Forced Cohabitation After a Hit Romance Variety Show with My Rival Actress - Chapter 11

“Let’s begin.”

“Action!”

The production crew clapped the slate.

The live broadcast of the dating reality show had begun, with cameras recording every guest.

In addition to the camera at the entrance, there were three fixed cameras positioned along the wooden boardwalk leading to the villa’s front door.

These camera feeds were synchronized to the control room inside the villa, where the director selected shots from over a dozen monitors and transmitted them live to the streaming platform.

The moment the broadcast went live, the Love’s Heartbeat live stream was already packed with viewers, the comments scrolling by at lightning speed.

As the crane camera swept across the scene, Gu Yuan’s sunlit face was captured by the live feed.

The comments erupted like fireworks:

Is that Gu Yuan? Is that really Gu Yuan? Am I seeing things?

Yes, yes, yes! I screenshotted and zoomed in—as a longtime fan, I can confirm it’s definitely Gu Yuan!

Heavens! Our goddess, Best Actress Gu Yuan, is on a dating reality show?!

It’s really my goddess, Gu Yuan! Who could have imagined she’d be the Mysterious Guest on this season of Love’s Heartbeat?!

Ahhhh! My wildest dream actually came true! Gu Yuan really heard our wishes!

Wow, I’m so glad I tuned in right at the start—this is worth it already!

Didn’t someone say they’d do a live stream of themselves washing their hair upside down if the Mysterious Guest turned out to be Gu Yuan?

Those who promised to wash their hair upside down, please announce your live stream time!

For the wildly popular dating reality show  Love’s Heartbeat , intense online discussions had already erupted when the guest list was announced.

Each season of the show features a Mysterious Guest whose identity is revealed on the final live broadcast. This season’s “trump card” was none other than Gu Yuan, the ultra-popular Best Actress who had maintained a spotless, scandal-free reputation throughout her career.

The fact that this aloof, high-society “ice queen” had deigned to participate in a dating reality show, descending from her lofty perch to mingle with mere mortals, had already sent fans and viewers into a frenzy.

As a result, not only was the live stream chat going wild, but the official  Love’s Heartbeat  supertopic was also flooded with discussions.

Some fans were posting glamorous photos of their favorite “sister,” while others were already gleefully pairing up contestants in fan-made pairings.

Among the six participants, all were well-known figures in the entertainment industry except for Chi Yu, who had only recently played a minor supporting role. She was openly referred to as the “outsider” by the others.

The reason for this was a behind-the-scenes clip released by the production team earlier that day, featuring a scene between Chi Yu and Gu Yuan in the dressing room.

Adding fuel to the fire, the show had even created a composite video with Chi Yu in the center, Ruan Feiyu on the left, and Gu Yuan on the right, accompanied by Chi Yu’s line: “So which sister is waiting for me? I’m here.”

A crackling shower of sparks filled the air.

Even before the plane landed on the tropical island, Gu Yuan’s fans had already swarmed Chi Yu’s Weibo supertopic, attempting to “bomb” it.

But there was little to bomb. Chi Yu and her agency had never bothered to manage the supertopic, leaving it practically nonexistent.

When Ruan Feiyu’s fans arrived, they glanced at the empty space and retreated in disappointment.

By sheer coincidence, Chi Yu was the first to enter the villa.

She stepped onto the wooden boardwalk and into the live broadcast’s frame.

She wore a pure white, oversized sweater paired with a short white skirt, her long, soft, flaxen hair cascading down her shoulders.

Her bright eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, waving at the camera.

Her innocent appearance perfectly mirrored the “white moonlight” character she had played in her debut drama.

The initial shot was taken from a slightly tilted angle. Then the camera cut to a close-up of Chi Yu’s face.

The live comments fell silent for a moment before erupting into a rapid-fire stream of messages.

Is that Chi Yu?

You’re telling me someone who looks like this is a nobody?

Damn, the behind-the-scenes footage the show released today showed Chi Yu talking back to Goddess Gu Yuan. The clip was blurry and supposedly recorded on a staff member’s phone. I thought Chi Yu was just average-looking, but she’s stunning!

“A confrontation? No way! I saw the video too. Gu Yuan was talking to that young actress, and then she smoothly tapped her chest.”

“Huh? Who tapped whose chest? Our ice queen Gu Yuan tapped a young artist’s chest?!”

“Yeah, their eyes were practically sparking! Why do I find this a little… shippable?”

“Upstairs, shipping everything will only hurt you. Our sister is beautiful on her own. That rude girl who talked back to her doesn’t deserve a second glance. eyeroll”

“Heh, she’s just pretty. I bet after the first episode airs, she’ll be forgotten.”

Chi Yu’s segment quickly ended, and the next person to walk onto the wooden boardwalk was a cool-looking short-haired girl.

She carried a guitar on her back, had an eyebrow piercing, wore smoky eye makeup, and sported black lipstick.

The live comments erupted:  “Aaaah! It’s Li Tianyin! Rock chick Li Tianyin!”

“I only saw her band at the Oregon Music Festival and was so disappointed she wasn’t there. Turns out she was filming a dating reality show!”

“Meh, she’s alright. Successful men like us prefer more feminine types. She’s not really girlfriend material. I prefer someone more womanly.”

Upstairs, tone it down. Who asked for your opinion? As if your liking her would make her yours.

As the camera glided along, following Li Tianyin’s footsteps, she waved at the screen.

“Hi everyone!”

Her greeting sent the chat into a frenzy, drowning out the unfriendly comments.

