well done, very gracious!"
Other staff members who had a good relationship with Chu Yueyi couldn't help but joke, "We have a traitor among us. Yueyi already has her own place."
Everyone who had been irritated by the rush hour traffic jam now became lively and cheerful again.
Shi Guanghua quietly watched this scene. She always knew how to influence the mood of those around her, subtly turning situations around. He hesitated before asking, "Are you sure?"
Chu Yueyi lowered her head to unfasten her seatbelt. "I'm sure, but not everyone can come. There's not enough room for so many people."
The follow-up director said, "As long as we have camera positions, that's fine. The rest can go eat first."
The directors all had a sense of discretion for filming and immediately reduced the recording staff, letting the remaining people dine nearby. Since the program would be reviewed by the celebrity team before airing, Chu Yueyi didn't have many concerns. Li You wouldn't let information that shouldn't be exposed appear in the final cut; it would all be edited out later.
Seeing her get out of the car, Shi Guanghua asked, "We're not driving over?"
"In such a hurry to get to my place?" Chu Yueyi gave him an amused look. "Don't we need to eat first?"
Shi Guanghua was momentarily at a loss for words. He wasn't as quick-witted as her, and suddenly became awkwardly silent, choosing to keep his mouth shut.
The sun was setting, and a chilly wind was blowing. The companies in nearby high-rises had not yet finished work, but the roads were already congested. Looking down from the overpass, the car lights merged into an extended river of stars.
The convenience store was brightly lit but mostly empty of customers, quite quiet inside. Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua didn't dine out; they planned to just buy some snacks and treats to get through dinner.
In front of the well-stocked shelves, the two silently selected items, browsing the drinks in the refrigerated section. Chu Yueyi spotted the sweet oxygenated yogurt on the shelf and gestured to Shi Guanghua, smiling, "Look at this."
Leyuan's sweet oxygenated yogurt was the title sponsor for "Heart-Fluttering Promise," and they had even shot a plain yogurt commercial.
Shi Guanghua immediately understood the hint: "You want to do product placement?"
Chu Yueyi replied, "This is called proactively serving the client. Don't make it sound so emotionless."
Shi Guanghua: "?"
Hearing this, Shi Guanghua took a bottle of sweet oxygenated yogurt from the shelf and had just placed it in the shopping basket when she reached out and took it back.
Shi Guanghua asked in confusion, "Didn't you want to proactively serve the client?"
Chu Yueyi put it back on the shelf. She didn't really want to drink yogurt, but diplomatically said, "If we buy this bottle of yogurt, someone else won't get to taste its deliciousness. Let's leave the opportunity for others."
"..."
Shi Guanghua heard her serious tone and didn't know what was going on in her little head. He couldn't help but smile faintly and shake his head, not bothering to argue.
Chu Yueyi caught his fleeting smile from the corner of her eye, and her heart relaxed a little. She looked back at the refrigerator in front of her and took out a box of lychee fruit tea, casually saying, "The company had a big meeting today. I didn't want to go listen to the report."
She was usually skilled at communication and wouldn't randomly change topics, but this time she made an uncharacteristically irrelevant comment.
She was explaining herself.
Shi Guanghua looked up at Chu Yueyi in surprise, seeing her standing quietly in front of the shelf, casually selecting items. Her face was illuminated by the light from the cooler, her smooth long hair partially obscuring her expression, but her slightly trembling eyelashes revealed everything.
Shi Guanghua felt a slight stirring in his heart and said softly, "You don't need to explain, actually."
Whether she wanted to go to the company or not, she surely had her reasons.
Chu Yueyi always felt that he minded this matter, which was why she impulsively spoke up. She put down the strawberry fruit tea in her hand, her fingers stiffening slightly, knowing he was right – explaining only made it seem deliberate.
"But I'm glad."
Chu Yueyi was stunned by his words, her eyes widening slightly.
Shi Guanghua casually picked up the drink she had put down and said nonchalantly, "Don't choose anymore. Let's buy them all."
