Chu Yueyi was originally deeply surprised by Bai Yiyang's appearance, and now hearing Shi Guanghua's words, she glanced at him in disbelief and hesitated, "You..." How could it be up to her to decide whether he could do it or not?
Faced with Chu Yueyi's astonished expression, Shi Guanghua simply propped up his chin, turned his head to look at her, and asked leisurely, "Do you think it's okay?"
His eyes were like exquisite dark gemstones, and now his tone was steady and gentle, seriously seeking her opinion, as if he greatly valued her thoughts.
Chu Yueyi pondered for a few seconds. She didn't understand music, so how could she give advice? She said to him softly, "You shouldn't ask me. If I say it's okay, but you can't do it..."
Shi Guanghua: "You've already said it's okay, so even if it's not okay, it has to be okay."
Hearing him speak so casually, Chu Yueyi was momentarily speechless.
Qin Ya laughed at this and said, as if reciting a tongue twister, "This is truly Schrödinger's 'okay'. As long as Yueyi hasn't spoken, no one knows if it's okay or not."
Bai Yiyang could see that Shi Guanghua was deliberately showing goodwill towards Chu Yueyi. She had watched all episodes of "Heart-Fluttering Promise" and was increasingly convinced that this man was putting on an act. He was good at playing innocent on the show, letting Chu Yueyi take the lead, but privately he flirted with her. He really didn't lose out both on and off camera.
On camera, he wasn't proactive, so when the CP was disbanded, he didn't leave himself open to criticism. Off camera, he took the initiative, and could still receive care from Chu Yueyi's old friend.
Thinking of this, Bai Yiyang lowered her head to cut the food on her plate and said indifferently, "But Mr. Shi Guanghua hasn't done film scoring before, right?"
Shi Guanghua: "That's right."
Bai Yiyang: "Then you might not be used to composing for films. You might not have much inspiration and suddenly changing direction could give you a headache."
Shi Guanghua: "There's a first time for everything. If it's a memorable beginning, the creative inspiration might be even richer."
Bai Yiyang: "Inspiration isn't easy to find."
Shi Guanghua: "That depends on who's looking for it."
In a flash, Shi Guanghua and Bai Yiyang had exchanged several moves. Their attitudes were quite restrained, but anyone could see the undercurrents, and there was a strange tension in the air.
Qin Ya raised her chin towards Chu Yueyi and smiled, "Now it's time for our inspiration to speak up. Are you going to give him this creative inspiration or not?"
Hearing this, Shi Guanghua and Bai Yiyang both looked at Chu Yueyi, quietly waiting for her response.
Faced with this scene, Chu Yueyi felt that the atmosphere wasn't quite right: "..."
Chu Yueyi's inner thoughts were a bit chaotic at the moment. She was first puzzled by Bai Yiyang, who had been avoiding her, suddenly speaking up, and then surprised by the friction between Shi Guanghua and Bai Yiyang. They clearly weren't familiar with each other, yet there was hostility erupting.
Chu Yueyi cleared her throat and said objectively, "Mr. Shi indeed doesn't have experience in film scoring..."
Shi Guanghua's gaze dimmed slightly, while Bai Yiyang's eyebrows raised a bit.
Chu Yueyi looked at Qin Ya and analyzed rationally, "But he has been involved in quite a few overseas projects, and I remember he provided tracks for a well-known animation company, which is actually similar to creating music that fits the visuals, not much different from composing film scores."
She was now very familiar with the studio and had heard a lot about Shi Guanghua's resume from Xiao Cheng, so she spoke knowledgeably.
Hearing this, Shi Guanghua was slightly stunned. He had forgotten about this himself and didn't know how she had found out.
"If senior really wants to, you can send us the materials to look at, and then we can discuss ideas and styles. Just talking like this, no one can be sure, and it's not good to decide hastily."
Chu Yueyi's words were impeccable, but she had already made her stance clear, believing that Shi Guanghua's abilities were not a problem, but that they needed to communicate about ideas and style. He was certainly an experienced musician, but many things still depended on whether they were suitable. They couldn't just make promises carelessly.
When Shi Guanghua heard "send us to look at," he instantly felt relaxed. He casually played a piano tune on the table, looking extremely pleased, and didn't continue the conversation.
Qin Ya nodded with a smile, "Of course, we'll talk more. So I'll take that as a yes?"
Bai Yiyang's expression darkened slightly. Seeing Chu Yueyi defend him, she suggested in a low voice, "Why don't Mr. Shi Guanghua talk about his experience with animation music?"
