Ji Hang’s problem, suggested on a whim, was truly frustrating for everyone. In the industry, no one wanted to offend anyone else, so naturally, they only offered praise. Fortunately, since everyone had made a sincere mutual selection, their compliments were heartfelt.
Shen Ruan and Zhou Zichen’s date, despite the process and result being far from ideal, was still filled with “pink bubbles,” and their confessions were sincere. Only Zhou Zichen, while praising Shen Ruan, kept his eyes on Wen Ze. Every word he spoke belittled Shen Ruan to elevate Wen Ze, hinting that he felt “better” when he was dating him.
Wen Ze was utterly speechless. He felt that the strand of demonic aura must have indeed stripped away a fair portion of Zhou Zichen’s intelligence. Does he actually think this is a case of ‘a prodigal son returning home’? Being fickle, eating from the bowl while watching what’s in the pot does he honestly think he hasn’t been dragged through the mud enough?
Clearly, the audience’s thoughts were no different from Wen Ze’s.
【What kind of trash is this Zhou bastard? Does he actually think he’s being deep? I’m beyond speechless.】 【He’s the only person who can make me run out of words to insult him; his bottom line keeps sinking.】 【I confess, I even feel a little sorry for Shen Ruan. Don’t you think this silly kid is just like Wen Ze before—a lovesick fool who’s been gaslit?】 【Actually, I do… Wen Ze and Shen Ruan have very similar attributes; they’re both good-looking, obedient, and genuinely like Zhou Zichen.】 【Why are you being so tactful? Just call them ‘lick-dogs’ (bootlickers) and be done with it.】 【Seeing it this way, Zhou Zichen really is a master of gaslighting.】 【He’s cunning, capable, resourceful, and talented it’s just a pity he doesn’t use any of it for the right reasons.】 【That just makes it even more hateful, doesn’t it? What kind of monster is this?!】
Wen Ze looked at the dejected Shen Ruan and felt a subtle touch of sympathy, hoping to save this silly child. However, it would depend on his behavior; if Shen Ruan insisted on being consistently stupid and vicious to the end, then not even the winged birds down from the sun could save him. Well, truth be told, most demons are stupid and vicious, so the attribute is quite familiar—familiar enough to be heart-wrenching. Thinking of a few friends with the same attributes, Wen Ze sighed silently, masking the sympathy in his eyes.
His movements weren’t particularly hidden; those who should have seen it did. Everyone felt a subtle sense of sympathy, and an even more subtle sense of frustration Silly kid, what’s with you feeling sorry for your love rival?!
As for the person being pitied, Shen Ruan himself was the only one in the room completely oblivious. As the saying goes, some people’s stupidity is innate and cannot be corrected later in life.
Regarding the “Heartbeat Choice,” the pairs had already been fixed, so there were naturally no changes, other than Zhou Zichen changing his selection to Wen Ze. However, other than making Shen Ruan and himself feel even more awkward, this action had no effect. Wen Ze had finally shaken off this massive trouble and had no intention of changing his mind; even if he did want to, Gu Chao would have dealt with Zhou Zichen long ago.
The next day, the group was called up early by the director. The film crew had arrived at some point and had even set up the tents. There was no telling how many viewers had set special reminders to watch this display of “industrial-grade sugar,” and the chat was flying with comments.
A celebrity’s bare face is usually not too bad, after all, they have the base for it, so even if the director deliberately filmed the process of waking everyone up, it didn’t cause any waves. Except for Wen Ze. Everyone profoundly realized that his face was truly 100% natural, without a single excess modification.
A face sculpted by the hands of God; a child born of Nüwa.
This had already become a label attached to Wen Ze. Fortunately, Wen Ze himself didn’t know it; otherwise, as a demon forced to become “God’s most favored child,” he would probably have gone insane.
Ji Hang must have been up to something last night; he hadn’t slept well, and his eyes were rimmed with dark circles. Shen Ruan had likely cried in secret, his eyes red and swollen. He played the part well in front of the camera, which actually elicited some pity.
The group collected their ingredients and ate breakfast as usual. This time, Wen Ze finally managed to soften his heart and brought Shen Ruan to his table.
【Such a lovesick fool, and yet so soft-hearted wife, what should I say about you!】 【Wen Ze, he’s beyond saving. I hope that dark-hearted President Gu can protect him.】 【Whoa, a ‘dull and sweet’ x ‘gloomy big shot’ pairing? I’m shipping it!】 【I don’t think President Gu is ‘gloomy’… the kid is quite sunny, he’s just a bit jealous.】 【Hhhhhh, President Gu’s reputation is ruined.】
Ji Yun elegantly wiped his mouth and asked curiously, “The scripts must be fixed, right? Different for each group, so why the lottery draw this time?”
Director Li looked a bit embarrassed. “Ah, that’s not the case.”
Ji Yun frowned. “Don’t tell me the sponsors specified the scripts? This is a free-style variety show.”
“No, no.” Director Li waved his hands hurriedly. “My original intention was to draw lots, but the sponsors wanted you to choose for yourselves to pick what you each feel is suitable for your performance.”
“Hahaha, the sponsors are clever.”
