According to the program's plan, taking into account sexual orientation, the second season will feature all male contestants, while the third season will feature all female contestants.
Xiao Shulang and others participated in the second season, which was broadcast in a combination of live streaming and pre-recorded segments.
On the day the show premiered, Luo Tian was the first to arrive at the meeting point.
The meeting place was a townhouse rented by the production team. Viewers were already waiting in the live broadcast room. When Luo Tian appeared, his fans immediately started flooding the screen with comments.
【Here it comes!】
[My brother looks very handsome today too!]
I'm both happy and disappointed to see Tian Ge on a dating reality show.
Luo Tian was in a great mood today. He had been preparing for this for a long time and was finally looking forward to the show's premiere.
A few days ago, Xiao Shulang actually dared to hang up on him. When he called back, he found that he had been blocked. Luo Tian got angrier and angrier. In a fit of anger, he hired online trolls to fabricate a lot of dirt on Xiao Shulang and spread it online.
He finally felt relieved when he saw people criticizing Xiao Shulang online.
When Luo Tian learned that Xiao Shulang was among the guests, his mood inexplicably swelled up. He thought arrogantly: "He scolded me so harshly, but in the end, he still can't bear to part with me, can he? Look, he's even followed me onto the show."
Just imagining Xiao Shulang relentlessly pursuing him in front of everyone, while he remained unmoved, filled Luo Tian with immense vanity.
Luo Tian's goal was clear: he wanted to use the show to attract popularity and, incidentally, win over Xu Baichang.
He flaunted his power in front of Xiao Shulang, but in reality, his feelings for Xu Baichang were one-sided.
Two months ago, he clearly expressed his feelings for Xu Baichang at a party. Xu Baichang replied that they could start as friends and get to know each other better.
Keep in mind that he and Xiao Shulang hadn't broken up yet at that time.
For the past two months, he has been in contact with Xu Baichang, using the same effort he used to woo Xiao Shulang back then, bombarding him with sweet words.
Xu Baichang seemed happy and relaxed from the chat, which was a good sign.
Luo Tian was very confident in himself.
Coincidentally, the second guest to arrive was Xu Baichang, and Luo Tian warmly greeted him.
"Teacher Xu, it's been a long time!"
Xu Baichang pulled his suitcase into the house, smiling politely: "Teacher Luo, why are you being so polite to me?"
Luo Tian readily agreed and changed his form of address: "Put your suitcase over there for now, Bai Chang, I'll help you."
Xu Baichang is an actor with both talent and popularity, and has a good reputation in the industry. Luo Tian once worked with him in a TV series, where Xu Baichang was the male lead and he was the third male lead.
Although he was the third male lead, his character was very likable and could capture the audience's hearts with just his character. It was because of this role that Luo Tian was able to open up the entertainment industry market.
Needless to say, this role was one that Xiao Shulang carefully considered and secured for him.
The other guests haven't arrived yet. The two already knew each other, so they chatted without any awkwardness. Since it's a dating reality show, viewers are free to ship the two as they like, and some people are already commenting on their relationship in the live chat.
[Two male gods in the same frame, yay!]
It's fate that we're collaborating again!
I think they look like a perfect match.
During filming, guests are not allowed to use their own phones and cannot see the live comments, but the celebrities naturally have staff to help keep an eye on things. It's still in the early stages, so no one is in a hurry.
After the two chatted for a few minutes, the third guest arrived.
Xiao Shulang pulled his suitcase, opened the door, and entered the frame.
Just moments ago, the comments were all saying things like "Xu Baichang and Luo Tian have such a good atmosphere," but as soon as Xiao Shulang's face appeared, the reserved and polite comments suddenly changed.
A massive wave of comments flooded in.
Holy crap! That face!!
I need all his information within three seconds!!
He's so handsome! I love him!!
[Wow, where did the production team find such a handsome guy?]
Xiao Shulang wore a black shirt today, clean and simple, which made his already fair skin stand out even more. The long pants highlighted his perfect body proportions, and he was simply impeccable from his face to his figure.
He appeared on camera without makeup.
However, due to Luo Tian's recent antics, after the initial barrage of comments marveling at his good looks, dissenting voices quickly emerged.
I know him. Isn't he the guy who was trending on social media for negative reasons a few days ago?
Yes, yes, his name is Xiao Shulang.
[Oh no, it's him! I feel instantly uncomfortable.]
What a waste of a pretty face!
Today is Xiao Shulang's first day on a dating reality show. Wang Hao specially took the time to personally monitor the live stream, and his blood pressure went up as soon as he saw the comments.
Xiao Shulang has only been in the entertainment industry for a few years, but he has only been in the spotlight twice. One time was when he first debuted because of his good looks, and the other time was because of these scandals.
Xiao Shulang doesn't have his own team now, and his reaction to the negative news is a step slower. By the time Wang Hao dealt with it, some of the rumors had already spread too far, and simply removing the hot topics wouldn't work. Moreover, the online trolls who were stirring up trouble were taking advantage of Xiao Shulang's lack of fame and were willing to make up anything.
The story goes that many people are sidelined by their companies because of their diva-like behavior, immoral private lives, and bad temper. It's all made up to sound quite plausible.
Given that Xiao Shulang really doesn't have many works, having filmed two small brand commercials that have long since stopped airing, sang a song as a guest on a certain program, and has some small press releases whose photos can no longer be found online, many people believed that he was truly being sidelined by the company due to character issues.
They didn't believe the company's denials.
The audience was dissatisfied, so why did they invite him over?
How did the production team select the participants?
[Do dating reality shows not consider character when selecting partners? Wasn't it said that his private life was messy?]
[Change the cast! I'm going to start yelling at the production team!]
