Mu Fu smiled softly and gave a slight nod. “Hello.” Her eyes were clear and bright. “What do you need me to do in a moment?” she asked.
“Just follow my lead,” Shao Ye replied.
“Hm?” Mu Fu blinked, puzzled by his vague instruction. Shao Ye didn’t explain right away.
It wasn’t until the familiar melody began to play that Mu Fu realized what kind of dance he had chosen. A waltz!
Shao Ye bowed like a true gentleman and extended his hand in invitation. Mu Fu gently placed her right hand in his. His palm was warm and steady. He guided her left hand onto his arm, and then placed his own left hand gently at her waist. Mu Fu instinctively took a small step back, feeling a wave of shyness.
“You okay? Don’t be nervous, I’ve got you,” Shao Ye murmured by her ear, his voice a little husky. Mu Fu tilted her head up. Her eyes sparkled like starlight, completely focused on him. “Okay,” she said softly. I trust you.
Although Mu Fu already knew how to waltz, she didn’t mention it. As she effortlessly kept up with his steps, Shao Ye was pleasantly surprised. He’d picked this dance randomly—not expecting the girl to know it too. Now, he was even more curious about her. What other surprises was she hiding?
Their movements were perfectly synchronized—each turn, each step, executed in harmony. Shao Ye felt the joy that came with dancing, but he couldn’t quite tell whether it was the dance lifting his mood… or the girl dancing with him.
His gaze fell naturally on her face—her flawless, porcelain skin, those luminous, crystal-clear eyes, long lashes fluttering softly with each movement, a delicate nose, and lips as soft and pink as rose petals. She moved like a butterfly in flight, graceful and light, and at the end of the dance, landed gently in his arms.
When the music stopped, Shao Ye found himself momentarily dazed, his heart racing. He wasn’t a fool—he knew this feeling. The signs were clear. He was falling for her.
And his eyes never left her.
Host Brother Jin chuckled, “Looks like our male guest number three has a pretty good impression of our female guest number one, Mu Fu!”
Only then did Shao Ye snap back to the moment. He smiled but said nothing.
Lian Tingmei, however, frowned slightly. She had been just one step behind, and now Mu Fu had completely stolen the spotlight. How annoying! She herself had taken quite a liking to the new male guest—handsome and charismatic. She couldn’t afford to let Mu Fu win his favor this time.
At that moment, Brother Jin continued, “Now that everyone has a first impression of our male guest number three, let’s get to know him a little more. Please take a look at his exclusive VCR on the screen.”
A short video about Shao Ye began to play.
“Hi everyone, I’m Shao Ye’s mom. So happy to meet you all! Now, let me show you what his room looks like.” Shao Ye’s mom looked to be in her forties, with a trendy head of soft brown curls. She was well-groomed and had a warm, kind demeanor.
The camera followed her into a clean, tidy room. The bed was neatly made, and everything was in its place. She said, “Our Shao Ye has a bit of a cleanliness obsession, so he insists on cleaning his room himself. Even if we want to help, he won’t let us. He also really enjoys doing housework. I remember him saying once that it helps him relax. So when he’s home, he basically takes care of everything around the house.” She smiled warmly at the camera. “So girls, don’t worry—if you come to our house, Shao Ye’s got the chores covered.” Everyone watching couldn’t help but smile at her endearing charm.
She added with a playful shrug, “There’s not much to see in his room, really. Shao Ye keeps all his important stuff in the study.” No wonder Mu Fu had only seen some bedding and a large wardrobe when she was in his room.
Soon, the video cut to Shao Ye’s mom opening the door to his study. Click. As the door opened, the first thing that caught the eye was shelf after shelf lined with collectible figurines. A few sharp-eyed viewers quickly noticed that many were limited editions—each worth tens of thousands, if not more. The crowd burst into murmurs of surprise.
The things in Shao Ye’s study were completely at odds with the image he projected on stage. He had just appeared like a classic domineering CEO, but now, with this glimpse into his personal life, he suddenly felt much more down-to-earth.
Anime fans in the audience were practically drooling over his collection—many of the action figures displayed were rare limited editions, some worth tens of thousands, maybe even more.
“These are all things A-Ye bought himself,” his mother said with a warm smile. “He treasures them so much that he cleans and polishes them every day. His dad and I don’t really understand this stuff, but as long as he’s happy, we’re happy to support him.”
Audience Member 1: “I want a mom like that too.”
Audience Member 2: “The vibe in Shao Ye’s family is amazing. I can’t believe his parents don’t scold him for spending so much!”
As the camera moved, another shelf came into view—this one filled with neatly arranged manga and anime art books.
Audience Member 3: “I need a room like Shao Ye’s! I could sleep there every day, even if it means crashing on the floor!” Their friend chuckled, “Well, you’d have to blow your whole salary and then some just to get close.”