Ji Yun had no sympathy for his “toxic friend.” If this had been a few days ago, he might have sympathized, but having been trapped by him too many times in the last two days, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Ji Yun sighed. “So, bring out the scripts and let’s see them; if we stay here any longer, we won’t finish today.”
He wasn’t worried for himself Ji Hang’s acting skills were online, and although Zhou Zichen was a chaotic person, his acting was beyond reproach. But Shen Ruan was infamous for loving trashy, brainless dramas, Wen Ze had no acting experience, Xie Tingyan and Qu Zheng were a singer and a songwriter (with Qu Zheng being socially anxious), and Gu Chao was a total amateur.
Less than half of them were reliable. Carrying this combination was simply too difficult; he’d probably have to change the script’s character settings later to let the guests just play versions of themselves.
The director also knew the difficulty and readily brought out four scripts. As he had said before, they were all very simple tropes. The group gathered around Ji Yun, waiting for him, the most experienced one, to assign them.
The first was a campus drama set in high school. Both protagonists were good students—a very ordinary, warm, romantic style. Ji Yun finished reading the script and mused for a moment: “Teacher Xie, what do you think of this script?”
Xie Tingyan was stunned. “I have no experience; whatever you think is suitable is fine.”
“Fine,” Ji Yun said. “Then let’s change it to ‘aloof genius’ x ‘socially anxious student’—that shouldn’t be too cliché. You two can just play yourselves; it’ll fit perfectly.” Xie Tingyan had no objections, and Qu Zheng even less so.
The second script was a melodramatic one, recounting the love-hate relationship between a domineering president and his substitute, with the “white moonlight” (first love) being terminally ill. Ji Yun struggled for a moment and set it aside.
The third was a Xianxia script, a romance between a master and apprentice, where the “wolf-dog” apprentice secretly loved his aloof master and offended against tradition. Ji Yun’s hand holding the script trembled; it felt too hot to handle. Ji Hang also stood there in a daze.
“Cough, cough.” Ji Yun coughed to cover his embarrassment and casually set the script aside, picking up the last one.
The last one had an ancient setting the “first marriage, then love” story between a gentle scholar and a jealous, aloof prince. A pure, sweet story. Ji Yun laughed. “I was wondering where this was waiting the direction is a bit too obvious, isn’t it?”
Wen Ze looked a bit shy, while Gu Chao took it quite openly. He was thick-skinned; his eyes lit up the moment he saw the script. Ji Yun looked at Zhou Zichen and the other one. “Only the last two scripts remain. I wonder, what about you two?”
The Xianxia script was clearly not suitable for them, so they only had the “domineering president substitute” one left.
【Hahaha, the sponsors are too slick. Is there any difference between this and forced casting? Except for Heavenly King Xie’s script, which isn’t so obviously targeted, aren’t the rest of them arranged clearly enough?】 【Everyone is playing themselves, especially Zhou bastard isn’t a scumbag looking for a substitute the perfect role for him?】 【Tsk, why mention that unlucky person at a time like this? I’ll be shameless and go first: I want to see Yun-Yun get pinned!】 【Boohoo, I want to see Wen Ze as the gentle scholar ‘first marriage, then love,’ like an old married couple; it feels like these two playing themselves.】 【Actually, Xie Tianwang’s script… is also not bad, right? No one looking forward to it?】 【Isn’t that script being played out every day? What’s there to look forward to? (doge)】 【Hahahahaha, Heavenly King Xie shows off his love every day, he finally got his retribution.】
Each of them changed into their costumes and entered the studio to start filming. Wen Ze flipped through the script; because it was a short film, many plot points had been cut, and the beginning was the wedding.
A wedding, naturally, had to have some grandeur. Either the director or the sponsor must have been a perfectionist; even though it was just a short film, the details were handled to perfection. Not to mention the exquisite embroidery on the wedding robes, even the dragon-and-phoenix-patterned wedding candles were worth a fortune.
The people hired to surround them and fill out the scene were the least expensive part—just people chosen from the film academy and background actors, as long as they looked passable. Since the show and the actors were trending, even some big-name stars were willing to come in for a turn and show their faces, even if the pay wasn’t high.
Wen Ze and Gu Chao stood opposite each other in fiery red wedding robes. Although there weren’t many people, it truly felt like a legitimate wedding. Wen Ze’s face was obscured by the veil, so it wasn’t clear, but the corners of Gu Chao’s mouth were uncontrollably curling upward, making the director feel helpless.
“President Gu, I know you’re very excited to have won the beauty, but can you stay in character and try to control yourself?”
“Cough, cough.“
Gu Chao coughed and adjusted for a while before he could barely maintain a steady facial expression. But the excitement in his eyes couldn’t be hidden. The director decided not to bicker with the desperate-to-marry president after all, it was just a piece of fluff to entertain the fans, and as long as they were happy, that was all that mattered.
The fans were indeed very happy. All kinds of chat comments and tips flew past so quickly that they couldn’t even stay for a second before being covered by new ones, and even the HD camera specially customized by the director began to lag.
“First bow to Heaven and Earth—”
“Second bow to the parents—”
“Bow to each other—”