A Mere Dating Agreement? Fine, I'll Sign It!

This was the suggestion Cao Ying had made to Gu Shiyan before Chu Tian arrived.

He had actually preferred that Gu Shiyan make the act real and give in to Chu Tian, but knowing Gu Shiyan's temperament and fearing he might choose mutual destruction, Cao Ying took a step back and proposed this "cooperation" instead.

There was no reason to turn away such overwhelming traffic delivered right to their doorstep.

Didn't Gu Shiyan want to become famous quickly and take on more work? Without traffic, audiences wouldn't buy it. Who did he think he was?

In this industry, dignity alone couldn't make money.

A week ago, the country had just enacted a new law recognizing same-sex marriages and declaring that same-sex marriages enjoyed the same legal protections as traditional marriages.

Over the past week, people both online and offline had been celebrating, and most held friendly attitudes toward same-sex relationships.

Some celebrities in the industry had even directly announced their relationships and marriage plans, drawing countless blessings.

The trending topic about Gu Shiyan and Chu Tian had appeared at just the right time, when attitudes both inside and outside the industry were at their warmest and most accepting. It aligned with national conditions and the law, was politically correct, and drew enormous traffic.

Even before the debut variety show had officially begun filming, the two had attracted so many fans based on their appearances alone. A CP supertopic had even been created in such a short time.

Such immense fortune was right before him. Even a saint would have to think twice, let alone Gu Shiyan, who was now drowning in debt.

Cao Ying's twisted, profit-driven expression was still vivid in his mind. Gu Shiyan had originally found it utterly repulsive, but at that moment, seeing Chu Tian so nervous that he could not sit still, the hostility in his heart suddenly dissipated.

"Wh-what did you say?" Chu Tian dug at his ear, suspecting that he had misheard due to excessive nerves.

[A d-d-dating agreement?! Has Gu Shiyan lost his mind?!]

What the hell was that? There had been nothing like this when he read the original novel!

Oh, it seemed to have been Cao Ying's suggestion, but it had only been mentioned in passing in the original because Gu Shiyan had refused...

But why had Gu Shiyan suddenly changed his mind now?

What worried Chu Tian most, however, was whether the plot collapsing would affect this small world built around the novel's main storyline.

"What, you don't agree?" Gu Shiyan raised a brow and said meaningfully, "I thought you'd be desperate to."

Chu Tian: "..."

The original owner might really have been overjoyed, but he...

"This is the agreement," Gu Shiyan said, opening his phone's notes app and placing it before Chu Tian. "You can raise any conditions you want as well."

Chu Tian's expression went blank for a moment. So Gu Shiyan had not been playing games while looking down at his phone just now—he had been drafting this agreement?

He was serious?!

Chu Tian looked at the note and unconsciously read it aloud. "Dating Agreement. Party A: Gu Shiyan. Party B: Chu Tian. Clause One: From the date this agreement is signed, both parties will maintain the status of lovers in public, cooperate for mutual benefit, and do so for a period of one year. Clause Two: Neither party may interfere with the other's private life, but neither may violate Clause One. During the term of the agreement, neither party may develop feelings, or the agreement will become void. Clause Three..."

The more Chu Tian read, the more he doubted his life. Had this childish and absurd agreement really been written by this favored son of fate, the male lead destined by heaven?

In short, the agreement was about maintaining a couple's image in front of outsiders to ride the traffic wave, benefiting each other.

It was common for people in the industry to cultivate public personas, and Chu Tian had no particular opinion on that. But when it came to himself, he hesitated.

"What, you don't dare?" Gu Shiyan said mockingly. "Right, asking young master playboy Chu not to fall in love really is making things difficult for you. So when you said just now that you had no improper thoughts about me and hadn't fallen for me, that was all a lie?"

"Who said I don't dare?!" Chu Tian slapped the table, getting carried away. "It's just a dating agreement. I'll sign it! And I hope Mr. Gu remembers the agreement too. Whoever falls in love first is a dog!"

Unable to stand being provoked, Chu Tian boldly signed the "dating agreement," which seemed like nothing more than a joke. Once he calmed down, he nearly regretted it enough to bang his head against a pillar.

