The seventh episode of "Heart-Fluttering Promise" focused on filming a music video, which due to the large amount of content, would take two to three days to shoot. The first day was just for meetings and discussions, with the actual MV filming to begin afterwards.
Chu Yueyi arrived at the creative park for two consecutive days. After the production team helped her set up the audio equipment, she made her way to the studio building, familiar with the route. Today, they weren't going to Shi Guanghua's music workspace, but rather meeting in the company's conference room, along with many staff members involved in the MV production.
Inside the company, as soon as Chu Yueyi entered, she saw Shi Guanghua coming down the stairs and casually greeted him: "Good morning."
Since the large conference room was in the public area of the company, she didn't need to take the elevator. She just had to walk through the lounge area in front of the door and then climb the stairs to reach the meeting place.
Shi Guanghua had probably just left the conference room and was likely heading back to his own studio when he unexpectedly ran into Chu Yueyi at the entrance. He silently stopped in his tracks. Faced with her bright and friendly smile, he struggled internally for a long time before finally responding in a muffled voice: "Morning."
The next second, instead of continuing downstairs, he turned and began climbing back up, changing his direction.
Chu Yueyi stared at Shi Guanghua's back in confusion. She didn't understand his hesitation on the stairs, and he didn't even stop to wait for her. He took large strides back up, as if afraid of being caught up to.
If they weren't filming right now, she would have openly criticized him, but with the equipment nearby, she had to remain somewhat restrained. She could only patiently quicken her pace, but his long legs gave him an advantage, and he was genuinely walking faster than her.
Chu Yueyi thought to herself: What's going on? Is this some kind of speed walking competition?
Chu Yueyi entered the conference room with mixed feelings, but didn't see Shi Guanghua who had arrived earlier. Other filming personnel were seated inside, and Cheng enthusiastically guided her upon seeing her enter: "You can sit over there!"
The conference room had a large long table piled with various documents, with many seats around it already occupied. There were two empty seats between Cheng and the MV director, seemingly reserved for Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua, as there was a camera position directly opposite them for the show's crew.
Chu Yueyi smiled and greeted the others before politely taking her seat, waiting for the meeting to begin.
Cheng glanced at the time and muttered, "Shi-ge is really slow, taking so long to grab some materials."
Chu Yueyi asked, "He went to get something?"
Cheng replied, "Yes, just from his studio, he didn't leave the company."
Chu Yueyi recalled her encounter with a certain someone on the stairs and felt even more puzzled. If he was going to his studio, why did he run back upstairs?
Moments later, Shi Guanghua returned with a hard drive. He handed it to Cheng and looked up to see the seating arrangement in the conference room, startled to find that the only empty seat was next to Chu Yueyi. The others had already divided into their areas and were engrossed in discussing their work, not noticing his momentary lapse.
Chu Yueyi had been waiting for a long time without seeing him sit down. She turned back to look at him curiously, wondering why he was frozen in place.
When Shi Guanghua met her questioning gaze, he felt as if shards of ice had suddenly struck his heart, causing the dull pain from last night to resurface. He pondered for a few seconds, then pulled over an empty chair from nearby, directly creating a new seat for himself.
Cheng watched his strange behavior, glanced at the empty seat next to Chu Yueyi, and naturally exclaimed in surprise, "You..." Why aren't you sitting next to her?
The show's crew also exchanged bewildered looks. They had already set up the camera positions, and the two always sat together before. Why weren't they following the usual pattern this time?
Chu Yueyi now keenly felt his coldness, unlike before. This feeling was somewhat reminiscent of their first dinner encounter, but seemed to have deepened, exuding an inexplicable distance. At the lakeside restaurant, he had been wooden at most, not knowing how to converse, but now he was putting up a wall of aloofness. She had never seen this side of him before, mistakenly thinking that the awkwardness of the first episode was the peak, not realizing he could set a new historical record.
