Chapter 344: The Twenty-third Day in the Entertainment World

Chapter 344: Day 23 in the Entertainment World

As the production team expected, the livestream atmosphere stayed heated throughout the day's group activities.

The previously aired episodes were also being rewatched by viewers on repeat.

The production team's faces were about to split from grinning.

An Yi, good! Yu Ziyun, good! Good people!

Total lucky stars!

The daytime activity was an outdoor team puzzle game.

Yu Ziyun had a clear goal and stuck to An Yi like glue. No matter how the groups changed, he always managed to "coincidentally" appear near An Yi and then "naturally" join An Yi's group.

When Miao Bin tried to sidle up to An Yi a few times using the game rules as an excuse, trying to whisper something in his ear, Yu Ziyun would always "casually" shift his body, planting himself squarely between them and naturally cutting Miao Bin off.

It was obvious, deliberate, and worked like a charm.

Miao Bin, shoved aside: "..."

Hah.

In the end, An Yi couldn't take it anymore and finally sent him packing.

"Why does the latecomer win? Because he fights for it! (dog head) (rose)"

"Miao Bin must be so frustrated, every time he tries to get close, he gets blocked."

"Yu Ziyun: He's mine, don't touch. (smirking.jpg)"

"Yu Ziyun isn't a latecomer, he came first! They knew each other before the show."

"He's a latecomer to the show, though!"

"Is the production team shameless for the ratings? Openly pushing a gay romance on a mainstream dating show? And live on air! What kind of harmful influence will this have on teens? Reporting this!"

"If you don't like it, scroll on. Nobody's forcing you to watch. The law doesn't prohibit it—you think you're above the law?"

"..."

Cang Xingjin grew even more silent. He tried to focus on the game itself and his interactions with the other female guests, but his gaze kept involuntarily drifting toward An Yi and Yu Ziyun.

Seeing Yu Ziyun's almost territorial posture, he furrowed his brow, the corners of his mouth turning down, his vibe so heavy it was suffocating.

This left his partner Ruan Bingxuan distracted too, her smile strained, and she made a few mistakes during the game. Luckily, Yu Tongxin and Hao Yangyang helped smooth things over.

Ruan Bingxuan could only sigh.

Cang Xingjin was the male guest she'd been most optimistic about before the show, but after getting to know him... yeah, he was definitely a look-don't-touch kind of guy.

Lowkey annoying.

If you wanna get close, just go for it!

What's the point of just secretly watching all the time? Is he waiting for An Yi to make the first move?!

Yeah, dream on.

All day long, with that pinched face and those dagger eyes—tsundere is so last season!

Actually, it's all "tsun" and no "dere." Just annoying.

She and Lin Yan exchanged a wry smile.

Lin Yan, meanwhile, had the look of someone who'd called this from day one—playing the game while sneakily watching the drama unfold between the guys. What a show.

This is better than TV.

Comments section:

"I can't wait to see how the author writes this next! None of the five guys on this dating show pass the vibe check!"

"Right! Who's even the male lead?! Nobody has any chemistry with the FL!"

"Judging by how much the author writes about him, is it really gonna be An Yi? No way! A harem MC or something..."

"Honestly, I hate all the male characters in this novel equally. The female characters are fine, I guess."

"@author, you're playing mind games with us. Dating show? Check. Harem MC? Check. Love triangle? Check. But is it right? Huh? Is it?! Author, you little dumbass!"

"Please don't tell me the ending is An Yi building a harem and going both ways?"

"I have a theory: An Yi is actually a fox spirit who can charm people. Once everyone falls into his trap, he'll eat them all—literally eat them! (sudden realization.jpg)"

"...You're even darker than the author."

"..."

An Yi: "..."

That's definitely not gonna happen.

He doesn't eat humans.

Not even back when he was a dinosaur.

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The whole day's group activities went on in that weird vibe of surface harmony and hidden tension.

The livestream chat was popping off the whole time. Viewers with microscopes caught every glance, every move, every micro-expression, spamming the screen with analyses, screaming, fighting, and "hahaha"s. The hype never died down.

When the group activities finally wrapped up in that weird mix of hype and exhaustion,

it was almost evening by then.

Dinner was prepared by the production team, and the dinner conversation was lively.

After dinner, they gathered for a bit more activity before the director announced free time. Guests could arrange their own schedules, handle personal matters, socialize, or rest.

At the same time, today's livestream signal was temporarily cut off.

The moment the livestream indicator light went dark, almost everyone in the villa let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.

The feeling of being scrutinized by countless eyes and having every emotion magnified by the cameras was temporarily alleviated.

An Yi, for his part, was fine—his first time filming a show was actually quite fun.

He set down his cup, wiped the corner of his mouth, and got up to head to the small garden behind the villa for some fresh air.

He had just reached the glass door leading from the living room to the garden, his fingers not yet touching the handle, when two sets of footsteps sounded almost simultaneously from behind him—coming from different directions but both zeroing in on him.

With no cameras rolling live, everyone had scattered across the living room or retreated to their rooms, leaving the area by the door unusually quiet.

"Xiao Yi, wait." Miao Bin's voice rang out first.

Almost at the same moment, another, deeper voice chimed in: "An Yi, it's a bit chilly tonight—why not grab a jacket before heading out?"

Yu Ziyun had somehow already materialized at An Yi's other side, holding a knit cardigan in his hand, clearly prepared in advance and watching An Yi's every move.

An Yi stopped in his tracks and turned around.

Yu Ziyun and Miao Bin stood flanking him on either side, at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, yet perfectly forming a subtle pincer movement, positioning themselves between him and the garden door.

Yu Ziyun stood as straight as a pine, and even in casual wear, he couldn't hide the sharp, elite aura of someone used to being in charge.

His gaze landed on An Yi's face, focused and direct, while the cardigan hung casually over his forearm, the veins on his arm faintly visible from the movement.

Miao Bin, on the other side, had a brilliant smile back on his face, but those ever-smiling eyes were now almost blazing, fixed intently on An Yi.

He wasn't holding a jacket; instead, he pulled a small bottle of mosquito repellent from his pocket and spun it deftly between his fingers.

"Thanks, but I'm not cold." An Yi first gave Yu Ziyun a gentle smile, politely declining his jacket in a calm tone, then turned to Miao Bin: "Did you need something?"

His reaction was almost unnervingly calm, as if the two men before him weren't just vying for his attention moments ago.

So infuriating. So adorable.