Chapter 42. A single glance could excite him. ...
The party was held in the back garden of the Heartbeat Cottage. The open green grass served as a stage, and ambient lights hung in the air, twinkling with a beautiful starlight-like glow.
The small stage has two upright microphones and two high stools, where guests can choose to sit or stand while singing. The stage backdrop reads "Heartbeat House Singing Party" in a romantic artistic font.
The backdrop is decorated with various kinds of flowers, creating a strong atmosphere for the Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day).
Several small square tables and two-seater chairs were placed below the stage, with various snacks on them. The sponsor's drinks were placed in the very center, making them particularly eye-catching.
Each square table has a nameplate with the name of the guest who will be singing a duet with that evening.
There was a circular archway at the entrance to the party, which was set up as grandly as a wedding, with a dreamy and romantic atmosphere.
It was still early before 8 p.m., but the viewers were already impatient and had gathered in the live stream room, urging the broadcast to start.
The production team notified the guests who had finished their styling to come to the back garden to prepare for their entrance.
Chu Ruofu and Li Yichen walked through the corridor together. She was wearing high heels, which made walking difficult, so she walked a little slowly. He slowed down to keep pace with her.
You look beautiful today. You resemble an elegant and charming cat.
Chu Ruofu said thank you and added, "You're handsome too."
Dating reality shows are definitely the most generous in styling their guests. The dress she wore and the suit Li Yichen wore looked very expensive, with the same texture as those worn by runway models.
Upon arriving at the entrance to the back garden, one can hear music coming from the distant lawn. The party prepared by the production team is like a small concert, or a party where a group of friends get together.
Aside from the wrap party for the film crew, Chu Ruofu had never been to such a lively occasion before, and she couldn't help but feel nervous, her eyes looking somewhat uneasy.
"Don't be nervous," Li Yichen reassured her, saying, "Just think of it as everyone getting together to have fun. You can do whatever you want and relax."
Chu Ruofu looked at him with worry and said, "I'm afraid I won't sing well."
She still lacks confidence. If she sings off-key or poorly, she might record it and broadcast it online, which would make her a laughingstock.
She also occasionally watches short videos, and sometimes she comes across disastrous performances by singers, which are then edited into funny videos by marketing accounts. Some malicious people even turn them into meme videos.
Li Yichen gently soothed her nervousness: "Believe in yourself, you can do it. I'm here with you. I taught you this afternoon. If you're nervous, just follow my rhythm, and you won't make any mistakes."
"Um."
The two walked out of the side path and headed towards the entrance arranged by the program team. Bright lights shone down, making it feel like attending a star-studded banquet. They stepped onto the red carpet and headed towards a lively party.
The live stream has started.
A couple of guests have already arrived at the party.
Song Yi and Gu Junsheng sat on either side of their square table. One wore a light apricot dress, and the other wore a white suit. The two sat in their chairs like two kings, exuding a calm and composed aura.
As soon as the couple appeared, the audience showered them with praise and excitement.
[Sister Song looks so beautiful and elegant tonight.]
The stylist for "Romantic Encounter" is amazing; they always manage to make the male and female guests look so good.
[This dual-CEO duo is amazing; they look like big shots attending a banquet.]
We're totally shipping the "One Lifetime" couple! One life, one love, one pair—let's go!
Since the show started airing, viewers have become fans of the couples they want to ship. Even if the relationship between their own couples is not very strong, it doesn't stop fans from shipping them even with a casual glance.
Song Yi and Gu Junsheng sat demurely in their chairs, neither of them using their phones, their eyes fixed on the stage ahead.
Neither of them were the type to show their feelings openly. At this moment, Song Yi was silently singing the song she had chosen in her heart. Although Gu Junsheng maintained a polite distance from her, he was very serious and responsible about the chorus competition at the party and practiced with her for a long time.
The two worked together quite well, like business partners.
The host invited by the production team announced into the microphone, "Female guest Chu Ruofu and male guest Li Yichen have entered together. Their outfits tonight are quite eye-catching..."
The camera was pointed at the entrance, and in the live stream, Chu Ruofu and Li Yichen walked slowly in.
The two looked like celebrities on the red carpet, with exquisite outfits and a unique star aura, capturing everyone's attention as soon as they appeared.
Song Yi and Gu Junsheng turned around at the same time.
Chu Ruofu wore a strapless dress, her black hair was styled into two cat ears on top of her head, revealing a beautiful face. A large bow was tied around her neck, making her look as charming and cute as a cat, so beautiful that it was hard to look away.
Beside her, Li Yichen wore a tailor-made suit, his expression relaxed and carefree, his fox-like eyes revealing pleasure, like a noble young master from a prominent family, elegant and charming.
The two arrived bathed in starlight, a perfect match.
The live stream chat was flooded with comments:
[Ahhhhhh, Fu is so beautiful, I'm drooling over the screen! [wink][wink][wink]]
Let us congratulate the newlyweds and wish them a long and happy marriage.
