In An Leyan’s memory, Fu Shicang shouldn’t have appeared at this moment.

Although the original novel was adapted from reality, its events and characters didn’t fully align with real life.

The most obvious difference was his own existence as a minor, almost invisible figure. He had worked as Fu Shicang’s assistant for two years, yet in the book, Fu Shicang—who originally worked at Fu Corporation—had become a major entertainment industry star, surrounded by numerous assistants, none of whom were him.

Perhaps the author had a faint recollection of his name and casually assigned it to a minor, disposable character.

The dating show segment was entirely the author’s invention. An Leyan remembered clearly: in Delicious Connection, only four guests arrived at the villa in the first round—himself, plus Chen Xi and Bai Jingchen.

Mu Wei, being the most affluent and charismatic of the six, naturally became the center of attention at this stage.

Yinxin and Nie Changxing both fell for him at first sight, and from the beginning, their rivalry was apparent.

Chen Xi’s arrival further escalated the conflict, turning the villa into a battlefield of jealousy.

Even Bai Jingchen was nearly swayed, secretly instructing An Leyan—this insignificant extra—to gather intel multiple times.

Then, a few days later, Fu Shicang made his grand entrance, like a catfish dropped into a tank of sardines, stirring chaos among the guests.

The contestants were busy switching love interests, while CP fans were obsessively searching for sweet moments.

The entire dating show oscillated between fiery drama and overt romance, making the audience swoon and sending viewership ratings soaring.

And the Fu Shicang standing before him now—he was even more handsome than the book described!

He was naturally good-looking, with cool, fair skin and sharp, well-defined brows. Because of a recent film project, his black hair had grown slightly longer, and paired with thin-framed silver glasses, he exuded the noble air of a prince stepping out of an oil painting.

When cold, he was an unapproachable flower on a high mountain; when he smiled, he was the epitome of refined elegance.

This was the perfect Fu Shicang, one who effortlessly pinned An Leyan in place, leaving him unable to react.

---

As soon as Fu Shicang stepped inside, he noticed the young man.

Tall and slender, he barely reached Fu Shicang’s eye level. By lowering his gaze, he could see the boy’s long eyelashes.

His skin was fair, and he was dressed simply in a white T-shirt and jeans, looking clean and fresh.

But his expression was comical—he was staring at Fu Shicang as if he were some kind of mythical creature, so shocked that he remained frozen in place. The ice water in his arms was condensing droplets, soaking a large patch on his chest.

Fu Shicang set his suitcase against the wall. Seeing that An Leyan was still standing there, frozen, he nodded slightly before heading upstairs.

As he passed by the dazed youth, he leaned in slightly and whispered near his ear, “You should change your shirt.”

Fu Shicang’s figure disappeared around the staircase corner before An Leyan snapped out of his daze.

Shirt… what about his shirt?

The live chat erupted:

[First time seeing a dating show guest meet outside of the designated area. This is a little weird.]

[LOL, right? Shouldn’t this be a romantic, pink-hued moment? Why does An Leyan look so shocked?]

[Dying of laughter—he doesn’t look like he just saw his crush, more like a debtor being confronted by his loan shark.]

[Bet he’s just overwhelmed by Fu Ge’s visuals. To be honest, when I first saw him in a movie, I was so distracted the whole day I nearly inhaled my soup through my nose. Way funnier than An Leyan.]

[I’m more curious about what Fu Ge said to An Leyan when he went upstairs—why is he blushing so hard?]

[Y’all are too focused on Fu Ge’s face. Let me give you a hint: water, white T-shirt, pink dots.]

[Ohhh, is it that intense?!]

---

A short while later, An Leyan returned upstairs, still holding the ice water. Draped over his arm was a light blue shirt, which he held against his chest.

“Sorry, my shirt got wet. I’ll change in a bit,” he said with a polite smile before setting the drinks down.

