The official announcement online sparked widespread discussions, but in reality, the two protagonists were packing their bags, deciding to take a short road trip to the suburbs. They received countless greetings from friends and family, and after responding to most of them, they went offline and left, distancing themselves from the center of the bustling topic.
Chu Yueyi couldn't effectively carry out her work recently, as she would undoubtedly face various inquiries. Li You was arranging the upcoming schedule, so he decided to let the artist take a short break for a few days.
The two booked a small villa in the distant suburbs and began a life away from the city. The lush green lawns rolled like verdant waves, the shimmering water nestled against distant mountains, and the sunlight warmed their bodies. The scenery in the remote suburbs was breathtakingly beautiful and devoid of people.
Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua spent a leisurely time together. During the day, they fished by the river; at dusk, they strolled along the water, gazing at boats in the distance; and at night, they returned to the small villa for barbecue and movies.
The suburbs were like a natural oxygen bar, with few buildings in sight, let alone pedestrians. The two didn't wear masks, enjoying a rare, carefree vacation.
A small wooden cabin stood by the gently flowing water, renting out fishing equipment. Beyond that, there was only the magnificent scenery of mountains and rivers.
Chu Yueyi's fishing skills were terrible. She used the same fishing rod and bait as Shi Guanghua, but couldn't catch a single fish in half a day, making her restless.
She looked down at her empty bucket, then glanced at the fish in Shi Guanghua's bucket. She immediately stood up with her chair and bucket, walking a few steps to the side, intending to find a new spot.
Shi Guanghua noticed her leaving from the corner of his eye. He reeled in his line, confused, caught another small fish, casually tossed it into his bucket, and stood up to follow her.
Just as Chu Yueyi found a new spot, she saw him sit down nearby and complained, "I don't want to sit with you."
Shi Guanghua looked bewildered: "Why?"
Chu Yueyi, feeling a strange sense of competitiveness, exclaimed loudly, "You're stealing all my fish!"
Shi Guanghua: "?" Are you a sore loser?
The river didn't belong to Chu Yueyi, and Shi Guanghua had no idea how he could have stolen her fish, but he good-naturedly replied, "We're not competing."
Chu Yueyi frowned slightly, looking at the difference between their buckets, and muttered, "But this is ridiculous..."
They had started fishing at the same time, with no difference in equipment or position, yet the results after an hour were completely different.
Chu Yueyi swore her technique was fine, but her fishing rod hadn't moved at all, while Shi Guanghua's rod kept trembling, frequently catching small fish, and occasionally creating splashes from larger ones.
What did this mean? Was he unpopular with people but popular with fish?
She firmly believed that all the fish in the area were attracted to him, which was why she decided to change positions, only to have him follow her!
Shi Guanghua pondered for a moment, then calmly analyzed, "Perhaps they value their lives."
Chu Yueyi didn't understand: "What do you mean?"
Shi Guanghua replied nonchalantly, "If you catch them, they're doomed. If I catch them, you might find them unappetizing and release the whole bucket before we leave."
Chu Yueyi: "..."
The couple had just arrived at the villa last night, and Chu Yueyi got excited at the sight of the river, eager to fish and barbecue, savoring the taste of fresh ingredients. Being the leader of the two and not one for manual labor, she naturally took on a leadership role, loving to propose ideas without executing them herself.
Shi Guanghua hadn't actually caught any fish with his rod, and it was unclear how he managed to do so.
From the beginning, he thought the fish wouldn't taste good. No matter how fresh they were, they weren't a culinary variety, and he estimated the meat quality wouldn't be as good as what they could buy at home. But he couldn't say this to her, as she didn't cook.
Shi Guanghua didn't complain, dutifully fishing and grilling, all just to make her happy.
Sure enough, Chu Yueyi frowned after trying half a fish, feeling greatly disappointed. She was about to force herself to finish it when Shi Guanghua directly dissuaded her.
Today, as the two fished together to pass the time, Shi Guanghua could already guess the different treatment the fish would receive.
If she caught a fish, it would definitely be cooked whole, regardless of the taste. She would want to enjoy the fruits of her labor. However, if he caught the fish, they might not even be taken back, as she didn't like the taste of this type of fish.
Chu Yueyi was left speechless by his words. She recast her line and muttered to herself, "I promise I won't eat them, just let me catch one at least. Otherwise, renting the fishing rod would be a waste..."
Chu Yueyi wasn't content with being just part of the riverside atmosphere. How could she spend a whole day fishing without any catch? She at least wanted to experience the joy of fishing.
However, the fish in the river didn't believe her words. They kept hitting Shi Guanghua's fishing rod one after another, completely ignoring the rod beside him.
Shi Guanghua tossed another small fish into his bucket. Seeing her dejected face, he tried to comfort her, "Why don't you just fish from my bucket instead?"
