Shi Guanghua lingered in front of the elevator for a long time before finally turning back to return home. Once there, he sat at his desk and began to space out again.
After a moment, he took out his phone and, unusually for him, started taking stock of his assets. Due to his previous work abroad, he still had some overseas accounts. He had deposits in RMB, Korean won, and US dollars. He definitely didn't have 100 million RMB in liquid assets, so out of the remaining two currencies, he could only choose Korean won to reach 100 million.
Cheng had already finished cleaning up the dishes. Coming out of the kitchen, he noticed Shi Guanghua sitting quietly at his work desk and couldn't help but mutter, "There's no need to push yourself so hard. You just got better, and you're already working?"
Shi Guanghua replied concisely, "No."
Cheng, long accustomed to the other's terse speaking style, pressed on, "Then what are you sitting there for?"
Shi Guanghua turned to look at him: "I'm thinking."
Cheng's face showed curiosity: "Thinking about what?"
Shi Guanghua answered seriously: "How to quickly earn 100 million RMB."
Cheng: "Oh come on, what's there to think about? It's all written in the criminal law!"
Shi Guanghua: "..."
As an artist, Shi Guanghua had always viewed money as inconsequential. For the first time, he earnestly asked: "Do you know how much assets I have?"
He had no interest in lavish indulgences, his greatest hobby being the purchase of equipment. Plus, having long been in a state where he could comfortably support himself, he never developed much financial management awareness. He would regularly send money home, but in reality, his parents didn't lack for it - it was purely an expression of care.
Because Shi Guanghua came from a decent family background and had started earning income through his talent very early on, his concept of money was quite indifferent. If there were truly people in this world who lacked the harsh lessons of society and lived in a vacuum, it would probably be those like him - with a decent family living condition and an outstanding skill in a certain area, thus able to escape the common struggles of life.
He had never considered money before. When he made money from music, he bought equipment. After buying equipment, he continued to make music, then had money to buy new equipment. Over time, instruments and gear piled up, and friends started frequently borrowing them. Then they began to feel embarrassed and simply proposed starting a company together.
At that time, everyone said the prospects for development in China were good, and the domestic entertainment industry wanted to connect with the international scene. People like Zou Qian had successively returned to China. Shi Guanghua's overseas work had been out of necessity initially, and when he first returned, there was nowhere to showcase his skills. Now, it was only natural for him to develop his career in China, investing in the company through his technology and equipment.
Cheng frowned slightly, falling into thought. He hesitated, "Ah, what do you mean by assets? The money in your accounts? Or does it include real estate and shares? Should we count your equipment too?"
Cheng couldn't give an immediate answer. He didn't know whether to just look at the deposits or add everything up together.
"Why don't you just tell me what you're trying to do?" Cheng scratched his head, "If I know what you're up to, I can better answer."
Shi Guanghua replied expressionlessly, "Support a family."
Cheng: "?"
Cheng trembled as he spoke, "... You're not hiding anything from me, are you? Aren't you recording a show now? Are you getting married soon?"
Shi Guanghua: "No."
Cheng immediately exploded in anger: "Then what family are you supporting! You haven't even started a family, what are you thinking about!"
Cheng: You haven't even gotten a girlfriend yet, what are you blabbering about!?
Shi Guanghua blinked and asked, "If I were to support a family, would I be able to now?"
"You really are out of touch with reality..." Seeing his earnest face asking the question, Cheng placated him, "Yes, yes, you absolutely can. If worst comes to worst, you can always marry into someone else's family. It's not a big deal!"
Shi Guanghua's looks were passable, maybe someone would be willing to foot the bill for him.
After saying this, Cheng couldn't be bothered with the otherworldly musician anymore. He took out his phone and went to the balcony to make a call, discussing the online release of a digital album.
Because Shi Guanghua had unexpectedly come down with a high fever, and Chu Yueyi didn't want him to overexert himself, the ninth episode of "Heart-Fluttering Promise" wasn't re-recorded. Instead, it was filled with a large amount of previous footage and MVs.
After it aired, netizens were naturally quite dissatisfied. Many viewers had come for the Moonlight Group, and now they were questioning whether the show was controlling the amount of Moonlight Couple content, using the two to attract attention before abandoning them, and now starting to promote other couples. This was a common tactic for many shows - teasing highlights in previews, then cutting them out entirely in the actual episode.
