I'm in Wuha, and the whole internet is shipping me and Song Yuqi as a couple.

Song Yuqi stood at the terrace doorway, gripping the doorknob, caught in a dilemma.

The sea breeze slipped in through the cracks in the half-open glass door, stirring the hem of her skirt.

She only managed to utter one word before her throat tightened.

Jiang Che's fingers were still on the strings.

He didn't urge her; his gaze remained quietly fixed on her face, waiting for her to continue.

Sunlight streamed in from the edge of the parasol, falling on his half-dry hair, giving him a carefree and relaxed air.

"I'm asking you what you want to say tonight."

Song Yuqi repeated herself dryly, trying to regain the initiative.

She took a step to the left, avoiding the glaring sunlight.

Jiang Che removed his fingers from the strings and leaned back in his chair.

"Tonight is the final live broadcast." He said calmly, "Wu Zheng has given us the final say."

Song Yuqi nodded.

"So?" Jiang Che looked at her. "What do you think I should say?"

The ball was kicked back again.

Song Yuqi felt her brain wasn't working properly.

She originally came up to confront and reprimand them.

Now she's doing reading comprehension.

"You could say the weather is nice today," Song Yuqi said curtly.

"There has been heavy rain in Sanya recently," Jiang Che corrected.

"Then say the seafood here is delicious!"

"Deng Chao had diarrhea after eating seafood last night, and he was still cursing in the group chat this morning."

Song Yuqi ran out of words.

She stared at Jiang Che, her chest heaving.

We can't talk today.

She turned around and grabbed the doorknob, ready to leave.

"Song Yuqi," Jiang Che called her by her full name.

Song Yuqi paused, but didn't turn around.

"You came all the way up to me just to discuss the weather and seafood?"

He spoke slowly and clearly.

Song Yuqi loosened the doorknob and turned around.

"It's clearly you who always leaves half of what you say unsaid!" She raised her voice two notches.

"Last night's fireworks show, you said you thought you'd made it very obvious."

"This morning, you said again that I'd handle the live stream tonight myself."

She took two steps forward and stopped a meter in front of Jiang Che.

"Jiang Che, what kind of riddle are you playing?"

Jiang Che looked at her puffed-up face and didn't say anything.

He picked up the soda water that was next to him, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

He took a sip of water, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

Song Yuqi's gaze involuntarily followed the movement for a moment.

She quickly looked away and stared at the green plants next to her.

"You've never been in a relationship?" Jiang Che suddenly asked.

Song Yuqi's eyes widened.

"What does this have to do with whether or not you've ever been in a relationship!"

"Of course it's related." Jiang Che put down the water bottle. "Some things don't need to be said; you can see them with your eyes."

"I can't tell!" Song Yuqi raised her voice.

Can't she really tell?

The entire online audience has noticed.

Dilraba noticed.

Those old foxes from Wuha had already figured it out.

She knows it perfectly well.

But she dared not admit it.

She was afraid that she was just imagining things, afraid that this was just a continuation of the variety show's effect, and afraid that Jiang Che was just cooperating with the production team to generate buzz.

Unless Jiang Che explicitly states it, she will never take that final step forward.

Jiang Che looked at her, his eyes filled with deep emotion.

"Okay." He nodded.

He moved the guitar aside and stood up.

The distance between the two instantly closed.

Song Yuqi instinctively stepped back.

He took a step back and his lower back slammed directly into the glass door.

Jiang Che didn't give her a chance to escape, and directly raised his hand to brace against the glass next to her.

A shadow fell.

The sea breeze was blocked, and the air became thin.

"You insist on playing dumb, don't you?" Jiang Che looked down at her.

"I'm not pretending to be stupid." Song Yuqi turned her head away, not daring to look him in the eye.

"Then why are you hiding?"

"I didn't dodge!"

Jiang Che used his free hand to pinch her chin, forcing her to turn her head.

My fingers had rough calluses and felt warm to the touch.

Song Yuqi's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.

"Song Yuqi".

He called her name, his voice almost touching hers.

"From Chongqing to Wuhan, and then to Seoul."

"I'll write songs for you, eat at roadside stalls with you, and shield you from water balloons."

"What do you think my purpose is in doing all this?"

Song Yuqi opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"For the sake of the show?" Jiang Che asked himself, his tone slightly mocking.

He released her chin and braced his hand against the glass.

"Or is it to promote goodwill and take care of colleagues?"

Song Yuqi picked at the crack in the glass behind her with her fingers.

She knew it wasn't true.

Whose colleague would come over and sleep on the floor in the middle of the night?

Whose colleague would kiss her while she was bungee jumping live on stream?

What colleague would turn against her in front of the three entertainment giants?

"Speak," Jiang Che urged.

"I don't know," Song Yuqi said softly.

"You don't know?" Jiang Che leaned forward another half inch. "Then why did you come up here to ask me what I wanted to say tonight?"

Song Yuqi couldn't stand the pressure anymore.

She suddenly raised her head and looked directly into Jiang Che's eyes.

"Because I'm scared!"

She cried out, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Because you never explain yourself clearly!"

