Xie Heting’s hands, hanging tensely beside him, uncontrollably clenched into fists.
Had he been discovered?
Surely Jiang Ye would not summon a Daoist priest to capture his soul?
Xie Heting quietly retreated one step toward the front door.
He had already learned how to open it. If Jiang Ye did anything suspicious, he could immediately run outside.
Jiang Ye seemed not to notice anything unusual about him and continued talking.
“Anyway, let’s get to the actual reason I came.”
Xie Heting carefully studied Jiang Ye’s expression.
He did not seem to have noticed anything.
Xie Heting secretly breathed a sigh of relief, although he remained on guard.
Afraid that speaking might expose him, he said nothing and waited for Jiang Ye to continue.
Thinking about what he had to say next, Jiang Ye looked a little embarrassed.
“Ahem. Here’s the situation. You know I was originally supposed to be a guest on that livestreamed same-sex dating show you’re working on, right? But Sister Xia negotiated an amazing script for me, and the schedules clash…”
When he met Xie Heting’s clear, innocent gaze, his tone softened.
He forced himself to continue.
“So… could you participate in my place? The production team has already agreed.”
“And aren’t you short on money? I guarantee the payment will satisfy you!”
Jiang Ye had never understood his friend.
The guy lived in a huge luxury apartment and his mother had plenty of money, so why was he permanently broke?
Where did all his money even go?
The original owner’s history with Jiang Ye gradually surfaced in Xie Heting’s mind.
The original owner and Jiang Ye had attended the same media university, where both studied radio and television directing.
Because Jiang Ye was exceptionally good-looking, a talent scout had discovered him before graduation and he had become an entertainer.
The original owner, meanwhile, had followed the ordinary path. He was recruited directly out of university by Orange TV as a director.
Because he was highly capable, he had become a permanent employee within only a few months. He had also been assigned to Orange TV’s hottest Super-S-tier variety program of the year, Love Signal, where he worked as an assistant variety-show director.
After briefly reviewing the original owner’s memories, Xie Heting realized he could not understand a single thing about the work the man used to do.
As for becoming the “guest” Jiang Ye was talking about…
That meant visiting the program, did it not?
Being a guest sounded far easier than actually working.
And he would be paid.
Young Master Xie had never worried about money in his previous life.
But now his soul had entered the body of this young man named Xie Heting, and every piece of ancient jade and jewelry he had treasured in the past—not to mention his little gold balls and gold beans—had disappeared!
He had already checked.
The original owner did not even possess a single tiny piece of gold.
Xie Heting did not yet understand what people in this world used for transactions, but if he wanted to survive here, he would still need food and drink.
He needed money.
Still, something did not seem right.
According to the original owner’s memories, Jiang Ye had gone to considerable effort to secure this opportunity. He had even called specifically to brag about it.
Why had he suddenly decided not to participate?
And why did he now want Xie Heting to replace him?
“You have not told me the truth.”
He tried his best to imitate Jiang Ye’s way of speaking.
Jiang Ye looked slightly guilty beneath his stare.
As the first same-sex dating reality show approved by the national broadcasting authorities to livestream twenty-four hours a day, Love Signal had become wildly popular before even airing.
There were two simple reasons.
The concept was fresh, and the celebrity lineup was enormous.
Although the identities of the non-celebrity participants had yet to be announced, every celebrity guest was more eye-catching than the last: international supermodel Zhou Yanrong, genius singer Shi Jixing, and three-time Best Actor Shen Ji.
Jiang Ye landing a spot on the show had been sheer dumb luck.
With his status in the industry, there was no way he would normally have qualified.
However, a boys’ love adaptation he had starred in recently had become a minor hit, and he was signed to Orange TV.
The network wanted fresh faces and was interested in supporting its own artists, so they had given him a slot as a relatively minor participant.
Jiang Ye had been so dazzled by the opportunity falling into his lap that he immediately agreed.
When his manager Zhao Xia returned from a business trip and found out, she tore him to pieces.
Jiang Ye was completely straight.
Joining a same-sex dating reality show and deliberately selling romantic chemistry between men was practically professional suicide if handled badly.
Worse still, he had already become popular through a boys’ love adaptation, which had limited the roles available to him.
If he joined this variety show, whether he became more famous was uncertain, but his future career would unquestionably become more difficult.
When the director heard they wanted to replace him, however, he refused.
The more famous entertainers became, the more calculating they seemed to get.
Everyone wanted a piece of the show’s popularity, but they were also afraid regulations or public opinion might tighten after it aired.
The opportunity was excellent, yet very few established stars actually wanted to take the risk of participating.
The final compromise was that Zhao Xia would find a replacement.
Otherwise, Jiang Ye still had to appear.
The director said he wanted another ordinary person. That would give them three celebrities and four non-celebrities, making the show more interesting.
After spending so many years in the entertainment industry, Zhao Xia naturally had connections.
She assembled a list of potential replacements, but felt their appearances were all slightly lacking.
Just before sending the list to the director, she suddenly remembered that Jiang Ye had a classmate working as an assistant on the program.
His looks were exceptional, and she vaguely recalled that he was also a music blogger with a small following.
On a whim, she added his name and photograph to the candidates.
Naturally, Jiang Ye could not possibly explain that entire chain of events to Xie Heting.
Instead, he appealed to their friendship.
“Everything I told you is true. The opportunity Sister Xia negotiated for me is really good. I’m an actor, so acting still has to come first. I genuinely can’t afford to miss that project. That’s why I had no choice but to ask you for help.”
Xie Heting calmly pushed his hand away.
“You want my help, yet instead of informing me beforehand, you submitted my name first. Is this how you normally treat your friends?”
“I’m sorry! Sister Xia acted on her own and gave your ID photo to the production team. I swear I didn’t know beforehand! And she submitted several candidates, but… they picked your picture immediately.”
The Xie Heting standing before him now was badly groomed, and his gray-black clothes made him look gloomy and sloppy.
But Jiang Ye had seen the face hidden beneath those bangs and glasses.
The picture sent to the production team was Xie Heting’s university entrance ID photo.
It was also the only clear photograph that showed his true appearance.
Jiang Ye could still remember the shock of seeing it.
Even as a completely straight man, he had stared stupidly.
Like some kind of pervert, he had taken a photograph of the ID picture, digitally restored it, and occasionally pulled it out just to admire it.
Otherwise, Sister Xia would never have seen it.
