Even though he had already severed ties with Wen Ze, the thought still made Zhou Zichen extremely dissatisfied.
Zhou Zichen was unhappy inside, but he didn’t show a hint of it on the surface.
This show had a high barrier to entry; for a non-celebrity to participate and for the production team to keep so many other guests waiting for him, his background couldn’t be simple. It was best not to provoke someone like that if he could help it.
Gu Chao walked over slowly. He kept his expression neutral, but his mood was actually far from pleasant.
Obviously. No one would be in a good mood after being stealthily scammed by their own scumbag brother.
However, as his gaze landed on Wen Ze, a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes.
What a coincidence.
Gu Chao had already read Wen Ze’s file. If nothing else, he felt a fair amount of pity for him.
He fell in with the wrong crowd.
That was all there was to it, though. The initial sense of wonder from their first meeting had long since been worn down by the passage of time and his hectic workload.
And yet, this “pitiful person,” who had been flattened into a two-dimensional figure in his memory, made his heart skip an uncontrollable beat every time he saw him as if he were someone of great importance to him.
Seeing Gu Chao’s gaze glued firmly to Wen Ze, Zhou Zichen said unpleasantly, “Isn’t this guest going to introduce himself first?”
Gu Chao gave him a faint glance. “Ah, so it’s Mr. Zhou. We exchanged names at the police station that day, and since you were standing so close, you surely must have heard it? Or are you hard of hearing?”
Such remarks didn’t exactly befit the status of a CEO, but then again, given his position, what couldn’t he say?
The audience, who had just recovered from the previous “shocking beauty” reveal, was now stunned by this news again. A string of question marks began to drift uncontrollably across the screen.
Police station? What police station? Zhou Zichen and Wen Ze went to the police station? What were they doing there?
Zhou Zichen’s face turned livid, and the director on the side hurriedly shouted, “President Gu, we have a contract! We can’t just say things like that!”
The audience’s questions in the chat flew by even faster:
【Let him speak! Let him speak!】
【What is it that we noble VIPs aren’t allowed to see?】
【It looks like this handsome guy has a grudge against the Best Actor. It seems to be because of Wen Ze?】
【Am I the only one who noticed the director called this guest “President Gu”? Who on earth is he?!】
Some fans of the Best Actor speculated maliciously:
【Maybe Wen Ze got into trouble, and the Best Actor went to bail him out.】
【That must be it. It couldn’t possibly be that the Best Actor was the one who got in trouble.】
Gu Chao ignored the various inquisitive gazes and simply walked up to Wen Ze to greet him: “Mr. Wen, hello. We meet again.”
“Yes,” Wen Ze said, looking at him. His eyes shone involuntarily.
He said shyly, “Thank you for your help that day.”
“I told you, it was just a small favor.” Gu Chao patted his forehead helplessly and asked with some hesitation, “After that day, are you… are you doing alright?”
Wen Ze gave a forced smile. “I’m fine.”
Gu Chao knew he wasn’t telling the truth, but there was nothing he could do. That was just the kind of timid nature he had.
Sharp-eyed viewers sensed the scent of a scandal:
【Ooh, look at Wen Ze’s expression. There’s definitely something fishy between these two.】
【Sisters, I’m back. I just quickly looked up this face online. He’s the CEO of the Gu Group!】
【The Gu Group? Which Gu Group?】
【What other Gu Group could it be! This is a golden bachelor, a diamond king!】
【Then Best Actor Zhou is quite brave, daring to talk back to the boss of his boss’s boss.】
【Don’t think your Best Actor is that capable. It’s possible he’s never even met President Gu.】
However, all the chatter eventually boiled down to one sentiment:
【Isn’t this President Gu rumored to be a workaholic who is heartless and cold? Tell me, who is this man with a face full of gentleness right now? Who is he?!】
Some emerging “CP” (shipping) fans popped up, making bold moves:
【He’s only gentle to you. This blatant bias, I’m shipping this!】
【You guys… stop shipping everything you see; it won’t end well for you.】
“Gu… Brother, what are you doing here?”
