Chapter 31

Zhu Xinyue thought to herself, what she had referred to was also a person.
But Ji Linyu didn’t give her a chance to explain further. He released her hand and told her to eat first.
The dining room was filled only with the clinking of dishes and chopsticks.
It seemed that every time she ate with Ji Linyu, it was unusually quiet.
Zhu Xinyue glanced at Ji Linyu, wondering if children from wealthy families like his were raised with strict rules, such as “no talking during meals” or “no speaking while resting.”
“What’s on your mind?” Ji Linyu caught her glancing at him several times out of the corner of his eye.
Zhu Xinyue set down her chopsticks, swallowed the food in her mouth, wiped her lips with a napkin, and said, “I want to chat with you. Will it disturb your meal?”
“No.” Ji Linyu noticed how unusually reserved she was, even interrupting her meal so formally. He actually thought that chatting might disturb her eating.
Zhu Xinyue picked up her chopsticks again, added a piece of sweet and sour pork to her bowl, and started making small talk with him.
“I saw in the group chat that ‘Peach Blossom Spring’ has resumed filming, and the progress seems to be going smoothly. It looks like the public opinion has settled down?”
“Yes. The topic will resurface around the time the movie is released, but the PR department has already prepared countermeasures in advance. It’s all part of the marketing strategy, so don’t worry about it affecting the film.” This was her first time participating in a movie, and Ji Linyu knew how much she valued it.
“That’s good. I’m still waiting to watch the movie with you.” Zhu Xinyue brought up their previous agreement.
Ji Linyu couldn’t help but smile, casually mentioning, “If there’s any movie you’d like to watch recently, we can go together.”
“There aren’t any movies I particularly want to see lately. I asked Brother Hu to get me a spot in an online variety show, and filming will start soon. Once things get busy, I might not be back in Tianze City until next month.” Zhu Xinyue continued eating while reporting her schedule.
“Where is it being filmed?”
“Yunhai City, it’s a coastal island.” Zhu Xinyue thought about the show’s guest invitation format, which relied entirely on the guests’ personal connections. Sometimes, even the permanent guest, a veteran actor and film emperor, would get stood up by someone he invited, leaving him so upset that he stayed by the seaside all day, refusing to go home until the director coaxed him back.
Zhu Xinyue turned to Ji Linyu and asked, “Do you happen to know Xie Zhuguang?”
“I’ve met him once. My aunt really likes him.” Ji Linyu had a good memory. When he was a child, he went with his family to the Spring Festival Gala and met Xie Zhuguang backstage.
At that time, Xie Zhuguang was extremely popular. If you randomly stopped someone on the street and asked them who their favorite celebrity was, eight out of ten would answer “Xie Zhuguang.”
However, he had faded from the spotlight over a decade ago, having suddenly gotten married at the peak of his fame. With the rapid turnover of celebrities in the entertainment industry, younger generations had long forgotten about him.
"This time for the online variety show, I’ll be filming with this senior, and I might need to invite my own friends to be guest appearances." Zhu Xinyue set the stage, clutching her chopsticks as she turned to look at Ji Linyu beside her.
Ji Linyu noticed her gaze. Having eaten his fill, he set down his chopsticks, wiped his lips, and waited for her to continue.
Zhu Xinyue mustered her courage and asked, "If I invited you, would you come?"
Instead of refusing, Ji Linyu countered, "In what capacity would I be going?"
The air fell silent.
Zhu Xinyue froze for a moment, meeting Ji Linyu’s gaze, calm and steady like an ancient forest, not imposing but simply waiting, waiting for her to take the initiative to step in.
When she had asked the question earlier, she had only been thinking about needing to invite a friend for the show. But now, upon reflection, inviting Ji Linyu to appear on the program seemed somewhat inappropriate and could potentially stir up public controversy.
What identity would be acceptable to the public?
"How about as my boss?" Zhu Xinyue tentatively suggested.
Ji Linyu fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.
"Think about it again."
With that, he stood up and left, leaving Zhu Xinyue alone in the dining room, utterly bewildered.
If not as her boss, then what? As her childhood friend’s older brother? Or her own brother’s good friend? Those connections felt even more distant.
