Chu Yueyi eyed Shi Guanghua suspiciously, unsure if he was making a casual suggestion or if there was more to his words. She hesitated, "You really only use Weibo to read news, right?"
Surely he hadn't seen any strange things, like the shocking quotes from the Moonlight Scientist... right?
"Yes," Shi Guanghua replied. Confused by her bringing this up, he tilted his head and asked, "Or should I be reading more of your news?"
Chu Yueyi: "...That's not necessary. The Weibo company manages it, and I don't post much."
Shi Guanghua: "Do you post on WeChat Moments yourself?"
Chu Yueyi glanced at him and said wearily, "Of course. Unlike you, who doesn't even have it activated. It's truly admirable."
When Chu Yueyi first met him, Shi Guanghua's WeChat Moments wasn't activated, and it remained so, never sharing anything about his life.
Shi Guanghua: "There's nothing worth posting."
Chu Yueyi was taken aback. After pondering for a few seconds and suppressing her inner turmoil, she probed, "...You don't like having your life under scrutiny?"
Shi Guanghua wasn't one for the limelight. He maintained an extremely low profile on various social media platforms, perhaps inherently resistant to being in the public eye. People have different personalities; some can't bear to disappear from public view, while others hope the outside world won't notice their existence. One man's meat is another man's poison.
If he was very averse to excessive attention, she would at least need to consider the impact after the show ended, to prevent him from being hurt by any backlash.
"That's not quite right," Shi Guanghua said after a moment's thought. He continued deliberately, "It's not that I dislike being noticed, but rather that I don't care about others' attention."
Chu Yueyi fell silent for a moment before suddenly realizing, "Oh, right, I almost forgot. It's Teacher Shi after all..."
He was always the coolest, and embarrassment was for others to feel.
Not rejecting others' attention, but rather deeming others unworthy of paying attention to him. That was so like him.
Seeing her raise her glass of juice, Shi Guanghua blinked and asked curiously, "So do you dislike being the center of attention?"
Chu Yueyi retorted, "Bro, I'm an actress. If I'm not noticed, I'll fade into obscurity..."
Shi Guanghua lowered his gaze and asked casually, "What if it's about personal matters, unrelated to your work, but people still pay attention to it? Would you find that annoying?"
Chu Yueyi paused mid-sip, put her glass back on the table, and replied calmly, "My profession means that many things about me will be noticed, even if they're not work-related. I've known this for a long time, so I can accept it."
"But if it involves others, like my friends, family, or partner..." Chu Yueyi's voice grew slightly hoarse, and she continued nonchalantly, "Asking me is pointless. It depends on how the other person feels."
She certainly knew that media attention on celebrities was unavoidable, but there was no reason for those close to her to suffer the same fate. They weren't in the entertainment industry, so why should they endure the same hardships?
Shi Guanghua pondered, "...So you don't care about going public or not, it mainly depends on the other person?"
Hearing the words "going public," Chu Yueyi suddenly felt the order was off. Now the focus seemed to be on "partner," so she quickly added, "Ah, it's like how my mom never mentions me in public. She's very resistant to being in the spotlight, but my dad is willing to appear on shows and doesn't mind it..."
Shi Guanghua nodded in understanding, feeling slightly relieved. He abruptly said, "I don't mind."
Chu Yueyi was confused. She looked at him in bewilderment, not understanding why he suddenly repeated himself like a broken record, and inexplicably noticed that he seemed to be in a good mood at that moment.
Shi Guanghua: "Do you have any plans after the show ends?"
Chu Yueyi felt mixed emotions hearing him mention the finale, realizing there were only three episodes left. They wouldn't have much time for long-term interaction afterward, and some of the pleasant atmosphere, including the current fluttering feelings, might dissipate.
That's how relationships between people work. When you see each other every day, there's always something to talk about, but when you're far apart, things might cool off. No one can be certain about the future.
