After Shi Guanghua and Chu Yueyi added each other on WeChat, they didn't talk for a long time. Although the film set wasn't particularly large, with several hundred people around, it was actually quite difficult to run into each other every day.
Chu Yueyi was an actress, spending her days filming on set, with limited time in common areas after work.
Shi Guanghua worked behind the scenes and couldn't disturb the filming progress. It was extremely difficult for him to encounter Chu Yueyi during breaks, let alone muster the courage to speak to her when he did see her.
Despite the lack of interaction between them, there was no shortage of gossip.
Ever since Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua added each other on WeChat in the break room, crew members had been discussing the matter. They even earnestly assured Chu Yueyi: "He must be interested in you."
Chu Yueyi thought to herself that while his interest was uncertain, these gossiping busybodies were certainly interesting.
Today, a female co-star brought up the old topic again, stating with certainty: "The fact that he took the initiative to add you is definitely unusual."
"I think it's quite normal," Chu Yueyi sighed resignedly. "Adding someone on WeChat isn't a big deal."
"But you're an actress! You need to analyze characters. Adding someone on WeChat might not be a big deal for others, but when it comes to specific individuals, it reveals a lot of information!" The actress exclaimed in exasperation. "Yueyi, you usually seem so clever. How can you suddenly be so oblivious?"
Chu Yueyi confessed frankly: "Because I don't like to presume too much."
The actress retorted: "How is this presuming too much?"
"Why are there so many lovesick men and women in the world? It's because they're afraid of presuming too much, only to find out in the end that they were right."
Chu Yueyi, as a seasoned relationship expert, expounded: "Someone adds you on WeChat, sends you good morning and good night messages, checks on you three times a day, says things that are ambiguous and equivocal, and then you get carried away by these vague feelings. But in reality, they haven't actually said anything concrete, have they?"
That's why she wouldn't presume too much. If something wasn't clear, it simply didn't exist.
She had heard countless stories of love and hate, and to some extent had become immune, which led to her experience as the "Loneliness Queen."
The actress, who had initially just been gossiping, was now on the verge of tears: "Stop, stop, you're describing exactly what I've been through with ambiguous relationships. In the end, he actually told me he never liked me. Why did he waste my time then..."
The "Loneliness Queen" Chu Yueyi consoled her: "Ah, what a bitter romantic you are."
Shi Guanghua had been quietly sitting in Chu Yueyi's WeChat contact list, causing her to gradually forget about the matter.
However, the filming of this drama was indeed quite long, and the two inevitably met again.
On set, the director looked at the chaotic scene and rubbed his forehead in frustration, grumbling: "It's still not working?"
The art director in charge of set design was crouching on the ground, repairing the scene. He said helplessly: "We probably can't film today. The weather is changing too quickly..."
"Alright, alright, let's not waste any more time. Notify the crew to change locations! We're not shooting this scene today!"
The on-set director was extremely irritable, pacing around like a headless fly.
Filmmaking might sound artistic, but unexpected situations were common on set. When things got chaotic, it was no different from a construction site.
Everyone noticed the director's foul mood and didn't dare to speak up, only the released crew members felt slightly relieved. Although they would have to reshoot later, some people could finish work early today, giving them a chance to catch their breath in the afternoon.
"Yueyi, wait a moment. I'll go ask the director if you have any scenes after we change locations."
"Alright, no rush."
Due to the sudden change in the scene, the call sheet was no longer valid, and the director and production coordinator needed to discuss on-site.
Chu Yueyi went to a nearby break room to wait for news, but was surprised to find someone else already there.
Shi Guanghua was wearing headphones, originally sitting at a table fiddling with his computer. He froze when he saw her enter.
They stared at each other, momentarily speechless.
Chu Yueyi spoke first: "I'm sorry, am I disturbing you? Should I go to another room?"
"No..." Shi Guanghua hurriedly replied, then added, "You're not disturbing me. Please come in."
Chu Yueyi felt that Shi Guanghua was deeply engrossed in his work, mainly because she had glimpsed a complex audio track page as she passed by, and he seemed to be quietly working there.
