Chapter 111: The Battlefield Begins

Chapter 111 The Battlefield Ignites

Jian Ye found himself in an unprecedented mental block for the first time.

Just as he was about to move on to the next task, the director suddenly called him over to be a prop for Mo Huan's performance.

He stood there, but before he could fully immerse himself in the scene, he was bombarded with Mo Huan's barrage of lines.

How had Mo Huan's delivery improved so drastically all of a sudden?

The lines were spoken with such sincerity that, for a moment, Jian Ye was genuinely stunned.

Facing his senior, who was staring intently at him with a piercing stare, Jian Ye took a deep breath and was about to snap into character when someone suddenly rushed over from the side, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him back.

This caught everyone off guard.

Even the director was stumped—why had Qiu Yuelun suddenly stormed in? Was he trying to disrupt the performance?

The red-haired young man shot daggers in his eyes at Mo Huan and said coldly, "Not a chance. He won’t like you."

Mo Huan stiffened momentarily before frowning slightly, an edge of fury in his voice. "What did you say?"

Qiu Yuelun ignored him completely. Instead, he turned to Jian Ye, his tone firm and unyielding. "Jian Ye, you’re mine."

Jian Ye: "..."

He was done. Absolutely done.

Even someone as mentally strong as Jian Ye felt thoroughly thrown at this moment. He shot a questioning look at the director: *What’s going on? Is this some kind of scripted bit?*

The director shrugged helplessly and shook his head, as if to say: *I don’t know either. Improv? Just keep acting?*

Left with no choice, Jian Ye could only continue playing his role as the helpless prop, watching the showdown unfold.

"Who are you to decide for Xiao Ye? Did you even ask for his opinion?" Mo Huan wasn’t acting anymore—he could clearly sense Qiu Yuelun’s hostility toward him.

He hadn’t expected there to be someone else in this show who was so devoted to Jian Ye.

This guy… Was he seriously planning to confess to Jian Ye on the show? Had he lost it?

"Whether I can decide or not is none of your business. Either way, he’s not yours. Do yourself a favor and back off."

Qiu Yuelun didn’t care about acting. The moment he heard Mo Huan’s lines earlier, a jolt of raw panic surged through him.

A man knows another man’s game—this guy was clearly using the performance as a cover to confess to Jian Ye. Did he think everyone else was stupid?

Qiu Yuelun was well aware that more and more people were falling for Jian Ye.

Before joining this show, Qiu Yuelun had already made up his mind. He wasn’t the type to hesitate—he had always charged forward relentlessly, never stopping until he achieved his goal.

He could openly admit that he had fallen for Jian Ye. He had planned to confess after the show ended, ready to accept whatever answer Jian Ye gave him, whether it was acceptance or rejection.

Going after someone? No sweat. If he got rejected, he’d just double down.

Qiu Yuelun had never chased after anyone in his life, but he was willing to lay his heart bare and let Jian Ye see his sincerity.

Fearless in the face of obstacles, charging forward with determination—that was the racer’s creed.

Unfortunately, his plans had been disrupted by Mo Huan. This guy was too slick, and Qiu Yuelun couldn’t get a read on Jian Ye’s attitude. Left with no choice, he had to make his move now.

Qiu Yuelun's thoughts were straightforward—he absolutely couldn't let Mo Huan's schemes succeed.

He didn’t care how many competitors there were. No matter how many, he wasn’t afraid. Just like in a racing competition, what he cared about was ensuring no rival got a head start.

Even if Mo Huan was ostensibly following the show’s arranged tasks, Qiu Yuelun couldn’t help but want to interrupt him.

"Holy crap!"

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!"

"I’m so shocked that I can only describe it with Chinese profanity."

"Isn’t this supposed to be a social experiment show? What’s with this full-on dating show?"

"My premium membership perks are too good—I actually get to witness this kind of scene."

"Love triangle showdown! They’re fighting over our Xiao Ye!"

"Look at Jian Ye’s stunned face. This clearly wasn’t part of any rehearsed script."

"Definitely not scripted. The director himself posted on Weibo earlier, saying there’s no fixed script, only some planned processes and segments."

"LMAO I’m dying. The director and Jian Ye having this wordless back-and-forth, both utterly confused."

"I actually considered the possibility that some guests might like Jian Ye, but I didn’t expect multiple. (And by 'like,' you know what I mean.)"

The tension was palpable. After Qiu Yuelun inserted himself into the scene, Mo Huan’s performance came to a halt.

In this awkward situation, Zhuang Yao suddenly strolled over casually and, without hesitation, threw an arm around Jian Ye’s shoulders.

He teased, "These guys are so immature. Little Brother Xiao Ye, why not come with me? I’m more mature than them—you know you'd choose me, right?"

Jian Ye: "!"

Jian Ye’s eyes widened as he silently mouthed: *Why are you stirring the pot?*

Zhuang Yao remained smiling: *Isn’t this hilarious, though?*

It was... indeed fun.

Now this was reality TV gold.

Though the director had no idea how things had escalated like this, the number of netizens flooding the livestream for the drama was skyrocketing.

Even if just for the ratings, he wasn’t going to cut this part.

Zhuang Yao, seemingly unbothered by the chaos, even lightly poked Jian Ye’s cheek with his finger.

The other two were practically fuming.

For the first time, the two were in perfect sync as they yelled at Zhuang Yao: "Stop touching him!"

"LMAO I’m laughing my head off."

"Let me translate what they’re saying: 'We haven’t even gotten to touch him yet—how dare you jump the gun?'"

"I’m already dizzy from shipping. One moment I’m cheering for Fantasy Night (shipping name), the next for Autumn Leaves (shipping name), then for YeYao (shipping name)! They’re all so great! I can't pick just one! Can’t we just have them all...?"

"Your thoughts are dangerous, be careful or the mods might mute you!"

Jian Ye coughed dryly and took the initiative to cue the production team, "Director, should I proceed to the final segment now?"

The director nodded, "Pick a random track for him."

Jian Ye thought they might play a traditional Chinese-style piece, given his background in related dance, but to his surprise, the DJ dropped a high-energy EDM banger.

Jian Ye blanked for a second, then instinctively started grooving to the beat.

Since learning dance, Jian Ye had also explored various styles, including contemporary and street dance, and knew a thing or two about them.

Though the systems and genres differed, they all relied on the body to express art.

Jian Ye simply went all out and vibed—he wasn’t the type to worry about his idol persona anyway, and when the vibe was right, he could easily shed any pretense.

So, viewers across the internet witnessed Jian Ye throwing up the "flower hands" move—a somewhat cheesy gesture—yet when he did it, it looked stupidly cool.

The guy even hit some crisp arm waves on beat, his flexible body making the waves look smooth and aesthetically pleasing.

Finally, he bent backward into a flip and struck a pose—hands on hips, head held high—like a sassy "Little Prince."

The crowd erupted in applause, with the staff laughing so hard they could barely stand.

"Hahahaha, Jian Ye… he’s wild for this!"

"He must be a short-video addict, a total meme lord! That was hilarious! Director team, y’all set him up! He’s supposed to be a graceful trad-dance prince!"

"By tonight, this dance will go viral, and tons of people will be copying it."

"Ahhh, Jian Ye is truly my treasure of a man. No wonder all the guests are fighting over him!"

"I totally get why Mo Huan and Xiao Qiu are so obsessed on the show—our Xiao Ye is a total Da Ji."

Among the remaining guests, only Zhuang Yao and Mo Huan had somewhat coordinated movements—the others moved like robots.

Qiu Yuelun, in particular, performed a set of moves that made gym class warmups look pro.

And the guy wasn’t even embarrassed—he kept a straight face the whole time, looking low-key pissed and downright intimidating.

