After the livestream had been suspended for two days, it finally resumed amid tremendous anticipation.
Internally, everyone was cursing each other out.
Externally, everyone pretended nothing had happened.
That was the survival rule of adulthood.
When Chu Wei, Wen Zhenghan, and Xiang Lingyun returned to the villa, they ran into one another.
All three tacitly pretended that the disastrous humiliation from that day had never happened.
Yet as they carried their luggage past Jiang Shu’s bedroom door, Chu Wei secretly gritted his teeth, Xiang Lingyun couldn’t help clenching his fists, and Wen Zhenghan’s expression grew noticeably colder.
The three of them had already designated Jiang Shu as Public Enemy Number One.
Jiang Shu returned from his morning run just as the production crew finished setting up the cameras.
The livestream restarted.
The other three men were already sitting in the living room.
Pulling off his sports wristband, Jiang Shu raised an eyebrow at them, then cheerfully waved.
“Morning, everyone!”
The moment the stream went live, a flood of comments poured in.
Seeing Jiang Shu greet them first, viewers were even a little touched.【The Crown Prince actually took the initiative to say hello! Has two weeks of living together finally created some friendship?】
Even though all three men were secretly imagining punching Jiang Shu’s handsome face into a swollen mess, they still had to maintain superficial peace.
Wen Zhenghan glanced at Jiang Shu indifferently. “Mr. Jiang is up so early. Working this hard for personal gain, I truly can’t compare.”
Jiang Shu waved a hand. “Don’t be too insecure. When people get old, lacking stamina is perfectly normal.”
Wen Zhenghan: “…”
Xiang Lingyun said coldly, “Has Mr. Jiang always had this kind of personality? Aren’t you afraid someone will beat you up one day?”
Jiang Shu replied, “I have this much money. Do you think we’d ever be walking on the same road?”
Xiang Lingyun: “…”
Chu Wei couldn’t hold back anymore.
Just as he opened his mouth, “You…”
Jiang Shu immediately cut him off.
“What ‘you’? You’re short, talkative, and full of nonsense.”
Chu Wei: “…”
In a single moment, he KO’d all three of them.
Feeling refreshed and invigorated, Jiang Shu strolled past the living room and returned to his room for a shower.
The audience stared in shock.
What harmony?
It was all fake!
All four men were romantic rivals.
There was no way they could get along peacefully.
The fact that they hadn’t started throwing punches already was proof of impressive self-restraint.
Wen Zhenghan’s fans and Xiang Lingyun’s fans had originally wanted to avoid reality and forget the collective “simp exposure” disaster from that day.
Yet the moment they opened the livestream, they were greeted by a full-blown imperial harem battle for favor, with all four men barely bothering to hide their hostility anymore.
The pain was unbearable.
Meanwhile, the casual viewers in the comments section happily built their joy upon the suffering of the fandoms.
Watching the chaos with great enthusiasm, they eagerly analyzed the current situation and debated which of the four suitors was most likely to win Shen Fu’s heart.
【Even though Chu Wei dated Shen Fu before, I honestly think he has the lowest chance of winning. If there were no other options, maybe Shen Fu could get back together with him. But now the other three male guests all have better conditions than him. Does he really stand a chance?】
【Yeah… it’s sad. Do first loves always end in tragedy?】
【The Film Emperor is pretty charming, though. I heard that after meeting Shen Fu on a film set, he quietly followed her career ever since. There’s something about an older man gently watching over a younger woman. Like someone admiring a rose inside a glass display case. Isn’t that one of the most emotionally charged dynamics between a man and a woman?】
【And honestly, during that overseas segment, Shen Fu rejected the Film Emperor so directly, yet he never got angry. Out of all four male guests, he definitely has the best temper.】
【Being able to help Shen Fu’s career is already a huge advantage. I’m casting my vote for the Film Emperor.】
【As if he’s the only one who can help Shen Fu’s career. The top idol could do that too, and his career path is actually more similar to hers.】
【Who still ships age-gap romances these days? How outdated. Cool guy × glamorous beauty is the trendiest pairing, okay?】
【LMAO. Xiang Lingyun can still be called a cool guy in front of the Crown Prince? He gets completely outclassed by him at every turn. He doesn’t dare drive the same cars, doesn’t dare wear sunglasses. At this point he’s basically a knockoff version.】
【Exactly! Our childhood-friends pairing is the best! Arrogant, fierce, but secretly innocent young master × cold-faced, lazy, beautiful actress. Our Crown Prince is rich, handsome, and morally upright.】
Meanwhile, Chu Wei’s fans, true to their idol’s style, charged straight into battle:
【BE your heads! First love is the best thing to ship!】
The other fandoms, desperate to change the subject, hurriedly tried redirecting attention:
【Stop arguing. Has nobody noticed that none of the female guests have shown up?】
The men in the living room had noticed as well.
