Chapter 34 Whose Advantage Is It? It's Here for You

Sitting in the control room, Director Wang looked at the real-time number of viewers displayed on the screen and was so happy he could hardly see.

This immense wealth has finally come to him, Mr. Wang.

The control room was filled with joy, but the observation room was completely silent.

The host tried to smooth things over, but Professor Qi had already spoken, his tone gentle and reassuring.

"Mr. Zhou, the show is wonderful, but it's only just begun. Why don't you sit down first?"

Zhou Cuo looked at Professor Qi, his eyes still churning with hidden emotions.

Professor Qi seemed oblivious to these emotions, saying, "Besides, while we are observing others, we also become the objects of observation, don't we?"

[What's going on here? Why is everyone standing?]

[Mr. Zhou stood up when Professor Qi arrived, perhaps as a gesture of welcome?]

[I noticed someone suddenly stood up when Teacher Jiang appeared. Did they know Teacher Jiang?]

Zhou Cuo knew the live stream had started, and Professor Qi's words were tantamount to telling him that he had already revealed too much.

Within seconds, Zhou Cuo suppressed the mixed emotions of shock, anger, and humiliation and pulled the chair back from its sliding position.

He took a deep breath before speaking, "Professor Qi is right. As the observers, we should indeed remain calm."

After speaking, he straightened his cuffs, sat steadily in the chair, placed his hands folded on the table, and regained his calm and rational demeanor.

But his slightly tense body was telling us that these emotions hadn't disappeared; they were just waiting for the next outburst.

This is just the beginning.

Zhou Cuo looked at Jiang Xinglan on the screen and Shen Yuheng on another screen.

At least here, he could observe Jiang Xinglan's every move, as well as Shen Yuheng's actions.

The advantage lies with him, doesn't it?

At this moment, Shen Yuheng also came to the familiar table.

Shen Yuheng glanced at the table and picked up the test tube without hesitation. "I choose this one."

[Tsk tsk tsk, it's so obvious, brother!]

[If an actor goes on a dating reality show, how can they possibly serve the plot in the future!]

[What's it to you? Mind your own business!]

"Please wait a moment," the staff member said.

[Wait a minute, didn't another man just choose IVF?]

[I hope my brother won't be able to see Teacher Jiang again!]

Jiang Xinglan was led to an empty room with an electronic display screen inside. "Please rest for a while. You may have to answer a few questions in a moment."

Jiang Xinglan sat down, completely bewildered. Was this the filming process?

The screen lit up shortly afterward:

Please make the choice that suits your preferences:

Sunglasses or a pen?

"Didn't we just make the selection?" Jiang Xinglan leaned back in her chair, looking coldly at the camera.

Are you sure you want to stick with the fountain pen option?

Jiang Xinglan hummed in agreement; at this point, she already sensed that something was amiss.

Many fragments flashed through her mind—Ms. Lin's ambiguous answers to questions;

Ms. Lin's unexpected visit;

The suitcase I was asked to bring when I went out;

And the nervousness in the tone of the staff member who had just guided us.

A very bold idea flashed through her mind.

Jiang Xinglan looked directly at the camera again, "Directors, is this the recording location?"

This time, the screen didn't change, and Jiang Xinglan got up to leave the room.

[Teacher Jiang looks so handsome with a cold expression!]

[Doesn't Teacher Jiang know this is the recording venue?]

[What's going on?!]

The door opened, and the girl who had led the way spoke with even greater nervousness, "Teacher Jiang... I'll take you to our destination."

Jiang Xinglan smiled; this reaction basically confirmed her guess.

She nodded slightly. "Okay, thank you."

[This woman is amazing!]

[No wonder my brother likes her; that smile, that looks, that intelligence—who could resist!]

Jiang Xinglan was led to the greenhouse, and her initial suspicions wavered when she saw the people inside.

Why is Jiang Yunye here?

[Not Yu Ge, disappointing!]

Jiang Yunye, who was leisurely swaying in a rattan swing chair, paused when he saw Jiang Xinglan. "What are you doing here?"

"You're here to participate in the program, but what are you doing here? Are you here to inspect the place?" Jiang Xinglan walked into the greenhouse and sat on the wicker chair.

[What's going on? Do these two people know each other?]

[To be honest, the handsome men and beautiful women were a real treat for my eyes!]

