The show’s crew and all the guests had arrived, settled into their respective rooms, and the program officially began.

First, everyone gathered in the living room to get to know each other. Unmarried couples preliminarily chose married couples they wished to learn from. This segment was humorously compared by netizens to a matchmaking show.

The living room was arranged comfortably, with cushions, chairs, sofas, and even recliners. Gradually, everyone made their way downstairs and gathered in the central area. Most of them knew each other within the industry, or after the first episode aired, the outside guests had already interacted with the insiders on social media without Gu Chen’s knowledge, establishing a preliminary acquaintance.

Thus, they started some conversations as they sat around, creating a lively and friendly social atmosphere.

Particularly, Du Ruiqing seemed to have made a funny joke, which everyone enthusiastically laughed at.

When Gu Chen leisurely came downstairs, he saw this scene. Du Ruiqing noticed him as well and warmly stood up to greet him with a big smile, saying, “Xiao Gu, you’re here?”

Fans of Du Ruiqing couldn’t help but exclaim,

【Qingqing is truly a social angel, taking care of everyone so well.】

【Ahhh, Qingqing is really so sweet and considerate.】

“Hmm.” Gu Chen looked at him for a second.

Actually, trying to avoid the camera intentionally is quite inelegant, but Du Ruiqing came over and conveniently blocked the camera for him completely, showing great consideration.

Du Ruiqing then turned to introduce Gu Chen to everyone: “This is my old classmate Xiao Gu. I never expected to meet him on the show. We used to be very good friends, but later we went our separate ways and lost touch.”

Although not many people knew Gu Chen in the comment section, some expressed their confusion:

【Why call him Xiao Gu so casually? It’s quite impolite.】

【Qingqing said they have a close relationship. How friends address each other is none of your business.】

However, Du Ruiqing skillfully blocked Gu Chen from the camera, so the audience couldn’t see what Gu Chen looked like, and the topic quickly moved on.

With Du Ruiqing’s introduction, Gu Chen smiled and nodded slightly, greeting everyone: “Hello, you can just call me Xiao Gu.”

But those present could see Gu Chen clearly. Since he politely referred to himself as Xiao Gu, they felt awkward calling him that and instead said, “Hello, Mr. Gu.”

They wondered why Du Ruiqing, usually so tactful, suddenly lacked perception and casually called him Xiao Gu. They were classmates before, but now meeting on the show, it didn’t seem appropriate.

But Du Ruiqing, once again with a very “intimate” tone, said, “Xiao Gu, come sit down, everyone is waiting for you.”

He casually pulled Gu Chen to sit down, selecting a single-seater sofa in the corner, conveniently blocked from the camera’s view by a potted plant.

Gu Chen looked at him for another second. This was exactly the spot he wanted. Du Ruiqing was indeed very considerate. He sat down smoothly and said, “Alright, thank you.”

Du Ruiqing then pretended to ask innocently, “By the way, where is your spouse? Why didn’t he come?”

Gu Chen raised an eyebrow slightly. Spouse? That was an interesting term. He replied, “He’s on a business trip and couldn’t accompany me. I’ve already discussed this with the production team, and he’ll participate remotely by phone.”

This was also to explain the situation to the other guests since the preliminary pairing was about to take place.

This was the first time Gu Chen addressed this issue directly on the show, surprising the guests, especially the two young top stars who had almost bumped into Gu Chen earlier.

Arriving late, one of them immediately got excited upon hearing Gu Chen’s words: “I didn’t know that was allowed! This is the first time I’ve heard of it!”

“Alright, alright, I’m going on a business trip now,” he said, glancing at the other guest. “Xingzhou, remember to call me so I can join!” He then attempted to leave.

The assistant director, coordinating the scene off-camera, quickly shook his head, silently mouthing, “Qingyue, you can’t…”

But Lu Qingyue wasn’t having it. He said directly, “Director, why can Mr. Gu do this but I can’t? Does Mr. Gu have some special privilege?”