Not a single one of the four female guests was there.
Xiang Lingyun went over to ask the production staff.
The staff member replied, “Another male guest will be joining the show today. According to our rules, since he’s arriving last, he’ll have the opportunity to meet all four female guests at once. The female guests have already gone to meet him.”
【Holy sh*t, Male Guest Five is arriving already?!】
【I heard rumors before that he wouldn’t show up until the sixth event. Why was he moved forward?】
Male Guest Five’s arrival meant that the situation, which had finally stabilized, was about to be thrown into chaos again.
The romantic interests among the four existing male guests had already become obvious.
The next stage was supposed to be seeing who could win Shen Fu’s heart.
But now a newcomer had joined.
From here on out, every event would likely leave someone without a partner.
In both the Spring Date and Limited Edition Photoshoot segments, Chu Wei had already ended up alone twice.
Each time had been embarrassing, forcing him to pretend he didn’t care.
He really didn’t want to be left out a third time.
People would definitely mock him for it.
His expression subtly changed.
“Who is Male Guest Five?” Xiang Lingyun asked casually.
Men tended to be highly territorial.
Dealing with Jiang Shu alone was already difficult enough.
If another Male Guest Five appeared, and turned out to be another highly competitive, aggressive alpha-type personality, things would only get worse.
The staff member smiled. “We still have to keep it secret. You’ll meet him tonight.”
Then they added, “But I heard he’s a composer.”
【A composer? Then that’s probably from Gu Qingshuang’s circle.】
【Come to think of it, Gu Qingshuang has been pretty sidelined throughout the show. Maybe she’ll finally spark something with the new guy.】
Hearing that, the three men visibly relaxed.
He didn’t sound like much of a threat.
They exchanged glances.
At this point, including Jiang Shu, everyone was standing on the same starting line.
Since everything had already been laid bare, they might as well compete fairly and let the best man win.
***
About five kilometers away from the villa was a café built beside a glass skywalk.
Before the livestream resumed, all four female guests had received task cards instructing them to follow the production staff there and wait.
On the skywalk stood a long table covered with an embroidered tablecloth and decorated with flowers and fruit.
The four female guests had been seated together on one side.
This was the first activity involving only the female guests.
Xu Tiaotiao couldn’t help feeling curious.
She looked around before nudging Shen Fu with her shoulder. “Why is it only the four of us? Where are the male guests?”
Shen Fu counted the coffee cups on the table. “I think Male Guest Five is arriving.”
“They’re not curious?” Xu Tiaotiao asked. “Why do they all look like they already knew?”
Leaning past Shen Fu, she glanced toward Gu Qingshuang and Zuo Mei, who were seated on the left side of the table.
Shen Fu lowered her head and continued playing a mobile game where she collected gold coins.
She had absolutely no interest in guessing what new scheme Zuo Mei might be planning.
Gu Qingshuang had always been favored by her family.
The previous day, when she suggested having her cousin join the show to help her, almost everyone in the family had agreed.
Only Gu Zhidao’s attitude had been ambiguous.
“So,” he asked, “you want me to go on the show and help you teach her a lesson?”
“Not exactly teach her a lesson.”
Gu Qingshuang’s feelings were complicated.
On one hand, Shen Fu had never wronged her. There was no grudge between them.
Why would she go out of her way to cause trouble?
But on the other hand, it was difficult not to feel a subtle jealousy toward Shen Fu.