Chu Yueyi was skilled in official communication methods, but Shi Guanghua was clearly not adept at this, so naturally, she had to attack the weaker side.
Qin Ya: "Haha, is this like interviewing on my behalf?"
Chu Yueyi elegantly put down her cutlery and gently rejected the suggestion: "That won't do."
Bai Yiyang muttered, "Why not?"
Chu Yueyi raised her eyes to look at Bai Yiyang. Her eyes were bright as clear mirrors, imbued with a light that seemed to see through everything. Half-jokingly, she said, "Oh, because he's a big mute. I can only speak for him."
Chu Yueyi's gaze was neither avoiding nor yielding, like the intense light of the afternoon, leaving nowhere to hide.
Bai Yiyang originally had many dissatisfactions, but under the other's gaze, she suddenly lost her courage to continue obstructing. She could only clench her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white with the effort of restraint.
Hearing her speak so firmly, Shi Guanghua felt as if fireworks had exploded in his chest. He quickly raised his glass to drink water, hiding his smile, and agreed dizzily, "Mm, I'm mute."
Qin Ya: "Hahaha, so we've been chatting with a mute all this time!"
Shi Guanghua earnestly described his condition: "Yes, I've been mute for over twenty years."
Bai Yiyang: "..."
When Chu Yueyi spoke to Bai Yiyang, her smile was full, yet it produced a great deterrent effect. Before long, the other party bid farewell.
After Bai Yiyang left, Qin Ya finally reined in her smile and gossiped in a low voice, "Did you two really have a falling out?"
The outside world said that Chu Yueyi and Bai Yiyang had become rivals, but Qin Ya was still somewhat skeptical, as they had gotten along well during their school days.
Shi Guanghua observed Chu Yueyi's expression out of the corner of his eye, but there was no emotion visible on her face.
Chu Yueyi said casually, "No, there's no deep grudge. We just haven't been in touch for a long time and grew apart."
Qin Ya sighed with regret, "You two seemed to have a good relationship in school. I often ran into you together on campus."
Chu Yueyi explained, "Someone once told me that people have specific friends in each stage of life, and when the time comes..."
Shi Guanghua's lips curved slightly: "When the time comes, there will be new friends."
Hearing him accurately complete her sentence, Chu Yueyi glanced at him in surprise, then turned back to Qin Ya and nodded, "That's right."
Qin Ya sighed, "Ah, that's true, especially in this industry."
After the three finished their meal and chatted for a while, it was time to say goodbye. Chu Yueyi originally suggested that Shi Guanghua and Qin Ya exchange contact information, but unexpectedly, both parties tacitly declined and instead pushed the communication task onto her.
Qin Ya waved her hand generously, "Oh, why bother with these formalities? If we really need to discuss details in a meeting, I'll just contact you directly. Won't we all be able to meet then?"
Chu Yueyi's eyebrows twitched, "But I don't understand music..."
Shi Guanghua: "You do."
Qin Ya: "You heard the expert speak!"
Chu Yueyi: "..."
At the restaurant entrance, Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua saw Qin Ya off. She sent a message on her phone while walking, then escorted Shi Guanghua back to the rest room.
At the door of the rest room, Chu Yueyi put on her own coat from inside the room, then returned the suit and blanket to Shi Guanghua, smiling, "Wait for me for a moment, I'll be right back. I'll also let Youyou know."
Faced with her radiant smile, Shi Guanghua asked curiously, "Where are you going?"
Chu Yueyi shook her index finger and said vaguely, "Don't ask about a girl's secrets."
Shi Guanghua looked suspicious, his gaze immediately becoming deep.
Seeing this, Chu Yueyi sighed and simply reached out her hand to him, saying decisively, "Alright, alright, come along then. We might as well hold hands and go together. Is that okay with you?"
Shi Guanghua was suddenly at a loss for words. He pursed his lips, looking sideways, and responded, "I understand."
Chu Yueyi sent Shi Guanghua into the room, looked at the message on her phone, and then set off, avoiding the crowd.
In another rest room, manager Shang Qing had already arranged for the assistants to pack everything up. She turned to look at Bai Yiyang, who was still lowering her head and fiddling with her phone, and urged, "We should go now. What are you doing?"
Bai Yiyang had been distracted since returning from the meal, lost in thought about something.
Bai Yiyang put away her phone: "I'm waiting for someone."
Shang Qing looked around the empty rest room, now with only the two of them left, and asked in confusion, "Who are you waiting for?"
The next moment, there was a gentle knock on the door of the rest room. Shang Qing heard the sound and opened the door. When she saw who it was, she looked surprised and hesitated, standing still.
