Chapter Sixty-Five: Who’s Really Falling in Love?

This time, the game was particularly intriguing.

The two partners had to draw near, facing each other at close range, and maintain eye contact for a full minute. During this time, if either person's heart rate exceeded 100 beats per minute, the game would be considered lost immediately.

If they both managed to hold out for the full minute, it would count as a win.

The lowest-ranked pair would, as always, receive the overtime assignment.

The program team would determine each pair’s ranking based on the length of time they maintained eye contact. As long as one person's heart rate remained below 100, the timer would continue, and only when both exceeded 100 would the game end.

The livestream audience was raring to go.

"I bet Jiang Mingzhao will absolutely take first place!"
"You're not the only one; I bet on him too!"
"I'll wager a bag of spicy chips—Jiang Mingzhao for the win!"
"Count me in!"
"Why isn’t anyone betting on Song Wannning and Wen Shao?"
"Why bother? Their interactions are so sweet—how could their hearts not flutter?"
"No matter how sweet it looks, it’s all an act. There’s no way two people who didn’t like each other before would suddenly fall in love on a show. If there’s no script here, I don’t buy it."

The two camps argued endlessly.

In the end, everyone agreed to let the facts speak for themselves.

This time, the program team took mischief to a whole new level, even stripping the mountains bare of bamboo shoots, as the saying goes.

Normally, the winner is the one whose heart is stirred in the least amount of time, but here they were, pulling a "no heartbeats allowed" challenge.

The longest time without a racing heart was the true victory.

It was as if they’d completely forgotten that this was supposed to be a dating show, caring little for what their guests might think about not being moved by their supposed other halves.

The guests’ opinions were of no concern—the game had already begun.

Once again, the order of participation was determined by drawing lots.

By sheer misfortune, Shen Yue’s group was first.

Shen Yue hadn’t appeared all day.

She hadn’t planned to come that night either, but upon hearing that the director had arranged this “No Flutter” challenge for today, Shen Yue insisted she was well enough to participate.

Though she still had a fever during the day and wasn’t allowed to leave the infirmary, by evening her fever had subsided. Shen Yue was adamant about going. The doctor, with no reason to keep her, let her go.

Li Weiwei had been fretting that the game would be short-handed after so much promotion, so when Shen Yue said she’d join, she was delighted.

It was rare for her to praise anyone, but she commended Shen Yue for her dedication, showing up as soon as her fever broke.

The compliment left Shen Yue beaming. Even Song Wannning had never received praise from Wen Shao’s wife, but today Shen Yue was lauded by Li Weiwei.

Did this mean she was held in higher regard by the director than Song Wannning?

Li Weiwei, for her part, thought nothing of it. It was simply a matter of good timing—a pillow delivered to a dozing head. She was in a rare good mood and offered the compliment without a second thought, never imagining how much it would mean to Shen Yue.

For the game, each participant was given a chair. Merely sitting wasn’t enough—the two had to lean forward so that the distance between their faces was less than ten centimeters.

It was so close their very breaths mingled.

No physical contact or speaking was allowed; any violation would result in immediate disqualification and a separate overtime assignment as punishment.

As Li Weiwei announced these details, the livestream audience erupted.

"Wow! The program team isn’t holding back—this sounds so exciting!"
"Director, I love you, haha!"
"I can’t wait! So excited! The Wen and Song couple have always been affectionate—how long can they last?"
"Yun Ze is so crazy about Nan Yan—will his heart rate spike the moment they start?"
"How does this kind of thing even get approved?"
"This show really treats us like insiders!"

As soon as Jiang Mingzhao sat opposite Shen Yue, he felt tormented.

There was no way his heart would be moved—absolutely not. If he didn’t retch on the spot, it would be a miracle.

He didn’t know what perfume Shen Yue was wearing, but the scent made him extremely uncomfortable.

When they weren’t this close, he could endure it, but now, with the heavy fragrance enveloping him, he felt ill.

Why did women wear such strong perfume? It reminded him of certain actresses he’d worked with before.

After half a minute, Jiang Mingzhao’s heart rate hovered around eighty, and seemed to be dropping. He was practically suffocating.

If it weren’t for the generous rewards Song Wannning and Wen Jingxing had won in previous rounds, he would never have lasted this long in front of Shen Yue.

"This is hilarious! Jiang Mingzhao is truly a comedic genius—even his heart rate drops during a 'No Heart Flutter' challenge!"
"His variety sense is off the charts!"
"Jiang is so steady—my spicy chips are as good as won. Get your wagers ready, everyone!"

Shen Yue’s face grew redder by the second as she gazed at Jiang Mingzhao.

Jiang Mingzhao glanced at the heart rate monitor beside Shen Yue and nearly cursed out loud.

He couldn’t believe his eyes—Shen Yue’s heart rate had already hit ninety-seven, and at one point, even ninety-nine!

He stared at her, puzzled.

Hadn’t she been interested in someone else just days ago? Why was her face so flushed, her heart racing like this?

Was she actually infatuated with him? Could she be swooning over him while still liking someone else?

A man in the outside world must protect himself—let someone scam his money, but never his heart!

His imagination ran wild, and as he panicked, his own heart rate began to climb.

"Oh my god! Jiang Mingzhao’s heart rate is going up! Hang in there, my entire stash of snacks is riding on you winning first place!"

"I told you, they’re a bickering couple—they quarrel when they should, but there are feelings there. The heart rate monitor proves it."

"I’m not so sure. Shen Yue’s face is getting redder, but Jiang Mingzhao doesn’t look nervous or shy."

"True, his eyes look more alarmed than anything."

"Alarmed? Why would he be alarmed with all these people around?"

"How should I know? I’m not him."

Jiang Mingzhao turned his gaze, unable to see his own heart rate monitor, but Shen Yue’s was clearly off the charts.

He looked over at the timer on Li Weiwei’s table. That, at least, was visible.

Fifty seconds had passed. If he could just hold out a bit longer, he’d win the round.