Chu Yueyi didn't get angry in public. She stood up, nodded to the show's cameraman, and directly pushed her chair, walking to Shi Guanghua's side. She forcefully inserted her chair into the empty space next to him, her movements graceful yet assertive, creating a new base in one swift motion, mirroring his actions.
Shi Guanghua was caught off guard by her boldness and turned his head slightly in surprise.
Facing his gaze, Chu Yueyi didn't avert her eyes and even smiled, saying frankly, "I just want to be next to you, is that not allowed?"
Shi Guanghua was stunned for a few seconds. His eyes flickered slightly, but he ultimately said nothing and moved over a bit.
Chu Yueyi wasn't sure if he was trying to avoid her or make room for her, but she didn't care at the moment. She sat down without hesitation, practically shoulder to shoulder with him. Shi Guanghua had originally forced himself to find a new seat, and now with Chu Yueyi squeezing in, they were even closer together, truly side by side.
Seeing this, the show's crew quickly changed positions, setting up their equipment directly opposite the pair again.
Chu Yueyi sensed that Shi Guanghua was sulking strangely. She had no idea how she had offended him, and while a flame of anger ignited within her, she maintained a calm exterior for the recording. She felt as if she were split in two – outwardly engaging in pleasant conversation, inwardly seething with rage.
She didn't understand why she was experiencing such intense emotional fluctuations, only knowing that his attitude infuriated her far more than when they first met. Back then, she hadn't cared about his reticence and could even joke with Li You during breaks. Now, she was so angry she wanted to torment and tear him apart.
Shi Guanghua was indeed in poor form today. His entire being exuded an aura of cold detachment. When he spoke, his voice was low and hoarse, devoid of emotion as he discussed the MV filming plans: "Tomorrow's shot list has been finalized, the director should have sent it to the group chat..."
The directors of "Heart-Fluttering Promise" looked helpless. They were indeed here to film the MV shoot for the Moonlight couple, but this strictly business-like atmosphere was truly odd. It didn't match the tone of a dating reality show at all, and they couldn't understand when the two guests had become so antagonistic, subtly exuding a tense atmosphere.
The director thought: Are they dating? They look more like they're about to fight.
As Chu Yueyi listened to Shi Guanghua's plans, she wanted to see the shot list and habitually leaned over, intending to look directly at the notebook computer of the person next to her.
Shi Guanghua was speaking expressionlessly when he suddenly noticed a small head approaching from his left side, catching sight of her delicate hair whorl in his peripheral vision. She was intently focused on the computer screen, with a few strands of her long hair accidentally falling onto his wrist, bringing an almost imperceptible tingling sensation.
She was like a cat supervising human work, quietly staring at the screen while nestled by his hand.
His words faltered slightly before he quickly regained his composure, continuing to assign filming tasks while suppressing the flutter in his heart. While maintaining his cold facade during the meeting, a self-tormenting thought arose: if he was no different from others to her, wouldn't she be this unguarded with anyone?
She would probably lean close to other people too; it just happened to be him at the moment.
Thinking of this, his eyes darkened slightly, and his body's cooling ability increased once again.
The cameraman opposite them saw their intimate actions and hurriedly operated the machine to zoom in for a close-up, trying to capture this rare material of the day.
Shi Guanghua noticed the staff member's intention and frowned slightly, feeling even more displeased. His long fingers reached for the edge of the notebook computer, intending to push it slightly to the right, away from the person on his left.
Chu Yueyi keenly anticipated his movement. Appearing nonchalant, she moved her chair back slightly, leaned forward, and simply rested on the table, using her right arm to pin down his left arm and the notebook computer. She even rested her head on her right arm, continuing to look at the shot list intently.
Her movements were smooth and fluid, even appearing lazy and cute, but she firmly held down his left arm and the computer, interrupting his attempt to escape.
Shi Guanghua, failing to withdraw and instead being pinned down: "..."
He clearly felt his left arm was about to be crushed; she was definitely applying force under the guise of casualness. It seemed she was quite upset as well.
