Did Assistant Xie Make the Trending Searches Today? - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: The Newcomer

To be honest, as a qualified “laborer,” Jiang Ye had long been accustomed to being fed empty promises or “eating flatbread” while occasionally painting such “flatbread” dreams for others.

When Sister Xia told him last time that she would find a way to squeeze him into Heartbeat Signal for some exposure, Jiang Ye hadn’t taken it much to heart.

Heartbeat Signal had been airing for five days, and Jiang Ye had been following it closely. For the past few days, it felt as though the show was living on the hot search list. During his midnight reveries, he felt quite jealous, thinking he simply didn’t have the luck—handing over such a great opportunity to someone else.

However, a missed opportunity is a missed opportunity, and he didn’t dwell on it much.

But he never expected that Zhao Xia would actually secure him a spot as a “flying guest” this time!

Inside the Alphard nanny van.

Zhao Xia handed several sheets of A4 paper with printed data to Jiang Ye, reminding him: “You’ll have to do a pre-interview first. Screen time is limited. I shouldn’t need to remind you how to fight for the most screen time in the shortest amount of time, right?”

Jiang Ye had been on some variety shows before. While his fame and status weren’t as high as others, he knew that getting more screen time was all about creating topics.

“The celebrity guests are all shrewd; you can’t afford to provoke them. Fortunately, this time you will only be dating the commoner guests.”

Jiang Ye’s gaze swept across the profiles of the several commoner guests, finally landing on the profile of Xie He-ting. Oh, Xie He-ting had chosen a code name for himself; he was now called “He-ting.”

Classmate, commoner, topic-bearer.

“Thanks for the reminder, Sister. I know what to do.”

Jiang Ye took back the data.

He was full of confidence.

Isn’t it just saying some ambiguous words and engaging in “CP-baiting” with Xie He-ting? No big deal.

At this moment, the villa was bustling with preparations for dinner, and the bullet chat was excitedly discussing who the production team would invite as the flying guest.

The production team hasn’t let out a whisper; it’s really hard to guess who it is.

There are only a few people in B-City who have come out, participate in variety shows, and are in the industry.

The main camera cut from the bustling kitchen to the outside of the villa.

Wait, why did the camera suddenly cut outside? Is the flying guest coming?

Just as the words were spoken, a silver-gray Alphard nanny van slowly drove into the frame. Jiang Ye got out of the car and gave an exceptionally enthusiastic greeting to Mu Ying, who was waiting at the glass door to receive him.

“Teacher Mu, hello, hello. I am Jiang Ye.”

Jiang Ye? How could it be him?

Isn’t he a total straight guy? He actually came to participate in this show?

Mu Ying: “Hello, welcome to Heartbeat Signal. Do you need help with your things?”

“That would be too much trouble for you; I can do it myself.” Jiang Ye politely pulled his two suitcases, not letting Mu Ying help. Setting aside that Mu Ying was his senior, the man behind Mu Ying was someone he couldn’t afford to provoke.

Jiang Ye followed closely behind Mu Ying into the villa.

Although he had seen the live stream and knew the filming conditions were great, Jiang Ye was still a little shocked when he personally walked into this villa.

Damn, these people are living too well. As expected of an S-grade variety show from Orange TV; the configuration was maxed out.

It also proved that Zhao Xia must have put in a lot of effort to pull this opportunity.

Jiang Ye intended to perform well and pulled himself together with 120% focus, striving for every camera shot of himself to be perfect!

Walking behind Mu Ying, Jiang Ye still felt an unavoidable bit of nervousness.

At this time, in the living room, everyone was also excitedly guessing who the flying guest would be under the guidance of the production team.

“Come, come, let’s welcome our new guest for this episode, Jiang Ye.”

Mu Ying clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. Jiang Ye followed behind him, carrying gifts he had prepared for everyone.

“Hello, teachers, I am Jiang Ye. Please guide me.”

Jiang Ye was considered to have decent momentum among the new generation of young actors. The celebrity guests were all in the industry; even if they hadn’t heard his name, he looked familiar, and they greeted each other politely.

“Xiao Jiang, it’s been a long trip. Do you want some water?”

“Why did you bring gifts? You’re too polite, thank you.”

Jiang Ye came prepared this time, and the gifts were quite thoughtful. For example, he gave Shi Jixing a vintage vinyl record, and for Shen Ji, he prepared a cervical spine massager—perfect for use during breaks on set.

This small detail gained him a lot of goodwill. The bullet chat was full of praise.

Jiang Ye is actually okay. His acting is good, and his image is decent.

His popularity has been quite high lately. I watched his ‘Danmei-adaptation’ drama; he played it quite well.

He’s a good person too, quite attentive.