Where had his self-awareness as cannon fodder gone?

Instead of getting away from the male lead favored by fate as soon as possible to preserve his life, he had actually rushed to tie himself to the same boat as him. He had truly lost his mind.

"The agreement is settled. It's getting late, so go back and rest early," Gu Shiyan said. Looking at the name Chu Tian had painstakingly handwritten beneath the agreement, a glimmer of amusement flashed through his eyes. "See you tomorrow, boy-friend."

Chu Tian shuddered at the three words Gu Shiyan pronounced one by one. Before he could recover, he had already been ushered out the door.

Cao Ying did not change his fawning nature. He bowed and scraped before Chu Tian, trying his utmost to please him, while probing for what the two had discussed in the room.

"What does what I said to him have to do with you?"

The straightforward young Chu Tian hated people like Cao Ying, who were duplicitous and scheming, more than anything. He made no attempt to hide his dislike, rolled his eyes, and turned to leave.

Fortunately, the Chu Tian in the original novel had been just such an overbearing brat spoiled by his family. Cao Ying was not angry; instead, he became even more attentive and followed after Chu Tian to see him back to his room.

Because of the unexpected agreement signing, Chu Tian was terrified that defying the plot might cause this small world to collapse. He tossed and turned all night without sleeping well, two enormous dark circles hanging beneath his eyes as his eyelids drooped and his face brimmed with irritation.

In contrast, Gu Shiyan was full of energy.

The surveillance footage of the two entering and leaving the same hotel room yesterday had stayed on the trending searches all day, and the entire production team knew the "fact" that they were dating.

The director was delighted by this. He had already ridden the wave of attention yesterday, having the show's official Weibo account announce the two as guests.

Haunted Mystery Exploration was labeled as suspenseful in order to pass review, but its actual content involved visiting places with terrifying legends, livestreaming explorations, and completing missions.

As the country's first live variety show of this kind, the director had racked his brains while promoting it in advance. But due to budget constraints, the results had been limited.

Things were different now. With Chu Tian and Gu Shiyan's "full support," even the production team had gained attention. The official Weibo account had gained more than ten thousand followers.

At that moment, the director looked at the two as though they were gold.

"Oh, young master Chu is here!" Director Li Yu rushed over at once and cheerfully fussed over Chu Tian. "This place is remote, and the hotel quality is poor. You've been wronged, young master. Next time—next time we record the show, we'll definitely choose a higher-class hotel. How could we let young master suffer like this?"

Li Yu's fawning toward Chu Tian was not solely because of the traffic. It was also because the Chu family's entertainment company was now the production team's biggest investor. Whether publicly or privately, he had to cater to the young master.

Including Chu Tian and Gu Shiyan, the production team had invited six guests in total.

Besides the two of them and another girl, who were complete amateurs, the remaining three included a somewhat well-known female livestreamer and a male character actor who usually played minor roles.

The last guest had originally been the biggest name among them: Qian Feihe, a singing-and-dancing male idol who had debuted not long ago.

There were no reliable music shows in the country, and artists who came from idol backgrounds had trouble developing their careers. The reason he had agreed to join the show was that his company wanted him to test the waters of becoming a variety show host.

With a powerful entertainment company behind him and some fans of his own, he had thought that even if he could not become the leader of the Haunted Mystery Exploration production team, he would at least be someone everyone fawned over.

Who would have thought Chu Tian would suddenly appear out of nowhere and completely overshadow him? It was infuriating.

"Isn't he just relying on having a good older brother and family background?" Qian Feihe scoffed, arrogantly griping to his assistant. "The bottom line in domestic entertainment is really getting lower and lower. Any random nobody wants to get involved."

He did not deliberately lower his voice, and it smoothly reached the ears of the director and the others, who were talking with Chu Tian.

Chu Tian turned in confusion and met Qian Feihe's hostile gaze. Only then did he realize that the remark had been aimed at him.

Seeing Qian Feihe lift his chin high, clearly waiting for him to snap back and start a fight, Chu Tian sincerely asked—

"Who are you?"

Qian Feihe: "..."