On the return trip, Chu Yueyi finished eating lotus seeds in the car and sent a message thanking Shi Guanghua. Her opinion of her new colleague had improved; although Shi Guanghua lacked work experience, his attitude was that of a hardworking and ambitious fresh graduate.
From his first awkward recording flop to today's surprising progress, Shi Guanghua perfectly embodied the fresh graduate motto: "I may not know how, but I can learn."
Chu Yueyi felt she should be more tolerant and generous, as he was already growing at a visibly rapid pace.
Shi Guanghua replied to her WeChat message quickly this time, with concise and appropriate content in exemplary standard sentences. Chu Yueyi noticed he didn't use flowery embellishments, neither emoticons nor any exclamations.
Nevertheless, Chu Yueyi felt satisfied holding her phone, at least his response was timely and efficient. She casually sent him a cat emoticon, making herself the conversation ender, completing this round of online interaction.
In the following days, the two didn't have any recording work for "Heart-Fluttering Promise," and could only maintain contact via WeChat. Chu Yueyi would send messages at set times daily, sometimes casually chatting with Shi Guanghua for a bit, sometimes exchanging pleasantries, but communicating every day.
Li You expressed deep confusion about this, asking, "Shouldn't you chat more before the next recording? At least get to know each other better?"
"Short-term high-frequency chatting indeed creates a rush, but none of that content can be recorded for the show," Chu Yueyi said calmly. "Besides, we're just putting on a show for the cameras. If I send him so many messages every day, what if it causes him to feel rebellious?"
Chu Yueyi had a clear positioning for herself. She and Shi Guanghua were colleagues, and their main job was to perform for the cameras. If a colleague constantly tries to chat about work during leisure time, wouldn't anyone feel annoyed and irritated?
Chu Yueyi showed 100% enthusiasm in front of the camera, but she was quite measured in private, never disturbing her partner.
Li You remarked, "You're quite considerate of Shi Guanghua's feelings."
Chu Yueyi replied, "Of course, I don't want to annoy people at work."
After speaking, Chu Yueyi glanced at the time and realized it was time to send a message to her new colleague, so she picked up her phone to complete the daily interaction.
Meanwhile, Cheng went to the studio to find Shi Guanghua, but as soon as he stepped into the corridor, he saw a familiar figure on the long bench.
In the evening glow, Shi Guanghua was working on his laptop in the corridor, his long legs somewhat awkwardly placed, occasionally glancing down at his phone, lost in thought.
Seeing this cave dweller out of his cave, Cheng's eyebrows twitched as he asked suspiciously, "Bro, why aren't you in the studio? What are you doing sitting in the corridor?"
Logically, Shi Guanghua should have been firmly planted in the studio at this time. He sometimes didn't even bother to come out for breaks, working tirelessly to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep, completely cut off from the outside world.
Cheng and others occasionally suspected Shi Guanghua of being autistic, but he had proven through various words and actions that he was merely too lazy to interact with people, not suffering from any mental illness.
When Shi Guanghua didn't want to deal with people, he wouldn't be impolite by not responding; his biggest characteristic was his tendency to brush things off. Hearing Cheng's question, he habitually brushed it off with, "Nothing much."
Cheng was used to his taciturn manner. They all knew Shi Guanghua had no ill intentions; it was just his personality that made it hard for him to say much.
Seeing Shi Guanghua sitting motionless on the bench, Cheng waved his hand casually and said, "Alright, I'll head to the studio first. You come over when you're done!"
Shi Guanghua replied concisely, "Okay."
The next second, Shi Guanghua's phone suddenly rang with a new message notification.
Hearing the sound, Cheng instinctively reached for his own phone, then turned back in surprise, exclaiming, "Is that your phone? You actually don't have it on silent?"
Shi Guanghua didn't respond, focused on replying to the message, which astonished Cheng even more.
Cheng thought: The cave dweller has signal coverage now, entering the 4G era!
After Shi Guanghua finished replying to Chu Yueyi, he saw the familiar cat emoticon, then put his phone back in his pocket and stood up with his laptop. In the glow of the sunset, his tall shadow was cast on the wall, like an iceberg finally shifting position.
He didn't know how long he had been sitting on the bench. After getting up, he stretched his shoulders a bit, then strode towards Cheng, saying calmly, "Let's go to the studio."
Cheng: "?"
Cheng: "Don't tell me you were sitting here just waiting for a message?"
"..."
Shi Guanghua remained silent.
As everyone knew, when Shi Guanghua didn't answer, it wasn't because he didn't want to, but because he simply couldn't come up with an answer.
Cheng knew the studio had poor signal. Looking at Shi Guanghua's averted gaze and continued silence, he was shocked as if he had discovered an alien, asking incredulously, "Could it be an important signal from outer space? Something concerning the safety of all humanity?"
Cheng thought: What else could have stirred you like this?
Shi Guanghua, not wanting to be teased, awkwardly changed the subject: "By the way, I have something to ask you."
Cheng: "Ask away, bro. After all, you've started receiving messages from the outside world. Who knows, maybe you'll soon have the important task of saving humanity..."
Shi Guanghua pondered for a few seconds, then asked in a muffled voice, "If someone is very enthusiastic in person but very aloof when chatting online, what's usually the reason?"
Cheng: "Is this about a guy or a girl?"
Shi Guanghua: "A girl."
