This time, it was Jiang Chuyi's turn to send half a screen of ellipsis.
Chen Yi: "From the thousand-word essay you sent me, I can tell that you are distressed, so I decided to answer your questions and give you my opinion."
Chen Yi: "Zong Ye proposed this method to you, which is clearly to let you take advantage of his popularity. As a top star who is extremely popular, he will definitely not sacrifice himself to this extent for a variety show. If Zong Ye doesn't want to, how much power do you think the production team has to control him?"
Chen Yi: "Besides, you actually believed his lies, which shows that you are seriously poisoned. It's not that you don't understand, but you don't want to understand, right?"
Chen Yi: "My opinion is that there are two possibilities for him not telling you clearly now. 1. He doesn't like you enough and just wants to have fun and expand his business in the CP circle (obviously he doesn't need this). The risk and benefit are obviously not proportional. 2. He likes you too much, so much that he can't control himself, so he "goes crazy" on the show. But he is not sure about your attitude, so he is still waiting."
Chen Yi: "However, you know that Zong Ye has a bloody constitution. If his love affair is exposed now, it is not just a collapse of the house, it can be called an earthquake and tsunami from top to bottom in the entertainment industry. I kindly advise you that if you want to have a result with him, it is best to keep a low profile now. If you want to be Xibao's sister-in-law, the most important thing is to be patient and not jump, lie down and let others laugh at you, and don't disgust his fans."
Chen Yi sent a lot of messages, but Jiang Chuyi never replied.
Countless fragments flashed through her mind, and she remembered many things related to Souya. His beautiful eyes, his gentle and helpless smile, the happy birthday on the streets of Italy, the half-smoked cigarette on a snowy night, the warm little home in the old alley...
Over the past decade, Jiang Chuyi has acted in many plays and pretended to be deeply in love with many people. Qin Tong once said that her understanding of love was not deep enough, and the performances lacked soul, and she never understood.
Qin Tong asked her, "What does love bring to people first?"
Jiang Chuyi replied, "Courage."
Qin Tong shook his head.
She thought, if she answered the teacher's question now, Jiang Chuyi would say.
Fragile.
Only when facing Muneya, she wavered. Only when facing him, she couldn't stick to herself.
Jiang Chuyi: "Xiaoyi, I regret it. I should have thought it through at the beginning. But it's too late now. The show has already been recorded for two episodes."
Chen Yi: “????”
Jiang Chuyi: "I'm not as greedy as you think. I know I can't afford Zongye."
Chen Yi: "What's the point of marrying up? Although it is a sin for idols to date, they are about to terminate their contract."
Jiang Chuyi: "Whether the contract is terminated or not, Zong Ye is still a top star. What I thought before was to cooperate with the program team to hype it up. If Zong Ye wants, I am willing to play dumb and "play" with him. When the show is over, I will come out to clarify for him, but now things are getting further and further away from what I expected. Maybe it's a good thing that I didn't dare to ask him all this time."
After typing this, Jiang Chuyi put down her phone and leaned her head back on the chair. Her heart was beating, throbbing and mixed with pain, and she quietly experienced this feeling.
After being in a trance for a long time, Jiang Chuyi looked at Zong Ye.
He was sitting in the front row, on the outside, separated from me by a narrow aisle. I don't know what Wang Tan said, but he was laughing.
Jiang Chuyi quietly raised her left hand and traced the outline of his shadow with her fingers.
From this angle, it seems that if he goes up a little bit more, he will bump into Souya.
Jiang Chuyi knew that she didn't just want to play the game of "pretending to be in love" with him, she was deceiving herself.
She wanted him, very much.
But she couldn't destroy Souya.
After putting her hand down, Jiang Chuyi picked up her phone again and sent a message to Chen Yi.
"Thank you for your advice. I will take care of this matter."
*
In order tonight's recording, the program crew specially rented a stand-alone party villa.
When they entered the courtyard, the coordinator told them, "There are several rooms on the third floor for you to rehearse. Guitars, pianos, and microphones are all ready."
Jiang Chuyi quietly asked Zongye: "Can you teach me to play the guitar?"
