Chapter 9

It was not just the viewers; soon the others noticed as well.

Wan Yu passed the microphone over. “Xiao Song, do you want to sing a song?”

Song Shuqi had also debuted from a talent show, and quite a few fans were looking forward to hearing him sing.

But Song Shuqi shook his head and declined. “No, Sister Yu, you guys go ahead and sing. I want to read.”

“What book are you reading? Is it good?” Shen Fei asked curiously.

Song Shuqi immediately held up the book, its cover styled in an elegant ink-wash painting, and pitched it to her like an enthusiastic fan. “It’s a novel I really love. Sister Fei, do you want to read it? I brought the entire set.”

Although Xingqiao Huoshu was a top-tier author in the web novel community, outside that circle, his fame wasn’t as widespread as that of ordinary celebrities.

Shen Fei had been a little curious, but upon hearing it was web fiction, her interest waned. While Xingqiao Huoshu was a top-tier author in the web novel sphere, his fame outside it fell short of ordinary stars, and in the minds of most people, his work could hardly compare to traditional literature.

“I don’t know much about that kind of thing.” Remembering something, she casually added, “What about Xiao Qiao? You two are around the same age, so you might like it?”

Song Shuqi asked eagerly, “Qiao Yanli, do you want to read it?”

Qiao Yanli: “…”

He slowly shook his head.

Having someone like a book he wrote was naturally a great thing. But as Xingqiao Huoshu himself, he didn’t feel happy at all.

Because he also knew that Song Shuqi pulling out a physical copy of 《Entering the Mortal Realm^[1]》 under the livestream cameras wasn’t out of any deep love for his writing, but mostly to angle for the male lead role in the drama adaptation of Entering the Mortal Realm.

Song Shuqi’s team had already campaigned for the male lead in the drama adaptation of Entering the Mortal Realm before, but he had turned him down because of poor acting. Clearly, Song Shuqi hadn’t given up. 《Entering the Mortal Realm》 was a massive IP, and the company that bought the rights was well-known in the industry for quality productions. Even before filming began, one could easily foresee how big a hit it would be once broadcast. If he could secure the role of the male lead, Song Shuqi’s popularity would rise to another level, so there was no way he and his team would let it go without a fight.

He took out the physical copy of Entering the Mortal Realm to pose as a fan, and his team would work behind the scenes to drum up hype before the male lead was finalized, easily linking Entering the Mortal Realm to Song Shuqi through marketing. Then, by hiring paid shills to hype how closely Song Shuqi matched the character and looked the part, whether he could land the role or not, people would always think of him whenever Lu Yifan (the male lead of Entering the Mortal Realm) was mentioned in the future.

As Xingqiao Huoshu, even though he knew these behind-the-scenes schemes, he still couldn’t help feeling annoyed.

The others were also drawn to the book in Song Shuqi’s hand and asked a casual question or two, whereupon Song Shuqi began introducing it to them as though he truly were an ardent fan.

Qiao Yanli couldn’t listen any longer.

The novel 《Entering the Mortal Realm》 had taken a lot of effort to create. Because it was his first book, he had searched for information everywhere, constantly overturning and refining drafts until he finally produced a complete story that lived up to his expectations. Admittedly, he had some talent in this field, but he had also poured one hundred percent of his effort into it.

He spoke up, cutting off Song Shuqi’s stream of chatter. “What kind of person do you think the protagonist is?”

Song Shuqi paused.

You Yinyin asked in surprise, “Brother Qiao, have you read this novel too?”

Qiao Yanli gave a noncommittal nod, his gaze fixed on the man opposite him as he waited for his reply.

Song Shuqi hadn’t expected him to ask out of nowhere, but he truly had read the book. Stroking the book’s spine, he thought for a moment before saying, “An unfortunate person.”

Qiao Yanli repeated, “Unfortunate?”

“That’s right,” Song Shuqi said, speaking with confidence. “His entire life revolves around a prophecy. From the moment he was born, his fate was doomed to be surrounded by prejudice and exclusion, and even the lover and friends he gave his heart to deceived him. In my eyes, he’s just an unfortunate person.”

Qiao Yanli asked again, “Did you finish the whole thing?”

“Yeah,” Song Shuqi said, glancing at the livestream camera and rubbing his nose with a hint of embarrassment. “I really love this book, and I’ve read it many times.”

Qiao Yanli was profoundly disappointed.

《Entering the Mortal Realm》 totaled over a million words, divided into five volumes in print. What Song Shuqi held in his hands was the second volume, which covered the protagonist Lu Yifan meeting his lover during his travels, only to be framed by her upon their very first meeting, plunging him into perilous danger.

