2: Chapter 2: A simple introduction at the dinner party would suffice; why are you all dressed up in such fancy clothes?

Zone B is on the east side of the resort, a bit out of the way.

Lu Li dragged his suitcase for seven or eight minutes and finally found 302.

Pushing the door open, the room wasn't big, but it had the advantage of being clean. The window faced the sea directly, and a tiny bit of blue horizon could be seen.

He tossed his suitcase into the corner of the room and threw his entire body onto the bed.

Comfortable.

He had barely lain down for two minutes when his phone rang.

It was his manager, Sister Wang.

"Arrived?"

"Arrived."

"Alright, the live recording officially starts tomorrow. There's a simple welcome dinner tonight, and all the guests will be present. Pay a little attention to your image and don't embarrass me."

Lu Li rolled over and said helplessly, "Sister Wang, I'm just here to make up the numbers, it's not like I can embarrass myself anywhere much."

The person on the other end fell silent for two seconds.

"Suit yourself. Anyway, the contract is signed, and I couldn't be bothered to manage you. Oh right, there's something I need to tell you."

"Hmm?"

"Among this time's guest list, there's someone you might need to watch out for."

Lu Li didn't make a sound, waiting for her to speak.

"Shen Qingxue."

Lu Li was stunned.

Shen Qingxue? He had heard this name before.

She was called the National Goddess by current fans, debuted for a year with zero scandals, had tens of millions of fans, and was the center of attention wherever she went.

Someone of this status coming to participate in a dating variety show?

"Why did she come too?" Lu Li asked casually.

"I don't know, the Program Team did a pretty good job keeping secrets over there. Anyway, just pay attention, don't provoke her, and don't blame me for not reminding you if you get cyberbullied by then."

Lu Li let out an "Oh."

Provoke? He didn't even want to speak, only wanting to slack off.

After finishing this lousy show, he could go home and lie down. When he ran out of money, he would just drop a golden hit song to earn some living expenses. Wouldn't such a life be wonderful?

After hanging up the phone, Lu Li stared blankly at the ceiling for a while.

Shen Qingxue...

A face popped up in his mind—that girl in the white dress next to the check-in desk earlier.

So it was her.

She really looked quite pretty, but what did that have to do with him?

He rolled over again and pulled the quilt over his head.

When in doubt, take a nap first.

As for the dinner? We'll talk about the dinner later.

...

The dinner was scheduled for 7:30, located at the sea-view restaurant in the center of the resort.

Lu Li woke up half an hour early, wearing a T-shirt and big shorts, stepping into a pair of flip-flops as he went out the door.

When he arrived at the entrance of the restaurant, it was precisely 7:25.

A staff member was standing at the entrance. Seeing his attire, the staff member was stunned for a moment, lips moved, but ultimately said nothing, only handing over a name tag.

"Teacher Lu, this way please."

A circle of people was already sitting inside the restaurant.

Lu Li glanced over. The long table had about a dozen seats set up, and seven people were already seated—three men and four women, all dressed brilliantly and glamorously.

The men were uniformly in shirts and suit trousers, and their hairstyles looked as if they had sprayed half a bottle of hairspray.

The women were even more exaggerated; two of them wore dresses that made Lu Li wonder if they were going to walk the red carpet the next second.

Yet he was the only one present in a white T-shirt, sweatpants, and a pair of flip-flops on his feet.

Lu Li: ...

Isn't it just a dinner??? The recording hasn't even officially started yet, why are they all dressed so glamorously?

For a moment, he felt under immense pressure.

Lu Li found the most out-of-the-way seat and sat down. To his left was a man in full suit and leather shoes with an extremely handsome appearance.

Lu Li nodded at him, considering it a greeting.

But unexpectedly, this person completely ignored him.

Lu Li didn't mind too much and looked up. Sitting directly opposite him was that girl in the white dress, Shen Qingxue.

She had changed her clothes and was now wearing a light blue knit sweater with her hair draped casually, looking down at her phone.

Lu Li took a glance and withdrew his gaze, pulling out his phone to browse for a bit.

At this moment, footsteps came from the entrance of the restaurant.

A middle-aged Flowered-Shirt Man walked in, followed by two staff members.

The man was around forty years old, his hair combed meticulously. He swept his gaze across the people present, finally letting his gaze linger on Lu Li for two seconds.

In those two seconds, Lu Li clearly saw the corners of his eyes twitch.

"Everyone is here, let's start directly."

The Flowered-Shirt Man clapped his hands, motioning for everyone to quiet down.

"I am the general director of Heartbeat 72 Hours, my surname is Zhou, you can just call me Director Zhou. Tonight's dinner is for everyone to get to know each other, and then get familiar with tomorrow's procedures."

After speaking, he motioned for the first person on the left to begin.

Soon, that person took off their mask and sunglasses, revealing a rather handsome face, and smiled at everyone.

"Hello everyone, my name is Lin Mo, I'm an actor, having acted in a few dramas with decent popularity. Some people might have seen them, but it doesn't matter if you haven't, there will be opportunities in the future."

After speaking, he sat down.

Lu Li glanced over. So this sunglasses-wearing man was Lin Mo, no wonder he felt a bit cocky and pretentious~

The second one was the girl who had been touching up her makeup in the car earlier. When she stood up, she even purposely smoothed her hair.

"My name is Su Qing, I'm a singer. I've released a few albums, but none of them are very popular. I hope everyone will take care of me."

Lu Li had heard of the names of the next few as well.

A female internet celebrity named Chen Wenwen, another internet celebrity Lin Yu, and a rap trainee Xu Hao.

When the man next to Lu Li stood up, he clearly felt that the surrounding gazes were all focused over.

He was indeed handsome, with facial features as exquisite as if they had been photoshopped. His hairstyle was meticulous, and his shirt was ironed without a single wrinkle.

"Hello everyone, I am Zhou Yichen."

He paused for a moment, his lips carrying a just-right smile.

"actor, singer, currently with twenty million fans across the entire internet, currently developing in all directions. I am very honored to participate in Heartbeat 72 Hours, and I hope to meet the right person here."

After speaking, he even bowed slightly to everyone—talk about being graceful and proper.

Lu Li muttered inwardly, truly developing in all directions indeed, putting on such an elegant act. No wonder he had so many fans.

Next was Shen Qingxue.

She put down her phone, stood up, and merely nodded gently.

"Shen Qingxue, singer, actor."

Seven words, and she sat down right after speaking.

Lu Li was stunned for a moment. Is that it? Not even a "Hello everyone"?

But he quickly reacted: with her status, even more awesome than that Zhou Yichen from just now, she truly didn't need to say much.

It was Lu Li's turn.

He stood up, thought about it, and then spoke by mimicking Shen Qingxue before him.

"Lu Li, singer."

Four words, and he sat down right after speaking.

The surroundings fell quiet for a second.

Lu Li felt several gazes fall upon him—some surprised, some puzzled, and some carrying a hint of playfulness.

He didn't mind, continuing to lower his head to look at his phone.

Anyway, he was just here to make up the numbers, talking more would only make things awkward.