Nothing but money

"Nope."

Director Ji immediately crossed both hands over his chest in a gesture of refusal. "That sounds way too suggestive! Can you talk properly? I still have to go home!"

"How was that suggestive? I made myself perfectly clear. You didn't understand?"

Ye Yizhou frowned slightly, a little speechless. "What, you're the only one with a home? Don't I have a home to go back to?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Yizhou couldn't help rolling his eyes, his lips pursed. "I clearly have several homes, but I live like an orphan."

His parents were traveling, his older brother was dating someone, and his husband was abroad on business.

He was now a little cabbage left to yellow in the field, with no one looking after him.

"So what did you mean by what you said just now? How was it for my benefit?"

Director Ji didn't dare keep discussing the subject of "home" with Ye Yizhou. He could tell that Ye Yizhou was more resentful than a ghost right now.

"Can't you tell I have a serious problem with certain people in that group? I was sparing you some embarrassment. If I'd gone in with you, who knows who would've ended up humiliated."

Ye Yizhou chuckled, raising an eyebrow slightly. "You really don't appreciate my good intentions at all!"

"This is a dating show, for heaven's sake, not a roast! Get a grip!"

Director Ji stood in front of Ye Yizhou, pacing in circles like an ant on a hot pan.

"You're probably the only one who thinks this is a dating show!"

Ye Yizhou leaned back against the swing chair with a meaningful smile.

"What do you mean?" Director Ji froze for a moment.

"They all have their own agendas. Surely you can see that! Aside from the paid trolls drumming up hype online and each side's paid fans leading the shipping, does anyone really enjoy all that deliberately manufactured romantic chemistry between these couples?"

Ye Yizhou laid it all out, saying with a smile, "There aren't that many naive people left!"

Director Ji pressed his lips together without saying anything.

After watching the first episode's livestream, he had a fair idea of what was going on.

He had thought that, with everyone operating professionally, cooperating to put on a show was the bare minimum.

But some people were clearly unwilling to cooperate, or were laying groundwork early to make it easier to turn shippers into solo fans later.

"You. No talking."

Director Ji snapped in embarrassment. "They're the sweetest."

Ye Yizhou covered his mouth, obligingly falling silent.

"Don't go saying things you shouldn't!" Director Ji stopped fooling around with Ye Yizhou, but still couldn't help reminding him before he left.

"Leave it to me. Rest assured." Ye Yizhou agreed readily.

Yet the more readily he agreed, the more uneasy Director Ji felt.

Once Director Ji left, Ye Yizhou started running his livestream his own way.

[Oh my god, are we allowed to hear this stuff you're discussing?]

[Good thing I got here early, or I would've missed all this juicy stuff.]

[Isn't this way more interesting than those artificially sweet romances?]

[Honestly, I never get tired of looking at Ye Yizhou's face. The more I look, the better-looking he gets.]

[Ye Yizhou, are you addicted to spreading rumors? Can you really not stand seeing other people happy?]

[Only someone unhappy in their own marriage would want other people's relationships to fall apart too.]

The live chat had initially been quite friendly. Most people who came to Ye Yizhou's solo livestream were there for the gossip.

Before long, some new viewers flooded in, and nasty comments began appearing.

"Yes, I can't stand seeing certain people doing well. Trash belongs in the trash can."

Rather than argue, Ye Yizhou simply went along with the comments. "You're right. My marriage really is unhappy."

Something suddenly occurred to Ye Yizhou, and emotion surged through him. Covering his mouth, he said sorrowfully, "Do you know? The day after we got married, my husband tossed me a black card with no spending limit, then went abroad. Now I have nothing but money. This life is so miserable, so suffocating, so dark!"

[Huh?]

[Huh?]

[Oh my god, that kind of life really is so suffocating and dark. I'm not jealous at all.]

[Heaven cherishes all life. As a faithful believer, I'm willing to endure those suffocating, dark days in Ye Yizhou's place.]

[Let me do it. Let me rescue Ye Yizhou from his suffering.]

[It's not about the black card. I mainly just want to experience a suffocating, dark life.]

[Anyone can make up a story like that. Some people actually believe it? Do you have brains?]

[You're all paid trolls hired by Ye Yizhou, aren't you!]

[Ye Yizhou, get off the dating show.]

"Is there something seriously wrong with you people?"

Ye Yizhou looked speechless, with a trace of incomprehension. "This is a solo livestream. You don't like me, yet you insist on coming here to make yourselves miserable. Do you have some kind of masochistic streak?"

"What does it matter to you whether I made up my story?"

"I can make up whatever I want as long as they enjoy hearing it. What's it got to do with you?"

"You want me gone? Sure. Once you're the ones paying for this show, I'll leave however you want me to."

Looking at the malicious comments, Ye Yizhou wasn't angry. His tone only grew more sarcastic as he covered his mouth and said with affected innocence:

"What a shame. You probably don't have the means. Rich people make tens of millions a minute. Who has time to throw a fit here?"

[Hahahahaha, nice comeback.]

[Instead of ranting here, why not just throw money at it and get Ye Yizhou kicked off?]

[Too bad they can't. Hilarious.]

[I'm staying right here. The angrier you get, the happier we are.]

[I love it when you can't stand me but can't do anything about me. Stay mad.]

The haters completely ignored Ye Yizhou's suggestion to pay to get him kicked off and just swarmed the live chat.

They spammed it frantically with all kinds of mindless, vile remarks.

"Heh."

Ye Yizhou sneered. "Who gave you the confidence to think I can't stand you but can't do anything about you?"

What did he mean?

The haters lurking in the livestream were utterly puzzled by his words.

They watched Ye Yizhou make a call and say succinctly, "Time to get to work."

Ye Yizhou hung up as soon as he finished speaking.

[Huh? What does that mean?]

[What work? Get to work on what? What's Ye Yizhou doing?]

[Ye Yizhou's just putting on an act. What can one phone call change?]

[Hilarious. What can Ye Yizhou do to me?]

The haters arrogantly posted provocative comments, their fingers tapping on their keyboards. Just as they tried to send even nastier remarks, they found themselves kicked out of the livestream.

At first, they thought it was a connection issue.

Then they discovered they couldn't enter the livestream. Even if they managed to get in, they were kicked out a second later.

[Is it just me, or are there fewer comments from haters now?]

[It's not just you. The chat suddenly got cleaned up.]

[Seriously, a whole bunch of people were cleared out of the livestream just now.]

[The haters are losing it and cursing like crazy on Weibo, but they just can't get into the livestream. Hilarious.]

[Holy shit, is Ye Yizhou really that badass?]

"No need to be so surprised, everyone. Just basic stuff."

Ye Yizhou spread his hands and said with a nonchalant smile.