Shi Guanghua returned quickly, but he discovered that Chu Yueyi was even more impressive. She was truly a master of time management, somehow finding time to select a new anime series and continue watching with great interest.
There was a reason for Chu Yueyi's success - she utilized every spare moment between her busy work to date and watch anime. Hearing the sound of him opening the door, she looked over in surprise, exclaiming, "You're back so soon?"
She had just finished selecting a new series and had barely started watching.
Shi Guanghua tossed the plastic bag onto the table. He gazed at the anime playing on the TV, unsure how to describe his current feelings, and said pointedly, "I thought you'd be tired."
After all, before he left, she had been curled up on the sofa, whimpering and looking like she could fall asleep at any moment. Who would have guessed that as soon as he left, she'd become energized and eagerly turn on the TV.
Chu Yueyi laughed dryly, "Want to watch together?"
Shi Guanghua replied, "Maybe later."
Chu Yueyi watched as he leisurely changed clothes and washed his hands. She quickly ran barefoot into the inner rooms, not daring to linger in the living room for a moment longer.
Shi Guanghua had no reaction to her change of location. After all, there were only a few rooms in the house, and her retreat inside inevitably meant the bedroom, which was perhaps a more suitable environment.
On the dark bedding, Chu Yueyi curled up under the covers like an ostrich. She wrapped herself tightly like a cocoon, attempting to reason with Shi Guanghua, weakly saying, "Mr. Shi, let's rest. Good night."
Shi Guanghua responded, "This is my bed."
The next moment, Chu Yueyi found herself restrained by Shi Guanghua through the covers. He calmly corrected her, "You don't need to call me 'Mr.' I haven't taught you anything."
They had used such formal address during the program recording, mainly because it felt strange to use first names at the time. Somehow, the habit had persisted until now, occasionally popping up in casual conversation.
Seeing that she was about to quibble and evade, Shi Guanghua simply leaned in closer, saying steadily, "Or is there something you want to learn from me?"
Covered by his looming shadow, Chu Yueyi was suddenly at a loss, her eyes glazing over as she stammered, "Learn what?"
"Let me teach you how to sing."
His tone was melodious and sincere, as if he truly intended to teach her.
In the endless trembling and confusion that followed, she finally grasped the meaning of "singing." Consumed by scorching flames, yet as if intoxicated by strong wine, her mind filled with descriptions from "The Nightingale and the Rose."
The nightingale poured out its heart and soul, singing in the pure moonlight, causing the red rose nurtured by its heart's blood to quiver in the lonely night, hastily unfurling its shy bud. The enchanting melody lingered in the heavens, making one forget the dawn, leaving only soul-stirring impact.
The delicate rose trembled in the gentle breeze, yet its wandering thoughts were drowned out by the nightingale's song. The rose was shattered by the sudden rain in the moonlit night, leaving countless exquisite, tender petals with a lingering, gentle fragrance in the hazy darkness.
He called to her incessantly in his deep, alluring voice, echoing in her ears, making her whole body tingle. He compelled her to sing with him in this moment, diligently teaching her music theory.
She couldn't help but whimper in protest, "You said you'd sing..."
He gently kissed away her glistening tears, using only his warm breath to make her ear tips turn red before asking in a husky voice, "What do you want to hear?"
His normally cool tone was now filled with emotion, like the seductive voice of a siren, constantly bewitching her to fall into the moist, misty haze. The faint sounds of breathing, permeated with indescribable longing, spread endless intoxicating desire.
She no longer had the presence of mind to make requests. Just hearing his voice made her whole body tingle. In her dazed and confused state, she indulged in the delirium, unconsciously embracing him tightly like a drowning person clinging to driftwood. He seemed to sense her sensitivity to his voice. The usually taciturn man whispered endlessly in her ear as if he had endless words to say, forcing her to become increasingly unrestrained in her fantasy, completely falling apart under his gradually intensifying efforts.
As the sudden rain subsided, the music faded.
Chu Yueyi's voice was somewhat hoarse. She obediently allowed herself to be cared for, accepting his bathing service before curling up lazily, looking as if she might fall asleep at any moment.
Shi Guanghua saw that her eyes were red-rimmed and heavy-lidded. He brushed aside her damp hair from the bath and said, "It's been a long time since I've seen you cry."
He had thought he'd never have the chance to see it again. Although his wish was to make her smile, occasionally making her shed tears seemed to have its own charm.
If it were any other time, Chu Yueyi would have pondered his words. But now she was completely exhausted, without even the energy to scold him. She could only let him tease her about her physiological tears, making discontented muffled sounds.
Shi Guanghua asked, "Do you need any other services?"
Chu Yueyi: "..."
Shi Guanghua: "Singing?"
Chu Yueyi angrily retorted, "The rose can't learn the nightingale's song."
Shi Guanghua pondered for a few seconds. He pulled open his collar, revealing red marks below his collarbone, and said good-naturedly, "The nightingale was also pricked all over by the rose's thorns."
