The Heartbeat Lovers studio was filled with female guests in the morning.
In the afternoon, the male guests arrived one after another.
Xu Jinsi wore a well-fitted navy-blue suit, his tall frame accentuated by the cut.
His handsome face was devoid of expression, and his air was cold.
Following the staff’s instructions, he picked up the four cards.
He looked through them one by one.
The first few were perfectly ordinary.
For example, Card One read: “I’d really like to experience what it’s like to be… firmly chosen by someone. Even just once would be enough.”
Clearly, this was a girl who lacked a sense of security—someone who could easily awaken a man’s protective instincts.
Card Two read: “To be honest, I’ve never really had any sense of what dating is supposed to feel like. It’s always seemed very far away from me, like something beautiful in a shop window that doesn’t belong to me.”
The information revealed could mean either that she had never been in a relationship, or that she simply hadn’t dated much.
In other words, she was a blank slate.
Perhaps that would attract the attention of the other male guests.
Card Three read: “I’m mainly here to clear my head. As for dating, I’ll take it as it comes. I’m not greedy—as long as I make some progress, that’s enough.”
Hmm. A fairly conventional answer from a female guest with a healthy attitude.
It wasn’t until he saw the last card that Xu Jinsi’s brows furrowed slightly.
Card Four read: “I came on this show for one reason and one reason only: I want everyone to like me.”
He was genuinely baffled.
This card practically announced outright: I’m here for followers and fame. Seriously, after writing something like this, which male guest would choose her?
His first reaction was to put the card back on the table.
He held the other three cards and considered them carefully.
The staff urged him, “Please make your decision as soon as possible.”
Xu Jinsi pinched the first card between his fingers—the one belonging to a delicate girl in need of protection.
But after a moment…
He still picked up Card Four from the table.
To be honest, he was a little curious. What kind of person could write something so foolish?
After all, he had met plenty of clever people in his social circle. Someone this stupid, however, was a first.
He looked toward the camera. “I’ve made my choice. This one.”
…
Lu Nanxun had rushed over straight from the hospital. The show’s stylist had put him in a trendy, sporty outfit, and he still felt rather unaccustomed to it.
“After this, can I wear my own clothes on camera?” he couldn’t help asking.
“Of course.”
Only after hearing that answer did Lu Nanxun let out a sigh of relief.
He entered the studio.
As usual, he had to choose one of four cards—the female guest he would go on a date with the next day.
He read through them several times, very carefully.
The staff urged him, “Could you hurry a little? There are still two more male guests waiting to record.”
Lu Nanxun hesitated for a moment.
In the end, he pointed to one of the cards.
“I choose this one.”
…
On the way home, her manager called.
“How did today’s recording go? Starting tomorrow, I’ll clear your schedule. Just focus on filming the dating show.”
Ji Liuyue replied, “Everything went smoothly, Manager Wang. And your junior, Chengcheng, is really nice too.”
After a pause, she continued, “I noticed that in the previous seasons, the guests still had to leave the house every morning on weekdays after moving into the villa. If you don’t arrange any work for me, will people think my modeling career is a little too… nonexistent?”
Her manager said helplessly,
“Nonexistent? You know how hard it’s been to get commercial jobs lately. Even if I didn’t clear your schedule, there wouldn’t be many shoots lined up anyway.
“If you’re worried people will say you’re sitting around with nothing to do, just pretend to go to work every morning. Find any café and sit there for a while.”
In the original storyline, the former Ji Liuyue had listened to her manager’s advice.
After the show aired, however, she was exposed for pretending to work hard and leave early every morning, when in fact she had merely been sitting in a café scrolling through her phone and watching short dramas.
She was mocked mercilessly by the public.
Thinking of that, Ji Liuyue replied, “Forget it, Manager Wang. You know I’m short on money these days. Even one cup of coffee is expensive. I’ll just stay at the house and sleep.”
Her manager was confused. “Didn’t you just say you were worried people would criticize you for having a lousy career?”
Ji Liuyue had a remarkably good attitude. “If anyone calls me useless, I’ll ask them to find me a job.”
Her manager said, “Fine. It’s good that you can think about it this way. Once the show airs, you’ll have haters. Consider it early preparation.”
Ji Liuyue laughed. “Having haters is no big deal. The company will fight them for me, right?”
Her manager fell silent.
“...”
Ji Liuyue continued, “What a lousy company! But it’s fine. I know you’re on my side, Manager Wang. If you hadn’t gone to bat for me, I never would have gotten this chance to appear on the dating show. Once I become famous, I’ll definitely repay you properly.”
Her manager sounded a little guilty. “Mm. Just focus on filming. If anything happens, I’ll keep an eye on things for you.”
If Ji Liuyue ended up being attacked too badly, there was only so much she could do.
Ji Liuyue would have to fend for herself.
After hanging up, Ji Liuyue’s mood remained completely unaffected. She had known from the beginning that the management company and her manager in the original plot couldn’t be relied upon, so she had already prepared herself in advance.
The slightest trace of guilt and unease she had managed to inspire in them was enough.
…
It was the day of the first date on The Heartbeat Lovers.
Ji Liuyue held a bouquet of vivid red flowers in her arms. She wore a silver sequined bodycon miniskirt that showed off her figure to perfection.
Her naturally chestnut-brown, wavy hair had been tied into a high ponytail, with a few wisps of fringe falling beside her temples. She looked vibrant and dazzling.
Her skin was smooth and delicate, so pale beneath the sunlight that it was almost blinding.
Cameras surrounded her from every direction, filming her from all angles.
The PD director had told her to arrive at the botanical garden at ten in the morning.
But half an hour had already passed.
The male guest still hadn’t shown up.
Ji Liuyue knew this was deliberate. The two sides had been given different information: the male guest had probably been told to arrive at eleven.
The production team had been stirring up trouble from the very beginning. Given the original Ji Liuyue’s straightforward and hot-tempered personality, if the male guest were an hour late to their first meeting, she would certainly have worn a dark expression and lost her temper.
Even if she managed to suppress her anger for the cameras, she would quickly lose interest in the male guest.
Ji Liuyue became even more certain of who her date would be today.
Xu Jinsi.
The production team for Season Three of The Heartbeat Lovers intended to promote Liu Qingye.
They were subtly attempting to guide the plot toward a love triangle between Liu Qingye, the domineering CEO Xu Jinsi, and the gentle doctor Lu Nanxun.
As for Ji Liuyue, her role as a female guest was originally nothing more than cannon fodder.
That made her the perfect person to sacrifice.
A while later, the sound of approaching footsteps gradually reached her.
Xu Jinsi had arrived.
