Chapter 12 Chapter 12
"What's wrong with you? You haven't been acting right since you came back from Pingjiang."
Yue Hui walked out from behind the bar, went to the floor-to-ceiling window, and handed An Jiuyue, who was in a daze, a glass of mint lemonade.
"Your bartending skills are really getting worse and worse." An Jiyue took a sip, frowned and smiled, "The mojito turned into mouthwash."
"Don't drink too much. You still have a shoot tomorrow. Besides, your face is so delicate, it'll swell up if you drink a little. You'd better take care of yourself recently."
An Jiyue tilted her head in confusion, catching a glimpse of the mischievous smile in Yue Hui's eyes and eyebrows. "Why?"
Yue Hui didn't reply, instead returning to his room with his cup in hand, leaving her alone by the living room window. The house they shared was chosen by Yue Hui, a spacious, four-bedroom, two-living-room apartment. His original plan had been for each of them to have one bedroom, with the remaining two rooms to be used as study rooms. But since neither of them could leave work on time, the study gradually became a storage room. At this moment, Yue Hui didn't go to the bedroom, but instead went into one of the rooms and remained there for a long time.
She didn't know what he was busy with, but whatever Yue Hui was busy with had a reason; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so confident in leaving Anshi Capital in Yue Hui's hands. An Jiyue once again let herself get caught up in a whirlpool. Lately, she couldn't figure out Lu Ye's intentions, fearing it was all just another impulsive fantasy. If she rushed forward, she'd be doused in another bucket of cold water. She'd learned that lesson once before.
After all, he really hadn't done anything. It was all a chance encounter, an accident, an unexpected one. Digging deeper, she'd reviewed the script for him, personally invited him to reshoot, and accepted his belated gift. Lu Ye, like a calculating and scheming strategist, had torn her mind to pieces, then stood firmly on the other side, ready to plead his innocence and claim he'd never crossed the line.
And tomorrow's recording topic touched on a sensitive nerve between them. An Jiyue downed the tasteless mojito in one gulp, hoping to use the coolness that seeped into her lungs to dispel the resentment that had been simmering in her heart for the past few days.
——
To preserve the show's "weekend" theme, the guests were allowed to sleep in naturally, but the staff were still in place early to set up the rented villa. An Jiyue arrived early and happened to run into another male guest in the parking lot, who waved and greeted her with a loud voice.
"Director An! Good morning!"
"Good morning, Mr. Zhan. It seems you don't like to sleep in?"
"I developed this habit when I was working, and I basically never sleep in."
Zhan Nianqing was a humble and courteous man, his speech and actions conveying a warmth beyond his years. At first glance, one might mistake him for a young, handsome mid-level executive at a state-owned enterprise. An Jiyue remembered her disbelief when she first saw his profile. Zhan Nianqing had indeed worked within the government in his early years, but within a year or two of going private, he had transformed himself into a moderately successful entrepreneur. Despite his honest appearance, his entrepreneurial ventures were eccentric. He had sold kumquats for the Lunar New Year, traded cultural and creative souvenirs, and now was researching new materials for underwear, where he had already carved out a niche.
Is his temperament really suited to entrepreneurship? An Jiyue, who has met many startup teams, wondered to herself. Zhan Nianqing always wore a Gastrodia silk shirt and washed suit trousers. Although he didn't wear a thin jacket often, he always had it with him. Most startup teams she met were full of energy, ready to talk about their dreams and blueprints with just a pitchbook. It was rare to find someone as calm as Zhan Nianqing. She even felt that if she questioned his business model even slightly, this honest man might think it over for a minute, then nod and say, "You're right."
The last couple to arrive triggers a penalty mechanism. Local male guest Shu Jun, who was the second to last to arrive, was relieved when he learned that his punishment was to carry the last female guest around the villa on his back.
Shu Jun is a man who frequents the gym year-round. His primary job as a programmer isn't very successful, but his side hustle as a fitness trainer is thriving. With little pressure to make ends meet, he lives a simple life and is incredibly welcoming, often offering free fitness training. I heard his private lessons are only a nominal fee, and more often than not, he's simply treated to a salad bowl afterward.
"Just consider it as exercise." He smiled nonchalantly, "Besides, fluff is so light."
Rongrong emerged yawning at nearly eleven. She explained that she'd had a burst of inspiration the previous night and had written until three. She listened to the "punishment" she was about to receive with a pale face, then walked towards Shu Jun with her arms wide open without any reservation.
"Come on. Walk more steadily. It's just time for me to sleep a little longer."
Rongrong was indeed thin, and the light weight was nothing to Shu Jun, but he was found blushing behind his ears after walking half a circle. Several other guests whispered and laughed, and Guan Haifu said bluntly: "Shu Jun, you are not good at training!"
Zhu Ling also sighed and maliciously tried to dig a hole: "Shu Jun, is it because you haven't practiced well enough, or is the fluff too heavy?"
Shu Jun, initially blushing, even took a breath at this, and hurriedly lifted Rongrong up. His biceps were fuller than usual as he exerted force, and even the contours of his waist and abdomen were particularly prominent. He nervously quickened his pace, but was suddenly caught on the raised corner of the carpet, sending him tumbling forward.
“Ouch!”
The two of them fell to the ground, and the onlookers rushed forward. Shu Jun was lying flat on his stomach, one arm supporting him with veins popping out, the other arm tucked back, tightly protecting the petite figure on his back, trying to slow her descent as much as possible. Rongrong, who had been half asleep just a moment ago, was now completely frightened out of her sleepiness. When she came to her senses, she swung her fist at the man who hadn't gotten up yet.