That seemed to be the beginning of Lu Yifan’s misfortune. His lover used him, his companions betrayed him, and it seemed as though he had never met a single good person in his life. From the moment he entered the mortal realm, setbacks and unfairness shadowed him at every turn.

But he was by no means an unfortunate person.

Qiao Yanli said coldly, “You don’t understand at all.”

【I’m a reader of Xingqiao Huoshu, and seeing this, I really can’t hold back anymore. Song Shuqi doesn’t know shit! If someone had actually finished Entering the Mortal Realm and truly loved the book, they could never say something like that!】

【The story Xingqiao wanted to tell us was about defying fate from beginning to end, that life shouldn’t be defined. Every hardship he faced was a stepping stone for his growth, and it was precisely because of them that he found his true self and stayed true to his heart. To say something like that, Song Shuqi definitely never finished the whole book!】

【How does he have the nerve to call himself a fan!】

【What do you guys mean? Songsong kindly recommended a book. With his fame, do you know how much traffic recommending it on a show brings? Instead of thanking him, you’re cussing him out?!】

【Are you guys Xingqiao Huoshu himself? Who’s to say the author didn’t think the exact same thing!】

The comment section in the livestream erupted into an argument.

Xingqiao Huoshu was a top-tier author who had risen over the past two years, and although his fame could not match that of celebrities, he still had plenty of readers. Seeing their cherished work being used for hype like this, its content twisted with nonsense, the fans found it unbearable. Consequently, many genuinely passionate readers flooded in right then, posting heated comments on the screen.

Song Shuqi’s fans naturally wouldn’t just sit and watch. The paid shills and fans joined the fray together, while other parties fished in troubled waters, throwing the comments into utter chaos.

Meanwhile, on the show.

Meeting with such cold treatment, Song Shuqi found it hard to keep his composure. Although he couldn’t see the comments in the livestream, Qiao Yanli’s icy, seemingly mocking tone alone was enough to stir sharp anger within him.

When he went to take a shower earlier, he had seized the chance to dodge the cameras and contact his team. Over the course of the entire day’s livestream, the feedback he received hadn’t been very good.

Although he had tried his best to stand out, whether it was working their shifts or cooking, all the limelight had been stolen by Qiao Yanli.

Comments about him had already appeared online, claiming he lacked capability yet loved being in the limelight, and that he fell short of Qiao Yanli in every way!

How could he possibly stomach this!

Back then, he had debuted under the title “Little Qiao Yanli^[2],” and from that point on, people constantly compared the two of them. He had finally made a name for himself in the entertainment industry, to the point where no one would respond even if he put out hit pieces comparing them. Who would have thought that Qiao Yanli, who had originally retired from the industry, would actually make a comeback!

Furthermore, there had been so much online hate directed at Qiao Yanli before, yet the moment the man showed his face, those shallow netizens switched sides. Song Shuqi had busied himself all day, only to end up helping Qiao Yanli gain a ton of fans.

How could Song Shuqi possibly swallow this down!

And on top of that, what had just happened.

What the hell did Qiao Yanli know about 《Entering the Mortal Realm》? Wasn’t he just trying to find fault with him?

Qiao Yanli had been out of the industry for two years, so how could his resources compare to Song Shuqi’s now? He was definitely just jealous of his film and television opportunities!

Suddenly, Song Shuqi thought of something, and his expression softened considerably.

“Enough about me. Everyone looks at a book from a different angle, and arguing here isn’t good anyway.” He closed the book and said with a beaming smile, “By the way, since we have the chance, there’s a question I’ve been curious about for a long time, but I never found the opportunity to ask you.”

Qiao Yanli said coldly, “What do you want to know?”

“When you decided to leave the industry, you said it was to pursue your dream. Why did you suddenly make a comeback now?”

“…”

The topic was far too sharp. The moment the words left his mouth, everyone else froze in shock. Wan Yu’s hand shook, cutting off the song that had been playing. In an instant, the living room fell so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

You Yinyin’s jaw dropped, but she hurriedly covered her mouth. Her eyes went wide, darting back and forth between the two men before finally fixing on Qiao Yanli without blinking, terrified of missing the slightest change in his expression.

Even the bickering bullet comments^[3] froze for a split second.

Then, at an even more incredible speed, they flooded across the screen in a thick, frantic torrent.

Behind the viewfinder, Director Yang’s eyes lit up, and he urgently signaled the camera operator to train the lens on the two men.

Song Shuqi sounded just like a sincere fan, full of curiosity as he asked with eager anticipation, “Did you manage to achieve your dream? What kind of dream was worth abandoning your fans, your career, and your music? I’ve always loved your music, and I thought you would keep writing and singing even after stepping away, but then there was nothing at all…”

“…Would you mind telling us about it?”