Ear clips and brooches

Su Yue pressed his lips together. "Let's get started. Don't waste time."

-Hahahaha, their expressions are just too good.

-The production team is so evil, I love it. Those close-ups just now-the guests probably thought they'd hidden everything so well, right? Hehe, just wait until the show airs...

-Su Yue's pretty good at hiding it. I suspect he likes Yu Manman. Did you see that split-second look in his eyes? Like he could eat someone alive.

-Why do I feel like Su Yue likes Shi Zhou? He definitely treats him differently.

-Are you sure you aren't seeing things? Mr. Grumpy could actually fall for someone?

There were all sorts of opinions, and everyone was eagerly enjoying the drama. Plenty of viewers ate, did homework, caught up on work, or did chores while watching the livestream. Whatever they were doing, they couldn't bear to look away.

That was precisely the appeal of a live dating show: it always kept you guessing and made your heart race.

It was far more entertaining than dating someone yourself.

The monitoring team was pleased with this explosion of comments, too, but Director Zhang's concerns hadn't been unfounded.

"Director Zhang, quite a few viewers are already speaking up for Xie Jiali and Bai Shen. They think this is too unfair to those two guests."

Xie Jiali's fans, in particular, were a formidable force.

After all, he'd been famous since childhood, and a huge proportion of his fans saw themselves as his moms and dads. Besides, this was a chance to shine on camera. Why should their Jiali be left out?

Director Zhang gave a knowing smile. "Don't worry. Just keep watching."

That left the monitoring staff intensely curious, too. What exactly did Director Zhang mean?

Meanwhile, thanks to Su Yue's "generosity," Yu Manman and the other two helped Shi Zhou change first. They called it changing clothes, but really, they tirelessly gave him a complete upgrade.

He wore a pale blue sweater over a white silk shirt with a faint sheen, paired with cream-colored casual cargo pants. The look was crisp and fresh.

Yu Manman also styled his hair, drawing a few wisps forward onto his forehead and combing the rest back to reveal his entire brow and eyes, adding a touch of masculine sharpness.

The sweater was Yu Manman's contribution, with elaborate, eye-catching embroidered flowers covering its left half.

It didn't look feminine at all.

"Manman really knows how to pick things," everyone marveled.

Zheng Yu threaded a matching pale blue decorative scarf through his pants to tie the look together. When Shi Zhou stood up, he couldn't help stamping his foot in excitement.

God, now he completely understood why Yu Manman wanted to dress Shi Zhou up.

Facing the mirror, Shi Zhou studied this version of himself that looked different from usual. Although he wasn't quite used to it, it was nothing like what he'd imagined.

He had a small head and face, and his proportions were exceptional, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Everything looked tailor-made on him.

The corners of his eyes curved upward, raising the little cushions beneath them, and his dark eyes sparkled. His beauty was dazzlingly bright, refined and clean, without a trace of femininity. Instead, he radiated the distinctive vitality of a young man.

He felt like he had a real college-boy look now, fresh and handsome.

He smiled, charming every staff member present. "It looks great. Thank you."

Yu Manman sighed admiringly and took the opportunity to pinch his cheek again. "Baby, you're so fair. You don't even need makeup to wear this color."

She still needed makeup when she wore this color, or it made her look darker.

Yu Manman and Zheng Yu hadn't had enough fun yet and wanted to put makeup and nail polish on Shi Zhou, but he politely declined.

Zheng Yu grabbed Shi Zhou's hand and swore. "Damn, you're not going to paint nails on hands this pretty? A polish with stars would look so good on you today. So cute!"

The Interstellar Era was long past the days of Ancient Earth. Men and women both had the right to love looking good. Zheng Yu wore a plain shade of nail polish that, at a glance, simply made his natural nails look pretty and healthy.

Shi Zhou hurriedly pulled his hand away and refused without a second's hesitation, his face full of apprehension.

"No, thanks."

Today, I'm going for a youthful college-boy look! I don't need cute!

Zheng Yu huffed and walked off with a sway of his hips. Clueless little straight boy!

Everyone dissolved into laughter again.

When it was Su Yue's turn, they weren't nearly so bold.

Su Yue calmly said he had a royal blue suit he could wear today.

Although a suit was a little too formal for the dance floor at a place like this, no one said anything.

In fact, they all expressed their relief.

That was how it went with someone who usually refused to cooperate: a little cooperation was enough to make everyone happy.

"Yue, you're finally willing to have fun with us!"

Yu Manman remarked as she styled his hair. She had an excellent eye for aesthetics and simply gave his black hair a natural side part, with a few strands over his forehead covering part of his brow bone and making his features look even sharper and more handsome.

When she brought out an elegant silver ear clip for one ear, Su Yue raised a hand to stop her. "No need. I'm not used to wearing these."

Yu Manman glanced behind her. Shi Zhou was talking to Asta.

"Zhouzhou's wearing one, too. It'll look good with your suit. Just try it."

Yu Manman held the ear clip out to him, her voice coaxing.

Perhaps it was because she insisted, but Su Yue looked into the mirror, fell silent for two seconds, then took the ear clip. "I'll do it myself."

He'd never handled little accessories like these before. Holding the ear clip between his fingertips, he fumbled awkwardly with it, taking two tries to fasten it. Then he raised his hand to gently adjust its position, the cool silver brushing the tip of his ear until it grew slightly warm.

"All right, mission accomplished!"

Yu Manman clapped her hands and said it with a beaming smile.

Everyone came over to join in the fun, with Asta getting there first and draping an arm over Su Yue's shoulders.

Yu Manman thought this mirror was terrible. It was so clear that it exposed every tiny flaw, but these two gorgeous men held up under its scrutiny.

As a beauty influencer, she was so jealous.

Damn.

The mirror reflected two distinctly different handsome faces. Su Yue wore a royal blue suit with crisp shoulder lines, his features cool and refined, an air of aloof elegance surrounding him.

Asta wore a black leather jacket and had deliberately left his hair unstyled, giving him a somewhat wild, untamed look. As he bent forward, the silver pendant around his neck slipped down. His deep-set eyes looked full of affection, and a casual smile played at the corners of his mouth.

Asta teased, "Yue, you're so handsome you've got me spellbound."

The people behind them couldn't stop laughing.

Su Yue glanced at Asta, then met another pair of smiling dark eyes in the mirror and glanced at the other man's ear.

He lowered his thin eyelids, pinched his earlobe, and said slowly:

"I don't think it looks that great on me."

As he spoke, he raised his hand to take it off.

Shi Zhou thought his glance had made Su Yue self-conscious and quickly caught his wrist, his palm warm against it.

"Don't. It looks really good."

He leaned in on the other side of the mirror and turned his face to show him. "Look, I've got one, too."

Su Yue smiled and turned his head to take a serious look.

"Mm," he murmured, his smile carrying a hint of shyness that contrasted sharply with his impeccably tailored suit.

Asta straightened and took his arm off Su Yue's shoulders, the smile on his face fading as well.

For some reason, he felt a little upset.

As he looked at the matching ear clips on Shi Zhou's and Su Yue's ears, it felt as though something was kneading his body. The longer he looked, the more uncomfortable he felt.

"Could we all wear something matching, Manman?"

He smiled at Yu Manman. "That way, people can tell we're together."

Yu Manman thought about it. He had a point.

"Actually, I do have something."

She turned and ran into the room next door. Before long, she returned with six Silver Starburst Brooches and handed them out:

"Here. I just bought these on Bogu Star a few days ago. One each, and now we all match."

Holding his brooch, Asta pushed it straight through his expensive leather jacket without a second thought. The silver starburst glimmered under the lights.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the mirror. A silver gleam shone on the tip of each of Su Yue's and Shi Zhou's ears, echoing the starbursts on their lapels. Only then did that inexplicable heaviness in his chest ease a little, and his usual smile returned.

"Come on. Let's go."