Chapter 39: A Rose-Colored Entrance

The official Weibo account hadn’t announced who the mysterious guest star would be, only teasing that it was a surprise and to stay tuned.

Fans were anxious and conflicted. On one hand, they worried a newcomer would disrupt the balance and break apart their favorite “CPs” (couples). On the other hand, they loved watching dramatic love triangles and two men fighting over one woman.

As a result, they began wildly guessing, wishing for the celebrities they wanted to see. Naturally, some people mentioned Pei Liu.

“I want to see the great beauty! It would be such a waste of Pei Liu’s stunning looks not to be on a dating show. I’d watch the hell out of it!”

“Who could pair up with him? I can’t quite picture it.”

“I ship him with everyone! As long as it’s Pei Liu and the partner is good-looking, I’m okay with anyone pairing up with him. Hehehe.”

“Holy crap, I just thought of some indescribable things. My brain is racing at 300 mph.”

“What’s the use of just thinking? Write it out if you have the guts! Handing a pen to the boss.”

The likes piled up, and the discussion thread grew taller and taller.

However, they didn’t have to agonize and guess for long. This dating show was filmed in a semi-live format, giving viewers an immersive experience of watching the romance unfold in real-time. They could directly see the guests’ emotional progress and vote for them, electing the most popular CP.

Pei Liu received the notice, packed his luggage, and prepared to set off.

Heartthrob You was a celebrity dating and social reality show. Each season, three men and three women were invited to move into an exquisite house and live together for a month, sparking chemistry. In the early stages, everyone was in a probing phase, and mutual inclinations were relatively ambiguous. In the middle stages, as connections slowly formed but remained unclear, the production team would introduce a guest star as a catalyst—like adding accelerant to a fire to make them burn even fiercer.

Pei Liu was this accelerant, tasked with bringing more sweetness and excitement to the audience.

The show didn’t have a detailed script; it only observed the guests’ development and issued tasks to push things forward. There was no requirement for the guest star to form a CP, but naturally, if a romance that the public loved blossomed, the production team would be more than happy to see it happen.

A pair of long legs stepped out of the car and onto the ground. One hand pushed a suitcase; the other held a bouquet of flowers.

Vibrant pink roses—layered and beautiful, the color shifting from light at the center to dark at the petal tips—brought joy to anyone who saw them, evoking memories of a beautiful first love.

“Wow, my heart fluttered! The new guest has beautiful hands; he must be super good-looking.”

“Giving flowers right off the bat, he knows exactly what he’s doing! My heart is pounding. If I were a female guest, I definitely couldn’t resist. The male guests are done for; it’s a major crisis.”

“The language of pink roses is ‘a beautiful encounter.’ He’s silently sending signals~”

“Who is it? Who is it? Let me see his face!”

The tall, straight figure entered the main gate, changed into slippers at the entryway, and pushed open the door.

Instantly, the female guests in the living room who heard the noise all looked over.

A fair, beautiful young man stood at the door. With an upright posture, narrow waist, and long legs, he held a bouquet of pink roses. He smiled somewhat shyly and greeted them: “Good morning, I’m the new guest, Pei Liu.”

Generally, people are easily outshone by fresh flowers, but he wasn’t. The pink roses merely served as an embellishment, making him even more dazzling.

“Ahhhhhhh! It really is Pei Liu! I’m so excited I could fly into the sky!”

“How can he smile like that? Does he know how seductive he is?”

“I’m sorry, Yi Yang, I’ve jumped ship. Loving a new one the moment I see him—that’s me.”

“A critical hit right at his entrance! If he appeared in front of me like this, I’d already have names picked out for our children!”

The female guests were all celebrities; having seen plenty of good-looking people, they weren’t as excited as the netizens. But they were still touched by this scene.

The lighting, the smile, the bouquet—everything was so perfect, striking right at a young girl’s heart.

The female guest with the bun was the first to react, smiling to reveal small dimples: “Welcome to our new housemate!”

