It was hard to describe the atmosphere at the scene after the red-haired man spoke that sentence.

It was quiet, but the quiet was extremely eerie.

Everyone froze like statues, whether it was the short young man or the bald athlete, even the white-collar guy who had just spoken stiffened in place.

The only person laughing freely was the red-haired man.

Although there was still a trace of pain at the corners of his mouth, his expression was relaxed and at ease, as if the person who had exposed his criminal suspicion wasn’t him.

At that moment, the live chat exploded.

“No way, he isn’t a bro???”

“Why did such a tycoon come on this dating show??? Is the wealthy life boring him???”

“The previous one, he probably didn’t come because he was bored—oh my god!”

Along with these surprised messages, many in the chat started to wonder what was wrong with that name.

“Let me explain for those in the chat: the Aldrin family is a multi-generational business family abroad, involved in things like arms and oil. They originally only operated in Europe, but in recent generations, they gradually shifted focus here.”

“Not sure if it’s bad luck for this generation, but everyone ended up going in except for Chris Aldrin—though he also recently managed to get himself locked in for 48 hours, in that billionaire kidnapping case.”

After this explanation, the chat began to catch on, followed by a burst of “woc woc” messages.

People couldn’t believe that someone dressed in an oversized baseball jacket and sneakers, looking like a stereotypical school bully, was actually a billionaire.

Feng Chuan was no exception. He instinctively started recording the livestream, afraid it would get shut down next second for broadcasting someone involved in a crime.

The chat worried the same way.

“Wait, how can he appear here? And he previously imprisoned someone, right? Does that mean the scene where he said he liked Mr. Ye and kissed Mr. Ye was just acting?”

“No, don’t forget he comes from that USA. For him, imprisoning someone and kissing Mr. Ye might be two completely different things.”

“But I feel so awkward. Even though this guy looks good, he gives off a total scumbag vibe.”

At this point, the long-silent host finally reacted. He sighed internally about how he ended up hosting a livestream with these amateur guests but smiled externally, trying to salvage the situation.

“Ah, Mr. Chris, I assume you can appear on camera so openly because you’ve already been acquitted, right?”

Though somewhat presumptuous, the host immediately asked the question that decided the livestream’s fate.

“Of course, otherwise I couldn’t even get a visa. Actually, the incident back then was just a misunderstanding.”

The red-haired man said casually with a smile.

This made the chat view him even more negatively, treating him like some class enemy.

Given what they knew about that USA, they began speculating how much money he must have spent to have the victim reconcile and release him, hiring lawyers to ensure the poor victim had no voice.

The host, being inexperienced, showed some unease on his face.

Fortunately, the red-haired man didn’t get angry. He just shrugged indifferently and then turned to the handsome young man beside him, grinning.

“Sweetheart~ say something.”

The playful tone made the end of his sentence seem to float as a little heart.

“……”

The scene fell silent again. Both the host and the viewers’ eyes flicked between the two of them, as if in disbelief.

Finally, the handsome young man seemed to lose patience. He clenched his phone so tightly it rattled, and after restraining himself, he looked directly at the red-haired man and said: “Where did you learn to say stuff like that! And stop pushing your luck!”

However, the harsh tone didn’t intimidate the red-haired man, it excited him even more. Like a rewarded lion, he widened his grin.

“Sweetheart, your coldness is just like before—it really shreds my heart, just like my ID, ripped apart and spread across the floor.”

Although his words sounded pitiful, his tone was full of excitement.

Fortunately, the handsome young man remembered it was a livestream and didn’t curse anything that would get the broadcast banned, but it was frightening enough.

“—I should have made your heart bleed back then!”

The young man said with utter disgust.

The chat finally couldn’t hold back.

“Ah???? The victim is sitting right across from him? No wonder he sounded so confident calling it a misunderstanding—so it’s a little couple play.”

“No, no, no, they shouldn’t be a couple. Mr. Ye said before, he’s a widower and had a good relationship with his husband.”

“They’re playing this kind of play, but they’re not a couple.”

“I mean, um, play friends.”

“Can your play friend make one side look like they want the other dead on the spot? Could this be forceful seduction?!”

