Day Nine: My Brother Loves Me Too Much

Friday arrived quickly.

Yun Zhiyi dressed carefully and took a taxi to Yaoguang Entertainment Media. After riding the elevator upstairs, she asked the staff and found the photo studio where the shoot was taking place.

The studio was bustling with staff, and the photographer was busy taking pictures of someone.

Yun Zhiyi looked at the woman standing in the center of the studio. Xu Xinran wore an exquisite, luxurious gown, her chestnut hair styled in large waves, heavy and delicate makeup. To the naked eye, it seemed a bit out of place, but through the camera or phone lens, it looked stunning, full of atmosphere.

To maintain mystery, the production team was only photographing the female guests’ individual posters today; the male guests were scheduled for Saturday.

A staff member approached her and said, “Miss Yun, please come with me to the makeup room.”

Yun Zhiyi replied, “I’ve already done my makeup.”

The staff smiled and said, “I know, but makeup for photography requires a certain style. Your makeup is too light. It needs to be redone. The production team provides the outfits as well, so you’ll need to change your clothes.”

“Alright,” Yun Zhiyi said. “Let’s go.”

The staff led her to the makeup room and opened the door. Inside, it resembled a hair salon, with rows of mirrors surrounded by bright, small lights.

The production team’s makeup artists were working on a girl.

“Please wait a moment,” the staff said. “The makeup artist will finish with her and then come to you.”

Yun Zhiyi nodded and found a seat, taking out her phone to pass the time.

After about ten minutes, the girl’s makeup was finished. The makeup artist called out, “Yun Zhiyi, please come over.”

Yun Zhiyi sat in front of the mirror. The makeup artist handed her some makeup remover oil and said, “Let’s remove your current makeup first.”

With the makeup remover, her light makeup was quickly wiped away, revealing a fresh, beautiful face. The makeup artist’s eyes flickered with surprise at Yun Zhiyi’s bare face.

How could someone look better without makeup than with it?

Yun Zhiyi rarely wore makeup; she only applied it when going out or attending important occasions, and her technique was mediocre.

The makeup artist sighed quietly upon seeing such a flawless face. Gathering herself, she applied essence and lotion evenly on Yun Zhiyi’s face, followed by a layer of primer.

Yun Zhiyi sat quietly, watching the makeup artist work.

But after the foundation was applied, her complexion suddenly appeared several years older, as if she had been dead for a few days.

Yun Zhiyi was speechless.

What was going on?

The makeup artist seemed oblivious and continued applying makeup.

Yun Zhiyi spoke up, “Excuse me, this foundation color doesn’t suit me. Could you please change it?”

The makeup artist frowned and replied irritably, “Are you questioning my professionalism? I’m the makeup artist here, not you.”

Yun Zhiyi was not intimidated. “Everyone has different tastes. I feel this foundation doesn’t suit me. If you don’t change it, then I won’t use your makeup service.”

The makeup artist angrily threw her tools on the table and raised her voice, “Fine, I’m done then! Acting like a diva before you’re even famous — who do you think you are?”

The commotion drew other staff members in. “What’s going on? Why are you fighting for no reason?”

Yun Zhiyi told them, “This foundation doesn’t suit me. I don’t want to do makeup anymore.”

The staff glanced at her face and frowned. The girl looked pretty when she first arrived, but redoing the makeup only made her look worse.

“What’s going on here?”

The makeup artist looked a bit guilty but insisted, “I know exactly how this makeup should look. The makeup isn’t even finished yet, and she’s already complaining. No one else has issues like this. I’m not taking this nonsense.”

The staff tried to smooth things over. “Alright, time is tight. Miss Yun, the makeup artist is a professional. Please trust her.”

Yun Zhiyi shook her head. “No, I’ll do my own makeup.”

The staff warned, “If you do your own makeup and the shoot doesn’t meet standards, you’ll be responsible.”

Yun Zhiyi replied calmly, “I’ll take responsibility.”

“Fine, then. Hurry up; your shoot is in ten minutes,” the staff said.

Yun Zhiyi returned to the mirror, rummaged through her bag for makeup remover. The makeup artist scowled, snorted, and took away all her personal tools.

