No one noticed that the once-boiling barrage of comments had gone without a new word for a long time. Almost everyone had hidden the comments, then been so stunned that they forgot to turn them back on, let alone type a comment.
Aside from the comments in the livestream chat still scrolling slowly, the stream with a million concurrent viewers was actually quieter than a small stream with only a few thousand.
[?]
Only when a brief question mark leaped onto the barrage did the viewers beyond the screen snap out of their daze and turn the comments back on.
[?]
[???]
[????]
[Huh? Huh??!]
[Holy fucking, holy fucking-!]
[(Slowly drops to knees)]
[Sorry, I admit I was acting pretty full of myself a minute ago.]
[I've got a poisonous tongue and say nasty things, but I was drooling just now. I licked my lips and poisoned myself to death.]
[Typing with both hands to prove my innocence.]
[I suddenly thought of a line: all the purer against snow, all the lovelier after frost. It fits him so well.]
[A touch of purity amid countless beauties. Between the beauty of snow and human beauty, he's a third kind of indescribable loveliness.]
[Sickly and weary, pale and delicate, yet that fragile look is off the charts. His features aren't even the big, striking kind, but he's still breathtaking. So contradictory, so beautiful.]
[Shen Shuangjian, if you look like this, then we need to revisit that whole delayed broadcast thing.]
[Let it be delayed. It's really not that big a deal.]
[Look, do you absolutely have to film this lousy show? What's wrong with waiting another two days?]
[Everyone, don't let this Shen Shuangjian get away. With looks like that, he has to be sent off to act in dramas.]
[He's just in poor health. Honestly, I think that's understandable.]
[Oh, sure, sure, sure. He just likes men. I hope you lovesick fangirls can understand that too.]
[So what?]
[If this is true, all I can say is that Young Master Xie really is blind.]
[As expected of the crown prince. He's even better at putting on airs than I am.]
[Wife! (Shouts) Look at me, look at me, hurry and look at me! (Lunges over)(Clings to his thigh)(Nuzzles madly)(Starry eyes)]
[God, you motherfucker, can someone in this world really be this good-looking?]
[Nüwa, get out here. If he looks like that and I look like this, then what does that make me?]
[Ugly.]
[I will support Shen Shuangjian as our new national wife.]
[If he dated me (Dazed)]
[If he kissed me once (Thinking)]
[Shen Shuangjian. How can even someone's name sound so lovely? He gives off the vibe of a universally adored protagonist in a danmei novel, favored by the whole world.]
[That's not what you were saying just now...]
[Maybe his looks are his least remarkable quality. I haven't discovered the others yet, but that's fine. I'll fill in the blanks myself.]
[Honestly, Young Master Xie is pretty average. Bad temper, fierce-looking, nothing going for him besides being rich and handsome. Wife, would you consider liking me instead?]
[Marry me (Vocal fry)(Holds up a rose)]
As Shen Shuangjian drew closer to the garden parlor, the other guests, seeing him with their own eyes rather than through a camera and screen, unconsciously rose to their feet as well, watching him approach as though standing at attention in tribute.
People on camera lacked a sense of reality and always felt somewhat unreal. How could that compare to the wonder of seeing the real person appear before their eyes?
Most of those present today were leading names in the entertainment industry, from an actor who had held the best actor title for years to a wildly popular young male star, as well as a sizzling female celebrity of incomparable beauty.
After years immersed in the industry, what beauty hadn't they seen? Yet never had they stood rooted to the spot like today, unable to say another word.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Shen Shuangjian."
Only when that quiet, somewhat distant voice rang out did everyone suddenly remember that they were filming a show-and a live broadcast at that.
Gu Xuanlin, who had won the title of best actor before turning thirty, was the first to react. He turned slightly and extended his hand as if in response.
"Hello, I'm Gu Xuanlin."
Shen Shuangjian clearly hadn't initiated a handshake, yet the gesture was so polite and dignified that there was nothing to fault.
In response, Shen Shuangjian offered his right hand as well. As they drew closer, Gu Xuanlin seemed to catch another faint fragrance amid the scent of roses on this thousand-mu estate.
It wasn't strong, yet it stood out from the rich fragrance of roses, lingering almost imperceptibly around his nose. It was indescribable. If he had to put it into words, they would be Shen Shuangjian.
Gu Xuanlin exchanged pleasantries without lowering his hand, showing as much warmth as he could within the bounds of propriety.
"Hello, I'm Yu Sheng."
Only after the greetings here had finished did the others, a little slower to react, remember to introduce themselves.
The man speaking now couldn't match Gu Xuanlin's standing in the industry, but in popularity, he wasn't necessarily far behind.
For Yu Sheng to have become so wildly popular, his looks naturally rivaled Gu Xuanlin's. Unlike the latter's refined gentlemanliness, however, he looked more like a virtual character with distinctly mixed-race features.
Tall and lean, with deep-set features, he was born with a cold, aloof, unfeeling face, yet his eyes and brows held a little of an honest man's slowness.
The remaining guests were the popular leading actress Lin Weiluo, newcomer actor Song Shi, who had started as an ordinary member of the public, and Li Yi, whom Young Master Xie Qingchi had invited to serve as their daily-life guide.
"Welcome to Real Life, everyone. I'm the planner for this show. You can just call me Director Wang. Before lunch begins, I have a task to announce."
Director Wang had never imagined that Shen Shuangjian, the notorious celebrity whom everyone had thought least promising, would become the show's biggest dark horse and draw once it began airing.
"First, we must thank Real Life's best friend, Mr. Xie Qingchi, for lending us his estate so that filming could proceed smoothly."
The moment Xie Qingchi's name was spoken, everyone present cast a discreet glance at Shen Shuangjian, who sat in the middle with his eyes lowered.
"Second, you've surely noticed the dishes on the table. This is the lunch our production team prepared especially for you."
As his words faded, before anyone could offer a few polite words of thanks to the production team, Director Wang changed tack.
"But, as the old saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch. If you want to eat lunch, you'll first have to complete our task and find the five keys scattered around the estate."
"You can work alone or form groups as you please. Whoever finds the most keys will receive a reward from the production team at the start of the next episode, as well as the most preferential treatment during the fifteen days after the pilot."