Fortunately, once the strawberry milk incident was over, the footage returned to everyone sitting on the sofa and watching the career introduction clips.
Amid the banter and joking around, everyone’s occupations were revealed one by one.
Ji Mingtian was a retired athlete who currently ran a rehabilitation studio.
Ji Liuyue was a model.
Wang Aitian was a pastry chef who owned her own dessert shop.
Cen Yu had once been a Michelin-starred chef, and the restaurant he had opened in Hai City had been in business for more than five years.
Zhang Weiyi was a doctoral student in architecture.
Xu Jinsi was a partner at a leading private equity firm.
Liu Qingye was an actress.
Lu Nanxun was a doctor.
As their occupations were revealed, both the guests themselves and the audience began to see them in a different light.
[Ji Liuyue is a model? I knew it—she only came on the show to become famous.]
[Then why don’t you say the same about Liu Qingye? She’s an actress, so she needs exposure even more. Besides, would an actress really date an ordinary male guest? Wouldn’t it affect her career?]
[Lu Nanxun is actually Dr. Lu! He’s even more attractive now!]
[Xu Jinsi is obviously the richest one here. Leading private equity firms usually manage funds worth tens of billions…¥]
The comments kept flooding the screen.
At last, the show reached the heart-fluttering text message segment.
For this part, the production team didn’t try anything fancy. There was no deliberately mysterious editing either; they simply showed clips of each person composing and sending their message.
The female guests went first.
Wang Aitian sent hers to Cen Yu. The message read: “Thanks for your hard work, Chef.”
It was impossible to tell what she meant by it.
During the follow-up interview, a staff member asked, “Weren’t you supposed to go on a date with Xu Jinsi today? Why did you send your message to Cen Yu?”
Wang Aitian smiled and blinked. “Because after getting to know Xu Jinsi, I felt that our personalities and other aspects weren’t very compatible. As for whom I sent it to? I followed my feelings in the moment.”
Zhang Weiyi sent hers to Xu Jinsi. The message read: “It’s a shame our date didn’t work out. I’m sorry.”
During her follow-up interview, Zhang Weiyi said apologetically, “We had originally arranged a time, but I had to cancel at the last minute because of my coursework. I feel really sorry about it.”
Liu Qingye sent hers to Xu Jinsi. The message read: “The amusement park was wonderful, because you were by my side.”
In the follow-up interview, she faced the camera and said, “There’s no particular reason. I went on a date with Xu Jinsi today, so I sent it to him. Besides, he took very good care of me. Well, I hope we can get to know each other better.”
Ji Liuyue sent hers to Lu Nanxun. The message read: “I had a wonderful time horseback riding.”
There was no follow-up interview clip for her.
[??? Why did everyone else get a follow-up interview, but Ji Liuyue didn’t?]
[Because her choice was the most reasonable, I guess. She sent it to the person she went on a date with.]
[The female guests are all pretty normal. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with either the people they sent their messages to or the content.]
Then it was the male guests’ turn.
Ji Mingtian sent his to Liu Qingye. The message read: “Hello, big star.”
During the follow-up interview, Ji Mingtian said with a smile, “Why did I call her a big star? I was just teasing her. I was surprised to find out that she’s an actress. But Yezi is so beautiful, and the profession suits her perfectly.”
“If I get the chance later on, I’d like to ask her out. Yes, I’ve always been very clear about my feelings.”
Cen Yu sent his to Ji Liuyue. The message read: “It feels like I’ve gotten to know a different side of you. Sleep well tonight.”
In Cen Yu’s follow-up interview, his expression was calm as he nodded at the camera.
“I didn’t really have a date today. The only time I interacted with anyone was when I talked with Ji Liuyue in the kitchen. Then I found out that she’s a model. I’m quite curious about her. So, yes, I wanted to send it to her.”
The comments were utterly baffled.
[??? No, Cen Yu! Brother, why are you interested in Ji Liuyue?]
[I’m done. So this is just one giant tangled web now?]
Xu Jinsi sent his to Ji Liuyue. The message read: “Today was even happier.”
During his follow-up interview, a staff member asked, “Why did you send it to a female guest you didn’t go on a date with today? Is there a reason?”
Xu Jinsi lowered his eyes and pressed his lips together. Refusing to elaborate, he said, “No particular reason. I wanted to send it, so I did.”
The staff member continued, “Do you know what the heart-fluttering text message means? You’re supposed to send it to the person you’re attracted to.”
Xu Jinsi raised an eyebrow and countered, “What? Do you think Ji Liuyue doesn’t look like someone I’m attracted to?”
The staff member silently shut their mouth.
The comments had already gone completely wild.
