Chu Yueyi's attitude was casual and natural, showing no signs of anything unusual. Shi Guanghua stared at her silently for a long time, unable to utter a word. He could only stand rigidly in place holding her hand, repeatedly pondering the concept of service consciousness.
Chu Yueyi asked suspiciously, "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there an answer written on my face?"
It was only natural that she found it strange that he kept staring at her face.
"Nothing..." Shi Guanghua caught sight of the filming crew gathered at the entrance. Only then did he slowly come back to his senses. He pulled her forward again and said in a muffled voice, "You were right about one thing earlier."
Chu Yueyi followed him through the creative park, heading straight for the parking area. She looked curious and asked, "What thing?"
"I really did come out on a whim." Shi Guanghua gently held her hand with one hand while pressing the car key in his pocket with the other. His voice was like a gentle winter breeze as he suddenly said, "Let's run away."
At that moment, he didn't know why he couldn't stay in the studio any longer. He suddenly had the impulsive desire to take her out for a walk.
Without any specific destination, he simply wanted to do this. Perhaps it was because he saw how relaxed she was while receiving the massage, and instantly lost all motivation to work properly.
Chu Yueyi was stunned. "Run away to where?" What was he suddenly talking about?
To a place without cameras.
Where they wouldn't have to worry about filming for the show, escaping to a corner with just the two of them.
Shi Guanghua silently answered in his heart, but he also knew how unrealistic this idea was. He reached out to open the car door for her and said softly, "Get in."
Chu Yueyi looked at him in confusion for a few seconds, then obediently lowered her head and sat in the passenger seat. She often couldn't understand Shi Guanghua's meaning. He truly lived up to being a modern-day riddler – either he didn't speak at all, or when he did speak, it was incomprehensible.
Shi Guanghua closed the passenger door and walked around to the driver's side. He placed his phone's navigation on the side and, after the directors behind them caught up, prepared to start the vehicle and leave the creative park.
Chu Yueyi had already seen the navigation destination, but knowing Shi Guanghua's poor communication skills, she deliberately teased him: "Shouldn't you introduce the itinerary? Saying nothing makes it feel like kidnapping."
Shi Guanghua nodded. "It is kidnapping."
Chu Yueyi said indifferently, "You're overthinking it. Today you've been sold to me, so just fulfill your duty as my companion."
Shi Guanghua had indeed been forced to sell his services in a confused state. He finally began to consider his own treatment and asked, "...I want to know, is this an hourly work system?"
Chu Yueyi unhurriedly countered, "Do you think discussing work hours has any meaning in today's society?"
Shi Guanghua pondered, "So there might be overtime."
Chu Yueyi seriously corrected him, "It's not overtime, it's called a blessing."
Shi Guanghua: "?"
Shi Guanghua sincerely said, "Thank you, today also makes up for my regret of never having worked in China."
Who would have thought that he, as a musician with flexible hours, would one day experience the hardships of an office worker? His strange life experience increased. Cheng used to always mock him for not understanding human nature and worldly affairs, but after meeting her, he was frantically making up for lost time. All the social beatings he had missed out on before were now coming back to him in full force.
After a short drive, the two got out of the car near a building and gazed at the sparsely populated entrance. This was the place Shi Guanghua had chosen through an online search. The building had areas for video games, trampolines, rock climbing, and some specialty restaurants – a standard place for entertainment.
Perhaps because Chu Yueyi's expectations were low, she actually thought it wasn't bad. After all, he wasn't associated with the word "entertainment" at all, and had only looked up this place while at the creative park.
Being a workday, the building was extremely empty, with hardly any visitors. The corridors seemed cold and quiet.
As soon as they entered, they saw the futuristic-looking gaming area. After exchanging tokens at the front desk, they began to wander around the empty area.
Chu Yueyi swung the small basket of coins, listening to their pleasant jingling sound. She stopped in front of a shooting game and muttered, "Bringing a girl to play video games?"
Shi Guanghua had no idea where to go on a date. In previous recordings, the production team had chosen the locations, and later they had been focused on their careers together, with no opportunity for joint outings. The only private meeting had been organized by her; he just had to follow along from start to finish.
In the past, Shi Guanghua had disdained social interactions, but when he really needed them, he felt powerless.
Remembering the game console and comic books at Chu Yueyi's home, he thought she would be interested in these things, which is why he brought her here. Worried that he might have misjudged, he tentatively asked, "Is it not okay?"
Chu Yueyi had already inserted the coins. She picked up the toy gun in front of her and replied, "It's fine."
How could she think it wasn't okay? She was just afraid that he wouldn't be okay with it.
