Chu Yueyi was stunned by his words. She stared blankly at Shi Guanghua, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Shi Guanghua remained calm and patient, gazing at her serenely.
After a moment, Chu Yueyi took a deep breath. She casually shrugged and said with a devil-may-care attitude, "Sure, why not?"
Seeing her so nonchalant, Shi Guanghua's expression faltered slightly, and he was momentarily speechless.
Chu Yueyi had been enduring his strange behavior all day. Now she retaliated without mercy, saying frankly, "But it's only fair if I get to smell you first. Otherwise, it wouldn't be right, would it?"
A flicker of uncertainty crossed Shi Guanghua's face, clearly not expecting her to say that.
His confidence waning, Shi Guanghua reminded her, "...I asked first."
Chu Yueyi replied with a poker face, "I'm a girl. You should let me go first. After all, you're supposed to be a gentleman."
This was exactly what Shi Guanghua had said on the MV set, now cleverly repurposed by her in this scenario.
Shi Guanghua was left speechless.
Seeing his tense expression and silence, Chu Yueyi good-naturedly tried to negotiate, saying warmly, "How about we drop the gender card? I'll let you smell me first, then you let me smell you? How do you plan to do it?"
Chu Yueyi looked at Shi Guanghua with a gentle expression, but in reality, her heart was racing. Life was a gamble, and she was playing a psychological game, seeing who had the nerve to go through with it.
Shi Guanghua's eyes were as deep as still water. His lips were tightly pressed together, his face impassive.
They stared intently at each other, both down to their last hit point, waiting to see who would be countered first.
After a moment, he was the first to look away from her gaze, murmuring, "We should head back..."
Victory!
Chu Yueyi immediately felt confident. She grabbed his sleeve and declared righteously, "Don't go! Take off your clothes and let me smell what a great musician smells like."
"..."
Chu Yueyi thought to herself: You have to fight magic with magic, perversion with perversion. What's with all your fancy tricks?
Shi Guanghua only knew he needed to change, but he truly couldn't transform so quickly. Forcefully held back by her, his jade-white ears turned slightly red as he muttered, "We'll be late if we don't leave now."
Chu Yueyi said leisurely, "What are you afraid of? Are you sure you don't want to do it now? Planning to smell me in the car instead?"
The subtext was clear: there was still some protection in public, but in the car, there would be no escape.
Shi Guanghua tried to step away but was still held tightly by her. He had been able to take the initiative before because she hadn't responded, seemingly caught off guard. Now that she had changed her attitude, he naturally couldn't handle it.
Shi Guanghua didn't dare to shake her off, yet struggled to walk away. Finally, he slowly lowered his gaze and said softly, "...I was wrong, I was wrong."
He looked like a large dog that had been subdued, his earlier aura completely dissipated as he faced away from her, embarrassed.
"Now you know you were wrong?" Chu Yueyi held onto his sleeve, just short of twisting his arm behind his back to arrest him on the spot. She said coolly, "Behave yourself. You've been acting strange lately."
Shi Guanghua had been a bit off these past couple of days. He seemed to have learned to be sarcastic and frequently did bizarre things, making her feel at a loss. At first, she thought she'd just observe for a while, but who knew he'd be stirring up trouble all day? In the car, he said something about being "tired of looking," then tried to feed her fruit during dinner, and now he was saying shocking things.
As the saying goes, three strikes and you're out. She couldn't take it anymore.
Hearing this, Shi Guanghua suddenly stopped walking and became oddly uncomfortable. "It was me who wasn't right before."
Chu Yueyi was taken aback. "What?"
Shi Guanghua turned to look at her and said pointedly, "Tell me the truth. Did you think I was always acting foolishly before?"
After coming to his senses, Shi Guanghua felt that he had been incredibly stupid in the past. The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.
Faced with his serious expression, Chu Yueyi found it hard to express her true thoughts. "..." Yes, you were just a simpleton, the type who looks good but isn't very bright.
Shi Guanghua saw her hesitation and immediately said, "No lying."
Under his scrutinizing gaze, Chu Yueyi carefully chose her words: "I wouldn't say foolish. More like... innocently adorable?"
Shi Guanghua's gaze was deep as he repeated each word slowly: "Innocently adorable?"
Chu Yueyi's smile stiffened slightly as she continued to elaborate, "...Or perhaps, unworldly?"
The musician was clearly still unsatisfied.
Chu Yueyi sighed lightly and rallied her spirits. "How about this? Let's start the conversation over. Maybe I can give you a better answer."
Shi Guanghua asked, "How do we start over?"
Chu Yueyi replied, "First, delete that 'no lying' part, and I'll give you a satisfactory answer."
Shi Guanghua: "..."
The two were conversing quietly by the entrance, still maintaining their pull-and-stop posture. At that moment, Cheng walked out from inside. He looked at the two in their standoff and asked in surprise, "What are you guys...?"
Chu Yueyi was pulling Shi Guanghua, while Shi Guanghua was staring intently back at her. It wasn't clear who was tormenting whom.
Faced with someone else, Chu Yueyi immediately let go of her hand, regaining her usual composure. She smiled and said, "Just practicing our acting skills."
