Don't Slap Lu Zhi Again

An itch rose from his gland and quickly spread through every limb and bone in Shen Ranxin's body.

He instinctively straightened up and instantly raised his hand, slapping Lu Zhi across the face!

Everyone present fell silent. Even the staff adjusting the livestream equipment stared over in stunned disbelief.

The dating show's director instantly broke out in a cold sweat. He exchanged a look with the publicity department staff, and both saw the same conflicted hesitation in each other's eyes.

The good news: the livestream had already begun. The first thing viewers saw was Shen Ranxin sitting on one of Lu Zhi's legs and raising his hand to slap him. They would not have to worry about buzz or promotion now.

The bad news: the person who had been slapped was their biggest sponsor.

Fans who had been waiting in the livestream room for ages: "????"

[Excuse me, what kind of unconventional opening is this? I'm watching a dating show, right?]

[I just finished showering and was waiting in the livestream room to see my Cheng Cheng's sweet romance with Young Master Lu, only for him to suddenly get slapped. Isn't anyone going to speak up for Young Master Lu?]

[Which washed-up nobody is sitting on Lu Zhi? Holy shit, this is like getting my ass sawed open—I've really seen it all. There are still people these days who dare slap the young master of the Lu Group?]

[Does the internet have no memory? Isn't this Shen Ranxin, that disgraced artist who threw his weight around on set, caused a fire, got two people killed, and poisoned other artists?]

[What gossip? Tell us more.]

[For anyone who wants the gossip, check out a certain post. It has all the details about what happened back then!]

[Shen Ranxin debuted as a child star and was once hugely popular. He hasn't appeared in the entertainment industry these past few years since that incident. I can't believe he's making a comeback now. Murderers can return to the industry to take your money—domestic entertainment is really finished.]

Shen Ranxin rose from Lu Zhi's lap with a cold expression and took a deep breath. "Don't touch me with your filthy hands."

After saying that, he instinctively took a step back.

Lu Zhi merely rubbed the knuckles that had just touched Shen Ranxin's gland. Rather than getting angry, he narrowed his eyes and gave a laugh. "Sorry."

Shen Ranxin, who had already braced himself for Lu Zhi to slap him back: "?"

[As expected of the Lu Group's young master. What a gentleman!]

[Why do I feel like something's off? Our young master is famous for holding grudges.]

[The person who got slapped is the one saying sorry, and he holds grudges???]

[Am I the only one who thinks Young Master Lu looked like he enjoyed getting slapped by Shen Ranxin? I'm shipping it.]

[Shipping everything will only ruin you. You'd even ship something this cursed? You really are starving.]

[No, you're the only one. Firmly reject AA romance—AO romance is the proper path. Lu Zhi belongs to our Cheng Cheng!]

[I also think Lu Zhi didn't look angry... It felt kind of BDSM.]

Because public sentiment was running high, less than ten minutes after the show aired, several strange topics had already climbed onto the lower end of the trending list.

#Lu Zhi Shen Ranxin Slap#

#Shen Ranxin Vicious#

#Cheng Cheng Lu Zhi Instant Heart Love at First Sight#

#Lu Zhi Sorry#

Netizens who had not been following Instant Heartbeat also flooded into the livestream after seeing the trending topics.

Instant Heart had barely begun when Shen Ranxin's slap brought it an enormous wave of traffic.

The director was delighted on one hand and worried that their biggest sponsor would pull his investment on the other. Only when he saw that Lu Zhi had no intention of getting angry did he finally relax slightly.

Shen Ranxin got up and chose a seat in the corner farthest from Lu Zhi.

Director Chen cleared his throat. "Instant Heartbeat, eternal love! Hello, everyone. I'm Director Chen. Welcome to this episode of Instant Heart. Next, let's invite the six guests participating in Instant Heart to introduce themselves and tell us what prompted them to accept our invitation, so everyone can get to know one another."

Of the six guests invited for this episode, there were three Alphas and three omegas. By entertainment industry seniority, twenty-nine-year-old veteran Fang Yu naturally went first.

Fang Yu was perfectly composed in front of the camera, a calm smile lingering at the corners of his lips. He looked relaxed and at ease. "Hello, everyone. I'm Fang Yu... Well, filming has been a little exhausting these past few months, so I came on a relaxing variety show to take a break."

