It was obvious to anyone with eyes: Zhou Zichen was being ostracized or, more accurately, he was being deliberately ignored.
While Qu Zheng, who had social anxiety, and Shen Ruan, who hadn’t made a great impression since the start of the show, were huddled together in the kitchen with everyone else, Zhou Zichen was the only one sitting lonely on the sofa.
He had brought it upon himself; there was really nothing more to say. Having no real ability, while being fake, arrogant, unenthusiastic, and prone to creating drama it wasn’t surprising that he was detestable.
Had this been any other variety show with a different lineup, someone might have still felt compelled to kiss up to him. But this group of guests was the real deal: those who had status had status, those with fame had fame, those with talent had talent, those with connections had connections, and those who were ruthless were truly ruthless.
Even Shen Ruan, the least impressive of the lot, was at least enthusiastic despite being a bit foolish and vicious; you can’t strike a smiling face.
What was so special about Zhou Zichen?
Zhou Zichen’s expression slowly darkened. He couldn’t bring himself to lower his pride and squeeze into the kitchen, so he could only stand there alone. The production team, seeking higher ratings and prioritizing conflicts and highlights, naturally wouldn’t lift a finger to help him.
Look at that. The “Best Actor’s ex-boyfriend,” who had been abused by the entire internet, was now surrounded by the laughing group, occasionally even being touched on the head or pinched on the cheek. Meanwhile, the “devoted Best Actor,” who had previously been pitied by the entire internet, stood alone outside.
It was a magnificent irony.
No matter how the Best Actor’s fans raged in the chat, the situation remained unchanged, and they were soon shut down by the fed-up fans of the other guests.
In the small kitchen, everyone was packed so tightly that even turning around felt difficult. Ji Hang took charge of the Chinese dishes, Shen Ruan also snatched a few dishes to stir-fry, Gu Chao handled the Western-style steak and pizza, Wen Ze made the desserts, and Qu Zheng took on all the remaining chores washing vegetables, chopping, steaming rice, and boiling noodles making the place bustle with activity.
The two “kitchen assassins” simply hung around wherever there was space, trying to “help” and ending up adding to the chaos. Ji Yun wasn’t too bad; he had a good eye and was quick to hand over whatever was needed.
Xie Tingyan, however, was quite excessive. When others were stir-frying, he’d try to hand them a knife. He ended up getting scolded by everyone in turn; even Shen Ruan, who usually feared him most, yelled at him several times. Xie Tingyan had no choice but to pitifully find a corner in the kitchen and stand against the wall.
His fans weren’t the least bit heartbroken they were laughing louder than anyone else:
【Hahahahaha, Xie-ge, look at you getting what you deserve today!】
【Today is a good day, la-la-la-la-la-la~】
Fans of the other stars looked on at this “twisted love” and were left speechless. They finally understood what it meant when fans “love someone so much that they turn into black fans.”
Ji Hang’s cooking was truly impeccable. It was a mystery where he had practiced, but the food hadn’t even left the pan before everyone was scrambling to grab it with their chopsticks. It was still piping hot when they put it in their mouths, and they were all puffing and gasping for air, looking nothing like their usual dignified and composed selves.
Gu Chao was the same. The two “saboteurs” were not only both “black-on-the-inside,” but they had also both maxed out their cooking skill stats.
Shen Ruan wasn’t bad either; he didn’t boast, but he produced decent home-style flavors.
Wen Ze’s exquisite desserts, unsurprisingly, drew a chorus of gasps. He had even baked some cookies in cute shapes. A group of (refined) grown men held them in their hands, not knowing where to start eating, eventually holding their breath as they tried to shove them into their mouths in one go. The way they opened their mouths they had truly abandoned all concern for their image.
The cookies were crisp, the bake was perfect, and the mixture of wheat and butter was just right. Wen Ze had added a pinch of sugar, which wasn’t overly sweet, but acted as the perfect final touch. Even Shen Ruan, who had been looking at him with nothing but disdain, secretly swiped several cookies. When Wen Ze noticed, he laughed and grabbed a handful to stuff into his hand.
Still just a kid. Wen Ze completely forgot that, chronologically, he was actually younger than Shen Ruan. Maybe it was just that he acted so much like his little nieces. Shen Ruan was stunned, completely frozen, and a moment later, his face quietly turned red.