This shooting game was a multiplayer battle. They each held a gun, staring at the screen, shooting at each other from behind virtual cover.
A moment later, Chu Yueyi decisively and cold-bloodedly blasted Shi Guanghua, smiling as she said, "Oops, I shot down our Princess Yaoyao."
Shi Guanghua was brutally defeated in the game. He looked hesitant and said, "...Didn't you say it was your first time playing?"
She had clearly said she hadn't been to an arcade in a long time and wasn't familiar with the current game machines.
Chu Yueyi replied, "Yes, but we're both first-timers. How dare you challenge me?"
With those piano-playing hands of his, how could he hope to beat her at a game?
Shi Guanghua: "..."
Shi Guanghua now understood her initial question. The reason was that he was crushed in all types of games, with no chance of a comeback. Whether it was shooting games or racing games, she was invincible in all of them. After winning, she would even add fuel to the fire, slowly saying, "Poor Princess Yaoyao."
Her gentle and caring demeanor when playing Honor of Kings suddenly disappeared. Probably because there were no other players like Zou Qian around, and given their familiar relationship, she showed her true colors in private. She didn't let him win even once, unleashing a merciless beating.
Chu Yueyi was playing with great enthusiasm, enjoying the pleasure of beating Shi Guanghua into silence. However, she inadvertently glanced at the camera in the corner and suddenly remembered that they were still filming. She quickly composed her smug expression.
Chu Yueyi cleared her throat and forced a gentle tone, "It's okay, you're just not good at this. Let's try something else."
Her face changed as quickly as lightning, as if the person who had just humiliated him wasn't her, and as if she hadn't teased him with "Princess Yaoyao."
Shi Guanghua stubbornly said, "No, let's stick with this one."
Seeing his slight frustration, Chu Yueyi consoled him kindly, "Alright, it's normal for boys to be bad at games. Why don't we play something easier? How about trying a rhythm game?"
Shi Guanghua: "..." Somehow this consolation made him feel even more frustrated.
The two exhausted their game tokens in the arcade area. Considering Shi Guanghua's mental health, Chu Yueyi didn't continue to humiliate him with video games and suggested looking at other areas. Shi Guanghua naturally had no objections. After browsing the map, they took the elevator to the trampoline area.
The trampoline park was quite spacious. Chu Yueyi had already taken off her shoes in the storage area and changed into the necessary equipment for trampolining. She walked along the passage into the play area, where dark trampolines filled her view.
The park was divided into several sections by railings, including a pure trampoline area, tall slide installations, and a swimming pool filled with blue and white balls.
Chu Yueyi spotted a basketball hoop nearby. She stepped onto the undulating trampoline, feeling the instability beneath her feet. Suddenly, an idea came to her, and she suggested, "Shall we have a basketball shooting competition?"
This part of the trampoline area was set up like a basketball court, with safety basketballs placed in the corner.
Shi Guanghua noticed her competitiveness and lowered his gaze, saying, "Are you sure?"
Chu Yueyi picked up a basketball and said considerately, "My balance is better than yours. I can go easy on you if you want."
Shi Guanghua was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "No need."
He took the basketball from her hand and, under her confused gaze, calmly walked to the basket. With a casual lift of his hand, he tossed the ball into the hoop. He then turned back and asked her calmly, "Are you still sure you want to compete?"
Seeing that he didn't even need to stand on tiptoe, Chu Yueyi was greatly shocked: "..." He really was so tall!
Chu Yueyi had known from the beginning that he was very tall, but humans are creatures of gradual adaptation, and over time, they become resistant to many characteristics.
It was like how she had initially marveled at his appearance, but after seeing it for a long time, it was overshadowed by the "silly" label. At first, he had been awkward and unable to speak, but now their interactions were becoming increasingly natural.
Although Shi Guanghua had the height advantage, Chu Yueyi didn't back down.
The two faced off on the basketball court, not following official basketball rules, but simply taking turns shooting.
Although Chu Yueyi's accuracy was decent, she gradually fell behind Shi Guanghua, mainly because he didn't need to aim, just slightly raising his hand was enough.
Shi Guanghua's dark bangs framed his calm expression. He stood like a tall pine tree, not moving an inch the entire time, steadfast beside the hoop.
Chu Yueyi noticed he was about to shoot easily again, so she deliberately misbehaved, jumping heavily to let the undulating trampoline disrupt his rhythm.
Sure enough, Shi Guanghua was affected by the trampoline's waves. He missed a shot and turned to look at her.
Chu Yueyi calmly picked up the ball for her turn to shoot, casually explaining, "An accident."