His expression was calm and composed as usual, completely at odds with the word "glad."
Chu Yueyi looked at the two boxes of fruit tea placed side by side in the shopping basket and buried her nose in her scarf, saying quietly, "But I can only drink one box."
Shi Guanghua replied, "There are two of us."
Chu Yueyi stared at his expressionless face for a long time. After calming the tumultuous emotions in her heart, she raised her chin again and imperiously commanded, "I want ice cream. Go buy some for me."
Seeing her almond eyes bright and full of vitality again, Shi Guanghua's gaze softened, and he quietly responded, "Alright."
Shi Guanghua didn't reproach her for being bossy and actually took the shopping basket to the ice cream section.
Chu Yueyi clicked her tongue softly. He really was obedient.
A moment later, the two stood at the checkout counter. Chu Yueyi looked at the basket full of ice cream and immediately felt overwhelmed. Her brow twitched violently, and she couldn't help but complain, "What is this supposed to mean?"
She only wanted one ice cream. Did he empty out the entire freezer?
Shi Guanghua blinked. "You wanted ice cream?"
Chu Yueyi said flatly, "I'll just eat one. There are two of us. Why did you buy so many? Are you planning to eat them all yourself?"
Faced with her questioning, Shi Guanghua was momentarily speechless.
Chu Yueyi: "If you can't finish all this today, don't leave."
Shi Guanghua: "...I'm sorry."
Chu Yueyi: "If apologies were enough, why would we need the police?"
Shi Guanghua: "..."
In the end, Shi Guanghua didn't buy extra. Under her supervision, he reorganized the freezer and apologized to the store clerk, striving to be a model citizen.
After finishing their shopping at the convenience store, the two headed to Chu Yueyi's residential complex, which was near her company.
The complex had very strict security, so the production team didn't film on the way. They waited for Chu Yueyi to set up inside before putting on shoe covers and setting up their equipment in the apartment.
It was already dark outside, and all the curtains in the apartment were drawn. As the lights came on in the living room, her daily living environment was fully revealed. The room was fairly tidy, with coffee and snacks on the coffee table, definitely looking like someone lived there.
Chu Yueyi breathed a sigh of relief when she got home, thankful that the cleaning staff had come today. At least the living room looked presentable enough to receive guests, without exposing her messy habits.
Shi Guanghua had already changed into slippers. He was still holding their purchases and didn't dare to look around the apartment carelessly. He asked, "Where should I put these?"
"Let's freeze the ice cream for a bit. The rest can go on the table," Chu Yueyi said as she went to look for a small blackboard. "I'll go find a blackboard so we can discuss later."
Shi Guanghua spotted the refrigerator in the corner. Following her instructions, he first took out the ice cream from the shopping bag, then slowly opened the freezer compartment. Various odds and ends immediately came into view.
Things that should be in the refrigerator, things that shouldn't be in the refrigerator – they were all gathered there merrily, welcoming Shi Guanghua's arrival.
Shi Guanghua felt it wasn't right to casually touch things in someone else's refrigerator, but in the end, he couldn't suppress his complex emotions. He reached out to remove the completely freezer-burned fruit from the freezer compartment and silently threw it into the kitchen trash can.
Shi Guanghua thought: Let's not even discuss where it should have been – it's definitely not edible anymore.
He put the ice cream in the freezer compartment and nervously glanced towards the living room. Ultimately, driven by curiosity, he carefully opened the upper refrigerator compartment.
As expected, the upper compartment was equally messy, showcasing the owner's poor self-care abilities.
It was truly amazing how the outside could look so clean while the inside was in such disarray.
Chu Yueyi was completely unaware that her true nature had been exposed, mainly because the cameras hadn't followed to the refrigerator. She sat on the living room sofa, wiping clean the small blackboard from her home. Seeing Shi Guanghua walk over, she suggested, "Let's use this to figure out the MV positioning."