Chu Yueyi didn't understand at first. She instinctively looked over and saw the bucket full of fish.
"I think you're bound to catch something this way."
"..."
Chu Yueyi angrily cast her line again, saying defiantly, "No way! I can definitely catch one myself. There must be a fish out there for me to catch. I'm not leaving until I do!"
Shi Guanghua tried to reason with her, "...It's really okay if you don't catch any?"
Chu Yueyi thundered, "I've already bought all my jungle items, and you're telling me it's okay not to jungle!?"
Shi Guanghua was at a loss for words, unsure how he had offended this jungle queen.
As the sun began to set, Shi Guanghua propped his fishing rod on the bank and started packing up, letting her make a final attempt. They still had some time before they needed to return the fishing equipment.
"It's time to go."
Chu Yueyi heard his calm reminder and was about to reluctantly stand up when suddenly her fishing rod began to shake. Before she could clearly see what was happening, she became excited all over, quickly pulling up the rod, and exclaimed happily, "I caught one!"
She prepared to welcome the live fish she had caught, but there was nothing in mid-air, despite clearly feeling the weight of something on the line!
Shi Guanghua reached out to grab his own fishing rod. Seeing that their fishing lines had become entangled and their rods inadvertently intertwined, he said pointedly, "Hmm, you did catch something indeed. You're only good at catching me, it seems."
"..."
Shi Guanghua admired her fishing skills. She had been so determined to catch a fish, and in the end, she caught his fishing rod. There really was something for her to catch after all, and it turned out to be him.
Shi Guanghua: "So I'm the only fish in your pond, huh?"
Chu Yueyi: "..."
Chu Yueyi watched him patiently untangling the fishing lines. Suddenly feeling embarrassed and angry, she picked up her bucket again and stammered, "W-well, if you're so capable, why don't you come in here? I dare you to get in the bucket if I ask you to..."
Shi Guanghua glanced at her: "Teacher Chu's fishing technique works on willing victims. The fish don't even need to enter the bucket, they can drive themselves to you."
He had also "driven himself" to her show, with skilled fish-preparing experience, well-versed in the Chu-style fishing technique.
Chu Yueyi felt indignant. She secretly removed fishing from her list of activities, realizing she truly wasn't good at it.
Before leaving, Shi Guanghua looked at the fish in his bucket and asked for her opinion: "Do you still want to keep any fish?"
She didn't like the grilled fish yesterday, but after a busy day today, she might have developed an interest.
Chu Yueyi replied sullenly, "No, let's not keep any."
Shi Guanghua asked again, "Not even one?"
Chu Yueyi gave him a sidelong glance, her eyes flickering slightly, and said casually, "Isn't there already one fish staying? You said you'd only keep the one I caught."
Shi Guanghua was stunned for a moment, then understood her meaning. He saw her turn her head away, not looking at him, seemingly a bit embarrassed. His heart suddenly felt soft and warm. He tried hard not to let his lips curl into a smile, but her awkward expression still made him laugh.
That night, the couple didn't have barbecue but enjoyed a normal meal instead. The villa had stored ingredients, and Shi Guanghua had brought some as well. Although there was no place to buy groceries nearby, their dinner was still quite sumptuous.
After dinner, Chu Yueyi browsed the map on her phone. Lying on the sofa and swinging her legs, she looked at their location and asked curiously, "Isn't this place close to the lakeside restaurant where we filmed the show?"
"Not very close, but it's a quick drive," Shi Guanghua heard her intention. "Do you want to go?"
This place was some distance from the lakeside restaurant, but both were in the suburbs, so there wouldn't be any traffic jams. Once on the main road, they could drive quickly.
"Wait, let me check..." Chu Yueyi searched on Weibo, then sighed deeply, saying with disappointment, "We can't go. There are a lot of people there these days, with many going to visit and take photos."
The news of the Moonlight(Yue-Guang) Couple's official announcement caused a sensation, bringing "Heart-Fluttering Promise" back into the spotlight. The show's filming locations once again saw a surge in tourists, making it impossible for the couple to visit without being caught by fans.
Chu Yueyi had originally wanted to revisit the old places, but now felt a bit helpless, as it would be too conspicuous.
"Do you really want to go?" Shi Guanghua noticed her dilemma and after a moment's thought, suggested, "We could drive over later and take a quick look. There's no accommodation there, so no one will linger."
Tourists usually visit the lakeside restaurant during the day for photos, but since the surrounding area is remote with no hotels, most have to leave by car once the sun sets. The villa is in the opposite direction from the city, which would allow them to avoid crossing paths with others.
Chu Yueyi perked up after hearing his idea and said cheerfully, "Maybe we could even see the restaurant. Who knows, there might still be things left from the recording!"