[Fu Mei's look tonight is absolutely the best! So creative, so incredibly beautiful, it's absolutely adorable!]
The second male lead was ecstatic; his smile never left his face, and his eyes were only for the first female lead.
Song Yi murmured, "Chu Ruofu looks so cute tonight."
Even she, a girl, couldn't help but be moved by Chu Ruofu. She was charming and adorable; who could resist smiling for her?
Song Yi couldn't help but turn to look at Gu Junsheng.
Sure enough, his attention was now entirely on Chu Ruofu. His usually indifferent gaze was now fixed on Chu Ruofu as she approached, and he didn't look away for even a second.
Song Yi sighed inwardly, feeling a mix of bitterness and envy.
Chu Ruofu's heart pounded, and with a hint of shyness on her face, she walked towards the guests' rest area.
Li Yichen leaned forward slightly, pulled out a chair for her, and said, "Sit down."
Chu Ruofu carefully sat down, and Li Yichen sat down across the table from her. Not long after they sat down, Xia Yuqing and Lu Xubai arrived.
Xia Yuqing's hair was half-tied up, her makeup was pretty and charming, exuding a mature woman's charm. She wore a light pink dress, her long legs were faintly visible under the dress, making her look hot and sexy.
Lu Xubai's black hair was neatly styled and combed back, revealing a handsome and sharp face with deep features and a cold expression.
He wore a black shirt with a few buttons undone at the collar, and a uniquely designed silver necklace that hung down to his strong, muscular chest, exuding a wild and untamed aura.
He doesn't usually dress this casually; shirts usually wrap around his tall frame like a restrained beast. Tonight, the stylist has loosened the collar that was holding the beast back, maximizing the best features of his masculine appearance.
On the contrary, Li Yichen, who usually prefers casual dressing, dressed in a formal suit to properly wrap up his flamboyant style, giving him a somewhat ascetic and libertine air.
As soon as Lu Xubai arrived at the party, his eyes fell on Chu Ruofu. Seeing her outfit tonight, he stared at her intently.
Chu Ruofu felt his burning gaze, her ears burning, and she lowered her eyelashes, not daring to meet his eyes.
Live stream chat:
Fu Mei completely captivated all the male guests.
[Lu Ge's eyes are glued to him, hehe, the Fu Bai CP is so good!]
[The third male lead's eyes looked like he wanted to devour the first female lead; I imagined some scenes, so erotic.]
[Fu Mei smells so good and is so soft, I really want to take a bite. Promise Mom you'll go back to your bedroom and sleep after singing, and don't pay any attention to these male guests. All the men outside are bad.]
Li Yichen noticed that Lu Xubai couldn't move, raised an eyebrow, and deliberately reminded him, "Attorney Lu, your seat is over there."
Xia Yuqing rubbed her forehead, somewhat helpless; she was truly at her wit's end.
She had imagined that Chu Ruofu would charm the male guest who had feelings for her, but she never expected that Lu Xubai, who was usually cold, shrewd and sharp-tongued, would be like a wolf being trained into a dog in front of Chu Ruofu.
It was as if he had seen his master once, and was ready to obey her commands at any time, even a single glance could excite him.
If she gets the chance, she'll definitely ask Chu Ruofu how she trains dogs—oops, how she trains men.
Lu Xubai ignored Li Yichen, took a long stride, and came to Chu Ruofu, exuding a strong aura of aggression.
As if his territory had been invaded, Li Yichen sat up straight abruptly, his smile fading slightly, his sharp gaze fixed on Lu Xubai's every move.
Lu Xubai's cold, hard voice was deep and slightly magnetic. His dark blue eyes were fixed on Chu Ruofu as he said, "You look very beautiful tonight."
Chu Ruofu had been praised many times tonight, but she was still a little embarrassed. Her moist lips parted slightly: "Thank you."
Lu Xubai said, "I look forward to your performance tonight. Good luck."
Xia Yuqing: "?"
Make sure you know who your teammates are.
Li Yichen's lips curled into a half-smile: "You're our opponent, cheering us on. Aren't you afraid your teammates will be hurt?"
This statement has a somewhat provocative tone.
Xia Yuqing knew that Lu Xubai was devoted to Chu Ruofu, and having seen this kind of scene many times, she was no longer angry.
Why get angry at yourself? It's just that she's unlucky to be in the same group as Lu Xubai. He was willing to lose the game just to make Chu Ruofu happy. If possible, Lu Xubai would have preferred to hand the victory directly to Chu Ruofu.
Lu Xubai glanced at Li Yichen and said coldly, "I'm cheering for Chu Ruofu, not for you."
Li Yichen laughed upon hearing this: "She and I are partners, so cheering for her is the same as cheering for me."
Just as the two were locked in a tense standoff, Qiao Yimo and Shen Wuyang came into view.
Qiao Yimo wore a bright red evening gown, looking as alluring as fire. Beside her, Shen Wuyang was dressed in a suit, the youthful boy exuding a mature charm and looking exceptionally handsome.
