C26

When Jiang Fanxing once again arrived at the recording studio for Heartbeat 100%, aside from Yang Yuan, the other three mentors suddenly became much more courteous toward him.

Clearly, they had all done their homework.

For instance, Jiang Fanxing had recently parachuted into the drama as the third male lead, with top-tier stars Lin Rin and Qiu Songsheng helping him promote on Weibo, even calling him “brother.” Even after facing full-scale online hate, instead of crashing, he actually gained hundreds of thousands of followers, forcing marketing accounts to go completely silent about him.

After learning of Jiang Fanxing’s “achievements,” Zhu Xiaoxiao and the others had only one thought: Did Yang Yuan really have no other gigs left, that he had to pick a fight with this guy? It was obvious Jiang Fanxing was being heavily promoted by Nian Nian Studio, and the type who wasn’t afraid of trouble. If it really came down to a clash, Yang Yuan’s only advantage was seniority—he had nothing else to leverage.

Unless… Yang Yuan wanted to go down the “infamous but popular” route, and build a “straight-shooter” persona?

It wasn’t impossible—but the cost-to-benefit ratio wasn’t great, and the risk factor was high.

Even so, Zhu Xiaoxiao and the other two decided not to get involved. Whatever conflict the two of them had, it had nothing to do with them. They just needed to earn their paycheck, play their part as dating mentors, and walk away. They weren’t in the same lane as either Jiang Fanxing or Yang Yuan, so there was no conflict of interest, nor any need to curry favor with anyone.

Jiang Fanxing, of course, understood why the three mentors’ attitudes had shifted.

It was the same everywhere: as long as you had a big company backing you and were seen as valuable, people would treat you with more respect. Just like law students interning at different firms—prestigious firms gave you internships with higher credibility, and even when sourcing clients, the big-name firms had the upper hand. Clients’ attitudes would be better too.

This world had never been as fair as people imagined.

“Teacher Jiang, please have a seat.” The program’s scriptwriter greeted him with a beaming smile. After all, Jiang Fanxing didn’t need her to write scripts for him, which meant more time for her to slack off—how could she not be happy? “Your makeup today looks amazing—so handsome!”

Her compliment was sincere.

A good makeup artist was hard to come by, and a star stylist who could enhance a celebrity’s own features was even more expensive. There was a saying in the industry: fame made beauty glow. In truth, it meant that once a star became popular, their makeup and styling team would go through an upgrade, making them look more attractive while keeping their unique features.

Although Jiang Fanxing hadn’t fully exploded in fame yet, his team’s quality was already top-tier.

For the director, securing him as a mentor was definitely a win.

“Thank you for the compliment. Your lipstick suits you too,” Jiang Fanxing replied with a smile. “And your complexion looks much better lately.”

“Teacher Jiang, you’re so observant—I really did get good rest these past two days.” The scriptwriter was even happier. Who didn’t want to be remembered? Unlike some celebrities, who even after she had written over ten episodes’ worth of scripts for them, still addressed her with “Hey” or “That one.”

When Yang Yuan arrived, what he saw was Jiang Fanxing blending seamlessly with the program crew. He frowned, a sense of wariness toward Jiang Fanxing deepening in his heart.

If given a choice, he wouldn’t want to make an enemy of him either. But Jiang Fanxing was simply too perfect a stepping stone.

He had some recognition, but his fame was only just rising, without many diehard fans.

He had works to his name, but his drama hadn’t aired yet—though its reputation was already big enough to guarantee a wave of traffic once it did.

He had a signed studio contract, but the studio’s boss, Shen Tianqing, was currently too busy dealing with his own problems. At that moment, another idol from their studio had just gotten embroiled in a borderline scandal and was being bashed by the entire internet (this was the second day before Chen Kele’s marketing hype succeeded). With that crisis, there wasn’t much energy left to spare for Jiang Fanxing—making it the perfect opportunity.

