Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

The livestream screen was split. The fans of the other participants had all returned to their respective main livestreams, making the audience composition much simpler and the atmosphere more peaceful. At this moment, the chat was flooded with messages like, “So obedient and adorable, I just want to cuddle him,” and “I used to only shout ‘Gu Yunshuang, the white moonlight in my dreams,’ but now I just want to loudly call out, ‘Wife, come into my arms!’” Another said, “Although the pairing of Yue and Yun is really sweet, I have to shout too: let go of my wife, let me have her!”

Previously, Gu Yunshuang had quite a few fans who admired his looks, but they always saw him as a distant, cold moon hanging high in the sky—unreachable and untouchable. They subconsciously refrained from speaking too casually about him. But after seeing this other side of Gu Yunshuang, they felt as if the moon had fallen from the sky and transformed into an adorable, well-behaved, beautiful fairy cat. Their hearts were almost melted by his cuteness, and all their reservations vanished, allowing them to express themselves freely in the chat.

When Qi Yue finished showering and came out, the two of them lay on the bed together in relative silence. Though there were many things they wanted to say, the presence of the camera and the slight awkwardness after so many years apart kept them both quiet.

After exchanging glances for a while, Gu Yunshuang took out his phone and shook it slightly. “It’s still early. How about we play a couple of rounds of ‘Honor of Kings’ together? It’s been so long since we played. I remember when the game first came out, we used to play ranked matches together, and people would always mistake us for a couple!”

The chat exploded with surprise.

“Turns out Yunshuang isn’t completely out of touch with the world; he actually plays ‘Honor of Kings’ privately!”
“Even cuter now! I’m imagining my ragdoll cat secretly playing ‘Honor of Kings’ on my phone whenever I’m not home.”
“Eep! I want to see the ragdoll cat playing ‘Honor of Kings’!”
“Wait, I’m opening my game and queuing for a match now. Maybe I’m lucky enough to get matched with them!”

The chat grew lively, and the audience was eager. However, Qi Yue remained silent.

Gu Yunshuang didn’t notice Qi Yue’s unusual behavior and casually thought of something else. “By the way, let’s add each other on WeChat. What’s your current number? I’ll add you.”

With that, Gu Yunshuang had both the WeChat ID and phone number in hand—definitely worth a self-like.jpg.

Although Qi Yue said his place in Gu Yunshuang’s heart hadn’t changed, since coming back, he hadn’t taken the initiative to exchange new numbers or add WeChat contacts, which made Gu Yunshuang feel a little uneasy.

Qi Yue hesitated a moment before whispering, “Actually, I came in such a hurry that I lost my phone.”

Gu Yunshuang’s smile gradually stiffened.

Seeing this, Qi Yue panicked and hurriedly reassured him, “Really, I’m not lying. You saw it yourself—I rushed here alone to meet you. I even had Sister Hua buy me a change of clothes.”

Thinking of how drenched and pitiful Qi Yue looked the night before, Gu Yunshuang softened and believed him. “I’ll ask Sister Hua to buy you a new phone and help you get a replacement SIM card.”

Qi Yue recalled that replacing a SIM card required an ID and lied again, “I was so rushed last night when I got out of the car that I left my ID and wallet in the taxi. The phone probably dropped there too, and it’ll be hard to retrieve it soon. I’m afraid I have to wait until after the show’s recording to replace my ID.”

Gu Yunshuang felt both happy and heartbroken that Qi Yue lost such important things just to see him. He even felt guilty for doubting Qi Yue’s feelings after all this time.

Immediately, Gu Yunshuang asked for the taxi’s license plate number, wanting to call the company to see if they could help retrieve Qi Yue’s wallet and phone.

Qi Yue could only keep lying, claiming he forgot the license plate number, but to sound more convincing, he added details like where he got off and the color of the vehicle.

After all, taxis come in just a few colors, and even searching by color might not help.

However, shortly after, Gu Yunshuang’s phone received a message from Sister Hua. Upon seeing it, Gu Yunshuang fell silent, a chill running down his spine.

Qi Yue sensed something was wrong and cautiously asked, “What is it?”

Gu Yunshuang shot him a cold glare without speaking, then flipped the phone around for him to see.

It turned out that having been dead for so many years, Qi Yue’s mind was still a bit stiff, and some memories from before weren’t complete. He didn’t know that cameras were now everywhere around the city, nor did he expect so many enthusiastic viewers.

While he was still spinning his story, many kind viewers called the taxi company to help find that taxi.

That search turned out to be a disaster.

The taxi company searched all the taxis that had stopped near the apartment building around the time Qi Yue appeared, but none matched his description. The taxis that had been near the building last night all firmly denied ever picking up Qi Yue.

When this result came out, the online commentary exploded.

Sister Hua was monitoring the livestream chat and online comments in real time. When she saw the taxi company’s investigation results, her heart skipped a beat. She immediately messaged Gu Yunshuang.

The message was Sister Hua relaying the taxi company’s findings.

Sweat dripped down Qi Yue’s forehead.

He really hadn’t expected this. It was his fault for being out of the world for so long.

“Wait, Yunshuang, let me explain.”

Gu Yunshuang looked at him quietly, his eyes saying, “Go ahead, I want to see what excuse you can come up with now.”