The comments section of the "Heart-Fluttering Promise" official Weibo was filled with abuse, with many demanding an explanation from the show's production team.
Inside the company, Chu Yueyi had just finished a script reading session. She casually refreshed her Weibo feed and discovered the conflict between the official account and the viewers, immediately feeling a sense of helplessness. If it had been her who was sick, they probably would have chosen to re-record. After all, artists shouldn't be pampered - it's natural to show up on camera when you're paid, and minor illnesses shouldn't be an obstacle.
However, she always felt that Shi Guanghua wasn't really part of the entertainment circle. At the time, she had taken it upon herself to discuss with the Chief Director, wanting to give Shi Guanghua more time to rest, and use previous footage to fill the ninth episode. The Chief Director had agreed out of kindness, and now was inexplicably taking the blame. Naturally, she felt guilty about it.
Shi Guanghua knew nothing about this matter. After all, it was her idea, so it should really be her responsibility.
Chu Yueyi opened her own Weibo account. She lowered her head to edit some text, then spoke up, "Sister You, I want to post something on Weibo. I'm asking for your approval."
"What are you going to post?" Li You leaned over. After seeing the edited text, she immediately felt a headache coming on. "You call this asking for approval? Are you sure you're not just notifying me?"
Li You threw up her hands in resignation: "Fine, fine, go ahead and post it. You're always such a goody-two-shoes when it comes to work!"
Chu Yueyi could have easily let the "Heart-Fluttering Promise" production team take the blame. After all, the official Weibo could just play dead in the face of viewers' abuse. She really had no need to step up and take responsibility for this.
Chu Yueyi: Due to personal reasons, I wasn't able to record in time, disappointing all the viewers. I'm truly very sorry. The staff of the show are all very professional and excellent. I hope that our upcoming joint efforts will satisfy the viewers who are looking forward to and love the show.
Moon Moon is not a Rabbit: Girl, if you're being held hostage by the production team, just blink twice. How dare they make a guest take the blame??
Lychee: Why do you have to apologize? Do they still think you're just a small-time actress? Don't they know how popular Moonlight is now!?
Not long after Chu Yueyi posted on Weibo, the Artistic Director from the next room rushed over. She didn't even knock before barging in, ready to unleash her anger: "Li You, who posted that Weibo? Did you have anyone review it?"
The Artistic Director pushed the door open in a rage, just about to pick a big fight with Li You, when she saw Chu Yueyi in the room. She immediately deflated, her voice gradually lowering: "Oh, Yueyi is here too. I just wanted to discuss something with Li You..."
Li You had already anticipated this outcome. Her scalp was now tingling as she sighed, "Alright, here we go."
Chu Yueyi stood up voluntarily and sincerely said, "I'll come along too."
Chu Yueyi understood the Artistic Director's thoughts and stance. People in the company generally prioritized her interests, even throwing others under the bus or sacrificing other teams when necessary. This was the nature of the entertainment industry's power struggles - there were no real friends or comrades. As long as the profit was big enough, they could betray each other at any time.
The audience and fans would only think that Chu Yueyi was being victimized, so she could have chosen not to speak up for the production team.
The Artistic Director hadn't expected Chu Yueyi to come along. The three of them moved to the adjacent room, immediately falling into an awkward silence.
Chu Yueyi was now in a different league. Before, she was a good actress but not popular enough. Although she had good relationships with her colleagues, there was still the occasional sigh that she wasn't destined for fame. People all have a psychology of respecting the strong - being nice alone isn't enough, you need to be both strong and nice.
Chu Yueyi had achieved this through the variety show "Heart-Fluttering Promise". Her previous works subsequently fermented, showing an astonishing fan conversion rate. Now, her data within the company was very impressive.
This made her a rising star that the Artistic Director couldn't easily criticize.
Facing the two of them, the Artistic Director could only say good-naturedly, "Yueyi, now that your popularity has increased, Weibo management is very important. If you post such a Weibo rashly, the fans' reactions will be very intense, and some unfavorable comments are already being pushed to the top..."