He lowered his head slightly, "You want to learn this?"
Jiang Chuyi nodded.
"Okay," he agreed.
As the two were talking, Fu Cheng came over, glanced at Jiang Chuyi calmly, and then handed the phone to Zong Ye, "Someone is looking for you."
Zong Ye took the phone and discussed with Jiang Chuyi, "Would you go to the room and wait for me first?"
"good."
After watching her go up, Zong Ye turned off the microphone on his collar and walked to a quiet place before answering the phone.
Fu Cheng leaned on the side with his arms folded, and waited until the call was over before asking, "What did my uncle say?"
Zong Ye returned the phone to him and said, "The location of the company has been selected. We need to take some time out in the next two days to go there to register for the business license."
"Oh." Fu Cheng's expression was calm and he said, "From now on, you and my uncle will be in charge of the company's affairs."
"how."
"Don't you know more people than me? I'm too lazy to deal with that group of people, so don't bother me."
Zong Ye smiled: "Can you give me some time? I still want to spend time with my girlfriend."
"How can you have a girlfriend?" Fu Cheng questioned.
"Not yet." Zongye sighed, "I'm still working hard. It feels like there is hope."
Fu Cheng was stunned for a moment, then realized: "You're not talking about Jiang Chuyi, are you?"
"You can see all this?"
Fu Cheng: “…”
The corners of his mouth twitched twice, "No wonder Wang Tan told me that you are love-brained and asked me to stay away from you."
Zongye laughed: "He said that about me?"
"So you told us before that you might step back after the contract was terminated, just for Jiang Chuyi?"
Zong did not comment.
Fu Cheng's grim expression could no longer be maintained, "Did Jiang Chuyi save your life? Can you please not be so scary?"
Zongye laughed: "Am I scary?"
He thought about it carefully, sighed, and admitted: "It seems a bit scary, so I'm still trying to restrain myself."
Fu Cheng frowned, "It's not that easy for you to quit now. We were all brought up by Sister Yin. When we terminated the contract, she said that her depression was about to flare up. If she knew that you were planning to quit behind the scenes, she would hang herself at the door of IM."
"I know, I won't necessarily quit. Anyway, I won't continue on the path of being an idol. Take your time." Zongye patted his shoulder and instructed, "I'll go up first. By the way, remember not to tell Xinhe yet."
Fu Cheng was completely convinced: "You are so thoughtful. You even considered Xin He. No wonder my uncle said you are a talent. Who is like you? You can write an article about the Art of War just to pursue someone, right?"
Zongya pretended not to hear his sarcasm and responded good-naturedly, "I'll take it as a compliment."
Fu Cheng continued to sneer, “Jiang Chuyi is a bit miserable. When he knows your true face, it will be too late to regret.”
Zongye was silent for a moment, wondering: "Are you asking me for help?"
"What help?"
"Let me teach you how to pursue Xin He?"
Fu Cheng was speechless.
Zongye patted his shoulder again and walked away.
Zong Ye walked into the room. Jiang Chuyi was already holding a guitar in her arms. She was trying to tune the guitar in an awkward manner. She paused after playing twice and asked her PD for help.
Feng Jia smiled and glanced at Zong Ye: "Now that the professional is here, I won't teach you. If you have any questions, ask him."
Zongye walked over, pulled a chair and sat down next to her.
Feng Jia glanced at the watch on his wrist and said, "I won't bother you for now. I have to go to a meeting with the screenwriters. The camera in the room is already on. You can start rehearsing."
Jiang Chuyi: "Okay."
After everyone left, Zongye asked her, "Why do you suddenly want to play the guitar? Have you learned it before?"
Jiang Chuyi: "I learned a little bit when I was filming before."
She said shyly: "I don't have much talent in art, so I envy people who can play the piano and guitar. I think they are very cool."
Zongye laughed, "Are you praising me?"
Jiang Chuyi said nothing.
Seeing him rubbing his eyes, Jiang Chuyi put down the guitar in her hand, ran to rummage through her bag, fiddled with it for a while, and found a new bottle of eye drops.
She walked back and handed it to Souya, "I wanted to give it to you last time, but I forgot. This can be dripped directly even with contact lenses."