[???!!! No way. Xu Jinsi, tell me you like Ji Liuyue. The sky is falling. How is this possible?]
[Ji Liuyue is way too charismatic. She’s already received messages from two male guests.]
[Our Yezi is no worse, okay? Ji Mingtian sent his to Yezi, and Dr. Lu definitely sent his to her too.]
When it was Lu Nanxun’s turn, no words appeared on the screen indicating that he had sent a message to any of the female guests.
In the interview room, a staff member asked, “Why did you choose to give up on sending a heart-fluttering text tonight? Is it because you haven’t met anyone who makes your heart flutter yet?”
Lu Nanxun fell silent.
“It’s because of me. I’ve never been in a relationship before, so…”
“If I can’t completely confirm my feelings, I won’t send the message. From now on, unless something unexpected happens, I’ll continue to sit this segment out.”
The staff member asked again, “Aren’t you afraid that your slow-to-warm-up nature will make you miss out on a relationship?”
Lu Nanxun looked straight into the camera and said, word by word, “Once I’m sure of my feelings, whether she has someone by her side or not, I’ll do everything I can to pursue her and get closer to her.”
The final three words were mouthed silently.
[Oh my god! Dr. Lu’s contrast is incredible. Were the last three words he mouthed “steal her away”?]
[This is kind of thrilling. Who would’ve thought Dr. Lu was the scheming, possessive type?]
[I can’t accept this! Lu Nanxun even bought our Yezi strawberry milk, and he always leans toward her when they talk. But he didn’t send her a message!!!]
[+1. I’m confused too. It’s just a heart-fluttering text, a little signal. It’s not like he has to confess right now.]
[Poor Yezi. She must think it’s her fault that Dr. Lu didn’t send her a message.]
[Lu Nanxun is so conflicted!]
[Someone earlier made a really good point: Lu Nanxun is a pessimist, so he’s hesitant even about sending a simple heart-fluttering message. I really want to see what he’ll be like when he fights for love.]
The second episode of Heartthrob Lovers came to an end.
The audience was left wanting more.
This episode had been packed with twists and information, but none of that stopped Ji Liuyue from trending for all the wrong reasons.
There were three accusations against her.
First, when Liu Qingye talked about how her parents had chosen her name, Ji Liuyue had revealed a disdainful, mocking look. Everyone called her a scheming woman.
Second, during her date with Lu Nanxun, she had bluntly said that the note she wrote was meant to make everyone like her. Clearly, she had come on the show solely to become famous!
Third, Lu Nanxun had deliberately bought strawberry milk for Liu Qingye, and Ji Liuyue had actually drunk it!
She had drunk it!
People accused her of being incapable of reading the room and only knowing how to drink! Of course, there were even more malicious assumptions: she knew the milk had been bought by Lu Nanxun for Liu Qingye, and she had done it deliberately to disgust Liu Qingye.
Scheming and malicious!
After the episode aired, Ji Liuyue became thoroughly famous.
Unfortunately, it was infamy.
It was all because of her one bizarre stunt—clips of it had racked up millions of views and over a hundred thousand likes on Douyin.
When her manager, Sister Jing, called, Ji Liuyue was packing her suitcase for her island getaway.
The next leg of the show’s journey was about to begin: a trip to the islands.
“Sister Jing, don’t worry. I’m not a child. Let the netizens curse me if they want. At least more people will know who I, Ji Liuyue, am.” The corners of her lips curved up slightly, and she added with certainty, “It won’t be long before you start receiving a flood of brand offers.”
Sister Jing scoffed from the other end of the line. “You certainly have a good attitude. I was worried you might get depressed.”
A flicker of darkness crossed Ji Liuyue’s eyes.
“I’m so broke I can barely afford anything. How could I possibly be depressed?”
“Oh, right. You can release the news that Liu Qingye is a stage name and that her real name is actually Liu Cuicui.”
“Since she bought smear campaigns to step on me and solidify her fanbase, I can use the news about her to turn public opinion around too. By then, everyone will know why I was sneering at the time.”
……
I know some of you want to see the audience’s reactions to the show airing, while others don’t. But I originally started writing these scenes, so I figured I should bring them to a proper conclusion.
Besides, these scenes aren’t all repetitive. I’ll be adding some third-person perspectives, as well as supplementary details that weren’t noticed at the time.
For example, in the original text, I showed the heart-flutter messages from the heroine’s perspective. But when the episode airs later, it will switch to an omniscient perspective and reveal everyone’s messages and the direction of their feelings.
It’s impossible to please everyone, so please be understanding. Also, the chapters covering the show’s recap segments will all be longer than usual.
That’s all. Thank you, dears, for your support.