The female guest with curly hair smiled gently: “Welcome, Pei Liu. Do you need any help?”

The female guest with short hair seemed a bit cold, but she also smiled politely and greeted him.

Pei Liu walked into the house, pushed his suitcase against the wall, and handed over the bouquet: “This is for everyone, a small greeting gift.”

The female guest with the bun graciously took it: “You really know how to do this. The house was just lacking a bit of floral decoration, and none of us thought of it before. I like pink flowers the most. What a wonderful surprise!”

Saying that, she naturally lowered her head to sniff the pink roses, the flowers hiding her chin and making her face look delicate.

“So it’s for everyone. I thought he was going to give it to a specific female guest right away and start a love triangle.”

“That would be too greasy. This is perfect—pure, yet a bit ambiguous. The atmosphere is amazing.”

“Keke took the flowers and said she really liked them. Does she have feelings for Pei Liu?”

“Sweet girl X Sweet Liu, a double-sweet combo, I’m here for it!”

“He didn’t specifically give the flowers to anyone, but this move has maxed out the crisis feeling. The love triangle is arriving shortly, hehehe.”

The female guests showed Pei Liu around the house to familiarize him with the environment.

Actually, buying flowers wasn’t his idea.

Before coming, the production team approached him and suggested giving flowers as a way to easily leave a good first impression on the female guests, which would be very helpful for his future tasks.

Otherwise, he really wouldn’t have thought of it. He had watched the episodes of this season that had already aired to get a brief understanding of the other guests.

The female guest with the bun was Ling Ke, a host. She was sweet, cute, and had high emotional intelligence. With her around, there would be no awkward silences.

The female guest with curly hair was Zhao Wen, an actress. Gentle and quiet, with a great temper, she had played various roles and was a chameleon actress who embodied whoever she played.

The female guest with short hair was Yan Xuehui, a singer. She gave off a mature, older-sister vibe, was somewhat assertive, and her voice was powerful and highly infectious.

They were all different types, clearly carefully selected by the production team.

As Ling Ke showed him around, they naturally encountered the others.

In the kitchen, two male guests were preparing lunch.

One was tall, sturdy, and rugged, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. His rolled-up sleeves revealed prominent forearm muscles as he skillfully sliced fish with a knife.

This was Zhou Fei, a national athlete who had won an Olympic gold medal in swimming.

The blonde guy washing vegetables beside him was Tan Yiyang. Very young and full of vitality, he looked like a student but was actually a professional esports player, the highly accomplished God K.

A masculine tough guy and a young “wolf dog”—also very popular types.

At the sound of Ling Ke’s voice, Tan Yiyang looked up, his little canine teeth faintly visible: “Are you hungry? It’ll be ready soon.”

“I’m showing the new guest around the house. He’s Pei Liu.” Ling Ke shook her head, introduced them, then rested her hands on the edge of the kitchen counter and peeked into the pot. “Smells so good. What are you making? Just smelling it makes me hungry.”

Zhou Fei was very focused, slicing the fish evenly. Without stopping his movements or looking up, he said: “Making boiled fish.”

Hearing this, Pei Liu understood.

He had watched the previous live broadcasts, and Zhao Wen had mentioned she liked boiled fish. Many small details also showed that Zhou Fei liked Zhao Wen.

He didn’t expect to be fed a sweet moment right upon arriving. Pei Liu couldn’t help but purse his lips. A tough guy showing tenderness, acting rather than just talking—this contrast really struck a chord.

The show was only halfway through, and there were no definite CPs yet, only ambiguous emotional connections.

The tough guy liked the gentle girl, and the gentle girl seemed to have some feelings for him too, but wasn’t proactive. The young “wolf dog” liked the older sister, but she felt the age gap was too big and leaned more toward the tough guy.

The sweet girl liked the third, aloof male guest, but he showed no intention of dating whatsoever, acting entirely unlike someone on a dating show.

Looking at the group, Pei Liu felt his role as a tool even more keenly. It was time to give them a little excitement.

Pei Liu was feeling a bit eager to try.