Immediately, the chat was full of messages urging the show staff to call the police.

Of course, there were also some less serious comments.

“…But still, sorry, a widower being forcefully seduced is really hot.”

“Wait for me, the previous scenes already got me thinking about master bedroom play. It’s not my fault, my brain just went there by itself!”

Amid the chaotic chat, the red-haired man completely ignored the disgusted expression on the handsome young man’s face and teasingly said to him,

“Oh really? Sweetheart, if you’re willing…”

He gestured for the young man to look down at his phone.

“—Your phone is in your hand. Why don’t you call 110?”

The previously questioning chat paused, and the audience was full of curiosity.

The handsome young man, facing millions of viewers, glanced away for a moment.

Although he quickly refocused, the moment had already been captured into GIFs by fast-fingered netizens.

He didn’t know this, and he took a deep breath, intending to speak, but the red-haired man cut him off.

“Sweetheart, don’t give excuses about your projects. Since when did you care about a small project worth millions? Even if you lost money, it wouldn’t be much.”

The red-haired man tapped the sofa armrest repeatedly while looking at Ye Wangxing, his expression still playful, but his golden eyes now fixed on the handsome young man like a dragon.

The handsome young man remained silent for a long time and ultimately did nothing.

Finally, the red-haired man showed a sincere smile and said: “Oh, sweetheart, you can’t bear it.”

The chat completely crashed.

Even the previously scripted troll messages on the chat stopped moving.

Not to mention, whose script could get a foreign billionaire to act along with them? Just such a dramatic plot—if they had written it into a script, domestic shows wouldn’t have been like this!

Later, some curious viewers calculated that in just over an hour, there had already been four or five plot twists.

The director felt both pain and joy—joy because the ratings were guaranteed, pain because this dating show was about to become a playground for these two.

—After all, who would watch anyone else’s romance with these two gossip sources around?

Fortunately, the ratings quickly put the director in a good mood, so the host went up to say something to adjust the atmosphere.

Host: “…” Even cattle and horses wouldn’t be treated like this!

But what could the host do? He had to swallow his frustration, imagining beating the director 800 times in his mind, hoping for traffic jams every time he went out, people occupying his elevator at home, and always having late delivery drivers.

After that mental exercise, the host finally relaxed a bit, though he still forced a smile and went to gather all the guests to follow the schedule, seating them in the business van.

“…Next, we will do an ice-breaking game, hoping sparks of romance will ignite during it.”

The host left some suspense for the audience, and the director switched the livestream back to the observation room so viewers wouldn’t get bored watching them ride in the car.

—After all, if any interesting moments occurred, they could switch back to the live feed.

When the feed returned to the observation room, the chat hadn’t yet commented on the guests, but suddenly, a pitch-black face appeared and startled everyone.

“Woc, what’s up with Shi Xuanzhu and his husband? Why does his face look so dark? Did he cheat while we weren’t watching?”

The chat quickly guessed the reason.

“Commenter earlier, you must have joined midway. You don’t know what the handsome widower said before—he’s Shi Xuanzhu’s little brother, the younger brother of his partner, one of those born naturally protective types. Now you understand why his face looks so dark?”

The earlier commenter: “…Got it.”

“No wonder his face was so dark. He just witnessed his little brother being kissed against his will and saw how he defended the redhead?”

“No, when did the widower defend the redhead? He just stayed silent, didn’t he?”

“Come on, if this were reported to the police, they’d have perfect on-site footage. But the widower didn’t call anyone, even with project reasons considered. He must have complicated feelings for the redhead.”

The chat continued talking, and the host’s filler dialogue slowly shifted the topic, yet it still fit the dating show theme.

“…Then the likely couple in this show has to be the redhead and the widower, right?”

“Not sure, the widower seems to have a good relationship with his husband. Even if he has some feelings for the redhead, six months isn’t enough to move on.”

“Simply put, the initiative should be in the widower’s hands?”

“Otherwise, the redhead seems to have him completely under control, but the widower could ruin everything with a few taps on his phone to call the police.”

