I Like It When Feelings Are Mutual

Honestly, Fu Zhouchi felt like he was about to have a heart attack at such a young age. Anyone would be driven into a terminal illness if they were insulted and discriminated against for no reason, yet unable to explain themselves, right?

His face went red, then green, then black, finally settling into an indescribable shade before he opened his mouth. "I'm not feeling well. I'm withdrawing from the competition!"

The director was baffled. Did their exchanged looks contain some secret I didn't know about?

This was the second time, wasn't it?

Fu Zhouchi had refused to partner with Song Yichuan in the competition. Was he keeping himself pure for the guest he liked?

Could he really have an eye condition?

Why hadn't the gossip media reported it?

Of course they couldn't report it. He came from a wealthy family. When they got sick, they went to private hospitals, and all medical records were confidential. Otherwise, any random piece of news could shake the entire framework. How could ordinary people like us handle that?

I wonder if anyone else noticed, but I feel like almost all the guests know about Fu Zhouchi's illness, and they seem to be laughing at him.

Hey, don't make things up. Secrets from the wealthy circle aren't something people like us can peek into.

Since another guest could not participate in the competition segment, the partners had to be selected again. This time, the staff came up with a simple solution: drawing lots to decide the CP pairings. It was a last resort.

The director behind the monitors was helpless as well. Although filming was already more than halfway done, aside from everyone eagerly throwing themselves at Song Yichuan, it was obvious that none of the pairings had sparked any chemistry. They kept withdrawing from filming or competitions at the drop of a hat. Even when they did participate normally, they all stared wide-eyed, as if waiting for something.

The dating show's traffic had gone up over the past two days, but the reviews were laughable. "The strangest dating show in history," they said. What a joke. This was the highest-quality dating show in history, okay?

Its high-quality humans just behaved a little strangely.

What?

Are you kidding me? I'm on the same team as him?

A shocked, disgusted voice reached the director's ears, interrupting his worries.

He looked toward the filming area and finally smiled in relief.

See? The buzz was here. You think I wanted to be on the same team as you?

Meng Qiongqi rolled his eyes. What a brainless bimbo. Luckily, this was a physical competition. Otherwise, a mama's boy like you—though with Song Yichuan present, he could not say that phrase aloud—well, those who knew, knew. Good grief.

Huo Renjie, who had been mocked, immediately lost all reason.

"Fuck off! You're the brainless bimbo! Aren't you only acting like this because your family has power and influence within the system? Otherwise, with that pedantic scholar of yours, I could take on eight of him with one punch!"

"Sister Wei, let's team up. We might not be able to fight for first place, but we can at least get third."

Yu Jiajia spoke in a sweet voice, her beautiful eyes sweeping provocatively over the pair of guests who were arguing.

"Sister Yu."

Chen Qiwei nodded. "Mm-hm, definitely."

Meanwhile, not far away, Lu Chen lowered his head to look at the blank slip of paper in his hand, his expression thoughtful.

Fu Zhouchi withdrawing from the competition twice—what did that mean?

And what did it mean that he had been left without a partner twice?

This was a dating show run by the Fuji Group. It would be effortless for the capital behind it to manipulate such things. Even if other forces had joined in, they could not shake his dominant position.

So Fu Zhouchi was deliberately asserting his claim, refusing to let anyone else get close to him.

At that thought, Lu Chen's lips curved upward. He raised his head and looked toward Fu Zhouchi, who was resting nearby.

He saw the other man frowning tightly, glaring at Song Yichuan with displeasure. Sure enough, what belonged to him could never be taken away by Song Yichuan. The competition pairings really were strange: three men, two women, a dog, and another dog resting due to illness.

Of course, this time a staff member was once again filling in for a guest.

Song Yichuan narrowed his eyes in thought. Could it be that, because this was a boys' love novel, there was some barrier between men and women?

Thinking about it that way, the logic did become much smoother.

"Confident we can win?"

He asked Yan Jinyu.

After a pause, he added, "I heard first place gets a late-night snack. The director really knows how to tempt people's appetites. Who could resist grilled skewers and a little iced beer? That was the dream of working people—wealthy second-generation heirs included."

Mm, once again confirmed: he was a foodie.

"I do have confidence," Yan Jinyu said with a faint smile, lips pressed together. "But I have one condition."

Song Yichuan blinked. What a scheming man. He even had to set conditions for doing things. Aren't you tempted too?

Fine, he really was not.

"What condition? You want me to pick you next time?"

Yan Jinyu's gaze burned, and his voice dropped slightly. "I like it when feelings are mutual."

Song Yichuan was speechless. Here it came again. This finally looked a little like a dating show!

I have to say, President Yan's tastes are really heavy. He actually likes Song Yichuan's type. Wouldn't someone fresh and gentle be better?

Come on, don't be ridiculous. Song Yichuan's type is the mainstream, okay?

Didn't you see he ranked first in the votes twice?

Are you selectively blind?

Hey, stop arguing and focus on the faces. The screen is full of male beauty, yet it still can't shut you people up!

Forgive my love for overthinking, but I feel like President Yan's character setting has collapsed. It's like he keeps raising his hand and shouting, "Pick me, pick me! I'm super sweet!"

"Tch!"

Song Yichuan stared blankly at Yan Jinyu for several seconds, but he could not detect anything from that highly aggressive face. His acting really was good. It seemed he wanted to form an alliance, and cooperating with him wasn't impossible.

So he nodded. "All right. I'll pick you next time."

Wealthy second-generation heirs, the Melon King had chosen him. Yan Jinyu wanted to ally with him—didn't that mean two powerhouses joining forces?

This was bad!

Apparently, Fu Zhouchi thought so too. His expression grew increasingly grim.

"Guests, please get ready at the starting line."

The staff member's voice rang out. The guests, dressed in swim trunks and bikinis, took their positions.

It had to be said, their postures looked quite professional—not inferior to athletes at international competitions.

Song Yichuan glanced from the corner of his eye at Meng Qiongqi beside him, who was also running the first leg. His expression suddenly froze, and Meng Qiongqi immediately had a bad feeling.

Meng Qiongqi?

No way, no way. Was it finally my turn?

Sure enough, his inner voice sounded in the next second.

Oh? I hadn't noticed before, but now that I'm seeing it, this guy has plenty of gossip too—and it's with that person!

The wealthy second-generation heirs immediately pricked up their ears. With who?

Hurry up and say it!

Before the answer could come, the staff member's whistle sounded. The competition began.