Tan Yiyang asked: “Is there anything you don’t eat?”

Pei Liu shook his head: “I’m not picky. Oh, right, I like eating shrimp.”

Tan Yiyang, who was washing his hands, suddenly looked up at him, instinctively repeating: “You like eating shrimp?”

“Hahahaha, Xuehui also likes eating shrimp.”

“Yiyang: Alert.jpg”

“Liu-liu is definitely doing this on purpose. So mean, but I like it.”

“He’s anxious, he’s anxious! I love watching plots like this, hehe.”

Ling Ke offered to help, but they both said it wasn’t necessary. So she said: “Then I’ll take Pei Liu to his room. It’s on the right, correct?”

“Yeah, I’m rooming with Brother Fei, so Brother Qin’s room has a spare bed.”

Ling Ke smiled. She had a reason to go to Qin Wu’s room. Even though she wouldn’t go in, they would have some interaction, which put her in a good mood.

She led Pei Liu out of the kitchen and was about to get his luggage when unexpectedly, footsteps sounded from upstairs.

A man wearing a black shirt walked down. His face was cold, his eyebrows dark and sharp, exuding an aura that said “keep away.”

This was the only male guest Pei Liu hadn’t met yet: Qin Wu.

Ling Ke looked up at the sound, paused, and asked with concern: “Qin Wu, are you feeling unwell? You look a bit pale.”

Moreover, he felt even colder. As he walked down step by step, the oppressive feeling was intense. She almost didn’t dare speak.

Qin Wu had been cold and uncooperative before, but today he was even more… she didn’t know how to describe it, but her feminine intuition and professional sharpness told her something was different.

Pei Liu also looked over. Indeed, he was overly pale, a sickly pallor as if he hadn’t seen the sun, not looking healthy.

Since Pei Liu’s own health was poor, he naturally cared about others in similar situations and offered: “Do you have a headache? I brought some everyday medicines.”

“I just didn’t sleep well, it’s nothing.”

His voice was very magnetic, making one’s ears itch.

Pei Liu tilted his head and rubbed his ear. For a moment, he didn’t notice that while Qin Wu spoke, his gaze fell squarely on him, profound and dark.

Ling Ke introduced Pei Liu, saying he might be sharing a room with Qin Wu.

Qin Wu slightly raised his eyelids, gave a “hmm,” and didn’t show much reaction.

It was a bit cold, but Ling Ke felt it was normal. After all, this young Best Actor had always had this temperament. Aside from acting, he wasn’t interested in anything. But this was also one of his charms, so…

“Where’s the luggage?” Qin Wu looked at Pei Liu and asked.

Pei Liu was slightly taken aback, instinctively pointed, and replied: “Over there.”

Seeing Qin Wu walk over, Pei Liu hurried to follow: “No need, no need, I can do it myself.”

Just as he reached out to grab it, Pei Liu was horrified to discover a ghost clinging to the suitcase, its features misaligned and its fingernails pitch black.

His movements froze, naturally making him a step too slow.

Qin Wu effortlessly lifted the suitcase and walked upstairs. The ghost just fell off, tumbling a couple of times on the floor. This scene inexplicably resembled parents riding a bike away, unaware they had dropped their child.

What’s more, the ghost simply vanished just like that.

Pei Liu was completely baffled.

Ling Ke also watched Qin Wu’s back in confusion.

Had Qin Wu ever been so proactive in helping someone before?

“Is this still the dog-like man I know?”

“If Pei Liu wasn’t a guy, I would have thought Qin Wu liked him.”

“Guys can like guys too, hehe. Secretly shipping this.”

“It’s just politeness, stop overthinking.”

“He certainly didn’t help the other female guests with their luggage before.”

“That’s because Zhou Fei was being very manly and took both large suitcases. Qin Wu was getting ready to help then too.”

Pei Liu followed Qin Wu upstairs and into the room, unable to resist stealing glances at him.

After all, he had just watched a ghost reach out toward Qin Wu, only to suddenly fall backward as if burned and vanish.

