Shen Xingzhi spoke first. He and Chu Yunqing had collaborated before, and while not close friends, they knew each other.
"Teacher Chu, long time no see," he greeted Chu Yunqing, then turned to Ji Zhaoyun. "Hello, I'm Shen Xingzhi."
After introducing himself, Shen Xingzhi gestured for Jing Luan and Shen Jianxi to come to his side. "These two little ones are..."
"Jing Luan, Shen Jian, long time no see."
Before he could finish, Ye Chuanci put down what he was holding and rushed forward to give Shen Jianxi a big hug.
If Shen Jianxi hadn't secretly pinched him, Ye Chuanci wouldn't have let go.
Ji Zhaoyun then remembered who this young artist was. Wasn't this the young man he saw being kept by Director Shen last time? He hadn't expected to see him again.
He nodded indifferently at the group. "Ji Yun." Then he picked up his belongings and went to find a room.
The few of them chatted briefly, and during this time, the female guests also arrived one by one.
The first to arrive, none of them knew her name. She was likely the amateur campus belle.
Indeed, her eyes lit up when she saw them. She then tidied her hair and introduced herself, "Hello everyone, my name is Lin Jing, a junior majoring in Economics and Management at D University."
Although the others weren't particularly interested in her, they maintained basic etiquette and didn't appear too cold.
However, the distant attitude made Lin Jing feel a moment of disappointment. But she quickly composed herself and didn't linger, heading off to choose a dorm room.
After all, there would be plenty of time; she wasn't in a hurry.
Lin Jing's gaze at Shen Xingzhi was clearly filled with fervor. Shen Jianxi guessed she was a fan of Shen Xingzhi's.
Downstairs in the living room, only Jing Luan, she, and Shen Xingzhi were sitting. Ye Chuanci, despite his reluctance, had to go choose a room.
To his disappointment, the room near Shen Jianxi was already occupied.
He then considered choosing the room next to Jing Luan, but Ji Zhaoyun, thinking the first room was too close to the living room and would be noisy, had chosen the second room, the one next to Jing Luan.
Helpless, Ye Chuanci had to settle for the first room. Seeing himself at one end and Shen Jianxi at the other, he secretly regretted not taking a different route when he arrived, which would have prevented him from being so late due to traffic.
By the time he and Ji Zhaoyun came out, all the female guests had arrived.
Actress Li Ying was in her thirties, Zhao Yingxin and Qi Jia were both twenty-five, Qiao Nuan was twenty-one, and the campus belle Lin Jing was also twenty-one.
Surprisingly, apart from Lin Jing who sat next to Shen Xingzhi, the other four women surrounded Shen Jianxi, pinching her cheeks and holding her hands. Neither Jing Luan nor Shen Xingzhi intervened, content to watch the show.
Helpless, Shen Jianxi cast a pleading look at Ye Chuanci.
Ye Chuanci, who always doted on her, walked over upon receiving her signal and pulled her up. "Come, Shen Jian, little brother, brother has a gift for you."
He then turned to the others. "Teachers, I apologize. This child has been pestering me for this gift for days. I just met her and she asked for it. I didn't have time while unpacking earlier, but I'll take her to get it now."
Ye Chuanci had spoken for her. Li Ying and the others were not unreasonable people, and moreover, there were cameras. Even though it wasn't live, they still had to be mindful of their image.
Ye Chuanci led her into his bedroom under everyone's gaze and then closed the door.
Shen Jianxi let out a long sigh. She had felt suffocated just now. They were too enthusiastic, making her, who wasn't socially anxious, feel almost anxious.
Seeing her look of having escaped a disaster, Ye Chuanci chuckled. "What did you do to have them all swarm around you like that?"
Shen Jianxi gritted her teeth. "How should I know!"
After Li Ying arrived, she sat next to her and observed. Then came Zhao Yingxin, Qi Jia, and Qiao Nuan. They bombarded her with questions, making her head spin. She could only catch snippets like "skincare" and "good skin."
They asked her to share her skincare routine, but she said she didn't have one. They didn't believe her, and Shen Jianxi felt like crying. Her good skin was probably a combination of genetics and "77's" nourishment; she had no special methods.
But they seemed determined not to let her leave until she revealed her secrets. To make matters worse, Jing Luan and Shen Xingzhi were just watching, ignoring her pleas for help. She truly felt abandoned.
Fortunately, Ye Chuanci came out then. However, she suddenly remembered something. "Your excuse is to give me a gift. Can you get something to pretend? Otherwise, if we go out empty-handed, we might be interrogated again."
Ye Chuanci looked at her with exasperation, which made Shen Jianxi's heart palpitate. "W-what's wrong? Was I wrong?"
He was almost laughing. How could this person be so clueless at crucial moments? Ye Chuanci flicked her forehead lightly with his finger, walked over, opened his suitcase, and took out a beautifully packaged box.
"What I say will never be untrue. I originally intended to give this to you after the show ended, but since that's the case, I'll give it to you now."
As he spoke, he pushed the item into Shen Jianxi's arms, as if afraid she wouldn't accept it.
Ye Chuanci quickly let go after handing it over. Shen Jianxi instinctively hugged it to prevent it from falling.
However, the contents inside were quite heavy.
Seeing Ye Chuanci with his hands behind his back, as if threatening to jump off a building if she returned it, Shen Jianxi had no choice but to accept. She mentally planned to give him something of equivalent value when they returned.
After all, he was her ex-boyfriend, and it was better to settle accounts clearly.
Ye Chuanci didn't know her thoughts. Seeing that she had accepted it, he secretly smiled and walked over to open the door. "Let's go, we can't stay too long." Although he wished they could continue their time alone.
Shen Jianxi nodded and followed him out, carrying the large box.
However, Ye Chuanci didn't notice a small blue flower at the bottom of the box.
After they came out, they attracted the attention of the people sitting in the living room. The box Shen Jianxi was carrying was too large. She looked at Ye Chuanci, then at the people sitting on the sofa, and sheepishly said, "I'll put this away in the room first." She was about to turn back.
Unexpectedly, Li Ying called out to her, "Little Shen, don't be shy. Come and unwrap your gift here. Everyone is curious about what your Brother Chu sent you."
The director had instructed her through her earpiece to make this request, probably thinking it could be promoted as a display of camaraderie between seniors and juniors.
Shen Jianxi looked up at Ye Chuanci. Although she didn't speak, her gaze was full of inquiry.
Ye Chuanci nodded. There was nothing inside, just a full set of men's suits.
Receiving his consent, Shen Jianxi no longer felt awkward. She placed the item on the coffee table and carefully peeled off the tape, revealing a plain pink box with no letters.
Ye Chuanci stood behind her and frowned at the box. He remembered it being black, so why was it pink now? Had he misremembered?
Suddenly realizing something, Ye Chuanci's eyes widened. He reached out to stop her. "Don't!"
But it was too late. Shen Jianxi, under the gaze of everyone and all the cameras, opened the box.
The cameraman stepped forward with his camera to get a close-up shot.
Everyone gasped and held their breath at what they saw in the gift box.
The entire Heartbeat Cabin fell silent. Everyone was petrified.
Li Ying, in particular, deeply regretted listening to the director.
Shen Jianxi's hand, holding the box lid, froze in mid-air.
Sensing the killing intent gradually rising from her, Ye Chuanci quietly retreated step by step.
Forget pursuing her heart; he felt like he was about to be cremated.