Chapter 05 Chapter 5
It was the weekend again. The one-on-one segment, without pre-production, wasn't long, and the director had issued a strict order Friday night to finish filming within a day, aiming to start a new chapter the next day. So, Saturday morning, every crew was on full alert, picking up the airport and setting up the sets. Xu Mu went through his to-do list, muttering to himself beside An Jiyue.
"Number 1 Shu Jun, locals don't need to worry, replied at 6:30 that they have already left...Number 2 Zhan Nianqing, the flight just landed, the car has arrived...Number 3 Lu Ye, can't be contacted..."
An Jiyue, who had just woken up early and downed two concentrated drinks, was drowsily waiting for the caffeine to take effect. Upon hearing this, she suddenly opened her eyes and asked, "Can't contact Lu Ye?"
"I'll make another call. Director An, don't worry—Hey, Teacher Lu called back!" Xu Mu immediately answered the call. "Teacher Lu, has your flight arrived yet? Oh? You're local. You're almost there, right? Okay, I'll come downstairs to pick you up!"
A man carrying a laptop bag pushed the door open and walked in. He had a small pair of wireless headphones on his left ear and wore a navy blue casual suit even on weekends. After taking a few steps, his brows suddenly furrowed. He then quickly made his way through the noisy crowd, whispering as he passed An Jiyue:
"Yes, Mr. Cai, I have indeed done some research here. I will send you the materials in a moment."
Xu Mu couldn't catch up with the pace of this nearly 1.9-meter-tall man, so he chased after him and shouted, "Teacher Lu, slow down! Let's go to the dressing room first—"
"Shh!" An Jiyue quickly stepped forward and pulled Xu Mu down. "Can't you see he's busy? Waiting a few more minutes won't delay it!"
This guy is probably on a roadshow again. An Jiyue shrugged. Fortunately, she decisively gave up this path of no return and embarked on another one... She looked around the already set up studio and suddenly felt sympathetic.
The process of the 1v1 interview without preheating is fixed and simple. Three pairs of male and female guests will cross each other to get to know each other, and then talk about their first impressions through individual interviews. Lu Ye and the first female guest Rongrong chatted lukewarmly. When talking about their first impressions, he used euphemistic words:
"I feel like there's still a lot of room for me to get to know the first female guest. Let's get in touch more often when we have the chance."
On the contrary, Rongrong was not so polite at all: "Lu Ye and I are not on the same wavelength at all. There is no chance."
An Jiyue couldn't help but burst out laughing after watching the live interview footage sent by a colleague. The executive director immediately called "Cut" sensibly. She gestured to the executive director gratefully, and when she saw Lu Ye standing there on the stage, she couldn't help but laugh even more.
Female guest Rongrong is a relatively well-known screenwriter. At her own request, she only briefly touched on her profession on the show, avoiding revealing her true colors. When asked about her reasons for appearing on the show, she was incredibly candid: "My writing requires me to observe the diversity of humankind. Of course, being able to experience different kinds of love is even better. The efficient format of a dating variety show is a perfect fit for me."
Lu Ye's match that afternoon was with the woman named Zhu Ling. She wore a long knitted dress, a warm, soft gray that hugged her graceful curves, neutralizing any hint of sexiness. A string of creamy white pearls dangled from her thick, shoulder-length curls, resting lightly on her collar. An Jiyue, having endured her lunch break, had a twinkle in her eyes as she directed the camera to capture Zhu Ling from every angle.
"Mr. Lu, I'm Zhu Ling." She extended her hand and shook Lu Ye's. "When I was young, I was mainly in sales and marketing. Now I can't do it anymore. I'm basically semi-retired. I usually just do some gardening and travel around."
Everyone present: Don't be so hateful! I really can't go through a whole day in this crappy class!
Lu Ye smiled and calmly continued, "Ms. Zhu's retirement life is much richer than mine." He opened his phone and swiped the screen a few times. "I follow your social media accounts. You're involved in the flower and plant industry, from breeding to downstream distribution and brand marketing. You've basically opened up the entire chain."
"Inspections in various places can be regarded as tourism, and even very sophisticated vlogs have been made. This mentality is worth learning from." Lu Ye shook his head in self-abasement. After all, he is also a person who travels on business all year round, but his habit over the years has been to work and rest in shifts, and he has almost no time to enjoy the fun of traveling.
A colleague from the investment promotion team nudged An Jiyue excitedly, "This segment was originally intended to be a product placement! Director An, you designed it so cleverly, it fits in so naturally."
An Jiyue remained silent. This development was beyond her expectations. Lu Ye had actually done some background checks on the female guest beforehand. The initial conversation revealed so much information that even she was completely captivated, staring intently at the monitor.
Zhu Ling, a salesperson by trade, was only surprised for a few seconds before handling the situation with ease. "It was only after I retired that I realized that growing plants is much more interesting than dealing with people. City life for young people is like a glass bottle that's constantly being vacuumed. You never know when it might suffocate. Placing a small, aesthetically pleasing, low-maintenance potted plant on your desk or in your rental apartment can be a way to provide yourself with some oxygen."
