Chapter 7

Since it was decided that Qi Yue and Gu Yunshuang would appear together on the variety show, the first step was to firmly establish Qi Yue’s identity, preventing the production team and New Wave Entertainment from forcing anyone else into the lineup.

Gu Yunshuang first posted a photo of himself with Qi Yue on Weibo, captioning it, “Brother, welcome back.”

Sister Hua quickly shared it with the message: “What’s deeply missed will surely echo back. Congratulations to @Gu Yunshuang; seven years of waiting have finally borne fruit.”

After doing this, they braced themselves for the inevitable flood of haters and internet trolls. Gu Yunshuang even put his phone away, unwilling to let Qi Yue see how badly he would be attacked online.

Only Sister Hua kept her phone in hand, watching the comment section unfold.

After a while, she gasped in disbelief, suspecting she was dreaming.

Despite how long it had been, the comment section under Gu Yunshuang’s post remained surprisingly harmonious, filled entirely with fans lavishing praise and blessings upon him.

Though Gu Yunshuang’s fans firmly believed Qi Yue was his genuine childhood friend, lingering doubts still existed. Now, with official confirmation, their anxieties finally eased.

Without the usual disruption from haters, the comment section was a rare oasis of peace, festive and joyful—everyone was as happy as if celebrating a New Year.

Such a scene had not been seen in a long time, making it all the more unbelievable that this harmonious and cheerful moment was real, not an illusion.

Sister Hua was deeply puzzled: Where were the haters? Had they all gone on vacation?

But after inquiring around, no one knew why. Even after waiting a while, the usual swarm of haters and paid internet trolls—who normally flocked like hyenas at the scent of meat whenever Gu Yunshuang posted—were nowhere to be found. They had to raise their guard to the highest level, suspecting some grand conspiracy was afoot.

Many fans secretly hoped that perhaps the saying had come true—that the haters had finally met their comeuppance.

With worry gnawing at her, Sister Hua warned Gu Yunshuang and Qi Yue to be cautious. The prolonged absence of haters and trolls could only mean they were scheming some major move.

Qi Yue smiled mysteriously, not revealing that those haters and trolls were very likely now in hospital beds, hooked up to IV drips and plaster casts, quietly reaping the rewards of his hidden efforts.

In truth, he hadn’t done much—just used his word magic to guide the accumulated resentment of Gu Yunshuang’s fans, turning their anger into a curse that backfired on those burdened with heavy karmic debts.

The more severe their verbal offenses, the harsher their retribution.

Sister Hua then contacted New Wave Entertainment and the show’s production team, negotiating firmly to secure Qi Yue as Gu Yunshuang’s partner. They arrived at the meeting point over an hour early.

Qi Yue was puzzled: Why come so early?

Sister Hua sneered, “These scumbags are filthy inside. They verbally told us the meeting time face-to-face without any written notice. I knew the time they gave would be late. They were just waiting to pin the ‘late and diva’ label on Yunshuang again.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Yue’s expression instantly darkened, and he squeezed Gu Yunshuang’s hand tenderly.

Gu Yunshuang squeezed back, signaling with his gesture that he was fine—he never minded the opinions of those who didn’t matter.

As expected, when they arrived at the spot where the production bus was parked, the crew was already bustling, and the director shouted loudly: “Hurry up, hurry up, the show is about to start, the guests must enter soon, move faster! Wang Qiang! Where’s Wang Qiang? Where the hell is he?”

Wang Qiang was the staff member who had assisted Gu Yunshuang with the supernatural game the night before.

“Director, Wang Qiang fell last night and bruised his eyes and mouth. He’s still in the hospital,” someone replied.

The director was speechless.

Sister Hua whispered in disbelief, “What kind of bizarre fall bruises your eyes?”

Qi Yue smiled faintly without saying a word.

Oddly, the three of them just stood there, while everyone else seemed oblivious.

Sister Hua thought this was a new form of public humiliation and was about to confront the director, but Qi Yue stopped her.

With a smile, Qi Yue said, “It’s fine. Sister Hua, you don’t need to worry. Leave the rest to me. You just go watch the livestream.” Then he took Gu Yunshuang by the hand and boarded the bus.

They swaggered past the director and crew, even greeting them casually.

The director and staff responded briefly and returned to their tasks, as if the two passing by were ordinary crew members.

Once inside, Qi Yue pulled Gu Yunshuang to the farthest corner at the back, smiling meaningfully: “Let’s sit in the back. It’s the best spot for watching the drama unfold.”

Gu Yunshuang objected, “But you get car sick, don’t you? Watching the drama isn’t more important than your health.”

Qi Yue felt a warm glow inside. “I don’t get car sick anymore. Besides, if I start feeling sick, you can just lean on me.”

Gu Yunshuang nodded but remained a little worried.

They had barely settled when the other guests arrived. As Sister Hua had predicted, the real gathering time was much earlier than the one given to Gu Yunshuang.

The other guests, seemingly oblivious to the two seated quietly in the corner, chose their seats casually, and the livestream began.

Besides Xue Tinghe and Jiang Mingshuang, the guests included the Best Actress Hu Lijing and her civilian partner, the wealthy second-generation Sun Zhanyuan; renowned singer Xie Yuhua and her fiancé, second-generation director Qiao Yuanzhong.

In the livestream chat, fans from various camps noisily cheered for their idols. They spotted Gu Yunshuang sitting in the back corner with a black-clad man beside him, half-hidden and indistinct.