Shi Guanghua couldn't help but look at the person deliberately exerting pressure.
Her profile was soft, with long eyelashes fluttering, and almond eyes sparkling. She looked docile and harmless, casually and naturally sprawled on the table. It was truly an innocent face perfect for mischief; no one could tell the naughty thoughts bubbling up inside her at that moment.
If she were to sell someone out for money, they might even be grateful.
At this moment, Shi Guanghua felt a mix of love and hate towards her. He wanted to pull away decisively, but seeing her made his heart soften, unable to forcefully withdraw his hand and push her away.
Chu Yueyi wasn't fond of pranking people, but if she wanted to torment someone, she had a hundred ways to do it. The more he tried to avoid her, the more she wanted to irritate him, and even make sure they were caught on camera together!
He didn't want to play along?
Too bad, the decision wasn't his to make. It all depended on her.
Chu Yueyi was slightly annoyed now. If Shi Guanghua dared to forcefully pull his hand away at this moment, she had already planned her next move against him. He could continue avoiding her like the plague, but she would make him taste her own venom.
Chu Yueyi thought: Come on, let's hurt each other.
However, Shi Guanghua made no further moves. He allowed his left arm to be pinned down by her throughout the meeting, calmly discussing the music video without budging an inch. It was as if his left hand wasn't controlled by his brain, operating as a special administrative region, different from the rest of his body.
Chu Yueyi began to wonder if she was resting on a piece of wood. She deliberately moved her right arm, pressing down on his left arm again, but got no response. Both sides had ceased fire, and the conflict didn't escalate.
After the meeting ended, Chu Yueyi finally sat up straight, releasing Shi Guanghua's trapped arm.
Shi Guanghua watched her leave the room before he started flexing his stiff wrist, feeling his left hand numb and senseless.
At the meeting room door, the "Heart-Fluttering Promise" production team decided to wrap up early and not continue filming for the day. The executive director cautiously asked, "Yueyi, have you two grown distant after the New Year?"
Although Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua had been together the whole time, their dynamic was clearly off, lacking their usual ease and liveliness. The director mistakenly thought they hadn't seen each other for too long, causing their cooperation to be less smooth and filled with awkwardness and peculiarity.
Chu Yueyi felt wronged inside but responded good-naturedly, "Maybe so. I'll talk to him later. We're really sorry for troubling everyone today. We weren't in our best condition."
She spoke softly throughout, apologizing to the staff, including on Shi Guanghua's behalf.
The executive director comforted her, "It's alright, don't worry. You've just resumed work. Things will be better tomorrow. Don't take it to heart..."
Seeing Chu Yueyi being so humble, the director and others couldn't bring themselves to blame her.
As staff members gradually left the meeting room, the production team packed up their equipment and left first. The microphones were taken from both Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua, and with others constantly around them, they had no chance to talk as they wrapped up.
Shi Guanghua, reluctant to face Chu Yueyi directly, slowly organized his materials, planning to leave for his own studio after everyone else had gone.
Cheng, seeing him dawdling, asked suspiciously, "Aren't you going to see her off?"
Cheng thought: Yesterday you specifically went downstairs, but today you're indifferent?
Shi Guanghua usually only saw her off, and he felt quite uneasy. He muttered, "I'm not done yet."
Cheng frowned, "How strange. Well, I'll go see her off then."
After Cheng left, the meeting room became increasingly empty, finally leaving only Shi Guanghua. The hallway outside grew quiet too, no longer filled with the clamor of people finishing work, indicating that others had left.
Shi Guanghua finally picked up his laptop and stepped towards the door, ready to head home.
Just as he walked out of the meeting room, he heard a familiar female voice.
Chu Yueyi was leaning against the wall alone, with no one by her side. She spoke calmly, "Finally brave enough to come out?"
Shi Guanghua turned back in surprise, not expecting her to still be there.
Chu Yueyi was here to settle scores. She gazed at him impassively and said decisively, "Let's talk."