Chapter 243

"Cut! Great job, everyone. That wraps up today's shooting."

The crew of We Are In Love director Hou Lun nodded in satisfaction.

Today's shoot went smoothly; after four consecutive days of filming, they finally accumulated two episodes.

This was precisely what Cheng Chen had specifically requested beforehand, and fortunately, the celebrities' schedules were flexible.

Or rather, after the first episode aired, the audience's enthusiastic response exceeded their expectations.

This made them take greater seriously this program.

Leaving aside other matters, the one who felt it most deeply after the first episode was Xu Cainv.

The film she had previously stalled due to funding issues suddenly attracted two investment companies seeking collaboration.

This certainly surpassed her expectations; as for Huang Xiaoming and Deng Chao, their exposure increased to varying degrees.

Even Ceng Li, a minor figure in the entertainment circle, became known to more people after the first episode aired.

Already, one company has approached her, hoping she'll endorse their product.

As for Zhi Ling, since We Are In Love isn't broadcast in Tai Sheng, her popularity there remains unchanged.

But it greatly helped her break into the Mainland market, especially among men watching the dating show with their girlfriends.

"Wow, this girl from Tai Sheng is so hot—I love those long legs!"

"Especially when she speaks, so gentle, and her figure is amazing."

"Guys, I came here just to accompany my girlfriend, but now I'm hooked!"

"【Image】"

"Damn, who posted this pic—is this Zhi Ling? So sexy and explosive!"

"I just passed out and woke up—y'all have been chatting this long? Hahaha."

In short, all five now felt they'd made the right choice joining the show, and they cooperated more willingly with the crew's filming demands.

The atmosphere was also more harmonious and in sync than during the first recording.

And the highlights kept multiplying.

Director Hou Lun was extremely excited; if these two episodes were released, they'd surely attract countless eyes.

Thinking of this, he turned his gaze toward Cheng Chen.

His variety show sense was too strong—especially his interactions with the female guests. If I were a girl, I'd probably fall for him without hesitation!

During filming, as Cheng Chen delivered line after line of flirtatious lines and gestures, the female crew members all stared at the monitors with dazed, starry eyes.

They were so eager they wanted to push the female guests aside and take their place.

Hou Lun couldn't help but sigh—so handsome, and so skilled at flirting.

Sigh, heaven is so unfair—it gave him everything!

Of course, complaints aside, work still had to be done.

"Lao Zhang, tell your team to edit these two episodes carefully—make sure they have standout moments, you get it?"

Hou Lun called over the head of the post-production team and gave detailed instructions.

"Got it, Director Hou, leave it to me!"

……

Saturday evening.

"We Are In Love just dropped—quick, switch to Anhui Satellite TV, I want to watch! Today they're revealing the couple list, hurry!"

Zhang Youyou, her face covered in a face mask, emerged from the bathroom and spoke to her boyfriend sitting on the sofa watching a soccer match.

Li Qiang shifted uncomfortably and said:

"That dating show? What's so interesting? Today's match is the final—I want to watch first."

"Oh? Qiangzi, got some backbone now? I want to watch a dating show, you want to watch soccer—we don't have two TVs at home. Who do you think should go first?"

Zhang Youyou placed her hands on her hips, speaking calmly.

"Of course…"

Li Qiang's words cut off mid-sentence, for he saw his girlfriend's masked face seemed to sag.

Even with the mask on, they'd lived together for three years.

Without exaggeration, if Zhang Youyou urged him into bed, it definitely wasn't for any reward.

It was… because she'd just let out a fart and wanted him to get under the covers to smell it!

In other words, she'd lift her ass, and he'd know whether it'd be a loud one or a silent one!

"I meant… go ahead and watch, my dear, you worked hard today.

You walked all day—you must be tired. Lie on the sofa, watch a variety show, relax—I totally understand. Here, watch."

Li Qiang switched the channel to Anhui Satellite TV and gently massaged her shoulders.

"That's more like it."

Zhang Youyou, enjoying her boyfriend's massage, said:

"Aren't you the biggest fan of Cheng Chen? This show was his idea, and he's even on it—why not watch together?"

"Yes yes yes, whatever my wife says is right!"

Li Qiang smiled.

"Don't just humoring me!"

"Uh… I'm not humoring you—I just love Cheng Chen's music, I'm not into his dramas, let alone variety shows.