Not to mention, he had previously had some unpleasant run-ins with Nian Nian Studio. Back then, a role that had already been set for him was snatched away by Qin Shi of Nian Nian. After that, Qin Shi shot to the top, firmly securing a position as a leading star before his eventual downfall, while he gradually faded into obscurity, reduced to joining shows like this one just to sell nostalgia.

At the end of the day, it was all Nian Nian Studio’s fault!

Since Jiang Fanxing had signed with this company, naturally he had to shoulder the responsibility too.

Yang Yuan’s plan was carefully calculated: when a veteran actor clashed with a younger, well-backed rising star, the public instinctively sided with the veteran. If things really escalated, he would come out of it gaining sympathy and attention, while riding a surge of popularity. This kind of tactic had already been successfully used before—he just needed to copy it. Once that happened, the supporting male role in Lakeside Media’s film would naturally be his, and his comeback would be within reach.

Although Jiang Fanxing wasn’t clueless, he wasn’t actually all that difficult to deal with.

Yang Yuan felt rather confident. He had already instructed his assistant to secretly connect with the program’s screenwriter and editor. The writer would slip him better lines, while the editor would ensure he had more screen time. If push came to shove, they could even use editing tricks to splice Jiang Fanxing’s words, making him appear “disrespectful to a senior,” cementing that image in viewers’ minds.

Jiang Fanxing cast a glance at Yang Yuan. Although he didn’t know exactly what underhanded scheme the man was plotting, he did know the type: people who didn’t recognize their own position and preferred to step on newcomers to prove their worth. Unless they were hit hard enough, they would never back down.

Since that was the case, Jiang Fanxing wasn’t going to show courtesy either. Originally, his reason for joining the variety show had been purely to eat, drink, gossip, and have fun. But since trouble had already come knocking, why should he retreat?

The recording of the second episode officially began.

Gu Fan and the others once again stood in front of the cameras, each doing their best to play their roles. Even Gu Fan, who had been uncomfortable at first, had adjusted successfully this time.

The key was not to treat it as a real dating show, but as legitimate commercial promotion. No one was actually here to find a girlfriend; they were here to promote themselves and gain exposure. As long as you kept the right mindset, once the recording ended, you could hype yourself up a little afterward—no one would be able to tell.

Thinking this way, Gu Fan quickly tucked away all his irrelevant “advantages,” instead leaning into his cold exterior to project maturity and steadiness. Compared to his previous image as a clumsy kitchen disaster, this strong contrast highlighted his good manners and gentlemanly poise with every move.

Following the established routine, the five mentors each had to give a brief evaluation of the guests’ performances today, while steering viewers toward the CP pairings they wanted to promote.

“Today, Gu Fan seems a lot more composed. Looks like he was just too nervous last time, which is why he made so many mistakes.” Zhu Xiaoxiao, surprised by his change, couldn’t help but comment.

“In the last episode, our bank lady didn’t make many moves, but this time she took the initiative! Wow, she even went to discuss today’s schedule with one of the male guests. Who did she set her sights on? That really fit, athletic-looking guy! I never would’ve guessed this CP pairing.” Yan Lan chimed in as well.

“Today, it looks like our Harvard graduate hottie is starting to catch on. The way he’s looking at that streamer girl—there’s definitely some spark there,” Yang Yuan said. The male guest he had picked was none other than this Harvard graduate, while the female guest he paired him with was the streamer with over a million followers.

“Wait a second, isn’t this guy giving that exact same look to the dog next to him?” Jiang Fanxing interjected in disbelief. “Here, Director, can we cut to the footage real quick? Doesn’t this guy look at random dogs on the street the same way? These days, male guests’ eyes are even more ‘soulful’ than us male actors’. Don’t you think so, Brother Yang?” He smoothly tossed the question back at Yang Yuan.

Yang Yuan just chuckled awkwardly and didn’t respond.

How was he supposed to answer that?

And what was up with Jiang Fanxing today? Last episode, though he had been sarcastic at times, it wasn’t nearly this obvious. But this time, he seemed especially aggressive. Could it be that he had found something out, and was deliberately striking first?

No wonder Yang Yuan thought that way—Jiang Fanxing, now going all-in on roasting anyone without discrimination, really did seem a bit off.

