The producer and planner of *Fantasy Couple* were clearly masters of the tease. Despite the non-stop waves of trending topics on Weibo, the entire production team had taken the opposite approach, deliberately keeping the show’s format and selling points vague to leave plenty of room for speculation.
As Producer Yang put it, “The artists have already generated enough hype. Our next move is to build up our momentum and then unleash it all at once.”
Not only the audience, but even the guests didn’t find out who else was participating until the very day.
“Fuck! Why the hell is Lu Ren here?” Rao Mengmeng’s beautiful face twisted in frustration as she stared at the tag @LU on Weibo. “What the fuck is he doing here? There are only three male spots in total!”
Her assistant handed her a glass of water, but Rao Mengmeng waved it away impatiently. “I’m too pissed to drink.”
The assistant whispered, “Even though Lu Ren is taking up one of the spots, don’t we still have Zi Chuan and Teacher Yin? It’s fine.”
“How the hell is it fine?” Rao Mengmeng snapped. “Didn’t you see that Luo Jiuge is here too?”
“I’m telling you, when we visited the set last time, she deliberately kept me away from Yin Beilin. She wouldn’t even let me stand on his other side, insisting on pulling me next to her instead,” Rao Mengmeng said coldly. “She must have known in advance that I’d be on this show.”
“They already have so many CP fans. If she keeps this up and I try to build a romantic storyline with Brother Lin, how am I supposed to survive in this industry?”
The assistant murmured, “Heavens, so that’s what happened. Luo Jiuge is way too calculating…”
Rao Mengmeng sneered. “What else? She is a Film Empress, after all.”
“But I didn’t see much interaction between her and Teacher Yin that day,” the assistant said, looking confused. “If anything, it seemed like Lu Ren had more interactions with him.”
Rao Mengmeng froze. “…What?”
“When they were taking photos, Lu Ren didn’t even want to be in them. He was just standing with Teacher Yin’s manager,” the assistant explained. “Teacher Yin was the one who pulled him over.”
After hearing this, Rao Mengmeng stunned for a moment, suddenly recalling the details of that day’s photo shoot.
When they took the group photo, Luo Jiuge had asked her to stand beside her. Being so close, she remembered now Luo Jiuge had actually reached out to link arms with Yin Beilin…
And then Yin Beilin seemed to have turned away to avoid her.
Could it be that after avoiding her, he went to pull Lu Ren over for the photo?
Logically, Lu Ren and Yin Beilin shouldn’t have had that much to do with each other…
Thinking of this, Director Xu’s words to Brother Lin flashed through Rao Mengmeng’s mind.
“Is this the person you specifically asked to act opposite you?”
Rao Mengmeng: “…”
“No, this outfit isn’t mine.”
The image of Lu Ren sheepishly scratching his head flashed through her mind again.
“I just happened to have nothing to wear, so someone else gave it to me…”
Balwin, the white-lettered model, was lent to him by “someone else”—the very person who had specifically requested to act opposite him…
Rao Mengmeng’s innocent face suddenly froze.
This “someone else,” could it—could it be Yin Beilin?
Four days later.
On the official start date of *Fantasy Couple*, Huang Ying personally drove to the Sky Tower’s underground garage to pick up Lu Ren and Yin Beilin.
She wasn’t alone this time; a somewhat sturdy-looking man accompanied her.
The Sky Tower’s security was impenetrable paparazzi stood no chance of getting in. Even Huang Ying needed a pass to enter.
Only now did she realize that since *Blade*, Lu Ren and Yin Beilin had been living together.
Today, Lu Ren wore a high-collared, preppy-style polo shirt in pure white. A thin red and green stripe ran along the collar and cuffs. The two letters on the chest were slightly oversized, making him look both lean and boyish.
His hair had been cut much shorter, no longer as long as before. His jet-black bangs fell in a messy fringe across his forehead, giving him the air of a young aristocrat.
He looked exceptionally well-behaved.
Yet Huang Ying’s expression still darkened.
The shirt was so oversized, it was clearly Yin Beilin’s.
Huang Ying felt like spitting blood. What kind of twisted pleasure did Yin Beilin get from making Lu Ren wear the same style? Why not just buy him a new one?
What was the point of making Lu Ren wear his own clothes?
After the constant stress of the past few days, he had gone completely numb this time, not even wanting to draw breath.
Huang Ying’s expression darkened. “Lu Ren, let me introduce you. This is your assistant, Xiao Wu.”
The sturdy-looking man behind her grinned and greeted him, “Hello, Teacher Lu!”