Chu Yueyi smiled warmly and said, "I'd like to talk to her."
Bai Yiyang, clearly guessing who the visitor was, calmly called out from inside, "You go check on the car first."
Shang Qing knew these words were meant for her. She hesitantly glanced between the inside and outside of the room, then finally walked out of the rest room silently, carefully closing the door behind them.
Shang Qing didn't go to check on the car, but instead stood guard outside the rest room door. This was the backstage of a grand event, after all, and it was best to avoid any incidents. The soundproofing in the rest room was excellent, so no one could hear what the two were discussing.
After entering the room, Chu Yueyi looked at Bai Yiyang sitting in the chair and said casually, "I thought you were planning to avoid me for the rest of your life."
Bai Yiyang's face paled slightly at these words. She had indeed been avoiding Chu Yueyi in public, but today she had acted rashly due to certain reasons.
Chu Yueyi got straight to the point: "I won't take up too much of your time. I just hope you won't cause him any trouble, and it's best if you steer clear of him in the future, just like you've been avoiding me."
Chu Yueyi hadn't initially noticed any conflict between the two, as Shi Guanghua could barely remember the faces of celebrities. She assumed Bai Yiyang must have been the one to pick a fight first. Now that she was aware of the issue, she wanted to resolve it decisively.
Bai Yiyang gritted her teeth and said, "You've only known him for such a short time, and now you're already helping him network. I won't even mention the album for the show, but now you're promoting him outside the show too. Isn't your bias a bit too strong..."
If the two were truly in a business relationship, Bai Yiyang would have no objections. It would simply be a matter of mutual exploitation and generating publicity. However, the current situation was clearly different.
It was considered good if the teams of male and female guests didn't clash, let alone going out of their way to help each other. To put it bluntly, after the show, they would need to focus on their core fans, which actually made them competitors. The more Chu Yueyi invested now, the more difficult it would be to separate and focus on her own fanbase later.
Chu Yueyi calmly refuted, "He's not from the industry. Don't use industry thinking on him."
Bai Yiyang angrily retorted, "If he's not from the industry, why is he on the show? You're too close to see clearly. Sooner or later..."
"Sooner or later, he'll stab me in the back out of nowhere, just like you did." Chu Yueyi finished the sentence impassively. "Is that what you wanted to say?"
Bai Yiyang fell silent immediately, her eyes suddenly filled with fear.
Chu Yueyi hadn't intended to twist the knife in the other's heart, but Bai Yiyang's assessment of Shi Guanghua was too arbitrary. She decided to administer a slight punishment, saying, "Back then, because of a casual remark from your boyfriend, I inexplicably lost a major role. You were so scared that you never dared to reply to my messages again, and you've been like a frightened bird for years. Do you think he would be like you?"
The old story between Chu Yueyi and Bai Yiyang was nothing new. It boiled down to Chu Yueyi working hard to secure a good role, only to have it snatched away due to the careless interference of Bai Yiyang's then-boyfriend. This was certainly not Bai Yiyang's intention, but her boyfriend at the time didn't know about the relationship between Bai and Chu, and his attempt to secure resources to please his girlfriend naturally turned into a scandal about stealing roles.
Chu Yueyi had once shed tears over the injustice, but now she was long past it. The entertainment industry is all about connections; sometimes a casual word from someone else can defeat all your hard work.
Bai Yiyang had always felt guilty towards her former friend. She had thought she was already at rock bottom in the other's eyes, but she never expected Chu Yueyi to be able to recount the ins and outs of the incident so clearly, as if she were a detached observer.
Bai Yiyang's face turned deathly pale, and she said in a trembling voice, "You knew all along..."
Chu Yueyi replied, "Of course I knew. I guess it wasn't your idea. You wouldn't have dared even if you had twice the courage."
Although it wasn't Bai Yiyang's idea, she was indeed the beneficiary, while Chu Yueyi was the victim.
Chu Yueyi sneered, "I also know why you've been avoiding me. At first, it was fear and inability to face me, then it was worry that I might retaliate, right? After all, I know too much about you, and your reputation at school wasn't great to begin with."
Chu Yueyi had quite a reputation during her school days. If she really wanted to target someone, she had her ways. It was she who had helped Bai Yiyang turn her reputation around in the first place, so it would have been all too easy to ruin it again.
"Sometimes I wonder, how despicable am I in your eyes to make you this scared, or were your thoughts always this base?" Chu Yueyi said calmly. "But it doesn't matter anymore. He's not like you."
Chu Yueyi no longer felt any indignation, nor did she need any explanation.