The bullet comments discussed the incident passionately, though some others and the online boosters tried to divert the attention back to the guests in the observation room.

But unfortunately, this gossip was too captivating, so the boosters had no effect—the entire audience focused on the live broadcast accident and the scandal. Any comments mentioning other people could be filtered out as background.

Still, the discussion remained hot, and even if some viewers left, the live room didn’t lose much audience. The director was very satisfied with this.

Ye Wangxing was equally satisfied.

He appeared to rest with his eyes closed, keeping away from the red-haired man, but in reality, they were having a lively conversation in his mind.

【This time, it went really well. Almost no one discussed Song Yun, and if they did, it was only because of his brother’s identity—they sympathized and understood him because Song Yun had seen his younger brother suffer at the hands of the red-haired guy.】

Ye Wangxing laughed uproariously.

Beside him, 19 once again carefully protected his host, preventing him from slipping mentally, while also monitoring the bullet comments and judging the audience’s reactions toward his host.

【This is so much better than the original story.】 Ye Wangxing laughed, wiped tears from his eyes, sat up straight, and leaned toward the panel in front of 19.

In the original story, Song Yun had some issues during his first variety show appearance but adjusted quickly. Unfortunately, some people online enjoyed criticizing others, especially targeting the weak. Song Yun had a difficult time during this stage in the original story.

His mental pressure gradually increased, and even though the online harassment diminished because he didn’t respond, his psychological state never fully recovered. Meanwhile, Shi Xuanzhu’s views on marriage in the show worsened his condition.

Thankfully, these issues wouldn’t happen this time.

Ye Wangxing smiled at this thought, then tidied up the situation and asked 19 about the current status.

【Right now, the online focus is on you and Chris. They are very interested in your romantic entanglements, and some have even started creating fanfiction. But their activity is still limited—do you want me to block all the content, host?】

Wanting to know whether the online focus remained on them, Ye Wangxing recalled an afternoon when curiosity opened a new world for him. The thought of those words being applied to him sent shivers down his spine.

【…Report the commercialized ones, and for the rest,】 Ye Wangxing swallowed and spoke with difficulty, 【pretend I don’t know, 19. Block all those works and related content from my phone and social media.】

A data stream flashed in 19’s eyes. He nodded and said: 【Okay, host. All those works and tags have been blocked on your phone and won’t appear in your data feed.】

Ye Wangxing breathed a sigh of relief and turned to continue observing the observation room.

He didn’t notice a problem.

—If 19 blocked those items, didn’t that mean he had already seen them?

Beside Ye Wangxing, the two-meter-tall silver-haired man sat on the sofa, golden eyes flickering with data streams.

Though most of the content was familiar, 19 still marveled at the creativity of those who produced it.

—How did they come up with these poses and such intense emotions?

Ye Wangxing had no idea what 19’s mechanical mind was storing, frowning as he observed the room.

Though the bullet comments remained scattered, over time, with no new gossip, they naturally began discussing the current guests. Luckily, Song Yun’s nervous period had passed—or rather, he hadn’t been nervous at all.

Who wouldn’t be angry upon seeing their younger brother, just returned home, being provoked by a red-haired man?

Among the highly rated guests, Ye Wangxing and Chris, Song Yun’s unflappable expression stood out remarkably.

Fortunately, both the bullet comments and the on-site guests and hosts were satisfied with the show’s effect, and even Song Yun’s dark face couldn’t hide the smiles on their faces.

“…Brother Song, we understand you, but allow us to laugh for a few minutes first hahahaha!”

The actor laughed heartily, his exaggerated expression debunking any rumors of cosmetic surgery—who laughs that hard with their jaw almost dislocating?

The top idol laughed awkwardly, the singer and manager couple laughed continuously, the veteran actors only saw the wife laughing, while the husband frowned at the screen, specifically watching the red-haired man.

Shi Xuanzhu didn’t laugh, but when the bullet comments laughed, he praised him as a good husband for not mocking his partner. Then he happily typed “hahahahahahaha” in the bullet comments.

“…So, Song teacher, you opposed this because of your relationship with Mr. Ye’s brother?” the host asked with a smile, though Song Yun recognized the trap.