"Alright," Shi Guanghua said. Seeing her enthusiasm and vivacity, and thinking of her usual behavior, he couldn't help but marvel, "You're quite impressive."
Chu Yueyi: "Huh? What's impressive?"
Shi Guanghua: "Everything about you is impressive."
She seemed so capable of taking care of others on the outside, but in reality, she was clueless about everyday matters. He wondered how she managed it – it was truly admirable.
Chu Yueyi was completely puzzled: "Thank you...?"
Although Shi Guanghua was restraining his gaze, focusing mainly on discussing the MV, he still noticed many details with his peripheral vision.
The table was filled with her favorite snacks, a gaming console and game cards sat near the TV cabinet, and the bookshelf diagonally across held books on film and television, interspersed with some flashy comics. These were all parts of her she had never revealed before; at least, no one previously knew she had any connection to anime and manga.
Her public image was always perfect and professional, rarely disclosing her entertainment preferences, like a precise working machine.
However, he was now in her private space, tangibly experiencing her human side.
She was always flawless under the flashbulbs, but now she was tinged with the air of everyday life.
The two were sorting through venue materials in the living room when suddenly, the sound of a key turning came from the door.
As the front door opened, a middle-aged man carrying shopping bags entered. He was about to instinctively search for slippers when he looked up and saw the room full of people, coming face to face with the camera crew.
Chu Yueyi recognized the newcomer and jumped up from the sofa in shock, hurriedly saying, "Why did you suddenly come?"
Chu Yueyi: The King of Hell summons you at the third watch, who dares keep you till the fifth? Could it be that heaven truly wants to destroy me!?
The middle-aged man temporarily ignored the strangers around and spoke with dissatisfaction, "Although you're the homeowner, your mom and I contributed money too. Why can't we come over suddenly?"
Shi Guanghua, who initially didn't know who the newcomer was, also stood up in a fluster, looking uncertainly at Chu's father, feeling sweat frantically forming on his palms, completely unprepared mentally.
Chu Yueyi wanted to avoid her company colleagues, but unexpectedly, her own father delivered a fatal blow, actually launching a surprise attack at home!
She had always lived alone, with Li You occasionally visiting, while her parents lived elsewhere. Today was truly one event after another.
Chu Wenyue had an easygoing attitude. He too had seen much of the world. Dispelling his initial surprise upon entering, he cheerfully greeted everyone, "Come on, don't just stand there, please sit down."
The program crew wasn't large, and they were also somewhat dazed at this point, unsure whether to continue recording.
Chu Yueyi gritted her teeth and said, "Dad, we're working."
Chu Wenyue raised an eyebrow, looking at her with the gaze of scrutinizing a capitalist, muttering, "Bringing people home to work, you really know how to treat people. It's almost New Year's now."
Chu Yueyi quietly retorted, "...The program team's New Year holiday isn't under my control." She was just an employee too.
Faced with the unexpected situation, Shi Guanghua intervened timely, "Uncle, actually we've finished recording, and we're about to leave."
Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua had just finished discussing the MV when Chu Wenyue suddenly visited, obviously meaning they should end the recording. Shi Guanghua now felt a bit dizzy; he felt it wasn't good to linger any longer and quickly made the decision to extricate himself from the situation.
Shi Guanghua's appearance was strikingly different from others. Although several people were gathered in the living room, his aura stood out particularly, his figure like a crane standing in snow.
Chu Wenyue, not deeply familiar with the entertainment circle, roughly guessed that the other party was a celebrity. Not knowing the details of the program, he amiably said, "You've finished your work?"
If Chu Yueyi's social skills were strong, Chu Wenyue was the enhanced version at the top of the pyramid. He interacted with people without any trace of unfamiliarity, exuding a warm and generous air, extremely approachable.
Shi Guanghua responded nervously, "Yes."
Chu Wenyue glanced at the snacks on the coffee table, slightly raising his eyebrows, and said frankly, "That's perfect then, stay for a meal. We can't let guests just eat junk food."