Everyone on site had a normal attitude, except for Xie He-ting, whose eyes were wide with astonishment, clearly out of the loop.

Looking at that familiar figure, he thought he had seen wrong.

Jiang Ye?

Hadn’t he refused to participate in this variety show at all costs? Why was he suddenly here?

While Xie He-ting was still wondering, Jiang Ye’s gift was already handed to him.

“He-ting, for you. I hope you like it.” The smile on Jiang Ye’s face was very obvious.

Wait, this tone… it’s a bit…

And that expression, why do I feel it’s familiar…

Jiang Ye handed the gift to Xie He-ting. Xie He-ting instinctively reached out to take it, but suddenly, his wrist felt warm, and he was pulled forcefully, falling into Jiang Ye’s arms in a very intimate manner.

Jiang Ye held Xie He-ting’s gift in one hand, while his other hand crossed over his waist, lightly supporting him.

“Long time no see, old classmate.”

The guests on site were wide-eyed with shock.

Shen Ji, Shi Jixing, and Jin Huaifeng almost immediately looked over.

The bullet chat was shocked.

Another ‘thick arrow’ for He-ting??

Jiang Ye understood timing perfectly. Before Xie He-ting and the others could react, he had already let go of him.

He seemingly adjusted his direction accidentally, revealing the more defined side of his profile, and explained to the curious crowd with a smile: “I haven’t seen my old classmate in too long; I’m a bit excited.”

There was no need to think; the heat of the live stream room was definitely climbing steadily. Zhao Xia, in front of the screen, had presumably already contacted the “water army” to start hyping the topic.

What’s the deal with ‘old classmate’?

Mu Ying looked at the two of them, suddenly realizing: “You knew each other before?”

“Yes.” Jiang Ye made a fist and lightly bumped Xie He-ting’s shoulder, intimately preparing to hook onto Xie He-ting’s arm, but he was avoided by Xie He-ting.

Jiang Ye wasn’t embarrassed at all. He lowered his hand very naturally and replied: “We were university classmates, roommates, brothers from the upper bunk.”

Wow. There’s actually such a history. He-he is actually Jiang Ye’s university classmate?

So, He-he’s ‘Idol Trainee’ tag is now set in stone.

“Oh, what a coincidence!” Everyone truly didn’t expect the two were roommates, and probing gazes moved between them.

“I debuted right after graduating from university. Although He-ting and I are both in B-City, we haven’t met in a long time.” As Jiang Ye spoke, he looked at Xie He-ting several more times: “It’s thanks to the show that we meet again after so long. Knowing I was coming as a flying guest, I was excited for a long time.”

He raised a finger to point at the dark circles under his eyes: “Look, I didn’t sleep until after three last night.”

Everyone laughed kindly.

“Were you really that excited?”

“Absolutely.”

Xie He-ting looked at Jiang Ye several times.

Didn’t we just meet eight days ago?

If ‘not seeing someone for a day feels like three autumns,’ then it truly has been a long time.

Is this how people here count days?

His actions were misunderstood by the others present.

In their eyes, Xie He-ting was simply very concerned about Jiang Ye.

Jin Huaifeng sat expressionless with his arms crossed, his gaze very impolitely scanning Jiang Ye up and down. However, Jiang Ye was only busy exchanging pleasantries with everyone and didn’t notice.

After the brief introductions, the exciting second date selection officially began. Mu Ying took the celebrity guests into the media room to begin their choices.

Mu Ying: “Since Brother Shen Ji and Yanrong won in the first date, they have Priority Choice this time.”

Jiang Ye was burdened with the duty of “CP-baiting.” Whoever chose last would be at a disadvantage. There were four spots in total; Shen Ji and Zhou Yanrong took two. Jiang Ye couldn’t care about anything else and quickly raised his hand to act cute: “Teacher Mu, I’m applying for newcomer benefits. Can I go third?”

Although he was asking Mu Ying, his eyes were on Shi Jixing.

Mu Ying looked at Shi Jixing, who had an indifferent expression.

To Shi Jixing, if he wasn’t choosing first and couldn’t pick Xie He-ting, then it didn’t matter who he picked. The order mattered even less.

“Fine, then Jiang Ye chooses third, and Jixing fourth.”

I couldn’t tell this Jiang Ye has a bit of a calculating side. The last one has no choice at all. Left to fate.

“The commoner guests have provided four locations: A. Music Bar; B. Library; C. Zoo; D. Bakery.”

“Alright, celebrity guests, you can give your choices now.”

??? The bakery is too obvious; it must be that cake enthusiast He-ting!

Who is the zoo? Could it be Lan Chi, who likes ‘cool’ animals?

Wen Zhou and Jin Huaifeng—I think the Puppy will choose the bar. So who is the library? The Young Master? Loves studying that much?

