Chapter 67
The early winter air was cold, and a thin layer of snow blanketed the entrance and porch. The city, under its first snowfall, shimmered with a clean and tranquil glow.
The man stood there, silent and still.
He wore a woolen coat, his tall figure accentuated by its structured cut. His skin was a cool porcelain white, and his long, elegant fingers rested on the handle of his suitcase.
He was imposing, yet refined. Even with his sharp edges concealed, his mere presence exuded an effortless authority.
That was an aura no actor could ever imitate—a presence cultivated from years of holding power, requiring no embellishment of wealth or authority.
“…”
Both inside the house and on the internet, there was a long stretch of silence.
Or rather, absolute stillness.
Behind Fang Huai, Lin Huan, who had been pouring tea, suddenly trembled, spilling some onto the table. Yin Wanyue instinctively pulled out a compact mirror to touch up her makeup. Feng Lang squinted slightly and leaned back in his chair, while Duan Yang, sprawled on the sofa, lazily cracked open an eyelid to cast a disinterested glance in the newcomer’s direction.
The live chat was just as silent. It took a while before a few stray comments began to appear.
Live Chat:
[Not gonna lie… this guy kinda looks like my dad. @Ye Yuyuan.]
[Plastic surgery or the real deal??! No, seriously, I’m starting to suspect this show embezzled a fortune—how else did they manage to gather a house full of people worth hundreds of millions just to date?? Is this still a regular romance show???]
[It’s really him. Look at his watch—that’s a custom design by that Italian designer, only one exists in the world.]
[Wait… Is Ptah about to go bankrupt??? Does the CEO have to personally enter a dating show to save the company???]
[Insider info: Nope. Ptah’s stock has been steadily rising. Anyone who shorted it last week is probably crying right now.]
Silence stretched further.
After brushing away the snowflake, the man took his time, his fingers lingering for a moment to smooth Fang Huai’s slightly tousled bangs before withdrawing his hand. His eyes lowered as he looked at Fang Huai with a quiet intensity.
“Good morning.”
His words seemed directed at everyone, but his gaze remained fixed solely on Fang Huai.
Fang Huai still had one hand on the doorknob.
His light amber eyes widened slightly, his pale nose tinged with red, nostrils flaring as he suddenly coughed violently.
Ye Yuyuan: “…”
His brows furrowed slightly, and he instinctively lifted a hand.
But Fang Huai abruptly took half a step back.
“Sorry,” Fang Huai mumbled, covering his nose. “Good morning. Please come in.”
He retrieved the last pair of indoor slippers from the cabinet and turned to walk inside—awkwardly stepping with the same hand and foot at first. Two seconds later, realizing his mistake, he quickly adjusted his stride. The movement was still stiff, making him look like a waddling penguin.
Behind him, Ye Yuyuan’s gaze remained fixed on Fang Huai’s retreating figure. After a long pause, the corner of his lips pressed slightly together.
A moment later, he stepped inside and changed into the slippers.
And in the brief span of this one-minute interaction, the live chat finally snapped out of its stunned daze—only to explode!
Season 5 of Heart Signal had undergone many changes compared to previous seasons. Even long-time viewers, who had been following since Season 1, were unfamiliar with the new format.
In the original Korean version of Heart Signal, participants would send an anonymous text each night to someone they were interested in, signaling their pick for the day. The highlight of the show came from the panelists trying to guess who picked whom before the final reveal.
For Season 5, however, the show had introduced a live-streaming element, shifting the guessing game to the audience. Instead of panelists, real-time online voting determined the “picks”—and the results were displayed live for everyone to see.
Beyond this, the most innovative aspect of the show was its AI-powered emotional analysis, which would be revealed at the very end of the program.
Throughout the month, AI would continuously track and analyze each participant’s micro-expressions, subtle movements, hormone fluctuations, and heart rate. At the finale, it would disclose the most genuine emotional states of the participants, revealing if—and at what moment—they had truly felt a spark.
On screen.
