On the balcony, Huang Ze Jun and Yang Jia Xing had clinked their drinks several times.
Yang Jia Xing shook his head. "Brother Jun, we might not be the ones with a headache in the end."
In Yang Jia Xing's view, the production team was the one that should be worried.
So far, Tang Zhi Chu was clearly the biggest winner. But could he and Chen Si Yang really end up together? Yang Jia Xing wasn't so sure.
So what was the draw of this season's Dating Show? What if not a single couple got together?
Thinking about it, Yang Jia Xing felt less gloomy.
Even if Tang Zhi Chu and Chen Si Yang did get together, would they last? Not necessarily. Even now, Yang Jia Xing thought the gap between them was too big.
Huang Ze Jun raised the bottle again. Yang Jia Xing was about to say he was done drinking, but then he spotted Zhou Yun's car.
It was parked in the open-air lot not far below. The door opened, and Tang Zhi Chu got out.
Yang Jia Xing lifted his bottle. "Come on, Brother Jun, one more!"
Tang Zhi Chu could hear the piano music inside even before he went in.
Once inside, he saw Chen Si Yang sitting by the piano, her fingers dancing slowly over the keys.
Tang Zhi Chu didn't interrupt. Instead, he turned to Zhou Yun behind him and quietly shushed her.
Zhou Yun glanced inside, then gave Tang Zhi Chu a fist pump without making a sound.
Chen Si Yang was wearing headphones and a hat, and apparently hadn't noticed that Tang Zhi Chu and Zhou Yun had returned.
Only after finishing her piece did Chen Si Yang turn around and see Tang Zhi Chu.
"Oh, you're back?"
Chen Si Yang looked surprised. She checked her phone—it was only a little past eight—but she was smiling.
Tang Zhi Chu leaned against the sofa, a blanket draped over him. Looking rather listless, he said, "I'm back. You played beautifully. Play another one."
Chen Si Yang had just stood up, but when she heard Tang Zhi Chu, she sat back down. She thought for a moment, then rested her fingertips on the keys. Gentle piano music flowed out like running water.
Tang Zhi Chu watched Chen Si Yang's back. A moment later, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Chen Si Yang played only half a piece before getting up and going upstairs.
A little while later, Chen Si Yang came back down with another blanket and draped it over Tang Zhi Chu's uncovered legs.
Chen Si Yang moved carefully. Once she saw that he was covered from head to toe, she nodded with satisfaction, then took the script tucked under her arm.
She sat on the floor, leaning against the sofa beside Tang Zhi Chu, and began reading the script in her hands.
Behind the villa, a large production van was parked. Li Hong Zhou, the chief director of Heartbeat, sat in front of several monitors.
He folded his arms, seeming to mull something over.
On one of the screens, the man lay on the sofa while the woman sat on the floor. The quiet, lovely scene was probably exactly what the production team hoped to capture.
"We've spoken with Heavenly Harmony. They won't interfere whether Chen Si Yang and Tang Zhi Chu get together or not," someone said quietly.
Li Hong Zhou pursed his lips. "Of course not. Tang Zhi Chu was sent over by DY, after all. Either outcome works for them."
"But..."
Li Hong Zhou turned around. "But what?"
"Douyin actually doesn't seem to want Tang Zhi Chu to get together with anyone—or, more specifically, doesn't want him to end up with Chen Si Yang."
Li Hong Zhou froze for a moment, then took out his phone and stepped down from the production van.
Seeing him get out, the directors beside him breathed a sigh of relief. Li Hong Zhou had always had a fiery temper, and he'd built this show from the ground up, so he could be rather authoritarian.
But there was nothing they could do. He was good at what he did.
Outside the van, Li Hong Zhou dialed a number.
The call connected quickly, and a mature, pleasant female voice came through.
"Director Li?"
"It's me. I heard you have other plans for Tang Zhi Chu?"
The woman on the other end was silent for a moment before replying, "We didn't mean to cause you any trouble. We're surprised and curious ourselves—how did Tang Zhi Chu end up with Chen Si Yang?"
Li Hong Zhou turned to look at the villa before replying. "Don't tell me. I'm curious too. I've worked on this show for seven seasons. At first, I thought Chen Si Yang would be the biggest headache. Then, on the second day, she and Tang Zhi Chu started showing signs of a connection. The most ridiculous part is that the other two female guests both chose Tang Zhi Chu. He's got three dates in the second round, while the other two male guests are so frustrated they're drinking together. Where did you find this guy? He looks so mild-mannered and honest. Is he really that charming?"
"Cough, cough." The woman on the other end started coughing as if she'd choked on something. "Cough, cough. Sorry, Director Li, are you joking?"
"Would I joke about something like this?"
"B-but everything I know about him says he's a huge homebody who doesn't even talk to strangers, and he's never been in a relationship."
There was a pause on the other end, as if she were weighing her words. Then she continued, "Why did I send him to a dating show? I had a very accomplished music professor listen to him sing, and the professor gave him high praise. His only weakness was emotional expression. The professor said that took life experience and time to develop. He's such a homebody that he wouldn't be able to handle the pressure if I sent him to a music competition show. You happened to need someone, so I sent him over."
Li Hong Zhou frowned. He'd read Tang Zhi Chu's file, which described him as extremely introverted. Judging by his behavior on the show, he was introverted, but not to that extent.
Could it be because of his family situation? The production team had done a background check and knew some details about Tang Zhi Chu's family.
But Li Hong Zhou had picked up on what the woman was implying.
"Maybe it's because of what happened in his family. His father's illness seems to be getting worse, so it's only natural he's changed a little. Don't worry, we've already been dropping hints in various ways to get him to show off his musical talent on the show. It's just... not going very smoothly."
"Not going smoothly? What do you mean?"
Li Hong Zhou said, sounding frustrated, "There are three female guests: an actress, a gym owner, and an entrepreneur. They're all interested in him. In this kind of situation, what's he supposed to show off? He has no motivation! Forget it, we still have one more group outing later. We'll make arrangements then."
The woman on the other end fell silent too. Things seemed to have strayed far from her original intentions, though not necessarily in a bad way.
"Forget it. We won't interfere either. Let's just see how things go," she said after a long pause.
Li Hong Zhou nodded. "Don't worry. Tang Zhi Chu is the biggest card I have right now. We've been filming long enough to develop a creative direction and a clear storyline. Of course, we'll need your cooperation too, since the show is about to launch."
Li Hong Zhou took the call seriously; otherwise, he wouldn't have said so much.
Tang Zhi Chu already belonged to DY, and the production team needed DY's traffic. It was a win-win.
Was the woman so worried about Tang Zhi Chu because she didn't want him to get hurt by Chen Si Yang, or because she was afraid Heavenly Harmony would pull something?
Either way, it showed how much she valued Tang Zhi Chu. That was good news for Li Hong Zhou.
"All right. Let's stay in touch. Sorry for the trouble, Director Li."
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