Chu Yueyi looked at the juice in her glass and replied, "I have a few dramas lined up, and probably some miscellaneous work. I'll ask Sister Youyou later."
"What about you?" She looked up at Shi Guanghua. "What will you do after it's over?"
Shi Guanghua: "Do things I don't dare to do now."
Chu Yueyi raised an eyebrow: "...Is there anything you don't dare to do?" Could it be exploring black holes or conducting research in Antarctica?
Shi Guanghua glanced at her, then lowered his gaze and said softly, "There is."
The celebration party ended successfully, and the next day was dedicated to promoting the digital EP. After that came the recording of the tenth episode of "Heart-Fluttering Promise."
The entire season was contracted for 12 episodes, with the last episode being led by the production team, leaving only two episodes for the guests to showcase their talents.
Shi Guanghua had fully recovered, and as soon as the tenth episode began recording, he took out the Promise Key and decisively said, "My second request is to act in a drama with Teacher Chu."
No one had anticipated his sudden move. The Chief Director couldn't help but mutter, "Guanghua, are you thinking about the show ending and adopting a 'use it or lose it' attitude..."
Faced with his serious demeanor, Chu Yueyi sighed and said, "You could totally act together even without using this."
It wasn't an excessive request; she wouldn't refuse him.
Shi Guanghua: "But I've never acted before."
Chu Yueyi: "Everyone has a first time."
The Chief Director said with a headache, "Yeah, and it's just acting for the show. We don't require professional standards. Actually, there's no need to use props. If you were to say you wanted to do a kissing scene or intimate scene, that kind of slightly over-the-top content might require..."
Chu Yueyi: "?"
Shi Guanghua: "..."
Shi Guanghua had originally just wanted to showcase her acting strengths, but now, prompted by the director's words, he found himself in complex contemplation. He muttered, "...A kissing scene?"
Chu Yueyi quickly explained, "Nowadays, it's all done with camera angles!"
The Chief Director, seeing her intense reaction, asked curiously, "Has Yueyi ever done a kissing scene?"
Shi Guanghua: "No."
So he hadn't even thought about it from the beginning, but she might have kissing scenes in the future.
Chu Yueyi glared at the person who had answered for her, only to receive a silent stare in return. Feeling perplexed, she answered, "...I haven't received such a script yet."
Shi Guanghua looked at her and asked pointedly, "Regretful?"
Chu Yueyi felt there was more to his words, but she replied good-naturedly, "It's not about regret. These scenes serve the story. I just haven't had the opportunity to encounter such plots yet..."
Shi Guanghua: "Oh--"
Chu Yueyi: "..."
Chief Director: "Then shall we act out a love story? To make up for the regret on the show?"
Chu Yueyi said with a straight face, "That depends on Teacher Shi's ideas. After all, he proposed acting together. Perhaps he doesn't want to act in a romance."
Shi Guanghua: "I can act whatever I want?"
Chu Yueyi: "Yes, I'm a professional actor. I'll accommodate you."
"Professional actor..." Shi Guanghua savored these words. He knew she had a point, but still felt slightly frustrated. He deliberately said, "Then let's do a romance."
Chu Yueyi was taken aback, then graciously said, "Alright."
Shi Guanghua felt like he had punched into a cotton ball. He felt even more uneasy and casually added, "What if there are scenes you haven't had the chance to experience?"
Chu Yueyi was quiet for a few seconds. She bit her lip and tried to remain composed as she said, "Ah, then Teacher Shi better think it through. You haven't experienced them either, right?"
"You think I can't act?"
"I've never seen Teacher Shi act, so I really can't judge right now."
"Teacher Chu has more acting experience."
The Chief Director looked at the two who had suddenly become polite and was at a loss for words: "..."
The atmosphere had been quite harmonious at the beginning, but they inexplicably started to bicker, and it wasn't clear which comment had been the spark.
From the Chief Director's perspective, most interactions between the Moonlight Couple were relaxed and enjoyable, but there were occasional small frictions, like during the previous meeting discussing the MV shooting, and now during the meeting to plan the recording content.
