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Late at night, Tang Zhi Chu lay in bed instead of going straight to sleep, scrolling through his phone.

There were plenty of search results about Chen Si Yang.

A native of Shudu Qionghai, she had graduated from Huaguo Film and Television Academy. In 2021, she participated in Qiyiguo Video's Planet Girl Group talent show, stood out from the competition, and topped the popularity rankings for several episodes.

Unfortunately, Planet Girl Group disbanded less than a year after its debut.

At present, Chen Si Yang was an artist under Tianhe Entertainment.

Seeing that information, Tang Zhi Chu curled his lips in self-mockery. What a waste of all that time he had spent staring in the mirror earlier.

He had thought Chen Si Yang texted him because this body was handsome enough.

Now, it seemed he had oversimplified things.

A girl group member who had just disbanded, had signed with a major company, and possessed such outstanding qualities—would someone like that really come on a Dating Show to fall in love?

Give him a break!

In the morning, Tang Zhi Chu opened his eyes. He had slept better than he had expected last night.

He pulled open the curtains, and a bright world spread before his eyes before the sun had even fully risen.

The seventh season of Heartbeat had come to Yuzhou. Yes, Tang Zhi Chu was from Yuzhou.

Yuzhou in April was warm one moment and chilly the next. Who would have thought it would become Fire City three months later?

After washing up, Tang Zhi Chu opened his bedroom door. Before he even went downstairs, he heard movement behind him. Turning around, he found Chen Si Yang.

Chen Si Yang wore a black athletic outfit today, paired with a white bucket hat. Headphones hung around her neck, making her look cool while also concealing her appearance to some extent.

"Good morning," Chen Si Yang greeted him first.

"Morning."

"Do you usually get up around this time?"

Tang Zhi Chu checked the time. It was exactly eight o'clock. "More or less."

"Want breakfast?" By the time she finished speaking, Chen Si Yang was already standing beside Tang Zhi Chu. Before he could answer, she added, "I'm making sandwiches. Want to try my cooking?"

Since she had put it that way, Tang Zhi Chu could only nod.

Chen Si Yang raised her brows, clearly in a good mood. She had grown up in a comfortably well-off family and had never lacked food or clothing, nor had she suffered much hardship. To outsiders, she seemed rather aloof, but only she knew that she was actually quite gentle by nature. Since her motives were not entirely pure, the colder Tang Zhi Chu was toward her, the less pressure she felt.

Tang Zhi Chu was thinking as well. It looked like he could not play the lovesick fool. The more proactive Chen Si Yang was, the clearer it became to him that this female celebrity had come on the Dating Show for exposure. She was simply a resource.

Everything was about interests, so there was no need to care about the advances, retreats, and restraint between men and women.

Yang Jia Xing and Huang Ze Jun were both in the kitchen, sitting across from each other and eating noodles.

Yet there was another bowl of noodles in front of each of them, making the atmosphere somewhat delicate.

Hearing the noise, the two turned sideways to look, and both their eyes lit up.

"Hello!"

"Morning!"

Chen Si Yang froze briefly, her expression stiffening for a moment. "Morning."

Yang Jia Xing stood up. "I cooked noodles. Want some?"

Huang Ze Jun glanced at Yang Jia Xing. The words reached his lips, but he did not say them. Instead, he lowered his head and continued eating. In the end, he chose to show some grace; he did not want things to become too awkward.

When Yang Jia Xing saw that Chen Si Yang did not immediately answer and had even glanced at Tang Zhi Chu beside her, he spoke again.

"We can talk about what to cook tonight while we eat. I'll probably be back around six today, so I can buy the groceries first."

There was a trace of embarrassment in Chen Si Yang's gaze as she looked at Tang Zhi Chu, as though she were saying that the sandwiches were not happening.

Tang Zhi Chu shook his head slightly to show that he understood, then walked over to the stove.

Just then, Huang Ze Jun called out to him, "Brother, want a bowl of beef noodles?"

He said it in the Yuzhou dialect. Like Tang Zhi Chu, Huang Ze Jun was also from Yuzhou. And he did not merely offer—he pushed the extra bowl of noodles in front of him toward Tang Zhi Chu.