He had already given the sports drink to Yinxin, passed the fruit beer to Mu Wei, and handed the orange juice to Nie Changxing. Then, after hesitating between the sour plum drink and the chocolate drink, he handed the chocolate one to Fu Shicang.

Mu Wei took a sip of his fruit beer, then raised an eyebrow at Fu Shicang. “I thought you didn’t like overly sweet stuff.”

Fu Shicang glanced at the sour plum drink in An Leyan’s hand and said, “But between something sweet and something sour, I’d still prefer the sweet one.”

His gaze swept between Nie Changxing and Mu Wei, and he chuckled. “Looks like everyone’s happy with their drink.”

All three men turned their eyes toward An Leyan, their expressions now tinged with newfound warmth.

Mu Wei clinked his fruit beer lightly against An Leyan’s bottle. “Thanks for picking out drinks we’d enjoy.”

Like a small toast, everyone raised their drinks and took a sip—except for An Leyan.

Fu Shicang suddenly asked, “Why aren’t you drinking?”

An Leyan looked at his bottle in grievance.

Who said he hadn’t drunk any? He had taken a small sip earlier, but—

It was so sour! How did the stunning Chen Xi enjoy something this tart?!

He sneaked a glance at the chocolate drink in Fu Shicang’s hand—originally meant for himself—only to see the man leisurely twist open the cap and take a slow sip.

As the liquid flowed down his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. His languid, unhurried movements somehow carried an air of subtle intimacy.

An Leyan quickly glanced at the other guests.

Nearly all of them were sneaking looks at Fu Shicang. Meanwhile, Bai Jingchen—who had just arrived and was standing by the stairs—had turned completely red, his eyes glued to Fu Shicang as if they couldn’t be pried away.

An Leyan instinctively took a step back, but his gaze couldn’t help but drift back to Fu Shicang.

Back then, Cang Ge had been just as stunning, but his urgency for revenge had always given him an air of repression and gloom.

The Cang Ge of today, however, was refined and elegant in every movement, exuding an effortless sensuality. But a man like this, when seeking revenge, would still be ruthless and decisive. The more he suffered in the beginning, the more satisfying his triumph would be later.

No wonder the novel was a bestseller. No wonder he was on track to becoming an award-winning actor. The author had written Cang Ge way too perfectly!

No—Cang Ge was always meant to be like this!

Feeling a sense of pride on behalf of this version of Fu Shicang, An Leyan took in the expressions of everyone in the room, satisfied.

---

“All right, now that all the guests are here, take a sip of water and head downstairs—we’re starting with a little game.”

Director Zhang Mao’s voice rang out, and the guests paused.

The first two seasons of Delicious Connection had already aired, and the reason why the guests’ emotional reactions were so genuine was largely due to this genius director’s arrangements.

Under his planning, the guests had undergone all sorts of trials. No matter how well someone hid their feelings, subtle hints would inevitably emerge during Zhang’s meticulously designed activities—key clues to unraveling the show’s romantic storylines.

There had been nearly half a year between this season and the last. Who knew what new tricks Zhang Mao had up his sleeve?

“I’ll change real quick and be right there.”

An Leyan grabbed his shirt and hurried into a nearby bedroom.

An Leyan turned his back to the camera, took off his white T-shirt, and put on a dress shirt.

The phone in his pants pocket suddenly vibrated.

He was using the phone issued by the show.

During the dating show’s recording, the contestants’ contact information was kept confidential. Even the “heartbeat messages” were sent to the production team first, which then forwarded them to the intended recipient.

However, each contestant was allowed to store two phone numbers—whether of friends or family members—and they could call them whenever needed.

After all, the private complaints and discussions among contestants were part of the entertainment.

Since An Leyan had just arrived and didn’t know anyone yet, he had only added his mother’s number.

It was as if she knew he was pressed for time—she started speaking in a rush the moment he answered.

“Yanyan, I saw you on the show! Did you bring enough clothes?”

