Chapter 6: The Theme of This Season is Forced Love
【???】
【What the hell? Playing the guzheng while holding it? Is he here to be a comedian?】
Lin Huaizhi had taped on his finger picks.
He stood casually, cradling the guzheng. His slender fingers plucked at the strings, and soon, a rhythmically strong and dynamic melody rang out.
【Da-dada-dadadada-dadadada—Wait! Flower Protection Envoy??】
【No way, bro! You actually know how to play that!】
【Ancestors: Forget it, forget it. At least the instrument has been passed down.】
Huo Chen had seen guzheng performances before.
When he first took over the Huo family business, he had attended countless drinking parties to negotiate deals. There was one CEO who particularly enjoyed opera and concerts.
They had attended a concert together that featured a guzheng solo.
The performer was a young girl dressed in Hanfu. She sat properly before the instrument and played Ambush from Ten Directions.
Huo Chen had no expertise in the guzheng.
He couldn’t judge from a technical standpoint whether Lin Huaizhi or that young girl played better.
But if asked who left the deeper impression on him… Huo Chen looked at the young man who was playing the guzheng while holding it in his arms, not forgetting to wink flirtatiously at him, and thought that this was a question that didn’t need an answer.
“All guests have completed the game. Based on the livestream voting results, we will now announce the rankings.”
The director held his head high.
He shot a glance at Chu Xiaoran with a look of disdain worthy of Imperial Consort Hua.
“The highest votes go to Lin Huaizhi, with 560,000 votes; second is Chu Xiaoran, with 450,000 votes; third is Fang Mo, with 440,000 votes; fourth is Huo Chen, with 430,000 votes…”
The director read them out one by one.
Su Rui was fifth. Surprisingly, Zhou Mi ranked behind him, with a gap of over 60,000 votes. As expected, the last place went to the storyteller, Hu Xiaoxu.
“Now, announcing the guests’ internal votes.”
“Lin Huaizhi received four votes. Huo Chen, one vote. Chu Xiaoran, one vote. Fang Mo, one vote. The other guests received zero votes.”
Su Rui, who ranked second to last, looked up, pushed up the heavy black-rimmed glasses on his nose, and looked utterly surprised.
“I got a vote too?”
Xu Qiao patted Su Rui on the shoulder, picking up Chu Xiaoran’s earlier words to use herself. “Don’t sell yourself short. That function-heart shape you made was absolutely badass. I guarantee if I tried to learn it, I wouldn’t even be able to learn a fingernail’s worth of it!”
Chu Xiaoran glanced at Xu Qiao.
Although he didn’t speak, the flash of disgust in his eyes revealed his attitude.
“According to the voting results, Huo Chen possesses the first right of choice. After that, based on the livestream vote totals, the remaining guests will choose their rooms in order.”
Chu Xiaoran frowned.
“Based on the vote count, shouldn’t Lin Huaizhi be the first to choose?”
“That’s right. Lin Huaizhi is ranked first, and Huo Chen is fourth. It should be Lin Huaizhi choosing first. Even if it’s not Lin Huaizhi, it should pass down to Brother Chu in second place. Why is it Huo Chen?”
Fang Mo also chimed in, his voice soft and thin. After speaking, he hurriedly looked at Huo Chen.
“Huo Chen, I’m really not saying you don’t deserve it. It’s just that the game rules are like that. You won’t hate me, right?”
Huo Chen didn’t even spare him a glance.
Fang Mo didn’t get a response, and his face stiffened. Retreating would be too humiliating, but advancing was too awkward. He gritted his teeth and finally turned toward Chu Xiaoran.
“Brother Chu, does Huo Chen really hate me now?” He tugged at Chu Xiaoran’s sleeve. “Maybe you could help me explain to him? I really didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know you didn’t mean it that way. Don’t worry, I’ll explain for you.”
Chu Xiaoran first comforted Fang Mo, then looked at Huo Chen, exuding an unintentional air of condescension.
