The live stream comment section instantly descended into chaos. The Moonlight Scientist Advanced Class Members worried that the exclusive fans would be upset, and tried to dissuade people from spamming comments on Weibo, but the situation was completely out of control. The Moonlight Couple's reputation was far-reaching, and even junior class members and casual fans were excitedly overwhelming the comments.
"Did you ship them today: I'm numb, didn't we say to tone it down? Teacher Shi is being inconsiderate, and so are you all!!"
"Little Lychee: Consider the feelings of the exclusive fans. If the scene gets too rowdy, the company will be more cautious in the future, and they'll have fewer chances to appear together."
"Gardenia Oh: It's impossible to stop them. There are many Zou Qian fans and casual viewers in the comments. We don't have the right fan credentials to persuade them."
"Little Gold: We can't expect the shippers to help control the comments for the exclusive fans, can we?"
"Mushroom: I think the exclusive fan sisters have a good attitude. They're busy criticizing that other person from the same company. As long as Teacher Shi doesn't have conflicting resources, they can tolerate it."
The seasoned Moonlight Scientists were all nervous and hesitant, fearing that the situation would spiral out of control and lead to the company giving them the cold shoulder. They could already sense from recent subtle hints that the company wanted to separate them.
However, fans of other celebrities and casual viewers were oblivious to the inside story. They were even more enthusiastic about stirring things up than the real couple's fans, seemingly hoping to cause as much chaos as possible.
After all, Shi Guanghua indeed didn't play by the rules, so it's no wonder others were provoked into making a fuss!
At the awards ceremony, Chu Yueyi watched as Shi Guanghua sat down beside her. She wanted to say something but remained silent. Sometimes she really admired him; he was quite reserved around her in private, occasionally even admitting defeat when teased, but in public, he never seemed to feel embarrassed.
In a sense, their personalities were complete opposites. Chu Yueyi was easy-going in public but unrestrained in private, while Shi Guanghua was the reverse.
Chu Yueyi couldn't tell Shi Guanghua not to come over, and he had directly arranged it with Zou Qian, so it didn't actually affect her seating. She didn't know how traumatized Zou Qian was now, but after all, they were friends, and it was their internal matter.
Chu Yueyi was wearing an evening gown, sitting upright with the poise expected of a female celebrity.
After sitting down, Shi Guanghua kept glancing at her, casually paying attention to the award ceremony proceedings.
Chu Yueyi noticed his gaze and raised an eyebrow slightly, warning him in a low voice, "Stop looking at me."
He kept staring at her, making her feel self-conscious.
Shi Guanghua mumbled, "You're ignoring me."
Chu Yueyi glanced at him, then looked back at the stage, deliberately saying, "I'm not talking to you."
The awards ceremony was a formal occasion, with cameras set up nearby for filming. Whispering to each other was really inappropriate.
Shi Guanghua, not understanding, obediently said, "Then we won't talk."
Chu Yueyi: "Whoever speaks next is a puppy."
Hearing this, Shi Guanghua hesitantly looked at her, carefully observing her expression, as if trying to determine if she was serious.
Chu Yueyi indeed kept her mouth shut, using her eyes to ward off Shi Guanghua, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation.
The two fell into a silly game, both refusing to speak, with only eye contact between them.
Chu Yueyi was maintaining her celebrity image, while Shi Guanghua was simply playing along, starting a game of charades.
After a while, Shi Guanghua felt they had played enough and saw her lips tightly pressed together in silence. He stared at her motionlessly for a long time, then decided to make the first concession, tentatively saying, "Woof?"
He was also wearing a smart, dark-colored formal suit today, but what came out of his mouth was completely at odds with his dignified appearance.
Chu Yueyi was amused by his serious demeanor, almost laughing out loud, but managed to hold back her smile.
Zou Qian, forced to overhear the entire exchange: "..."
Zou Qian clutched his head in agony, nearly wailing on the spot, constantly muttering, "Isn't it over yet? Why isn't it over?" Was the award ceremony really that long?
-- Wuwuwu, they're sitting together but barely talking, it feels like their relationship has cooled off after the finale.
-- Naive, if they weren't talking, Zou Qian wouldn't be wearing a mask of pain.
-- Why is there no sound on this livestream? Are we supposed to read lips?
-- Teacher Chu smiled for a second earlier, I'm just a girl with a microscope.
-- I didn't see it! Let me see!
The music category award segment finally ended, and there was a song and dance performance at the ceremony. The organizers arranged for celebrities who were temporarily free to go to the waiting area for a meal, preparing for the long evening ahead.
