The most appealing thing about Heartbeat Tempo was that it had no script. That meant the quality of the show depended entirely on how the guests performed in the moment, with no post-production editing tricks to shape the narrative.
What viewers most wanted to see, of course, was what glamorous celebrities were really like in private. Would their relationships be as romantic as an idol drama? Or would they be much like ordinary people, with sweetness and affection as well as conflict and arguments?
Because of that, the show’s success was closely tied to its guests. That was why the producer racked his brains searching for artists with both high popularity and strong public interest. They did not lack attention. The more curious viewers were about them, the higher the show’s viewership would climb.
Without wasting words, Chu Yao went straight to the point and asked Jin Zhihan, “Do you know what matters most on a reality variety show?”
Jin Zhihan honestly shook his head. “Please enlighten me.”
“Your persona.” Chu Yao looked utterly serious as he quickly sized Jin Zhihan up. “First, you need a clear idea of what side of yourself you’re going to show on camera. To put it plainly, what kind of husband are you?”
“Mm. Makes sense.” Jin Zhihan was very cooperative and gave him plenty of face.
“For example: domineering and forceful, gentle and considerate, sunny and warm…”
Chu Yao flipped to a blank page and rapidly wrote down more than a dozen personas, then asked Jin Zhihan which one he thought suited him best.
After reading them, Jin Zhihan rejected every one. “A person’s personality has many sides. I’d rather just be myself.”
Chu Yao felt slightly awkward. He really had gotten bold, trying to arrange Jin Zhihan’s behavior for him.
How could a man as willful as Jin Zhihan ever take orders from someone else?
One of Chu Yao’s greatest strengths was knowing when to stop. He said no more and asked what Jin Zhihan wanted to discuss with him.
Jin Zhihan was direct. “Don’t act like you’re afraid of me on the show.”
“I…” Chu Yao instinctively wanted to deny it. Then he thought there was no point explaining and merely said quietly, “All right. No problem.”
He was not afraid of Jin Zhihan. It was just that they would divorce in another three years. If they got too close, if their relationship became intimate and slowly turned into a habit, then leaving when the time came would inevitably feel hollow. Better to keep an neither-close-nor-distant space between them from the beginning.
From the day they married, Chu Yao had never expected their contract marriage to become real. If Jin Zhihan were ever going to like him, he would have done so long ago. A decisive, goal-oriented man like him could not possibly be the type to fall in love gradually through familiarity.
Chu Yao did not like imagining things that could never happen. With Jin Zhihan, respectful but distant was the best attitude.
–
Marketing accounts often leaked news before official announcements. A few days later, the tag #RumorSaysChuYaoWillFilmHeartbeatTempo shot onto the trending topics.
A major entertainment account stated with apparent certainty:
All three guest couples for Heartbeat Tempo have now been confirmed. Besides the previously revealed married couple Wen Xu and Lu Yiwen, there will also be Zhao Jing and Bai Jishen, as well as Chu Yao—whose secret marriage was recently exposed—and his wealthy husband, Jin Zhihan.
Netizens took one look and decided the claim could not possibly be more fake. Almost no one believed it.
Chu Yao had barely participated in reality shows at all. Would he really join a program where, apart from sleeping, nearly every moment took place under the viewers’ eyes?
And his husband was not even in the entertainment industry. The man was a major figure from a wealthy family, lacking neither money nor things to do. What would he possibly gain from participating?
A tiny minority still held on to hope. What if they simply wanted to go on the show to flaunt their love? Their marriage was public now anyway. Why not use the opportunity to prove to everyone that their relationship was genuine?
The trending topic stayed up for three days, and the marketing account was cursed for three days straight.
When Chu Yao attended a charity event, reporters even asked whether he would appear on Heartbeat Tempo. The host stopped them and said only questions related to the event would be answered that day.
The next day, photos of Chu Yao’s event styling climbed the hot rankings. Under the post from the show’s official microblog account, one popular comment was pushed right to the top and accumulated more than a thousand replies.
[Have you all forgotten that man Chu Yao was rumored to be involved with for three years? I heard they actually dated in private. Later Chu Yao got cheated on. Do you think that might be why he was so upset that he impulsively chose to get married?]
1F: Stop dragging Chu Yao together with that scumbag Xie. He doesn’t deserve it.
2F: If they were really together, would the paparazzi have failed to get even one intimate photo? Do you think people in that business are useless? If they weren’t together, they weren’t together. Stop forcing the ship, okay? Their company clarified it ages ago.
3F: A dead ship just jumped out and attacked me. If you say the two of them broke up, I’ll believe you. If you say they were never together, then we need to have a serious talk.
4F replying to 3F: You actually ship something like that? Don’t tell me you’re a Xie Yichen fan trying to leech attention here.
