Chapter 3

《Ideal Times》 was originally a pre-recorded variety show. Upon learning that the emergency replacement guest was Qiao Yanli, and that it would also be his first variety show appearance since his comeback, Lizhi TV called an urgent meeting to capitalize on the hype, promptly deciding to switch to a livestream format.

It would be livestreamed first and then edited, with the polished feature episode released later. For the streaming platform, they partnered with the major platform White Bear Live.

The former top star’s comeback set entertainment headlines abuzz. For several days in a row, Qiao Yanli’s name dominated the trending searches. Fan clubs rose from the ashes, fans spread the word excitedly, and marketing accounts pulled all-nighters compiling his past achievements and milestones. Even some of his classic stage performances were dug up and resurfaced on everyone’s feeds.

Fans celebrated as if it were New Year’s, anti-fans went on the attack with fierce passion, and fans of other young male idols cursed up a storm. They were all young idols with overlapping career paths. Their beloved idols had finally clawed their way to the top after great effort, so the moment Qiao Yanli made his comeback, he was bound to snatch away their future resources.

When Saturday came, it was premiere day.

Half an hour before the broadcast, the livestream room was already packed to the brim. Fans and anti-fans of every guest logged on en masse. The broadcast had not even started, yet the bullet comments had already waged their first round of flame wars, and the online viewer count had reached a staggering number.

White Bear Live promoted the stream in the most prominent spot on its homepage, and a steady stream of viewers kept pouring in.

The moment the scheduled time arrived, the pitch-black screen lit up.

【We’re live! We’re live!】

【I rushed right over!】

【Is Qiao Yanli here yet? I’m ready to start flaming!】

《Ideal Times》 was a reality variety show themed around living with friends to spend a relaxed, carefree time together. All the invited guests would stay under the same roof with no living allowance provided. Everything had to be done with their own hands, collaborating and helping each other to realize everyone’s vision of an ideal life.

The first thing to appear on screen was a lovely small villa, featuring a large garden out front with a swing inside it.

Suddenly, the camera shook violently.

“Hello!”

A magnified face filled the screen. As the camera pulled back, the young idol holding it waved to the lens and greeted everyone.

【It’s Songsong!】

【Songsong arrived first!】

【Songsong looks so handsome today too!】

“The others haven’t arrived yet. Since I got here first, I’ll show everyone around.” Song Shuqi turned the camera back around and took a stroll around the villa. The surrounding scenery came into full view. It appeared to be located in the suburbs, with no conspicuous buildings nearby. In the distance stood a picturesque mountain framed by clear waters and lush greenery.

After showing the exterior, he returned inside and guided the audience through the house. First was a spacious living room, followed by a large kitchen, an audiovisual room, and a gym. The bedrooms would be assigned once everyone arrived.

Cameras were installed throughout the house, and he handed the handheld camera over to the cameraman.

With the others still absent, Song Shuqi chatted familiarly with the bullet comments.

Seeing his fans flooding the screen, he smiled and said, “Yeah, my flight was the earliest, so I arrived first. I asked the other guests, and they’re all on their way. They’ll be meeting everyone very soon.”

【Songsong already knows everyone!】

Song Shuqi said, “We made a group chat and already chatted in there. Plus, there are friends I’ve worked with before.”

【Songsong must mean Xiaoyue!】

【《Ten Lifetimes of Immortal Fate》, starring Song Shuqi and Chu Xinyue, is currently airing on Lizhi TV! The aloof Immortal Lord and the cute flower demon are such an amazing ship, go watch it everyone!】

【I knew Qiyue was real!】

Song Shuqi showed a shy smile, which made the shippers in the bullet comments even more thrilled. Rather than offering an explanation, he picked a few more questions to answer.

Soon, other people’s names flashed across the bullet comments.

【When is Qiao Yanli coming?】

Song Shuqi said, “I’m not really sure. Qiao Yanli hasn’t accepted my friend request yet, and he doesn’t usually post in the group chat, so I haven’t spoken to him at all up to now.”

【What? Does Qiao Yanli look down on people or something?】

【In terms of seniority, he only spent a few years in the entertainment industry, and there are seniors among the guests. In terms of popularity, Song Shuqi and Chu Xinyue are both wildly popular right now, far above someone who quit the industry. What right does he have to look down on anyone?】

【He’s been out of the industry for so long, and even when he was at the peak of his fame back then, he shouldn’t be so disrespectful, right?】

Most of those leaving these comments were Song Shuqi’s fans.

Naturally, Qiao Yanli’s fans weren’t about to sit by and let their idol be insulted. They immediately seized their keyboards to clarify and defend him, clashing in a three-hundred-round battle against the haters on the spot.

Yet among all these fans, Editor Qingniao of Yunshu Web was the most conflicted.

He had never paid attention to the entertainment industry, but as everyone knew, signing a contract with the platform required signing with the author in person.

When he first received the signed contract, he was delighted, thinking he had discovered a promising newcomer. But then he saw the ID photo. Looking up, the very man in that photo was trending on the search rankings. Just moments earlier, he had even mocked the top star’s bizarre stunt of quitting the industry to someone else. In an instant, his entire mind went blank.

Turns out the dream you were talking about was actually writing web novels?!

Still, with great professional integrity, he kept the secret guarded. Xingqiao Huoshu had never appeared in public or even attended the website’s annual gala, remaining an enigma to the outside world, so no one knew the two were the exact same person.

Because of this, upon seeing the news of Qiao Yanli’s comeback while simultaneously looking at the readers crying out to be fed beneath Xingqiao Huoshu’s novels, his feelings were complicated in the extreme.