“Yeah, today—” Jiang Yunye wanted to say that the show was starting today, so he came to watch and take the opportunity to make a sarcastic remark about Shen Yuheng.

But before he could finish speaking, he belatedly realized what Jiang Xinglan had said.

His movements were a little stiff. "Participate in a program?"

“Hmm,” Jiang Xinglan nodded, “I was originally an observer, but now I’m not sure.”

Jiang Yunye frowned. "How come I didn't know about this?"

Jiang Xinglan raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Assistant Chen tell you?"

“No,” Jiang Yunye shook his head, but he still didn’t understand. “Then what are you doing here? This isn’t an observation room.”

Just then, the director team's voices blared from a retro loudspeaker in the greenhouse, their gloating undisguised.

"Ding dong! Congratulations to our first couple for successfully matching! It seems that fate can sometimes be a bit unreliable~ But anyway, now, please enjoy your romantic first encounter~ The getting-to-know-you session officially begins~"

After the broadcast ended, the greenhouse fell into a deathly silence.

Jiang Yunye and Jiang Xinglan looked at each other, one looking as if struck by lightning, while the other's doubts had vanished, replaced by complete understanding.

Jiang Yunye remained silent for five seconds before looking at the camera, pointing to himself, and asking in disbelief, "A guest?"

After saying that, he looked at Jiang Xinglan again, "With her? Successfully matched?"

[To be honest, these two have amazing chemistry.]

[Haven't you noticed how similar these two people look?]

[I sense there's more to this than meets the eye, but that doesn't stop me from laughing out loud! Hahahaha~]

[I came here because I've heard so much about him, and I rarely see this kind of expression on Teacher Jiang's face! I've already taken a screenshot!]

"Are you kidding me? This is my sister!"

The previously exuberant barrage of comments seems to have been paused.

[!? What the heck! Siblings?!]

[Hahaha, I can't stop laughing! What do you do when you're matched with your own brother/sister on a dating reality show?!]

[This show is going all out? I love it!]

Jiang Xinglan rubbed her temples; this was utterly absurd.

Not only did she inexplicably go from being an observer to a guest on the show, but she also managed to be matched with her own brother on a dating reality show.

Jiang Yunye still couldn't accept that he was a guest, so he sat down in another rattan chair and asked, "What's going on?"

Jiang Xinglan told him her speculation.

"So Mom made this?" Jiang Yunye asked incredulously. "Dad agreed to it too?"

Jiang Xinglan looked at Jiang Yunye without saying anything.

“Okay, Dad agrees.” Jiang Yunye accepted the answer in a second.

[Haha, it seems the uncle really loves his wife!]

[I was terrified! I thought it was a love rival, but it turned out to be my brother-in-law!]

[How much did you drink to get this drunk!]

Meanwhile, Jiang Xinglan was pondering her next move.

My plans were completely disrupted.

She had originally come to confirm her feelings for Shen Yuheng, but now she had gone from being the observer to being observed.

She also took out her phone from her bag, wondering whether she should explain things to Shen Yuheng.

But in what capacity? Jiang Xinglan felt a little annoyed, as her position was neither legitimate nor proper.

At that moment, a voice came from the loudspeaker again, "Sorry, during the recording of the program, you can only use the mobile phones provided by the production team!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a smart robot delivered two mobile phones.

[The other guests all came with their new phones, but these two were tricked into coming, so they have to change them now!]

[How could these siblings be so pitiful!]

[Auntie is definitely superior; one is a company president, the other a research genius, but Auntie has him completely under her thumb!]

[Auntie: I'm just an ordinary, unremarkable genius at pressuring people to get married!]

Ms. Lin Zhi, who was watching the live stream at home, saw this comment, nodded in satisfaction, and sent a message to Jiang Yunye.

"Since you're here, make the best of it. Since you two are participating, enjoy the experience. Who knows, you might meet someone you like?"

"At worst, just consider it making friends. Don't think about quitting the recording."

"Otherwise, you should just go on blind dates like that kid Cheng Rui!"

Jiang Yunye handed the phone to Jiang Xinglan.

The idea that the two had just begun to have was rejected by their mother.

After reading it, the two looked at each other and leaned back in their wicker chairs.

But Jiang Yunye suddenly straightened up again, "No wonder!"

Jiang Xinglan looked at him upon hearing this, "No wonder?"