"You always do a lot, but you never say anything!"

"Netizens speculate wildly online every day, and the production team keeps finding ways to tie us together."

"Dilraba came to declare war on me, and Deng Chao and Chen He joke about me every day."

She poured out all the grievances she had been holding in.

"But what about you?"

"Besides shielding me from the water balloons, did you ever give me a straight answer?"

Jiang Che didn't interrupt her, letting her vent.

Song Yuqi's chest heaved violently, and the corners of her eyes reddened.

I don't want to try to guess the meaning behind every move you make.

"I don't want to analyze which of your words were sincere and which were just scripted."

She stared intently at Jiang Che.

"You asked me what I want to hear."

"Okay, I'll tell you."

Song Yuqi removed her hand from the glass and clenched it into a fist.

"I want to hear you explain it to me in person."

Tell me clearly, word by word.

"What are you really thinking?"

These few words exhausted all her courage.

After saying that, she leaned against the door, panting heavily.

The terrace fell silent.

The sound of waves crashing on the beach became very clear.

Jiang Che looked at the woman in front of him whose eyes were red.

She finally took the initiative to take this step forward.

Ten years of unrequited love turned her into a hedgehog.

If you don't push her, she can stay hidden in her shell forever.

Jiang Che straightened up and increased the distance between them.

The feeling of oppression vanished instantly.

Song Yuqi remained in a defensive posture, staring blankly at him.

Jiang Che turned around and walked back to the recliner, picking up the guitar again.

He sat down in the chair and put the guitar back on his lap.

His long, slender hands rested on the strings.

"Clang—"

A clean and crisp chord was plucked.

Song Yuqi was confused and stood there dumbfounded.

"You..." she began.

Jiang Che plucked two more notes.

It wasn't the chaotic fiddling I'd seen before.

This time there is a clear melodic line.

Several notes strung together sounded very light and cheerful.

It was as if he was improvising.

But Song Yuqi couldn't tell.

She just thought this man was crazy, and she was waiting for him to make a statement while he played the guitar.

"Jiang Che, are you even listening to me?"

Jiang Che pressed down on the guitar strings, and the guitar music stopped abruptly.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over the three-meter distance to land on Song Yuqi's face.

"I heard you."

"and you……"

"Then let's wait until tonight," Jiang Che interrupted her.

Upon hearing these five words, Song Yuqi was stunned.

Wait until tonight?

I've already made myself perfectly clear, and you expect me to wait until tonight?!

"Can't you say it now?" Song Yuqi stamped her feet anxiously.

"No," Jiang Che answered decisively.

He lowered his head and began to pluck the strings again, this time in a different key.

"For the final live stream, we should at least contribute some viewership to Director Wu."

Song Yuqi was so angry that her head was spinning.

flow!

All you can think about is data!

"Jiang Che, you bastard!"

After saying that, Song Yuqi turned around, forcefully pulled open the glass door, and rushed out.

The door was slammed shut.

The vibrations made the glass rattle.

Song Yuqi rushed down to the third floor and bumped into Lu Han, who was just coming up with coffee, at the second-floor stairwell.

Lu Han held her cup, watching Song Yuqi's angry back.

"Yuqi, what's wrong with you? Is a ghost chasing you?"

Song Yuqi didn't even turn her head: "There are pigs behind us!"

Lu Han, holding her coffee, walked to the corner of the stairs and glanced up.

The third-floor terrace was quiet and peaceful.

What outrageous thing has that pig Jiang done this time?

Lu Han shook her head and took the coffee to Deng Chao's room.

As soon as the door opened, Deng Chao and Chen He were lying on the bed discussing what secret they were going to tell each other that night.

"Brother Chao, do you think it's a secret if I confess that I've worn red underwear?" Chen He asked.

Deng Chao rolled his eyes: "That's not a secret, that's polluting the eyes of 30 million viewers."

Lu Han went inside and told them what she had seen at the stairwell.

Deng Chao slapped his thigh: "Oh no, those two must have had a fight."

Chen He stroked his chin: "That shouldn't be the case. Old Jiang is so protective of his own, would he really be willing to argue with Yuqi?"

"What do you know?" Deng Chao said with an air of experience. "This is called pre-battle preparation. There's definitely going to be some big news tonight."

Third-floor terrace.

Jiang Che was left all alone.

He ignored the door that had been smashed to pieces.

The melody on the strings continued to wander.

The melody becomes more complete, and the rhythm gradually becomes clearer.

It's a completely new piece of music.

That was also his answer to Song Yuqi's question, "Explain it to me in person."

After playing the last chord, Jiang Che placed the guitar on the table next to him.

He took out his phone.

Unlock the screen and open WeChat.

Find Wu Zheng's portrait.

Jiang Che typed rapidly on the keyboard and sent a long message.

There was no immediate reply.

Two full minutes passed before Wu Zheng finally replied.

It consists of only two words and an exclamation mark.

[Wu Zheng]: Received!

Jiang Che locked his phone and turned to look at the distant coastline.

The sun was slowly sinking, and the sea was turning orange-red.

There are less than four hours left until the final live broadcast at 7:30 pm.