As Ye Yuyuan stepped into the Signal House and closed the door behind him, a lighthearted and warm background BGM played. The pre-prepared rules of the show appeared one by one on the screen for the audience to see.
At the same time, the voting interface next to the video player officially went live. Viewers could now start casting their votes to match up the CPs (couples) they believed were forming. Each viewer was allowed only one vote per day, and those who guessed correctly would receive rewards—the more correct guesses, the bigger the prizes.
Since the show had just started and each person only had one vote, not many had been cast yet.
With such a star-studded cast, an engaging format, and interactive elements, Heart Signal 5.0’s popularity skyrocketed in real time. Within just 30 minutes of airing, the live viewer count had already reached 400,000.
Live Chat:
[I just saw that the exclusive sponsor is Ptah, and the rules mention AI involvement. So… Ye Yuyuan joining actually makes sense??!]
[No, no, no, NO!! I’m officially jealous of those two female contestants. If they actually manage to pick Ye Yuyuan, they’re literally marrying into a billionaire family overnight??!]
[Forget just Ye Yuyuan—any of the four male contestants would be a jackpot! Those two lucky women!!]
[Please don’t group that nobody Fang with the other three. It’s an insult to Ye Yuyuan.]
[Yin Wanyue has to be picking Fang Huai, right? I already voted—her interest is so obvious!]
[No way Fang Huai is picking Ye Yuyuan. His reaction just now was pure rejection???]
While the live chat was buzzing with heated discussions, the atmosphere inside the house had turned noticeably awkward.
Yin Wanyue had been chatting with Fang Huai just moments ago, and now she was sitting right next to him on a small two-seater sofa. Lin Huan sat on a stool, washing cups, while Feng Lang and Duan Yang occupied opposite ends of the large couch, keeping a noticeable distance between them.
Ye Yuyuan took a seat on the empty single sofa. His gaze briefly landed on the loveseat, particularly where Yin Wanyue’s hand was wrapped around Fang Huai’s. Then, without any visible change in expression, he looked away.
“Name: Ye Yuyuan,” he said in a calm, detached tone. “Occupation: Programmer.”
Yin Wanyue let out an abrupt snort. Programmer… How modest.
The live chat exploded with jokes, spamming phrases like “Humble background, Ye Yuyuan” and “Billionaire programmer.”
One by one, the participants introduced themselves. Yin Wanyue and Feng Lang, both naturally outgoing, spoke a little more. Fang Huai wasn’t usually the quiet type, but ever since Ye Yuyuan entered, he had inexplicably become much more reserved.
Right now, Fang Huai’s mind was an absolute mess.
How should he put it?
The whole reason he joined this reality show was to put some distance between himself and Ye Yuyuan, to cool down for a while. He knew that silently pulling away was incredibly unfair to Ye Yuyuan, but… he had no other choice. He couldn’t think of a better way to handle it.
Yet now, seeing Ye Yuyuan here, his first thought was—Did he come here to fall in love?
No way, right?!
“Fang Huai, Fang Huai.”
Yin Wanyue noticed his daze and gently nudged him. “Come back to earth, we’re discussing room assignments.”
“…Oh.”
Fang Huai snapped back to reality.
Each room would house two people. While gender wasn’t a restriction, the two female contestants would obviously room together, leaving the discussion to decide how the male contestants would pair up.
Lin Huan, an elementary school teacher by profession, was a naturally caring person. She wasn’t very talkative, but in the short time they’d been sitting there, she had already poured hot tea for everyone. The indoor heating was on, and the warm steam subtly eased the initial awkwardness in the room.
“I’m fine with anything,” Duan Yang spoke up first.
He yawned mid-sentence, then closed his eyes again, looking utterly exhausted. His pale complexion made the dark circles under his eyes even more pronounced. Fans in the live chat started explaining that Duan Yang had health issues and hoped he could be given the quieter bedroom.
That left Ye Yuyuan, Feng Lang, and Fang Huai.