Chu Yueyi didn't want to interrupt him. She had nothing to do at the moment and occasionally glanced at her phone, waiting for news from the crew.
Shi Guanghua stole glances at her out of the corner of his eye. Noticing she wasn't busy, he asked softly: "Want to play a game?"
Good. Opportunity favors the prepared mind.
Shi Guanghua began to feel grateful for having done his homework in advance. Now he understood what everyone had been talking about earlier.
Chu Yueyi was taken aback: "Oh, we could, but aren't you busy with work?"
Shi Guanghua saved his work and gently closed his laptop, explaining: "No, it's not a good time to work right now anyway."
As soon as Chu Yueyi sat down in the room, Shi Guanghua's heart started racing. His thoughts began to wander, making it impossible to focus on his work.
Chu Yueyi pondered, realizing that she must be disturbing him after all, assuming her presence in the room was preventing him from working.
She hesitated, wondering if she should leave, but seeing Shi Guanghua take out his phone, she changed her mind and went along with the idea of playing a game together.
Chu Yueyi had never seen Shi Guanghua play games before. Their skill levels were too far apart to play ranked matches, so they could only play casual games for fun. Remembering that Shi Guanghua wanted to learn to jungle, she suggested: "What do you usually play? Do you want to jungle?"
Shi Guanghua only understood the game mechanics but had never actually played, so he felt a bit unsure. He mumbled: "I'll fill."
Chu Yueyi was puzzled. Was he a hidden pro? How could he be so confident?
She briefly suspected that Shi Guanghua might be using a smurf account to play with her, otherwise how could he casually offer to fill roles? Isn't that something only skilled players do? She didn't push further and casually picked a champion she was good at, indeed seeing Shi Guanghua fill the empty position.
It didn't take long for Chu Yueyi to realize she had overthought things. Shi Guanghua wasn't a hidden pro at all; his skills and rank perfectly matched!
He approached the game with the most professional attitude, only to achieve the worst results!
Fortunately, their teammates were quite kind, otherwise he might have been reported for poor play.
Shi Guanghua clearly realized how terrible his performance was. He anxiously averted his gaze, unable to face Chu Yueyi, feeling extremely uncomfortable and on edge.
Chu Yueyi said good-naturedly: "How about I teach you to jungle instead?"
Shi Guanghua replied: "...No, thanks. I'll practice on my own first. Maybe next time."
He had indeed done his homework in advance, but his performance was just too poor.
Chu Yueyi noticed his dejected demeanor and said with a mix of amusement and exasperation: "Why do you want to practice on your own? And I feel like you're not very enthusiastic about playing games. Why did you want to learn to jungle?"
Shi Guanghua had added her on WeChat to learn jungling, which showed quite a determination. It seemed he took the game seriously.
But his lack of enthusiasm while playing made it seem like his heart wasn't really in it.
Zou Qian and others enjoyed playing games, whooping and hollering during the process, clearly having fun. But Shi Guanghua didn't fit into that category at all.
Shi Guanghua glanced at her and lowered his eyes, saying: "Because I wanted to have something to talk about with people."
Chu Yueyi: "Huh?"
Shi Guanghua pursed his lips and honestly replied: "If I play games, at least I'll have topics to discuss."
Faced with Shi Guanghua's earnest and innocent expression, and recalling how crew members said he kept people at arm's length, Chu Yueyi felt an immense contrast. She couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Seeing his confused look, she quickly composed herself, covering her smile with her hand, and said gently: "I'm sorry, it's just a little funny..."
He was playing games just to have something to talk about with people on set!
She was nearly dying of laughter. There was no need to learn games for that!
Shi Guanghua asked dejectedly: "Is it that funny?"
Chu Yueyi hurriedly consoled him: "No, it's not exactly funny. It's just that you don't need to play games to communicate with people."
Shi Guanghua humbly asked: "Then how should I communicate?"
Chu Yueyi almost laughed again at his serious attitude, but she felt it would be unkind. She couldn't dismiss someone else's difficulties just because she didn't have trouble socializing herself.
She patiently instructed: "Many people don't play games. You can just strike up a conversation naturally. If you really can't think of a topic, you can offer some food or drinks. That's the quickest way to close the distance. Occasionally helping others with small favors should be enough..."