5F: Maybe Jin Zhihan stole Xie Yichen’s man for all we know~ There’s not much money can’t pry loose.
Netizens took one look and thought: what kind of gloriously melodramatic love triangle is this? They hurried to search Chu Yao and Xie Yichen’s history, only to find mostly stills from dramas. There was not even half a photo of them together in private.
They had worked on several projects together. How could they possibly have had zero private interaction? It looked as if someone had scrubbed everything clean.
Was that not obviously an attempt to avoid suspicion?
–
Chu Yao spent the whole afternoon shooting for a magazine. His neck ached when he returned home. He did not even want dinner; he only wanted to lie down and sleep as soon as possible.
But after his shower, he casually checked the microblogging platform and became so speechless that he was completely awake.
He had not contacted Xie Yichen in more than two years. Even when they saw each other at public events, he could not be bothered to spare him a sidelong glance. How had they gotten tied together and sent onto the trending list again?
He really should not have looked at his phone before bed.
The bedroom door suddenly opened. Guessing Jin Zhihan had come in, Chu Yao reflexively exited the microblogging platform.
Jin Zhihan soon appeared in his line of sight, unhurriedly taking off his suit. “The housekeeper said you haven’t eaten dinner yet?”
“I ate lunch late. I’m not hungry.”
“Your stomach isn’t good. Don’t go to sleep on an empty stomach.” Jin Zhihan’s tone was mild, as though he were merely offering a kind reminder.
Chu Yao rubbed his stomach. He still had to shoot an advertisement tomorrow. If his stomach acted up, the shoot would have to be postponed again.
Fine. He would eat a little.
Sliding his feet into slippers, Chu Yao slowly followed Jin Zhihan downstairs. He was somewhat distracted and failed to notice that he had missed a step. He pitched forward straight toward Jin Zhihan’s back.
Fortunately, Jin Zhihan reacted quickly and braced one hand against the wall. Otherwise, the two of them would have gone tumbling down the stairs together.
Chu Yao had his arms around Jin Zhihan’s neck, hanging off him like a koala. Only after several seconds did he let go and say, “Sorry.”
“Are you planning to be this polite to me on the show too?” Jin Zhihan glanced back at him, then strode downstairs.
Chu Yao rubbed his face. Only after adjusting his mindset did he move again. At the foot of the stairs, he ran into the housekeeper and asked whether there was any vegetable salad prepared.
“Yes, yes. Today’s baby cucumbers were flown in from a farm in Australia. They’re incredibly tender.” The housekeeper answered with a smile.
Chu Yao entered the dining room. His dinner had already been placed at the seat he usually favored.
A glass of bitter-melon juice accompanied an entirely green vegetable salad containing baby cucumbers, romaine lettuce, kale, avocado, and more.
Qin Yuan often said Chu Yao was ruthless with himself. With the way he demanded perfection from his body, if he did not become famous, who would?
Anyone would get depressed eating rabbit food like this every single day.
Picking up his fork, Chu Yao first tried the Australian baby cucumber the housekeeper had mentioned. It was crisp and juicy, with an excellent texture.
He looked as though he were enjoying himself, taking one bite of salad and one sip of bitter-melon juice while completely ignoring the many delicious dishes in front of Jin Zhihan.
French baked foie gras, Chinese sweet-and-sour pork ribs, Italian creamy mushroom soup… Did he not want to eat them? Of course he did! He was so tempted his heart practically bled.
What Chu Yao hated most was that rich, greasy food made him retain water. He did not really gain weight, but if he ate it the night before, his face would be so swollen the next morning that he would not be fit to see anyone.
As a celebrity, that was absolutely unacceptable. If he ever went on camera while puffy, marketing accounts would practically race to capture eight hundred screenshots and mock him for looking collapsed and losing his looks. For countless days afterward, they would keep dragging those ugly photos back out.
Painfully chewing lettuce coated in avocado, Chu Yao suddenly heard the man across from him remark, “You’re eating very green today.”
“Cough, cough, cough.” Chu Yao choked and hurriedly pulled out a tissue.
He did not even know whether he was simply feeling guilty, but Jin Zhihan seemed to be implying something.
Surely he went online sometimes when he had nothing else to do? Then he must have seen that Chu Yao and Xie Yichen had once again joined forces to charge up every major hot ranking.
Chu Yao decided it was safest not to respond.
Spearing a large piece of cucumber, Chu Yao lowered his head and quietly ate, his cheeks puffed up like a hamster’s.
Jin Zhihan’s gaze fell on his face, and something like a smile flickered through his eyes.
–
A few days later, once the production team felt they had stirred up enough publicity, they officially announced the cast on the microblogging platform.
—The journey of Heartbeat Tempo is about to set sail. Travelers, are you ready?
Travelers No. 1: “Raise the Flag and Cheer” husbands, @ChuYao @JinZhihan.