Or maybe this was actually his real state, and last episode he had simply been acting polite because he felt he was paid so much. For the sake of that paycheck, he was willing to give the production team some face.

But if he didn’t want to bite, and someone still came at him first?

Why should he back down?

He wasn’t looking for trouble, but he wasn’t afraid of it either.

If he retreated now, wouldn’t that be letting down Shen Tianqing, Zhu Guofu, Chen Kele—all the people he had already roasted before?

It wasn’t about the inequality of few or many—it was about fairness.

I have to be fair, Jiang Fanxing thought.

Sure enough, the screenwriters and directors soon noticed the fiery tension brewing between Jiang Fanxing and Yang Yuan.

When Yang Yuan first cast doubt on Gu Fan’s drastically improved performance this episode compared to the last, suggesting maybe he was just weighed down by his idol baggage—

Jiang Fanxing shot back immediately: “Just because you test the waters with a pair of threes in Dou Dizhu doesn’t mean you don’t have a double joker in your hand.”

When Yang Yuan claimed the streamer girl seemed interested in the Harvard guy, and that the Harvard guy picked up on it and took initiative—

Jiang Fanxing smiled and said, “One of life’s three great illusions is thinking she’s into me.”

When Yang Yuan lectured the other male guests that rushing too eagerly to ask the streamer out showed a lack of gentlemanly manners—

Jiang Fanxing fired right back: “Love is like w-ar—hesitation means elimination. If you like someone and don’t go after them, you’re no different from unsold cabbages at the market, left to rot because no one bothered to shout about them.”

When Yang Yuan commented that another female guest seemed cold and maybe hard to approach—

Jiang Fanxing shook his head like a rattle-drum: “An introvert pretending to be extroverted—that’s asking too much. This lady is clearly like a mangosteen: tough shell outside, but inside, she’s as soft as a kitten’s paw. That contrast is irresistible.”

And when Yang Yuan excitedly pointed out that the streamer girl and the Harvard guy were from the same hometown, calling them a pair destined by fate—

Jiang Fanxing, smiling sweetly, added, “Two people from the same hometown? More like two villagers meeting just to stab each other in the back.”

That line made several of the other guests break into laughter.

They were professionals—they usually wouldn’t laugh on camera. Unless they absolutely couldn’t help it.

And this time… they really couldn’t help it.

…

It wasn’t just an illusion!

Even the cameramen could tell there was something off about the chemistry between these two.

What’s more, every time Jiang Fanxing spoke, it just so happened that the camera was focused on the left side of Yang Yuan’s face—highlighting his handsome features in close-up right as Jiang Fanxing was roasting him.

Once or twice it could be brushed off as coincidence, but every single time? Even if the cameraman wanted to play dumb, he couldn’t.

Jiang Fanxing was deliberately stealing Yang Yuan’s camera time—no doubt about it!

Every time Yang Yuan made a comment, Jiang Fanxing’s response was instant, and with every sentence he tacked on a polite “Brother Yang.” To outsiders, it almost looked like the two were performing a cross-talk routine, one leading, one playing along.

Were these two really going head-to-head?

The production staff glanced at each other in shock. Their private WeChat group was already exploding:

Rip into each other! The harder the better! Anyone who doesn’t fight is a coward!

This was exactly what they wanted—barbed banter, snarky tension, sparks flying everywhere.

That strong whiff of gu-npowder between them, both from the guests and from the mentors, was gold.

Without fights, where would the hype and discussion come from?

The show’s viewership was practically guaranteed now.

By lunchtime, Yang Yuan couldn’t hold back anymore. He went straight to confront Jiang Fanxing.

“Jiang Fanxing, what was that this morning? Every time I said something, you had to rebut me. Do you really think it’s fun to steal my camera time like that?”

The fact that Jiang Fanxing had managed to push Yang Yuan to this point was already proof of his skill. Normally, Yang Yuan excelled at putting on a good face—smiling politely while stabbing from behind. People like that were the hardest to deal with, because fighting back meant openly tearing the facade apart, something that was tough for younger people in the industry.

