Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

This scene caused the live chat to freeze for a few seconds.

“Ahhh! Yun Shuang actually smiled! I’ve been a fan for so long and just now realized he can look so good and so soft! Yun Shuang, what happened to your aloof, untouchable image? Your cold persona is completely shattered!”

“But he’s smiling so happily, oh my god, it’s so adorable! I just want to hold him tight and squeeze him until he swells up—what’s going on?”

*sniff sniff* “I hereby declare that Yun Shuang is no longer my aloof white moonlight; he’s my darling, my beloved wife forever!”

“Qiyue’s gaze is so gentle and doting! Is this really acting? Didn’t they say Gu Yun Shuang’s acting was bad and the actors brought in were even worse? If their acting were really poor, this would definitely be genuine emotion! They’re so perfect together! Forget it, I’m shipping them hard!”

“Ship! Absolutely must ship! Qiyue is definitely the true childhood sweetheart! Yun Shuang used to shy away from everyone, and now he’s happily eating the candy fed to him by Qiyue, smiling so beautifully—there’s no way this isn’t real!”

“So it’s true that Yun Shuang and Xue Tinghe aren’t close at all, and Yun Shuang never clings to him. Don’t drag some people into our Yun Shuang’s business—what if the childhood sweetheart gets jealous?”

Fans spontaneously joined Qiyue in cheering for Yun Shuang, feeling this lively, smiling, petulant Yun Shuang was far more vivid and lovable.

Still, some in the chat insisted Gu Yun Shuang and Qiyue were acting, just unwilling to admit it despite no flaws found—like stubborn mules.

Thanks to the diligent moderators, excessive comments were swiftly silenced or removed, making the chat unusually harmonious.

Others in the car felt overwhelmed by the sweet display, almost unable to watch.

Looking at Xue Tinghe, his face was darker than a burnt pot bottom, as if witnessing his unfaithful wife cozying up to her lover.

Earlier, Hu Lijing had seen the flicker of surprise in Xue Tinghe’s eyes when he saw Gu Yun Shuang smile, then his expression soured immediately. She sneered inwardly: “Men!”

After five or six hours on the bus, they left Jiangcheng, driving farther and farther into a remote area. They stopped in front of an old Western-style villa. They had lunch on the bus.

The villa was styled from the Republic era, hidden in the woods, seemingly long uninhabited. One wall was covered in creeping ivy, giving off a gloomy vibe. Occasional piercing bird cries heightened the eerie atmosphere, resembling a haunted house from a horror novel.

Suddenly, a shrill bird cry rang out from a nearby tree.

Xie Yuhua screamed and threw herself into Qiao Yuanzhong’s arms; he quickly held her and patted her back to comfort her.

“Baby, don’t be scared. It’s just a bird. Master Xue is here; no ghost dares to show up.”

She leaned against him, tears shimmering in her eyes, glancing toward Xue Tinghe, who stood flanked by Jiang Mingshuang and Sun Zhanyuan, both looking frightened and seeking his protection.

Xie Yuhua was speechless.

Gu Yun Shuang still stood upright and unmoved. Qiyue, however, knew he must be scared. He stepped closer, silently tightened his grip on his hand, and said lightly, “Although this place is desolate, it doesn’t look like a haunted house! It’s far less scary than the ones we’ve explored before, right, Shuang Shuang?”

Gu Yun Shuang’s stiff back slowly relaxed, a faint smile appeared on his face. He nodded, naturally intertwining his fingers with Qiyue’s.

Qiyue hesitated for a moment, seeing that faint smile, then reluctantly didn’t pull away. He comforted himself silently: it’s just holding hands; control yourself, nothing will happen.

The couple’s fans in the live chat were ecstatic.

“They’re holding hands! They really are real!”

“Mom, after shipping so many years, I finally got a real couple. I’m so moved!”

Even others quietly commented:

“Compared to them, why do Jie Yuhua and Daqiao seem so greasy and fake?”

The group followed the director into the villa, where the furniture appeared aged but clean and tidy, clearly prepared beforehand.

A worn Western clock hung in the center of the living room, its pendulum ticking steadily.

The director gathered everyone in the first-floor hall to start today’s interview segment.

Among the four pairs of guests, each pair included one entertainer.

The director split them into groups A and B. The celebrities, group A, went to the right room for interviews, while their partners, group B, went to the left room. The hall separated the two rooms.

Although separated, interviews were conducted simultaneously. Guests not being interviewed sat on sofas in the hall, watching the live chat on the screen.

The first to be interviewed were Jiang Mingshuang and Xue Tinghe.

Host A: “When did you and your childhood sweetheart meet? Do you remember the circumstances?”

