Chapter 158: Dating Show

Warm applause echoed in the surroundings, and countless cameras swarmed around the bonfire. Every guest in the center was trying their best to perform.

"Alright, tonight belongs to everyone. But I still need to remind you that there are other activities waiting for us tomorrow, so please make sure to get enough rest."

After giving his instructions, the director left with his crew, leaving only the guests and camera operators behind on the beach.

"Mom, look at this fire—"

Nannian, standing beside her, raised her head. Su Wanning had expected the little one to come up with some elaborate description, but unexpectedly, with an innocent and crisp voice, Nannian said, "Doesn't it look just like the fire you made when you grilled for us!"

"..." Su Wanning was left speechless, and the audience in the live stream chat burst into laughter.

[Truly worthy of being Su Wanning's daughter.]

[Well, the kid isn't wrong. After yesterday's seafood feast, they did go to the beach for a barbecue.]

[Mother and daughter share the exact same foodie soul.]

"Do you want some barbecue?"

Sitting close by, Qin Jingchen clearly heard the conversation between the two and asked gently on his own initiative. However, the person he was addressing was not his precious daughter, but Su Wanning beside him.

[I am shipping them so hard, my family.]

[Does anyone get this? He doesn't care if his daughter wants to eat; he cares about his wife!]

[This devout believer is willing to trade ten pounds of belly fat for a husband like President Qin.]

[Twenty pounds!]

[Fifty pounds!]

Yet, when Su Wanning heard Qin Jingchen's question, her first reaction was not being moved, but rather turning the question back on him: "Will there be any just because I want it?"

Under other circumstances, she might have believed it, but right now everyone was stranded on this undeveloped, deserted island. Aside from the production crew, the only people here were unlucky guests like themselves.

No matter how powerful Qin Jingchen's connections were, it was impossible for him to source barbecue ingredients for her at a time like this.

If there had even been a one-in-a-ten-thousand chance of that, Su Wanning wouldn't have been driven to tears over a single shrimp earlier that evening.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Qin Jingchen curved his lips slightly. With his gaze as tender as water fixed upon her, he affirmed, "If you want it, there will be."

"But I'm already full, hey."

Clueless to the subtext, Nannian lowered her head and rubbed her already rounded little belly, her tone filled with regret.

In her innocence, she thought Qin Jingchen was asking out of concern for her, completely unaware that at this very moment, Qin Jingchen had eyes only for his wife.

[Poor Nannian, still unaware that her old man has already changed his allegiance.]

[Be a good girl, baby Nannian, let's keep quiet.]

[This pairing is going to kill me with sweetness!]

[Aren't they openly dating on the public's dime? Who even remembers this is a parent-child show? It's sweeter than dating shows next door!]

The popularity of Su Wanning's live stream skyrocketed. Facing Qin Jingchen's gaze, Su Wanning subconsciously chose to avoid it and turned her head away. Even though her stomach was rebelliously protesting with growls, she stubbornly insisted, "No need, I'm full too."

Qin Jingchen did not say anything more. After a brief silence, Su Wanning's curiosity finally got the better of her: "I still want to know, how on earth do you plan to get barbecue ingredients?"

"Drones."

Qin Jingchen replied concisely.

This answer made both Su Wanning and Suisui widen their eyes in unison—though one was filled with shock and disbelief, while the other held excitement and anticipation.

Thus, everyone watched as the usually quiet and taciturn Suisui took the rare initiative to speak directly to Qin Jingchen.

"I'm hungry."

This single sentence dropped everyone's jaws, yet Suisui continued, "I want to eat barbecue."

Nannian, standing nearby, remained completely clueless: "Brother, didn't you just eat a lot of things earlier?"

Even Su Wanning was somewhat puzzled. Based on her understanding of Suisui, he wasn't the gluttonous type. After turning it over in her mind, the only possible explanation was...

"Suisui, do you actually want to eat barbecue, or do you want to play with the drones?"

Faced with Su Wanning's inquiry, Suisui showed a rare moment of inner struggle before answering honestly, "The drones."

Yu Xin, who had been keeping a close eye on the developments nearby, almost vomited blood upon hearing this answer.

"What kind of monsters... what kind of immortals are your entire family!"

[I can testify, Yu Xin actually wanted to call them demons and ghosts just now. Did you hear that, President Qin?]

[She practically voiced our inner thoughts; this entire family is abnormal!]

[Enough said, family members. Children are just accidental byproducts, only the parents are true love. They really came to this show just to date, didn't they?]

That very night, the "sweet" interactions between Qin Jingchen and Su Wanning were deliberately edited and pushed onto the trending search lists.

While the two of them remained completely unaware, the popularity of Su Wanning's live stream surged, and a dedicated trending search hashtag for her and Qin Jingchen's "Ning-Jing" couple name was already established.

Sitting in the control room, Wang Zhan naturally had access to the firsthand data. The moment he saw the trending search metrics, he was overwhelmed with excitement. Chen Rui, standing beside him, suggested, "Director, this is the highest level of traffic our show has ever seen since it started. Who would have thought netizens would be so interested in the daily dating dynamics between President Qin and Su Wanning? Look, why don't we invite the other guests' husbands to join us as well, and deliberately lean the subsequent game content in a romantic couple direction? Netizens are bound to love it."

Having produced variety shows for many years, Wang Zhan naturally possessed a sharp intuition and knew that Chen Rui's words made sense. After careful consideration, he said, "The general direction is fine, but we can't make the romantic angle too obvious, otherwise the audience will lose their sense of novelty."

"Then what should we do?"

"Discuss it with the other guests first to see if we can invite their husbands to participate in the upcoming segments. Keep the shift in direction subtle, and then hire some internet commentators to guide public opinion."

Wang Zhan made his decision swiftly, prompting Chen Rui to look at him with undisguised admiration. "You are truly brilliant, Director! That way, our show's ratings and traffic will definitely hit new record highs. Who would have thought a parent-child variety show could be turned into such a blockbuster by you!"

That very evening, Wang Zhan personally stepped forward to approach the other guests, pitching the idea of inviting their husbands to attend the show together. However, he hit a brick wall right at the very first stop.

Wang Zhan went first to the room shared by Yin Shanshan and Fang Wei. After all, Yin Shanshan's status in the entertainment industry commanded respect, and her approval was essential to get this project moving.

To his surprise, after listening to Wang Zhan's proposal, Yin Shanshan's expression instantly chilled. This was also the first time she had ever rejected Wang Zhan outright without a shred of politeness.

"Don't think I don't know what schemes your production team is plotting. Isn't it just because Qin Jingchen and Su Wanning have been trending heavily lately? What, do you want the rest of us to bring our husbands in just to act as props and foils for them?"

Although Wang Zhan did not understand why Yin Shanshan showed such intense resistance to the matter, he still kept his patience and explained, "Of course that's not what we mean. Your status speaks for itself, and coupled with the Best Actor, the popularity of your couple pairing will undoubtedly be extraordinary. When the time comes, our show's narrative will deliberately highlight the loving image between the two of you..."