Gu Chao, on the other side, cut open a piping hot pizza that had just come out of the oven. Without thinking, he instinctively fed a piece to Wen Ze. The movement was so natural and skilled, as if he had done it a thousand times before.
Everyone watching was stunned, followed by an explosion of cheering and teasing that nearly lifted the roof. In such a lively atmosphere, everyone’s behavior was much the same.
Wen Ze smiled shyly and took a bite of the pizza. He wanted to offer a polite compliment, but tasted a flavor he knew all too well. He looked up in disbelief, only to see the tips of Gu Chao’s ears turning bright red.
The usually composed man now seemed to have forgotten what he was doing; he began to “re-process” the perfectly fried steak, cutting it into beef cubes. Wen Ze immediately projected his senses outward, but there was no familiar magical fluctuation.
But… but this flavor should be unique.
Wen Ze lowered his head again, taking small bites of the pizza, burying his questions deep in his heart.
“He’s shy! He’s shy! Both President Gu and Ah-Ze are shy!” Ji Hang’s teasing was particularly prominent.
“Alright, that’s enough.” Shen Ruan, possessing some unknown courage, reached out and pushed Ji Hang, which left Ji Hang stunned for a moment.
The audience was practically ascending to heaven:
【To the person from before: I apologize. I agree with your assessment of Shen Ruan as a “pretty idiot.”】
【What kind of heaven is this season? Why does any random pair they throw together have such great chemistry?】
【My wife—the wife I just met—is she getting remarried already?】
【I’m crying and laughing at the same time in front of the screen, I look so wretched.】
【Ji Hang is basically me right now. Get together! Get together!】
The whole world was lively, save for the small, cold, isolated screen in the corner. It housed Zhou Zichen and his fans, who kept refreshing the chat with messages of consolation.
Fortunately, everyone knew when to stop, and even the teasing didn’t last long before they brought all the dishes out. It wasn’t until then that someone noticed Zhou Zichen had been sitting on the sofa outside the entire time. During the whole process of cooking, not a single person had noticed someone was missing. Or perhaps, even if they had noticed, they didn’t care.
Shen Ruan froze. “Brother Zhou…”
That kind of pure happiness, as if they were all friends it was a feeling he hadn’t experienced for a long time, so naturally, he hadn’t thought of Zhou Zichen the entire time.
This time, Wen Ze didn’t step forward; he sat quietly in his seat, his head bowed, lost in thought. Beside him, Ji Yun looked on with total relief.
【Hahaha, our aloof beauty Yun-Yun is looking more and more like a ‘doting old father’ figure.】
【The wife has escaped the sea of misery this is a good thing!】
【’Sea of misery’ has the Ex-Husband Brother really fallen to this level?】
Mentioning Zhou Zichen brought some contention to the otherwise harmonious chat:
【I have to say, Best Actor Zhou just sat there waiting to be served he’s got a lot of nerve. Even if he was just being a nuisance, at least Xie-tianwang went in to help.】
【’Even if he was just being a nuisance’ hahaha, Xie-ge’s reputation is ruined.】
【It was them who didn’t call the Best Actor first. You expect the Best Actor to just insert himself in?】
【Why not? Why does everyone have to cater to him? Sitting there like a master who does he think he is?】
As the guests ate quietly and exchanged compliments, the assistant director quietly leaned toward the director: “Director Li, we’ve got a problem.”
Director Li looked up. “What is it?”
“Zhou Zichen’s agent is buying articles, claiming our show is deliberately isolating and ignoring him, ruining his reputation.”
Director Li frowned. While that wasn’t their intention, the current situation was indeed what it looked like. But… if the guests wanted to isolate someone, how could he control that? He couldn’t afford to offend any of the guests on this season! (Well, except for Wen Ze and Shen Ruan).
And this was only the first day. Even Shen Ruan, who had joined the show purely for the sake of clout by pairing up with Zhou Zichen, had abandoned him. Who knows what would happen later on?
Director Li sighed. “Just remind the guests later tell them not to make their dislike for a specific guest so obvious.”