But Jiang Fanxing? He didn’t even give the directors or producers much face when he didn’t feel like it—why should Yang Yuan be any different? If he had the ability, let him fight back for the camera time. Everyone ate off their own skills.

“Brother Yang, what you just said doesn’t sound very professional.” Jiang Fanxing drawled lazily. “In our line of work, the whole game is about who shines brighter on camera. If you don’t like what I say, just jump in while I’m talking and snatch the camera back. Simple as that.”

Unfortunately for Yang Yuan, who had been working hard to memorize the script the writers gave him, his improvisation skills were miles behind Jiang Fanxing’s. Even when he barely managed to follow up, the next second Jiang Fanxing would top him with an even sharper, funnier line.

It was like Yang Yuan had accidentally become Jiang Fanxing’s comedic partner, setting him up for every punchline.

“Don’t worry, Brother Yang,” Jiang Fanxing added with a polite smile, “I’ll be sure to thank you on Weibo later for all your help today.”

He had just thrown Yang Yuan’s own fake-polite act right back in his face.

Yang Yuan stormed out of the lounge, his face dark as iron.

Xiao Zhou couldn’t help giving Jiang Fanxing a thumbs up.

“Brother Jiang, you were on fire today! Every word smacked Yang Yuan’s ‘playboy heartthrob’ persona right in the face. Too ruthless!”

“Ruthless? Me?” Jiang Fanxing looked genuinely unconvinced. “I was only expressing my honest opinion. I mean, this is my first time on a variety show—I don’t know a thing. Isn’t it normal for a newbie to just try not to let every line fall flat?”

Yeah right, keep pretending. Who could out-act you at this point? Xiao Zhou thought furiously.

Makeup artist Weiwei, on the other hand, was over the moon. She wished Jiang Fanxing would go even harder, roast Yang Yuan until he actually keeled over.

“Brother Jiang, I found out everything you asked me to dig into,” Weiwei said excitedly, like a raccoon rummaging gleefully through a melon patch. “Turns out, plenty of people can’t stand Yang Yuan. Do you know why he insists on butting heads with you?”

“Isn’t it just because I’m young, good-looking, and a threat?” Jiang Fanxing quipped.

“Uh… well, that’s not exactly wrong.” Weiwei was a little speechless, but she went on,

“They say Yang Yuan has picked up a bit of a bad habit. A while ago, he went to Ao Port to gamble a few rounds.”

Ao Port, at present, was the only city in the country where gambling was legal. Countless celebrities and wealthy businessmen loved going there—at those tables, the money won or lost in a single night was an astronomical figure an ordinary person couldn’t earn in a lifetime.

“How did he even end up there? Doesn’t his agent manage him?” Jiang Fanxing’s expression darkened at the news.

“Artists like Yang Yuan, who are aging and stuck in that half-famous stage, don’t get much investment from their managers anymore. And besides, he’s not exactly an upright person. The agent who made him popular in the first place—he fired them right after he became famous. Since then, he’s gone through managers one after another, so quickly it’s ridiculous. The current one is already his seventh. At this point, who’s still going to manage him seriously?”

When an artist hadn’t made it yet, they were obedient and easy to control. But once they became famous, they realised they were the one the capital was chasing, the one fans worshipped as flawless—and most stopped listening to their managers. They’d either set up their own studio, or form their own company, or split contracts across platforms to minimize how much influence a single agent could have.

Take Qin Shi, who used to be under Shen Tianqing. He was once obedient and cooperative, but after rising to fame, he felt every manager only wanted to profit off him. So, he simply picked a family member to be his manager instead.

Cases like this weren’t rare. In fact, long-term, trusting partnerships between artists and managers were the exception, not the rule. And even then, most of those ended up turning into marriages. After all, working side by side in close trust for over a decade made it impossible to separate work from life—falling in love and starting a family together became natural.

Of course, none of this had much meaning for Jiang Fanxing, who was still in his rising stage. For him, worrying about that was far too early.

“I see. So that second male lead role in the movie is basically his last chance? He’s trying to use it as a comeback?” Jiang Fanxing finally understood.

