Love is restraint
Xi Ai closed her eyes and pointed to a line—[At the end of "South of the South," Xue Nan's eyes, that particularly complex look, during the encore!]
Xi Ai was stunned for a moment. This was the role she was playing, and a tragic one at that.
While she was lost in thought, Chu Yiqi quietly went back and went to look for her.
Xi Ai felt a sudden pang of heartache when she saw the phone that had suddenly appeared beside her. She immediately noticed the butterfly hair tie on Chu Yiqi's hand and forced herself to swallow a word.
"...Thank you."
That look in her eyes was actually quite complex. She was surprised, stunned, and disbelieving when she saw someone who looked so much like her lover. Tears gradually welled up, but then turned into self-mockery and a bit of helplessness. Finally, these emotions dissipated, mixed with a little sadness and disappointment, half melancholy and half wanting to let go.
After the event concluded, Xue Nan said, "They said I'm crazy."
"But I remember we were in love."
But who am I, really?
Xi Ai remained silent for a long time, then blinked and suddenly got into character.
She looked up from the butterfly rubber band and glanced at Chu Yiqi beside her.
Chu Yiqi wanted to leave, but was worried about affecting Xi Ai's performance, so he stayed put.
Even though it was Xi Ai who was fully immersed in the role, Chu Yiqi still couldn't help but clench her hands, feeling a nameless pang of sadness in her heart.
Even though it was clearly none of his business, Chu Yiqi still felt a pang of reluctance and regret.
—Perhaps that assessment is correct. A good actor, when conveying emotions effectively, can influence those they work with.
Xi Ai's eyes were red at the end, and when she saw Chu Yiqi's gaze, she didn't rush to move.
Chu Yiqi quickly shook off the inappropriate emotions, but still unconsciously raised her hand.
Coincidentally, the tears that had been hanging in her eyes fell at this moment. Feeling a slight warmth on the back of her hand, Chu Yiqi felt as if she had been burned and quickly withdrew her hand.
Xi Ai had somehow broken character and instinctively raised her hand to grab Chu Yiqi's wrist, but stopped when they were a short distance apart, and just smiled slightly.
That smile, it's hard to say whether it was more like a genuine expression of emotion or more in line with the character itself.
While others didn't hear the very soft laugh, Chu Yiqi heard it clearly.
She felt it should be the former.
Chu Yiqi sat back on her mat, saying nothing, and quietly waited for the next group.
[Who understands that last part—wanting to touch but hesitating, ultimately saying nothing and missing out—it really hurts me.]
[Although it has nothing to do with the movie itself, this sense of fatalistic tragedy is really deadly.]
[Does anyone write fanfiction?!]
[Calling the vegetable garden, you've spoiled my appetite!]
After Xi Ai sat down, she vaguely felt Chu Yiqi's gaze, but she didn't look at him. Instead, she lowered her eyes and chatted with the live chat.
"Could you do another tragic ending?" Xi Ai almost blurted out a refusal, but then remembered that she couldn't just say "no" directly, so she quickly retracted her words.
This retreat caused him to choke.
Xi Ai: ...
This cough was so loud that even the group next to them who were arguing about who should start stopped their fight and looked at Xi Ai, who was propping herself up on the table, covering her face, not forgetting her image for a moment, with a look that was hard to describe.
Chu Yiqi hesitated for a moment, thinking that there was nothing wrong with the question, and then silently pushed the cup of honey grapefruit tea that Xi Ai was brewing over to him.
Xi Ai coughed until tears streamed down her face, but she still managed to say, "Don't look, don't laugh, especially you!"
She lowered her head and pointed precisely at Chu Yiqi, who was slightly to the left of the opposite side.
Chu Yiqi struggled to lift his eyes: ...? He hadn't even laughed out loud yet! He was just trying to laugh but couldn't! You're biting the hand that feeds you!
Chu Yiqi was exhausted from holding back her laughter, and this gesture finally made her give in. She slammed her water glass down: "So what if I laughed!"
[Haha, speechless: I wasn't laughing, so shut up]
[Whether you have it or not! I'm coughing, so I call the shots!]
