Simp solidarity

Yu Xiuyuan couldn't make sense of it, and the excitement he'd felt for the past two days faded a little.

Once everyone had arrived, Director Liu emerged with a beaming smile and rattled off the rules:

"It's wonderful to see everyone again. As we mentioned last time, we'll be reassigning rooms for this week's filming. The production team has prepared four luxury suites, each with a living room and two separate bedrooms. The living rooms have full camera coverage and will be livestreamed around the clock, so even guests of different genders sharing a suite won't need to worry about privacy or safety."

"Our staff have hidden three heart balls in the villa's communal areas and courtyard. Each guest who finds a heart ball must choose a guest who hasn't found one to share a suite with. The chosen guest cannot refuse. You'll make your choices in the order you find the heart balls, and the two remaining guests will automatically become roommates."

"Little Liu, did you spend the last few days taking public-speaking lessons in Jin City? Quite the gift of gab you've got there." Yu Xiuyuan clapped appreciatively.

Director Liu glared at him and announced, "Now, go find those heart balls for that special someone you want to live with!"

The guests eagerly responded and began searching.

Yu Xiuyuan stood up, stuck both hands in his pockets, and wandered around looking here and there like some young delinquent. Eventually, he circled back to the sofa and declared with an air of seriousness, "Oh my, this sofa looks very suspicious. Let me investigate."

First he squeezed the cushions, then he felt along the backrest, before sitting down and staying put.

Whoever wants to search can search. I'm not doing it. Isn't lounging around much better? What difference does it make who I live with? I'll have my own bedroom either way.

After watching him sit motionless for quite a while, Director Liu urged him from off camera, "Mr. Yu, why aren't you searching yet?"

"I am searching. This sofa is very suspicious. I'm pressuring and threatening it right now, hoping it'll turn over a new leaf and voluntarily hand over my heart ball."

Director Liu: "..."

What a lunatic! If the show's popularity didn't shoot up whenever he appeared, with the barrage of comments never stopping, Director Liu wouldn't have bothered with him.

Most of those comments were insults, but engagement was engagement. Director Liu wasn't picky.

Wen Lin had been watching Yu Xiuyuan for a long time. He approached and said cautiously, "Xiuyuan, are you upset because you don't get to assign the rooms this time? I'm sorry I overlooked you just now. If you really want to... I can give you my heart ball once I find one. I don't mind. Anything works for me."

Yu Xiuyuan stared at him in bewilderment, utterly speechless. "Are you some vintage green tea from 1982? Didn't I tell you not to mess with me? Don't you know why I assigned the rooms that way last time? Don't make me spill the dirt. Shut your mouth and stay away from me."

Wen Lin took a sorrowful step back, looking at Yu Xiuyuan as though he were a heartless lover who had seduced and abandoned him. The live chat filled with sympathy for Wen Lin and abuse aimed at Yu Xiuyuan.

"Our Linlin was even offering to give him his heart ball, and Yu Dog still snapped at him? Ungrateful bastard."

"Linlin, stop bothering with that ungrateful jerk. He isn't worth it."

"Yu Dog should spend the rest of his life kneeling before our Linlin."

"Why hasn't he been blacklisted yet? Is the production team sick in the head, letting him come on the show?"

"Yu Dog's clearly hinting at something. If you've got dirt, spill it. Who are you trying to scare?"

"Hahahahaha, vintage green tea from 1982? Yu Dog really knows how to roast someone."

"Finally, someone said it. Wen Lin really is such a fake innocent. Yu Dog hadn't done anything, and he came straight over to pin the blame on him."

"Are you a 'hater,' commenter above?"

"Yep, yep. Won over by Yu Dog's gorgeous face and singing."

"Hater: ..."

"Hater no. 2: ...Is there no explaining this anymore?"

"Yu Dog is genuinely gorgeous."

"Yu Dog's singing is absolutely delicious."

