Zhou Jing was under a lot of pressure recently. He was about to launch a groundbreaking new celebrity reality dating show in China – "Let's Fall in Love." At forty-three, he was, by all accounts, a director. Yet, none of his productions had achieved widespread recognition. He was merely an experienced figure in the industry, existing on seniority.
This time, he intended to pivot. Instead of directing films or television dramas, he wanted to produce a reality show. Firstly, audiences were curious about the daily lives of celebrities. Secondly, watching attractive men and women fall in love was a delightful spectacle. Thus, he boldly planned this program, leveraging years of accumulated favors. Naturally, the ease of securing sponsorships was significantly enhanced by the caliber of guests he managed to invite.
"Let's Fall in Love" adopted a "shoot-as-you-go" format. This meant that while the stars were filming the second episode, the first episode would already be produced and ready for release. This approach had its pros and cons. The advantage was the ability to adapt to audience feedback and capitalize on trending topics. The disadvantage was the immense pressure on the post-production team and the intense scrutiny during editing.
Ever since the show's promotion began, audiences and fans had shown considerable interest. As soon as the first episode aired, numerous bullet comments started flooding the screen.
"Wow wow wow, so excited for Yi Zhou's performance. Yi Zhou fly bravely, Ye Zi will always follow you~" These were Wei Yi Zhou's fans.
"Kong Yun Shan is the most handsome! The coolest! The most talented!" Kong Yun Shan's fans were not to be outdone.
"Yu Tong Yu Tong, Mars will always be behind you!" Wei Yu Tong was a member of the girl group "Mars Girls 101."
"Princess Xiang Xiang, you are the one!" Ding Xiang also had her own fanbase.
"Here to see the beautiful Miss Su Ling~" Su Ling also had her admirers for her looks.
After the opening credits, the camera panned to the day of filming for "Let's Fall in Love."
The first shot featured Wei Yu Tong. At that moment, she was packing her luggage at home, greeting the camera. "Hello, everyone! I am Wei Yu Tong from Mars Girls 101. I'm very happy to participate in 'Let's Fall in Love.' I hope to find the one who makes my heart flutter here!" A personal resume and representative works of Wei Yu Tong appeared on a screen beside her.
At this point, a staff member's hand entered the frame, handing her a task card: Please blindly choose one of the following locations for your first date.
Wei Yu Tong looked at the three meeting locations: an amusement park, a recording studio, and a home.
"An amusement park might be too crowded, and it could be a bit noisy for a first meeting..." Wei Yu Tong mused aloud. "Hmm... this home option feels a bit strange. I think I'll choose the recording studio. I assume it's for someone like a singer, so we might have more in common."
The next female participant was Ding Xiang, who chose to film at a coffee shop. Similarly, a staff member handed her a task card, informing her that the recording studio had already been taken and she had to choose from the remaining two locations.
"Ah! The recording studio is already gone? I actually wanted to choose that one too~" Ding Xiang said with a hint of frustration. "I've never been to a recording studio before, and I'm quite curious. Can I choose that one too?"
The staff member shook their head firmly, explaining that all three camera crews had departed simultaneously, and whoever started filming first got their first choice.
Seeing that there was no way to change it, Ding Xiang said with some regret, "Then I'll choose the amusement park. It would be nice to go out and have some fun. The home option is too much, though. Asking a girl over to your place on the first meeting..."
Xiao Wen Qiang was the last to appear. The program's cameraman was knocking on the door and recording, when a voice from behind the lens asked, "Are you looking for me?"
The cameraman quickly adjusted the camera. Xiao Wen Qiang appeared in full sportswear, with no makeup, and faint beads of sweat clearly visible on her nose.
The staff member also handed her a task card. Xiao Wen Qiang had no choice left; only the "home" option remained.
"Su Ling, does the home option as a first meeting location make you uncomfortable?" the staff member's voice-over asked.
"Is it my place or their place?" Xiao Wen Qiang inquired.
"Of course, it's their home," the staff member replied, a little exasperated.
"It doesn't matter where. Besides, it's just the meeting spot. We can change it if we hit it off," Xiao Wen Qiang responded casually.
The scene shifted. The three girls were now heading off to meet their first dates.
The bullet comments were scrolling furiously.
"Wow, letting the female guests find the male guests? Is the director team playing that big of a game? Aren't they afraid of being criticized for being ungentlemanly by feminists?"
"I think this is quite good. Getting to see all these beautiful stars beforehand is such a feast for the eyes~"
"The others are fine, but I wouldn't go for the home option either. Bad first impression!"
"I wonder which male guest it is. It shouldn't be our Yi Zhou; he's always so gentlemanly!"
"Our Yun Shan must have chosen the recording studio. He was a singer before becoming a host~"
"The recording studio is definitely Yi Zhou's. He's recording his new album lately~"
"Could it be that mysterious A-list male guest?"
"Is no one discussing the beautiful ladies? Everyone is talking about the male guests who haven't appeared yet?"
"Me, me, me! I like Yu Tong. Young, beautiful, and invincible!"
"Does only I think Su Ling is super beautiful? She was wearing no makeup when she appeared, right? Amazing!!!"
"No celebrity appears without makeup. This must be fake natural. You think it's simple, but you don't know how much foundation is on!"
"Our Xiang Xiang is still the prettiest. She looks so elegant drinking coffee~"
While the netizens were interacting wildly, the first female guest, Wei Yu Tong, arrived at the designated recording studio.
Upon entering, Wei Yu Tong's expression suddenly lit up with joy. The screen froze, and text flashed: "It seems the male guest is quite captivating~"
The camera then focused on a male guest who was singing with his head bowed. A beautiful melody filled the air: "That red shore flower, dying, blooms on the cliff..." It was an unexpectedly lyrical song. As the camera zoomed in, it revealed Wei Yi Zhou.
"Wow~ Yi Zhou, I'm your fan! I absolutely love your songs!!!" Wei Yu Tong exclaimed, jumping up with uncontainable excitement.
Wei Yi Zhou removed his headphones and stepped out of the recording booth, greeting the camera somewhat shyly, "Hello everyone, I'm Wei Yi Zhou, a singer." He then turned to Wei Yu Tong and said, "Thank you. I hope we have a pleasant day!"
The scene cut to Ding Xiang. She had arrived at a popular amusement park, already bustling with people. However, upon reaching the designated spot, she found no sign of the male guest.
Ding Xiang grew impatient. The weather was hot, and she was kept waiting by someone she was supposed to meet. She was quite annoyed but couldn't show it on camera, so she waited with a smile.
Just then, a mascot character in a plush costume, who had been distributing balloons nearby, approached her and handed Ding Xiang a cute teddy bear balloon.
Ding Xiang took it with a bewildered expression and politely said thank you.
The camera then shifted to the mascot. Slowly, it removed its head, revealing a sweat-drenched face – it was Kong Yun Shan, who had transitioned from singing to hosting.