“Hello, Brother Wu,” Lu Ren waved back, quickly adding, “You don’t need to call me Teacher. I’m not worthy of the title.”
Whether the original owner of this body had any works to his name was one thing, but he was just a junior in college who had just transmigrated here. How could he possibly deserve to be called Teacher?
“Wait a moment, I’ll take Yin Beilin to the set separately,” Huang Ying said without wasting any words. “Xiao Wu will drive you to Peach TV.”
As she spoke, her gaze remained fixed on Yin Beilin.
She pressed her lips together. “No matter what, it’s best if you two don’t draw too much attention at first.”
Lu Ren nodded frantically, couldn’t agree more. After all, the Young Lady Xu Qingqing was also on this variety show. If she followed the original novel’s description of her as a domineering and willful person, what would happen if she found out he had shared a car with Yin Beilin to get to the show…
Lu Ren’s lips twitched.
He could already picture it: after the show, he’d be bound by a mob of men in black, brought before Xu Qingqing, and forced to kneel and weep in repentance…
Just as he nodded, Yin Beilin, who was sitting next to him, shot him a sideways glance.
Lu Ren swallowed hard, fixed his gaze straight ahead, and pretended not to see.
*…My life is more important.*
*I’ll just forgo that ten thousand yuan…*
Fortunately, this time Yin Beilin didn’t use that deadly, magnetic voice to murmur a questioning “Hmm?”
He simply gave a slight nod, agreeing to let him go.
However, the deadly one this time was Huang Ying.
Just as Lu Ren took two steps forward, Huang Ying’s voice stopped him from behind.
“Wait.”
Lu Ren turned back in confusion, only to meet Huang Ying’s frowning face.
“…What’s going on with your neck?” Huang Ying’s voice was first filled with confusion. As she spoke, her expression darkened with a hint of annoyance, and her voice rose an octave. “Can you guys be a little more careful?!”
“!!!”
*Holy shit!* Lu Ren’s face flushed crimson as he immediately clamped a hand over his neck.
He wanted to scream inwardly. *It’s so damn hot, and I’m wearing a turtleneck… How the hell did Huang Ying still see it?!*
*Where exactly did Yin Beilin leave that mark?!*
Lu Ren’s face was beet red. Under Huang Ying’s accusatory gaze which felt like she was condemning him for “public indecency in broad daylight”—he couldn’t even lift his head in shame.
Meanwhile, Yin Beilin seemed completely unfazed, even letting out a soft, casual “Ah.”
“I went to bed late yesterday and forgot to warn you,” Yin Beilin said, his voice lazy. “My bad.”
*…What’s with that fake-ass “Ah”?!*
*And you, Male Lead! If you don’t know what to say, just shut up!* Lu Ren’s face was so red it looked twisted. *You were just munching on me like I was some damn seasoned duck neck!*
*If anyone hears you say that, they’ll think we did something way worse!*
Huang Ying’s breath hitched again, her chest heaving in numb disbelief.
Lu Ren was on the verge of tears. “It’s not…”
Just as he was about to speak, someone pinched the back of his neck.
Yin Beilin had approached without Lu Ren even noticing.
“Ge…”
Lu Ren turned his head timidly, about to shrink back, when the man beside him spoke.
“Don’t move.”
Another one of those imperative sentences.
Lu Ren shivered involuntarily and glanced sideways with trepidation.
Yin Beilin had raised his hand, the black long sleeve revealing a refined wrist. His fair, clean fingers were pressed against the skin of Lu Ren’s neck.
They were so close.
Yin Beilin’s elegant, oval-shaped fingertips were right before his eyes. Lu Ren held his breath, staring blankly, not even daring to inhale loudly.
A light tap on his neck finally snapped Lu Ren out of his daze.
So the male lead was helping him apply a bandage.
But clearly, he’d been caught staring blankly at the man’s hand.
Yin Beilin’s deep phoenix eyes locked onto him, a faint smile playing on his lips.
His skin was a refined, pale white, and his lips were beautifully shaped, the upper lip slightly thin, the philtrum’s center point distinct. Even the color of his lips was a shade more vivid than anyone else’s.
He was simply more beautiful than a girl.
At this thought, Lu Ren’s face flushed red again.
Huang Ying ground her teeth. “Are you two done?!”
Only then did Lu Ren remember that Huang Ying and Brother Wu were still standing there. His face instantly turned as red as a tomato!
Seeing Lu Ren’s mortified expression, Yin Beilin reached out in good spirits and tapped him on the neck.
Then, he spoke slowly and deliberately.
“Next time, remember to remind me that this spot is off-limits.”
