No Need for So Many People

Shi Zhou's pre-interview went very smoothly, the exact opposite of Su Yue's.

Aside from a little nervousness at the start. "How should I sit? Like this?"

He sat in the chair Su Yue had just occupied, his posture a little awkward, unsure where to put his hands.

The staff felt much better just looking at that face on the monitor. Shi Zhou had fair skin, and even with his features magnified by the camera, there were no visible flaws. He looked sweet and well-behaved when he lowered his lashes.

The interviewer said, "It's fine. You can lean back if you like. Whatever feels comfortable."

Shi Zhou wore a white T-shirt. When he lifted his face and smiled, his animated features instantly filled the frame with bright, carefree energy. "Okay, then I'll turn a little sideways. My left side looks better."

A small portion of the live comments immediately started rolling in.

-He really feels different when he moves. When he isn't looking at anyone, he looks so young and sweet, but once he talks and moves, he has this spirited, youthful vibe. Pretty and handsome at the same time. I can't explain it, but he just has this heart-fluttering youthful energy. He seems like the kind of guy loads of people would have crushes on at school.

-I'm not in school, and he's still my type.

-But he still sounds so sweet when he talks. How old is he? Is he even twenty?

Still, Su Yue drew more discussion. For one thing, Shi Zhou's answers were fairly conventional, with nothing particularly sensational.

For another, Su Yue was very famous on StarNet. He hadn't released many works, but every one had reached a wide audience. Even casual viewers who didn't follow him knew he was in the Federation's elite mecha program and the only son of the Third Legion's director. Handsome, wealthy, and with a limitless future ahead of him.

He was in a completely different league from Shi Zhou, with a built-in aura of prestige.

The young interviewer smiled too. Shi Zhou looked good from every angle, the sort she couldn't take her eyes off even though he wasn't her type.

"Sure. We'll move the light too, so it doesn't shine into your eyes."

The production team really had struck gold by casting Shi Zhou.

In a gentle voice, she asked Shi Zhou about his impressions of everyone and his ideal type. He thought carefully before answering each question.

The interview didn't take long, but by the time he came out, the guests had more or less finished their games. The garden was already empty when he returned.

Inside, the lounge area was on the left side of the first-floor living room. Su Yue and Bai Shen were sitting at a small round table, discussing something, while Zheng Yu sat nearby with his arm propped up, apparently listening very intently.

Xie Jiali lounged alone on a sofa nearby, his slender fingers stroking the tassels on a throw pillow. The moment he saw Shi Zhou return, he shifted.

His phoenix eyes brightened slightly, as though ice and snow had melted. "You're back?"

Shi Zhou had barely drunk any water that day, so he first went to the kitchen fridge and opened a bottle.

When Xie Jiali came over, he handed him one too. Glancing toward the living room, he asked, "Why were you sitting there alone?"

Xie Jiali thanked him and took it. "I was waiting for you."

-Holy crap, something's going on! When Zheng Yu tried talking to him earlier, he didn't even get off the sofa.

-Xie Jiali and Shi Zhou obviously know each other. Xie's a student at the Interstellar First Academy, so following that logic, could Shi Zhou also be...

-Heh, their relationship isn't what you think.

-What do we think? What?

Unfortunately, the comments flew by too quickly for anyone to explain. More importantly, their expressions were too delicious to analyze, so the comments all turned to shipping them as a CP.

Xie Jiali clearly wasn't interested in either of the two leads. Could his CP be the male lead who hasn't arrived yet? Shi Zhou pondered as he drank.

He considered himself a tool in the Dating Reality Show and never imagined that the viewers would ship him with anyone as a CP.

His job was to bring the original story's leads together.

But in the original story, Xie Jiali was a guest who only arrived in episode two. Someplace Little Burger, the author on that fiction site, had abandoned the story before developing that part.

Judging by his behavior, he probably just saw Shi Zhou as the only person he knew on the show. Shi Zhou finished the small bottle of water in one go, and Xie Jiali handed him the opened bottle in his own hand too.

He said gently, "Shall we go to the supermarket once you've finished?"

Seeing Shi Zhou nod, Xie Jiali made a suggestion.

"Let's not call Zheng Yu, okay? He's chatting with the other two, learning a bit about finance from Bai Shen."