Seeing the marks on his body, Chu Yueyi's face instantly flushed hot with embarrassment. She had wanted to torment him when she was crying earlier, but hadn't expected to leave such evidence of her "crime."
Shi Guanghua consoled her, "I respect your preferences."
Chu Yueyi gritted her teeth, "...Don't make it sound like I have some strange fetish."
Chu Yueyi had been feeling drowsy, but talking with him made her alert again. She nestled softly on the bed, her voice taking on a wheedling tone: "I'm hungry."
Shi Guanghua carried her to the living room. His body still carried the same clean scent of shower gel, his embrace broad and warm, giving a strong sense of security that almost made her forget his earlier aggressive conquest.
His attitude was now amenable. He proactively turned on the TV to play anime for her, brought out the snacks he had bought to feed her, and found a hair dryer to dry her damp hair.
Chu Yueyi happily ate in the warm breeze, marveling at Shi Guanghua's dual personalities.
Very good, as expected of him.
Usually quiet but easy to talk to, just now talkative but difficult to reason with.
She recalled how he had deliberately used his voice to stimulate her, ignoring even her soft pleas, determined to provoke her to the point of tears.
Chu Yueyi vindictively bit into a potato chip. Looking at the pile of snacks on the coffee table, she asked, "Why did you buy so many snacks?"
Shi Guanghua: "...I just bought what I saw."
Chu Yueyi, with Sherlock Holmes-like acuity, mocked, "You were afraid the cashier would misunderstand, so you deliberately used snacks to conceal the truth."
Shi Guanghua probably felt too embarrassed to buy just one item.
Shi Guanghua honestly admitted, "Mm, it won't happen again. I discovered I can use self-checkout and don't need to deal with the cashier."
"..."
"Once you get used to it, it's actually quite convenient."
"..."
Chu Yueyi obediently closed her mouth. She silently ate her chips, realizing it wasn't good to dwell on this topic with him.
Shi Guanghua glanced at her and humbly asked for guidance: "Is this what they call 'reading the room' in the entertainment industry?"
She was indeed quite good at gauging the atmosphere. Her previous uninhibited teasing of him was probably due to being spoiled by his repeated concessions.
Chu Yueyi put on a brave face and said firmly, "Hurry up and dry my hair. Then we'll sleep. No more talking."
Shi Guanghua nodded, "We did talk quite a bit today."
Chu Yueyi: "..." Sweet dreams.
The next day, after washing up, Chu Yueyi checked herself in the mirror and found that she indeed had no visible marks, completely unlike Shi Guanghua's ravaged state. Fortunately, the faint marks on his body could be hidden by clothes, and given that he usually dressed conservatively in dark colors, nothing was noticeable.
Feeling uneasy, Chu Yueyi reached out to tighten his collar, circling around to look from all angles before seriously admonishing him, "Boys shouldn't wear revealing clothes when going out."
Shi Guanghua: "..."
Knowing her concern for appearances, Shi Guanghua naturally wouldn't deliberately oppose her. He calmly said, "You just need to restrain yourself in the future."
Chu Yueyi's face turned red hot as she exclaimed, "Who's the one who couldn't restrain themselves?!"
How could he now have two faces? Who was it that insisted on giving music lessons yesterday?
Shi Guanghua expressionlessly lifted the hem of his shirt, about to reveal the cat-scratch-like marks again.
Chu Yueyi panicked like an ant on a hot pan. She hurriedly coaxed him, "I'll restrain myself, I'll restrain myself. Let's not waste public resources..."
Shi Guanghua's eyes were as calm as water. Hearing her frantically make promises, he adopted a negotiating stance: "It's fine if you don't restrain yourself, as long as it's in places that can't be seen. Whatever makes you happy."
"After all, stories always need to include some imprisonment," he said. Initially, when he wrote plots, he added pure love, but she came in with all sorts of strange elements. Maybe she was genuinely interested in that.
Chu Yueyi: "!!?" How can I explain to you that I'm not a pervert?
Faced with his barrage, Chu Yueyi stiffly said, "I feel like you're actually enjoying this. Shouldn't you reflect on yourself a bit...?"
Shi Guanghua looks cold on the outside, but could he have some hidden traits?
Chu Yueyi: Strange masochistic tendencies increased.
Shi Guanghua gazed at her with his deep black eyes and said nonchalantly, "Do I have a choice?"
"After all, as a captive, I can only serve."
Hearing him mention the embarrassing lines from the play again, Chu Yueyi felt like she might explode on the spot. Flushed with anger and embarrassment, she said, "You're sick!"
Shi Guanghua: "You have a hobby."
"..."
Heaven knows, Chu Yueyi was just a modern, well-behaved young person who loved watching new anime. She couldn't understand why she was being saddled with the label of having "mysterious hobbies". It should be known that even when she watched shows, it was just anime, not some shady content. She felt extremely wronged.
However, Shi Guanghua was quite discreet. He might be reckless when going out, but he knew not to reveal Chu Yueyi's private... proclivities(?). Recently, he had been very careful when out in public.