Audience Member 4: “Right? With that kind of spending, how does he not go broke every month? How much money does he even have? His house doesn’t look particularly wealthy either.”
It was true—his home’s décor hadn’t changed much from decades ago. The style was plain and simple, reflecting an older generation’s taste and modest lifestyle.
As the camera wrapped up its tour of the study, Shao Ye’s mom smiled at the lens and said, “I hope the lovely ladies will give A-Ye some serious thought. If you come to our house, you won’t have to suffer.” The video ended with her gentle, smiling face frozen on the screen.
Brother Jin spoke up, “Now that everyone’s seen our male guest number three’s VCR, does anyone have any questions for him?”
Several female contestants raised their hands at once. Brother Jin pointed, “Let’s hear from female guest number seven.”
Quan Xiaoyu batted her eyes and smiled. “So, I’ve got to ask—how did you manage to collect so many rare figures? A bunch of those, even I don’t have!” As she leaned forward in her seat, her tight, sleeveless tank top clung to her curvy frame, drawing attention to her impressive figure. Naturally, all eyes were drawn to her chest—especially the men in the audience. A few of them looked like their eyeballs were about to pop out.
When she noticed the heated looks from the guys, she didn’t feel embarrassed or offended like most girls might. On the contrary, she seemed to take pride in the attention. Her earlier question wasn’t just casual—it was carefully calculated to craft the image of a gorgeous girl who happened to be into anime.
She knew that anime-loving guys would be drawn to the idea of a stunning woman who shared their hobby. And with her dazzling looks and curvy figure, she could easily turn them into devoted fans.
Her plan? Post a few cosplay or otaku dance videos and let the admiration roll in. They wouldn’t be able to resist. This was one of her go-to tactics to gain followers.
And in this moment, she was hoping Shao Ye would catch the hint and offer to gift her some of his figurines—without her having to ask directly. That would be the gentlemanly move, after all. She acted like it was only natural.
But Shao Ye simply said, “Mostly because my family supports it. Without that, there’s no way I could afford these on my salary.” Not a single word about giving away the figurines.
She stared at him in disbelief. “That’s it?”
He nodded.
Her face instantly darkened. Seriously? After she’d just been considering keeping her light on for him? With no hesitation, she shut her light off.
Shao Ye’s expression didn’t even flicker at her blatant rejection. Several other women followed suit and turned off their lights too.
Host Jin spoke up. “Female guest number nine.”
Mao Jiya asked, “What kind of girls do you like?”
Mu Fu was quietly listening, curious to see how Shao Ye would answer.
After a pause, he said, “I care most about the feeling I get. If I’m drawn to someone, then I’ll like her no matter what kind of person she is.” His voice was soft and slow. As he spoke, the corner of his eye happened to flicker in Mu Fu’s direction.
What Shao Ye said came from the heart. He truly didn’t care what someone looked like—what mattered to him was the connection between souls. And tonight, his heart had been quietly pulled toward Mu Fu again and again. He found himself caring deeply about how she saw him.
“Alright,” Mao Jiya replied the moment he finished speaking. She turned off her light. She’d noticed that when he answered her question, there wasn’t much warmth in his gaze. That was all the answer she needed—she clearly wasn’t the one he felt a connection with.
Host Brother Jin turned to her. “Jiya, why’d you turn off your light?”
She smiled gently. “I don’t think I’m his type.”
“Oh? Is that so?” Brother Jin looked over at Shao Ye. Shao Ye glanced back at the host without responding. His silence was an answer in itself.
“Well then,” Brother Jin continued. “Tingmei, do you have a question?”
Lian Tingmei gave a shy smile and asked softly, “What would happen if you and a female guest locked eyes for thirty seconds?”
Brother Jin perked up immediately. Trust Tingmei to keep things lively. “I think the whole audience wants to know too, right?” A chorus of excited voices rose from the crowd: “We do!”
Brother Jin grinned. “Alright then—let’s have our male guest number three try it live. Any ladies up for a thirty-second stare-down with him?” Shao Ye didn’t mind the impromptu activity. In fact, part of him was quietly hoping it might go the way he wanted.
After a quick glance across the group, the host chose three contestants. “Ladies Number One, Two, and Four—please come up.” Mu Fu was among them.
She walked onto the stage and gave Shao Ye a playful wink. He gave her a subtle glance, his fingers unconsciously brushing each other. His eyes had darkened slightly—more thoughtful now.
Brother Jin asked the three women, “Who’d like to go first?”
Lai Haier stepped forward. “I’d like to try. What do you think? Are you okay with that?” She tilted her head sweetly as she looked at Shao Ye.
Axolotl Translations 
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