The bright studio lights burn my retinas as I stand beside Xuancheng, our hands almost touching. The reality show cameras are rolling, capturing every microexpression between us. We're supposed to be acting - continuing the fictional romance from our drama for the fans, for the ratings, for our careers.

"Welcome to Heart Signal!" The host's voice booms through the studio. "Let's start with our甜蜜投喂环节 - the sweet feeding challenge!"

Xuancheng picks up the black blindfold and approaches me with that signature smile - the one that looks so innocent but makes my pulse race. "Ready, ge?" he asks, his voice carrying just the right amount of bashfulness for the cameras.

I nod, forcing a relaxed expression as he ties the blindfold around my head. Darkness falls, and suddenly all my other senses sharpen. I smell his citrus cologne, hear the soft rustle of his clothes as he moves closer.

A cold strawberry touches my lips. "Ah," he prompts, and I open my mouth. The fruit is sweet and juicy - until his fingers slip, smearing juice across my chin.

"Oh!" he exclaims, and I hear movement as he grabs tissues. Then, unexpectedly, I feel his thumb brush gently across my lower lip - a deliberate, lingering touch that wasn't in the script.

The cameras zoom in, capturing my sudden stillness. My heart pounds in my chest. This wasn't part of the plan. None of this tension, this electricity between us was ever supposed to be real.

When I open my eyes after removing the blindfold, Xuancheng meets my gaze with a look that's half playful, half something else entirely. Something dangerous.

The host宣布 (announces) our punishment for losing the game - a bucket of water that will randomly fall on one of us. I should follow the script, let the water hit him for better television. But as the countdown begins, I find myself making a different choice.

I grab his arm and pull him toward me just as the bucket dumps its contents. Water soaks my back instead of him. The cameras capture everything - my protective gesture, our close proximity, the way his eyes widen in genuine surprise.

Later, during the gift exchange portion, I place a plate of cookies and strawberries in front of him. On purpose, I've taken one strawberry and bitten a small, imperfect heart shape into it - a secret message hidden in plain sight for him alone.

He picks up the strawberry immediately, his fingers brushing the indentation I made. His eyes meet mine across the table, and for a moment, the cameras might as well not exist.

"Sweet?" I ask, my voice carefully neutral despite the way my heart is racing.

He takes a slow bite, his lips wrapping around the fruit in a way that makes my breath catch. His eyes never leave mine.

"So sweet," he says, the words lingering in the air between us like a promise.