The kitchen lights were off. Only the orange glow of the setting sun outside fell across Xie Jiali's porcelain-white face, making him look refined and gentle.

When he saw Shi Zhou trying to hurry and speak, he even chuckled. "Slow down. There's no rush. Finish drinking before you talk. Don't choke."

-Holy crap, holy crap. Why am I getting this feeling I can't describe? hugging-my-knees.jpg.

-Damn, Xie Jiali feels so dom. Does anyone get me?

-An outwardly refined and polite but secretly dark, unhinged top × a pretty, cute, innocent bottom. Every sentence seems like a question, but he wraps you tightly in his web. By the time you realize it, you've already fallen into the spider's den, and you'll be with him forever (¯﹃¯). So good, so good!

-Hey, Little Jiali is a kid we've watched grow up. He's gentle and polite, and he just instinctively looks after the people around him. Please don't randomly pin other traits on him Σ(⊙▽⊙"a

Once that moment passed, the viewers also felt they had probably imagined it. They were just having fun talking.

Still, plenty of people were into this freshly minted CP.

For looks-obsessed fans, anything was a feast as long as the faces were pretty!

Interstellar CPs weren't limited by gender, either. Male-male, female-female, male-female—they could enjoy them all.

After all, Dating Reality Shows rarely had a single CP that lasted from beginning to end. Every guest could have shippable moments with the others. It mostly depended on what flavor the viewers preferred.

Shi Zhou tossed the empty water bottle into the trash, glanced at the living room, and nodded in agreement.

"Then should we ask everyone what they like to eat first?"

Xie Jiali smiled. "Sure."

-Oh my god, they're like a little married couple hosting guests at home.

As they discussed it, everyone happened to be there, and Yu Manman and Lin Yuxi came downstairs arm in arm.

Shi Zhou asked the two women first. "I'll be showing off my cooking skills for everyone tonight. Is there anything you want to eat, or anything you don't eat?"

Shi Zhou had learned from his mother and knew how to make plenty of home-style dishes, so this part didn't worry him.

He wondered whether Director Zhang would pay him extra for working so hard.

Looking at the two men standing together, Lin Yuxi first wore a mysterious smile.

Then she came back to her senses and said cheerfully, "Thanks for all your hard work, chef! I eat everything. No dietary restrictions!"

Yu Manman had changed again, into something distinctly ancient Western Asian in style, romantic and comfortable. She looked rather shy.

"Could I go with you? I haven't browsed the supermarkets on Bogu Star yet, and I'd like to see what local specialties they have."

Bogu Star was where they were now, a planet that was warm as spring all year round, with abundant vegetation and warm, outgoing residents.

Continuously producing fresh, interesting content wasn't easy for a blogger. Yu Manman's approach was to seek out new things to spark her inspiration.

Besides...

She gave Shi Zhou another discreet once-over, her fingers at the edge of her skirt curling excitedly despite herself.

Shi Zhou didn't notice. He exchanged a glance with Lin Yuxi, who clapped her hands. "Sure! I'll go with Manman, then. Why don't the four of us all go?"

Still smiling, Xie Jiali asked the production staff, "That doesn't break the rules, does it?"

Although it differed from the arrangement on the cards, the Dating Reality Show's staff sensed something and readily agreed.

Yu Manman laughed softly. "Yay!"

She even raised her fists in a little gesture, much livelier than when they had first met that morning.

Xie Jiali smiled and chimed in, settling the matter.

"That works out perfectly. You two girls can browse, and Shi Zhou and I will carry the groceries."

After arranging that, he went to ask the other three men. The round table wasn't small, but with two tall men sitting across from each other, it looked somewhat cramped.

Bai Shen stood and gave a slight nod. "Let's go."

Su Yue, sitting opposite him, didn't move. His long legs were slightly spread, and he still held his Mindnet.

Zheng Yu sat in an armchair nearby with a surprised expression, apparently not expecting Bai Shen to volunteer to go to the supermarket.

Shi Zhou was taken aback too. "You're coming as well?"

At the sound of Shi Zhou's voice, Su Yue finally looked up.

The smile on Xie Jiali's face faded a little. He glanced at Shi Zhou and added an explanation.

"There's no need to trouble yourself. We're only going to the supermarket to pick up some ingredients for dinner."

His meaning was obvious-

They would be back soon. There was no need for so many people.