Considering Shi Guanghua's blank slate of emotional experiences, Cheng felt worried and muttered, "You haven't run into a push-pull master, have you? Like someone who plays with people's feelings, a player..."
Shi Guanghua pressed his lips together and said decisively, "Impossible."
Cheng wasn't annoyed by the immediate rejection; instead, he had a realization: "Wait, how come you're chatting with a girl? Are you messaging Chu Yueyi?"
Cheng knew Shi Guanghua's surroundings were practically a monastery, and his recent contact with the opposite sex was extremely limited. Thinking it over, there was only one possibility. If it was Chu Yueyi, Cheng recalled the suffocating recording session and could guess the specific situation.
Cheng said helplessly, "Bro, let me see the chat history, will you?"
Shi Guanghua gripped the phone in his pocket but hesitated to hand it over.
Noticing his slight movement, Cheng said good-naturedly, "Come on, let me see. I want to check how you've managed to upset the female guest."
"I haven't upset her," Shi Guanghua handed over the phone, feeling Cheng's wording was inappropriate and seriously refuting it.
Cheng scoffed, "Ha, don't I know you? Your lifeless reply tone, only us guys can tolerate it normally..."
"See, what did I tell you? Chu Yueyi really has good patience. If I talked to my girlfriend like this, I'd be kicked out of the house when I got home!" Cheng felt distressed looking at the chat history, realizing Chu Yueyi truly had a good temperament. Any other girl would have felt deeply frustrated long ago.
Shi Guanghua said slowly, "Your girlfriend would need an excavator to dig you out. She's not one."
Hearing his blunt comment, Cheng felt a headache coming on and exclaimed, "No way! You're always so arrogant when composing music. Today, I'm going to be the arrogant one and teach you a lesson!"
"Let's analyze the existing text. First, the issue of initiating messages. Why do you always let the female guest message you? Can't you find topics to chat about with her? Don't always let the girl take the initiative!"
Shi Guanghua was taken aback and lowered his gaze, "Wouldn't that be a bit disturbing..."
"Then explain your replies. Why are they as cold and hard as if you have no feelings!?"
Shi Guanghua looked serious, "I replied sincerely."
Cheng said exasperatedly, "Let's look at this one sentence. Why did you just reply 'Okay'? Are you afraid people won't feel your cold face?"
Shi Guanghua humbly asked, "Then how should I reply?"
Cheng: "'Okay~', 'Alright!', 'Sure thing!', 'Got it!', Add some emotion to the end, don't just reply with one word and scare the girl!"
Shi Guanghua: "?" This would actually scare her?
Cheng: "And start using emoticons, don't always send those template replies. You're a living, breathing human being, not a cool and calm AI customer service! Whatever's cute, use it!"
Shi Guanghua: "..." How would he know what's cute?
Inside the room, Chu Yueyi had just sent a message and casually placed her phone on the table when she unexpectedly heard a notification sound. Glancing at the chat screen, she discovered that Shi Guanghua had actually replied with another message. He had sent a cute cat emoji, taking over as the one to end their conversation.
Chu Yueyi exclaimed in disbelief, "He actually stole my emoji!"
This was an emoji Chu Yueyi had used before, and now he had saved it and sent it back to her.
Li You adjusted her iPad to the premiere page of "Heart-Fluttering Promise" and propped the tablet in front of her client, coaxing, "Alright, stop fussing and come watch the first episode."
The final cut of "Heart-Fluttering Promise" turned out quite well. Although there were occasional awkward moments on set, the editing team had polished them up. The footage, after skillful editing and paired with romantic background music, gave off a Korean drama vibe.
Chu Yueyi felt the editing team's video filters were godly, dubbing them the "global warming filters" for their ability to melt even thousand-year-old glaciers. On screen, Shi Guanghua's gaze towards her appeared rather tender, completely devoid of the awkwardness and coldness present during their face-to-face interactions.
Li You nodded with satisfaction, "I think it's pretty good. The only issue is the limited number of episodes. Once more are broadcast, it'll gradually gain traction."
"Heart-Fluttering Promise" had only aired one episode, so there wasn't much buzz yet. This type of show tends to build momentum like a snowball, with topics heating up as it progresses.
Chu Yueyi, having watched for just a short while, had already gauged the show's quality. She casually turned her head away, feigning disinterest, "It's alright, I suppose. Considering it's our first time on a dating show, this level of quality for the first episode is acceptable. If it doesn't quite click with the audience, there's not much we can do..."
Seeing her turn away, Li You asked curiously, "You're not going to watch anymore?"
Chu Yueyi waved her hand in a Versailles-style gesture, humbly saying, "It's all just for show, nothing worth watching."
Li You, still focused on the iPad screen, nodded understandingly, "True, you both lack variety show experience. Some netizens are saying they find the other pair of guests more endearing..."
Chu Yueyi, who had been maintaining an air of nonchalance, perked up at these words. Her expression unchanged, she turned back around and pulled the iPad in front of her.
Li You: "?"
Li You: "Didn't you say you weren't going to watch?"
Chu Yueyi's deliberate modesty was a workplace tactic, but it didn't mean the working girl truly lacked confidence.
Chu Yueyi thought: I can say I'm not good, but you shouldn't agree!
She now sat up straight, staring intently at the screen: "Let me see what kind of artificial sweetener could possibly outdo my handcrafted sugar factory."
"..."