Chapter Sixty-Two: Handsome in a Foolish Way

The main feature began, though it didn’t quite feel like the main feature. Instead, the scene opened on an observation room in a studio. A host was inviting six or seven guests to introduce themselves.

“What is all this?” Tang Maode grumbled impatiently.

Nearly ten minutes had passed, and they were still in the studio.

Wang Jun chuckled. “This is actually a good thing. Without these celebrity guests, Zhi Chu and the others wouldn’t have garnered so much attention.”

Tao Bo chimed in as well. “That’s right, Second Uncle. This is standard for dating reality shows—invite a bunch of celebrities to the studio to watch the program, just like we’re doing now. I keep seeing clips of them on DY these days. Their presence practically measures the show’s popularity.”

Tang Maode fell silent, not quite grasping the point. What did this mean? They watch TV inside, and we watch them watching TV from outside? Was this some sort of nesting dolls trick? What a fancy waste! Only today was an exception—if he had to watch this sort of thing regularly, he’d rather be dead.

The scene changed. First, there was a wide shot of Yuzhou city, set to lively music. After glimpses of several landmark buildings, the camera wove through crowded streets and finally settled on a small villa, where a taxi stopped out front.

The car door opened, and the camera first showed a pair of white sneakers and loose-fitting jeans. As the camera panned upward, Tang Zhichu’s face appeared.

His complexion was fair and clear, his eyebrows thick, and his hair lush, styled in a slightly tousled, refreshing way.

“Wow, not bad—he looks good!”

“Where did they find him? He’s got such striking features!”

“Yeah, and he’s tall, just a little on the thin side.”

…

Tang Maode suddenly didn’t mind the studio guests so much. He muttered that they actually spoke quite nicely.

Tang Xiuju smacked her lips in approval and nodded. On camera, her nephew didn’t look as thin as he did in real life—he actually appeared much more balanced, and even fairer.

Tao Bo tugged at Wang Jun’s sleeve. “Uncle, is that my brother? They must’ve edited it!”

Tang Xiuju shot him a glare.

Tao Bo quickly corrected himself. “Definitely edited—I honestly think he looks even better in person!”

Only then did Tang Xiuju withdraw her gaze.

Just as everyone was admiring his looks, the man in the shot stumbled on a step and nearly fell.

Everyone: “…”

Luckily, he steadied himself. As he was about to walk forward, the driver leaned out and called, “Hey, aren’t you forgetting your luggage?”

Everyone: “…”

He grabbed his suitcase and strode toward the villa, where a signboard displaying the dating show’s rules stood at the door.

Tang Zhichu stopped in front of the sign and didn’t move.

The show helpfully indicated that this wasn’t a still shot by adding a timer to the screen. It wasn’t until about four and a half minutes had passed that he finally looked up and entered the villa.

“Uh, why do I feel like he doesn’t seem very bright?”

“Hahaha, he’s just nervous! I love this kind of handsomely clueless guy!”

“That tumble was hilarious, but I get it—he must be nervous.”

…

Hearing the studio guests’ teasing, Tang Maode snorted and muttered under his breath about losing face.

Tang Xiuju promptly kicked him in the thigh and scolded, “You have the nerve to complain? Weren’t you the one who sent him? Don’t you know what state your son was in before he left? He’s done well just to get this far. Let others mock him if they want, but as his father, you have no right!”

Maybe it was because he’d been living off others’ hospitality lately, or maybe he genuinely realized his son had it tough, but Tang Maode said nothing more.

If they’d checked the live chat, they would have seen that no one was actually criticizing Tang Zhichu.

Good looks were already an advantage. Add in some visible nerves and a bit of cluelessness, and he seemed completely harmless—like a lamb among wolves. The chat was already full of people calling him “husband.”

In his bedroom, Tang Zhichu watched secretly on his computer. Seeing so many people in the chat calling him “husband,” he touched his own face. In his previous life, he’d jokingly called himself Eddie Peng, but he’d never experienced this kind of attention.

Now that it was happening, it felt strange. Suddenly, he understood why Eddie Peng was so obsessed with working out.

Who could resist this feeling?

On screen, after entering the villa, Tang Zhichu sat motionless in a corner of the sofa, arms folded, looking dazed.

He muttered to himself that he’d arrived at a terrible time—otherwise, he wouldn’t have acted like this. It was pretty embarrassing, honestly.

“He’s here to film a comedy, right? I’m dying—when they asked if he was local, he answered, ‘I haven’t eaten, so I don’t know.’”

“This guy must have traded brains for looks!”

“Stop watching—my man’s embarrassing us all. Tonight I’ll give him a talking-to and make him brew goji berry tea as an apology!”

“‘Haven’t eaten’—I hear putting the title in quotes gets you more likes!”

“By the way, the visuals this season are really top-notch. I love Zhou Yun’s looks!”

“Now that Chen Siyang’s here, I get it—it’s a high-profile season!”

…

Tang Zhichu nodded. With the production team backing him, the editing was clearly in his favor.

Many shots highlighted that Tang Zhichu’s dazedness was from nerves, not stupidity. He seemed completely unthreatening, like a lamb among wolves.

When a business van stopped in front of the villa, the chat exploded.

A woman in a beige knit cardigan stepped out.

“It really is Chen Siyang! Guys, can we all agree she’s absolutely gorgeous?”

“Silly Siyang, don’t put up with this—just come marry me!”

“Wow, the other side’s girl group member Jin Lin’er is watching from the studio, but our girl group member is here in person for love—Heaven Entertainment, get lost!”

“What kind of dumb company lets their idol go on a dating show? If you’re not interested, don’t sign her! I’m furious!”

“Okay, all three female guests are here—can we start drooling over the screen now?”

“I was already drooling when the first female guest arrived—my tongue’s gone raw!”

…

Tang Zhichu noticed a comment in the chat that summed things up well: Zhou Yun had a sweet, obedient beauty; Jiang Lan had a mature, alluring beauty; Chen Siyang was the quintessential girl-next-door.

The female guests’ visuals really were outstanding this season—especially striking on camera.

His phone buzzed. Tang Zhichu picked it up.

It was a WeChat group.

“@Little Tang, damn, it’s really you! We thought after you won the competition you’d buy a seaside villa and quit the scene, but turns out you snuck onto a dating show!”

“@Little Tang, Tang bro, you’re so good-looking—why don’t you ever show your face?”

“@Little Tang, if I told all your lady bosses you joined a dating show, how would they react? Would they be beside themselves?”

“Haha, forget your lady bosses—I’m already drooling. Tang, see me!”

…

Messages were flying fast in the group. It was the DY Karaoke Singers group—full of people who sang on DY, and Tang Zhichu was a member too.

But ever since coming to this world, he’d never shown his face in the group.

Thinking of this, Tang Zhichu opened DY. Thankfully, no one had connected this account to him yet; his follower count hadn’t changed.

There were plenty of private messages, but he didn’t check them. Instead, he updated his profile motto.

Just a lousy singer.