Her shot went into the basket.
It was Shi Guanghua's turn again, and Chu Yueyi repeated her trick, jumping up to interrupt.
Shi Guanghua had anticipated her move. His fingertips twitched slightly, sinking the ball, and he looked at her again.
Facing his scrutinizing gaze, Chu Yueyi said without a hint of guilt, "Court tactics. You can do it too."
Shi Guanghua's eyes deepened slightly, his brows and eyes relaxing as he asked, "Are you sure?"
Chu Yueyi nodded, "Otherwise, why would we have a shooting contest in the trampoline area?"
If they weren't utilizing the court for the competition, they could shoot baskets anywhere.
Shi Guanghua slowly walked towards her, looking at her righteous face. Without using much force, he simply stepped on the trampoline with one foot, creating waves far exceeding her strength. While Chu Yueyi had to use her whole body's weight to affect him, he effortlessly made her bounce.
In the next second, Chu Yueyi lost control and soared into the air. She felt like she was about to nosedive, but then fell into a warm embrace, firmly held aloft by him.
Shi Guanghua calmly held her, lifting her feet completely off the ground. His eyelashes, dark as ink, fluttered slightly as he repeated in a meaningful tone, "Are you sure?"
He hadn't even broken a sweat during their earlier competition, his clothes still fresh and clean, but his strong arms made one feel feverish all over.
Chu Yueyi's heart raced. For once abandoning her competitive spirit, she felt dizzy in mid-air and softly said, "...I was wrong, okay?"
Sensing her discomfort, Shi Guanghua didn't say anything more, carefully setting her down.
Neither of them mentioned the sudden embrace again, much to the frustration of the surrounding directors who could only watch helplessly. They acted as if nothing had happened, naturally moving on to experience other facilities.
Chu Yueyi had been caught off guard when he lifted her, feeling utterly flustered at that moment, but felt quite remorseful after being set down. Since they were filming a dating show, her reaction was rather unprofessional – it wasn't even that intimate of an embrace.
But she had been so nervous in mid-air, unable to find any footing, only able to cling to him.
It was a feeling of losing control, something very unfamiliar to her, as she had rarely lost control before. She usually handled most things quite well, or rather, subconsciously avoided factors that could lead to loss of control, never allowing for unclear situations.
Ambiguity represented misjudgment, which she couldn't tolerate.
Chu Yueyi quickly shook off the unease in her heart and re-immersed herself in the trampoline park. She and Shi Guanghua climbed to the top of a towering slide, thrillingly rushing down towards the soft mats below, like children playing in a kindergarten.
Shi Guanghua slid down first, reaching the mat, but before he could stand up, he felt a not-too-heavy impact on his body.
Chu Yueyi had arrived as well, sitting atop the slide and landing on top of Shi Guanghua. She declared assertively, "You caused a traffic accident."
Shi Guanghua hadn't gotten up in time, causing her to crash directly into him.
Shi Guanghua: "The rear car is fully responsible in a rear-end collision."
Chu Yueyi: "You stopped on a highway."
The two began passing the blame, arguing right there on the slide, truly resembling drivers on the side of a highway.
Watching her animated expression as she accused him, Shi Guanghua suddenly felt a rush of impulse, wanting to take her away from this space filled with cameras.
What he wanted wasn't her restraint in front of the cameras, but perhaps her uninhibited nature at the ice rink, or her spirited competitiveness in the arcade, or even her flustered state when being lifted.
He was growing weary of this constructed theater, wanting to lead her off the stage.
But it wasn't yet time for the true final curtain, so he could only accompany her in play under everyone's gaze for now.
Shi Guanghua's eyes dimmed, but catching sight of the lively spark in her eyes and her clever way of shifting blame onto him, he suddenly made a bold move. Taking advantage of their current position, he lifted her onto his back. With a slight movement, he settled her firmly on his shoulders, then stood up with ease.
Chu Yueyi had just been arguing on the slide when, without a word, he lifted her up, and she found herself straddling his shoulders, raised to a startling height.
Now she was truly sitting on a giant's shoulders to see the world. She hurriedly grasped him to maintain balance, looking around uncertainly from her high perch, her voice trembling as she said, "You..."
"Don't move, or Princess Yaoyao might fall."
His voice was inexplicably joyful, floating softly into her ears, yet producing an explosive effect.
Chu Yueyi's heart nearly stopped. As she gazed at the expansive view from her high vantage point, gradually calming from her initial panic at being lifted, she regretted her decision for the first time.
If they hadn't met and gotten to know each other on a dating show, perhaps they could better understand the drumming heartbeats in their chests right now!