He also stopped his random dancing lately. Human emotions have normal channels for expression, so he shifted from external to internal. His new interest now was developing Chu Yueyi's vocal talents.
Shi Guanghua rarely appeared in the public eye to begin with, and now that he reduced his subtle interactions, the novice CP fans felt a great sense of loss, inevitably suspecting that the Moonlight Couple had become a thing of the past.
Chu Yueyi's management company would never speak up voluntarily, maintaining an official stance towards the former Moonlight Couple, pretending to be oblivious no matter how others brought it up.
The TV drama "Living with Spring" had just started airing, with very promising first-episode viewership. The show's trending topics came one after another, all featuring interaction clips between the female lead Song Yingchun and various male characters.
A major highlight of this drama was its focus on the female protagonist's growth, changing male supporting characters with each stage, without a true male lead. The finale shows Song Yingchun's brilliant career success, leaving her romantic life open-ended.
In an interview, the chief director stated that she believed it's difficult for humans to love only one person in a lifetime. Different stages of life bring different views, naturally changing one's requirements for a partner. The story of "Living with Spring" focuses on Song Yingchun, so there's no need to forcibly pair her off in the end. It's better to leave some room for the audience's imagination.
The lead actress, Chu Yueyi, stated in an interview that if partners can grow together, perhaps a lifelong commitment to one person is possible.
The chief director, hearing Chu Yueyi's comment on the spot: "?" But that wasn't the intention of our show, was it?
A reporter immediately followed up: "Does this imply there might be a second season? Perhaps this will be reflected in future storylines?"
Chu Yueyi realized she had misspoken. She displayed a flawless smile and said warmly, "That would depend on the support of our audience."
"At the current trend, a second season seems imminent!"
Chu Yueyi and the chief director quickly thanked the media with smiles, then gave some noncommittal official responses about the future being uncertain.
-- Haha, don't pressure her! They probably check every interview. How dare she talk about changing partners now when even her fan club is being monitored!
-- Chu: Small, pitiful, and helpless, not daring to agree with the director.
-- "Has our encounter made you better and better?"
-- Of course, always!
-- The usually smooth talker rarely slips up, answering off-topic for the first time.
-- This ending without a male lead is normal. The male lead is trapped in her castle, hasn't been out for a stroll in a long time.
Chu Yueyi indeed didn't dare discuss her views on partners publicly. What if she went back and was arranged for an intensified version of music tutoring? Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
The questionnaire from the "Heart-Fluttering Promise" show already caused issues. She's learned to be smarter now and won't leave any openings. Who knows when he might pick a fight over nothing? The internet has a long memory, after all.
However, media reporters always want to create big news. They staked out Shi Guanghua everywhere and finally found an opportunity, asking if he had watched the TV drama "Living with Spring".
If Shi Guanghua answered that he hadn't watched it, the reporters were ready to play intimate scenes between Song Yingchun and the male supporting characters right there, determined to stab him in the heart repeatedly.
Shi Guanghua was always frank. He didn't deny it at all: "I've watched it."
The reporter immediately produced an iPad like offering a treasure, showing Shi Guanghua the emotional storylines from the drama, digging a trap by asking, "So who do you think Chu Yueyi has the most chemistry with? Which romance is the hottest?"
The reporter didn't even mention the character name Song Yingchun, directly substituting it with Chu Yueyi.
Shi Guanghua lowered his gaze to look at the screen on the iPad. It seemed to be a compilation of clips from the show, all romantic scenes. This particular scene showed a male supporting character playing the guzheng for Song Yingchun, the two of them in an ancient pavilion surrounded by flowers under the moonlight, using a long, romantic shot.
Shi Guanghua had seen this episode. That night, he had taught her the zither all night long.
The reporter had expected Shi Guanghua to either look displeased or answer frankly, but unexpectedly, he remained silent, quite different from his usual attitude during interviews.
Shi Guanghua silently raised his eyes to look at the reporter, the corner of his mouth seeming to curl up slightly, then quickly suppressed as he said nothing. His fleeting micro-expression revealed neither annoyance at being offended nor any hint of gloom. At this moment, silence spoke volumes as he gazed quietly at the other person.
The reporter couldn't read the emotions beneath his icy facade and felt a bit confused: "?" What did this mean?
Shi Guanghua didn't directly answer the question, but some people already had an answer in their hearts.
Others might not understand his strange expression at that time, but no detail escapes the Moonlight scientists!
-- Teacher Shi: Is that all? Chemistry? Heat? Are you in kindergarten?
-- You think the content approved by the broadcasting authority could make him jealous?
-- This expression is definitely unusual. We're onto something, we're onto something! It's like being run over by a cart wheel!
-- Wow, from now on, when novels describe the male lead as "three parts indifference, three parts mockery, four parts nonchalance," we'll have a visual! It's exactly this expression!
-- He's trying hard not to laugh at the innocent, clueless reporter.
-- Mr. Shi, why don't you just tell him directly with that expression! [doge]