Gu Yunshuang’s fans erupted with excitement.

“Is that the childhood friend brother? It must be him! Childhood friend brother, show yourself!”

“Childhood friend brother, please take good care of our Yunshuang.”

“I’m different—I’m calling you husband straight away. Come out for me! Even if you don’t, you must take good care of my white moonlight!”

The chat soon flooded with messages calling out “childhood friend brother” and “husband.”

Other fans frowned.

“Didn’t expect Gu Niupi to find an actor to play his childhood friend.”

“He doesn’t even dare show his face. No idea who he is, but he definitely can’t compare to our mighty, handsome, and mysterious Master Xue.”

Gu Yunshuang’s fans refused to back down, fiercely defending that Qi Yue was the genuine childhood friend, taller, more handsome, and more charming than Xue Tinghe.

The battle in the chat grew intense. Eventually, other fans noticed something strange: Gu Yunshuang’s fans were unusually strong today, not falling behind even now.

They soon realized it wasn’t that Gu Yunshuang’s fans had grown more powerful, but that their greatest ally was missing—where were the usual crazed haters who always appeared whenever Gu Yunshuang showed up?

Some even asked in the chat.

“Hehe, who knows? But here’s a saying for you: Those who curse with their mouths will descend into the hell of tongue-pulling.”

Gu Yunshuang’s fans had developed a conditioned reflex, quickly spamming the phrase.

The screen filled with: “Those who curse with their mouths will descend into the hell of tongue-pulling.”

Other fans scoffed, thinking Gu Yunshuang’s fans were being mysterious on purpose. Yet, strangely, staring at the overwhelming flood of “tongue-pulling hell” messages sent a chill down their spines.

Especially Xue fans, who, having long admired Xue Tinghe, believed in some of this. Seeing this and recalling the mysterious disappearance of the haters, they were unsettled. For a moment, they were stunned into silence, wary of speaking further.

Gu Yunshuang’s fans felt this phrase was an unbeatable weapon, a curse in itself. They decided that whenever haters appeared, they would immediately unleash this “big killer.” They even changed their signatures to this phrase, and some photoshopped terrifying images of skeleton skulls, dripping blood, and bloody scissors to accompany it.

It really scared off quite a few haters. But that was all a story for later.

Within minutes of the chat battle, the guests finished their introductions and, seemingly ignoring Gu Yunshuang and Qi Yue in the back corner, began chatting among themselves.

Gu Yunshuang’s fans: ??? You guys are too much! Bullying and isolating someone right in front of the livestream camera?

Others: Hahaha, well, Gu’s behavior is despicable. Being isolated by others is well deserved!

“No doubt, Master Xue is noble and pure, refusing to associate with certain dark creatures.”

“Our Jiang Jiang is sunny and cheerful, like a warm little sun. Sitting next to Master Xue feels perfect. Ship it!”

“Our Jie Yuhua is still so pure and kind, never pretentious—a breath of fresh air in the entertainment industry.”

Fans enthusiastically praised their idols, suppressing Gu Yunshuang fans’ skeptical messages.

In short, Gu Yunshuang deserved to be isolated and ignored.

This infuriated Gu Yunshuang’s fans greatly.

The guests couldn’t see the chat and were unaware of the ongoing disputes. They continued chatting amiably, livening the atmosphere.

The wealthy second-generation Sun Zhanyuan seemed very admiring of Xue Tinghe, sitting just across an aisle, constantly striking up conversations.

Jiang Mingshuang sat to Xue Tinghe’s left, while in front of Xue Tinghe, Xie Yuhua turned her head, eyes sparkling with admiration, eagerly engaging him—like stars circling the moon.

“Master Xue, did you see this morning’s trending topics? Last night at midnight, a thunderstorm suddenly appeared over Jiang City. Someone reportedly saw a ghost immortal successfully crossing over. Also, a car and a bus nearly collided but were saved by the ghost immortal.”

Xie Yuhua excitedly shared the morning’s news to attract Xue Tinghe’s attention.

Of course, once such supernatural news broke, experts immediately offered scientific explanations about positive and negative ions and ultimately concluded it was a normal scientific phenomenon.

Few people believed them.

Jiang Mingshuang asked curiously, “Brother Xue, do ghost immortals really exist?”

Others perked up, waiting curiously for Xue Tinghe’s answer.

Xue Tinghe frowned deeply, his expression serious as he said in a low voice: “Ghost immortals simply cannot exist. Ghosts are formed from the lingering attachments of the deceased, constantly influenced by negative emotions, driven only by instincts to fulfill their attachments, kill for replacements, and strengthen themselves.”

“Although some memories and feelings from their lives remain, they endlessly magnify their negative emotions and grudges, resenting everyone in the living world. The stronger the attachment, the more susceptible to negative emotions—love turns to hate. Eventually, only the instinct to kill remains. So don’t treat ghosts as their former selves. They are no longer those people. They can never become immortals or save anyone.”

Qi Yue suddenly looked at Gu Yunshuang with a flicker in his eyes that seemed somewhat guilty.

Gu Yunshuang asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qi Yue hesitated: “Don’t listen to his nonsense... some vengeful ghosts have firm beliefs and are exceptions—like him.”

Gu Yunshuang nodded.

Qi Yue felt a bit relieved.

Gu Yunshuang continued, “I know. There is no such thing as ghosts in this world. We should believe in science and reject superstition.”

Qi Yue was speechless.