Chapter 97: Hold On to the Heartbeat

The one who hit the light was female guest number 11, named Sun Tingting, only 23 years old this year.

This was the first light-hit of the first episode of *If You Are the One*. Although Han Bin was also surprised, he tried to suppress his emotions and pretended to be calm as he said, "Sun Tingting, the button you pressed just now was the light-hit button—you didn't press the wrong one, did you?"

"No, I didn't, Teacher Han. The male guest is just too handsome, and he treats his girlfriend so well. I like him way too much, so I hit the light." Sun Tingting's voice had a coquettish lilt to it, and she kept pouting from time to time, putting on an act of cuteness.

Seeing this, Han Bin forced a smile onto his face and said, "As long as you didn't press the wrong button, that's fine. I really admire your courage."

"Thank you, Teacher Han. Male guest, I hit the light for you, you know. If you like me too, I'm willing to go with you." Sun Tingting put on an adorable look and said loudly.

At once, the male guest was at a loss for words. But with so many people watching, he couldn't say much. He merely smiled and nodded, casually saying a brief "thank you."

Next, it was time for questions again. Several female guests raised their hands one after another, as if they had something to say.

Han Bin scanned the group, his gaze landing on female guest number 22, and said, "Do you have a question? Go ahead and ask."

"Mm, hello, male guest. I'd like to ask: you've already broken up with your ex-girlfriend, but when she got sick, you went to take care of her. Does that mean the two of you have been keeping in touch all along? Or are you still thinking about her, hoping to get back together?"

"Uh... no, that's not what I meant at all, and we stopped contacting each other long ago. It was just that we had recently broken up at the time, and when she got sick she reached out to me. Even just as a friend, I should have gone over to help take care of her. Now she's already left that city and has walked into the halls of marriage. Between her and me, it's completely over." said the male guest.

At once, enthusiastic applause rang out from the scene. The audience was very satisfied with his answer.

The female guest also smiled and nodded gently, saying, "Male guest, I'll keep my light on for you until the very end."

That one sentence stirred up cheers from the audience once again, and the male guest expressed his gratitude with a thank-you.

After that, the other female guests also took turns asking a few random, mixed-up questions. But the male guest remained composed and politely answered every single one.

When the third video finished playing, aside from the one who had hit the light, there were actually still three female guests who had kept their lights on until the end.

Seeing this, Han Bin couldn't help feeling a bit excited. This was the first variety show he had ever hosted. He hadn't expected that in the first episode, not only would there be a light-hit, but judging by the way things were going, he might even walk away with a match. For the show, this was a very good opening; for him personally, it was also a small achievement.

In high spirits, Han Bin smiled and said, "Alright, please go over and extinguish one light."

"Extinguish one?" The male guest was stunned. He hadn't expected that after having women keep their lights on for him, he would actually have to go over and turn one off.

Only after receiving a definitive answer from Han Bin did he reluctantly walk over. Standing before the female guests who had kept their lights on for him, aside from Sun Tingting, who had hit the light, the other three were all stunningly beautiful women with remarkable poise.

And so... he walked without hesitation to the side of female guest number 11.

"Hey, no, not that one—that one can't be extinguished! The guest who hit the light is not allowed to be extinguished..." Seeing this, Han Bin quickly called out loudly to remind him.

The male guest smiled awkwardly, nodded apologetically toward Sun Tingting, and turned to walk toward the other three. However, this action already clearly showed that he would never choose Sun Tingting.

"Why, why do you want to extinguish my light? I genuinely like you..." Sun Tingting said with a mournful face, all thunder and no rain.

When the male guest decisively extinguished one light and walked back to Han Bin's side, at the same time, the three women, including the one who had hit the light, all stepped onto the stage.

At the control desk, Lin Chuan stood there with his arms crossed, watching the live footage coming back through the monitors. He hadn't expected that even the very first episode would go so smoothly. This undoubtedly opened up an excellent situation for the entire show.

Yuan Ye stood nearby, making a "tsk tsk" sound as he said, "Xiao Chuan, who do you think the male guest will choose?"

"How would I know? He probably won't choose the girl who hit the light." Lin Chuan smiled lightly.

As for Sun Tingting's type, Lin Chuan really didn't like it. Especially when he heard her speak—it gave him a chill that made his hair stand on end.

Yuan Ye heard this and nodded vigorously, saying, "Exactly. The way Sun Tingting talks is just unbearable. If I were the male guest, I'd pick number 18. Take a look: she's got looks, she's got elegance, she's got a great figure, and a great family background too..."

Yuan Ye chattered on endlessly, while Lin Chuan just listened with a faint smile on his face.

While they were discussing which girl the male guest should choose, the scene on stage had already changed.

The male guest asked a very simple question, and the several female guests answered fluently in turn. Just as Han Bin announced that it was time for the male guest to make his final decision, he hesitated.