"Since Mr. Lu is so interested, I have a small gift for you." She pulled out a simple, elegant paper box containing several bags of scented tea. "I'm pretty good with ornamental plants, and lately I've been tinkering with practical things. This is my own handmade scented tea. It's purer and lighter than what's on the market. The chrysanthemum tea in it improves eyesight and soothes the liver. Mr. Lu, you might want to try it if you're staying up late."
Lu Ye's expression was clearly surprised. He took the box and sniffed it with interest, genuinely admiring Zhu Ling's dexterity. An Jiyue expressionlessly raised her hand, signaling the camera for a close-up. The scene first focused on the tea bag being manipulated by slender fingers, then shifted to his open, admiring expression, and finally cut back to Zhu Ling, who tilted her head and smiled at him.
Everyone present murmured in exclamation, "They are such a perfect match." Tang Bian, a fence-sitter, even touched his chest and silently shouted, "Sister, I can do it!"
Lu Ye rested his elbows on the table, fingers crossed, "Why did Miss Zhu want to participate in this show?"
"Well, there are many reasons." Zhu Ling held her chin with one hand and brushed her hair with the other. "But right now, the most important reason is you, Mr. Lu."
The simultaneous exclamations were muffled by the audience and transmitted directly back to the director's headphones. Xu Mu glanced worriedly at Director An beside him, but she was staring calmly at the monitor, showing no intention of calling "cut." It was normal to choose a female guest with such a personality, but it was rare to start flirting on the first meeting. Everyone stared at male guest No. 3 nervously, waiting to see how he would react.
Lu Ye raised his eyebrows, thought for a moment, and then smiled in relief. He shrugged lightly, then looked Zhu Ling in the eye, nodding in agreement and answering, "Yeah, I'm pretty much the same."
——
An Jiyue sat in her car, the lights in the underground garage malfunctioning, flickering so fast they made her dizzy. She swiped her phone, joining thousands of others in the "Doomsday Lovers" official account, but couldn't find a single comment that resonated with her.
Less than half an hour after finishing work, the publicity and promotion team used the special approval process to release a few warm-up clips. The light concept of taking a break from the busy weekend date was not a big hit, but the capable guests and the carefully edited clips were very eye-catching, and several entries were added in just a few dozen minutes.
【#Doomsday Lover Sister I Can】
【#DoomsdayLoversLookingForDewDropCP】
Lu Ye's evaluation of Zhu Ling during the interview was still appropriate: "It's rare to be able to chat with Miss Zhu so well, and I look forward to more exchanges in the future."
Zhu Ling was even more graceful and concise, saying, "I'm very interested in Mr. Lu, and I hope he feels the same way about me."
An Jiyue clicked on the entry for "Luzhu CP" and saw a lot of comments:
"Zhu Ling is truly my dream girl. Male guest number 3, this luck is given to you, you must take it!"
"These two are quite evenly matched. I really want to know what happens next."
“It feels like they have such good chemistry!”
An Jiyue pressed the lock screen button and slumped her head wearily at the steering wheel. Lu Ye knew all about Zhu Ling's business, and Zhu Ling casually mentioned Lu Ye's habit of staying up late. It was undeniable that they had both checked each other's backgrounds beforehand. But the guest list was strictly confidential; how could they have known the other would be coming?
Just now, when everyone was laughing, she had managed to keep her composure, but when she was alone, it was different. Those moments of mutual admiration and understanding flashed through her mind, stripping away her disguise. She felt like she had never seen Lu Ye look like that before. An Jiyue's knuckles on the steering wheel turned increasingly pale, and she finally had to admit a truth that truly made her feel uncomfortable.
Lu Ye had changed. Though he occasionally showed signs of his past, in the five years since they'd last met, he had truly grown into a different person, someone An Jiyue didn't quite know. This person still worked in the financial sector, but he was no longer the intern sprinting from the subway station to the office building, dressed in sportswear and carrying a laptop. This person still adhered to certain principles, but now he could calmly sip a glass of wine and attend social gatherings. This person would occasionally call out "Jiyue" in the middle of the night, but when he was sober and slightly tipsy, he could gracefully greet his old acquaintance, "Director An."
There's nothing wrong with Lu Ye being like this, but he doesn't necessarily need the same old friend from five years ago. An Jiyue flicked the rearview mirror, taking a closer look at her makeup, which was slightly patchy from the day's work. The bags under her eyes, accumulated after a week of overtime, clearly and embarrassingly exposed the fatigue she felt from years of intense work. Lu Ye was completely different in this regard. Back in school, he was known for his stamina, able to finish two pre-productions in high spirits after an all-nighter. She, beside him, was hazy-eyed, turning the pages of her slides while clutching her heart, fearing she would suddenly die.
An Jiyue fished out sunglasses from her locker, covering the fine wrinkles under her eyes. He still pulled through the nights like before, but without her yawning and backing off. He could now brew a cup of floral tea and spend the long nights together.
An Jiyue opened her phone again and used her work account, which had a small following, to like and repost the "Luzhu CP" promotional video. She then opened the script she'd been working on for a week and typed in the latest revisions to "increase interaction around the Luzhu CP."
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