"Hater: ...Looks like there's no explaining this anymore."

"Why isn't Yu Dog looking for a heart ball? Doesn't he want more screen time?"

"Screen time, my ass. All this guy wants is to quit showbiz and coast through life."

"Quit, my ass. Release the song he sang a couple of lines from before and the two he was humming just now first. Otherwise, I'm assassinating him."

Once Wen Lin had indulged himself in enough acting, he left, satisfied.

He secretly gloated. More people must hate Yu Xiuyuan now, right?

I gave him a chance to leave this variety show, but he didn't appreciate it. He showed his face in public again, so he deserves to be hated and cursed at.

Just as Yu Xiuyuan was about to fall asleep, all three heart balls were finally found.

Director Liu popped up. "Now, to announce the order in which the heart balls were found: Fang Yi, Yun Chuan, and Wen Lin. Mr. Fang, please step forward and choose the person you'd like to share a suite with."

Fang Yi stood motionless, his expression dark. He'd looked like that since shortly after finding his heart ball.

The moment the activity began, he'd started searching frantically. His Linlin was so captivating, and so many people wanted to steal him away. He had to find the first heart ball so he could carry his Linlin back to his nest and protect him.

His frantic search, with no regard for appearances, had paid off. With his hair a mess and his image in tatters, he'd found the first one, just as he'd hoped.

Seeing Wen Lin chatting with Yu Xiuyuan instead of searching for a heart ball had made him happy. His Linlin was obediently waiting for him to choose him.

But he'd only gone to the bathroom, and when he returned, Wen Lin was racing against the clock to search. Perhaps he was so anxious that he hadn't even bothered to tidy his normally sleek hair, now disheveled.

Finally, Wen Lin found one.

The smile on his face stabbed at Fang Yi's eyes.

How ridiculous. He'd actually believed Wen Lin. He'd believed Wen Lin when he said Yu Xiuyuan was trying to drive a wedge between them, believed him when he said he didn't like Yun Chuan.

After the director prompted him again, Fang Yi finally stepped forward. He looked at Yu Xiuyuan in silence for a long time, then spoke and chose Su Ziming.

Yu Xiuyuan was on edge. Why does he keep staring at me? Surely he isn't so humiliated and angry that he wants to kill me to keep me quiet?

The director indicated that it was Yun Chuan's turn to choose. He stepped forward, paused for a long time with a frown, and said, "I choose Yu Xiuyuan."

Still frowning after making his choice, he lowered his eyes and stepped back.

Yu Xiuyuan felt a tightness in his chest. Fang Yi had probably scared him.

Wen Lin was last. He tried hard to smile, but his smile twisted out of shape, looking almost vicious.

He was falling apart.

There was no way he could keep himself together.

His original plan had been to pretend he didn't know Fang Yi had found a heart ball and quickly find one while Fang Yi was away. That way, since they both had heart balls, they'd have no choice but to split up, and he could choose Yun Chuan.

But when he'd avoided the cameras just now to explain things to Fang Yi, Fang Yi had looked at him with a bitter smile and said, "What am I supposed to do, Linlin? I want to believe you too. But these eyes of mine saw you hiding behind a tree, watching me find the first heart ball."

Startled by the storm in his eyes, Wen Lin blurted out in disbelief, "Impossible! You never even turned around."

Fang Yi gave a derisive laugh. Only then did Wen Lin realize he'd let it slip.

Humiliation turned to anger. "You tricked me? You actually tricked me?"

"What? Are you going to blame me again? Blame me for not trusting you first? Too bad. You can't blame me, because I wasn't bluffing. I really did see you." Fang Yi's heart was utterly dead.

Not far away, Yu Xiuyuan put his phone away, keeping his deeds and merits to himself.

He'd merely been bored sitting on the sofa, casually filmed something interesting he'd spotted, and happened to let a certain someone see it.

Let's just call it simp solidarity. No need to thank me.