I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

June 2010, Shandong TV.

On the set of "Love Knocks on the Door".

Director Fang Jingwei squatted on the steps, holding a rolled-up script in his hand, pointing at the five male guests in front of him with a serious expression.

"Listen up, everyone! This show is about matchmaking. We've given you the script, so just follow it and don't improvise!"

He paused, then glanced around.

Where did you find this bunch of oddballs?

They all either have greasy hair or beer bellies, and there's also a non-mainstream guy with dyed yellow hair.

Our gaze fell on the last one.

Hmm, this one is alright.

He was a tall man of 1.85 meters, with broad shoulders and long legs. He had a handsome and upright appearance.

Oh well, I'll just have to make do.

"What should be said must be said according to the script. What shouldn't be said must not be said at all."

A guy with a buzz cut raised his hand: "Director, what should I say if a female guest asks me what I do for a living?"

"So what do you do for a living?"

The guy with the buzz cut rubbed his hands together, a little embarrassed: "I'm a mortician..."

Director Fang's face darkened. Had it become this difficult to find male guests?

Do you want everything?

Just as he was deep in thought, a voice came from the back of the line; it was that handsome 185cm tall guy.

"Then you can say you're a makeup artist who will take you to corpses and faraway places!"

hiss……

The man with the buzz cut gasped...

The big picture has come!

Another guy immediately raised his hand: "What should I say if I dance in a bar?"

"Just graduated from a 985 university!"

"I own a chicken farm, how should I say that?"

Working at a chicken farm, dealing with tens of thousands of chickens every day!

Everyone gasped...

No, buddy, it's a shame you're not a matchmaker!

The director gave him an appreciative look, then went on and on about a bunch of things to note, before having the staff lead the other four people to the dressing room.

"You're Old Jiang's son, aren't you?"

Jiang Chen nodded: "Yes, hello Uncle Fang."

"Your dad told me the other day that his son is very handsome, and I thought he was just bragging."

"He probably wasn't bragging; he was just being modest."

Director Fang: "..."

"Don't be nervous when you go on stage later. Do your best, and I'll give you more screen time."

"Okay, thank you, Uncle Fang."

"Alright, go ahead."

As soon as Jiang Chen returned to the dressing room, the blond-haired guy came over.

This guy is a little over 1.7 meters tall, with long blond hair, thick bangs covering half of one eye, and eyeliner on the other half.

A tight black T-shirt, slim-fit ripped jeans, and platform shoes—a typical non-mainstream outfit.

"Hey buddy, my name is Fu Longfei, what's yours?"

"Jiang Chen".

"Where are you from?"

"Freshmen of Beijing Film Academy"

"Wow, that's amazing! They even got into the Beijing Film Academy?"

Jiang Chen glanced at him, knowing the answer already, and asked, "And you?"

"Me?" Fu Longfei brushed his bangs aside, revealing his other eye, "I'm a male model, but I'm preparing to become a trainee."

Jiang Chen knew this guy, of course; he was still a nobody.

He will later debut as part of the boy group JBOY3 with Luo Yunxi and Wang Ziyao.

However, he hadn't made a splash for many years until he participated in "Chase the Light! Brothers" in 2020, which brought him renewed popularity. Later, he appeared on "Call Me By Fire" and finally gained some attention.

"How much did you get paid for the appearance?"

"five hundred."

"Then we're the same."

The show the two participated in was, to put it bluntly, a copy of "If You Are the One".

In January of this year, a female guest on the dating show "If You Are the One" said, "I'd rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle," which immediately went viral online.

The ratings soared to almost 5 points. What does that mean?

Back then, a hit TV series breaking 2% was considered amazing.

Major TV stations are green with envy.

Anyone can copy.

Hunan TV produced "Let's Date," Zhejiang TV produced "Go for Love," and there's also something called "You'll Only Win When You Go on a Blind Date"...

Suddenly, the whole country was filled with men and women in red and green, and the screen was filled with the sound effects of holding hands, hugging, and lights going out.

"Love Knocks on the Door" is a copycat production by Shandong TV.

But these kinds of shows are all scripted.

Female guests need to apply and be screened; some programs even require an application fee.

What's the point?

Become famous with this picture!

Once you're on TV, it doesn't matter if you're holding hands or not; once you're familiar with each other, you'll have a chance.

Later, countless people emerged from these kinds of programs to become internet celebrities, models, or even enter the entertainment industry.

The male guests are different.

In order to maintain the ratings, the number of ordinary people who sign up for the show is simply not enough.

What if someone who's bad at speaking comes up and the whole thing falls apart?

Therefore, the production team will go to major universities and famous companies to find some handsome, eloquent, and camera-savvy people to add to the guest pool.

There's a fee for each appearance, 500 yuan per show.

Of course, Jiang Chen didn't come for the five hundred yuan.

His parents both work for Shandong Film & Television, one in the production department and the other in post-production.

They were just brought in to make up the numbers!

At the staff's call, five male guests entered the studio one by one.

The lights suddenly came on, and the audience of more than two hundred people filled the seats.

Most of these were ordinary audience members invited by the program team from nearby universities and communities. Each person was given a bag of laundry detergent as a gift, and those who performed well could receive an extra bag of rice.

At this moment, the audience below the stage were clapping and shouting in response to the director's gestures, cooperating with the camera with full concentration. The scene was noisy and lively.

The stage was meticulously set up in pink tones, with five "love gates" standing in the center. Behind each gate stood a female guest, whose shoes and skirts were the only visible parts of her face, which was completely obscured by the gate panels.

There are two large screens on the left and right sides of the stage, which will be used to show VCRs and close-ups of the male guests.

The host, Dabing, stood in the center of the stage, dressed in a sharp suit, his hair perfectly styled, holding the microphone in his hand with a very upright posture.

He hadn't started writing the book yet at that time.

She is a legitimate host on Shandong TV, having hosted "Sunshine Express" and is quite well-known within the province.

Welcome to "Love Knocks on the Door"!

As soon as he spoke, the audience applauded immediately, displaying their well-trained discipline. "Today, five male guests will launch their romantic offensives against five female guests. Who will ultimately win the heart of the other? Let's wait and see!"

The music started playing—the kind of background music typical of dating shows: upbeat, sweet, and with a touch of anticipation.

The soldier stepped aside and gestured, "First, let's welcome our five female guests to the stage!"

Five "love gates" opened one after another.

The first three are just ordinary...

"Fourth female guest, Li Xue!"

A girl walked out from behind the door, and all the lights in the room shone on her.

In her early twenties, she had a round, oval face with a touch of chubby baby fat, and her skin was dazzlingly white.

The most beautiful thing about her is her eyes.

Her eyes are curved, and when she smiles, they look like crescent moons; she's especially sweet.

She wore a white, fitted mini dress that accentuated her incredibly slim waist, and her chest appeared surprisingly full, making it difficult to discern the amount of padding she was wearing…

The skirt hem fell above her knees, revealing straight and shapely calves, and she wore a pair of light pink stilettos.

The way she stood there was refreshing and elegant, like a camellia...