The world revolved around profit. In the entertainment industry, all those so-called grudges and rivalries boiled down to that one word: interests. Once you grasped that, thriving in this circle wasn’t so difficult.

“That should be it,” Weiwei nodded, agreeing with his take.

Jiang Fanxing chuckled. Now that he knew the other side’s trump card, things were much easier.

When the lunch break ended, the afternoon’s recording had a new segment. Remember how, at the end of the last episode, the mentors were asked to each give a piece of advice to the male guests?

In this episode on the island, the production team handed out those advice slips to each male guest, telling them that these were suggestions from the love mentors, made specifically for them. The male guests could choose to follow them or not. But if they did, they’d be given a prop prepared by the production team to use in their upcoming daily interactions.

Naturally, Gu Fan also received the advice slip from Jiang Fanxing.

The handwriting didn’t look great. Apparently, mentors in the entertainment industry weren’t very good at writing neatly. Gu Fan complained silently to himself.

And the advice itself… wasn’t it wasting his other strengths a bit?

Tell the cute female streamer cold jokes to look “funny”? He was a well-polished lawyer elite—was it really suitable for him to put aside his professional and suave image to play the role of a class clown?

And besides, while that streamer girl was indeed very cute, Gu Fan’s type had always been the kind of mature bombshells with curves in all the right places.

He hesitated for a moment, then crumpled the slip of advice into a ball.

“Fanxing’s suggestion is really interesting.” Yang Yuan, of course, had also seen what was written on the slip. “I didn’t expect Fanxing to be so optimistic about you, senior, and that cute streamer girl. They didn’t have any interaction earlier on, right? Could there be some secret we don’t know about?”

“If it’s a secret, of course I can’t tell you, Brother Yang,” Jiang Fanxing replied with a smile. “But Brother Yang, the suggestion you wrote—having that finance guy pick a bunch of flowers every day to give to the cute streamer girl? She wasn’t the one you originally picked, was she?”

“Mm, I changed it. Surprised? Unexpected?” Yang Yuan kept his variety show persona on full display in front of the cameras. He could spin his unreasonable actions into something logical with just a couple of sentences. Anyone who didn’t know the truth would just assume it was all for show.

And why did he change his choice to the cute streamer? Naturally, because he secretly peeked at Jiang Fanxing’s slip and then pressured the production team to switch it—for the sake of “better program effects.” After all, if they really all chose different girls, how would the later parts of the show progress?

The production team thought about it and realized he had a point, so they quietly made the adjustment. They could always edit around it in post-production.

“Girls all love flowers,” Yang Yuan said with a smile. “Giving flowers can show sincerity, but it can also be a way to test the waters. The island’s unique climate produces very fine lilies of the valley, which represent sincerity and gentleness—just right for our streamer girl. A bouquet can either express admiration or affection. Which way it’s taken depends entirely on her.”

Watching Yang Yuan talk so smoothly, Jiang Fanxing could practically already see the captions that the editors would later slap on the screen: ‘As expected of a love master’, ‘Romance expert’.

“Brother Yang, didn’t you realize that the streamer girl is allergic to pollen?” Jiang Fanxing said casually. “Giving her flowers might not be appropriate.”

“Huh? She’s allergic to pollen?” Yang Yuan froze. “Was that mentioned in her intro? If that’s the case, then it really wouldn’t be suitable. Director, can I change my suggestion?”

“Hahaha.”

The director’s team laughed together with Jiang Fanxing.

“Brother Yang, you’re really too pure and cute—you even believed that when I just made it up on the spot?” Jiang Fanxing laughed until he was nearly in tears. “Brother Yang, you’re way too earnest, so different from how you usually present yourself. When you’re in love, do you also believe everything the other person says? Oh no, I think I just discovered another big secret. After the show ends, Brother Yang is totally going to hit me.”

Yang Yuan ground his teeth in frustration.

This damn Jiang Fanxing—what was his deal? He said it so convincingly that Yang Yuan couldn’t tell truth from lies at all!

 

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