Upon hearing this, the few viewers who had watched Gu Chen’s live streams commented in the chat:

【Yes, yes, we still haven’t figured out where Mr. Gu comes from, such a mysterious big shot~】

The assistant director could only look skyward awkwardly and cough, “Ahem… there’s… no special privilege…”

Revealing the truth would only embarrass the production team.

Yu Xingzhou also asked, “Then why can’t I? I’d love to go on a business trip too.” He counted on his fingers, “I actually have several other engagements I need to catch up on…”

Seeing that one of the biggest talking points of the show was about to imitate and run away, the director quickly stepped in to manage the situation, frowning at the two of them.

Lu Qingyue felt the pressure, shrugged, and said, “Alright, I get it.”

Having signed the contract and taken the fee, he knew he couldn’t defy the director. But how Mr. Gu managed to negotiate a contract that allowed his spouse to be absent was truly thought-provoking.

Yu Xingzhou also nodded decisively. Alright, he understood, meaning Mr. Gu was truly a big shot and thus could be treated differently.

So, the two of them turned and sat down, each taking a seat beside Gu Chen, effectively flanking him and forming a protective stance.

Du Ruiqing: “…”

He had deliberately asked Gu Chen about his “spouse” to mock his loneliness and awkwardness for coming to the show alone. How did things turn out this way?

Moreover, Gu Chen sat with his legs crossed on the single-seater sofa in the corner. The chairs on either side were lower than his, making it look like he was sitting on a throne, with Lu Qingyue and Yu Xingzhou on either side guarding him like knights.

The live chat seemed to agree:

【This is so weird, really weird.】

【Hahaha, you two are sandwiching the guy without his spouse in the middle. Wouldn’t he feel awkward?】

【Poor Mr. Gu, first he got bumped into by you two, and now he’s stuck in the middle of your love show. LOL.】

Du Ruiqing’s wealthy boyfriend, Qiao Kunping, also stepped forward to shake Gu Chen’s hand. “Mr. Gu, I’ve heard a lot about you from Ruiqing. Pleasure to meet you.”

Gu Chen smiled and nodded, “Pleasure to meet you.”

Qiao Kunping took a moment to observe Gu Chen and found that his demeanor was full of calm and dignity, completely different from how Du Ruiqing had described him. In fact, he seemed more like someone of his own kind.

Qiao Kunping appeared to have an understanding, then returned to Du Ruiqing’s side, pulled him close, and whispered in his ear, “Baby, tell me the truth. Did you have a crush on this Mr. Gu in high school? Is that why you’re so resentful and always picking on him now that you’ve met again?”

Du Ruiqing, whose mind was full of plans on how to isolate Gu Chen on the show, was taken aback: “???”

Hearing such a far-fetched guess, he was momentarily at a loss for words and didn’t know how to respond.

Unexpectedly, Qiao Kunping’s breath brushed against his ear as he continued ambiguously, “If you like him, that’s fine too. If you can get him to cheat and be with you, the three of us together wouldn’t be bad…”

Du Ruiqing was momentarily confused before finally understanding. He whispered angrily, “I get it, you have your eyes on Gu Chen, don’t you! I knew it, that face of his is just too alluring!”

Qiao Kunping: “?”

But after thinking about it, he realized this wasn’t a bad idea either, achieving the same goal.

Gu Chen didn’t know why, but suddenly both Du Ruiqing and Qiao Kunping were looking at him with an intense gaze.

Of course, the two people flanking him were also looking at him intensely.

Lu Qingyue declared firmly, “Mr. Gu, rest assured, I will definitely choose you later. I really need to learn how to be alone and unattached from you.”

Yu Xingzhou glanced at Lu Qingyue and said, “Don’t mind him. Since your partner isn’t here, just let us stay quietly by your side. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”

Gu Chen, who had come to this world to enjoy life, was shocked by this terrible curse: “…”

He touched his nose and smiled, “Actually, I don’t intend to stay single forever. I plan to have a sweet romance. Please don’t cast such a terrible singlehood curse on me, kids.”

Lu Qingyue: “?”

Yu Xingzhou: “?”

You’re already married, and you still want to talk about romance?