Zongye was stunned for a moment before taking it, "Thank you."
"Didn't you get enough rest? You've been overusing your eyes. I noticed you've been rubbing your eyes recently." There was a hint of worry in her tone.
"I've had myopia surgery before." Zongye looked up, pinched the bottle with two fingers, squeezed a few drops of eye drops, and blinked away the moisture in his eyes. "Maybe I've been wearing contact lenses for too long recently. It's okay."
Souya said, "What song do you want to play? I'll teach you."
Jiang Chuyi thought for a moment and lowered her eyes. "How about the song 'Creep' that you played during the previous interview? I think it's pretty nice. You can sing it tonight and I'll accompany you."
Zongye looked at her thoughtfully, and after a while, he said, "Okay."
Jiang Chuyi took off her hairband, tied up her black hair, and hugged her guitar again. She had just taken a dip in the swimming pool, and her fingertips were still a little pale. Her makeup was very light, and she lowered her head slightly. A few strands of hair fell by her ears, shining in the afternoon sun, and the lines of her profile looked very soft.
Zongye moved the corners of her mouth to adjust her plucking posture.
After the rehearsal was almost finished, the director team registered the performances of each person and drew lots. The staff ordered lunch boxes for them, and the guests ate quickly before starting to do their makeup.
Chi Mengyue brought a halter dress from GretleZ.
When Feng Miaotong saw this, her eyes widened and she was speechless for a long time. She complained to her sisters in the WeChat group:
"Chi Mengyue... I really respect her. She wears couture clothes to participate in a reality show... She even provides her own makeup team. She is really a "fairy"."
Feng Miaotong repeatedly checked her smoky makeup with a small mirror and sighed. When the show airs, it will be another day of being outshined. I just hope that this look of mine will not be submitted to the ugly bot in the domestic entertainment industry.
Compared with the female guests, the male guests seemed much more casual. Zong Ye wore a white shirt with his sleeves rolled up and simple straight jeans. With his handsome face, he looked fresh and clean.
He sat with Jiang Chuyi and would occasionally lean over to talk in her ear.
Feng Miaotong looked at them with mixed feelings, recalling the various events during the recording of the show, and vaguely came up with some guesses.
Just as I was lost in thought, the first show began.
Ji Kai and Zhao Guangyu sang a medley of songs including "Personal Profile" and "In My Singing (remix)".
The two looked at each other, and Zhao Guangyu tilted his head, "Hey, bro, let's go?"
As the accompaniment sounded, Zhao Guangyu grabbed the microphone, lowered his body, and squatted nonchalantly on the side of the stage. "You should know that a handsome guy like me only appears in anime."
As soon as the first sentence came out, the audience cheered. Jiang Chuyi smiled and clapped along with others.
"I'm used to speaking in a lower octave when I'm in front of a crowd." Ji Kai's voice was full of arrogance. "When they comment on me, they only say I'm so fucking cool."
Xu Jiayu whistled.
Jiang Chuyi thoughtfully picked up her phone and recorded Zhao Guangyu's life highlights. After shooting the two-minute video, she noticed that the person next to her was staring at her.
Jiang Chuyi turned her head and asked, "What's wrong?"
Zong Ye: "Are you taking pictures of Zhao Guangyu?"
"Um."
She clutched her phone guiltily.
Zongye seemed to want to say something, and moved his lips, "Forget it, it's okay."
Their show is at the end.
Jiang Chuyi had very little experience of performing on stage. Holding her guitar, she looked at the crowd of people below the stage, and her palms began to sweat.
While adjusting the sound system, Zongye smiled and whispered to her, "Don't be nervous."
Jiang Chuyi forced a smile: "I'll try my best."
They both sat on high chairs, with Souya bending one leg and resting one foot on the ground. He held the microphone, lowered his head, and waited quietly for the accompaniment to begin.
The lights on the stage dimmed, and the whole place returned to silence. Jiang Chuyi glanced at him, steadied her trembling hands, and plucked the strings. Along with the sound of the piano, Zong Ye's deep voice rang out.