Jiang Yunye looked at his younger sister with a complicated expression.

Fate is cruel!

---

"Sorry, the female guest whose representative is a test tube has already been successfully paired. Please make your selection again."

Shen Yuheng's heart tightened. "I abstain."

"Are you sure?" the staff member said. "This might mean you won't receive any text messages on the first night."

“I’m sure.” Shen Yuheng nodded.

[Brother, it's okay, I've checked! Don't worry!]

[Tsk, doesn't this count as solid proof that Shen Yuheng likes Jiang Xinglan?]

[Jiang Xinglan, right? I'll remember you!]

However, this comment was quickly buried in the barrage of comments and went unnoticed.

When Shen Yuheng entered the living room of the small house to wait, there was already a female guest there.

"Hello, my name is Su Wanqing." Su Wanqing extended her hand gracefully.

"Hello, Shen Yuheng." Shen Yuheng merely gave a perfunctory handshake and nodded as a greeting.

Su Wanqing smiled and said, "Please sit down. The others may need some more time."

These words were like a knife, piercing Shen Yuheng's heart without him even realizing it.

How long has it been since he felt this kind of panic?

About half an hour later.

People gradually entered the living room.

Jiang Xinglan and Jiang Yunye were the last group to arrive. When her gaze fell on Shen Yuheng, she was stunned for a moment.

[It's here! It's here! The meeting of the century!!]

[But I don't think the atmosphere was very harmonious.]

[Help! Can anyone break this awkward silence?]

The broadcast sounded again, and to everyone, it was nothing short of heavenly music.

"First of all, congratulations on gathering at the cabin. You will spend the next 21 days together here. During this period, there will be no staff members, and all tasks will be communicated via text message."

"You can assign your own rooms in the cabin, and you are welcome to explore other areas as well."

"Finally, I hope everyone can find their own heartbeat here."

"I forgot to mention, there are some rules in the cabin, please abide by them!"

This time, the radio really went offline, and the living room fell silent once again.

"Let me introduce myself first!" Jiang Yunye broke the silence. "Jiang Yunye, male, 29 years old."

"Jiang Xinglan, female, 29 years old," Jiang Xinglan continued.

"So, who are you two?" A calm-looking man looked at the two men's somewhat similar faces and asked.

“Brother and sister,” Jiang Yunye said.

"Wen Jingshu, 30 years old."

"Qin Mo, 30 years old."

"Su Wanqing, 29 years old."

"Lu Jingchen, 31 years old."

"Gu Qinghe, 28 years old." It was the gentle-looking man from before.

“Shen Yuheng, 27 years old.” As Shen Yuheng said this, he kept looking at Jiang Xinglan. She glanced at him very quickly and then showed no further reaction.

That panic was amplified to an infinite degree at this moment.

When he saw the list, he felt there must be some misunderstanding, so he asked Brother Wei to inquire about it.

Sure enough, she was initially on the list of observers, but for some reason, she ended up being a guest on the show.

Due to the program's confidentiality requirements, he could not reveal his participation in the program to anyone.

I wonder if she will misunderstand because of this.

Shen Yuheng felt he had to find an opportunity to explain.

While they were introducing themselves, Jiang Yunye went to get the rules of the cabin and quickly read them through.

1. Do not reveal your occupation on the first night;

2. Please prepare your own meals in the cabin; some ingredients may be provided by the production team.

3. You must send an anonymous text message to a member of the opposite sex every night;

4. During the recording of the program, you may not contact the guests directly by mobile phone, and you may not inquire about the other guests from the outside world;

5. You cannot confess your feelings privately before the last day of the show. However, the show has a "heartbeat" segment. If you have already decided that it is "the one", then bravely write down "the one"'s name and put it in the mailbox. The production team will arrange a private date for you.

"Does anyone have any objections?" Jiang Yunye asked, like a boss presiding over a meeting.

Seeing that everyone was shaking their heads, Jiang Yunye made a decisive decision: "Alright, let's divide the rooms. The second floor is for the girls, and the third floor is for the boys. After we're all settled, we can discuss dinner."

So the eight people immediately sprang into action.

Shen Yuheng wanted to get closer, but someone beat him to it.

"Teacher Jiang, I've heard so much about you." Su Wanqing approached Jiang Xinglan.

"Hello." Jiang Xinglan nodded politely.