Shi Guanghua asked, "What things?"
Chu Yueyi gave examples, "You know, photos or something else. How else would fans go there for check-ins..."
Shi Guanghua stated confidently, "Ah, there's none of that."
Chu Yueyi paused, hearing his decisive tone, and hesitantly asked, "Did the production team take everything away?"
During the finale, the production team had many decorations in the lakeside restaurant, including a specially made photo memory corridor. If the staff hadn't taken them away, there might still be traces in the restaurant, which is what she wanted to go back and see.
Shi Guanghua calmly said, "No, I took it all back."
Chu Yueyi: "?"
Shi Guanghua: "You left in a hurry then, so I didn't tell you. I took the photos with me, they should still be in the car."
Chu Yueyi: "???"
A moment later, the two moved to the car outside. Shi Guanghua opened the trunk, took out a cardboard box from the corner, picked out the photo albums, and showed her the other collected items.
He explained, "These are the photos that were hung up then, and here's the glass conch shell that held the question slips..."
Chu Yueyi looked at the familiar glass conch shell and exclaimed, "How could you take these away!?"
She thought Shi Guanghua was incredibly bold. Not only did he get paid for being on a dating show, but he dared to take the props? And the production team actually let him?
Shi Guanghua blinked and said nonchalantly, "I just asked for them."
Faced with his matter-of-fact attitude, Chu Yueyi suddenly empathized with the staff who had given him the props. His self-assurance made it seem like not giving them to him would have been the strange thing.
Shi Guanghua flipped through the photo album, admiring it seriously: "These are all precious memories..."
Chu Yueyi quipped, "No one's saying they're not precious memories, but please occasionally think about the people behind the camera."
She now agreed with the online criticism of him, begging him to act like a normal person and have some sympathy for the production team.
He was truly the most outstanding capitalist, effortlessly completing the exploitation, not leaving anything behind from the recorded show.
Chu Yueyi took out her phone to take a selfie with Shi Guanghua, including the photo album and glass conch shell in the frame.
She sent the photo to him and decided to salvage some goodwill, saying firmly, "Send the photo to the director and express your thanks. At least show some appreciation after taking everything!"
Chu Yueyi couldn't expect Shi Guanghua to figure it out on his own, so she had to teach him step by step how to win people over, especially since their popularity was now measured in family units.
Shi Guanghua looked down at his phone and replied, "I can't."
Chu Yueyi: "Why not? You should at least thank him!"
Shi Guanghua stared at the red message, confused: "No, he's blocked me."
Chu Yueyi: "..."
Chu Yueyi thought: Is this the director's final act of defiance after being played by Shi Guanghua?
Chu Yueyi had to send a message of thanks to the director herself. Fortunately, she hadn't been blocked, and the communication was very friendly.
The director even earnestly expressed that he couldn't outplay outsiders, saying that in all his years of making shows, he'd never met anyone more formidable than Shi Guanghua. The waters outside the industry were too deep for him to handle.
Indeed, Shi Guanghua was quite formidable.
He not only got paid for the show but also got a free romantic relationship, took away the memorabilia and props at the end, occasionally forgot about the production team that brought them together, and still hadn't followed back the official "Heart-Fluttering Promise" Weibo account.
The director sent a voice message: "If you can get him to record a special episode, I'll unblock him."
Chu Yueyi: "..."
Chu Yueyi looked at Shi Guanghua, who was fully absorbed in flipping through the photos. She awkwardly explained that he hadn't even noticed being blocked, rendering the director's threat ineffective. She could only vaguely and politely brush it off.
If she hadn't told Shi Guanghua to send a message, he probably would never have realized he was blocked.
Of course, she couldn't say this out loud, as it would shatter the director's fragile heart.
The next evening, Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua drove to the lakeside restaurant. By the time they arrived, the blazing sunlight had completely disappeared beyond the lake, leaving only a clear, cold moon hanging in the sky, casting a soft lunar glow on the silent lake surface.
On the shore, the lakeside restaurant's bright lights shone like the only beacon in the night.
The two didn't approach the building; they just stood quietly in the wilderness, admiring the night sky woven with countless stars and the moon.
Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua walked hand in hand through the familiar scenery. Today's bright moon peeked in and out of thin, gauzy clouds, but still cast a gentle light. They strolled around once, then walked back to the car.
Shi Guanghua suddenly asked, "Want to listen to some music?"
"What song?"
Shi Guanghua turned back to open the stereo, and a familiar instrumental melody began to play – it was their song.
Chu Yueyi looked at him under the snowy moonlight, hearing the deep and beautiful singing voice. She gently joined in, humming her own part.
The moonlit lake, their reflections side by side, with only the gentle evening breeze and the melodious music remaining.
The moonlight endures, with only me and you.
-The End.