The management company had been looking for an opportunity to separate Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua, so they conveniently notified their artists, hoping they could sit together as a company.
The seating in the waiting area was relatively casual, as it was just a place for intermission, though there were still cameras livestreaming. Chu Yueyi had just sat down when she noticed Dong Yan sitting next to her, and other artists from the company were about to occupy the seats on her other side.
Chu Yueyi was stunned but managed to suppress her emotions, silently looking at Dong Yan beside her.
Dong Yan, who had been scolded by Chu Yueyi before, had a subconscious fear of her and stammered, "They said people from the same company should sit together..."
Nonsense, it's probably our company demanding we sit together, not like we're in kindergarten and have to sit by class.
Chu Yueyi was inwardly impatient but couldn't make a scene, as it would lead to rumors of internal discord in the company, and she might be accused of looking down on newcomers due to her seniority. Shi Guanghua's earlier behavior had obviously provoked the company, so now they were directly surrounding her with their own artists.
Chu Yueyi pondered for a few seconds, considering how to change seats inconspicuously, as sitting next to Dong Yan might lead to a flood of gossip articles.
Shi Guanghua had also finished talking with Zou Qian and came over, finding Chu Yueyi flanked on both sides.
The company's arrangement was very simple. Zou Qian was Shi Guanghua's friend, so he naturally felt comfortable speaking up, but now they were all strangers, so there was no way to switch seats, right?
The next moment, Shi Guanghua walked up to Dong Yan and politely asked, "Can I add a seat here?"
Since the celebrities were dining at round tables, there were spare chairs stacked nearby, ready to be added at any time.
Dong Yan: "?"
Dong Yan broke out in a cold sweat and tentatively said, "There are empty seats over there..."
Shi Guanghua's expression was sincere: "But I really want to sit here."
Dong Yan: "..." Can you just do whatever you want?
Dong Yan knew the company planned to stir up some buzz between him and Chu Yueyi, otherwise he wouldn't have been forcing himself to interact with her frequently. It was all fake sentiment for their respective career development.
Therefore, he and Shi Guanghua were in a competitive relationship, and for a moment, they were at a stalemate.
This scene was actually quite unclear in the livestream footage, but it was still captured by attentive netizens.
-- Good, Shi Guanghua, if you can squeeze him out, I'll think more highly of you in the future.
-- I'm disgusted, certain company's male artists really can't walk independently without clinging to female seniors.
-- You can tell from how they're promoting that money-losing boy group, this crappy company is doomed sooner or later. They clearly could promote women but insist on promoting men, thinking male artists are better cash cows.
-- Get up quickly! As a Zou Qian fan, I can't stand it. If he can let you, why can't you? This is just making my idol look bad!
-- Damn, damn, damn, actually I don't want either of them, but him rushing up to blow up Dong is indeed satisfying.
-- Thank you, curse them more for us, didn't you unfollow her big account already.
Chu Yueyi had only vaguely told Shi Guanghua that the company wasn't ready to go public yet, without mentioning anything about wanting to create buzz between her and Dong Yan, mainly because she didn't approve of it herself.
Shi Guanghua had no objections to this, feeling that their relationship was no one else's business, and he didn't care whether others knew or not.
Shi Guanghua's tendency to dance around wasn't really dancing, it was just a natural expression. Now, his asking Dong Yan to add a seat wasn't a show of force either; he and Chu Yueyi sat together every day when recording the show, so it was even more normal to sit together now that they were in a relationship.
He wouldn't feel awkward; awkwardness was always for others.
Shi Guanghua quietly looked at Dong Yan, who nervously averted his gaze.
Finally, the artist on Chu Yueyi's other side stood up voluntarily, breaking the deadlock: "You can add a seat on my side."
Chu Yueyi had people on both sides, Dong Yan on her left and another company artist on her right, but now it became Shi Guanghua.
Shi Guanghua thanked the person, not insisting on Dong Yan's spot anymore, as long as he could sit next to her.
The situation on site instantly became delicate, with Dong Yan on Chu Yueyi's left and Shi Guanghua on her right, feeling somewhat off. On one side was her new boyfriend, on the other was the co-star the company arranged for publicity, strangely making her feel guilty and ashamed.
Shi Guanghua considerately asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Faced with his care, Chu Yueyi lowered her head, feeling even more guilty: "I'll get it myself..."
Shi Guanghua then picked up the teapot to pour her some water.
Dong Yan found himself completely unable to join the conversation. He realized that shipping couples was incredibly difficult, with fierce competition and severe industry saturation.
-- Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's actually a love polygon!!