Especially after realizing that the kraft-paper envelope Jiang Shu had specifically gone back to retrieve on the very first night of the show had ended up in Shen Fu’s hands.
She herself had been imagining things all along.
Meanwhile, Shen Fu’s life seemed to be going perfectly.
Gu Qingshuang had no intention of becoming Shen Fu’s enemy.
But if Zuo Mei wanted to do something, she didn’t mind lending a hand.
At the very least, she could make things a little difficult for Shen Fu.
“I hope you can cool her down a bit,” Gu Qingshuang said. “Let her know that the world doesn’t revolve around her.”
Gu Zhidao could tell that Gu Qingshuang had feelings for that young master from the Jiang family.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, “So should I make her fall for me, then dump her?”
“You think you’re capable of that?”
Gu Qingshuang looked at her cousin skeptically. “She’s not even particularly interested in Jiang Shu. Do you really think you’d succeed?”
Gu Zhidao didn’t seem concerned. “Maybe I’m exactly her type.”
Gu Qingshuang inwardly felt the urge to complain. She knew her cousin had reason to be confident. Despite his young age, he was already one of the industry’s top composers.
Still, comparing himself to Jiang Shu felt a little too confident.
That said, although her cousin was technically a public figure, he hated publicity.
He spent most of the year traveling and writing music.
Sometimes she wouldn’t see him even once in an entire year.
The last time she’d convinced him to appear on the hide-and-seek episode, it was only because she had listed him as her sole emergency contact.
If he hadn’t shown up, she would have been terribly embarrassed.
The family patriarch had pressured him into participating before he finally agreed.
Originally, Gu Qingshuang had expected it would take tremendous effort to persuade him this time as well.
To her surprise, the moment she brought it up, he agreed.
Therefore, Gu Qingshuang didn’t want to discourage him either. What if he refused to help her afterward?
“You can give it a try. But the most important thing is that you need to show how much you dote on me, help me regain some face, and make her feel that you don’t care about her in the slightest, so she gets a taste of frustration.”
Gu Zhidao neither said yes nor no. He merely shrugged and said, “Got it.”
…
At that moment, in the café.
The female guests hadn’t been waiting long before the production team arrived with Male Guest Number Five.
“Hello, everyone. This is our new male guest, Teacher Gu Zhidao. He was originally scheduled to meet everyone in Episode Six, but due to some unexpected circumstances, the planning team decided to have Male Guest Number Five meet everyone ahead of schedule.”
As he spoke, he directed the camera crew beside him to start the livestream on the female guests’ side.
Gu Zhidao was dressed in a white suit. He gave a slight bow and shook hands with each of the female guests one by one. “Hello.”
“Didn’t we meet before?” Zuo Mei put on a surprised expression. “The production team actually invited a fifth male guest? We weren’t informed in advance. That’s quite a surprise.”
As soon as the female guests’ livestream started, viewers switched over and immediately exploded with excitement.
【Holy cr*p, there really is a Male Guest Number Five! Wait, isn’t this the guy from the hide-and-seek segment last time, 】
【Yeah, you’re right. Gu Qingshuang’s cousin, Gu Zhidao. He’s pretty famous in composing circles and even performed overseas a few years ago. But he’s very low-key and rarely appears in public.】
【I heard the production team say on the male guests’ side that the new guest was a composer. I thought he’d have some storyline with Gu Qingshuang, but… doesn’t that mean Male Guest Number Five can only pursue one of the remaining three girls now?】
A staff member wiped sweat from his forehead and couldn’t help glancing at Zuo Mei and Gu Qingshuang.
The production team’s original plan for Male Guest Number Five had indeed been to create a “catfish effect” and stir things up. But for some reason, the planning team had suddenly changed the proposal yesterday, and Male Guest Number Five had become Gu Qingshuang’s older cousin instead.
Gu Qingshuang looked at Gu Zhidao in surprise as well. “Brother Zhidao, it’s actually you?”
Gu Zhidao sat down across from the female guests and smiled. “Maybe it’s a surprise prepared by the production team.”
Then he glanced at Shen Fu.