The production team of A Moment, A Scene never expected an artist from Jin Huan Group to join their show. Even though the artist’s only work hadn’t been released yet, the title "Jin Huan Group artist" alone was enough to draw attention.
When Zhu Xinyue proposed investing in the variety show, the team was initially worried that she might be bringing in funds just to gain more influence. However, the contract she provided made it clear that she wouldn’t interfere with the team’s decisions and would fully comply with their arrangements.
While still in the sponsorship phase, the production team received an olive branch from the Jin Huan Group, instantly solving their most critical funding issue. Jin Huan Group became the largest investor in A Moment, A Scene. Much like the free-spending coal bosses of the past, Jin Huan Group provided the funds without meddling in the production process, under the motto, "Leave professional matters to the professionals."
Deeply moved, the production team renovated the guests’ activity area, replacing all the appliances with products from the Jin Huan Group.
The variety show had no fixed script, only one consistent task: running a small snack shop by the seaside.
Originally, Xie Zhuguang was the only permanent guest, but now Zhu Xinyue had joined him.
If things had followed the original novel’s plot, Xie Zhuguang would have struggled to manage everything alone, even though his menu only consisted of two items, fries and iced cola. It wasn’t until he invited a friend to help that he added two more snacks to the menu.
Now that Zhu Xinyue was joining him as a permanent guest, the drink menu became more diverse, adding bubble milk tea and hand-beaten lemon tea.
Xie Zhuguang, this faded movie star, had no airs about him and was very down-to-earth, creating a stark contrast between his appearance and personality.
His mother was Western, and he had inherited her melancholic, deep-set eyes. With his curly hair and handsome looks, when he stood silently, it felt like he could pull out a paintbrush at any moment and start sketching portraits on the street. Yet, in reality, his personality was that of a chatterbox who couldn’t go ten minutes without talking.
"Wow! Little Zhu, you’re amazing! Have you done this kind of work before? These potato strips are cut so evenly! They come out crispy and golden when fried!" Xie Zhuguang showered Zhu Xinyue with praise as he stood beside her.
"N-No, not really," Zhu Xinyue blushed at the compliments, her hands growing more skilled with each movement.
On camera, Zhu Xinyue wore a transparent hairnet, tucking all her hair inside and revealing her delicate, petite face. Her features were exquisitely beautiful, enhanced only by light makeup.
The temperature in the back kitchen was a bit high, and the nearby fan tousled the stray strands of hair by her ears. With her dark hair, fair skin, and slightly reddened ears, she looked utterly endearing.
As the camera zoomed out, capturing her upper body fully on screen, it showed her intently cutting potatoes into strips. Her knife skills were deft, and the contrast was striking, her pale, slender hands gripping the sharp blade.
The production crew watching the monitors couldn’t help but wonder: with a face like hers, she could easily become famous. Why had she come to their low-budget, obscure variety show?
Xie Zhuguang was curious too.
He had joined to repay a favor to the show’s head director, who had told him to come and get a taste of retired life while earning some appearance fees. But he had no idea what had motivated this young woman.
After the first day of trial operations, the two guests, having worked together all day, had begun to understand each other’s personalities and how to interact.
Xie Zhuguang had expected Zhu Xinyue to be somewhat delicate, but as the day went on, she turned out to be the hardest worker, staying in the back kitchen the entire time.
Zhu Xinyue had assumed the senior would carry an air of superiority or have the tendency to lecture others, as people his age often do. But Xie Zhuguang was exceptionally considerate toward her, he even helped fend off customers who asked for her contact information. When it came to frying the potato strips, he took over, afraid the hot oil might splatter on her.
"Little Zhu, what made you want to join our show?" Xie Zhuguang asked, sitting across from her and munching on fries.
Zhu Xinyue was busy bookkeeping, calculating the day’s revenue. Only after writing down the final number did she lift her head and gaze at the distant sea.
"At first, I just wanted to earn some money for whole fries. But now I’ve realized… our business is really good!" Zhu Xinyue grabbed Xie Zhuguang’s hand excitedly and told him, "The profit per order of fries is 10 yuan, bubble milk tea and hand-beaten lemon tea are 12 yuan, and iced cola is 3 yuan. After covering the daily costs set by the production team, our net profit for today is 1,237 yuan. Even if we split it evenly, our daily wage would be 618.5 yuan…"
"Wait, wait a second, how did you calculate that so quickly?" Xie Zhuguang watched as she effortlessly calculated the number without even using a calculator. Before he could fully process their daily wage, he heard Zhu Xinyue continue.