As soon as Chu Yueyi posted the Weibo, fans and viewers exploded, becoming even more suspicious that she was being pushed out to take the blame. In any case, they would never believe that the artist was at fault - it was always the company and the production team that made mistakes.
Everyone in this office was in charge of publicity. The Artistic Director had just stormed out, and the others hadn't yet reacted, not even having time to see the Weibo post.
Someone sitting at their workstation, browsing the Weibo page, asked curiously, "What unfavorable comments? I see Yueyi's comment section is calm and peaceful?"
The Artistic Director was patient with Chu Yueyi but snapped at others, gritting her teeth: "Didn't you see? Several comments are blaming us!"
The person scrolled with the mouse, raising an eyebrow in confusion: "I don't see any? The first comment is from Shi Guanghua, isn't it?"
Artistic Director: "Huh? Shi Guanghua doesn't use Weibo, does he?" Can't you make up a more believable lie?
Celebrities' busy schedules often mean their social media is managed by their companies, but Shi Guanghua was different. His Weibo was barren, not even reposting show promotions, clearly lacking team management. His last post was from who knows how long ago.
Chu Yueyi, who had also seen his Weibo, looked surprised: "?"
"See for yourselves, I'm not lying," said the publicist, turning the screen to show the Weibo page.
Li You and the Artistic Director stepped forward to check, while Chu Yueyi took out her own phone, indeed finding Shi Guanghua's comment first, with countless netizen replies.
Shi Guanghua: Due to sudden illness, I couldn't record on time, disappointing our audience friends. I'm truly very sorry. The show's staff are all very professional and excellent. I hope our upcoming joint efforts will satisfy the viewers who are looking forward to and love the show.
Maple Comes Too: Bro, you're actually using Weibo, this is shocking me for the entire year!!
The Clown Turns Out to Be Qian: So why aren't you replying to Zou Qian in your comments? Is he not worthy?
Little Xia: Male stars don't reply to comments for years, female stars post and are online in a second. Who's the special follow? It's obvious, isn't it?
: Be more confident, maybe they're posting together.
Dazed and Confused: Be more confident, maybe they're posting while lying together [doge]
Chocolate Ball: Although I'm disappointed, the crew just posted on Weibo, and the female goose is doing a script reading.
Wave Wave: Can't they bring family members to read?
Yuan Yuan: It's her personal reason, you suddenly got sick, you two better get your stories straight. I don't mind a physical mouth-to-mouth alignment, thanks.
Ruan Duanduan: Copying someone else's post, really? What joint efforts are you talking about, could it be the fruit of love?
Thorny: You think saying sorry will just make it go away? Don't try to fool the audience, I'll lose my memory if you get married next episode, otherwise this isn't over [doge]
The Artistic Director and Li You were completely stunned after reading the comments, but the publicist was eagerly scrolling through Weibo, muttering: "This hot search is rising fast, feels like we're not losing out on this one?"
"Chu Yueyi Shi Guanghua post on Weibo" quickly climbed up, seemingly with quite a momentum. Even the hot search positions were priced in real money, being able to rise naturally saved a lot of investment.
Faced with the unexpected good results, the Artistic Director stammered: "Ah, this..."
Negative comments in the comment section suddenly disappeared, replaced by a surge of Moonlight(Yue-Guang) Couple shippers, along with hot searches coming up to promote, instantly reversing the previously bad situation.
Artistic Director: Could this be foresight? This move is on another level?
"Oh my God, why did he have to post..." Chu Yueyi looked at her phone worriedly. She was supposed to take responsibility, but now he's made things more complicated, making it harder to explain the situation of the ninth episode.
Chu Yueyi never expected Shi Guanghua would see it, she posted so recklessly precisely because she knew he didn't use Weibo!
Not long after, the hot search kept rising higher, and the dormant official Weibo of "Heart-Fluttering Promise" finally posted, breaking its silent state, using a similar wording.
Heart-Fluttering Promise: Due to not taking good care of the guests' health, we couldn't record on time, disappointing our audience friends. We're truly very sorry. Both guests who recorded are very professional and excellent. We hope our upcoming joint efforts will satisfy the viewers who are looking forward to and love the show.
