Chapter Thirty-One: How Did He Endure It?

Tang Zhichu didn’t know his own feelings? Zhou Yun believed he did. Though she hated to admit it, this guy was clever—not the naive and adorable type like Yang Jiaxing. What puzzled Zhou Yun was that aside from their initial lack of cooperation, their interactions had grown harmonious. If he truly understood, why did he go along with it?

Zhou Yun certainly didn’t believe he liked her. “Are you setting a trap for me?” she suddenly blurted.

Tang Zhichu paused, startled. “What did you say?”

Zhou Yun turned to look at him. The streetlamp cast shadows through the branches across her fair face, and suspicion and vigilance shone clearly in her wide eyes.

“Tang Zhichu, I made you climb the mountain for your own good. You need to realize your stamina is worse than a girl’s, and you should work on your fitness. Look, I didn’t even make you do the final cycling event. That’s not unreasonable, is it?” Zhou Yun would never admit to feeling guilty, but the words had to be clear. Who knew if this guy would find another opportunity to get back at her?

If you want to play games with me, fine—but there are rules to follow. Don’t overstep!

Tang Zhichu laughed, simply replying, “Help me choreograph the dance.”

...

While Tang Zhichu and Zhou Yun went on their date, the core team of “Love at First Sight” season seven gathered for a meeting. The show had encountered an unexpected crisis.

Li Hongzhou, the chief director, listened as several scriptwriters vented.

“Director Li, I’ve always said we should invite people with simple backgrounds. Young love should start uncomplicated. If we need more story, we can add other elements. I’m worried this will end up like last time.”

“Exactly, I agree. But the die is cast—we can’t just scrap everything and reshoot. Actually, I’ve been pleasantly surprised so far, but I don’t know how to wrap it up...”

“The main problem is the new guests can’t join. Can six people hold up the show? Maybe we should hurry and find replacements!”

...

The debate stemmed from the fact that the new guests—two set to move into the house within the next days—had encountered scandals. Traditionally, the show featured eight participants. Back in season four, they’d faced a similar situation.

One of the female guests had just finished filming when rumors broke that she had been the other woman in someone’s relationship. The entire team worked overtime to cut every scene involving her, leaving the show in shambles. From season four onward, “Love at First Sight” had steadily declined, losing its edge in the dating reality genre.

This season was especially tough. When they first pitched the project, the higher-ups refused to approve it. Only after Li Hongzhou lobbied tirelessly did the show get the green light.

But this season was different from the others.

Li Hongzhou reached out to several major entertainment companies, hoping to recruit their talent for the show. He needed their support—only then could the show get the go-ahead.

Thus, Chen Siyang joined the cast.

With Chen Siyang on board, they couldn’t simply choose ordinary people. So the rich second-generation Yang Jiaxing was cast, as well as Huang Zejun, the boss of a popular influencer agency, and Jiang Lan, the beautiful entrepreneur from the food industry.

And Zhou Yun? She had a special background, too.

Tang Zhichu? The same—he was recommended by DY.

Even the new arrivals had unique backgrounds.

Because of these connections, the higher-ups paid attention and ultimately decided to continue filming season seven. With these people involved, promotion would be much easier.

However, the scriptwriters faced a dilemma. Many cast members had their own agendas and requirements, and their sponsors sent representatives to review the footage. They couldn’t arrange or edit scenes arbitrarily.

This made the scriptwriters’ jobs tough, and some still felt overwhelmed.

So resentment toward Li Hongzhou simmered.

The latest blow came when the new male guest had barely been announced before scandal broke: he was a notorious womanizer, juggling several relationships.

The scriptwriters seized the opportunity to criticize Li Hongzhou.

He remained silent at first. When they finished, he finally spoke. “I know this show is difficult—so do you. If it gets canceled, I won’t mind. The higher-ups gave me two scripts to choose from, and I have backup plans, but I’m not ready to give up.”

“You know the advantages of a dating show: low cost, inherent buzz. How many shows have lasted seven seasons? Why aren’t we succeeding anymore? Have you thought about it? Are we just scared? Playing it safe?”

“When something goes wrong, everyone passes the buck and becomes more cautious. I remember it was you who suggested in season five that we pick people who’ve never been in love. What happened? Sure, it was safe, but what about the results? It was like watching schoolchildren talk about romance—I got chills. If our only goal is not to make mistakes, isn’t that setting the bar too low?”

Li Hongzhou’s sharp words silenced everyone.

He scanned the room and continued, “This season is my responsibility. I’m not panicking—why are you? Now that there’s buzz, true or not, let’s send the two new guests home. They can deal with their own issues. We’ll go ahead with six participants. Is that a problem?”

One scriptwriter said softly, “Six is manageable—there are fewer requirements.”

Another chimed in, “It’s workable. Zhou Yun has already made plans with Tang Zhichu; that’s another storyline.”

Discussion resumed.

As the debate went on, they realized their initial plan—to focus the edit on certain participants—was falling apart. They had no inspiration.

The main female was meant to be Chen Siyang. For the male, they’d originally chosen Yang Jiaxing.

Chen Siyang needed no explanation, and Yang Jiaxing had a good background and decent personality.

But Tang Zhichu had unexpectedly risen to prominence—not only growing closer to Chen Siyang, but Zhou Yun had abandoned Yang Jiaxing to connect with Tang Zhichu.

Li Hongzhou rubbed his temples, then slapped the table. “Focus more on Tang Zhichu and Chen Siyang’s storyline. Also, can any of you get Tang Zhichu to sing on the show?”

When everyone looked at him in confusion, Li Hongzhou sighed. “It baffles me—Zhou Yun isn’t beautiful? Jiang Lan isn’t attractive? And Chen Siyang made it to the trending topics just on her looks. How has he managed to avoid showcasing his talent?”

Li Hongzhou saw this as unnatural. In such an environment, a young man with singing talent should have shown off already. Even if he preferred men, there was Yang Jiaxing and Huang Zejun.

A scriptwriter interjected, “Director Li, it’s not entirely his fault. Before he could even show his talent, Chen Siyang was already taken, and Zhou Yun went after him, too. Honestly, we’re just as puzzled.”

“Don’t get me started—the camera crew have talked to me several times. They’re all jealous.”

Li Hongzhou glared at them. “Do I need your reminders? Ordinarily, I wouldn’t care if he sang or not. It’s just DY’s side is pushing hard. They have only one requirement: Tang Zhichu must sing a song on our show. Nothing’s happened yet, and they think I’m suppressing him. Why would I sabotage my own show?”

“Don’t worry, Director Li. We’ll figure something out.”