Jiang Mingshuang blushed slightly, shyly lowering her gaze. “We met when I was fourteen. At that time, Brother Xue’s master came to our house to check the feng shui, and upon seeing me, he was surprised and said I was Brother Xue’s destined partner.”

She continued, “Later, we coincidentally attended the same school. Brother Xue is very kind and takes good care of me.”

Host A: “Wow, you two are fated by destiny according to fortune-telling—that’s so romantic! Why did you come on this show?”

Jiang Mingshuang hesitated, then replied somewhat reluctantly, “Because this show emphasizes childhood sweetheart romances. I wanted to participate with Brother Xue.”

On the other side, Xue Tinghe’s answer was similar, confirming Jiang Mingshuang as his destined partner.

Host B asked further, “So you’re a couple now?”

Xue Tinghe replied, “Destined partner isn’t a specific individual but refers to a type of person. Who one ends up with isn’t decided by fortune-telling; it depends on how the relationship develops. But it’s undeniable that a destined partner is the one most compatible and fated.”

Host B: “Understood. So your current status is ‘more than friends, less than lovers.’ Why did you want to join this show?”

Xue Tinghe’s expression turned cold. “Actually, I didn’t want to come. I just couldn’t stand seeing Mingshuang bullied.”

His words were pointed.

Viewers immediately recalled rumors online that Gu Yun Shuang had a wealthy backer, and that the childhood sweetheart variety show was designed to clear his name. New Trend Entertainment reportedly even forced Jiang Mingshuang to invite Xue Tinghe to join.

If Xue Tinghe had spoken like this before today, it would have sparked countless new haters against Gu Yun Shuang.

But things were different now.

“I used to believe New Trend Entertainment created this show to whitewash Gu Yun Shuang, but after seeing the director’s crafty moves, I don’t think so anymore. Now hearing Xue Tinghe say this, it just seems sarcastic.”

“Isn’t this exactly whitewashing Gu Yun Shuang? To do that, New Trend Entertainment and the show are self-deprecating! The weird task assigned by the director at the start now makes sense—it was clearly to whitewash Gu Yun Shuang, with the director and other guests self-disparaging to highlight Yun Shuang’s purity.”

“I see now. I wondered how two big guys just sitting there could be so oblivious. Turns out it was scripted!”

“What kind of ridiculous logic is that? You Xue fans are over the top, just hating for the sake of hating.”

“Gu Niupi [a mocking nickname for Gu Yun Shuang] forced Jiang Jiang and Master Xue onto the show to whitewash himself! Shameless! Look at what he is—we don’t even want him; our Master Xue looks down on him.”

“You’re the shameless ones. We have Qiyue; that’s enough. How does your Master Xue’s looks, charm, or figure compare with Qiyue?”

“Our Master Xue is a national intangible cultural heritage expert in classical studies. No matter how pretty a substitute actor is, they’re just a pretty face with no substance. How dare they compare to our Master Xue?”

The chat was noisy, but abusive comments were quickly banned. Gu Yun Shuang’s fans grew more confident and combative.

Meanwhile, the villa’s hall was very quiet.

In the hall, Qiyue looked on with great interest at Xie Yuhua and Sun Zhanyuan, who had darkened expressions after Jiang Mingshuang revealed she was Xue Tinghe’s destined partner. This was getting interesting.

The host asked a new question:

“How would you describe Jiang Mingshuang/Xue Tinghe as a person?”

Jiang Mingshuang blushed: “Handsome, talented, capable, responsible, kind, righteous, and reliable…”

Xue Tinghe: “Kind-hearted, innocent, soft-hearted, so easily bullied; she needs constant protection.”

The final segment involved reading five comments about each other from online for their responses.

The first three comments praised each other, creating a friendly atmosphere.

Qiyue’s eyes lowered slightly, a flash of red in their depths.

The hosts drew the fourth comment and froze upon reading it.

They wanted to pretend nothing happened and redraw, but the screen was broadcast live, and the chat had already seen the comment.

They reluctantly read it aloud.

Host A: “Xue Tinghe is just a pretty face using feudal superstition to scam money, a shameless charlatan who pretends to be upright and righteous but secretly flirts with everyone, living a chaotic private life.”

Jiang Mingshuang’s eyes reddened with anger as she clenched her fists: “Nonsense! Brother Xue is the best person in the world. You’re slandering and spreading lies—you’ll be held legally responsible!”

Host B: “Jiang Mingshuang looks a bit like Jiang Honghui, the major shareholder of New Trend Entertainment, and they share the surname Jiang. Could she be Jiang Honghui’s daughter?”

At this comment, the director’s heart skipped a beat.