"If we earn this much every day, then in a month, I could make 18,555. Even after deducting the fluctuating 20%, I’d still have 14,844..."
Compared to her previous salary of 6,000 a month from being overworked at her old company, oh my god, that’s more than double!
Xie Zhuguang wasn’t great at math, and his head was already spinning, but seeing Zhu Xinyue’s little money-loving expression, he couldn’t help but laugh.
This girl is really something.
But what made Zhu Xinyue willing to stay and continue filming the variety show wasn’t just the daily wage of 600, it was also Xie Zhuguang’s own charm and his interesting friends.
The first guest star was Xie Zhuguang’s classmate, a documentary director who had just returned from Africa, a burly guy as dark as charcoal. When he stood at the shop entrance, it felt like customers wouldn’t dare come in. So, Xie Zhuguang assigned him to do the grocery shopping at the market.
But the dark-skinned director got lost. The locals thought he was an international visitor and spoke to him in English mixed with dialect. The two of them gestured wildly for a long time before finally understanding each other.
When the locals brought him back, one resident asked Xie Zhuguang, "Do you hire foreign staff here?"
Xie Zhuguang joked without missing a beat, "Yeah, we’re going international."
The dark-skinned director almost punched him.
"Who said you could change my nationality?"
The resident even laughed and said, "Wow! This young man speaks pretty good Mandarin!"
The dark-skinned director was bold among friends but shy around strangers, so he stayed quiet and didn’t argue.
And just like that, their shop gained a "foreign employee."
The dark-skinned director absolutely loved the bubble tea Zhu Xinyue made.
Ever since they tried it during lunch one day, he couldn’t go without it. He’d ask Zhu Xinyue every now and then, "Can I have a bubble tea? Extra ice, regular sugar. Put it on Xie Zhuguang’s tab."
When settling accounts at night, Xie Zhuguang was so annoyed he grabbed him by the neck and set a rule: he could only have two bubble teas a day.
But sometimes Zhu Xinyue would soften up. Under the "pitiful" gaze of the dark-skinned director, she’d secretly make him half a cup and let him drink it hidden in the back kitchen before coming out, until Shop Manager Xie Zhuguang found out. Not wanting to scold the girl, after closing, he’d hook an arm around the dark-skinned director’s neck and take him to face the sea and reflect in the cold wind.
Though no one knew what they talked about by the shore, the cameraman followed them.
When they returned, Zhu Xinyue noticed both of them had teary eyes, as if they’d been crying.
Later, when the show aired, Zhu Xinyue found out they had been reminiscing about the past by the sea. Just as she was about to tear up with them, Xie Zhuguang suddenly changed the subject and negotiated with the dark-skinned director: "How about no bubble tea tomorrow?"
The tanned director lowered his voice and said, "Still gotta drink it."
Even in this situation, he didn't forget his bubble tea. Netizens immediately crowned the tanned director as "Bubble Tea Bro" and were extremely curious about just how good Zhu Xinyue's bubble tea-making skills were.
The second guest star only came for a brief day, just passing through Yunhai City. He claimed he wasn't there to work as staff but as a customer, yet Xie Zhuguang ended up making him design new menus at the front desk and help promote their GG and new signage.
This guest was the prop master Xie Zhuguang worked with when he first entered the industry. Later, he became a producer and worked on multiple film and TV projects, but has since retired from the business.
After closing time in the evening, the producer was hammering in their shop's new sign. Xie Zhuguang stood below holding a light for him, while Zhu Xinyue steadied the ladder.
When the producer came down, his hands were still trembling.
Xie Zhuguang asked him what was wrong.
The producer sighed.
"Actually, I came to Yunhai this time to attend my master's funeral. He was the one who brought me into this industry back then. My master had five apprentices in total, but none of us stuck with this path to carry on his craftsmanship..."
Only then did Zhu Xinyue understand why the producer carried a carpenter's toolbox with him. When they met at the cabin in the morning, the first thing he said upon entering was to compliment the trees in their yard as being good wood.
He hadn't actually forgotten any of it, he had just wandered too far away.