Chief Director: Could it be that meetings are prone to conflicts?
Unable to bear seeing the two at odds, the Chief Director quickly waved his hands to stop them: "Alright, alright, let's first discuss what kind of play to perform. You can't just jump straight into a kissing scene. We need to decide on a story that includes such scenes. Don't rush to the result without going through the process."
Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua: "..."
Hearing this, Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua tacitly fell silent. They felt a bit embarrassed in front of the staff, as the Chief Director's words seemed to directly imply that they would definitely perform a kissing scene.
Although the two stopped bickering, there was still an undercurrent during the process of selecting a story. Since it was a love story with only two episodes' worth of time, the length couldn't be too long. It would be best to choose a classic from a famous author.
Chu Yueyi sat at the conference table and proposed, "Why don't we perform 'Romeo and Juliet'? It's such a classic love story."
The families of the male and female leads are sworn enemies, and in the end, the main characters all die. It perfectly fits the current atmosphere, with the two of them fighting to the death.
The Chief Director quietly reminded her, "Yueyi, that's a tragedy."
Shi Guanghua responded, "That's fine."
Chief Director: "...Isn't that inauspicious?"
Although the directors and writers felt that a tragedy wasn't ideal, both lead actors had made their decision, so they could only print out the synopsis of "Romeo and Juliet" for the subsequent story read-through.
Shi Guanghua held the A4 paper with the printed synopsis. As the male lead, he took the initiative to familiarize himself with the plot, saying expressionlessly, "Romeo is the son of the Montague family, but he is deeply attracted to Juliet, the only daughter of their sworn enemy, the Capulet family. For this, he doesn't hesitate to wear a mask and sneak into their party, where the two fall in love at first sight..."
"...Although Juliet also has feelings for Romeo, as the heir to the Capulet family, she prefers to focus on her career, vainly attempting to revitalize her family, and is unable to respond to this love."
Chu Yueyi listened to his narration while looking at the synopsis, suddenly feeling something was amiss. "?"
She quickly interrupted, "Excuse me, but do we have different synopses? The first few lines of the plot clearly state that Romeo likes Rosaline, but then falls for Juliet at the party?"
In Shi Guanghua's version, Romeo inexplicably became deeply devoted, and wasn't Juliet supposed to be in an arranged marriage? How did she become the family heir? Where did this plot line about revitalizing the family business come from?
Chu Yueyi had thoroughly studied this story when learning to act, and she had never heard such an outrageous version.
Shi Guanghua replied righteously, "You said I could perform whatever I wanted."
Chu Yueyi: "...Alright, please continue." Go ahead and keep making things up.
Chu Yueyi no longer needed to look at the original synopsis, as the upcoming plot had completely taken flight.
Sure enough, Shi Guanghua looked at the thin synopsis and seriously fabricated, "Romeo understands Juliet's ambitions, but he can't hinder her progress, nor can he resolve the feud between the two families. So he can only cherish the present moments and wait patiently for the right opportunity."
After hearing this, Chu Yueyi carefully pondered the details and asked, "May I ask if Romeo is also an heir? Doesn't he need to revitalize his family?"
Shi Guanghua gave her a sidelong glance and coolly replied, "He doesn't need to. Only Juliet cares about her family."
Chu Yueyi: "I see. Then next should be Juliet successfully revitalizing her family. She directly surrounds and captures the Montague family without bloodshed, leading troops to seize Romeo on the spot. The Montague family doesn't dare to seek revenge, while Romeo is imprisoned in the Capulet family castle, spending his days singing and making up stories, waiting for the return of Juliet, the person in power..."
After extrapolating the plot, she exclaimed in delight, "Wow, Teacher Shi is keeping up with the trends in film and television, immediately grasping the essence of the strong female lead career drama. You've never acted before, but you're quite good at writing scripts."
Shi Guanghua: "..." !