Ye Yuyuan remained silent, his thumb unconsciously rubbing against his cufflink. Feng Lang, on the other hand, sat with his fingers interlocked in front of him, smiling. Then, just as Ye Yuyuan was about to speak, he suddenly cut in—
“I’ll room with Huaihuai.”
[…]
[23333 Is Film Emperor Feng picking our baby? This reminds me—he used to tweet about Huaihuai all the time!]
[Huaihuai…?]
Inside the room.
Ye Yuyuan’s fingers stilled.
When he looked up at Feng Lang again, the warmth in his gaze had noticeably cooled, the unspoken threat in his eyes unmistakable.
Fang Huai: “…?”
“We’ve worked together before, so we’re pretty familiar,” Feng Lang said matter-of-factly, turning to Fang Huai. “Right, Huaihuai? Oh, and by the way, everyone, be sure to watch Frost when it comes out.”
He even slipped in a casual plug for his movie.
“That works too,” Fang Huai hesitated before agreeing.
He definitely couldn’t room with Ye Yuyuan—he was terrified the other man would notice something. Though… even I don’t know exactly what I’m afraid of.
But now that Feng Lang had spoken up, Fang Huai felt an odd pang of disappointment.
It was only at that moment that he realized—deep down, he had wanted to room with Ye Yuyuan.
Ye Yuyuan’s lips pressed into a firm line, but in the end, he said nothing.
The six of them dragged their suitcases upstairs. The right hallway had two bedrooms; the female contestants took one, while the other door was locked—its purpose unknown. The left hallway had two more bedrooms, both accessible.
“The room in the hallway is the quietest. Duan can have it,” Fang Huai said.
No one else noticed, but Fang Huai did—Duan Yang had something in his ear that looked like a hearing aid, the same kind Fang Jianguo used to wear.
The pale young man glanced at him, narrowing his eyes slightly. After a brief pause, he nodded.
“Thanks,” he said.
Duan Yang’s voice was a mix of weariness and a husky, smoky tone—uniquely pleasant to the ear. The moment he spoke, the live chat exploded with fans gushing over his voice.
The four remaining men stepped into the hallway. Duan Yang went straight to the innermost room, opened the door, and disappeared inside. Meanwhile, Fang Huai, Feng Lang, and Ye Yuyuan all stopped in front of the outer bedroom.
“…What?” Feng Lang asked, raising an eyebrow. “Planning to come in for a visit?”
Feng Lang rested one hand on the door handle, looked at Ye Yuyuan, and smiled as he asked,
“You coming in?”
Ye Yuyuan remained silent for a moment before turning his gaze to Fang Huai.
Fang Huai didn’t dare meet his eyes. He rubbed his nose and gave a light cough.
Ye Yuyuan didn’t say anything. His dark eyes lowered slightly, and for a fleeting moment, there was a hint of grievance in them.
After a brief pause, he said in a low voice,
“I need to get up early. It’s more convenient to stay in the outer bedroom.”
“Sure,” Feng Lang shrugged. “The soundproofing is good here. Inside or outside, it makes no difference. You and Duan Yang can stay in this room, and we’ll take the inner one.”
As he spoke, he made a move to drag his suitcase inside.
Fang Huai: “…”
Ye Yuyuan remained silent.
He looked at Fang Huai. The younger man was staring at the door handle, lost in thought, the line from his nose to his jaw forming a smooth, elegant curve.
After a moment, Ye Yuyuan lowered his gaze, the corners of his lips barely curling. But the faint smile quickly faded.
“Forget it,” he murmured.
“I’m fine.”
“…You guys take this room.”
His fingers tightened slightly around the handle of his suitcase, and he started dragging it inside.
But after just two steps, he suddenly stopped.
Someone had tugged at the hem of his shirt.
“I’ll stay with you.”
The boy’s voice was low, slightly nasal, as if he was struggling with his words.
“Ye Yuyuan, I… want to stay with you.”
[AAAAHHHHH?! What is happening?!]
[The camera’s too far away! I can’t see or hear clearly, but it looks like the three of them just had a fight over the room arrangement?!]