Xingqiao Huoshu had an immaculate track record of finishing books, always launching a new novel the day after finishing the previous one. This time, after such a long silence, the readers’ confusion was practically overflowing off the screen. Half the comment section discussed his existing work, while the other half was filled with pleas for a new story. Yet Xingqiao Huoshu hadn’t responded in the slightest, to the point that even other editors at Yunshu Web came asking him, the assigned editor, for information.

Editor Qingniao: I want to tell them so badly… but I can’t, wuu wuu wuu!

Watching the anti-fans’ clamorous remarks running rampant online, he turned things over in his head before anxiously pulling out his phone to send a message.

Editor Qingniao: 【Great God^[1], it doesn’t matter even if your comeback fails, your readers are still waiting for you! Everyone’s waiting for you to start a new novel!】

Editor Qingniao: 【Of course, I don’t mean that you will fail your comeback…】

Editor Qingniao: 【I mean, now that you’ve returned to chase your dreams in showbiz, have you considered continuing to pursue your webnovel dreams too… QAQ】

Fans were fans, but he was a fan of Xingqiao Huoshu the author, not some entertainment superstar, ahhh!

Unfortunately, the variety show had already begun filming. With every move under the cameras, Qiao Yanli did not reply to his message.

The moment Qiao Yanli stepped off the plane, a camera was shoved right in his face.

Only after getting into the production crew’s car did he pull down his mask. “Is the livestream starting already?”

The segment director said, “No, right now we’re shooting footage for the main episode. The official livestream is set up where you’ll be staying.”

The segment director added, “Because your flight was delayed, the livestream has already started over there.”

Qiao Yanli nodded and opened the livestream app he had downloaded in advance.

《Ideal Times》 had already been pushed to the homepage by White Bear Live, making it very easy to find.

He tapped into the stream. Countless bullet comments mentioning his name flew past, and Qiao Yanli raised an eyebrow slightly.

Song Shuqi was chatting with the audience. “I’ve always really wanted to collaborate on stage with him, but unfortunately he stepped away from the industry too early. I hope we’ll get the chance this time.”

Song Shuqi said, “Two years? That’s fine. Anyone who truly loves the stage won’t give up practicing. I’m sure he’s just as amazing as ever.”

Song Shuqi chuckled. “Haha, not at all. Brother Qiao is my senior. I have a lot to learn from him.”

The reek of green tea^[2] practically seeped through the screen.

Yet his fans clearly ate it up. In an instant, their lavish flattery filled the entire screen.

Fortunately, before long, the other guests arrived at the villa one after another.

《Ideal Times》 had invited seven guests in all: three men and four women. Aside from Qiao Yanli and Song Shuqi, the other male celebrity was the veteran actor Tu Sheng.

Tu Sheng was the second to arrive. On his way, he had bumped into the popular starlet Chu Xinyue. The television drama she costarred in with Song Shuqi was currently airing, so the two greeted each other warmly as soon as they met.

Besides them, there were nineteen-year-old girl group idol You Yinyin, veteran singer Wan Yu, and actress Shen Fei.

Once all the other guests had arrived at the villa, Qiao Yanli was the only one missing.

The bullet comments were abuzz with discussion.

【Why isn’t Qiao Yanli here yet?】

【His looks completely crashed. How does he dare show up on a livestream? Without post-production and a top-tier retoucher, isn’t he afraid of exposing every hideous flaw?】

【Please focus more on the artist’s work, everyone!】

【Hilarious. What work could Qiao Yanli possibly have? Just because he bought a Water Bird Award?】

While his fans tried to keep order in the comments, they were still somewhat uneasy.

After all, that photo had circulated far too widely, leaving a deep impression on everyone.

Before long, a car pulled up at the villa entrance.

Hearing the sound, everyone stepped out to welcome the new arrival. Curious gazes turned toward the driveway as the cameras swung to focus on the car.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the car door opened. What emerged first was a long, straight leg clad in trousers.

The newcomer stepped out, tall and straight with slender limbs, his proportions rivaling those of a high-fashion male model.

Compared to the other celebrities who had been meticulously styled before arriving, his attire was not elaborate. The tailoring of his clothes was clean and simple, his only accessory a pair of thin, silver-rimmed glasses.

Yet the simpler his look, the more the audience’s attention settled on his face, the face of an idol whose looks had supposedly fallen apart.

The camera operator could not help zooming in. The metallic frames rested high on the bridge of the man’s tall nose. Behind the lenses, his eyes seemed veiled in frost. His brows were sharp, his eyelashes thick, the rich black tones reminiscent of an ink wash painting. A tiny black mole near the corner of his eye looked like the painter’s most cautious, delicate touch.

His gaze drifted over casually, and he gave a slight nod to the crowd, highlighting a sharp, sculpted jawline and an elegant, slender neck.

Song Shuqi, who shared the same young idol branding, subconsciously took a step back.

Qiao Yanli retrieved his luggage, walked toward the group that had come out to meet him, and smiled politely. “Hello, everyone.”

It was like the gentle warmth of spring sunshine melting the stubborn frost atop a snowy mountain, starlight spilling into his ink-dark eyes. The aloof chill lent by the metal glasses softened, as if an ascetic deity had descended step by step into the mortal world.

Through the stream, the high-definition camera delivered this god-given, peerless face straight into everyone’s view.

The bullet comments suddenly fell silent, leaving behind a brief, empty void.

Seconds later, the comments surged exponentially, sweeping across the top of the video in a dense flood that nearly obscured the entire screen.

【Holy shit!】

【HOLY SHIT!!!】

【Where did this gorgeous guy come from?!】