Chapter 87: Who Do You Think Will Be the First to Be Eliminated on the First Night?

The surrounding crew sprang into action at once—lights were adjusted, blackout panels were drawn, the built-in sound effects were cued.

On the steps of the little island, a girl in an orange cropped halter top and orange shorts made a sparkling entrance, clutching a giant teddy bear.

Her long platinum-blonde hair cascaded to her waist. With delicate makeup and a sweet, playful face, she instantly set the live room abuzz.

The current chatter exploded with reactions:

"Wait, the mystery guest is Shira Sakamoto from BlaCk?"

"Isn't she the one with serious backing? I heard her support is rock-solid—she debuted straight at the top..."

"The production team is insane! They even managed to invite Miss Sakamoto?!"

"Though, to be fair, this is a dating show, and she is hugging a bear, so that feels a little..."

In an instant, the livestream went wild.

Shira smiled and waved toward the camera, then followed the route laid out by the production team to a wooden bench.

Two girls were already seated there.

They were beauty blogger Miao Ruoyu and ten-million-follower influencer Gao Yaqin.

When the show had first released its preview, the two of them had been wildly popular. But the moment Shira appeared, they were utterly eclipsed.

There was no other reason than this: Shira was the most popular girl-group leader at the moment. Her mischievous looks and eccentric, delightful dancing had won everyone over. More importantly, rumors said she had an immovable backer.

This was practically a dimensional reduction strike.

Although Shira had been active overseas all this time, her popularity had remained sky-high. Now that she had returned, she was drawing even more heated discussion from netizens.

Very quickly, she shot to the top of the entertainment trending list.

The mystery guest turned out to be Shira.

In the livestream, as Shira sat down by the bench, the two other female contestants—both exquisitely made up and evenly matched in appearance—were immediately overshadowed.

It was simply because, against all that heavy makeup, Shira's platinum-blonde hair, innocent cuteness, and lightly adorned charm stood out all the more vividly.

It was a complete rout.

Both of their expressions were clearly a little ugly, but for the sake of the cameras, they still forced smiles.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng, who had just disembarked from the cruise ship, was hurrying over.

"Hey, Big Brother Lin, can you walk a little faster? Director Zheng has already called several times..." The little guide, Xiao Lu, looked as if his brows were about to knot themselves into ruin.

What kind of bad luck had he drawn, ending up with a character like this?

Everyone else had already made their entrances, and the one he was responsible for was still sound asleep.

"Hello? Director Zheng? Yes, yes, I understand."

While muttering to himself, Xiao Lu answered a call, and the wrinkle between his brows finally eased.

He slowed his pace and looked back at Lin Feng. "Big Brother Lin, no need to rush anymore. Director Zheng said you should be the last to appear."

"Well, that's good."

Lin Feng nodded, and his steps slowed as well.

Xiao Lu was speechless. Good, my ass! If you hadn't overslept, would we have put you last?

The last to appear is supposed to be the grand finale...

Up ahead, the production team briefly played a prerecorded teaser, and then it was time for the men to enter.

He Zhiyuan, owner of a chain of gyms, a man who trained year-round and was built like a tank.

Zhu Qiming, CEO of the Vast Circle Group, the company's pillar of support, a refined man in glasses.

Ma Yanbin, son of a green-ribbon real-estate developer, a rich second-generation playboy with a carefree air.

As the three appeared, the show entered a fever pitch.

Though this dating program followed an old formula, this time they had managed to make it feel fresh.

Four men, three women, and the six who had already appeared were all outstanding—handsome, wealthy, accomplished. It was hard to imagine which poor soul would end up the unlucky one in the end.

"Hey, the last male guest is probably the finale, right?"

"Must be. With the earlier ones being this impressive, of course the last one has to be the big finish!"

"Tell me the production team didn't even invite a movie star."

"Highly possible..."

The viewers in the live room were already in an uproar.

Just as Zheng Bochao could no longer resist calling again to hurry them along, Lin Feng finally appeared at the top of the steps.

He let out a breath of relief and signaled for the cameraman to turn the lens toward him.

In an instant, Lin Feng stepped into view in a sharply tailored suit. Tall and slender, with his collar buttoned to the throat, thin lips pressed together, he radiated a cool aloofness, carrying an air of complete restraint and abstinence.

The moment Shira saw Lin Feng, seated by the wooden bench, she paused slightly. Then her lips curved, and the smile in her eyes deepened at once.

And the livestream erupted with excitement.

"What the hell, isn't that the factory worker who was trending before?"

"What is this production team doing, bringing in a laborer?"

"Hahahaha, I think this is what makes it fun. Everyone else is a boss or CEO, and now they've brought in a wage slave—a factory dog, even..."

"I'm dying. Production team, you know how to play!"

"Hey, putting that aside, this factory guy is really good-looking..."

"Flower Blooms in Prosperity sent a Porsche..."

Lin Feng couldn't see the scrolling comments on his phone from where he stood, or he would have been speechless on the spot.

Following Zheng Bochao's instructions, he walked toward the wooden bench.

Compared with the sky-high status of the six people before him, Lin Feng was crushed into dust. After the others sat down, they chatted and laughed among themselves, but once Lin Feng arrived, not a single person came up to strike up a conversation.

Without question, the final clown of this dating show had already been decided.

The production team really knew how to stir things up. After all seven had made their entrances, they immediately launched a voting segment.

Who do you think will be eliminated on the first night?

The ten-minute voting period ended quickly. Without any suspense, Lin Feng took first place by a landslide.

Of course—who would pass up the three capable, wealthy bosses in front of them just to choose a worker straight out of the factory?

Lin Feng knew none of this. Since no one was paying him any attention, he was happy not to bother with extra conversation.

Besides, he had only come here to earn some money and tide himself over.

Still hungry because he had skipped breakfast after waking up late, he simply picked up the untouched fruit platter on the table and ate heartily.

His move set the live room into full-on laughter.

"That would be me. If I were up there, I'd be eating the fruit platter too."

"The big bosses wouldn't look twice at that stuff, but I'd be drooling."

"Too real. As expected of a factory guy..."

Seeing the rising popularity and the flood of comments in the backend, Zheng Bochao finally broke into a smile.

He had originally planned to find some obscure starlet to fill the slot, but he hadn't expected Lin Feng's status as a factory worker to spark such discussion. He clapped his hands and stood up.

"Welcome, everyone, to Heaven or Hell. Next, please make use of the resources we've provided to spend a week here. I hope you all enjoy yourselves."

With that, Zheng Bochao gave Lin Feng a wink and left the island first.

Excluding the staff who still needed to remain for filming, he and half the crew boarded the cruise ship and departed.

But the livestream continued.

"Everyone should have signed contracts to be here, right?" Zhu Qiming pushed up his glasses, and the instant he spoke, the poised aura of a CEO immediately became apparent.