“I watched the live stream for a little while just now. The place you’re staying at looks really nice!”

“And remember what I told you last time—you mustn’t offend anyone, understand?”

An Leyan pursed his lips.

In this novel, An’s mother was a servant in the Bai family. As a minor character, he had only gotten the chance to meet Bai Jingchen—and fall in love with him—because he had followed his mother to the Bai household a few times.

The Bai family was powerful, used to being above others, and ruthless when it came to dealing with business rivals.

His mother had probably witnessed their methods of revenge before.

The other contestants were still waiting for him outside. With the cameras on him, An Leyan couldn’t say much, so he gently reassured his mother:

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t dream of provoking them.”

With that, he quickly put his phone away and headed downstairs to the dining area.

A round table had been set up in the living room. The five other contestants had already taken their seats, and An Leyan hurried to sit in the only empty chair.

Director Zhang Mao chuckled as he tapped a small lamp in the center of the table. A beam of light shot out from the lampshade, projecting an arrow with tiny hearts onto the table.

“The game is simple—it’s a simplified version of Truth or Dare.”

He pointed at the arrow on the table. “In a moment, the arrow will spin. Whoever it lands on will have to answer a question. Our system will randomly select a question from the live chat. If you don’t want to answer, you can choose a dare from this list.”

A staff member raised a huge whiteboard, which displayed about a dozen dares.

The audience in the live stream had been waiting eagerly, but as soon as they saw the board, they burst into laughter:

【Damn, Director Zhang really knows how to make things fun! These dares are insane!】

【Climbing up to the second-floor balcony with one hand tied… convincing another contestant to kiss you for ten minutes… How does each one get crazier than the last?】

【Hahaha, this is basically forcing them to answer! I need to start preparing my questions.】

【LOL, let me take a good look at the contestants’ profiles first.】

An Leyan also saw the outrageous dares. Then, he glanced at the glowing arrow in the middle of the table.

Silently, he focused on the tiny heart on the arrow and tried to communicate with it: “Good arrow, be nice, don’t point at me.”

Yes, sincerity moves hearts.

When he looked up again, he realized he was sitting between Mu Wei and Yin Xin, with Fu Shicang directly across from him. Nie Changxing and Bai Jingchen sat on either side of Fu Shicang.

Tsk tsk tsk, even a truth-or-dare game is full of scheming.

Mu Wei truly lived up to his reputation as the flirty top idol. Bai Jingchen had only just arrived, yet Mu Wei immediately sat beside him. Well, Bai Jingchen was a popular idol—Mu Wei’s favorite type, apparently.

Also, it seemed Nie Changxing was into my Cang-ge! I’ll have to check him out later.

But Yin Xin… why is he sitting with Nie Changxing? Should I swap seats with him?

While An Leyan was busy overanalyzing the seating arrangement, he failed to notice the expressions of the others.

Fu Shicang, still as indifferent as ever, lazily scanned the faces around the table. His gaze lingered on An Leyan for a moment before moving on, seemingly uninterested.

The director pressed the button, and the arrow began spinning rapidly.

Not me, not me, not me…

The arrow suddenly stopped—pointing straight at An Leyan.

Seriously? You don’t even have inertia?!

His expression must have been too animated because the other contestants burst into laughter.

The laughter broke the previous tension and awkwardness. An Leyan shook his head helplessly and stood up confidently.

“Alright, ask away.”

He was just a minor character—what was there to hide? Worst case scenario, he could just make something up to keep the audience entertained.

An Leyan didn’t have many fans, so few people in the live chat were paying attention to him. But now that he was chosen, the chat fell silent for a moment before a couple of scattered comments popped up.

An Leyan sneaked a glance at the director. He suspected that even these comments were planted by the production team, pretending to be fans.

One question appeared: “It’s said that you’re hopelessly in love with Bai Jingchen. What do you like about him?”

Alright, here we go.

