A month after Ruan Qing and Shang Ting made their relationship public, Heartbeat Experiment kicked off its very first day of live broadcasting.
Little President Chu sat on the first-floor sofa of the villa with an expressionless face, awaiting the arrival of his assigned heartbeat experiment partner.
[To be completely honest, I’m still super surprised even today! Chu Chenfeng actually agreed to join, ahhh!!!]
[Sobbing uncontrollably… what a ridiculously handsome face!]
[He actually agreed for real!!!]
[Deep down, even an aloof, cold CEO really wants to fall in love, huh?]
[Just finished watching Ruan Qing’s stream over there, feeling great! Ready to ship this other couple now!]
Truth be told, the cold, aloof CEO himself didn’t want to fall in love at all.
If the camera lens could zoom in just a bit closer, it would reveal that although Little President Chu was physically present on set, he was so fuming mad that his breathing was noticeably faster than usual.
The situation one month ago went like this…
Secretary Xia asked, “Should I contact PR to handle this?”
Chu Chenfeng remained silent for two seconds. “Yeah, handle it as soon as possible.”
Those two seconds of silence weren’t because he was hesitating—he was simply so dumbfounded his brain had dropped offline.
Going wildly viral? A dating reality show? What on earth?
Professional etiquette prompted Secretary Xia to nod and stride out of the office, though internally she was wildly excited.
Wow! In all my years of working, this is only the second time I’m handling a trending topic for my boss—and it’s a photo so handsome it blew up the entire internet!
Our Little President Chu just dislikes appearing on camera. Otherwise, he would’ve blown up long ago. What a shame, what a total shame…
The moment Secretary Xia left, Chu Chenfeng returned the call to Heartbeat Experiment.
He had been too stunned earlier to even register what the person on the line had said.
“Hehehe, President Chu, have you thought it over?!” The person on the other end sounded ecstatic.
Faintly, a girl’s voice could even be heard in the background: Tsundere uke! Tsundere uke! We’ve got a tsundere queen uke! This will definitely be a massive hit, absolutely explosive!
Chu Chenfeng couldn’t fathom what they were getting so excited about, nor did he scrutinize the chatter. “Yeah, I’m not going.”
“Ah! Won’t you really reconsider? With you on board, this show is guaranteed to explode in popularity!”
Chu Chenfeng: “Thanks, but I’ll politely decline.”
“President Chu, as long as you agree, my side will waive the breach of contract fees entirely, and your appearance fee will be set at the top-tier rate!”
The corners of Little President Chu’s lips curled into a faint, indifferent chuckle. “Do I look like I’m hurting for your breach of contract fees and appearance money?”
The person on the other end: “…”
Having shut down the production crew’s unreasonable demands, Chu Chenfeng hung up the phone. He swiped open his phone interface, but remembering that Weibo was currently flooded with news about himself, his interest evaporated in an instant, and he clicked the screen off.
He pulled out a candy he had bought a few days ago from his drawer, unwrapped the foil, and popped it into his mouth.
On the day he bought the candy, after getting thoroughly pissed off by Jiang Mingshen, he had tossed a certain useless item into his car and thrown the candy into his desk drawer when he got back.
His phone screen lit up. Little President Chu, with the candy still tucked in his cheek, picked up a voice call from his younger brother: “Mmh?”
Chu Xiyao: “Ge! You’re famous!”
Chu Chenfeng was about to hang up, but Chu Xiyao anticipated his next move and hurriedly blurted out, “Ge, don’t hang up, don’t hang up! Mom asked me to tell you to come home for dinner tonight!”
Little President Chu crunched down on the candy. “Why didn’t she call me herself?”
“Oh, she said you’re super famous right now and was worried you’d put on diva airs and refuse to take calls from ordinary folks.”
Chu Chenfeng: “…” Priceless.
“Has she laughed her fill yet?”
“Nope! She’s been laughing non-stop ever since she called earlier. Hahahahahahaha!”
Little President Chu unceremoniously hung up on his brother.
Fengqian held PR meetings for a full day straight. In the end, the proposed solution was for Ruan Qing to explain to his fans that both parties were currently getting to know each other without affecting their professional work. Meanwhile, Chu Chenfeng would lie low for now and wait for the buzz to fade naturally.
Chu Chenfeng had no objections. After wrapping up work, he drove back to the ancestral Chu family estate.