“I had the privilege of attending your lecture before, and I benefited greatly from it,” Su Wanqing explained.

"I'm glad I could help you," Jiang Xinglan said with a distant smile. "But let's divide the rooms first."

Shen Yuheng had been watching Jiang Xinglan closely. When he saw her about to pick up her suitcase, he was about to step forward when Jiang Yunye beat him to it.

"I'll take it up for you." Jiang Yunye grabbed the box.

"Don't you have any luggage?" Jiang Xinglan asked.

Jiang Yunye said quietly, "No."

His eyes seemed to be accusing his mother of completely forgetting to prepare a suitcase for him too!

However, at that moment, the announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Mr. Jiang Yunye, your luggage has been delivered to the villa entrance."

“Alright, go get yours,” Jiang Xinglan took the luggage from his hands again. “There’s not much stuff inside, I can manage by myself.”

Shen Yuheng thought he finally had a chance this time.

As a result, Jiang Xinglan easily carried the suitcase upstairs.

Shen Yuheng watched her disappear around the corner of the stairs. Fortunately, there were still 21 days left.

[What should I do? I feel sorry for my brother.]

[Not only that, I think Teacher Jiang looks so cool carrying the suitcase with one hand!]

[Sorry, I really want to laugh, hahaha!]

Meanwhile, Wei Yu, who was also watching, felt a sense of déjà vu about the situation.

---

On the other side, in the observation room.

Zhou Cuo's mood had calmed down a lot, especially after seeing how Jiang Xinglan and Shen Yuheng were getting along, which wasn't as close as she had imagined.

I felt extremely relaxed and happy.

Professor Qi glanced at Zhou Cuo's lips without batting an eye and asked, "Among our guests, is there anyone Mr. Zhou knows?"

When Zhou Cuo looked at Professor Qi, he had already made up his mind. "Indeed, I am quite familiar with Yun Ye."

[Are you only close to my brother? I don't believe it!]

[Don't believe me? +1. Look at their initial behavior; they clearly recognized Teacher Jiang!]

[Oh my god! Teacher, you're a true microscopic observer of the Chinese entertainment industry!]

[What happened again?]

[Based on the available information: We know Zhou Cuo knows Jiang Yunye, so we can infer he knows Jiang Xinglan. Jiang Xinglan was initially a guest in the observation room. Considering Zhou Cuo's initial behavior, could he also be here for Jiang Xinglan?]

[Could this be my brother's love rival?]

[Stop talking about your brother! At least President Zhou and Teacher Jiang are childhood sweethearts, while your brother hasn't even said a single word to Teacher Jiang yet!]

[So what! At least my brother gets to spend all his time with Teacher Jiang, while your CEO Zhou can only sit and watch!]

For no apparent reason, the two sides started arguing.

The guests in the observation room would occasionally glance at the comments, and seeing this, the host asked, "Did Mr. Zhou really grow up with Jiang Yunye and his sister?"

This was the truth, and there was nothing to hide, so Zhou Cuo nodded.

#Shen Yuheng Jiang Xinglan Zhou Cuo# has topped the trending topics list again.

Zhou Cuo, a rising star in the business world who has frequently appeared in financial news in recent years, has attracted a group of fans with his good looks and temperament.

These people saw Zhou Cuo's name on the trending topics list and wondered what had happened, but they didn't expect it to be a clip from a dating reality show.

After they clicked in and watched it, they came out and started cheering on their own family members.

Needless to say, Hengxing was fine as long as neither of us mentioned it, and we could all just enjoy the show without any problems.

But since you started this, don't blame us for being impolite!

They gained control of the discourse effortlessly.

So this topic turned into a discussion about promoting the pairing of Shen Yuheng and Jiang Xinglan.

A passerby clicked in with a puzzled look, and then watched the dating reality show with great curiosity.

At this moment, everyone was being assigned rooms.

Since there were plenty of rooms, it didn't take much effort.

Jiang Xinglan didn't have any particular requirements, so she just randomly chose one.

After entering, Jiang Xinglan looked around and frowned at the room full of cameras. For some reason, she felt that her privacy had been violated.

She felt a little better after covering herself with several towels from the bathroom.

Only now could she calm down and think about everything that had happened that day.

Participating in a dating reality show has become an unchangeable fact.