To achieve a flawless, camera-ready look often takes a long time. Yun Zhiyi was casual about it, following the method Xu Wanqing had taught her, and reapplied a light, natural makeup.

During the shoot, the photographer said nothing; after all, he was just there to take pictures.

After the photoshoot, guided by the staff, Yun Zhiyi went to the interview room and recorded a segment.

The interview covered typical dating show questions: why she joined, her expectations for the show and the male guests.

Yun Zhiyi’s answers were very official and flawless.

***

Less than a week later, the production team notified the guests to assemble at the Heartbeat Villa.

Following the online explosion of the first season of "Romantic Encounter," buzz was high. When the second season was officially announced, fans flocked to the official account, and the Fruit Video platform opened reservations.

Because the official announcement did not reveal which ordinary people would participate, anticipation soared, and within days, the reservation count surpassed one million — unprecedented.

Many hit dramas only reach such numbers after airing, showing how eagerly awaited the show was.

Inside Heartbeat Villa, cameras and video equipment were installed. Cameras were also set up along the driveway outside. The director, producers, and staff wore black uniforms, standing under the blazing sun, waiting.

When the show began, a scene with empty rooms and narration was inserted, and the comment section instantly flooded with messages:

“Ahhh finally, Romantic Encounter season two is here!”

“Front row snapshot!!!”

“I heard all the guests this season are ordinary people. Really excited for the handsome and beautiful ones.”

“Who will be the female and male leads? Hurry up!”

“Hope the guests the production invited don’t disappoint. I even convinced my friends to watch.”

“They’re here!!!”

The camera revealed a young woman dragging a suitcase. Her hair was carefully curled into big waves. She wore a silk scarf tube top and tight jeans paired with pointed high heels, radiating femininity.

“So beautiful!”

“Damn, the production team wasn’t lying. This is goddess-level guest material.”

“She looks even better than celebrities.”

“Oh my God, how can there be such a gorgeous lady? The male guests are so lucky. I want to live under the same roof as this goddess.”

“Let the male guests come out quickly so we can see the quality.”

“The female lead seems to be a popular influencer on a video platform. The show said all guests are ordinary people, so this isn’t misleading.”

“An influencer is not a celebrity. Stop complaining and let me ship the couples.”

Xu Xinran walked into the Heartbeat Villa’s living room, placed her suitcase in a corner, then selected a spot on the sofa bathed in sunlight and flipped through a magazine.

Her relaxed and casual manner won her many fans.

The scene cut to the first male guest arriving at the villa.

The man was tall and well-dressed, pulling a black suitcase, handsome like the elite characters often seen in dramas.

“Ahhh so handsome!”

“Finally, the male lead shows up. Not bad!”

“What does the male guest do? He looks like a lawyer… or maybe IT. So handsome, I’m already shipping.”

“The female and male leads are stunning right from the start; how will the other guests compete?”

Meanwhile, Yun Zhiyi stood by the roadside with her suitcase, feeling a little overwhelmed at her first time on a reality show.

A few days ago, she had made an excuse about traveling with friends to hide from Mr. and Mrs. Jiang that she was joining the show.

Jiang Yanbai had no idea she was participating; the thought of meeting him on the show and pretending not to know each other made her nervous.

A staff member held up a sign, signaling it was her turn.

Yun Zhiyi took a deep breath and walked into the shot, dragging her mostly empty suitcase.

She had done her own makeup before arriving—hopefully, it was acceptable.

While the chat room was busy shipping female lead Xu Xinran and male lead, a slender figure appeared on screen, looking a bit awkward but beautiful.

Yun Zhiyi wore a simple pink asymmetrical slip dress. Her long black hair flowed behind her, makeup light and natural, lips softly tinted pink, amber eyes bright.

She seemed like a carefully crafted doll, just learning to walk.

The chat exploded:

“Female two is so pretty too!”

“She looks like a doll, kinda cute, what’s going on?”

“Too beautiful, I want to collect her.”

“I declare her my new favorite girl, such a fairy, I love this type.”

“Guys,I'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.