[No, bro, what actor takes a break by going on a dating show? You're really the king of grinding.]

[Brother Yu, did you enter the entertainment industry to compete for special forces?]

[Fang Yu, a man doing military service in the entertainment industry.]

Sitting beside Fang Yu was an unusually fair-skinned young man. Red headphones hung around his neck, and his messy short red hair made his skin look even paler. His eyes were lowered, and he looked thoroughly exhausted.

"Jiang Ye." He glanced at Fang Yu beside him before speaking. "I'm a professional esports athlete from the Glory Division of FGA Esports Club... Why did I come on a dating show... Um."

After thinking for a moment, he slowly said, "Because it's the offseason. My coach told me to take on a side job and earn money to replace the team's equipment..."

[Who the hell dragged such an honest kid into this den of wolves?]

[Does Instant Heart count as using child labor? He looks underage. I'm calling the cops to arrest all of you!]

[Look how sleepy the kid is. He finally gets a break during the offseason and still gets dragged out to date. Let him go back already. As for the new equipment, I have my own solution, [crowdfunding link].]

[Don't worry, esports doesn't use child labor. Little Jiang just turned nineteen this year, and he's the captain of the FAG Team. This is his first variety show, so please take good care of our Captain Jiang, everyone!]

Next came Gu Yifei, an obscure indie singer.

Shen Ranxin secretly sized him up. His looks were truly breathtaking, like peach blossoms in early spring—impossible to forget after one glance.

His affectionate eyes brimmed with shifting charm, while the small mole by his lips added another touch of seduction.

Whether it was natural or colored contacts, Gu Yifei's pupils were a very light shade. Under the light, they gleamed with a faint, lustrous pink.

Was this even a person? He was a succubus, wasn't he?

Gu Yifei looked coldly into the camera. "Gu Yifei, singer. My purpose for coming on this dating show... is to let more people hear my songs."

The moment he finished speaking, the living room speakers obligingly began playing one of Gu Yifei's songs.

Everyone's expressions changed.

How could they possibly describe that feeling?

It was like five hundred ducks beating gongs and drums as they jumped into a river, then all drowned—a suffocating experience.

Other people's music knocked on the door to the soul. Gu Yifei's music could probably knock open a skull.

Literally.

Shen Ranxin clutched his chest and took a deep breath. After great difficulty, he rescued himself from that suffocating sensation and said, "...Hello. Has anyone around you ever told you that you sing well?"

Gu Yifei pursed his lips, his gaze toward Shen Ranxin full of appreciation and trust. "Not yet. Are you the fir—"

Shen Ranxin said, "Then why are you still singing?"

Gu Yifei: "..."

After a long moment, he clenched his fists and spoke coldly. "You just don't understand! Unbelievable!"

An omega's heart was as unfathomable as the sea. Shen Ranxin, a completely straight man who had transmigrated into a gay novel, truly did not understand.

Gu Yifei raised his head and looked at Lu Zhi, who sat not far away. He was the only person whose expression had not changed after hearing his song.

"What does President Lu think?"

Only then did Lu Zhi withdraw his gaze from Shen Ranxin and look sincerely at Gu Yifei. "Hm? Think what?"

Gu Yifei: "...My song. What does President Lu think of it?"

Lu Zhi smiled faintly. "Do you really want to hear it?"

Gu Yifei said confidently, "Of course. I believe you're a man of taste!"

Lu Zhi said, "I suggest adding this song to the Ten Cruel Tortures of the Qing Dynasty."

Gu Yifei: "..."

[President Lu's little mouth is poisoned. I'm dying, hahahahaha.]

[Baby, don't listen to their nonsense. You have looks instead of a voice, looks instead of pitch, and even instead of talent, you still have looks. You're the most beautiful baby in the world!]

[Actually... blegh... it's still okay... blegh... We need to respect... blegh... other people's tastes...]

[People are still praising this? Gu Yifei forced his way into the music industry, and every one of you here bears an inescapable responsibility!]

[Baby, just focus on being beautiful. Take more nine-grid selfies when you have time. As for listening to songs, I have someone else in mind!]