Chu Yueyi believed that film sets were the best places to make friends. People were forced to gather there, and most had outgoing personalities. Sharing snacks at tea parties was an easy way to strike up conversations and become familiar with each other.
She hadn't expected Shi Guanghua to have trouble socializing, which was quite contrary to his cold exterior. Everyone on set thought he was simply too aloof to bother interacting.
Shi Guanghua nodded attentively, "I see, I'll make a note of that."
Chu Yueyi noticed him editing a memo on his phone and quipped, "You don't need to treat it like words of wisdom and write it down..."
She had just casually mentioned a few points, but he was recording them so seriously that she found it oddly amusing.
Shi Guanghua looked up at her, remembering he should offer some help, and sincerely asked, "Is there anything you need assistance with?"
Chu Yueyi: "..." Was he applying what he'd just learned so quickly?
When Chu Yueyi met Shi Guanghua's clear gaze, she felt like the scene before her overlapped with an otome game. It was as if a character from a coffee shop or dessert cafe had suddenly stepped out of the screen, complete with an impressively talented voice actor, making his voice particularly pleasing to the ear.
Surely he wouldn't go around asking everyone on set like this?
Chu Yueyi felt his thought process was overly simplistic and weakly replied, "Not at the moment, thank you very much."
Shi Guanghua looked disappointed and let out a soft sigh.
After the "How to Communicate with People" lesson ended, Chu Yueyi and Shi Guanghua gradually became more familiar with each other. They would greet each other when they met, occasionally chat casually, and even discuss mutual acquaintances like Zou Qian.
This was a normal atmosphere between familiar people, with the only peculiar aspect being Shi Guanghua's extreme enthusiasm for feeding her.
If Chu Yueyi had known he would take her words so literally, she would never have used "giving snacks or drinks" as an example. Now he would occasionally bring her food, and the most crucial part was that it was actually quite delicious.
At first, Chu Yueyi hesitated about whether to politely refuse, but considering his desire to "communicate with people," she felt that rejecting him might be hurtful. Instead, she thought it would be better to accept and find an opportunity to return the favor.
It was with this mindset that she accepted his offerings, only to realize that what he gave her was too delicious!
He wasn't just a musician; he was practically a gourmet!
Shi Guanghua gave Chu Yueyi a bag of fresh lotus seeds. After peeling off the thin skin, they were sweet with a lingering aftertaste, a delightful flavor that refreshed the spirit. For days, she carried lotus seeds in her pocket, never having tasted such an amazingly superior variety before. She kept asking Shi Guanghua to send her the purchase link.
Sometimes Chu Yueyi would reciprocate, but she could never find anything nearly as delicious. She always felt that Shi Guanghua was a hidden master of fine cuisine.
She had no idea where he found these treats.
On set, a female actress also observed Shi Guanghua's frequent feeding behavior. She asked expressionlessly, "At this point, you still say there's nothing between you two?"
Chu Yueyi replied helplessly, "You might not believe it, but this situation is truly a misunderstanding. If there's anyone to blame, it's me for giving that example..."
In recent days, Chu Yueyi had come to understand Shi Guanghua better. His thinking was quite simple and pure, which contrasted greatly with his appearance. He looked aloof and cold, but his heart was actually delicate and eager to communicate with others, as evident from his formal attitude when asking for advice initially.
Looking smart but not being very smart – this was probably what they called gap moe.
The actress asked suspiciously, "Really? I don't believe it."
Chu Yueyi: "It's true, he just wants to communicate with people, that's why he's always giving out food..."
The actress corrected her sternly: "No, he wants to communicate with you, that's why he's always giving you food! He doesn't give it to anyone else!"
Chu Yueyi was stunned: "...That's impossible, right?"
The actress: "Of course it's possible. I've already asked everyone in the crew, and he absolutely only gives food to you!"
Chu Yueyi quickly caught the key phrase and hurriedly asked, "Wait? How can you be so sure you've asked the entire crew, and why would you need to specifically ask about this?"
Friend, isn't this a bit too idle?
The actress nodded firmly: "It's necessary. We're all eagerly anticipating what happens next."