Occasionally, a rational comment might be mixed in, but it was all drowned out, leaving no trace.
Even if he could see the comments now, Xiao Shulang wouldn't be affected; he's a very stable person.
When new guests arrive, Xu Baichang and Luo Tian still have to get up and go to the door to welcome them. Xiao Shulang, pulling his suitcase with one hand, greets them naturally: "Hi."
Xu Baichang politely extended his hand: "Hello."
He's been busy with work lately and hasn't been surfing the internet much, so he didn't know about the wave of attacks against Xiao Shulang.
To be fair, Xiao Shulang and Xu Baichang don't look alike. Xiao Shulang's face is absolutely top-tier. If we have to say something, they do have some similarities in their temperament.
They are all the type that make you feel very comfortable at first glance.
However, Xiao Shulang is now prickly, while Xu Baichang is more gentle.
Xiao Shulang smiled and shook hands with Xu Baichang: "Hello, Teacher Xu, my name is Xiao Shulang. I really like the movie you acted in, it was awesome!"
Regardless of whether it was just polite talk or not, Xu Baichang responded appropriately: "Thank you."
After the handshake, Xiao Shulang seamlessly continued, "Excuse me, where do I put my suitcase?"
Xu Baichang pointed to the location: "This way."
So Xiao Shulang carried his suitcase over, and from the moment he entered until now, he hasn't given Luo Tian a single glance.
But when he entered, it was as if he were greeting a large group of people at once, so naturally that not only the audience but even Xu Baichang didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
What? You're saying he only shook hands with Xu Baichang? You don't necessarily have to shake hands when you first meet someone, right? Anyway, Luo Tian didn't come up and extend his hand.
Actually, it was Xiao Shulang who didn't give Luo Tian a chance.
Luo Tian imagined all sorts of reactions from Xiao Shulang after their reunion, his mind spiking with pride, but Xiao Shulang completely ignored him.
This is not scientific!
Luo Tian's gaze was almost immediately drawn to Xiao Shulang, his eyes moving in a very obvious direction.
It's important to know that dating reality shows are the kind of shows that practically shove the camera right up to the guests' faces, magnifying all their micro-expressions for viewers to ponder. Viewers are also very good at interpreting things themselves, so Luo Tian's direct gaze was certainly not going to be overlooked.
[Has Luo Tian been staring at Xiao Shulang the whole time?]
[Why are you doing this when the person is about to walk out of the frame?!]
[I hope my brother isn't attracted to him! No way!]
[Brother, wake up! That's a femme fatale, you can't touch her! Isn't Bai Chang better?]
Xiao Shulang put down his suitcase and turned around, only to meet Luo Tian's gaze. He sneered inwardly, chose to ignore him, and walked to Xu Baichang's side, entering the living room together.
Luo Tian remembered that he was recording a program. He pretended to be nonchalant and looked away, while thinking to himself: That makes sense. After all, it's a program being recorded. Xiao Shulang should be more patient.
But it doesn't matter. With Xiao Shulang's temperament, he probably won't be able to hold out for long before he breaks down.
Luo Tian still remembered the message Xiao Shulang sent him after the breakup. Although it was cursing him, every word was filled with strong emotions: resentment, collapse, and heartache. But he still remembered things that even Luo Tian had forgotten. Wasn't that a sign that he couldn't let go?
Luo Tian quickly adjusted his mindset, thinking to himself, "Let's see how long you can keep up this act."
After the three sat down, Xiao Shulang continued the greeting from before and started chatting with Xu Bai: "Teacher Xu, your acting is really good, it's so touching. I like your 'Sorrow' the most, and I have different feelings every time I watch it."
Xu Baichang was somewhat surprised: "You've watched it many times? The tone of 'Sorrow' is too somber; many people say they dare not watch it a second time."
Luo Tian couldn't let the two of them chatter away, so he immediately interjected, "Excellent works are naturally worth watching repeatedly. I watched them many times when I was learning acting."
That was a beautifully said statement, and Xu Baichang also became interested. Luo Tian was glad that his limelight hadn't been stolen, and he secretly glanced at Xiao Shulang with a smug look on his face.
But Xiao Shulang still didn't spare any attention for Luo Tian.
Xiao Shulang continued talking to Xu Baichang. What he mentioned piqued Xu Baichang's interest, and with his pleasant voice and well-chosen words, Xu Baichang was already listening attentively. The two chatted very congenially.
Luo Tian couldn't stand Xiao Shulang ignoring him, and he couldn't stand Xu Baichang's attention being diverted to someone else. In Xiao Shulang's soothing voice, his irritation only deepened. Although he tried to interject, he always felt a bit out of place.
Xiao Shulang: "Especially the scene where you teach Xiaohu arithmetic, the teacher's emotions were just too good. Xiaohu couldn't learn it for a long time, the audience laughed out loud, but the protagonist was exceptionally patient."
"If you had a 'Little Tiger' in your life, Teacher Xu would definitely be very patient with it."
Xu Baichang was about to reply with a smile when Luo Tianfei quickly interrupted him: "Of course, Teacher Xu is known for being kind to children. He takes care of the child actors on set and has also interacted with many children when doing charity work. He is handsome and kind-hearted."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Shulang and Xu Baichang fell silent, their gazes immediately turning to Luo Tian.
Although his words successfully attracted everyone's attention, the look in their eyes made Luo Tian's heart skip a beat, and he sensed something was wrong.
But at this moment, both of them were looking at him without saying a word. Luo Tian couldn't let this strange silence continue, so he had no choice but to force a smile and ask, "What's wrong?"
Xu Baichang's eyes were complicated, and the only one who answered him was Xiao Shulang, who had been ignoring him all along.
Xiao Shulang has finally spoken his first words to Luo Tian since the show started airing.