An Leyan glanced again at the whiteboard listing the dares, then chose to answer.

Forcing a smile, he said, “His personality.”

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

A loud alarm blared, breaking the awkward silence. The red light in the center of the table flashed wildly.

Director Zhang smiled knowingly. “To prevent contestants from lying, we’re using the latest lie-detection technology. If you lie, the alarm will go off. Try again.”

An Leyan: “…His looks.”

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

An Leyan: “…His family background.”

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Staring at the blinking red light, An Leyan looked up at the director. “Is your machine broken?”

Director Zhang chuckled. “No way! This is high-tech. You definitely haven’t told the truth yet.”

“I’ll ask again—it’s said that you’re hopelessly in love with Bai Jingchen. What do you like about him?”

An Leyan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and answered, “I don’t like him.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the red light fell completely silent.

Bai Jingchen turned to look at An Leyan, surprise flickering in his eyes—along with… a hint of relief.

His gaze then shifted to Fu Shicang beside him.

The man sat tall, his profile as flawless as jade. Like the others, he was watching An Leyan with amusement, the corners of his lips slightly raised.

Bai Jingchen had been an idol for three years and had joined this show as part of his transition into variety entertainment. He had a lot of fans.

Before the show, his manager had been worried. Since An Leyan had publicly confessed his love, Bai Jingchen would be under moral scrutiny—handling it poorly could easily lead to backlash.

But now…

A delayed sense of joy welled up in Bai Jingchen’s heart. With An Leyan no longer in the picture, he could openly pursue Fu-ge on the show—without any ethical concerns.

Fu-ge must be pleased about this too, right?

Meanwhile, the live chat exploded:

【Oh ho, what’s going on here? Didn’t we just see this little coser professing his love high-key a few days ago?】

【Could it be a company-arranged publicity stunt? But that doesn’t make sense—they’re not even from the same company. Wasn’t it said before that Bai’s agent threatened to sue him for clout-chasing with no bottom line?】

【Don’t tell me he saw other guests who are better-looking and richer, and had a change of heart…】

The guests present seemed to have similar thoughts, and their gazes toward An Leyan instantly turned subtle.

An Leyan had no intention of explaining and simply sat down in silence.

The arrow spun again, and he leaned back into his chair in a relaxed manner.

This was good, too. Sooner or later, he had to sever ties with Bai Jingchen. Though it was a bit sudden, a clean break was better than dragging things out and having to keep acting for a few more days.

Now that he was free of worries, he could sit back, eat popcorn, and enjoy the drama—hahaha, haha, ha…

The arrow stopped once more, and once again, it pointed straight at An Leyan.

…Me again?

Even the livestream viewers were stunned. After a few comments complaining about the randomness, the number of people submitting questions suddenly skyrocketed, and the barrage of messages nearly covered the entire screen.

The system randomly selected one: What’s the most memorable impression you have of Fu Shicang?

An Leyan paused for a moment before confidently answering, “He’s handsome!”

Beep beep beep!

An Leyan: “…Gentle and gentlemanly.”

Beep beep beep!

An Leyan shut his eyes.

What’s with this lie detector? Does it only accept answers that fit the author’s established character settings? But didn’t it pass when I said I didn’t like Bai Jingchen?

Is this some kind of reading comprehension test?!

The director urged him to answer again, and suddenly, a certain interview with the author from a TV show flashed through An Leyan’s mind. Skipping past a long list of adjectives, he blurted out the exact words the author used to describe Fu Shicang:

“…Ruthless and twisted. A complete psycho.”

Once again, silence fell over the room. The grand villa was utterly still.

A few seconds passed before there was finally some movement from across the table.

An Leyan cautiously opened his eyes.

Opposite him, the elegant and seductive man slowly twisted open a bottle of ice-cold water. His voice, too, was as chilling as if it had been frozen:

“I’m quite curious—how exactly did you come to that conclusion?”