The Ideal Candidate

◎ Marriage first, love later / No attraction before marriage / Married-couple reality show

Shu Ti and He Shiyan's families had been friends for generations. The elders of both families got along wonderfully, but things went awry with their generation.

They couldn't get along. They really, really couldn't get along.

Their temperaments were complete opposites: one was reserved and steady, the other outgoing and passionate. They also had very different reactions to the same situation and the same words.

If they had been ordinary friends who rarely crossed paths, that would have been one thing. But because their families were close, they saw each other often.

The more they met, the more they clashed.

Eventually, Shu Ti and He Shiyan treated each other like thin air. They didn't speak to each other, or even spare each other a glance.

Everyone in their circle knew the two couldn't stand each other. When news suddenly spread that they'd gotten married, their friends laughed so hard they nearly fell over. Not a single person believed it.

But fifteen minutes later, both of them posted announcements on social media at the same time, complete with a photo of their freshly issued marriage certificate.

-

Of course, Shu Ti and He Shiyan weren't in love. They just wanted to shut their parents up about getting married so they could focus more of their attention on work.

They might not get along, but they'd known each other for so many years that they knew each other inside and out. At least when it came to character, they trusted each other.

Most importantly, they didn't like each other.

That would make getting married convenient, and getting divorced later just as convenient. There'd be no unnecessary entanglements.

By that logic, they were practically perfect for each other.

He Shiyan proposed their fake marriage plan to Shu Ti at three in the afternoon.

After Shu Ti agreed, He Shiyan took her straight to the marriage registry office. They got their certificate two minutes before closing time.

There were few moments in Shu Ti's life as impulsive and ill-considered as this one.

But fortunately, the person involved was He Shiyan, so she didn't feel even the tiniest flutter of romance.

-

Their plan worked perfectly, but their parents weren't fools.

Less than two years later, they sent the estranged couple straight onto a married-couple reality show, forcing the two who had barely lived together to share meals and a home in front of the cameras.

The moment the camera turned their way, the two who had been bickering the second before would immediately link arms and act like a loving couple, all smiles and tenderness.

After keeping up this double act together, they gradually got used to the arrangement.

But before long, Shu Ti felt He Shiyan was acting up again. She kicked him and complained helplessly, "He Shiyan, I told you to post something on Weibo for work. Why did you post a picture of me?"

"He Shiyan, could you stop staring at me all the time? I told you to read the script."

Then Shu Ti read the comments from netizens scrutinizing every moment of the reality show through a microscope, and fell into deep thought.

"Wait... He likes her? That can't be right. They're only in a simple marriage of convenience.

No...! Why does she like him too? How does she not know that herself???"

He Shiyan was admiring the comments from their CP fans and frantically liking them with his alt account.

"That's right! She really does love him."

P.S. Reading novels should be fun. For stories set in the entertainment industry, please don't compare them to real life. Enjoy reading~

Blurb written: 2023.11.2

Theme: Finding each other and growing together