"Didn't I tell you to walk more steadily?"
Shu Jun turned over with difficulty, but he was not angry at all. Instead, he calmed his breathing and apologized incoherently: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it was my fault. Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" As he said that, he personally pulled her over to check her elbows and knees.
Everyone looked at each other, seemingly sensing the unusual atmosphere. Just then, the medical team rushed forward and quickly examined the two men. "Does it hurt? Can you move? Apply iodine to the scrapes here."
An Jiyue, who was outside the venue, was stunned. She looked at Director Zhang in confusion, asking why he had ruined such a great shot. Director Zhang saw through her confusion and whispered, "Remember, at any time, the shot and the plot cannot be compared with the safety of the guests."
An Jiyue felt relieved and took Director Zhang's words to heart. After all, she was still young and a novice in the field of variety show directing, so she still had a long way to go in terms of social skills.
New director An Jiyue was once again assigned to a nighttime shoot. This time, she thoughtfully ordered a late-night snack from Deyue Bistro and shared it with the crew before filming began. She also had Xu Mu give each guest a refreshing smoothie and sweet soup—the guests had made their own barbecue for dinner, and to film the interactive scenes, few ate a full meal.
The highlight of the night was the chat session. An online vote selected the top three topics to avoid discussing on a first meeting, and a guest drew lots. The youngest, Haifu, was entrusted with this important task. She hesitated for a few seconds between the three cards before finally flipping over the middle one.
【predecessor】.
An Jiyue calmly took a deep breath and spoke into the microphone in a calm voice, "Start the plan for the 'ex' topic. Props team, lighting, and camera, ready. The last ten minutes on set."
After she finished speaking, she bravely looked up and glanced around. Lu Ye sat on the sofa next to the floor lamp, his legs crossed, his chin propped up by his fingers, his deep, lingering gaze fixed on her without hesitation. An Jiyue's heart trembled. Some things, some answers, were about to be revealed tonight.
"Thirteen Questions About Exes or Thirteen Glasses of Wine?"
Guan Haifu read the rules on the card with great interest: "Draw playing cards in turn. Each card has a question related to the ex. The person who draws the cards chooses a guest to ask the question. The chosen guest can choose to answer or drink the corresponding amount of wine."
The crystal chandelier was extinguished, leaving only a warm floor lamp in the center of the living room, its ambiguous light radiating between the several people. They sat scattered around the lamp on the soft sofas and carpet, thirteen glasses filled with wine arranged in a row, from small to large. Zhu Ling leaned in to sniff, nodded, and said with a smile, "The wine smells quite good. Maybe I'd rather drink than answer questions."
She drew a card and said, "Number 2, Rongrong, when did you break up with your most recent ex?"
Rongrong: "...refuses to answer."
She downed the wine in one gulp and started coughing violently. Zhu Ling handed her a tissue and asked in confusion, "Why can't you say this?"
"I just can't tell you! Next question." Rongrong wiped her mouth, keeping her mouth shut as she took the initiative to touch the next card. "Point 1, Zhu Ling, how many exes do you have in total?"
Zhu Ling was the first to question, "Wait, do we need to align on the definition of 'ex' first?"
Zhan Nianqing is as easygoing as ever: "I don't think so. As long as you think it is, that's it."
Everyone's eyes turned to Zhu Ling. She lowered her head, hesitating for a moment, then sighed deeply, took the first cup and emptied it in one gulp. Now, not only the guests, but even the staff outside the venue were secretly amazed. "Sister, you're really a sister!" they wondered. "How astonishing that undisclosed figure would be."
Shu Jun drew the number 4. "Mr. Zhan, what's the most intolerable thing about your ex?"
Zhan Nianqing hesitated for a long time, but with his good nature, he couldn't say bad things about others behind their backs, so he simply reached out to grab the wine glass. Zhu Ling hurriedly stopped him: "No, no, no, what's the point of drinking all the time? Let me make an example first, and this problem is mine."
Zhu Ling pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled with a hint of helplessness. "Yes, it's control. How controlling was one of my ex-boyfriends? He demanded I share my location at all times, and be with him during non-working hours. Even hanging out with my female friends required him to get his approval in advance."
Rongrong listened with disdain, her face wrinkled. "Sister Zhu Ling, how long have you been with this guy?"
"About three months. His personality made our breakup quite troublesome. I even filed for a personal safety protection order." Zhu Ling said casually, "Point 8. Shu Jun, what were the reasons for the start and end of your last relationship?"
"My parents introduced us to each other... She's a nice person and pretty," Shu Jun said frankly, without hiding anything. "It ended because she found a more suitable partner."
"You guys don't call?" Guan Haifu asked regretfully.
"Actually, I was quite attracted to her back then. But I always seemed to be irritating her, and I couldn't figure out why, so I kept apologizing." He sounded a little ashamed as he sat back on the carpet, leaning against the sofa and continuing, "She probably couldn't stand it anymore, so... it would be great if relationships could be written into algorithms that could continuously optimize results. But I still don't fully understand what the problem is."
Rongrong rolled her eyes lightly behind him, and Haifu and Zhu Ling saw it all. They exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.
Shu Jun then drew a card, "Number 9, Lu Ye, describe your most unforgettable ex."
An Jiyue hid in the shadows. Lu Ye, who had been silent for a long time, lowered his eyes, his gaze lingering on the wine glass for a few seconds before finally moving away. He spoke slowly, his voice suddenly deep like a cello.
"She is a true lady, a liar who tells lies without blinking, but also a truly unyielding idealist."
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