By the time he arrived, Qin Lianzhou’s family, along with his own, were seated together in the first-floor main hall. Even Chu Chenfeng’s grandfather, Chu Haichao, was present.
“Oh! Isn’t this my son whose side profile ascended to godhood?” Li Shuran remarked teasingly.
Chu Xiyao was holding back his laughter so hard his shoulders shook violently, burying his head straight into Qin Lianzhou’s chest as he trembled with giggles. The latter stroked his head soothingly while suppressing his own chuckles.
Chu Haichao interjected, “Alright now, we’re all family here. Don’t make fun of each other.”
Chu Xiyao: “Okay, Grandpa! Hahahahahahaha!”
Chu Chenfeng sat down on the sofa with a taut face and an utterly expressionless look, only to be yanked over by Ms. Li, who gave his hair a thorough, messy rub.
“Alright, let me call for dinner.”
The family gathered around the dining table.
Chu Xiyao’s restless, picky eating habits originally stemmed from his older brother. Chu Chenfeng was even worse—an extraordinarily finicky eater. Though his table manners were impeccably elegant, very little food actually made it past his lips.
Qin Lianzhou peeled a shrimp for Chu Xiyao and placed it on his plate. After a brief moment of hesitation, the younger boy obediently ate it.
This small gesture didn’t escape Chu Haichao’s eyes, and the old man nodded in approval.
Although he had initially found it a bit hard to accept that his grandson’s partner wasn’t a cute, lively girl, Lianzhou was practically a childhood friend. His handling of matters was flawless, and he had even managed to cure quite a bit of his little grandson’s picky eating habit.
Which brought the problem right back to his eldest grandson.
Observing how Chu Chenfeng’s chopsticks had barely moved, the old man let out a sigh. “Chenfeng, I saw the netizens saying they want you to go on a dating show.”
Chu Chenfeng nodded. “Mhm. But I declined. Fengqian can well afford to pay that little penalty fee.”
Chu Yanshi cast an approving look at his eldest son. “Fengqian has been thriving more and more under your leadership these past two years.”
Chu Haichao sighed again. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Chenfeng has scored top marks in every subject since he was little, and he handles matters with sharp, flawless precision. Leaving Fengqian in his hands puts my mind at ease. What keeps me up at night is that he still doesn’t have anyone by his side to keep him warm.”
“Now that the netizens are pushing for him to join a dating show, I’ve grown even more anxious.”
“Seeing how you refused to go on that dating show, Chenfeng, I reckon you just don’t like men. That’s fine too. Your grandmother picked out a few young ladies for you recently. They’re all very pretty and seem like a great match for you.”
Chu Chenfeng was stunned. “Huh?”
“How about this? Set aside some time to meet them so we can stop worrying.”
Li Shuran interjected, “Wait, Dad, Chenfeng he…”
“Alright, don’t you two meddle in this.”
“Don’t worry, Chenfeng. We know you’re busy with work, and we won’t let it disrupt your schedule. Your grandmother and I mapped out a dinner calendar for you. Starting tomorrow, the initial schedule runs through the seventh of next month. That’ll be your first round of meetings—let’s call it ‘Stage 1’.”
“Then, both sides will do a round of mutual selections to keep the candidates who advance… ah no, keep the blind date partners who left a good impression. What we’re hoping for is ‘Stage 2’ the month after next, and the final grand finale—I mean, the ultimate mutual pick—can happen right before the year ends, got it?”
Chu Yanshi stared. “How many blind dates is that?”
Li Shuran blinked. “Is this the reason Mom said she was too busy to come over for dinner today?”
Chu Xiyao added, “She’s literally drafting ‘Blind Date 101’! How could she not be busy?”
Chu Chenfeng lapsed into absolute silence at the dining table for two whole minutes. Then, he pulled out his phone and dialed Heartbeat Experiment.
“Is this the production crew? Mhm, I agree to join the dating show.”
Little President Chu emphasized, “Get the contract signed as soon as possible. Make it fast.”
Chu Haichao: “…Sigh, look at you, getting all impatient again. Wait… do you like men too?”
Chu Chenfeng enunciated each word slowly: “Yes. So please don’t trouble yourself, Grandpa.”
The very next day, Little President Chu finalized everything with the show’s crew, though he firmly refused to disclose why he had changed his mind.
According to the staff present at the time, whenever the reason was brought up, Little President Chu’s face drained of color for a split second as if recalling something utterly terrifying, after which he urged them once more to sign the contract swiftly.