She walked along the wooden boardwalk leading to the cream-colored villa, her combat boots crunching rhythmically on the planks.

Trailing behind her was a girl with shoulder-length curly hair, who waved at the camera. “Hi everyone! I’m actress Lu Wenrui. Nice to meet you all!”

Ohhh! It’s Lu Wenrui, the child star! She’s so pure and adorable, like the girl next door!

She’s not exactly a “little sister” anymore—she’s 26.

So what if she’s 26? She can still play a high school senior perfectly!

Look, look! Isn’t that Lin Yihan, the CEO of the listed conglomerate? He looks as cold as an ice cube!

Ultimate top, but only in terms of aura (dog emoji)

Ruan Feiyu looks great too! Sister Feiyu is wearing pink today—so gentle and meticulously styled, like she’s meeting her crush.

True! Looking closer, Feiyu’s makeup is definitely more elaborate, and her hair has been specially done.

Suddenly, the camera shifted.

The live stream viewers fell silent for a moment as they saw the soft leather heels stepping onto the wooden boardwalk.

Then, a deafening roar of joyful screams erupted.

Ahhh!

Gu Yuan! It’s Gu Yuan!

Gu Yuan’s here! Gu Yuan’s walking toward me!

The camera initially showed Gu Yuan’s full figure. She wore a pristine white qipao-style dress with a high collar, the hem draping gracefully over her slender ankles. A simple, elegant shawl was draped over her shoulders.

The shawl’s tassels swayed gently as she moved slowly into the frame.

The camera lingered on close-ups of various details before finally settling on her face. Only then did the chat erupt into true frenzy, the messages scrolling so fast they were almost unreadable.

Sister, did you descend from the heavens just to bless us with your beauty?

Gu Yuan, my wife! I know you’re only doing this dating show to make me jealous. Let’s elope and get married today!

Waaah, her divine beauty! Best Actress Gu Yuan’s legendary looks are no exaggeration! The aloof fairy now has a face in my mind!

Yuanyuan, my wife, please don’t actually fall in love on this show! I can accept you not being with me, but I can’t bear the thought of you being with someone else!

Sister! Sister, I love you! Notice me, Sister!

The chat went wild, its frenzy unabated even after Gu Yuan entered the villa’s main gate.

The first-floor hall of the villa was bright and spotless.

A round table stood in the center of the room.

Chi Yu was the first to arrive and conscientiously took the seat farthest from the others.

Li Tianyin and Lu Wenrui, who entered next, seemed to have collaborated before and naturally sat together. After settling in, they both nodded politely to Chi Yu.

When Lin Yihan entered, he glanced around and sat beside Li Tianyin, leaving two empty seats to Chi Yu’s left.

Ruan Feiyu followed Lin Yihan into the room. Seeing the seating arrangement, she immediately sat next to Chi Yu, effectively preventing anyone else from sitting beside her.

“So, Hao Hao, are you getting used to filming the show?” Ruan Feiyu asked Chi Yu.

Chi Yu maintained her smile. “It’s going well, Sister Feiyu. What do you think?”

Ruan Feiyu nodded. “Mm, I think it’s going well too.”

The live stream hadn’t switched over yet, and everyone was chatting quietly.

Lu Wenrui looked over with wide eyes. “Your name is Hao Hao?”

Chi Yu glanced down at the name tag on her chest and pointed to it. “Actually, my name is Chi Yu.”

Every guest on the show wore a name tag bearing the program’s logo and their own name, a tradition that had remained unchanged for several seasons.

It was easy to imagine that when the edited version aired on television, this moment of Chi Yu pointing to her chest would be zoomed in for emphasis.

If the producers were feeling particularly unscrupulous, they might even replay the earlier scene where Gu Yuan had touched Chi Yu’s chest, stirring up more drama.

“You two must be really close, calling each other by nicknames,” Lu Wenrui, the nation’s darling, blinked her eyes. “Sister Feiyu and I worked together before, but she wasn’t this cheerful or proactive in talking to people. Today has completely changed my impression of her.”

Lu Wenrui was much more lively than Chi Yu had expected, even propping her chin in her hand as she watched the pair.

Chi Yu hadn’t anticipated that even during filming, people would be shipping couples, but Lu Wenrui was clearly even more enthusiastic about it than she’d imagined.

“If you two are already a solid couple, does that mean the rest of us don’t stand a chance?”

“……”

Chi Yu smiled without responding. Ruan Feiyu always became a little shy and flustered when the conversation turned to Chi Yu.

“Xiao Rui, stop teasing me. Chi Yu and I… we’re not that kind of relationship yet.”

“Oh~ Not that kind of relationship yet~” Lu Wenrui teased.

After Lu Wenrui’s remark, both Li Tianyin and Lin Yihan turned their gazes toward them.

Even Lin Yihan, who had been sitting quietly and composed, couldn’t resist chiming in: “So, before the guests have even introduced themselves, you’re already pairing up?”

“……”

Just as the initial awkwardness was beginning to dissipate and the group was starting to joke around casually, the light and shadows at the doorway shifted.

A figure in a white dress stepped into the bright sunlight streaming through the entrance.

The soft leather heels of her shoes landed precisely on the tail end of the teasing remark, “…already pairing up?”

Every guest in the room involuntarily turned to look.

Gu Yuan, a faint smile playing on her lips, walked toward Chi Yu.

“What’s everyone chatting about with my ex-girlfriend? You all seem to be having so much fun.”