Everyone knew the person being disliked was Zhou Zichen, and Zhou Zichen deserved to be disliked. But there was no help for it; that was how making a show went, especially since Zhou Zichen still had a massive fan base. This round of isolation was almost “bullying the fans.” If this continued, the fans’ backlash would only become more severe.
After dinner, everyone was taken one by one to a blind spot for the cameras to discuss this. Everyone’s reaction was different mostly disdain but Zhou Zichen was at least no longer being ignored by everyone.
Next came the room selection, based on the order of task completion. The production team wasn’t quite that sadistic, so they provided four types of rooms: two luxury suites, four standard rooms, and two floor rooms. The luxury suites were like top-tier hotel suites with separate bedrooms, living rooms, and bathrooms. The standard rooms were fine but lacked a living room and were smaller. The “floor rooms” were exactly as they sounded: while they didn’t actually make the guests sleep on the bare floor, there was absolutely nothing inside except for a hard bed.
Xie Tingyan loved comfort and didn’t need to save face for anyone, so he decisively chose the largest and best room. Qu Zheng chose a standard room he didn’t like to be the center of attention, which matched his personality. Wen Ze didn’t try to stand out, but he didn’t want to live in misery either, so he chose a standard room, completely ignoring Zhou Zichen, who kept winking at him. He didn’t have the brains for political maneuvering right now; his mind was entirely occupied by that familiar scent.
Seeing his choice, Zhou Zichen’s face turned unpleasant in a way that was almost imperceptible.
Ji Yun chose the other luxury suite. His situation was similar to Xie Tingyan’s he had nothing to worry about. Upon returning, he even whispered to Wen Ze, “Do you want to swap with me?” He thought Wen Ze hadn’t chosen a good room because he was shy, and offered to swap after filming stopped for the day. But Wen Ze refused: “No need, Ah-Yun, I’m not used to living in such a big room alone.”
Once those words were out, Ji Yun’s gaze toward him became even more affectionate.
Zhou Zichen, with a dark face, also chose a standard room, staying far away from everyone else. That left one standard room and two floor rooms. Shen Ruan, who had been spoiled and never suffered, took the last standard room under the firm, piercing gazes of Gu Chao and Ji Hang.
The two big shots successfully dragged themselves to the floor rooms. They felt utter regret.
The director said with a suppressed smile, “Don’t feel discouraged if you didn’t get a good room; we’ll change filming locations next episode and reallocate the rooms.”
The audience was far less reserved than he was:
【Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha】
【User above, your laughter is hurting my eyes!】
【Shock! Group CEO forced to sleep in a floor room—is this a moral degradation or a distortion of humanity?】
【President Gu actually has to sleep in a floor room; I wonder if the Gu Group will fire this production team later (doge).】
【Ding, You have triggered the ‘Shy and Angry CEO’ debuff.】
【Am I the only one wondering if Young Master Gu can still show his face in public after this show ends?】
【Young Master Gu: Are you polite?】
【Nobody cares about our Xiao-Hang? He’s never suffered either.】
【I don’t dare to care TAT】
At the start of the show, the guests were all issued mobile phones by the sponsors. They contained several chat apps to help everyone communicate, and the split-screen of these chats would also be broadcast on the live stream. Of course, while the chats were inevitably broadcast, everything else was selective. The phones could be used normally, provided they didn’t check information about the show itself, so it didn’t impact the guests’ daily lives. It was the 21st century nobody could survive without the internet TAT.
The guests entered their respective rooms, washed up, and got settled it was time for [Heartbeat Moment].
Every night at 20:30, a “Heartbeat Vote” option would pop up on their phones. Everyone could choose one person to confess their feelings to; they could leave a long, passionate message or leave it blank.
This was standard practice, but the final requirement was newly added. Who it was designed to accommodate went without saying. Xie Tingyan had specifically requested it, stating bluntly that if they didn’t agree, he wouldn’t do the show. This level of doting made many CP fans exclaim that his “boyfriend energy” was maxed out.
Wen Ze, meanwhile, thought: Thank you, Xie-tianwang! For someone in such a state of mental turmoil, having to write a long-winded love letter was no different from demanding his life. What if, while writing a sappy letter to a scumbag, he accidentally wrote the name of the person he was actually interested in… that would be awkward.