You were here before
You were here
Couldn't look you in the eye
I dare not look you in the eye
When the song reached its climax, Jiang Chuyi moved closer to the microphone and spoke softly, following his voice.
You're so special
You are so special
I wish I was special
How I wish I were different
But I'm a creep
But I'm a monster
Wang Tan shook his head and clapped his hands, sighing, "Our Zong Ye really deserves to be the most affectionate person in the domestic entertainment industry. If he hadn't been hurt by thirty women, he wouldn't be able to sing this feeling."
Ji Kai also commented: "I can only say that Teacher Jiang's singing has no technique, it's all emotion."
The director, sitting behind the camera, called out to the stage, "Song Ye, sing one more song, we're almost there!"
Zong Ye was helpless and turned to ask Jiang Chuyi: "Whose songs do you like to listen to?"
Jiang Chuyi was holding a few of them, still immersed in the emotion just now, and subconsciously answered, "Jay Chou."
Zong Ye: “…”
Ji Kai, who was sitting in the first row, laughed wildly, "Look at Zong Ye's expression. He doesn't think that Mr. Jiang is going to talk about his song, does he?"
Jiang Chuyi reacted and immediately said, "Your song is also fine."
Zongye smiled and didn't ask her any more questions. He stood up and went to find the staff responsible for the accompaniment on the side of the stage and talked to them for a while.
At the request of the director team, Zong Ye sang a solo song to end tonight's show.
During the ten minutes of preparation, Zongye took out his mobile phone and searched for the lyrics.
Jiang Chuyi couldn't help but be curious: "What are you going to sing?"
"You'll know in a moment."
Seeing that he didn't tell her, Jiang Chuyi didn't ask any more questions.
Soon, the staff member made an OK gesture. Zong Ye put down his phone. The familiar prelude came out, and Jiang Chuyi listened for a while, and the expression on his face changed slightly.
"You're writing the plot, it's a little unsolvable, between us."
"I sang the same tune a thousand times all day, and I didn't go home until I was drunk."
Feng Miaotong had never heard of this song before, so she asked the person next to her quietly, "What song is Zong Ye singing?"
"Jay's "Love Loser"."
Under the night sky, the shadows of the trees were dim, and his gentle bass flowed. Jiang Chuyi looked at the colorful small bulbs hanging in the yard and listened attentively.
"In the winter without you, I will keep singing until you appear—"
His voice suddenly stopped.
Jiang Chuyi couldn't help but look over and bumped into Zong Ye's sight.
*
The second episode was recorded and it was past midnight. The staff was cleaning up the venue while Xu Zhi and Quan Yongning were smoking and chatting by the tree.
Jiang Chuyi sat alone in an inconspicuous corner.
Zhao Guangyu came over and said a few words to her. He was bitten by mosquitoes and stood up hurriedly. "I have to get up early to catch a plane tomorrow. I won't chat with you anymore. I'm going to sleep first."
Jiang Chuyi forced a smile and said, "Go ahead."
"What's wrong?" Zhao Guangyu hesitated, leaned over and looked at her, "Why are you so unhappy?"
"No... I was just thinking."
Zhao Guangyu: "Okay, I'll go first."
Jiang Chuyi nodded.
The light of her mobile phone screen was on, and she scrolled through the lyrics of "Love Loser" in a daze.
Until another person came and sat down next to her.
Jiang Chuyi suddenly covered the phone.
Souya: "What are you looking at?"
Jiang Chuyi said nothing and shook his head.
The two sat quietly for a while, and Zongye took the initiative to speak: "You seem unhappy since this afternoon, is there something on your mind?"
Jiang Chuyi continued to shake her head.
"It was a joke I played with Wang Tan at noon. Did it scare you?" Zong Ye asked again.
Jiang Chuyi: “No.”
Looking at the colorful lights swaying in the distance, Zongye said, "That's... you found it a little difficult to pretend to like me. Do you regret it?"
Jiang Chuyi sat there without moving, a little distracted.
"It's not that I regret it, it's just..." Jiang Chuyi felt a lump in her throat, "Zongye, I may not be able to play the game you mentioned."