-- Shi: Have a look, isn't this tea beautifully green?
-- The aroma of tea is everywhere! You two should start fighting!
-- They're all just passing through sister's life! Sister only made a mistake that all women in the world would make!
-- Nonsense, sister is upright and pure as snow. It's clearly him who's shamelessly flirting! He has no male virtue!
-- These flamboyant men who are always in the spotlight won't do. In the end, you need someone like Teacher Shi who stays at home and puts his wife first.
-- The comment section is savage. Is this a class on male virtue?
Chu Yueyi usually appreciated Shi Guanghua's attentiveness, but now she finished her meal without tasting it, finally able to escape the strange triangular situation.
As long as she returned to the venue, Dong Yan wouldn't be able to approach her. Zou Qian would give up his seat for Shi Guanghua, but would never show such courtesy to Dong Yan.
Of course, Chu Yueyi temporarily separated from Shi Guanghua and made sure to inform the company staff.
The company executives were also looking for Chu Yueyi. Before she could speak, they burst out in frustration: "Doesn't he know the rules of the industry? Shouldn't he at least be mindful in public?"
Hearing their preemptive accusations, Chu Yueyi calmly replied, "He's not from the industry to begin with, and I've already cleared it with Sister You."
She felt her attitude was clear enough, and today's events were indeed quite unpleasant.
The executive angrily said, "Even if he wasn't in the industry before, he should at least know some basic etiquette. Everyone who enters the circle understands this implicitly..."
Chu Yueyi decisively interrupted, "He doesn't need to be like everyone else."
The executive was stunned by her words, as if they didn't recognize her, and said incredulously, "Yueyi, what do you mean? I always thought you were the most sensible artist in our company?"
This was the first time Chu Yueyi had shown such strong opposition in her professional life. Previously, she would at least avoid direct confrontation, usually using tact to defuse situations.
She thought she had made herself clear, but the company executive was pretending not to understand. Now she had no choice but to explain face-to-face.
Chu Yueyi calmly said, "As you just mentioned, it's only me who knows the boundaries. I can't expect people around me to cooperate and forcibly accept rules they don't need to follow. That would be unreasonable."
She knew the company wanted her to restrain Shi Guanghua, perhaps warning him not to interact in public, but why should he suffer such indignity?
He was different from others to begin with, and forcing him to become like everyone else for her sake would be her failure.
She wouldn't be making him better, just suppressing his uniqueness.
After a moment of silence, the executive asked, "...Can I understand this to mean that your current thoughts are inconsistent with the company's decision-making direction?"
Chu Yueyi chuckled lightly, "There's no need to put it that way. I just think the current strategy isn't very effective. We can adjust our direction and find a more efficient approach."
The executive said coldly, "I never thought you'd joke about your work over something like this."
Chu Yueyi replied calmly, "Of course, work is very important to me, but I haven't forgotten why I work."
They parted on bad terms, with the company executive storming off and Chu Yueyi returning to the venue composed. She was far more composed than the executive, showing no signs of having just argued with her superior, and continued to chat and laugh throughout the rest of the evening's proceedings.
Of course, quarreling with a superior as an employee often leads to petty retaliation, and the return shuttle had issues. When Li You heard the news, she rushed to come over, telling Chu Yueyi and her assistants to stay calm.
What a joke. Did they think she couldn't afford better than the company's broken-down car? Was this the level of a high-ranking executive?
Chu Yueyi quickly changed out of her gown backstage. She dismissed the staff and called for her personal driver.
Shi Guanghua hadn't driven today; he had come in a car arranged by Cheng. He was slightly surprised by Chu Yueyi's sudden appearance. Although she had never criticized him, she rarely sought him out in public.
Chu Yueyi said discontentedly, "What are you looking at? Is your car too noble for me to ride in?"
"No..." Shi Guanghua's strong survival instinct kicked in as he carefully chose his words, "I'm afraid you're too noble and might not want to ride in it."
Chu Yueyi got into the car without hesitation. After all, the shuttle had already left the underground parking, so no one would know which car she left in.
Shi Guanghua knew something must have happened, otherwise she wouldn't have come alone. Not wanting the driver in front to overhear, he lowered his voice and asked, "What's wrong?"
Chu Yueyi: "Nothing, I just suddenly felt I'd be suitable for a leadership position."
Shi Guanghua: "?"
Chu Yueyi voiced an employee's rebellious thoughts: "Given the caliber of leadership in our company, I think I could do it too."
Shi Guanghua: "..."
Shi Guanghua calmly said, "Alright, you'll be the leader from now on."