Cheng Chen, a Heavenly King, doing a variety show? It's kinda degrading. Why not just release a few more songs or hold a few concerts?"

Li Qiang, massaging Zhang Youyou, grumbled.

"You don't get it—I think he's already unbeatable in music, even Jie Lun isn't his match."

This place was as lonely as snow, so he needed to create more forms of entertainment to stay visible.

Zhang Youyou ate fruit while sharing her thoughts.

"Hmm… that's not entirely wrong, but I just feel… maybe I'm too literary."

I think a musical genius like him should only deal with music—once other things get mixed in, it feels impure.

Li Qiang spoke slowly.

"There's some sense to that, Qiangzi, here's an apple for you."

"Thank Your Majesty's grace~"

"You've got a eunuch vibe going on, hahaha."

…

Many people, like Li Qiang and Zhang Youyou, sat in front of their TVs waiting for Episode 2 of We Are In Love.

Some waited for the show to start while chatting in online chat rooms.

"Who do you think will be paired with whom this episode?"

"I think Cheng Chen and Zhi Ling are the best match—they've had rumors swirling around them."

Plus, when Zhi Ling won an award in Tai Sheng, she even helped Cheng Chen out of a tight spot.

That's classic damsel-saving-the-hero stuff—they even had a candlelit dinner together, so romantic!"

From last episode, Deng Chao seemed especially fond of Xu Cainv; they talked about literature together, perfect match."

I bet Huang Xiaoming will be paired with Ceng Li—do you still remember when Ceng Li first arrived at the guesthouse?"

The first person to greet her and carry her luggage was Huang Xiaoming!"

"I fully agree with the person above—this pairing feels best."

Besides, Cheng Chen is the overall producer, so the most beautiful one should be kept for himself! Zhi Ling will definitely land him!"

"Bullshit, the most beautiful is clearly Ceng Li!"

"Zhi Ling has a great figure!"

"Ceng Li isn't bad either!"

"But Ceng Li is four or five years older than Cheng Chen!"

"Uh…"

Before the show even started, the chat room was already in chaos!

"Stop arguing—the show's starting, we'll know the results soon!"

The opening credits of We Are In Love began playing on the TV.

Immediately after, the audience saw the show's footage.

The production team didn't make viewers wait long—they quickly paired up the couples and announced the results.

But the announced results shocked everyone.

Cheng Chen, Ceng Li.

Huang Xiaoming, Lin Zhiling.

Deng Chao, Xu Jinglei.

"No way… is this list messed up?"

"Cheng Chen and Ceng Li? What's the production team thinking?"

"Zhi Ling is so beautiful, and she looks good with Xiaoming, but I think she's better with Cheng Chen!"

"I think the production team's arrangement makes sense—these three pairs are fine. If you don't like it, don't watch!"

"I agree—I think this setup is great. Plus, Cheng Chen and Ceng Li are a younger-man-older-woman romance—dating a sister, I wonder how Cheng Chen will handle it!"

…

The production team's arrangement exploded in the chat room, but upon closer thought, it didn't seem unreasonable.

Using the most famous Cheng Chen to boost the lesser-known Ceng Li's visibility made sense.

Though they differ by four or five years in age, they still looked quite compatible standing together.

At this point, someone else posted in the chat room:

"Did any of you notice when the host announced the couple pairs?"

Lin Zhiling and Xu Cainv both unconsciously looked toward Cheng Chen."

"Hahaha, what have I discovered? Do both women have feelings for Cheng Chen?"

"Yes yes, I noticed too, hahaha, so funny—and only Ceng Li looked genuinely surprised."

"I feel like Huang Xiaoming and Deng Chao are wearing green hats, hahaha, I'm dying laughing!"

The audience's observation wasn't baseless—in fact, Xu Cainv and Lin Zhiling had both believed they had a high chance of being chosen as Cheng Chen's partner.

After all, Cheng Chen had the highest popularity among the three male cast members; being paired with him meant more exposure and traffic.

Before the second episode aired, Weibo already had trending topics guessing who Cheng Chen's partner would be.

Someone even created a poll listing the three female stars' names—and Lin Zhiling received the most votes.

Xu Cainv came second, and Ceng Li ranked last.

After all, from the first episode, Cheng Chen and Ceng Li had barely exchanged words.

No one knew how the production team had arranged this.