He had already made them, after all. It did not matter who ate them.

Tang Zhi Chu did not stand on ceremony. After thanking him, he sat beside Huang Ze Jun. "Then I'll make breakfast tomorrow."

Huang Ze Jun kept an eye on Chen Si Yang from the corner of his eye as he replied, "Sure, you do it tomorrow. I'm not picky. I'll eat anything."

Huang Ze Jun felt that he could not be as bold as Yang Jia Xing, but he figured he could attack from the side and gather a few allies first.

"Can I count myself in too?" Chen Si Yang interjected, looking at Tang Zhi Chu.

Tang Zhi Chu nodded. "Of course."

Yang Jia Xing's voice immediately followed. "Then I'll help you guys out."

Tang Zhi Chu nodded as he ate his noodles. Though their exchange had been brief, he had gained a rough understanding of Huang Ze Jun and Yang Jia Xing's personalities.

Both men were confident. Yang Jia Xing was more straightforward, with no twists and turns. He had the air of someone who would give his all once he set his sights on something. Huang Ze Jun was far more composed, possessing the poise of a commander who remained steady in the face of change.

Tang Zhi Chu thought, Looks like I can't be a lovesick fool, but I can't slack off either. I've got two formidable rivals.

He could not let the female celebrity keep taking the initiative, could he? What would the viewers think then?

Tang Zhi Chu glanced at the sports cameras all over the house from the corner of his eye, and an idea took shape in his mind.

Across from him, Yang Jia Xing had begun discussing what to cook that night with Chen Si Yang.

Yesterday, they had been assigned cooking partners for each day. Tang Zhi Chu had been upstairs at the time, while Zhou Yun and Huang Ze Jun had been paired together. They had made dinner last night.

Today, it was Chen Si Yang and Yang Jia Xing's turn.

At nine o'clock, Tang Zhi Chu left the house.

The Dating Show would not interfere with the guests' private lives, and filming was limited to the Small Villa or activities that belonged to the Dating Show.

Standing at an intersection, Tang Zhi Chu hesitated. Should he visit his "father," who was still hospitalized? Go to the Sichuan restaurant? Or go home?

After a moment, Tang Zhi Chu chose to go home. He decided to take things one step at a time.

Leaving aside whether his family would find this strange and abrupt, he himself needed time to adjust.

Yuzhou in this world, in the year 2023, was no less prosperous than it had been in his previous life.

Pusaqiao Business District was one of Yuzhou's most bustling commercial areas, filled with towering buildings and ceaseless traffic.

Tang Zhi Chu's home was about one kilometer in a straight line from Pusaqiao Business District. By all rights, his family's circumstances should not have been bad.

Unfortunately, it was an old street. People had been saying it would be demolished and redeveloped for years, but nothing had ever happened.

Now that the real estate industry was declining, redevelopment had become even more distant.

The taxi stopped at the entrance to the alley. Through the window, he could still see his family's restaurant, but he did not go over. Instead, he took a detour and entered the alley from another entrance.

Deep in the alley stood a somewhat blackened five-story building. Tang Zhi Chu's home was on the second floor, a spacious three-bedroom apartment that had been considered quite decent back then.

Unfortunately, the city had developed too quickly, and they had missed the wave of getting rich through demolition compensation. Still, because the city had developed quickly, they had managed a small business and had not gone hungry.

Pushing open the door to his room, Tang Zhi Chu let out a faint sigh. This doesn't count as me murdering someone for their property, does it?

If anyone had been unlucky, he had been even unluckier. Everything had to start over from scratch.

The room was kept spotless. The quilt was folded into a neat square, and there was not even a wrinkle on the mattress. A pot of devil's ivy spread upward from beside the desk, climbing along its frame and even extending past the window, brimming with life.

The memories told him that the room had not become so tidy because the production crew had installed cameras recently. The Original Owner had always been somewhat of a neat freak.

The most valuable things in the entire room were his computer and that set of singing equipment. Back when he had entered an online singing competition, he had spent tens of thousands replacing them with new gear.