Cheng wasn't Li You, the manager. He didn't say much but instead asked curiously, "What are you acting out?"
Chu Yueyi thought to herself that they might be acting out a scene of cracking down on vice.
Shi Guanghua chimed in at the right moment: "It's time to go."
While Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua were tugging and pulling in private, they tacitly restrained themselves when others were present, demonstrating the professionalism of a "business couple."
Before leaving, they exchanged pleasantries with the platform's executives and dealt with people from other entertainment companies. Finally, they were able to return to their van, waiting for the journey back.
Li You didn't get in the car. She stood outside the door and poked her head in, saying, "You guys go back first. I still have some things to take care of."
Li You had met many industry peers at the event, and naturally, there would be dinner engagements later for business networking.
Cheng, in the front passenger seat, responded enthusiastically, "Don't worry, we'll make sure they get back safely."
Li You nodded and thanked Cheng, then instructed her artist, "Yueyi, I'll send you a message tonight. Remember to check your upcoming schedule."
Chu Yueyi had been as busy as a spinning top lately and could only respond, "...Alright."
Li You returned to the gala to work, while Chu Yueyi and the others left first.
The car door slowly closed, and the scenery outside the window began to move, leaving behind the clamor of the opening ceremony. The crowd in front of the red carpet had completely dispersed, and now it looked much more desolate, with confetti and sequins scattered on the ground.
Hearing the earlier conversation, Shi Guanghua asked curiously, "Are you going to be very busy?"
"They say I'm busy, but it's more like being busy for nothing, just like today." Chu Yueyi had been dealing with troublesome trivial matters every day recently. These small tasks were very energy-consuming but an essential part of the job, such as maintaining contact and relationships with the platform.
This was different from being on set for acting, which still had a creative aspect. Public exposure was different.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but look at Shi Guanghua and tease, "Isn't it boring? Not as comfortable as working in your studio, having to meet so many people."
They stood under the flashing lights, listening to hollow words, interacting and maneuvering with skilled performers in the industry, then inexplicably wasting a day. This was probably vastly different from Shi Guanghua's daily routine.
She guessed he had no interest in it at all, judging from his reactions at the event.
Shi Guanghua: "It's alright."
Chu Yueyi: "This time we had to come just to be present, but if you don't like it, you don't have to come in the future."
Shi Guanghua: "But this is your usual work environment, right?"
Chu Yueyi was taken aback: "Yes, pretty much when I'm not on set."
"Since it's your work environment, I want to understand and see it. So, I don't dislike it."
His voice was soft and light, gently floating into her ears, yet making her heart skip a beat.
The moving car was very stable. The driver and Cheng were both sitting in the front, completely unaware of their casual conversation.
The sky gradually darkened. Chu Yueyi turned her head but couldn't clearly see his expression. The same doubt arose in her heart again, and she finally couldn't help but ask directly, "Why did you decide to join the show?"
She thought she had already formed an understanding of him, but there was one detail that defied logic: his motivation for participating in the show. She felt like he didn't seem to want to become famous, so what was his reason for participating?
A person's motivations can reveal endless information, and this was an important part of her assessment.
Shi Guanghua pondered for a few seconds before asking in return, "Why did you join the show?"
Chu Yueyi answered without hesitation, "Because I've accumulated enough works, and my acting skills have been honed. Now I need exposure to take my career to the next level."
This was her initial reason for participating in the show - using variety shows to increase her visibility and fuel her career.
Now hearing these words, Shi Guanghua could think calmly and nodded, "Mm, I understand."
Last time he learned about this, he was deeply shocked, but now he found it reasonable. If her initial intention to join the show wasn't career-driven, then everything wouldn't make sense.
Chu Yueyi asked, "What about you?"
Shi Guanghua replied, "Now I'm the same as you." He also hoped for her career to advance further.
Chu Yueyi looked at Shi Guanghua in confusion. She thought she should have studied Chinese language and literature after meeting him, as she often couldn't understand his answers. She asked blankly, "What do you mean?"
He could have simply answered "the same as you," which would imply they were both putting on an act, but he specifically said "now I'm the same as you." He truly was a master of contemporary language.
Shi Guanghua calmly tilted his head to look at her, then turned his gaze to the window outside. "Who knows?"
He wouldn't speak rashly now, understanding her many considerations, at least not during the recording period.
This was a false dream woven by the production team. Although it seemed sweet and pleasant, it ignored and concealed many hidden dangers. Truth and reality cannot be born from lies and fantasies; they would have to return to reality one day.
Even if he spoke out now, she wouldn't believe him. She might even think he was getting carried away, mistaking their frequent interactions over the past few months for something more, like an actor who hasn't come out of character.
What he sought wasn't fleeting joy or intimacy in front of the camera, but the years to come.
It wasn't the right time yet, but he could wait.
Faced with his enigmatic attitude, Chu Yueyi couldn't help but frown slightly. Even with her seatbelt on, she turned towards him demanding an explanation, "You're really being a bit passive-aggressive..."
"You don't have the right to bully me yet," Shi Guanghua said, seeing her raise an eyebrow. He gently but firmly pushed her back into her seat and adjusted her seatbelt. "When you have the right to bully me, I can tell you the reason."