Chapter 23: Personal Late-Night Interview 2
After Zhang Chen, it was Chu Yao’s turn for her individual interview.
Staff: “When you listened to your ex introducing you in the audio recording, you cried. What was the reason?”
Chu Yao raised her eyebrows, smiled, and replied, “No particular reason. I just recalled some memories, and couldn’t help feeling a bit sad.”
Staff: “Did you have any thoughts about reconciling with your ex today?”
Chu Yao: “No.”
Staff: “You spent the day with the other male guests—did any of them leave you with a good impression?”
Chu Yao: “There are two who felt pretty good.”
Staff: “Two? Who are they? Can you tell us?”
Chu Yao thought for a moment and said, “Zhang Chen and Lu Zhou.”
The staff was a little surprised. “I thought it would be Wen Yiming? After all, you spent the most time with him today.”
Chu Yao laughed, “The feeling is just that mysterious—not necessarily about spending a lot of time together.”
Staff: “How many goodnight messages did you receive tonight?”
Chu Yao: “One. My ex sent it.”
Staff: “Which male guest do you hope will send you a message?”
Chu Yao: “Hmm… Zhang Chen, I suppose.”
Staff: “Who do you think he sent his message to?”
Chu Yao: “I guess maybe Fang Fei or Jia Yan.”
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After Chu Yao’s interview, Lu Zhou was called in.
He was the last guest to be interviewed tonight. It was already late when he entered, and he habitually greeted the staff, “Thank you for your hard work, teachers.”
The staff’s hearts warmed, and they inexplicably felt more fond of him.
After a few polite exchanges, they got straight to the point. The questions were much the same as before.
Staff: “Tonight, after listening to your ex introduce you in the audio recording, how did you feel?”
Lu Zhou: “She only mentioned my strengths in the recording, which was quite generous, so I felt grateful toward her.”
Staff: “Just grateful? After all these years, now that you’re under the same roof again, didn’t you feel your heart stir for her?”
Lu Zhou shook his head. “No, not really. But if I have to say, tonight when she played the piano, I thought she looked pretty cool.”
The staff laughed and replied, “You look pretty cool when you play the piano too.”
Lu Zhou: “I was just warming up, nothing special. You flatter me.”
The staff was amazed—he played so well and called it just warming up?
“Oh, there’s something I don’t understand: why did you want Ye Fangfei to keep your piano playing a secret? It’s such a good opportunity to show your talents.”
Lu Zhou raised his handsome brows and asked back, “Didn’t you say we should keep our professions confidential? If I don’t keep it secret, my profession would be exposed, right?”
Staff: “It’s not that strict, haha.”
Lu Zhou: “Alright, maybe I misinterpreted. If you’d told me earlier, I wouldn’t have kept it secret, haha.”
Staff: “Who did you send your goodnight message to tonight?”
Lu Zhou: “I sent it to Jia Yan.”
Staff: “Who do you think sent you a goodnight message tonight?”
Lu Zhou: “I have no idea, honestly. Who sent it?”
Staff: “That’s confidential—we won’t tell you yet.”
Lu Zhou: “You really know how to keep us guessing.”
With that, all the interviews ended.
Night had fallen, but the production team was still up, because Director Lin Jiale suddenly came by to check on things.
After he arrived, he specifically pulled up Ye Fangfei’s post-interview video to watch.
A group gathered around Director Lin Jiale to watch with him.
The video recording—
Staff: “During dinner, when you heard your ex introduce you in the audio, what did you feel?”
Ye Fangfei: “I forgot, really. I don’t think I felt anything. I just wanted to get it over with and go to sleep.”
Staff: “After your first day interacting, which male guest left the deepest impression?”
Ye Fangfei: “They all made an impression. Each has their own qualities.”
Staff: “Did your opinion of your ex change today?”
Ye Fangfei: “No.”
Staff: “How many goodnight messages from the male guests did you receive tonight?”
Ye Fangfei: “Two.”
Staff: “Can you guess who sent them?”
Ye Fangfei: “No idea, and I don’t care to guess.”
Staff: “Who did you send your goodnight message to tonight?”
Ye Fangfei: “Lu Zhou.”
Staff: “Why did you choose him? Is he the one you’re most interested in among the four male guests?”
Ye Fangfei: “No, not really. I just thought he worked hard tonight guiding everyone through the dinner process, so it was simply a gesture of appreciation. If sending a message wasn’t mandatory, I wouldn’t have sent one to anyone.”
After watching the entire video, Lin Jiale gently shook his head and looked at those beside him, saying, “Fangfei’s enthusiasm on the show is a bit low. We need to find a way to boost her engagement.”
“She probably wasn’t very enthusiastic today because she’s tired from work. It’s not her fault—she’s been busy all day, and after coming back to the villa, she still has to keep filming. She’s only human.”
Ye Fangfei’s dedicated PD quickly chimed in, offering a few supportive words.
“Tiredness is only a small part of it. For an artist of her level, if she intended to take our show seriously, no matter how tired, she wouldn’t act so indifferent in front of the camera. I think she just doesn’t want to take it seriously, or simply isn’t interested in our show,” one of the assistant directors countered.
The staff began to share their opinions:
“She didn’t really want to join the show in the first place, so it’s normal she’s not invested.”
“With her attitude, isn’t she worried netizens will criticize her when the show airs?”
“Fangfei is famously willful in the industry—her management company can’t control her. Do you think she’d be worried about that?”
“That’s true…”
Ye Fangfei’s PD said, “I still think she just hasn’t rested enough. Look, she was fine this morning, and only became disengaged when she got back tonight. She was tired, so she didn’t participate actively in the show.”
Lin Jiale listened to everyone’s chatter, waved his hand to stop them, and said, “Whatever the reason, she’s critical for our show’s traffic. Let’s observe her state tomorrow. If she’s still reluctant to participate, PD, please remind her.”
Ye Fangfei’s PD: “Alright.”
Lin Jiale: “How about the other guests? Are things going smoothly?”
“I was a bit surprised by Lu Zhou tonight,” someone mentioned.
Zhao Xing’s eyes lit up immediately, seizing the chance to add, “Yes, I didn’t expect Lu Zhou to do so well today. He really helped create a lively atmosphere, and his piano performance was stunning. It’s a pity only Ye Fangfei saw it—if the other female guests had been there, he might have been the dark horse for tonight’s goodnight messages.”
“It’s just playing the piano. Jia Yan can do it too—it’s nothing new.”
“Lu Zhou isn’t well-known in the industry, but he’s an artist after all. It’s not surprising he’s got some talent.”
Assistant Director Chen Yunpeng glanced at Zhao Xing and said, “It’s only the first day—it’s too soon to draw conclusions. Let’s wait and see how their emotional dynamics develop.”
“The emotional storyline between Lu Zhou and Jia Yan is pretty flat. Neither wants to reconcile, so it doesn’t seem like there’ll be much interesting development. If they were interested in getting back together, that could make things exciting.”
Lin Jiale nodded thoughtfully and instructed, “See if you can guide them toward a reconciliation arc. We could hype up a couple reunion.”
Zhao Xing and Jia Yan’s PD responded in unison, “Understood.”