Zong Ye was stunned.
Jiang Chuyi felt bad and forced an ugly smile, "Otherwise we won't play anymore and just listen to the program team's arrangements and do whatever we need to do."
"play games."
He repeated it twice silently.
After a long while, Zong Ye's expression showed a trace of confusion, "Did I upset you? Or did I mention Zhao Guangyu to you and made you unhappy?"
Jiang Chuyi interrupted him, "No, it has nothing to do with him, and I'm not unhappy."
Zongye was still unsure, "Chu Yi, if what I said to you these two days was too harsh, I can apologize."
"It's not that..." Jiang Chuyi's voice became a little helpless, "Zong Ye, I don't know if you like me... I can only guess by myself."
"But, but no matter what, we can't do this. When the show airs, you'll be scolded badly and we'll all regret it." Jiang Chuyi kept saying, "We can't do this, and the song you sang today can't be done either."
She kept saying "no" several times, which made Zong Ye silent.
Without waiting for his answer, Jiang Chuyi quickly said, "If you don't have any special thoughts about me, just think of me as being narcissistic and don't take my words to heart. We should still be friends like before. After the variety show is over, I will clarify for you. This will be good for everyone."
"We're just friends like before, it's good for everyone." Zongye repeated her words, smiling faintly, "What do you want to clarify for me?"
"I know it's weird for me to say sorry." Jiang Chuyi paused, "But I still want to say sorry to you. I seem to mess up a lot of things, and I come to you to say such inexplicable words to upset you."
Souya: “It’s okay.”
It seemed like he could accept everything she did or said.
In the dark night, Zongye supported his forehead with his right hand and whispered, "I have lost my sense of propriety these past two days."
"No, it's not your fault. We've both been acting weird these past two days." Jiang Chuyi glanced at him carefully, pretending to be relieved, and said in a relaxed tone, "Anyway, just talk it out."
She probably didn't know that her guilt was written all over her face.
Maybe she just felt guilty towards him.
Zongye chuckled and didn't respond to her words, as if the topic ended there.
The two fell into silence again.
He leaned over and took the paper box from the coffee table.
Jiang Chuyi couldn't help but glance sideways, staring at his movements.
Zong Ye picked up the lighter and slid his thumb across the fire wheel. With a slight hissing sound, the flame jumped and illuminated his handsome profile.
Souya held the paper in his other hand and moved it closer to the lighter, and soon the flame licked the tissue.
His expression was indifferent as he quietly watched the paper being engulfed by fire and burned to ashes.
Seeing that the flames had already burned his fingers, he did not let go, as if he was unaware of the pain.
Jiang Chuyi was completely stunned.
After lighting the paper, Zongye changed to the next one and repeated the same action. While doing these things, his expression was calm from beginning to end.
Not far away, a few staff members looked out to see the situation here, not knowing whether they should go forward.
She froze, startled by the bizarre scene, and spoke out to stop him: "What are you doing? Aren't you afraid of pain?"
Zongye loosened his fingers.
The paper slowly fell to his feet.
"What?"
Jiang Chuyi came back to her senses: "Why are you burning paper all of a sudden?"
"Do you want to try it?" Zong said indifferently, "It's very stress-relieving."
"… "
Jiang Chuyi glanced at the burn marks on his fingers and wanted to say something, but when the words came to her lips, she swallowed them back.
Zongye threw the lighter to her.
Jiang Chuyi hesitated for a while, and under his gaze, she picked up the lighter and imitated his actions to light a piece of paper.
She held the paper between two fingers, and when the fire was about to burn her fingers, she immediately threw it away in fear.
The paper fell lightly to the ground and quickly went out, turning into a pile of ash.
After a while, Jiang Chuyi said in a very low voice, "This doesn't seem to relieve stress at all."
Zongye turned his head and looked at her, "Chu Yi?"
Jiang Chuyi glanced sideways.
Zongye said something nonsensical, "Do you think I look like this piece of paper?"
She didn't understand.
"I was ignited by you, and burned by your gaze." Zongye still smiled, and his expression when he spoke to her was always gentle, "And then, I was thrown away by you."
(End of this chapter)