*What do you mean, ‘this spot is off-limits’?*
Lu Ren’s face flushed crimson again, and he wanted to find a hole to crawl into in shame.
*…I even brought bandages! Male lead, you’re clearly doing this on purpose!*
When Huang Ying left, her expression was comparable to a rakshasa’s.
Lu Ren was too embarrassed to look at Brother Wu.
Fortunately, the honest-faced man’s emotional control seemed even better than Huang Ying’s. He remained perfectly composed the entire time, driving Lu Ren to Peach TV without showing the slightest hint of surprise.
His car drove off first, so Yin Beilin hadn’t arrived yet when Lu Ren got out.
Because they had to gather at six in the morning, the sky was still dim when Lu Ren arrived, and the roads were mostly empty.
Yet, Lu Ren was surprised to find that many fans were already waiting outside Peach TV at this hour.
And they weren’t just girls; there were plenty of guys too.
Holding light boards and banners for various idols, they guarded the garage and the main entrance.
Lu Ren scanned the crowd, and his eyes lit up.
*Wow, his name is actually on there.*
But as he looked closer, he saw the words “Lu Ren, Get Out of the Show,” “Lu the Clout-Chaser, Stay Away from Men,” and “Clout-Chaser’s Mom, Go Die” scrawled in stark black ink on white paper.
Lu Ren: “…”
*The original owner of this body was really pitiful,* he sighed, his heart feeling weary.
*Thank goodness Brother Wu was considerate enough to pull into the underground garage instead of stopping at the main entrance.*
However, as soon as he stepped out of the car, Lu Ren looked up and saw a staff member from Peach TV already waiting for them.
It was a young woman, staring blankly in his direction.
Lu Ren’s heart tightened under her gaze. He thought he might be late.
He checked his watch Yin Beilin’s watch, actually and saw it was 5:50.
*…I’m not that late.*
*But it’s almost six o’clock, so I really should hurry,* Lu Ren thought, quickly walking over.
As he approached, the woman seemed to snap out of her daze and hesitantly called out to him.
“…Teacher Lu?”
Her voice was tinged with confusion. “Is that you, Teacher Lu Ren?”
“Yes,” Lu Ren nodded quickly, asking nervously, “Am I late?”
“No, no, not at all.” The girl shook her head hurriedly, unable to resist glancing at Lu Ren again.
*Stunned! How is Lu Ren’s ‘scammer’ persona… so normal this time?*
She was an anti-fan of Lu Ren, confident that no matter what bizarre or monstrous style he adopted, she would greet him without batting an eye…
Who knew Lu Ren would actually pull off the ‘pure’ look!
She had seen him get out of the car just now, but because the change was so drastic, she almost didn’t recognize him.
Only when the handsome man walked over with a slightly bewildered expression did the Assistant Director finally confirm: *This person is indeed Lu Ren.*
Although she spent a lot of time online and knew Lu Ren had recently changed his style… when he appeared in person, the visual impact still left her utterly stunned.
*Is Lu Ren… too good-looking dressed like this?*
*He looks so well-behaved, like a top student and school heartthrob from an elite academy. He’s exactly my favorite kind of ‘puppy-like’ good boy—*
*Wait, a lot of puppy-type guys aren’t even this exquisite!*
Lu Ren looked at the girl, who had started spacing out again, and scratched his head. “Shall we go?”
The Assistant Director finally snapped out of it. She seemed a bit embarrassed, her voice dropping significantly.
“Teacher Lu, our show needs to collect all phones. Please hand yours over first.”
Lu Ren understood, smiled at her, and said, “Here you go.”
The Assistant Director’s face instantly flushed.
As she took the phone, she cursed inwardly.
*Damn it! I’m bringing shame to the Anti-Lu Army!*
*Since when did Lu Ren get this handsome?! I’m losing my mind!!*
On the way to the Guest Room, Lu Ren didn’t notice the Assistant Director’s crimson ears.
Walking behind her, he watched the elevator’s floor numbers climb, his mind racing through the plot of *The Emperor’s Journey*.
He remembered a few of the female guests especially Luo Jiuge and Rao Mengmeng, whom he’d met before. They seemed easy to get along with.
As for Xu Qingqing… since he and Yin Beilin were operating separately today, she shouldn’t throw a tantrum the moment they met.
But he had no idea what was going on with the male guests.
The name Zhou Zichuan, along with that idol group HOWL, were never mentioned in *The Emperor’s Journey*. At the thought, Lu Ren swallowed hard.
I can only hope the original owner’s memories are useful… right?