In the end, it was Wen Ze who stepped forward to ease the atmosphere. “Mr. Ji, don’t be like that. I was just stating my ideal type; I didn’t mean to imply anything about Zichen.”
“You!” Ji Hang pointed at him, so angry he could barely speak, but in the end, he just flicked his sleeve and sat down. “Spineless!”
He left Wen Ze with nothing but the back of his round head… and the little tuft of hair he had tied up at some point behind it, bobbing back and forth looking super cute.
There’s no saving someone who’s a hopeless romantic!
Wen Ze couldn’t help but smile. How truly adorable!
Even though the two of them were completely out of sync, it didn’t stop Wen Ze from continuing to curry favor with Zhou Zichen, only to receive a cold side-profile in response.
See how long you can keep acting arrogant.
Wen Ze sneered inwardly, though his face turned pale and his body swayed slightly.
Ji Yun looked at him, feeling frustrated that he wouldn’t live up to his potential. “Can’t you see he doesn’t want you? Why do you insist on sticking your hot face against his cold backside?”
Wen Ze said in a low voice, “I… after all, we have years of history together.”
Ji Yun truly didn’t know what to say to him, and could only poke him in the forehead with a slender finger in frustration.
Next was Xie Tingyan. He leaned lazily against the sofa, lifting his head upon hearing the question. “No specific standards; as long as they’re easy on the eyes.”
It was a very “Heavenly King Xie” style answer, drawing a burst of laughter from his fans.
A moment later, as if remembering something else, he added with a grimace, “And don’t be too old.”
Gu Chao, who had been dark-faced the entire time, turned his head in surprise. There was actually some truth to the internet rumors about Xie Tingyan’s background; he was indeed a second-generation wealthy heir, the youngest grandson, pampered beyond measure the type who would have to go home and inherit a multi-billion dollar fortune if he didn’t sing well. He was usually aloof and arrogant, so why would he add such a specific condition? Could it be…
Gu Chao thought of something, and his eyes glinted with interest. …I’m really not a bad brother, but watching my younger brother make a fool of himself is genuinely very interesting.
“Your turn.” Xie Tingyan didn’t notice Gu Chao’s gaze, or perhaps he deliberately ignored it, and patted Qu Zheng, who was sitting beside him.
Qu Zheng kept his head bowed the entire time, stammering, “I… uh, I’d like to find someone who treats me well.”
Hmm, a very vague answer. But everyone knew they couldn’t force anything more out of him, so they let him pass.
Ji Hang was very straightforward. “I like someone cuter, and a bit more foolish. Smart people and smart people don’t play well together.”
The audience mocked him endlessly:
【Ji Xiao-Hang, you’re really praising yourself anytime, anywhere. Where’s your shame?】 【Whoever dates you is going to be called a fool. Enjoy being single for the rest of your life.】
The other guests were speechless, and Gu Chao even rolled his eyes without concealment. Ji Hang, sitting on the other end of the sofa, shot him a provocative look. Gu Chao didn’t know why, but he—someone who could manage complex negotiations at the boardroom table was repeatedly infuriated to the point of exploding by this “black-on-the-inside” little brat. Perhaps this was just the nature of men.
Gu Chao couldn’t argue with a “kid” in public, and he genuinely had never liked anyone before. He had intended to just say “anyone is fine,” but his mouth betrayed him: “…Lively, whimsical, and very cute.”
This didn’t sound like a standard for an ideal type; it sounded like he was describing a specific person. Could it be that President Gu has someone he likes?
Everyone had subtle expressions. The production team didn’t dare to inquire about such top-secret information; after asking Zhou Zichen and Shen Ruan, they hurriedly ended the segment. Both of them had come with the intention of “shipping” a CP pair for clout, so their answers, unsurprisingly, caused no sparks.
Wen Ze was contemplating the slight trace of familiarity in Gu Chao’s words as he sat still. Ji Yun naturally kept him company. Qu Zheng was always the last one; Xie Tingyan didn’t care about these things, and Gu Chao and Ji Hang, acting as if they were competing, refused to move.
Only Zhou Zichen, with a dark and handsome face, went upstairs first, while Shen Ruan trotted after him.
The chat, which had just begun to calm down, was once again swarmed with messages. Xinghe had already signed the order to “freeze” Zhou Zichen, so they certainly wouldn’t be doing any PR for him. While the fans might not know what this meant, others understood it perfectly.
Liu Ming was sweating buckets outside. However, he hadn’t managed to arrange anything in advance, which meant he couldn’t pass any news to Zhou Zichen while he was filming. By now, the minor celebrities under his hand had already found other ways to leave him.
Liu Ming finished another call from a young artist who was leaving. He had barely managed to keep his tone polite during the call, but as soon as he hung up, he began to curse wildly: “Damn, what do they think they are? Just little bitches meant to kneel at my feet and beg now that their wings are hardened, they’re all running away? A bunch of ungrateful wretches! Let’s see what kind of ‘good things’ they think they can get!”