He shook his head, hiding his gloom, and said calmly: “That’s only part of it. Another reason is that Ye Wangxing’s dislike for him is genuine, not some kind of play. As his brother, I am certain of that. But regardless of who he ultimately chooses or if he remains single, I respect his decision.”

Song Yun smiled.

The perfect family atmosphere made the bullet comments envious. The guests nodded and applauded, and the atmosphere remained peaceful.

—Until the veteran actor husband frowned and criticized.

“Junior Song, I have to say, your brother has lost a husband already. You should find him another one quickly—male or female, he needs someone, or he won’t even manage his first child…”

The veteran actor husband continued with a serious expression, the typical middle-aged male lecturing look.

As a senior in the industry, Song Yun didn’t dare argue and quietly replied: “Uh, senior, my brother is only 26, and he doesn’t like women.”

“That’s his problem. You, as his brother, should care more.”

The veteran husband asserted, like a family elder urging marriage.

“But that man isn’t good. He looks frivolous, even if rich, he would cheat later. I like the white-collar guy—stable income and respectable.”

He continued evaluating, not even noticing his wife tugging at him.

The bullet comments were dumbfounded, asking where such old-fashioned views came from, and noting his age—indeed very conservative.

However, the on-site people ignored him, moving the conversation along. Shi Xuanzhu suddenly spoke: “Teacher Liu is right. You should care more, but it must be someone of equal status. Better take your time.”

Shi Xuanzhu’s words made the bullet comments uneasy—they sounded polite, but they humbly lowered his own status.

Though in showbiz they called seniors by title, in family life, this sounded like an interfering elder!

Song Yun felt uncomfortable and was about to respond when Shi Xuanzhu held him back.

The veteran actor, encouraged, continued lecturing loudly, while the bullet comments compared him to annoying relatives.

Shi Xuanzhu deflected this live, guiding the comments toward the amateur guests arriving on the game site.

Seeing the large obstacles and glaring lights, the amateur guests were surprised, while the handsome young man and the red-haired man looked thoughtful.

“All right, everyone, this is our game field—real-life CS!”

The host emphasized some points and quickly explained the rules.

The bullet comments were normal at first, considering it a good icebreaker, maybe even adding the bridge effect.

—Until one comment appeared: “Someone coming to rescue you in a crisis really increases your favorability.”

“Yes, that does create goodwill, but did everyone forget something?”

“—There are two people from the Free State in this game!”

The audience realized this, and the white-collar guest who had uncovered Chris’s identity whispered to the host.

The host nodded and discussed with the director, temporarily muting the microphones for five minutes.

Five minutes later, both the handsome young man and the red-haired man had one hand tied behind their backs for fairness.

The director felt satisfied, thinking he had balanced the game.

Ten minutes later, seeing the other three men and three women eliminated, and the two standing in the center, even with one hand tied, eliminating the others—

Director: “…” What will she fill the next hour of live broadcast with?

As the director panicked, the bullet comments screamed—they were too handsome! The two didn’t even speak, just a glance and they took down the other guests.

Even the earpiece placement was perfect—they could hear their heavy breathing.

During the bullet comment frenzy, the two’s earpiece finally transmitted sound.

“Good job.”

The cold, slightly breathy voice made the audience smile oddly.

“Getting praise from you isn’t easy, sweetheart~”

The red-haired man’s voice remained flirty, slightly breathy, teasing the widower.

His playful expression didn’t last long because the handsome young man approached with a gun. The red-haired man froze briefly, unsure what to do, still smiling.

He only saw the handsome man approach, lower his head, grasp his half-gloved hand, and lift it.

“Snap.”

The handsome young man high-fived him.

“Pleasure working together.” The young man smiled slightly.

The high-five was light, far softer than the slap on the red-haired man’s face.

But his reaction was far more intense.

The tall, muscular man suddenly crouched and covered his face.

The cameraman instinctively lowered the camera, revealing the flushed skin between the red-haired man’s fingers.

Bullet comments: “…”

“—Not the slap-happy, kiss-first guy, and now you blush from a high-five like a teapot!”

 

Support translation: