Dream Lover, a show that had enjoyed high ratings ever since its premiere, was finally ready to film the first episode of its new season. According to the show’s format, the production team had invited ten male celebrities to participate in the show. In addition, they had invited a rich, handsome, non-celebrity diamond bachelor to serve as the “Prince Charming” of the show. The show’s concept was that Prince Charming would go on dates with all ten celebrities and choose one celebrity to be eliminated in each episode. By the end of the show, only one celebrity would remain to be matched up with Prince Charming. However, this didn’t mean that Prince Charming would automatically get to carry his chosen celebrity home. When only one celebrity remained, there would be an exciting shift of power from Prince Charming to the remaining male star. Prince Charming would have to express his love to his chosen celebrity in his own special way. The celebrity could then choose to accept or reject the confession. For its previous seasons, the show had used male and female pairings. In this new season, seeking to break their past records, the production team had decided to pair up a man with another man. Even though the new season was still in its filming stages, it was already causing a sensation both inside and outside the country. “Kai, is this truly alright?” Clad in a plaid shirt with a pair of large, black-framed glasses perched on her nose, the female producer looked slightly worried. Even though they were about to film the first episode, she couldn’t settle the doubts in her heart. For this season to obtain higher ratings and produce a greater impact than the past seasons, they had had to find a bachelor who was more handsome and came from an even more prestigious background than last season’s. The person that Kai had personally invited fulfilled all those requirements, perhaps even surpassing their expectations. This mysterious bachelor had also declared that the show would proceed the way he wanted, meaning that some of the previously determined highlights of the show would be affected.
Kai pushed up his slim, gold-rimmed glasses. He smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Wang Nan. We won’t find anyone better suited for our show than Charles. Plus, wouldn’t the unpredictability make the show even more interesting to watch? Rumors that Feng Xiu Jie will be the last remaining celebrity are already circulating everywhere on the web. If the expected result ends up changing halfway through the season, then it will only elicit more curiosity and discussions from the audience.” None of the male celebrities had seen Prince Charming yet. In order to capture their expressions when they first meet Prince Charming, the production team had decided to keep his identity a secret until filming began. There were two teams of cameramen―one to capture the celebrities’ reactions while the other was to be focused exclusively on Charles. To create a luxurious atmosphere, the filming for the first episode took place at S City’s most high-end Hanging Gardens Hotel. The cameramen first stopped at the spacious lounge that doubled as a dressing room for the male celebrities. Two of the walls were made of pure glass, offering a view of the garden on the balcony and the beautiful, blue ocean beyond. A cool sea breeze blew in through the window, caressing the skin. A few of the celebrities in the room were seated at the mirrors, grooming themselves. Some of the others had grouped together and were discussing the identity of Prince Charming.
In order to improve the overall impact of the show, the production team had deliberately not invited male stars who were out of the closet. Sometimes, people were more excited about watching an ambiguous relationship between straight and gay men. It added a bit of mystery and curiosity to the show. Another thing to mention was that the production team had decided not to use the tagline “matchmaking between men” to promote the show. Instead they had decided to use “friendship between men,” but who would fall for such nonsense? In the end, it didn’t matter all that much. The only thing the audience wanted to see was all sorts of bromance between the celebrities and Prince Charming.