When he entered, Shen Fu’s gaze had lingered on him for a second. She had briefly frozen, then returned to looking at her phone.
【LMAO, Shen Fu is still clearing game levels.】
【I’m dying of anxiety. She shouldn’t choose that option in this stage! She’s about to lose hundreds of gold coins!】
The production team explained: “Since everyone will soon be returning to the villa to gather together, the meeting won’t be very long. It consists of two parts. First, the male guest will meet all four female guests together and have coffee with them as an introduction.”
“After that, the male guest will choose which female guest he’d like to get to know better. They will have ten minutes of conversation. During that time, the production team will turn off the microphones, so viewers will only be able to see the footage but won’t hear the audio.”
Gu Zhidao wasn’t really the type Xu Tiaotiao liked.
Xu Tiaotiao looked elsewhere with little interest.
So Gu Zhidao said, “Then I’ll choose Miss Shen Fu.”
【Holy cr*p, why Shen Fu again?】
Only after hearing her name did Shen Fu look up.
Looking at her, Gu Zhidao asked, “Want to chat privately?”
Shen Fu paused.
【Hahaha, congratulations to this Ge for choosing the most emotionally detached female guest on the show.】
【He’s about to get rejected by Shen Fu too, right?】
Yet everyone watched as Shen Fu picked up her bag and stood up. “Sure.”
The livestream comments were instantly dumbfounded.
【What’s going on?】
【She didn’t reject him? Does she have a favorable impression of him?】
【Is the newcomer about to become a dark horse?】
The Shen Fu × Jiang Shu shippers immediately wailed:
【No way. I only started shipping them a few days ago. Am I already about to get proven wrong?】
The fans of the other three male guests were even more anxious.
Wasn’t this humiliating?
Their favorites had been openly and secretly pursuing Shen Fu for half a month, yet she hadn’t reacted at all. What kind of background did this newcomer have that a single sentence was enough to get Shen Fu to agree to a private conversation?
The system had just come online. “Oh, it’s him.”
“Isn’t this all your fault?” Shen Fu replied.
It was the system’s first time guiding someone and it lacked experience. It had mixed up the profiles, causing Shen Fu to spend half a month pursuing Gu Zhidao. Only after the system finished its midterm evaluation and came back online did it realize it had targeted the wrong person.
Fortunately, Gu Zhidao’s mother had disliked Shen Fu from the start, a nameless little actress in her eyes. After humiliating her, she had offered her five million yuan to make her leave Gu Zhidao.
Shen Fu hadn’t accepted the money, but she had used the opportunity to make her escape.
Watching the two walk toward another booth, Zuo Mei turned back and glanced at Gu Qingshuang.
In a voice too quiet for viewers to hear, Gu Qingshuang whispered into her ear: “Don’t worry. My Ge’s here specifically to target her.”
Meanwhile…
Shen Fu followed Gu Zhidao to a two-person booth by the window and sat down again.
The waiter brought over two fresh cups of coffee.
【Ahhhh, we can’t hear them! This is torture!】
The audience could only see the two talking but had no idea what they were saying.
Gu Zhidao said, “I watched the livestream transcripts from the past few days before coming.”
Shen Fu took a sip of coffee.
“Oh.”
She was clearly participating in a dating show, yet she never took the initiative to interact or communicate with the other male guests.
And five million yuan had not been a small amount of money to her back then, yet she had still refused it.
Gu Zhidao looked deeply at Shen Fu and decided to be direct. “Are you still unable to forget me?”
“Pffft…” Shen Fu instantly sprayed out a mouthful of coffee.
Gu Zhidao: “…”
Calmly, he removed his gold-rimmed glasses and wiped them clean.
【HOLY CR*P!!】
The comments section was losing its mind.
【Oh my god, I hardly ever see Shen Fu laugh. This guy managed to make her laugh on their very first conversation. Could he actually be her type?】
【I thought the final showdown would be decided between Jiang Shu and the other three guys. Who would’ve thought this newcomer is the true king.】
Suddenly someone posted:【Holy cr*p holy cr*p holy cr*p! Switch to the downstairs camera angle! D’s car has arrived!】
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