"You're welcome."
Only when Zhou Jin looked on the verge of tears did Ye Qingzhou curl his lips in satisfaction. "It's what I should do."
[Hahahahaha, talk about twisting the knife.]
[Can Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci go on more variety shows together? I really love those two.]
[! Same! They're such a good match!]
[Aaaaaah! This episode is definitely going to blow up!]
[And Zhou Jin officially takes the title of this episode's most unfortunate guest.]
[When is the director filming the second episode? Can we keep the same guests? I really love this lineup.]
[If they absolutely have to change the guests, can they at least keep Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci? They're so shippable!]
[Ye Qingzhou filled in for Lu Qi this time, so he probably won't be back next episode, right?]
[Probably not. Ye Qingzhou's appearance fee is really high.]
While the two were talking, Bai Zihan and Zhou Ze arrived as well. The production team had repeated "Congratulations to Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci for winning this episode" over the loudspeaker countless times, so Zhou Ze and Bai Zihan had decisively given up on their tasks.
There was only one winning team in this episode.
"What happened here?"
While doing their tasks, Zhou Ze and Bai Zihan had happened to see Zhou Jin running with Li Muting on his back, then later spotted Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci strolling along at a leisurely pace.
Zhou Ze had felt something was off at the time, but he had been too busy with his tasks to look into it. Only when the production team announced Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci as the winning team did he snap out of it.
Zhou Jin and Li Muting had reached the task location first, so they should have won. Why had the production team announced Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci's team as the winners over the loudspeaker instead?
Zhou Jin: "..."
He just had to bring that up.
Looking at the silent Zhou Jin, Chu Ci explained with a smile, "Nothing much happened. Teacher Zhou was just kind enough to deliver the money to us..."
Zhou Ze: "?"
They were all competitors. Why get all sentimental?
Seeing Zhou Ze's bewildered expression, the director briefly explained the Exchange Card.
"Hahahahaha..."
Looking at Zhou Jin's gloomy face, Zhou Ze couldn't hold back his laughter. "I thought you were running so fast because you had victory in the bag. Turns out all that effort was for nothing."
Zhou Jin: "...If you can't say anything nice, shut up."
He and Zhou Ze were friends outside work and got along fairly well, which was why Zhou Ze dared to mock him so freely.
"This is too funny."
Zhou Ze laughed so hard he could barely straighten up. Curling his fingers into a fist to imitate a microphone, he held it to Zhou Jin's mouth. "I'd like to interview you, Teacher Zhou. What went through your mind when you heard the director announce Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci as this episode's winners? Anger? Disappointment? Or helplessness?"
Perhaps Zhou Ze's laughter was too infectious, because Zhou Jin started laughing too. "Get lost."
Although "get lost" was an insult, the laughter in Zhou Jin's voice took much of the sting out of it.
The atmosphere among the cast and crew finally livened up.
"Would the winners of this episode please step forward for a photo together?"
"...What photo?"
Chu Ci had thought he could leave, so hearing the director suddenly mention a "photo together" left him a little confused.
"A photo of the best CP, of course."
While Chu Ci was talking to the director, the staff had already brought over the light-up signs and bunny-ear headbands they had prepared in advance.
There were two light-up signs. One read "You are my joy," and the other read "You are the one I like." There were also two bunny-ear headbands, though both bore the same words: "Best CP."
Chu Ci: "..."
So tacky.
Looking at the flashing lettering on the signs, Ye Qingzhou fell silent too.
"...Don't they look nice?"
The director asked in puzzlement as he looked at the silent group.
"No."
Chu Ci said bluntly, "Especially the flashing lettering."
[Hahahahaha, Chu Ci is so blunt.]
[To be fair, they really don't look good, but I want to see Ye Qingzhou in bunny ears. Drool...]
[I can't even imagine how adorable Ye Qingzhou will look in bunny ears [excited][excited][excited]]
[Coward. I can [smile][smile]]
[That flashing lettering makes me feel like we've traveled back to the eighties or nineties. A real renaissance.]
To finish filming smoothly, Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci had to put on the production team's bunny-ear headbands, however reluctant they were.
Looking at the bunny-ear headband the production team had prepared, Chu Ci felt at a loss for the first time. He glanced at Ye Qingzhou beside him for help, only to find that Ye Qingzhou had already put his on.
So... so cute.
The pink bunny ears on Ye Qingzhou's head softened some of his sharpness. His clothes were all black and white, making that touch of pink look particularly bright.
Without realizing it, Chu Ci's thoughts drifted away.
"Teacher Chu."
Seeing that Chu Ci was spacing out, Ye Qingzhou waved his fingers in front of his eyes. "Do you need me to help you put on your headband?"
Only then did Chu Ci come back to his senses. He offered a heartfelt compliment. "You look so cute in that..."
He had thought the compliment would make Ye Qingzhou a little happier, but instead, Ye Qingzhou frowned slightly.
Only then did Chu Ci realize that "cute" wasn't quite the right word to describe a man. He was about to explain when he heard Ye Qingzhou's slightly dissatisfied voice. "Then am I cuter... or is Zhou Jin?"
Chu Ci: "?"
What did Zhou Jin have to do with being cute?
"Didn't you just call Zhou Jin cute? Have you forgotten?"
Ye Qingzhou reminded him, raising an eyebrow slightly.
He was still wearing the pink headband the production team had prepared, and his slightly rising tone easily brought a cat to mind.
At Ye Qingzhou's reminder, Chu Ci finally recalled the nonsense he had casually spouted. He hurriedly explained, "I only complimented Zhou Jin because I couldn't think of anything else to say. If we're really comparing you two, he's definitely not as cute as you."
Zhou Jin: "?"
Am I part of your play too?
Only then did Ye Qingzhou curl his lips in satisfaction.
"Do you need me to help you put on your headband?"
"Yes."
Chu Ci handed the headband to Ye Qingzhou.
As the distance between them shrank, Chu Ci caught that faint, pleasant floral scent again.
The two obediently finished taking the photos as instructed. The director then announced with a smile once more, "The winners of this episode are Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci," before finally saying, "That's a wrap."
With that, filming for the first episode of Let's Fall in Love officially came to an end.