Travelers No. 2: “Warm and Refined” husbands, @WenXu @LuYiwen.
Travelers No. 3: “Still Waters Run Deep” husbands, @ZhaoJing @BaiJishen.
At the turn from late spring to early summer, we’ll meet you there.
Together, let us set out for a romance among ordinary mortals.
The official account had personally confirmed the news. Vindicated, the marketing account reposted it and asked whether everyone was convinced now.
But by then, no one was paying attention to it anymore. They had all rushed to the official account.
Under the official announcement, Chu Yao’s fans were by far the most excited. The top comments were filled with accounts using Chu Yao’s picture as their avatar.
[Aaaaah!! Am I seeing this right? Chu Yao is actually participating?!]
[Raise the Flag and Cheer forever the best!!! Please create the fan topic immediately!! I can’t wait to feast on the sweetness!!]
[I’ve been a Chu Yao fan for seven years. Never did I think I’d live to see the day he showed off his marriage to me on a variety show. Who can understand this feeling?]
[As long as Baby Yao is happy, that’s enough. I still feel like I’m dreaming. Can someone pinch me?]
[What did we do to deserve getting to watch a domineering CEO show off his love? This old servant has already set out her bowl and is ready to catch the dog food.]
[Please give us lots of sweetness, fewer scripted tricks and more sincerity. I want to see a real-life romance between the wealthy elite and the entertainment industry.]
In less than an hour, the “Raise the Flag and Cheer” ship’s fan topic surpassed one hundred thousand followers.
Unfortunately, the fans had barely had time to celebrate before another marketing account posted a long exposé: According to an informed source, Chu Yao and Jin Zhihan are only in a contract marriage and will divorce sooner or later. Even if they act affectionate on the show, it will all be performance. If you take it seriously, you lose.
The claim undoubtedly dumped a bucket of cold water over the shippers’ heads.
After what had happened before, the marketing account might not be making something out of nothing. It probably knew at least some inside information.
For the past two years, Chu Yao had been moving toward becoming a serious actor. If his marriage were not contractual, why hide it from the public? If he announced it openly, his fans would certainly give him their blessings.
Since he had not done that, it suggested he was leaving himself a way out and had not wanted to make the whole thing a massive public spectacle.
Anti-fans seized the chance to kick him while he was down. In the comments, they claimed Chu Yao had been forced into revealing his secret marriage and was only choosing to appear on the show now to salvage his reputation. Otherwise, his future would be hanging by a thread.
But before the exposé could spread widely, it was deleted. Not long afterward, the marketing account posted an apology on the microblogging platform, saying it had deliberately chased attention.
Netizens had now witnessed the power of capital firsthand. The harder someone suppressed the topic, the more suspicious the whole affair looked.
The shippers’ hearts shattered. They had not even seen their ship properly appear together on screen yet. Were they already headed for a bad ending? Even a meteor did not move that fast.
Qin Yuan was troubled by the online reaction too. The moment the news broke, he called Chu Yao to the company and asked how many people actually knew about the contract marriage.
In Chu Yao’s memory, no more than ten people knew that he and Jin Zhihan had a contract marriage, but he was not sure whether Jin Zhihan had told anyone else.
Given Jin Zhihan’s cautious personality, that seemed unlikely.
Which meant everyone who knew was among the people closest to them. Would any of them betray him?
Chu Yao did not easily suspect people he trusted. So there was another possibility: the marketing account really had simply made up a story. Contractual arrangements were common in wealthy-family marriages. Two parties became tied together by mutual interests and later separated. Chu Yao and Jin Zhihan had also been secretly married before. It was only natural that people would suspect something along those lines.
Negative news like this breaking before the show even aired would certainly have an adverse impact.
Qin Yuan called the producer to discuss the matter and see whether there was any way to solve it.
But the producer replied very decisively, “You don’t need to worry. I’ll post something on the microblogging platform in a bit, and everyone will understand.”
He did not sound anxious in the slightest, so Qin Yuan naturally relaxed.
Half an hour later, Qin Yuan saw a screen recording of a chat log posted by the producer. The caption specifically stated that these were Jin Zhihan’s personal replies from when the producer had first invited him onto the show, and that Jin Zhihan himself had approved the post before it was released.
[President Jin, your assistant told us you’re interested in our show?]
[I have some free time in the first half of the year. I can give it a try.]
[If anything unexpected comes up, I’ll still do my best to cooperate with the production team’s scheduling.]
[Thank you for your interest. It would be our honor to have you join us.]
[Then may I be bold enough to ask one thing? President Jin, you’re certainly not short of money. Why are you willing to participate in this show?]
This time, Jin Zhihan replied with a voice message.
His deep voice said—
“My wife likes it. I’ll keep him company and let him have some fun.”