Ceng Li herself was also very surprised by the result—since the show began, she had been avoiding Cheng Chen.

Yet she never expected they'd end up paired together.

Of course, the audience and Ceng Li were still too young.

They didn't realize that as the overall producer, Cheng Chen could decide who was paired with whom with just one word.

……

After the couples are paired in the show, each pair must complete their own task.

A date.

The three couples drew lots and each received a different date location.

Cheng Chen and Ceng Li drew the amusement park.

Deng Chao and Xu Cainv drew the bookstore.

Huang Xiaoming and Lin Zhiling drew the seaside.

Now comes the group filming.

"It feels like Cheng Chen and Ceng Li's scene is more fun."

At home, Zhang Youyou hugged her boyfriend's arm and said eagerly.

"I told you there was a script—you didn't believe me. Cheng Chen has the highest popularity, so his audience is the largest, which is why they chose the amusement park—a location with high playability—to capture more interesting shots."

Li Qiang had long held a grudge over his girlfriend taking his remote and making him miss the final match.

But he dared not lash out at his girlfriend, so he vented at the show instead.

"Shut up and watch the show!"

His girlfriend gave him a side-eye.

Cheng Chen and Ceng Li arrived at the amusement park. Although Ceng Li intentionally kept her distance from Cheng Chen, they were still on the show—and still paired as a couple.

She couldn't afford to be too cold toward him, so she spoke up:

"What do you want to ride?"

Cheng Chen smiled at her and said:

"Whatever you want."

Ceng Li brushed her hair aside and said:

"No backbone—you'll be a henpecked husband someday."

"Being henpecked isn't bad—at least men won't go wild if someone's watching. That's a good thing!"

Cheng Chen said with a smile.

Outside the show, many girls went wild over Cheng Chen's words.

Zhang Youyou clung to her husband's shoulder and said:

"Hear that? Cheng Chen says men should be managed by women. You never listen when I say it."

Li Qiang clenched his molars so hard they felt like they might shatter.

Cheng Chen, you bastard, just wait—I'm going to post a rant about you on Weibo!

……

Ceng Li stared at the towering Ferris wheel and murmured:

"When I was little, my dad always took my sister and me to the amusement park. We both loved the Ferris wheel the most."

"Back then, I always wondered: the clouds looked so high, so soft—would they taste like cotton candy?"

"If we rode the Ferris wheel, would we be able to reach out and touch the clouds…"

"But it was too high—we were both too scared. Every time, Dad had to come with us before we could muster the courage to get on."

"After my parents divorced, I never rode the Ferris wheel again…"

Ceng Li's face carried longing, but her eyes were tinged with sadness.

Cheng Chen looked at her and asked slowly:

"Do you want to ride the Ferris wheel now?"

Ceng Li shook her head and smiled:

"I'm too old for that now. That's for kids."

"Then you want to. I'll take you."

Cheng Chen said to her earnestly.

"No need…"

As everyone thought Cheng Chen's first move was about to fail, they saw Ceng Li quietly tug on Cheng Chen's sleeve.

"I'm actually… a little afraid of heights."

Ceng Li whispered.

"It's fine—I'm here."

Cheng Chen turned his hand and gripped the one holding his sleeve, saying:

"Hold tight—we're off."

"Mm…"

The two walked toward the Ferris wheel. The sunset bathed them in golden light.

"Aaaahhh! They're holding hands! Cheng Chen is so good at this!"

"Help! This scene is exactly what I've imagined a thousand times!"

"My pose is ready—how the hell do I sleep to dream this?"

The moment Cheng Chen and Ceng Li held hands, the chatroom flooded with messages.

Netizens were ecstatic, lavishing praise on Cheng Chen for his skill in charming girls.

As the two slowly rose in the Ferris wheel, the camera cut to Huang Xiaoming and Lin Zhiling's group.

At the seaside, rain fell, drenching them like drowned rats.

Deng Chao and Xu Cainv's group, meanwhile, accidentally knocked over a bookshelf while searching for books.

The two of them crouched awkwardly on the ground, organizing books.

The camera cut from Cheng Chen's romantic scene to these two pairs of miserable souls.

With the three scenes contrasted and a comical BGM playing, Cheng Chen and Ceng Li looked as if they had come to the show just to fall in love.

The other two pairs, by contrast, seemed to have come to endure trials—full of complaints…

……

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