Chapter 21: Has the First Couple Appeared?

If he could, he truly wished he could live in the bathtub. But in reality, he had to hurry and finish his shower, then head downstairs to prepare dinner. Of the eight people, he was undoubtedly the newest member; if he didn’t have the initiative to help out, he’d soon be scolded out of the show by the fans of the other seven guests.

Lin Yu changed into a comfortable set of casual clothes. At the turn of the stairs, he could already see someone busy in the kitchen. The uncle lived up to his reputation, knowing exactly how to quickly integrate into a new environment and win a woman's heart.

Best Actor Qiu Shishang was already in the kitchen, cooking at the stove with an apron tied around his waist, his earnest dedication to preparing a meal attracting Lin Yun Yue, who had come down earlier, to assist him. The two stood together, a picture of talent and beauty—so much so that their chemistry was palpable.

Who would have thought, the show had just started, and already there was a couple for fans to ship? The live streaming comments refreshed with praise for this new pairing.

But regardless of how much fans shipped them, the final decision on pairings still depended on the artists themselves. Of course, there were sometimes scripted setups, but for now, none of that mattered much.

What mattered was that the two collaborating in the kitchen had become the most captivating point for the cameras.

Ji Ya turned to see Lin Yu walking over and beckoned him to sit beside her. Her face was full of worry.

She glanced at the pair in the kitchen, then looked at Lin Yu, who was now watching TV. Although Lin Yu was brought by her, without the determination and action to gain attention and popularity, it would be difficult for her to elevate a newcomer who hadn't yet debuted to the top.

At present, all the spotlight was on the kitchen, so Ji Ya took the opportunity to question Lin Yu.

"Have you decided what you'll perform tonight?"

Lin Yu took a sip of tea. Truth be told, he had little interest in fighting for camera time; those petty schemes meant nothing to him. He firmly believed that only by relying on true talent could one stand firm.

Still, he couldn't entirely disregard the program's requirements.

So far, he hadn't given much thought to tonight's performance—if Ji Ya hadn't reminded him, he might have forgotten altogether.

A performance usually meant singing, dancing, rapping... What else was there?

Perhaps he could surprise everyone with something different? For example, demonstrating Tai Chi, showcasing genuine Xiazhou martial arts? If he could use the show to promote Tai Chi and let more young people know that Xiazhou kung fu is not just flashy moves, that would be a good thing.

He was just worried that, given his current lack of fame, no matter how well he performed, it wouldn’t have much impact—worse, he might be criticized by viewers. Would martial arts even count as an artist’s talent?

Besides, this was a dating show; if he went on stage with a martial arts demonstration, Director Lin Jia probably wouldn’t approve.

Who wanted to watch martial arts in a dating program every day? If someone really wanted action, they could just watch foreign movies—full of effects and perfect dubbing, now that was thrilling.

Lin Yu dismissed the idea of Tai Chi and decided singing was the only option.

"Singing? That works."

Upon hearing Lin Yu’s definitive answer, Ji Ya felt relieved. Nothing else mattered—she had chosen to sign Lin Yu precisely because of his unique voice. If he performed his original song, it might help offset his weakness as a newcomer.

Especially now, with so few original singers, perhaps, with some luck, he could avoid coming in last as predicted.

Thinking this, Ji Ya instinctively glanced at the two busy in the kitchen.

Others might not know their relationship; online fans were already shipping them. But with her status in the industry, she had already gathered information on all the guests before the shoot. Lin Yun Yue, in fact, belonged to the same agency as Qiu Shishang.

Lin Yun Yue had just debuted, lacking much fan support, so the company arranged for Qiu Shishang to bring her onto variety shows. It was rumored that Qiu Shishang was initially unwilling to mentor a newcomer, but after meeting Lin Yun Yue for the first time, his attitude changed immediately.

Ji Ya had nothing to criticize about this. In the industry, the higher someone stood, the more glamorous they seemed on the surface, but behind the scenes, the dirtier things got.

Yet not everyone was like that.

Withdrawing her gaze from the kitchen, Ji Ya solemnly reminded Lin Yu:

"Lin Yun Yue is almost in the same situation as you. The best outcome would be if you can outshine her."

"If you disgrace yourself despite being on equal footing, you might as well pack your things and get ready for obscurity."

Ji Ya was not trying to scare Lin Yu. As far as she knew, Lin Yun Yue had spent two and a half years as a trainee without debuting. If it weren’t for a sponsor and her good looks, she would have been forgotten in some corner long ago.

Faced with Ji Ya’s stern warning, Lin Yu grew troubled. Although he was confident in his song "Decency," the issue was that this was a dating show. In a program where sweetness and romance draw attention, wouldn’t opening with a breakup song seem a bit... abrupt?

Lin Yu scratched his head—damn, he was too nervous and suddenly couldn’t recall any popular love songs from his previous life.

This was a problem.

Lin Yu smiled awkwardly and asked, “Boss, what if I really can’t outperform her?”

Ji Ya frowned, her expression turning sour.

“Can’t you say something more positive? Back at graduation, you went on stage and sang a breakup song for your ex-girlfriend in front of everyone—where’s that determination now?”

“Why are you getting timid now, just as you step into showbiz? Don’t you want to stand at the top and look down on everyone?”

“Don’t you want to crush Wu Zhen with your talent?”

At the mention of Wu Zhen, Lin Yu’s gaze instantly hardened.

“Yes, sir! I will absolutely live up to your expectations!”

In his previous life, Wu Zhen had cheated on him for four years. The worst part was, that fat bastard didn’t suffer at all from Xu Xiao Qian’s downfall—he was probably already targeting another unsuspecting girl.

Lin Yu imagined Wu Zhen at this very moment, likely attending some banquet and enjoying life.

That villain who had ruined Lin Yu’s previous life... Sooner or later, he would pay for it.

And now, Lin Yu had made up his mind.

This round, he would not lose.

On this show, anyone who ranked last three times or more would be eliminated without fan support. This program was his first step into the entertainment world. If he couldn’t even get the first step right, wouldn’t that be a wasted life?