[Qiqi: Just laugh, just laugh, just laugh!]
Xi Ai stopped coughing and saw Chu Yiqi smiling, so she didn't stop him. She slowly lowered her head and continued the question from before: "It depends on the situation, who knows—that is, I'm the one who suffers the most, so I get to decide."
Chu Yiqi had laughed enough, but upon hearing this, she gave a helpless smirk when the camera couldn't see her.
Xi Ai didn't miss her subtle movements at all, and only then did she completely put the topic aside and stop talking about it.
Really? Actually, she looks quite beautiful when she smiles...
Xi Ai coughed, looked up, and the last group began.
Yu Nianxi and Meng Yike went back and forth for several rounds without a clear winner. Xi Ai glanced at Yu Nianxi's fist, which she was clenching tightly to avoid laughing herself to death.
The group of people watching the live stream were like they had an eight-times magnifying glass, and they quickly caught Yu Nianxi's little tricks.
[Nianxi, stop pinching yourself, hahaha]
[Hand: What did I do wrong?]
Xi Ai acted as if nothing had happened, leaned forward slightly, opened her mouth but decided to just pick up her phone and send a message instead.
Chu Yiqi happened to see Xi Ai's actions; she clearly seemed to want to say something but didn't, and didn't say anything at all.
Did she cough so hard she got a concussion? And now she's even stopped talking.
Just as Chu Yiqi was about to realize that he was probably still not fully recovered from his illness, he suddenly started hallucinating again when he received another message from Xi Ai.
Chu Yiqi: "..."
I knew it.
Chu Yiqi silently opened the message interface: [It's almost the third game, Yu Nianxi is about to cry.]
To save time, they set the rules as a maximum of three rounds per group, with each person having 30 seconds per round. The first person to laugh loses, and if everyone holds on until the end, it's a tie.
Although the party that started first had a slight advantage, it was a party anyway, so there was no need to be so particular.
After reading the message, Chu Yiqi's face became even more expressionless. She stared at Xi Ai without saying a word; it wasn't exactly a glare, but it wasn't entirely speechless either.
What she really wanted to say was, "And you're the one criticizing others? You lost right away. If you think Yu Nianxi is too upset, then you can just replace the captain."
But perhaps he felt that if he said that, Xi Ai would shut him up again. In the past, that person would probably say, "Isn't it because the other side is you? Winning or losing isn't that important. Besides... haven't you heard that you tend to smile when you're looking at your crush?" — He probably wouldn't hear anything nice now either.
Or perhaps she felt that her current state was not suitable for speaking like that. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, but Chu Yiqi just didn't want to.
Anyway, I can't bring myself to say it or do it.
While Chu Yiqi was considering, Xi Ai sent another message: [Is it so hard to reply to my messages, Teacher Chu?]
Chu Yiqi suppressed a smile, glanced at the actress whose eyes were crinkling with a smile, and finally reluctantly typed two words: [No.]
Then he sent a complete message: [Your message was really obvious.]
Xi Ai's smile suddenly vanished. Chu Yiqi was about to marvel at how quickly the actress could change her expression when the man glanced at the struggling Yu Nianxi and then shamelessly retorted: "[Really?]"
[What's wrong?]
Chu Yiqi's lips twitched, and he inexplicably wanted to laugh. In the end, he simply stopped using split screen and focused on watching the comments, but that was all he did.
[Xi Ai, please, please stop looking at the person opposite you!]
[Sister, are you a solo fan? If you can't beat them, join them!]
[+1! God knows I used to wash every single candy so carefully!]
[Wait a minute, Xiao Ai, you called them taro filling, what about us? Maybe we should change our fan name from taro to taro filling?]
[Hahahaha, Xiao Ai: Don't blame me, I'm not responsible for after-sales service.]
[It's okay~ Fans follow their idols' lead.]
[myk, let ynx have a turn, haha, his hand is all red.]
Xi Ai raised her head, propped her chin on her hand, and watched the last game, but her mind was already wandering elsewhere.
Sure enough, calling him Teacher Chu is more effective.
-
Actually, at the very beginning, when their relationship had only slightly improved...
