I put you on a dating reality show, but I didn't make you a viral sensation!

The following morning, the seaside pier was bathed in golden sunlight. The program crew's aerial camera swept across the azure sea and landed steadily on the pier adorned with white sand and flowers.

The premiere of "Heartbeat Island" has begun.

"Let's go, we can set off now."

After his makeup was done, the staff led Lin Zhou to the special car prepared by the production team and gave him instructions according to the arrangements.

"Our cameras cover the entire venue, so once you're on stage, you must be mindful of your words and actions."

"understood."

"You're the last one to go on stage, so don't be nervous. Just be yourself during the interview." The staff member added, worried that he might get stage fright.

Lin Zhou looked up and smiled: "Don't worry, I'm not nervous."

He opened the car window, and the warm sea breeze blew on his face, making him feel inexplicably happy.

Not long after, the vehicle stopped at the entrance of the pier.

Beside the pier, a group of staff members were already waiting there. Some were holding walkie-talkies to check the procedures, some were squatting on the ground to check the camera positions, and others were holding name tags of the guests, occasionally looking up in the direction of the entrance.

Lin Zhou was led to a temporary waiting area next to the pier, where several guests were already seated. They nodded to each other from a short distance apart, without exchanging many pleasantries, clearly all quietly adjusting their state of mind.

The waiting areas for male and female guests were still separate, so they couldn't see each other, probably for the sake of the show.

After Lin Zhou arrived, everyone couldn't help but take a few more glances, and some people showed strange expressions.

"Is this the show's lucky guest? He's quite good-looking. Is he really not a pre-selected guest?"

Lin Zhou also began to observe the group.

Forehead......

It seems I don't recognize any of them.

However, considering that he might have to live with them for the next month, he still smiled and nodded at the group.

At this moment, a staff member holding a sign walked over quickly, nodded to the guests in the waiting area, and then cleared his throat and spoke:

"Dear teachers, I'd like to share our entry and pairing rules with you."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes turned to that direction, even Lin Zhou, who had been leaning against the railing lost in thought, turned his head slightly.

"After you all walk across the entrance bridge in turn, you will be taken to the information matching area ahead."

The staff pointed to the end of the pier, "There are basic information cards for all the guests there. You can choose the guest you most want to get to know based on your first impression."

He paused, then emphasized, "Pay attention—only when two people choose each other are they considered a successful initial pairing, and the production team will arrange your first on-screen interaction. If it's a one-sided selection, or if no one chooses you, that's okay too. Our show doesn't force pairings; there will be plenty of opportunities for you to get to know each other freely later on."

Lin Zhou raised an eyebrow.

Blindly selecting guests based on information, and then having to travel to each other's locations to be matched? This rule is more interesting than he imagined, no wonder the production team hid the guests' detailed information beforehand.

However, it's understandable.

Isn't the purpose of dating reality shows to create romantic pairings?

Whoever can achieve the first mutual selection and get the first opportunity to interact may be the first to create a buzz about the CP (couple pairing).

However, this opportunity probably has little to do with me.

Girls all admire strength, so who would choose an ordinary nobody like him?

That's good, it saves a lot of trouble.

Anyway, his purpose in coming here wasn't really to find a partner; he just wanted to earn enough emotional points. Whether or not he was successfully matched with someone was completely irrelevant to him.

He looked up towards the entrance of the pier and just then heard the production team announce over the loudspeaker: "All departments, prepare for the live broadcast! The first guest is about to appear!"

Meanwhile, in the back-end monitoring room.

Director Li Sujuan stared intently at the monitor screen in front of her, then looked up and asked her assistant:

How many people are watching the live stream now?

"It's about to break one million."

"Okay, keep an eye on it in real time. After the guests appear, record the peak number of comments for each person. I need to use this data to determine the guests' popularity."

"clear."

……

"Welcome to 'Heartbeat Island'! Today, our eight guests will be arriving on the island one after another to begin their 31-day romantic journey! Without further ado, let's welcome our first male guest!"

As the host's enthusiastic voice faded, the program's camera simultaneously turned towards the pier.

The first male guest made his official debut.