[Let me break it down: In the living room, Film Emperor Feng said he’d room with our baby, and no one objected. But in the end, Ye Yuyuan and our baby ended up in the same room. Since Ye Yuyuan has to wake up early for Ptah, the outer room is more convenient. Our baby also has work outside, so it makes sense. No problem there.]
[Didn’t anyone notice the weird tension between Ye Yuyuan and Fang Huai? It’s like they’re in some kind of conflict. Just now, it was Feng Lang and Ye Yuyuan doing all the talking—Ye Yuyuan and Fang Huai didn’t exchange a single word. Even when they walked into their room, they stayed far apart, one in front and one in the back.]
As all the contestants entered their respective rooms, the screen split into three sections, each showing a different room. After briefly displaying the general layout, the director focused the camera on Fang Huai and Ye Yuyuan’s room.
And that’s when the real issue became apparent.
In the other two rooms, Lin Huan and Yin Wanyue were chatting and laughing, while Duan Yang and Feng Lang exchanged a couple of words out of courtesy.
But in Ye Yuyuan and Fang Huai’s room— Not a single word was spoken.
The room faced south, with the morning sunlight streaming in just right. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, snow-covered rooftops were visible, creating a picturesque view. The room was spacious, equipped with a private bathroom and a small sitting area, in addition to two beds.
The audience could clearly see that after entering the room, Fang Huai sat down beside his bed and started unpacking, while Ye Yuyuan set down his suitcase and took a seat on the sofa in the living area.
The sofa and the bed were positioned diagonally across from each other, making it look as if the two were deliberately keeping their distance.
Throughout the entire time, there was zero communication.
Fang Huai sat on the floor with his legs bent, absentmindedly sorting through his luggage, his expression somewhat gloomy. On the other side, Ye Yuyuan sat in silence on the sofa.
Some sharp-eyed viewers noticed that he was holding a watch in his palm.
Ye Yuyuan’s wristwatch was a unique piece designed by a renowned retired designer. The designer had long withdrawn from the industry, and his final work was the one Ye Yuyuan wore—dark silver and pure black, ocean-themed, understated yet elegant, named “Abyss.”
But at this moment, the watch Ye Yuyuan was holding in his palm had a noticeably brighter color scheme, adorned with scattered diamonds, and bore striking similarities to “Abyss” in its details.
The man lowered his gaze, his eyes fixed on the watch.
His lips pressed together slightly. After a moment, he let out a quiet, self-deprecating laugh.
Then he tightened his grip on the watch and put it back into its box.
[That was too fast! I couldn’t see clearly—was that… a couple’s watch?!]
[It looks like it?!]
[So… does this mean Ye Yuyuan really came here for romance? He even prepared couple’s watches? Is he planning to gift one to whoever he picks?!]
[It’s obvious there’s tension between Ye Yuyuan and Fang Huai. They’re deliberately keeping their distance. Though, to be fair, Ye Yuyuan is always cold to everyone… If I had to guess his pick today, I’d say it’s Yin Wanyue. He looked at her a couple of times back in the living room.]
[Hahaha, by that logic, he could also pick Lin Huan. She poured him tea earlier, and he even said ‘thank you.’]
An hour later, the voting section was open, and viewers had already begun casting their votes.
The leading vote was for “Yin Wanyue ? Fang Huai.” Her initial reaction upon seeing him was incredibly genuine, and she had been sitting close to him the whole time, making her intentions quite clear.
Following that was “Feng Lang ? Fang Huai,” since Feng Lang had proactively chosen to room with him earlier. Plus, his past social media activity had shown frequent support for Fang Huai.
The show’s format was becoming clear—it wasn’t limited to traditional male-female pairings. Given the recent public discussions around same-sex marriage laws, both male-male and female-female pairings seemed to be viable. After all, the official voting system had no restrictions.
But what was unexpected was that the votes for “Fang Huai ? Ye Yuyuan” and “Ye Yuyuan ? Fang Huai” were the lowest.
The camera quickly cut away, shifting focus to Lin Huan and Yin Wanyue’s room.