Before long, Heartbeat Experiment released its guest lineup.
Heartbeat Experiment: Welcome @ChuChenfeng @WenNuoze @YeQingtang @XieYanshi @GuChiye to the Heartbeat Experiment project!
Heartbeat Experiment: Additionally, we have invited a mysterious guest, J! J’s identity will be revealed on the very first day of the live broadcast!
Heartbeat Experiment: The voting channel is now officially open! Please vote for the CP you’re most excited to see!
Chu Chenfeng cooperated with the show by setting up an official Weibo account. On the day of its creation, his follower count surpassed 500,000, and his inbox was instantly flooded with messages.
The hashtag #ChuChenfeng held the top trending spot on Weibo for three days straight.
The atmosphere at Fengqian over the past few days was no less festive than the New Year, especially for the Movie Queen, Liu Wanhe, who loved teasing Little President Chu on regular days.
When Liu Wanhe won her Movie Queen title, Little President Chu hadn’t yet taken over Fengqian. Now, she had fully transitioned into a film actress. She didn’t take on many roles, but every project she joined went straight for awards, boasting an impeccable reputation. When she wasn’t filming, she liked hanging out at Fengqian, coaching her juniors in acting and teasing the adorable Little President Chu.
Several veteran actors like Liu Wanhe gathered around the moment they saw Chu Chenfeng to poke fun at him.
“My, my, who does our Little President Chu want to pair up with? I’ll open three separate accounts to vote for you!”
“Nuoze is cute, and Qingtang is pretty—a younger, puppy-dog seme is super cute to ship!”
“No, no, no, it has to be an older man! Film Emperor Xie is gentle and doting—he’d know just how to pamper Little President Chu.”
“Or a wolf-dog type like Gu Chiye wouldn’t be bad either. Plus, he sings so well…”
Chu Chenfeng: “…”
Xia Yue mused, “I wonder who this mysterious J could be?”
Little President Chu couldn’t care less. “Who cares. It’s just a dating show; it’s not like I’m actually dating.”
Liu Wanhe smiled knowingly. “That’s hard to say. Plenty of people spark real feelings on dating shows—there are several couples I’m still shipping to this day!”
Chu Chenfeng curved his lips into a lazy, indifferent smile. “Impossible in my case.”
Liu Wanhe and the others refrained from arguing further, simply lowering their heads and frantically tapping the voting buttons.
Chu Chenfeng truly didn’t care about the show. He hadn’t even glanced at the voting channel once, to the extent that it wasn’t until the night before filming that he found out his assigned trial partner was none other than the mysterious guest J.
Wen Nuoze was paired with Xie Yanshi, while Ye Qingtang was paired with Gu Chiye.
The netizens had reasoned it out with solid logic:
[Little President Chu feels a bit mismatched with everyone else, so we might as well vote for the mystery guest!]
[Blind box CP!!!]
[I have a gut feeling that this mystery guest is going to be absolutely spectacular!]
[Ahhhh, so excited!]
Having finished scrolling through Weibo, Little President Chu loosened the sash of his bathrobe, exposing his fair, elegant collarbones.
He lazily typed out a reply to his younger brother, then rested his head on the pillow and drifted off to sleep.
[Meeting my true love tomorrow? How could that possibly happen?]
Fast forward to the morning of the filming.
The production crew had specially prepared a villa for each paired couple. The trial couples were required to cohabitate in the villa for a month while completing various dating tasks.
At 8:00 AM, Chu Chenfeng sat on the villa’s sofa, replying to a few work emails while waiting for the mysterious guest to arrive.
[He’s here, he’s here! I hear footsteps!]
The front door of the villa was pushed open, and someone rolled a suitcase inside.
Little President Chu raised his eyes casually, his gaze locking with the person who had just stepped through the door.
His thin lips parted slightly, his long eyelashes lifting.
A tall, broad back gradually materialized in the live broadcast camera frame alongside steady, measured footsteps. He was exceptionally tall, his impeccably tailored suit accentuating a powerful waist and abdomen.
[Holy crap, is this the mystery guest J?!]
[My goodness, he’s gotta be at least 190 cm tall! So tall!]
[What an absolute top-tier physique.]
[That deep, mellow voice… Ahhhhh!]
With an ice-cold face, Chu Chenfeng stared at the mystery guest J. After a few seconds, he slowly squeezed out each word through gritted teeth: “Well, hello there…”
…my ex.