Jiang Xinglan sat down on the sofa in her room and took a deep breath, wondering how many people she would be staring at on her way to the lab tomorrow.

But what bothered her even more was Shen Yuheng.

Jiang Xinglan knew that the guest list for this variety show recording was confidential, so she didn't ask. To be more precise, she didn't expect Shen Yuheng to come back.

She had considered telling him that she was just an observer, but the thought only lasted a second before she dismissed it.

She felt there was no need for it.

But honestly, she was having a hard time dealing with the series of unexpected situations.

She began to systematically review every detail of her time with Shen Yuheng.

Having dinner together? Within the scope of friends.

Celebrating birthdays together? Within the scope of friends.

Going to watch a friend's movie to show support? This falls under the category of friends, but it can also be categorized as a profession.

Am I overthinking things? Is my feeling for Shen Yuheng just a friendship that's a little deeper than that of ordinary friends?

But this conclusion is far from sufficient to explain her irritability.

She took out her phone to call Su Wan, but then remembered that she had already handed it in.

"Never mind, let's tidy up the room first." Jiang Xinglan opened her suitcase and quickly arranged the items inside according to her own habits.

Jiang Xinglan turned on her computer, logged into her email, and wanted to send an email to Su Wan to ask her about it.

However, I saw an unread email, a reply from the editor of a top-tier magazine.

Jiang Xinglan clicked to view.

After the peer review was completed, they were asked to repeat the experiment.

The explanation given is that the current batch of reagents has defects, and new data needs to be resubmitted to ensure the accuracy of the data.

Jiang Xinglan locked the computer, lifted the towel, and said in an unquestionable tone, "Director, I need to use my phone to communicate with my experimental team."

She nodded when she saw the camera, then opened the door and went downstairs.

[Help! Beauty overload!!]

[Oh no, I'm starting to envy the students at Peking University; they actually get to take Professor Jiang's class.]

[This teacher's execution is amazing!]

The men preparing dinner in the kitchen didn't even glance at Jiang Xinglan before leaving the villa.

The phone rang the moment I got it; it was Su Wan.

Jiang Xinglan answered the call, turned around and went into the house, stopping at the entrance.

"You're not watching a live stream, are you?" Jiang Xinglan asked.

“Yes,” Su Wan said, her tone questioning. “Weren’t you supposed to be an observer? How did you become a guest on the show?”

"I'll talk to you later, I'm going back to my room first," Jiang Xinglan instructed.

"Are we going to eat soon?" Jiang Yunye called out to Jiang Xinglan, who was about to go upstairs.

"I won't..." Jiang Xinglan suddenly realized that this was a live broadcast and Ms. Lin might be watching, so she quickly changed her mind, "I'm going upstairs to take care of something, I'll come down to eat in a bit."

"Alright, go ahead and say it." Jiang Xinglan sat in front of the computer and opened the reagent's official website.

"Should I have everyone return to the lab tomorrow?"

"No need for that. Order a batch of the reagents mentioned in the email first, and then order another batch for our use," Jiang Xinglan said unhurriedly. "We'll talk about it when the reagents arrive."

"So, are you coming to the lab tomorrow?" Su Wan asked.

“Okay, let’s go and check if there’s anything wrong with the equipment. We can take this time to do some maintenance,” Jiang Xinglan said. “I can go by myself.”

"Are you not recording that variety show anymore?" Su Wan teased.

"I can't just abandon my work because of this, but since we're on the topic, I have a question for you."

"Go ahead and ask."

"Wait me a moment."

Jiang Xinglan got up and looked at all the cameras. Based on her knowledge of camera equipment, only the most important one had a recording function, so she found the power button and pressed it directly.

"Since you watched the show, you should know that Shen Yuheng also participated, right?" Jiang Xinglan asked, leaning back on the sofa.

At that moment, all viewers of the program received a notification:

To ensure a positive experience for our guests, please refrain from revealing any outside information about the program to them. Thank you for your cooperation!

Su Wan looked at the prompt, swallowed the words she was about to say, and simply hummed in agreement.

“I wanted to ask,” Jiang Xinglan paused, as if searching for a suitable description, “why I feel so irritated when I see him.”

Su Wan really wanted to tell her that Shen Yuheng went there for her!

However, because of the prompt in the lower left corner, she chose a different answer:

"Perhaps, like you, he has a reason to go?"