Once everyone had settled in, the production team gathered them together.
“For the next month, this house will be your home,” the director’s voice came from offscreen.
“Just go about your daily lives as usual. There are no financial restrictions—you can cook your own meals or order takeout. However, dinner must be prepared by two people in teams, rotating daily. You can decide the pairings among yourselves.”
“You’re all familiar with the rules, right? Every night at midnight, you’ll have the chance to send a ‘heartbeat message’ to the person you pick.”
“Alright, today is the first day. We hope you all have a wonderful month. Tonight, we’ve prepared an icebreaker activity for everyone—have fun!”
“Icebreaker activity…?” Yin Wanyue’s lips twitched slightly.
As expected, for lunch, they ordered takeout. There weren’t any particularly noteworthy interactions. They drew lots to decide which two people would cook dinner together, and from now on, this pair would always be a team.
The ones chosen were—Ye Yuyuan and Fang Huai.
Audience: “…”
[My poor baby…]
[This is so awkward?! They don’t get along but are still forced to live together and cook together?!]
In the afternoon, Ye Yuyuan, Feng Lang, Duan Yang, and Lin Huan all had errands to run, leaving the house empty. Yin Wanyue and Fang Huai stayed behind, chatting. Meanwhile, the vote count for “Yin Wanyue ? Fang Huai” continued to climb steadily, maintaining its position at the top.
At 4 PM, it was time to start preparing dinner.
When Ye Yuyuan walked in, Yin Wanyue and Fang Huai were sitting together watching TV. It was obvious that Yin Wanyue liked Fang Huai—she kept looking at him intently while speaking, her face full of a warm, doting smile.
Fang Huai had a good temperament. Since he had nothing else to do, he simply kept her company.
Ye Yuyuan stood at the doorway, carrying a bag of vegetables in his left hand. He hesitated for a moment, pressing his lips together slightly. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the evening sky had begun to dim. The TV screen flickered, casting a glow over Fang Huai and Yin Wanyue as they chatted. With their good looks and relaxed atmosphere, the scene looked straight out of an idol drama.
In the comment section, some of Fang Huai’s devoted fans were crying in distress, while a new wave of shippers emerged, loving the “sweet younger pup x elegant older queen” dynamic.
Ye Yuyuan’s face remained emotionless, but a faint cloud of gloom lingered between his brows. As he passed by the couch, he spoke in a low voice, “Dinner.”
“Oh… oh.”
Fang Huai stood up immediately, looking a little stiff.
The comment section exploded with “Poor baby!” and “Ye Yuyuan is way too cold!”
On the voting page, the arrows for “Ye Yuyuan ? Fang Huai” and “Fang Huai ? Ye Yuyuan” remained firmly at the bottom. In the live chat and trending discussions on Weibo, everyone had silently come to the same conclusion—Fang Huai and Ye Yuyuan must have serious unresolved conflicts!
After all, while Fang Huai wasn’t the most outgoing person, he was known for being considerate. If there wasn’t some kind of deep conflict, would he really avoid speaking to Ye Yuyuan altogether?
But what no one knew was this—
Inside the kitchen, Fang Huai stood at the sink washing dishes, his head lowered. He focused intently on the porcelain bowl in his hands, as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.
And at that moment—
Ye Yuyuan seemed to be reaching for something inside a cabinet. The item he needed was directly behind Fang Huai. As he leaned forward, one hand braced lightly against the edge of the sink for balance.
But with his height advantage—nearly a full head taller than Fang Huai—the position ended up looking strikingly like…
He was enveloping the younger man in his arms, without warning or explanation.
Fang Huai’s breath hitched, and his back tensed instinctively.
He thought with a bit of distress—he really must be sick. Maybe it was even some kind of heart condition.
Fang Huai struggled to compose himself, waiting for Ye Yuyuan to step back. But after a long moment, the person behind him showed no sign of moving away.
Then, a deep, rich voice sounded beside his ear, “Why… are you avoiding me?”
The slightly hoarse tone carried a barely noticeable trace of grievance and dissatisfaction.
