Once the hovercar came to a stop, the driver spotted the Heart-Pounding Expedition staff, and his face flushed with excitement. His whole family followed the show!
He turned to look at Shi Zhou, whose features looked almost AI-rendered, and decided he had to be a guest. What staff member could be that beautiful?
Before leaving, the driver even leaned out and hurriedly said, "Don't worry, you're definitely going to be a huge hit! What's your tag on the Interstellar Network? My whole family will vote for you!"
Caught between laughter and tears, Shi Zhou thanked the driver. By then, probably no one would want to vote for him.
After all, according to the system's requirements, besides being a spectator who helped bring the CPs together, he also had to intensify the protagonists' feelings at crucial moments. That might involve pulling quite a few outrageous stunts.
He would be lucky if they didn't vote him out.
But that was fine. He wasn't here to fall in love. He was here to get paid.
He glanced at his Mindnet. After paying the fare, his balance had dropped to double digits.
Cheng Lu, the young staff member who came to greet him, also wore a complicated expression for a moment. The other guests had arrived in all sorts of limited-edition luxury cars, yet Shi Zhou's transportation was so modest.
But once she got a clear look at Shi Zhou's face, Cheng Lu's smile immediately widened. "Shi Zhou-Zhouzhou, right?"
When he obediently nodded with perfect politeness, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. From the rumors, she had expected Shi Zhou to be difficult. Still, the greater the contrast in his personality, the more attention their show would get. They couldn't lose either way.
A shuttle carried them farther through the enormous garden. Before they got off, Cheng Lu smiled and collected his Mindnet, asking quietly, "You remember Director Zhang's instructions, right?"
Besides the five guests from wealthy families already selected-four men and one woman-this season had also signed three ordinary participants through open auditions and several rounds of interviews.
Shi Zhou was one of them, as well as the youngest and the best-looking.
When Shi Zhou nodded, she glanced at the house nestled in the garden nearby, a subtle excitement in her expression. "Go on. Everyone's waiting for you!"
Shi Zhou smiled too, tightened his grip on his suitcase, and followed the stone path. As he rounded a bend, he saw someone standing beside a white wall framed by greenery and flowers.
His slightly long, curly hair seemed casually tied back with a single ribbon. He wore a white linen shirt with a touch of designer flair and pale suit trousers, which only accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs.
With his back turned and his head tilted up, the soft, gentle light falling over him, he looked as beautiful as a painting.
Shi Zhou silently went, Wow. He had memorized the profiles of all three male leads, and this clearly wasn't one of them. Then was he the only bottom among the three CPs?
But he looked over 190 centimeters tall-taller than Shi Zhou, who was only 180.
After all, people in the interstellar era were generally much taller. Shi Zhou was of pure Ancient Huaxia descent, so he was a little shorter, though his height was actually quite respectable even in this era!
[179.6] the system corrected.
Shi Zhou's face reddened a little. He didn't have time to argue with the system.
The young man by the wall turned, revealing a gentle, exquisitely handsome face. The breeze stirred a few strands of his hair, and his beautiful phoenix eyes held a smile. Seeing Shi Zhou, he first waved, then walked briskly toward him.
Shi Zhou's hand grew sweaty around his suitcase handle. He involuntarily stepped back half a pace. "Xie Jiali?!"
What was he doing here?!
After Shi Zhou had been admitted to the Interstellar First Academy, the plot had taken control of his body. Over those nearly two years, "he" had done plenty of stupid things-
The stupidest had been provoking this fellow student from his department, Xie Jiali.
He was no nobody. He was a prominent figure in the Arts Department, and even throughout the First Academy.
A graceful young man, gentle as jade and deeply knowledgeable, he had inherited his grandparents' work restoring cultural relics and appeared on numerous shows. In an interstellar era obsessed with Ancient Blue Star culture, he was far more famous than the average celebrity.
Meanwhile, Shi Zhou, the "vicious cannon fodder," had been responsible for making little bits of trouble for him, until Xie Jiali's admirers could no longer stand it and reported everything he had done to the School Committee.