“Huo Chen, we’re all men here. There’s no need to be so petty, right?”
Lin Huaizhi couldn’t tolerate it anymore. “If you have time to worry about whether others are petty, why don’t you go improve your acting skills?”
“Besides, regarding the game rules, the director has the most right to speak. Do you think the two of you pressing Huo Chen will get you an answer?”
One was an average yet overconfident man, and the other was a ‘green tea’ who couldn’t even brew the tea correctly. Just how much had this broken novel lowered his intelligence for him to end up with that miserable fate in the original story?!
The director also cast a sinister look at Fang Mo.
“Having doubts about the game rules is normal, and I will explain everyone’s questions one by one. But at the same time, I hope that when I am preparing to explain the rules, everyone will refrain from interrupting me.”
“After all, listening to someone finish their sentence is basic manners.”
Fang Mo’s face instantly turned a shade paler.
【Sorry, my ‘stupidity allergy’ is flaring up. Can Chu Xiaoran and Fang Mo stop jumping around like clowns?】
“In the livestream voting, Lin Huaizhi is indeed first. However, Lin Huaizhi himself is a special guest. Therefore, in the guest voting segment, his vote also carries a special function.”
The director began to explain the rules.
“The special function of that ticket is that whoever he votes for possesses the first right to choose a room. Furthermore, the two are in a binding relationship. They must live together and can only date each other. So, as to why Huo Chen gets to choose a room first, I think everyone understands now.”
Huo Chen raised an eyebrow.
Xu Qiao was the youngest guest on this dating show, having just turned twenty last month. At the same time, she was the most energetic and straightforward of all the guests.
So, as soon as the director finished speaking, she jumped up.
“I know, I know!”
“Because Lin Huaizhi voted for Huo Chen! He definitely voted for Huo Chen! Because the moment he came up, he said he fell for Huo Chen at first sight and wanted to date him!”
With someone like Xu Qiao playing the hype man, there were naturally those who didn’t want to play along.
For example, the rapper, Zhou Mi.
“Xu Qiao is right. Lin Huaizhi confessed right from the start, so his vote could only have gone to Huo Chen. You could basically say Huo Chen was internally decided as first place. So, there was no need to play this game at all.”
“There is no fairness to speak of.”
“Because no matter how Huo Chen performed, the best room belongs to him and Lin Huaizhi. Just because Lin Huaizhi is the boss, the program team shouldn’t open the back door for him like this, right?”
The director said faintly, “Who told you that first place gets to choose the best room?”
Zhou Mi froze. “What?”
The director had the staff bring over four palm-sized black round balls. “Inside these balls are the rooms for this season. There are four room numbers in total. Guests who draw the same number will stay in the same room and will be each other’s dating partners for this season.”
“As for the quality of the room, it all depends on your own blind box luck.”
The director stood with hands on his hips. “First place isn’t guaranteed the best room; it only decides the first pair of dating guests. So, where exactly is the unfairness in this game?”
“Of course, if you want to say that disregarding the guests’ personal wishes and forcing them to team up is unfair, then I admit it. But I won’t change it, because the theme of this season is—Forced Love.”
【Goddamn Forced Love!】
【Can ‘Forced Love’ be used like this?】
“Of course, if you still want to ask why we gave Lin Huaizhi a special ticket, and if it’s because he’s the boss, well, I’m also just a wage earner. Wage earners have their own difficulties. I’m sure everyone can understand me.”
The director spread his hands.
He looked like a dead pig that isn’t afraid of boiling water—completely shameless and unbothered.
Lin Huaizhi smilingly took over the conversation from the director. “Of course, I was given a special ticket because I’m the boss. But it’s not strange for a boss to have some privileges, right? If I don’t use my privileges, how can I catch Huo Chen?”
The young man held one hand with the other, raising them and shaking them back and forth toward the camera.
“It’s rare for me to meet someone who moves my heart in this lifetime. Everyone, just turn a blind eye and let me take a shortcut, okay?”
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