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

After Wang Mian received the instructions from the in-ear monitor.

He pulled out a plain black folder with Jiang Che's name on the cover.

Chen He leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the clip.

"Wu Zheng finally did something decent, and I'd like to know what he's been hiding."

Deng Chao rubbed his hands together beside him.

"Hurry up and flip through it. I'm going to find out what shady things this kid is up to today."

Wang Mian turned to the first page.

My gaze lingered on the paper for a full five seconds.

He raised his head, glanced at Jiang Che with a complicated expression, and then turned to look at Song Yuqi.

Song Yuqi felt a little uneasy under his gaze, and the money bag in her hand slipped down a little.

Why are you looking at me like that?

Wang Mian cleared his throat and raised the megaphone.

Jiang Che.

Where were you two years ago on October 15th?

Upon hearing the date, Song Yuqi froze in her chair.

That was the day she embarked on her first solo tour.

The first stop was Shanghai, and tickets sold out in five minutes after they went on sale.

However, after the show started, the very first row in the middle was empty, with seven seats in a row.

At the time, there were many online trolls spreading rumors that she had faked the tickets.

Some people even posted that she was being heavily promoted by capital, and that people who bought tickets didn't actually go to see the show.

Su Qing investigated for a long time but couldn't find out which scalper was responsible, and this became a small thorn in Song Yuqi's side.

Wang Mian continued reading the documents in his hand into the loudspeaker.

"October 15, 2021, Shanghai Sports Center."

"Song Yuqi's first solo concert".

"The tickets for the seven seats in the first row of the VIP section were all purchased at the original price by the same account."

[Seven seats in a row? This isn't just typical fan behavior, is it?]

[Wait, why did Yuqi react so strongly after hearing the date?]

[Judging from Wang Mian's expression, I feel like something big is about to happen.]

Wang Mian flipped the paper over and pointed it at the camera lens in the distance.

"The real-name authentication for that account..."

The beach was silent, save for the sound of the waves.

Chen He closed his wide-open mouth and turned to look at Deng Chao.

"Brother Chao, is this considered dirt on us?"

Deng Chao reached out and wiped his face, his tone very certain.

"This isn't a scandal; this is premeditated."

Lu Han leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers on the armrest.

"Why buy seven seats?"

"Can you sit in seven seats at the same time?"

Song Yuqi turned around and stared straight at Jiang Che.

"Did you buy those seven tickets?"

Jiang Che was still holding the thermos in his hand, and he rubbed his fingers on the edge of the lid a couple of times.

"Yes."

Jiang Che: I admit to it.

Yuqi's expression had changed from shock to wanting an explanation.

Seven tickets bought, but you're not going? Jiang Che, you'd better have a sufficiently romantic reason.

Wang Mian took two steps closer with a megaphone and began to apply pressure.

"The production team has a problem."

"Why didn't you go to the site when you bought those seven seats together? You didn't even show up in person!"

This is also the answer Song Yuqi wanted to know.

She sang very energetically on stage that night.

But every time my gaze sweeps over those seven empty red chairs in the very center, I feel a tightness in my chest.

Jiang Che put the thermos back on the folding table.

"Because there was a meeting I couldn't cancel at the last minute."

Chen He astutely seized the loophole and immediately launched a counterattack.

"If you can't go, you can get a refund, or give it to someone else."

"You occupied seven prime spots and left them empty. Do you even know how people were criticizing her online back then?"

Jiang Che glanced at Chen He, his tone flat.

"I know."

"Those seven seats were never meant to be used for sitting."

Wang Mian lowered the speaker a little.

"What's it for?"

Jiang Che turned to look at Song Yuqi.

"Release the flowers."

Song Yuqi's breath hitched.

She suddenly remembered that the venue staff had indeed placed seven huge bouquets of red roses in the middle of the first row.

The staff said it was a gift from the sponsor and that no one was allowed to touch it.

After the concert, the flowers were taken away untouched.

She had always thought it was a product placement for some brand, and even blamed Su Qing for not communicating with her beforehand.

Jiang Che looked into her eyes, his voice soft but clear.

That was your first solo concert.

"The red rose is a crowning gift for all your efforts."

"I couldn't go back then, so I could only buy the seven spots directly in front of you and fill them with roses."

I want you to be able to see it as soon as you look down.

[Help! This isn't just dirt; it's a true story of a crush that started ten years ago.]

[Seven bouquets of roses in seven locations, Jiang Che, you hid them too well.]

[Song Yuqi thought it was a boyfriend back then, but it turned out the flowers were from Jiang Che... Who could resist that?]

Chen He covered his cheek.

"My tooth hurts, it really hurts."

Deng Chao stood up, moved his chair half a meter to the side, and increased the distance between himself and Jiang Che.

"I'm requesting to withdraw from this program; this segment can't be filmed anymore."

Lu Han shook her head and looked in Wu Zheng's direction.

"Has Director Wu lost his mind? Is this what you call attacking him?"

In the temporary monitoring room.

Wu Zheng slapped his thigh, wincing in pain as he shook his hand.

The assistant director was trying so hard not to laugh that his shoulders were shaking.

"Director Wu, this is a great scoop! The number of viewers in the live stream has broken records again."

Wu Zheng pointed at the screen through gritted teeth.

"I originally wanted to press him to explain why he deliberately left his seat empty to create a public relations crisis!"

"Who knew he actually sent seven bouquets of flowers back then!"

on the beach.

Song Yuqi sat in the chair, her eyes red-rimmed.

She reached out and grabbed Jiang Che's sleeve.

Why didn't you tell me?

Jiang Che grabbed her wrist with his other hand and pressed his thumb on her pulse to soothe her.

"I'll tell you, and then what?"

"To distract you on stage?"

Wang Mian raised a megaphone beside him.

"Answer complete. Verified by the production team..."

He glanced down at the file in his hand.

The records do state that the site cleaners later removed seven bouquets of unsigned roses.

"Absolutely true."

"Add 500 yuan to the budget."

[Yuqi asked a good question. After ten years, she finally asked it to my face.]

Jiang Che: I didn't do these things so you would know.

The two quickly went to the side to say that the production crew didn't have enough camera time.

The moment the words were spoken, a series of strange monkey cries rang out around Jiang Che and Song Yuqi.

Song Yuqi ignored the commotion from those around her.

She immediately grabbed Jiang Che's arm.

She rested her head on his shoulder and muttered softly.

"Why are you so good at keeping secrets?"

Jiang Che pulled the zipper of her slipped coat up a little.

"We're not hiding it anymore."

The campfire was still burning.

Wu Zheng's voice came through the loudspeaker, this time without any cheerfulness, only exasperation.

"Alright!"

"This concludes the Q&A session!"

"Now we will settle the accounts."

The assistant director walked in front of the camera with a calculator.

"After the previous round, everyone has had points deducted and points added to each other."

"In total, your current surplus funds are three thousand yuan."

Chen He breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing the number.

Wu Zheng chuckled coldly twice.

Don't get too excited yet.

"One day I will take back everything I've lost, twofold!"