In front of the male guest stood four girls in total, including Sun Tingting, who had hit the light. All of them stared intently at the male guest with expectant eyes.

The male guest swept his gaze across each of their faces one by one. Finally, he said to Han Bin beside him, "Teacher Han, I want to stick with my heartbeat girl."

Stick with his heartbeat? Han Bin was stunned. Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye at the control desk were stunned too.

If the male guest truly insisted on going with his heartbeat girl, there was a strong possibility he would be rejected. They had originally hoped the first episode could open on a good note and create plenty of highlights. But with this, wouldn't everything fall through?

"What's wrong with this guy? Why does he insist on the heartbeat girl? Number 18 is clearly much better than his heartbeat girl..." Yuan Ye frowned deeply and complained loudly.

Lin Chuan also couldn't understand it, but he didn't say anything. He just watched the screen, waiting to see how things would unfold.

On stage, Han Bin shot a bewildered look at the male guest and said in a questioning tone, "You need to think this through. If you insist on going with your heartbeat girl, there's a good chance you'll be rejected, and you'll have to go home alone..."

"Teacher Han, I've made up my mind. I'm sticking with my heartbeat girl." The male guest nodded with a determined gaze. Then, facing the several female guests whose expressions had soured, he bowed deeply and said, "Thank you all for keeping your lights on for me, and thank you to number 11 for hitting the light. But I still want to follow my heart. I'm sorry..."

As soon as he said those words, the audience broke into a chorus of boos. No one thought the male guest's decision was the best choice. In fact, many people shared Yuan Ye's opinion: number 18 was beautiful, had a great figure, and choosing her would have been the best outcome.

As for the heartbeat girl, she was just over 1.6 meters tall, a bit plump, and rather plain-looking. The male guest, on the other hand, was a fair-skinned, handsome young man. Although he was from a wealthy family, from the moment he stepped on stage, he never showed the slightest hint of superiority—in fact, he was extremely humble.

Most importantly, as revealed in the video clip, after graduating from university, the male guest had gone out on his own to make his way in the world without relying on any help from his family. By now, he had built up a company of a fairly decent scale. A guy like this would attract the attention of girls anywhere he went.

But... how could he choose someone like that as his heartbeat girl? His taste really seemed too poor.

Among the three hundred audience members present, a portion of them found the male guest's decision utterly incomprehensible. Another portion secretly gloated from below, thinking, "Good thing he didn't pick number 18."

The former group was mostly female. They sincerely felt that the male guest, whether in terms of looks, family background, or personal circumstances, was very impressive, and that if he were going to choose, he should choose someone even better.

The latter group was mostly male audience members. From the moment the twenty-four female guests had walked in, they had been searching for the goddesses in their hearts. Without a doubt, number 18 was one of those goddesses.

Just now, when number 18 kept her light on for the male guest and stepped forward, these male audience members were sweating bullets. Could it be that their goddess was going to be taken away so soon?

But when the male guest said he wanted to stick with his heartbeat girl, these guys all broke into smiles and secretly gave the male guest a thumbs-up...

At that moment, the atmosphere on set felt somewhat awkward, and the host Han Bin wore a bitter smile on his face.

The expressions of the female guests weren't much better either. They had summoned up the courage to keep their lights on, and they had barely stood on the stage for any time at all before they had to go back. It wasn't just a matter of being put through the wringer—it was embarrassing. Especially number 18. When she walked past the male guest, she let out a cold snort.

The male guest heard it but didn't show any sign of anger. Instead, he politely said, "I'm sorry."

If anyone was the most unfortunate, it had to be Sun Tingting. She was the very first female guest to hit the light in the premiere of *If You Are the One*, and yet...

When she walked over to the male guest, tears streamed down her face. This time, she was genuinely crying. Grabbing the male guest's arm, she shook it while saying, "Can't you give me some consideration? I genuinely like you..."

Seeing this, the male guest quietly pulled his arm away and said only three words—"I'm sorry."

Sun Tingting still didn't want to leave. She stood there, hoping to fight for one more chance. Han Bin came over and, after much persuasion, managed to talk her into going back.

By this point, the show had reached its final segment. Since the male guest insisted on choosing his heartbeat girl, he would need to deliver a confession capable of moving her.

Han Bin stepped aside and quietly watched it all unfold. Though he felt a bit regretful inside, since the male guest was so determined, he couldn't say much.

After mulling it over for a long moment, the male guest raised his microphone with a slight tremble. Before he even spoke, his eyes reddened. "Yang Yang, you're back. Why didn't you tell me? Don't you... don't you know I've been waiting for you all this time?"

The moment those words left his mouth, everyone on set was stunned. Even Lin Chuan and Yuan Ye at the control desk exchanged baffled glances and said in unison, "What's going on here?"