A hesitant voice rang out. The usually cold person was now filled with astonishment. He hadn’t heard that Brother Gu was gay.
The already chaotic chat room exploded even harder.
Because the person who spoke was Xie Tingyan.
How do Xie Tingyan and President Gu know each other?
He’s even using an honorific, and his tone is so soft?
The audience felt this had exceeded their range of comprehension.
Gu Chao sighed helplessly. “I was forced.” He then recounted the insane thing Gu Chen had done. He had nothing to hide about his own brother; Gu Chen’s reputation as a jerk was common knowledge.
Xie Tingyan: “…”
That was truly something Gu Chen would do.
The production team was also full of surprise, unaware of this turn of events, but they were secretly shocked by this “Young Master Gu’s” audacity.
The chat was laughing hysterically:
【Sure enough, every family has an idiot little brother, hahahahaha.】
【I suddenly feel balanced. It turns out the worries of the wealthy are about the same as everyone else’s.】
【Come on, say it with me: Thank you, Young Master Gu.】
【Thank you, Young Master Gu.】
【Thank you, Young Master Gu.】
Gu Chen, who was also watching the live stream, felt no pride at seeing the screen filled with “Thank you, Young Master Gu.” Instead, he felt somewhat depressed. Although he had long guessed his “straight-as-a-steel-rod” big brother wouldn’t save him any face, he hadn’t expected him to be so direct.
But it didn’t matter; what his brother thought no longer mattered, as long as Mom and Dad praised him.
Gu Chen thought about the private jet he was about to get, and he had only one word: delicious.
However, that bastard Xie Tingyan must not be let off the hook. We’re both “prodigal sons” who refuse (or are unable) to inherit the family business, so why does he get to mock me?
After exchanging a few pleasantries with people he knew, Gu Chao’s lingering resentment dissipated, and he officially introduced himself to everyone, subsequently accepting his first-round teammate: Ji Hang.
Lunch was provided by the production team. Since this was a special case, the team would only provide this one meal. The first round of tasks would begin in the afternoon.
Gu Chao and Ji Hang were a “black-on-the-inside” and a “black-all-the-way-through” duo; having no mutual affection, they walked in silence, offering only fake smiles.
By comparison, the other three groups were quite harmonious, especially Wen Ze and Ji Yun.
The task drawn by the two for the first round was to help out at a bakery. The shop was holding a “Romance Season” event, and the guests were required to act as shop assistants, waiters, or chefs to win praise from the shop owner.
Since this was a dating show, the first round was primarily about breaking the ice and getting to know each other, so the task wasn’t particularly difficult. The bakery was decorated with great ambiance, filled with sweet installations that made one feel surrounded by “pink bubbles” upon stepping inside.
Ji Yun looked at the pink apron and frowned in struggle. “Ah-Ze, do you know how to bake a cake?”
He was truly as he appeared a high-mountain flower who had never done physical labor. He didn’t even like sweets in his daily life; asking him to do this was truly difficult for him.
But if he were to go act as a waiter, he wasn’t skilled in social interaction. In short, it was a dilemma.
Wen Ze scratched his head and beamed a brilliant smile. “I know how to bake cakes. Don’t worry, Brother Ji, I’ll definitely win praise for both of us.”
Ever since he’d separated from Zhou Zichen, he had become lively, behaving more like a teenager his own age. How many people remembered? Wen Ze was only 23.
Chat:
【Boohoo, Wen Ze’s smile is just so beautiful.】
【Ze-bao! Mom loves you!】
【He looks even more like an angel like this.】
【Why wouldn’t he Best Actor Zhou is blind.】
The Best Actor’s fans were unhappy:
【Wen Ze can cook? You’re lying. Watch how he makes a fool of himself in a minute.】
【He only smiles after leaving the Best Actor. He was clearly pretending to be pitiful in front of him.】
【No way, no way—there are actually people who like this hypocrite?】
【Wen Ze is so disgusting, he’s so good at acting.】
Ji Yun smiled. “Then I’ll wait to see Ah-Ze show off his skills.”