No way, it’s so easy to guess; there’s no suspense at all.

How is there no suspense? Look at Zhou Yanrong discussing with Shen Ji; he wants to choose first. I boldly guess Zhou Yanrong has guessed which one is the Puppy’s.

What the bullet chat analyzed was exactly what the several celebrity guests were thinking.

Zhou Yanrong chose first, his gaze without hesitation. He didn’t even look at option A and directly chose B, the Library. The Music Bar was too obvious; he and Wen Zhou first met in a bar. There was no need to think to know it was that one.

Shen Ji, unsurprisingly, chose D, the Bakery.

Now the Shen Ji and Xie He-ting CP fans in the bullet chat began to celebrate again: Teacher Shen and He-he are finally going for a mutual pursuit this time!

Other CP fans were unhappy: It’s not confirmed yet. Why are you so certain He-ting is the bakery? The Music Bar is also possible!

It’s fine, there’s still hope. As long as Jiang Ye doesn’t choose A, we can still dance!

Because the first two were quite fast, the camera had already cut to Jiang Ye while he was still hesitating.

“Jiang Ye, there are two choices left. Which one do you want?”

Jiang Ye intended to show off his relationship with Xie He-ting. Hearing Mu Ying cue him, he quickly said: “Give me three more minutes; I’ll carefully consider which one He-ting would choose.”

“Oh? Another one who wants to choose He-ting?” Mu Ying, never one to miss out on the fun, said with a smile: “You only have two choices left now. Are you sure you can still pick He-ting with such a slim chance?”

The word ‘another’ is quite wonderful.

“I am sure.” Jiang Ye’s tone was very certain: “After all, we’ve known each other for so many years.”

In fact, he had already analyzed which one Xie He-ting would choose as soon as he saw those four options.

First, exclude the bakery. In the four years of university, he had never seen Xie He-ting eat dessert.

Second, exclude the zoo. According to his observations, that fellow wasn’t someone who liked small animals; at most, he’d feed some ham sausages to stray cats and dogs. He wouldn’t go specifically to see them.

As for the library or the music bar…

“The library—based on my understanding of him, the first one can be passed. The zoo and the music bar are the most likely possibilities. But if I have to choose between these two…” A smile of victory rose on Jiang Ye’s face: “I choose A. And I believe this is He-ting’s choice.”

The analysis feels quite reasonable.

“So confident?”

Jiang Ye was just waiting for someone to ask that. “Heh, he had the best relationship with me in university. We lived together for four years, eating, living, and sleeping together. I should still have a certain level of understanding of him.”

In a normal interview, these words would be nothing.

But in a same-sex dating show and during a segment for choosing a date partner, saying this was a bit ambiguous.

But currently, it was a group of “shipping experts.” Hearing this, they were instantly excited.

I think Jiang Ye’s words have a hidden meaning.

Wait, look what I found. There seem to be some posts about He-ting on Jiang Ye’s social media; they really seem to have a good relationship.

Eating together, going to class together… tsk tsk, when Jiang Ye skipped class, He-ting helped him with the roll call.

Wow. A kind person organized their interactions. It says He-ting had no friends in university and was a loner; Jiang Ye was his only friend.

Why do I feel this is becoming more and more shippable?

Let me ask again—is Jiang Ye straight?

The bullet chat was mostly female, with all kinds of tastes. The “bromance” tag had always been enduring. Combined with Zhao Xia’s intentional guidance, the “water army” entering the fray, and some ambiguous information, the bromance between Xie He-ting and Jiang Ye instantly shot to the top of the list.

In the end, only the zoo remained, which naturally fell to Shi Jixing.

The choices for the celebrity guests didn’t really have much suspense, and everyone was relatively relaxed.

In the living room, the several commoner guests looked much more nervous.

Especially Wen Zhou.

Since the celebrity guests entered the media room to choose, Wen Zhou had been obviously distracted. His ten fingers were tightly intertwined in a fist, his arms resting on his knees—he was visibly nervous.

Everyone knew that Zhou Yanrong and Shen Ji had Priority Choice. If they saw the location he wrote, they should know which one was his. So, either choose him or give him up.

At the thought that Zhou Yanrong might choose another location, Wen Zhou felt he could almost not catch his breath.

He let out a long breath, trying to make himself look a bit more composed.

Lan Chi was also very nervous, grabbing Xie He-ting’s hand with a face of worry: “I chose the zoo; I don’t know if Brother Shen Ji can tell. If someone else picks it, I’ll be very embarrassed. I’m not very familiar with the others.”

Jin Huaifeng sat like a lord, arms crossed and silent.

Xie He-ting saw his face was written with displeasure and felt he couldn’t go over and be cannon fodder. He cautiously moved to the side, only to be glared back by Jin Huaifeng.