At this point, Qiu Yuelun wasn’t even trying to fake it. He was just plain irritable, as usual.

He wanted to finish filming ASAP, corner Jian Ye for a talk, and maybe shoo away all these groupies.

This was the first time Qiu Yuelun had ever liked someone. Early on, when he wasn’t sure of his feelings, he’d been cautious—but now, he just wanted to be direct.

After all, Jian Ye had already heard what he said.

He’d made himself damn clear—he refused to believe Jian Ye didn’t get it.

Once all six segments were completed, the director introduced today’s celebrity judges.

They were all A-listers in the entertainment industry—actors, hosts, singers, and even stand-up comedians.

"No way! All my favorite celebs! Today’s a great day—I’m ecstatic!"

"Did the production team spend a fortune to get these people here?"

"Incredible! I’m calling this the gold standard for chill variety shows this year!"

"At this point, we don’t even need to watch the rest—just peep the fan spam in the livestream to see who’ll win the Experience Star title."

"Anyone with half a brain would pick Jian Ye, right? This isn’t rigged—Jian Ye’s just that good!"

The Observers roasted all the guests, saying they were dying laughing watching from the backstage monitors.

Especially during that unexpected moment earlier.

An older actor teased, "Mo Huan, Qiu Yuelun, I saw you two fighting over Xiao Jian earlier. So when it comes to voting later, I assume you’ll both vote for Jian Ye, right?"

The joke hit home for both of them.

Obviously, they’d vote for Jian Ye—who’d let their favorite lose?

There was only one "Experience Star" in the show, and naturally, they wanted it to go to Jian Ye.

They had ulterior motives for joining the show in the first place. If they tried to steal the trophy from Jian Ye last-minute, that’d be straight-up clueless.

The final vote combined the guests’ picks and the Observers’ scores to decide who would receive the honor today.

Jian Ye wrote Zhuang Yao’s name, Zou Yan wrote Le Yao’s, while all the other guests wrote Jian Ye’s name.

Le Yao had a soft spot for Jian Ye, her little bro. Hanging out with him was so easy, and their personalities clicked so well that she genuinely started seeing him as a younger brother—she just wanted him to win.

Jian Ye had this magnetic charm—people just gravitated to him.

The Observers handed the voting list to the production team.

Once the directors crunched the numbers live, the name of this season’s "Experience Star" was finally announced.

"Give it up for—Jian Ye! You’re not just the show’s MVP—you’re also the fan favorite!" host Xiao You commented beside them.

They also played a segment of the guests’ post-interview clips, where Qiu Yuelun and Mo Huan, in particular, couldn’t stop praising Jian Ye.

They one-upped each other with over-the-top praise.

"I’m dead, y’all! These two are Jian Ye’s ride-or-die stans—they should be the heads of his fan club!"

"I haven’t stopped grinning this whole episode. How is it this hilarious?!"

"What can I say? Jian Ye’s irresistible. Honestly, even as a guy, I wouldn’t be able to resist."

"The glazing is unreal!"

"What do I do? I’m cringing so hard right now. If Jian Ye sees their post-interviews, won’t he die of embarrassment? Hahaha!"

"Now, let’s invite our show’s sponsor and partner, Mr. Qin, to present the award to Jian Ye."

Jian Ye stood at attention, prepping to meet the big-shot sponsor, but the person who walked up was someone he never expected.

The guy, suited up, walked over like he owned the place toward Jian Ye and handed him a trophy carved with a star.

Then, he politely hugged the young man and whispered, "Congratulations."

Jian Ye locked up, arms stuck mid-air, too scared to even brush the guy.

His brain short-circuited: "..."

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

"Author's Note"

Qin Fei: Didn't expect that, did you? I got to hug your wife too! (smug)

Mo Huan: Me too! (raises hand)

Qiu Yuelun: Same here! (hand up)

Yi Siyu: …… (fuming mad.jpg)

"Let's replay this copywriting showdown exactly as it went down. ^ω^"