People should say goodbye at dignified moments. She would never speak of Bai Yiyang to anyone, nor would she go along with others' disparagement of her. This was her respect for the past years. She hadn't forgotten anything, but she also didn't harbor any deep emotions.
Resentment was too heavy a burden. To completely deny someone who had once been a companion seemed more like an inability to let go.
Chu Yueyi had long seen through Bai Yiyang, like a bird passing through the sky or a leaf floating on a lake surface. They had once entered her field of vision at a certain moment, but that was the end of it. They wouldn't stir up any waves.
Bai Yiyang witnessed the other's composed attitude, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart. She became agitated and retorted in a hoarse voice, "What's so different? He's also on the show to become famous. You didn't see through me back then, so how can you be sure you won't be deceived by him now!?"
Bai Yiyang felt as if there was a sharp blade twisting in her chest, but she still deliberately said these harsh words, hoping to make Chu Yueyi come to her senses at this moment. Others might not see it, but she could see quite clearly that the other was about to fall in too deep.
Chu Yueyi saw through Bai Yiyang completely, and Bai Yiyang knew Chu Yueyi just as well.
"Then let him deceive me," Chu Yueyi shrugged nonchalantly. "If I can't handle it, I'll admit defeat."
If Shi Guanghua really managed to fool her completely, she would accept her loss gracefully.
She could afford to lose.
Bai Yiyang was thunderstruck, as if she were looking at a stranger. She exclaimed in shock, "You..."
You haven't fallen for him, have you?
Bai Yiyang didn't dare to say these words out loud. She was afraid that if she pointed it out, it would only make things worse.
Chu Yueyi didn't dare to linger too long. She turned and grasped the door handle of the rest room. With her back to Bai Yiyang, she said, "I hope you'll remember what I said. In the future, when you see him, just walk the other way."
Bai Yiyang's voice was muffled as she asked, "What if I don't agree?"
Chu Yueyi was silent for a moment, then said pointedly, "You might have misunderstood something. The fact that I disdain certain methods doesn't mean I won't use them."
Whether she wanted to retaliate and whether she would retaliate were two entirely different matters.
"Let me be a good person," she said.
The door of the rest room closed with a soft click, completely blocking the sight of Chu Yueyi's departing figure.
Bai Yiyang sat rigidly in her chair. Even after so many years, the other hadn't changed a bit. It was as if she had never been tainted by the glamorous circle, still maintaining the same demeanor she had in school.
Her memory suddenly drifted back to an afternoon in acting class. The acting classroom was filled with gossipmongers who had fabricated rumors about her, and she was too timid to enter, only able to wait for this wave of discussion to pass. The girls didn't get along with her well, and while the boys seemed friendly on the surface, they often made crude jokes in private, which actually felt worse.
Sometimes she didn't know where to go. She didn't trust the people around her much.
"There's no need to gossip about classmates, is there? It's actually quite boring," came a voice from the classroom. The girl who looked least like a drama student in the class broke through everything. Her face didn't have much intimidating power, but she successfully stopped the situation.
No one knew she was just outside the door, able to hear everything clearly.
This voice pierced through the roaring flood, and Bai Yiyang would remember it for many years to come.
Outside the rest room, Chu Yueyi hurried back, just in time to bump into Shi Guanghua coming out.
Shi Guanghua had been wandering around nearby when he didn't see her return. He now came close to examine her, saying directly, "You took so long."
During the New Year's Eve gala, Chu Yueyi had said "You're so slow" to him as soon as she entered. Now it was finally Shi Guanghua's turn to say these words.
Faced with his inquiring gaze, Chu Yueyi felt as if she had been secretly petting a cat outside and now returned home to be interrogated by her own cat. She took a small step back, moving away from him a bit, and frowned, saying, "What are you doing? Are you going to sniff me too?"
She had just used the bathroom as an excuse, so now she naturally took the opportunity to make him uncomfortable and dispel his inexplicable suspicions.
Surprisingly, Shi Guanghua dared to respond, nodding and saying, "I could."
Chu Yueyi stared at him in surprise: "Aren't you a bit too kinky?" Even the bathroom hadn't deterred him.
Shi Guanghua: "What if there's someone else's perfume smell?"
Chu Yueyi: "Sorry, there's only bathroom air freshener smell."
Shi Guanghua: "You have to smell it to know."
Chu Yueyi: "?"
Shi Guanghua's raven-colored eyelashes gently lowered, his eyes as clear as black gemstones. He gazed at her intently, politely and gentlemanly asking for permission: "So, may I smell you now?"