Both beauties were smiling, and the chat suddenly forgot to argue, erupting into cheers. Ji Yun’s fame was so high that many in the shop had already recognized him, but because it was a live show, no one dared to cause trouble.
As for Wen Ze in the back kitchen, he was about to turn the place upside down.
Camera cut to when Wen Ze first entered the kitchen.
The master baker looked at this clean, delicate boy and frowned involuntarily. He knew this was a celebrity here to film, but he had no affection for Wen Ze. He had a 15 or 16-year-old daughter at home who liked celebrities, buying all sorts of things and sticking them all over her room, which always made him frown whenever he saw it. In the master’s eyes, celebrities were things that led children astray; they weren’t good for anything. Even though Wen Ze was handsome and well-behaved, it didn’t win him any favor.
The master gave him one look and said coldly, “We’re very busy lately, so you just help out on the side. Since you’re only here to complete a task, I don’t expect much work from you, just don’t add to the chaos.”
The mockery in the chat was overwhelming, but Wen Ze simply replied softly and moved to the side to quietly help out. “Helping out” basically meant washing fruits and carrying out freshly baked cake slices and cookies; he didn’t need to get his hands on the rest of the steps.
Wen Ze was quiet and didn’t complain, which actually pleased the master. As long as he doesn’t stir up trouble, it’s fine.
Wen Ze waited until everyone wasn’t quite as busy before asking, “Master, may I make some food myself? I want to make some for the customers outside and the other staff.” (Of course, the guests would get some too, but there was no need to mention that specifically.)
The master looked up in surprise but nodded. “Sure, but you have to do it yourself; don’t trouble anyone else.” And try not to waste stuff, though the master didn’t say that out loud. In front of the camera, one had to show some restraint.
“Okay, thank you, Master.”
Wen Ze nodded obediently, and a small space on the counter was cleared for him to do his own thing.
The chat was filled with continuous sarcasm:
【Wen Ze is so clueless. They let him help, he should just help. Why does he have to make stuff himself? Will anyone even eat it if he gives it away?】
【He’s really a schemer, so anxious to show off in front of the camera.】
【Waiting for the car crash.】
There wasn’t a single word in the overwhelming chat that spoke for Wen Ze. Wen Ze did have a small fan base, but they were all “beauty-lovers” who couldn’t vouch for his cooking skills, so they could only offer a weak rebuttal: 【He means well, why are you like this?】
However, when Wen Ze actually began to operate, his flowing, seamless movements stunned everyone. Even the cameraman instinctively moved closer to Wen Ze, maintaining a distance that wouldn’t interfere with his work.
Chat:
【I feel like Wen Ze’s movements are even more proficient than my mom’s…】
【My god, it’s so precise. He doesn’t even weigh the ingredients—are his eyes measuring tools?】
【It feels kind of tempting.】
Unknowingly, some apprentices gathered around Wen Ze, and even the master turned to stare at his movements. Wen Ze beat the cream methodically, sliced the cake, layered it with cream and fruit, drizzled some with chocolate, sprinkled some with matcha and cocoa powder, and used jam to draw simple patterns for decoration.
Although they weren’t particularly complex types, this standard technique was rare even in veteran master bakers of many years. What’s more, the sweet aroma drifted out, making the masters who were used to eating all kinds of delicious desserts involuntarily inhale deeply. They knew this absolutely wasn’t just a “show piece” that looked good but couldn’t be eaten.
Chat:
【Watching this made me hungry.】
【Wen Ze really has talent, and his aesthetics are great too. These little cakes are so beautiful that it’s a shame to eat them.】
【I feel like the desserts at the high-end Western restaurants near my house aren’t even this exquisite.】
【I kneel—I’m convinced. He really has this skill.】