The first thing Shi Zhou had done upon regaining control was apologize to him. The final ruling was that Shi Zhou would take a one-year leave from school, pending observation.
Seeing Shi Zhou unconsciously press his lips together, his lashes fluttering wildly, Xie Jiali's gaze darkened a little. His usual smile remained on his face. "What a coincidence. You're on this show too?"
Shi Zhou lowered his head, a little embarrassed, and said softly, "S-sorry..."
Over in the monitoring room, Cheng Lu raced back at a sprinter's pace, all traces of her earlier composure gone. "Well? Well?! Aaaah, have they met yet?!"
The staff crowded together in front of the screen made shushing gestures and whispered excitedly, "They just met."
Excitement and curiosity showed on everyone's faces. Xie Jiali had been on their invitation list from the start, but despite repeated approaches, he had politely refused. No matter what terms they offered, he wouldn't budge, leaving the production team at a loss.
Just as they were about to give up, Xie Jiali had suddenly changed his mind, giving the team a wonderful surprise.
With so many guests who could get people talking, their show was bound to be a hit!
On the monitor, the two faces, each complementing the other, drew a little closer. Xie Jiali said with a smile, "What are you apologizing for? I don't hold it against you."
Seeing that Shi Zhou still looked as though he wanted to say something but couldn't, his grip never loosening on his suitcase handle, Xie Jiali made a show of sighing, his voice gentle:
"If you feel bad, just come chat with me more. Or we could send each other texts when the time comes."
"I only came on this Dating Reality Show to promote Ancient Blue Star culture. It would be awful if no one picked me."
A hint of worry appeared in his exquisite features. He lowered his eyes, looking thoroughly dejected.
Xie Jiali's manner was like a spring breeze, making people lower their guard without realizing it. The distance between them had already been shrinking imperceptibly.
Shi Zhou couldn't tell him this was a novel, but his fellow student Xie Jiali really was as kind and courteous as the rumors claimed, willing to take the initiative to approach someone who had caused him trouble.
He nodded earnestly, his hair sticking up in soft, fluffy tufts beneath the sunlight. His eyes curved into an especially sweet smile. "Don't worry."
He was certain now. Xie Jiali was handsome, gentle, and from a good family. Wasn't he exactly one of those strong-bottom types readers loved most?
How could no one pick him? His partner had to be one of the three male leads!
Xie Jiali raised an eyebrow slightly. "Then let's look out for each other. Sorry for the trouble."
He then reached out and shook Shi Zhou's hand, glanced at the camera overhead, and chuckled. "The production team wants me for an interview. I'll head off first."
In the control room, shocked voices rang out.
"Oh my god, oh my god. I imagined so many ways their meeting could go, but I never thought Xie Jiali would speak first."
"Didn't they say Xie Jiali hated people getting too close? What's going on now?!" The female broadcast director let out a groundhog-like shriek. "You have no idea how difficult he was when we went to invite him. We spent an entire day there and couldn't find out a thing. All we did was drink tea and go to the bathroom."
Others thought Xie Jiali had done it deliberately. "Now those media outlets shouldn't have anything to say. But Xie Jiali really is nice, taking the initiative to resolve things instead of making trouble for the production team."
An assistant director watched the display, unable to stop himself from grinning. Anyone who loved this line of work had a strong appetite for gossip, regardless of gender. No matter how many times he saw scenes like this, his heart still raced, especially when this season's guests were so ridiculously impressive in both looks and personal accomplishments.
He hurriedly said, "Don't rush to air this bit. We need to ask Director Zhang where it should go in the edit first."
The audience would definitely learn about Shi Zhou and Xie Jiali's history at school through the live comments. Placing this footage at different points in the released episode would have different effects.
On camera, Shi Zhou had only just parted from Xie Jiali, and his heart had barely relaxed when his suitcase suddenly stopped short.
He frowned and turned back in confusion, spotting a black, knee-high military boot planted across the path in front of his suitcase, blocking his way.
Then he met a pair of deep, ice-blue eyes.
Shi Zhou's heart gave a sudden jolt.
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