Thinking of the voice that had been so coy and sycophantic, now sounding so superior and filled with disdain, Liu Ming smashed a pile of things in his rage. Once he finished venting, he dragged his pile of fat and collapsed amidst the ruins of the room. The company wouldn’t provide PR, his usual drinking buddies were pretending to be dead, and he couldn’t reach Brother Zhou.
It’s over. It’s truly over now.
Liu Ming hugged his head, thinking of the massive pile of IOUs he had written in the past, and the expression on his face grew increasingly broken and ferocious.
Zhou Zichen didn’t know what was happening outside, but his complexion wasn’t any better than Liu Ming’s. The director frowned, feeling that Zhou Zichen’s state of mind was deeply wrong. He knew clearly that nobody had passed any news to Zhou Zichen; if they had, the guy wouldn’t be acting like this. But for someone who usually acted so well, how could he be so tactless now?
The director thought about the upcoming arrangements and tossed Zhou Zichen to the back of his mind. Forget it. He won’t be able to hop around for many more days anyway. This isn’t so bad; he can at least serve as a comparison.
The audience didn’t think so, filling the screen with mockery:
【Can’t keep up the act anymore, huh? True nature revealed.】 【Showing his true colors the moment he’s live. No wonder he never participated in live streams before so much for ‘being low profile’? It was just fear of his persona collapsing, I pui.】 【Scumbag, go die! Zhou Zichen, get out of the entertainment industry!】
All the hateful words that were once aimed at Wen Ze were now rebounding onto Zhou Zichen with tenfold, or even hundredfold, the force. The reversal of aggressor and victim was often hated more than the initial reality. Nobody could be happy about being fooled, even if they weren’t particularly bright.
Shen Ruan gave Zhou Zichen a timid look; his panicked expression actually shared a subtle similarity with Wen Ze the arrogant and overbearing attitude from the morning was nowhere to be seen.
A bold, special-effect comment suddenly drifted across the screen, from some observant Sherlock Holmes: 【Has everyone noticed one thing… in the video from before where it was said Zhou Zichen cheated, the figure on the bed looks a lot like Shen Ruan! [Shock.jpg]】
That video, when it was online, was equivalent to spreading obscene pornographic content and was banned as soon as it appeared, but there were always fast-handed people who saved it.
“!!!”
In just a moment, a “Big V” account on Weibo released a comparison chart. The overlap of their curves was clearly visible.
【Damn, a meeting of the adulterers!】 【Yue, I’m disgusted by Zhou King-of-Bastards again. Clinging to his ex-boyfriend’s traffic and bringing his mistress onto a dating show? Is he sick?!】 【Ahhh, I used to ship them; I feel so dirty now!】
Some netizens expressed disbelief, feeling Shen Ruan’s face was too innocent to be capable of such things. But some kind soul had actually taken photos of Shen Ruan acting overbearingly when he went to Wen Ze to demand his spot, which were then released online by a marketing account. Looking at the photo of Shen Ruan with his heavy makeup, non-mainstream clothing, and arrogant, bossy attitude, even the few remaining casual and true fans suffered a total collapse.
And so, another round of list-topping cursing wars ensued.
This matter fermented until the middle of the night, by which time the guests had returned to their rooms to sleep. Only the production team looked at the skyrocketing traffic with mixed joy and worry. They were happy because the traffic was approaching their peak, but worried because they wondered if they would be restricted from broadcasting after such a massive commotion.
After the discussion ended and everyone returned to their rooms, the production team announced the results of the Heartbeat Vote. In reality, they were supposed to announce the answers immediately after the discussion, so that mutual selections and unrequited pairings could be used to hand out a wave of sugar. But because everyone had left so quickly today, the production team hadn’t reacted in time, and could only announce it in the group chat.
The director joked, “Previous guests were desperate for more camera time. But you all? You act like you’re avoiding snakes and scorpions whenever you see a camera.”
Ji Yun sighed and laughed. “Director, stop stalling. Hurry and read it; we still have our ‘beauty sleep’ to get to.”
The director laughed, too. “We’re live-streaming right now. Even if our show is 18+, we aren’t allowed to have content issues, so don’t get me in trouble!”
Ji Yun and the director were actually quite well-acquainted; otherwise, he wouldn’t have participated in this show. Most older actors were focused on their acting careers, and Ji Yun didn’t like the self-demeaning nature of appearing on variety shows to entertain people. However, “needing people” was the eternal pain of a director, and since they ran into each other all the time and Ji Yun had no schedule, he had just gritted his teeth and agreed. But with the unexpected joy of having Wen Ze, Ji Yun actually had some newfound expectations for this variety show.