As the two approached, Qiao Yimo's gaze fell upon Chu Ruofu. Her lips were slightly pursed, and with her back to the camera, she looked somewhat unhappy.
The stylist did three looks for her tonight, but she wasn't satisfied with any of them. She should have just hired her own stylist for the dating show; she was determined to make her look as dazzling and radiant as if she were attending a film festival.
Seeing Chu Ruofu's distinctive look, Qiao Yimo felt even angrier. She had actually been outshone by an unknown actress in a dating reality show.
All the guests have arrived, and the singing party is about to begin.
The host made some polite remarks on stage, and under constant urging from the audience, the director had the guests draw lots to determine the order of their performances.
Actually, the director also wanted to arrange the order of the guests' appearances, but the fans and CP fans of each guest were difficult to deal with. No matter how the appearances were arranged, they would be criticized. It would be better to let the guests draw lots themselves, so that no audience would say it was unfair.
The female guests were given lots to draw.
Xia Yuqing drew the first number to go on stage, Chu Ruofu the second, Qiao Yimo the third, and Song Yi the last.
"I'm actually going to be the first one on stage." Xia Yuqing sighed inwardly as she held her draw number. Going first in the competition was not as good as going in the middle or last. Her luck was just too bad tonight.
Xia Yuqing and Lu Xubai went on stage together. The two of them adjusted the microphones on stage, while Chu Ruofu stared intently at the stage, unable to control her nervousness.
Li Yichen was used to big events; he had held concerts in stadiums with tens of thousands of people. No matter the occasion, he was always relaxed and didn't care about anything.
Seeing that Chu Ruofu was nervous, he deliberately tried to distract her: "Have you thought about what kind of reward the production team will give to the first place winner?"
Chu Ruofu turned to look at him: "No."
Li Yichen said, "The production team dressed the guests up so elaborately for this episode, so the rewards will probably be related to fashion resources."
Chu Ruofu asked in confusion, "You know?"
Li Yichen smiled and said, "I guessed."
Chu Nufu: "..."
Seeing her speechless expression, Li Yichen smiled and said, "It's pretty much true. With the popularity of dating reality shows, all the major platforms want to use the popularity to advertise and increase their brand awareness."
"Some clothing and jewelry brands will take the initiative to cooperate with the program team if they want to promote and publicize their products."
Chu Ruofu forgot her nervousness while chatting with him and didn't have time to listen to Xia Yuqing and Lu Xubai's duet; their voices became the background noise.
On stage, Lu Xubai watched Chu Ruofu chatting with Li Yichen, and the more he sang, the more uneasy he felt.
He kept his eyes on the audience and didn't interact with Xia Yuqing, while Xia Yuqing was immersed in her singing performance and didn't pay much attention to interacting with him either.
The two sang a song together, each singing their own part.
The song went by quickly, ending in just a few minutes, and the guests applauded in agreement.
Chu Ruofu quickly joined in clapping, encouraging Xia Yuqing and Lu Xubai.
The host praised the guests' performance and added some lively remarks: "The guests' group singing will be scored by the viewers in the live broadcast room. Once the score is given, it cannot be changed..."
Next, Chu Ruofu and Li Yichen went on stage to perform a duet.
Li Yichen stood up and extended his hand to Chu Ruofu in an inviting gesture. She placed her hand in his and let him lead her toward the stage.
Standing on the stage, Chu Ruofu's hands trembled slightly as she couldn't help but feel nervous.
Li Yichen gently squeezed her hand and said, "Want a candy?"
Chu Ruofu looked at him, her face showing a charming expression of someone who would eat candy on stage.
Li Yichen pulled out a box of throat lozenges from his chest, opened it, handed her one, and coaxed, "Doesn't the production team have a rule that we can't eat candy before the performance starts?"
Rules are made by people, but they are not inviolable. Within the rules, you can do anything.
Li Yichen held the candy to her lips with his long, slender fingers, and Chu Ruofu opened her mouth and took it in. Their interaction was natural and somewhat ambiguous.
The male guests in the audience looked rather unpleasant.
Chu Ruofu ate a candy; the sweet and sour throat lozenge with a floral scent dispelled her tension.
Li Yichen took the guitar from the staff, tuned the strings, sat on the high stool, bent his left foot on the crossbar under the stool, and stretched out his other long leg, getting into position.
Chu Ruofu stood in front of the microphone and adjusted the height.
The background music played throughout the night. Chu Ruofu looked at Li Yichen, who turned to her and smiled slightly, then winked.
He started by singing in a male voice, and after he finished, he looked at her with affection.
Chu Ruofu began to sing in a female voice, and her sweet and clear voice came through the microphone; her voice was extremely pleasant to listen to.
All eyes were on the two of them.
The viewers in the live stream were stunned. How could it sound so good!
Fu Mei is amazing!!!
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Author's Note: Bonus chapter is here!
Fu Mei: [cat head] Meow~
Fumei is getting better and better, and she will receive more and more resources in the future.
Thank you for your message and the nutrient solution, baby~ See you tonight.
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