The show's new Weibo post was very official, but the operations team also left comments in the comment section, sweeping away the serious tone and transforming into a begging, whining character.
Heart-Fluttering Promise: Wuwuwuwu sorry, recent recordings have been too frequent, Teacher Shi suddenly got a high fever, Teacher Chu didn't want him to be too tired, so we decided to use previously recorded material to complete the ninth episode. We're really sorry for disappointing everyone, we'll never dare to do this again yingying [crying]
The official account always maintained a serious image, so this way of talking was quite peculiar, making netizens feel fresh.
His Muse: Ah, I'm fine now, tell us more details! I don't mind this bit of traffic!
Moonlight: Heart-Fluttering Promise spoke well, come on, reward them! Reward them heavily!!
Gentle and Clever: "Heart-Fluttering Promise" is a high-quality romance reality show, with handsome male and beautiful female guests, excellent show visuals, smooth and pleasant background music, first-class planning and production, can be called unprecedented and unparalleled. If there's any problem, it's definitely mine.
Spotted: Are you Princess Yao! Why are you whining to us here, couldn't you go to the hospital to film!?
Heart-Fluttering Promise: Wuwuwu sorry, we can't film randomly in the hospital, and Teacher Shi's fever was very severe, no one noticed at first, it was Teacher Chu who noticed, then everyone hurriedly sent him to the hospital, the cameras weren't turned on again.
Little Leaf: KDL, more more, give us more, don't make me beg on my knees!!
Heart-Fluttering Promise: The director originally said he'd stay to help, but Teacher Shi's team and Teacher Chu said they had enough people, so those involved in the recording left first. Using old footage for the ninth episode was Teacher Chu and the director's idea, the director didn't expect them to post clarifications on Weibo, that's why we also posted.
A Truth-teller: Hmm, they did the right thing, you're outsiders indeed, no need to get involved in other people's affairs.
Pink Tea: LMAO LMAO, this is sweeter than the show!!
Crazy Youth: Other shows' guests and crews are frantically tearing each other apart, but you guys are just short of making it official? [doge]
The official Weibo of "Heart-Fluttering Promise" had been choosing to play dead, only speaking up now after being scolded by netizens, indeed not looking like they're lying. No one expected the three parties to come together to apologize, and they actually seemed to have a good relationship, truly different from most business CP.
The official account's willingness to communicate in the comments instantly extinguished the audience's anger, no longer filled with the smoke of the ninth episode's Weibo, the atmosphere became harmonious and friendly.
Lou Lou: Wuwuwu sorry, mommy apologizes to her good son, you're still my favorite show and beloved child!
A Flower Branch: So did you and Teacher Chu guess that Teacher Shi would post?
Heart-Fluttering Promise: Probably not, actually we had communicated with his team before, wanting him to repost some promotional messages, but they said the password hadn't been recovered yet, so we didn't insist after that, maybe it was successfully recovered this time.
Gaining Meat During Holidays: You're so pure and cute, he followed Chu before the broadcast and she's still his first follow, and you actually believed that no-password nonsense?
Heart-Fluttering Promise: ?
So Awesome: And he still hasn't followed you back, surprising and unexpected, isn't it?
Heart-Fluttering Promise: ???
The official Weibo of "Heart-Fluttering Promise" only followed the guests before the broadcast, which was considered an official announcement of the show. The official account didn't notice Shi Guanghua following Chu Yueyi, which means this happened before they followed him, implying that forgetting the password was just an excuse.
Cheng was just politely declining at the time, mainly saying it would be difficult to convince Shi Guanghua to engage regularly. Many celebrities indeed don't repost all work promotions, and with Shi Guanghua's Weibo being so barren, the show team didn't insist and forgot about it.
The official account had been kept in the dark all along, but netizens were all playing detective, having discovered this long ago.
Shi Guanghua had the password all along, but he only looked without reposting or posting, and he only followed Chu Yueyi, not even bothering with the show team.
This was truly Shi Guanghua's style of doing things, it would be strange for someone else, but it made sense for him.
The show staff thought they had figured out the guests, but they didn't realize they weren't even on the guests' radar!
Heart-Fluttering Promise: Wuwuwuwu turns out I'm the clown!! [clown][clown][clown]!