The camera first showed his back, and then slowly zoomed in on his face two seconds after he took a step forward.

Jiang Yi.

He wore a loose white t-shirt with the top two buttons undone, paired with khaki casual pants, deliberately creating a relaxed and laid-back vibe.

He smiled at the camera, and at the same time, his information was displayed in real time next to the live stream—a second-tier actor in the entertainment industry, just one step away from becoming a first-tier actor.

The moment the other person's face appeared on the screen, the comments section went wild:

[Jiang Yi!!! My husband! He's actually participating in a dating reality show?!]

[Help! This face is flawless from every angle!]

[Waaaaah, my brother is so handsome, but why does he have to be on a dating reality show? Mom doesn't approve!]

[Wake up, upstairs! This guy's 28, it's time he started dating!]

"Brother, please don't participate in this dating reality show! I'm divorcing my husband right now, I want to marry you."

Logically speaking, the entertainment industry is very averse to romantic scandals, let alone openly participating in dating reality shows.

A slight misstep can lead to a loss of fans and a career collapse, something many celebrities try to avoid at all costs.

Jiang Yi naturally understood this principle. If it weren't for the internal list handed to him by his agent, which clearly listed the name of the popular young actress Lin Jianwei, he would never have taken on this hot potato.

Those in the industry know that Lin Jianwei's team is currently in talks for a dual-lead idol drama and is looking for a male actor with matching popularity to co-star with. He, an actor who has been stuck in the second tier for years and lacks a breakout role to propel him to stardom, desperately needs this opportunity.

If he can ride the wave of the dating reality show and create a romantic pairing with Lin Jianwei, the resulting buzz and exposure would be enough to make him the top choice for this opportunity, and it would also give him a significant step forward on his path to becoming a leading actor.

At this moment, the chat messages in the live stream were still scrolling wildly, and the number of viewers in the live stream was increasing further.

Guided by the staff, the second guest soon took the stage.

Like Jiang Yi, his back view appeared first in the shot, and only after he took three steps did the camera suddenly lift up and focus on his face.

Shen Jiashu.

His information card popped up simultaneously in the sidebar of the live stream: Shen Jiashu, 27 years old, founder of a technology company, which is about to conduct its Series B financing.

Holy crap, this is amazing! Is this a protagonist from a wish-fulfillment novel coming to life?

[Wow, such young entrepreneurs! Ladies, hurry up and join us!]

I just did a search, and to reach Series B funding, you need assets of at least tens of millions. We're the same age, so why am I stuck eating at shared restaurants in a rented apartment?

[He's handsome and rich, so why would he participate in a dating reality show? Logically, he shouldn't lack female attention, right? Do wealthy people also face pressure to get married like ordinary people like us?]

The third male guest was Lu Xiao, who is also a public figure. He is a member of the national badminton team and a silver medalist in international competitions.

I don't know why, but nowadays many athletes are trying to become celebrities.

Lu Xiao's appearance on the show still caused many fans to swoon over her looks.

[Holy crap! It's Lu Xiao! My dad loves watching him play basketball!]

[This physique is absolutely amazing! Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs—he's the epitome of a sporty, handsome guy!]

[It's so novel for athletes to participate in dating reality shows! This guy has such great stamina, being his girlfriend must be so wonderful.]

[Upstairs, are you serious?]

After the three guests each chose their preferred female guest, the camera once again focused on the pier.

[Finally, it's the lucky guest's turn.]

[Here it comes, finally here! I want to see what this bastard looks like!]

Damn, I'm so envious of that bastard!

I bet five cents it's an ugly bastard.

In the monitoring room, Li Sujuan watched the screen's barrage of comments surge and a smile curled her lips.

This is exactly the effect she wanted.

Although his qualifications were not as good as the other guests, he became the most discussed guest due to netizens' jealousy.

Placing Lin Zhou last was also part of this plan.

Black and red are also red.

Moreover, the less optimistic people are about something, the greater the contrast will be later, and the more explosive the buzz will be.

Amidst the heated discussion among netizens, the director's voice came through Lin Zhou's earpiece.

"Alright, you can go on stage now."

……