One afternoon, Chu Yiqi was about to leave, but Xi Ai was still struggling in the practice room. Perhaps the saying "everyone has their own expertise" makes a lot of sense. Xi Ai is okay in music and performance, but when it comes to dancing, she is sometimes like a puppet on a string, a puppet held by a novice, stumbling and stiff.
Chu Yiqi glanced at her, then went out, but returned less than ten minutes later.
Xi Ai was a little puzzled. In her memory, Chu Yiqi never missed a meal. Sure enough, upon closer inspection, she saw that Chu Yiqi was carrying a takeout meal, but it was enough for two people.
Xi Ai's movements became a little clumsy as she lost focus, and Chu Yiqi's voice rang out at that moment: "If you felt awkward with that last shot, you can adjust it a little..."
After that day, such scenes often occurred between the two of them, and Xi Ai didn't know when it started, but she always referred to him as "Teacher Chu".
It might have started as a way to ease tensions, and there's nothing inherently wrong with it, but... it still sounds a bit strange.
Later, after they officially became teammates, Xi Ai would still occasionally call out "Teacher Chu," but it gradually evolved into a joking way of teasing her. In fact, most of the time, she didn't call her that like everyone else; she always called her by her full name.
Although in the years that followed, as her fame grew and her abilities were recognized, and other people began to call her Teacher Chu, Xi Ai always addressed her as "Teacher" differently than others. Perhaps it was due to the varied tone of her voice or the different attitude of the person speaking to her.
-
Chu Yiqi watched for a while, then inexplicably shifted her attention again, because she noticed that Xi Ai was daydreaming.
Even though Xi Ai had a smile on her lips and her gaze kept shifting between Meng Yike and Yu Nianxi, anyone else would have thought she was just watching a show. Only Chu Yiqi could tell at a glance that Xi Ai's attention wasn't on them at times like this.
But... after so long, all she could think of was that Xi Ai had remembered something from the past, but she couldn't resonate with her any further.
Finally, Yu Nianxi couldn't take it anymore and breathed a sigh of relief after the allotted time was up, saying, "Captain, can't you just smile for no reason?"
Xi Ai chuckled, glancing at Chu Yiqi amidst the noisy laughter and teasing, before shifting her gaze back.
[Xi Ai, please stop using the microphone, I'm scared]
[Look there, sis, let's restrain ourselves a bit. Love is about restraint!]
[Ai'ai: Love should be flamboyant and passionate.]
Xi Ai pursed her lips, knowing she shouldn't look, but still subconsciously raised her head to look at Chu Yiqi again.
The two people who suddenly met eyes stared at each other in bewilderment: "..."
They looked at each other for a moment, then lowered their heads again, raising their hands almost simultaneously. One rubbed his nose, while the other rubbed his forehead, hurriedly and unnecessarily fixing his hair.
[…I can’t take it anymore, I’m unfollowing you for three seconds.]
[Upstairs, it's time! Are you alright, hahaha? It's so awkward and chaotic when you're in an awkward situation, Qiqi.]
Shi Yunshan: "So you know it's inexplicable?"
While laughing, Nie Chuiying dutifully relayed the fans' opinions: "Do you know what these little brats are saying? Cough cough, 'The immunology department has a strong immune system, huh? Yi Ke: No way, I'm immune to your attacks.'"
[Who's laughing, "Little brat"? It's me!!]
[No, those six finally realized something was wrong. I said, what would happen if you guys used screen mirroring? Everyone's holding a phone and multitasking, it's kind of funny, what's going on?]
[I didn't even think of that until you mentioned it. I second that suggestion. (=^▽^=)]
All six people must have seen the last message. Each of them remained silent for a moment, then stiffly raised their heads, a hint of confusion in their eyes. Looking at each other, they seemed to be hoping to see the same awkwardness in each other's eyes.
—The occasional displays of team spirit in For 8 suddenly became exceptionally strong.
The group looked at each other and then suddenly burst into laughter. Of course, Yu Nianxi, who was extremely indifferent to her image, was one extreme case, while Xi Ai was the other extreme, constantly displaying her bad behavior—mainly probably targeting someone else.
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