After seeing off the producer, Xie Zhuguang later invited two more friends as guest stars: one was a faded female singer who used to be the lead vocalist in Xie Zhuguang's band, and the other was a behind-the-scenes composer who had written many hit songs. With this familiar crowd, they felt free to talk about anything.
"Do you regret getting married at the peak of your career at 25, then going through a divorce lawsuit ten years later?" The lead singer was a cool older sister with wavy hair and earrings so large they could almost be bracelets for Zhu Xinyue.
Xie Zhuguang took a tactical sip of water, only to find that the tanned director had finished his bubble tea.
Zhu Xinyue had been sitting with them at the long table listening to their conversation, but upon hearing this sensitive topic, she got up to excuse herself.
"I'll go make some bubble tea for Chen Ge."
"Don't trouble yourself. You've been busy all day, take a rest." Xie Zhuguang told her to stay, implying "You're one of us, there's nothing you can't hear."
Besides, even if she avoided it now, she'd still find out when the episode aired.
Zhu Xinyue obediently leaned against the front counter behind the long table, keeping some distance from them but closer to the fan, as if using the breeze as an excuse not to join them.
"If I said I don't regret it, some people definitely wouldn't believe me, especially my ex-wife. She divorced me precisely because she didn't believe it." Xie Zhuguang's smile was somewhat bleak; not even the fan's breeze could blow away his melancholy.
Apart from the whirring of the fan, only the leisurely sound of distant ocean waves could be heard.
He lowered his eyes, finally showing a bit of his original melancholic handsome guy demeanor.
The lead singer sister picked up the iced cola on the table, clinked it against his water glass, and downed half of it as if drinking a toast, seemingly to comfort him.
"I actually wish I could be in divorce proceedings with her for the rest of my life," Xie Zhuguang smiled. "But she said she was tired and didn’t want to drag it out any longer, so she asked me to let her go.
"Being with me must have been hard on her."
Zhu Xinyue didn’t know what had happened between Xie Zhuguang and his ex-wife, but just from the tone of his words, she could tell how deeply he had loved her.
"So, young artists in the rising phase of their careers should focus on making money and avoid falling in love. Don’t you agree, Xinyue?"
Zhu Xinyue, the only young artist present, found herself under the gaze of four senior figures.
Zhu Xinyue shook her head and spoke earnestly to the seniors, "That’s not the right way to look at it. If we follow that logic, how much money would one need to earn to be with the person they love?
"If people can’t live the way they want, even money becomes a shackle.
"Since I was little, I’ve always made promises to myself. Finish my homework, and I’ll go buy an ice pop from the corner store; get my New Year’s money, and I’ll buy sparklers; grow up, and I’ll travel with friends; earn money, and I’ll spend more time with my family... So many 'wait untils,' yet not a single one came true.
"Finish my homework, and the corner store is closed; get my New Year’s money, and sparklers are no longer produced; grow up, and the friends I was close to have drifted apart. The tree may long for calm, but the wind will not cease; the child may wish to care for their parents, but they may no longer be there. Instead of always saying 'wait until,' it’s better to seize the moment."
More importantly, making money isn’t limited to being an actor. If she sacrificed her freedom just to earn money, she would lose the very reason she wanted to make it in the first place.
Zhu Xinyue’s words were insightful, but how many people would have the courage to live by them?
The composer, who wasn’t very familiar with Zhu Xinyue, spoke bluntly and arrogantly, thinking she was just a young person spouting empty words. He deliberately provoked her, asking, "So, Xinyue, are you planning to date while pursuing your acting career?"
As soon as he said this, the camera lenses focused on him and Zhu Xinyue, and the air grew thick with tension.
Xie Zhuguang was about to step in to smooth things over.
"Nothing’s set in stone yet," Zhu Xinyue seemed unaware of the trap the composer had laid.
"What Xinyue means is that such things are too far off to consider right now," Xie Zhuguang shot a subtle glare at the composer, signaling him to rein in his temper.
Realizing he had misspoken, the composer rubbed his nose and was about to apologize.
But Zhu Xinyue laughed, completely unbothered, her eyes sparkling as she dropped a bombshell in front of the camera:
"What I mean is, I have a crush on someone, but I don’t know how they feel, so nothing’s set in stone yet."