Soon, the celebrity group guests finished their choices and returned to the living room.

Jiang Ye winked at Xie He-ting in the direction of the camera.

Ahhhh that little gaze, there must be something between them!

Xie He-ting was baffled by the look.

Jiang Ye withdrew his gaze, preparing to say something more to add fuel to their relationship, when he felt a chill on his back. Looking back, he found that Jin Huaifeng—the big shot Zhao Xia told him he must never provoke—was looking at him.

Having been glared at, Jiang Ye was confused.

Where did I provoke him?

Did Jiang Ye become the biggest winner? You kid are lucky. He-ting is a popular date candidate.

Just as this bullet comment was posted, Mu Ying announced the results: “A. Music Bar was Wen Zhou’s location. For the second date tomorrow, Jiang Ye and Wen Zhou are a pair.”

The expressions of Jiang Ye and Wen Zhou froze simultaneously.

Jiang Ye stared straight at Mu Ying in disbelief, thinking he had heard wrong.

Jiang Ye’s analysis was fierce as a tiger, but in the end, he’s a total fool.

Jiang Ye, you kid and He-ting have a ‘plastic’ bromance (fake), don’t you.

Zhao Xia had already found people to monitor the chat. Seeing the discussion direction was wrong, someone immediately began to control the comments.

They haven’t seen each other in too long; it’s normal to guess wrong.

Exactly, maybe it’s just for the show’s effect.

The just-suppressed Shen-He CP fans immediately celebrated: It seems He-he is still the bakery. This must be the mutual pursuit of fate!

The ‘Heaven-Sent’ group is scoring points.

Rubbing hands, waiting for the bakery.

Mu Ying spoke again: “B. Library was chosen by He-ting. So tomorrow, He-ting and Zhou Yanrong are a pair.”

??? Crap? Why isn’t he the bakery?

It’s all messed up? Then who chose the bakery?

Didn’t Jiang Ye just confidently state that He-ting would absolutely not choose the library? This is such a face-slap.

Truly good brothers; gave away the best choice at the first opportunity.

‘I know him very well.’

Mu Ying’s second sentence confused everyone. Shen Ji instinctively glanced at Xie He-ting, but unexpectedly, the first thing he saw was Jin Huaifeng’s amused smile.

Shen Ji’s heart thumped; he instinctively felt something wasn’t right.

Mu Ying continued announcing the remaining locations: “C. Zoo is the location chosen by Lan Chi. As for D… I shouldn’t need to say it, right?”

The bullet chat went from confusion at the start to realization upon seeing Jin Huaifeng’s expression.

An expert immediately began to analyze: Holy crap? I get it! Jin Huaifeng definitely provided the bakery on purpose! Because the other guests all know He-he likes eating cake, those with a ‘thick arrow’ for He-he would definitely choose the bakery.

This move by Jin Huaifeng—killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred—made the bullet chat applaud: So wicked! He couldn’t date Xie He-ting himself, so he let a guest who definitely has feelings for Xie He-ting date himself instead. Crap, can we even watch tomorrow’s date scene?

Jin Huaifeng didn’t care if tomorrow’s scene could be watched.

He bared a set of big white teeth arrogantly at Shen Ji.

Shen Ji, you’re in luck!

Someone whose heart was crashing a bit like Shen Ji’s was Lan Chi; the resentment on his face was nearly overflowing. Jin Huaifeng didn’t choose him, and Shen Ji didn’t choose him either!

He couldn’t understand. Because of his appearance, before the age of eighteen, he was always surrounded by countless people, like a moon surrounded by stars. Why did everything change once he joined this variety show! Is there no justice!

Some were happy, some were sad; the dating partners for tomorrow were thus determined:

Wen Zhou x Jiang Ye He-ting x Zhou Yanrong Lan Chi x Shi Jixing Jin Huaifeng x Shen Ji

“Alright, the list for the second date is out. I hope everyone has a romantic and sweet day tomorrow.”

Hahaha Brother Mu, do you really think they can be romantic and sweet? Not a single one chose the person they wanted!

Among the eight people present, except for He-ting and Zhou Yanrong, everyone was extremely dissatisfied with their results.

The bullet chat was also angry to death: I’ve noticed that with this show, nothing good ever happens during dates.

The production team really needs to change the rules. If this continues, when will the sparks of love fly?

There were also different voices: I’m actually looking forward to it. Seeing Jin Huaifeng’s performance with Shen Ji tomorrow… I’m sorry, I want to laugh right now.

Regardless of whether the results were satisfactory, everyone had a date partner after all, so they went back to their rooms to prepare one by one.

Just as Xie He-ting stood up from the sofa, Jiang Ye quickly called out to him.

“Wait a moment.”