Gossip and drama were one of the few pleasures for the hardworking crew members.
Chu Yueyi: "..."
Having received this information from the masses, Chu Yueyi felt conflicted. She hadn't expected things to turn out this way. She had been focusing on filming and indeed didn't know about Shi Guanghua's interactions with others. Now she finally realized something wasn't quite right.
The next day, when Shi Guanghua tried to feed her again, Chu Yueyi felt uncomfortable accepting. Not knowing what was in the lunchbox, she pondered how to politely decline without being too obvious, unlike her usual gracious acceptance.
Seeing her unusual hesitation, Shi Guanghua became a bit confused and said, "It's spicy stir-fried clams."
Chu Yueyi immediately found an excuse and smiled awkwardly, "Oh, is that so? I always feel like there's sand in them, so I'm not too fond of them..."
Chu Yueyi actually liked stir-fried clams, but unfortunately, the restaurants in Hengdian weren't very particular, and there were often small grains of sand in the clams, which made eating them unpleasant.
Although Hengdian produced countless films and TV series each year, its supporting facilities had a somewhat urban-rural feel. It seemed inappropriate to demand high-quality cuisine from small restaurants.
"Mm, I know," Shi Guanghua said, having heard her mention this before. He blinked and added, "There's no sand in these, I promise."
Chu Yueyi realized that dealing with someone with such a simple thought process was quite challenging. She would have to speak very plainly for him to understand the implications, which made her hesitate and feel caught between a rock and a hard place.
Shi Guanghua even opened the lid and offered her chopsticks, solemnly promising, "There really isn't any sand. You can try it."
Chu Yueyi: "..." Is that the key issue here?
Defeated by his unconventional approach, Chu Yueyi could only reluctantly pick up a clam. As she tasted it, she indeed only experienced the delicious, springy texture without any sand or off-flavors. Surprised, she widened her eyes and asked, "Which restaurant did you buy these from?"
Seeing her positive reaction, Shi Guanghua's heart softened, and he said quietly, "I cooked them myself."
Chu Yueyi's eyes grew even wider as she looked at him incredulously. While it was true that the hotel had a kitchen, who would have the leisure time to cook?
It was precisely because her parents found it troublesome to cook at home that she always craved spicy stir-fried clams.
Now she was panicking.
Chu Yueyi casually tossed the clam shell into the trash bin with her chopsticks. She had a feeling that something was amiss, but tried to maintain her composure as she asked, "...Why do you always give me food?"
Shi Guanghua looked puzzled and asked in return, "Isn't this what you taught me?"
Chu Yueyi: "!!?" Brother, can you please stay on the same wavelength as me when we talk?
Confused by her glare, Shi Guanghua could only continue, "And you look so happy when you eat..."
Chu Yueyi responded flatly, "I'll reflect on my own gluttony."
"So I'm happy too."
"..."
Shi Guanghua's tone was calm, but his words were like a stone dropped into water, instantly creating ripples.
Caught off guard by his words and seeing his open expression, Chu Yueyi suddenly felt embarrassed and angry: "What kind of talk is that!?"
Shi Guanghua didn't understand her change in mood and tentatively said, "The truth?"
Chu Yueyi questioned, "That doesn't make sense. I'd be happy eating anything, so are you going to keep making food for me?"
"I could?" Shi Guanghua replied, "If there's something you like to eat, I can keep making it for you."
He didn't think "keeping it up" was a troublesome thing, just as he enjoyed feeding her now.
If anyone else had said this, Chu Yueyi would have dismissed it as flowery words. But now she was facing Shi Guanghua, who had been bringing her food for a long time, and she knew he would take these words seriously. She instinctively rejected the idea: "No, you can't!"
She had a strange feeling that continuing to eat his food would come at a price.
This was the first time Shi Guanghua had a disagreement with Chu Yueyi. Somehow, after months of familiarity, he found the courage to ask softly, "Why not?"
It was also the first time Chu Yueyi revealed her true colors. Her heart was racing wildly now, and she said decisively, "No means no. Are you Blue Cat's Three Thousand Questions or something? Why do you have so many questions!?"
Shi Guanghua: "..." !