Qin Wu put down the suitcase and looked at the bunk bed. He was already sleeping on the bottom bunk, so he asked: “You’ll sleep on top, is that okay?”

Pei Liu nodded: “I’m fine with whatever.”

After that, silence fell. It was their first time meeting, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward. Pei Liu also had something he wanted to ask Zhao Hai, so he ducked into the bathroom.

He asked Zhao Hai if there were people whom ghosts would avoid out of fear. He didn’t say who it was, only briefly describing the situation.

Zhao Hai: “It could be because that person’s yang energy is very strong, like a ball of fire, so ghosts can’t easily get close. If they touch it, they’ll get burned.”

Hearing this, Pei Liu felt very envious.

Zhao Hai suggested: “You can try getting closer to him to rub off some yang energy, and the ghosts will stay further away from you too.”

Pei Liu was tempted and nodded, though they weren’t close, so he couldn’t exactly stick to him all the time.

After a while.

Pei Liu walked out of the bathroom. Qin Wu was still in the room, sitting with his head down looking at his phone. Pei Liu went up to remind him: “Tan Yiyang just said we can eat soon, let’s go downstairs.”

Qin Wu gave a flat “hmm.” As he stood up, a silver chain slipped out from his shirt collar, the pendant swaying in the air, drawing a beautiful arc.

Pei Liu was instinctively drawn to it and looked over, somewhat surprised: “Is this a Buddha statue?”

The pendant looked like a miniature deity statue. Even with just a glance, one could see the carving was exquisite, the textures and details lifelike. However, the deity’s facial features were indiscernible.

Qin Wu: “No.”

After denying it, he glanced at Pei Liu and added: “It’s a deity statue, worn to ward off evil.”

Pei Liu couldn’t help but look at it a few more times. In the past, he definitely wouldn’t have believed in such things and wouldn’t have cared, but now it was different. If there was something that could keep ghosts away from him, of course he wanted it very much.

Qin Wu asked: “Do you want it?”

Pei Liu forced himself to retract his gaze and said politely: “A little bit. Is this deity statue effective? May I ask where you can buy it?”

“Hahahaha, Liu-liu filmed a paranormal variety show and got traumatized.”
“Asking directly if he wants it—as expected of you, Qin the straight man.”
“I’m reporting this; someone here is promoting feudal superstition.”
“That longing little gaze… Qin Wu, I command you, give it to him immediately! Give him whatever he wants!”
“Did I walk into the wrong place? Why has this turned into a livestream selling goods? Great Best Actor, where is your prestige?”

Qin Wu didn’t answer. He took off the necklace directly: “You can’t buy it. I’ll give this to you.”

Pei Liu was surprised and hurriedly waved his hands: “No need…”

Qin Wu lifted his eyelids to look at him, his gaze profound, as if able to pierce through skin and flesh straight to the depths of his soul: “Didn’t you need it?”

Then, with an almost irresistible force, he placed the necklace around Pei Liu’s neck.

Because his hands had to go behind Pei Liu’s neck, it looked as if he were pulling him into an embrace.

“Oh oh oh oh! What is happening?! The atmosphere is exploding!”
“Qin Wu must have watched Pei Liu’s show, knew he was afraid of ghosts, and that’s why he gave it to him, right? So considerate. I’m shipping this beautiful brotherhood.”
“Yes, yes, yes, socialist brotherhood. We all understand, say no more, say no more.”

Pei Liu had no idea what the bullet comments were saying. Before he could refuse, the necklace was already on.

When the deity statue touched his skin, it was a bit cold, making him shiver involuntarily.

Looking up, he saw Qin Wu smiling at him, seemingly in a good mood.

Under these circumstances, Pei Liu felt he couldn’t say no again. He pinched the small deity statue and said very earnestly: “Thank you.”

He felt that Qin Wu’s personality seemed a bit forceful, but his intentions were good. This deity statue couldn’t be cheap; he would definitely have to return a gift of equal value later.