Qi Yue stammered incoherently, babbling nonsense that didn’t get to the point.

Gu Yunshuang grew annoyed and disappointed, turning around and lying on the other side of the bed.

To distance himself from Qi Yue, he even dragged his pillow to the edge of the bed and lay on his side near the bed’s edge, close enough that a slight turn could make him fall off.

Qi Yue had originally worried that Gu Yunshuang would cling to him in various ways, sticking close. To avoid hurting him, he planned to subtly keep his distance without leaving traces and be very careful not to hurt Gu Yunshuang’s fragile heart. Just thinking about it made him feel that it would be extremely difficult.

Unexpectedly, before he even started worrying about how to keep his distance, Gu Yunshuang had already taken the initiative to distance himself and avoid him.

It was a very bitter feeling.

After hesitating, Qi Yue also lay down as far away from Gu Yunshuang as possible, turning on his side and silently watching the back of Gu Yunshuang’s head.

Gu Yunshuang waited a long time but didn’t hear Qi Yue come to comfort him. Instead, he heard Qi Yue lying down as far away as possible, which made him so angry his eyes almost turned into slits.

This angry expression was just captured by the livestream camera.

The audience’s feelings were also very complicated now.

“I don’t know what to say. Hearing Qi Yue’s lies made my heart freeze halfway, but seeing Yunshuang almost steam from anger warmed me right back up. I’m good again.”

“Stop fooling yourself. What era is this where someone loses their phone and ID and isn’t even worried? He clearly didn’t want to give his number or add WeChat. His lies were half-hearted and easily seen through.”

“I always said these two were fake. I kept following them just to see them exposed. Finally, I got to see their downfall, hahaha! Who still dares say Qi Yue isn’t a paid actor hired by Gu Yunshuang as a fake childhood sweetheart? This is ironclad proof!”

“Don’t jump to conclusions so quickly. I don’t think Yunshuang and Qi Yue’s feelings are an act. Or maybe Yunshuang’s acting skills have reached a new height? I’m an old Yunshuang fan, and honestly, I never believed he could act so well.”

“Isn’t it possible that the childhood sweetheart part is true, but not wanting to add the number or WeChat is also true? After all, they’ve been apart for seven years. How old were they when they parted? Seven years is enough time for the closest people to become strangers who need guarding against.”

“I was touched by Qi Yue’s words for a long time, truly believing that no matter how long the separation, their place in each other’s hearts wouldn’t change. But now Qi Yue has been exposed; all those words were lies! I’m so angry!”

“This CP I just went crazy over today ended in heartbreak in less than a day. Family, who understands?! TWT.”

The chat was a mess, and online comments were full of criticism toward Qi Yue. Over the day, because of his looks and his tolerance and support for Gu Yunshuang, he had gained many fans and fans of the pairing, but this unexpected downfall dealt a heavy blow to them.

Many haters who hadn’t been cursed or beaten by the fandom didn’t miss the chance to pounce and mock the two mercilessly.

Sun Jiayuan, upon learning the situation, couldn’t help but facepalm for the benefactor. She sympathized deeply—indeed, it was too hard for a ghost who had been dead for many years to quickly reintegrate into society without being exposed.

But that was alright; she could help out.

Just as the online criticism of Qi Yue was about to trend, an account named “Reunion” spoke up:

“Last night on my way home, I ran into a big problem (I won’t say what, it’s confidential; suffice to say it was life or death). Luckily, a kind and handsome guy helped me out. The kind handsome guy didn’t leave his name or ask for anything in return, only that I pass on the favor. Today, watching the livestream, I realized that kind handsome guy was Mr. Qi Yue. He left so hurriedly back then because he was rushing to meet his childhood sweetheart after many years apart. Once again, thank you so much, Mr. Qi Yue; my whole family is grateful. Also, Mr. Qi Yue, you left your phone and wallet in my car. I've contacted the production team, and they’ve allowed me to deliver your phone and wallet tomorrow. I’m so excited to see Mr. Qi Yue again!”

Below was a video, obviously filmed by a dashcam, showing a tall figure resembling Qi Yue slowly walking toward the apartment building under the streetlights.

The blogger also tagged the official childhood sweetheart variety show account and Gu Yunshuang.

Once this post went up, it was quickly shared, drawing more attention.

Someone asked, “You said Qi Yue took your car, but why did he say he took a taxi?”

Reunion replied, “I don’t know either. Maybe it was too dark, and my car’s color is quite similar to a taxi, so Mr. Qi Yue mistook it. Or maybe because I’m a beauty, Mr. Qi Yue didn’t want anyone to misunderstand and deliberately said so to avoid jealousy. After all, reunions after a long time can bring some anxious, sensitive feelings.”

So Qi Yue lied to avoid making Yunshuang jealous?

The fans who had just been shouting about the collapse of the Yue-Yun pairing immediately perked up and said, “I’m good again.”

The collapse instantly turned into sweetness. The CP fans all shouted about how sweet it was.

Someone in the comments shouted, “Go watch the livestream, it’s even sweeter there.”

Fans who had left the livestream in frustration now flooded back, along with curious onlookers who wanted to see the sweetness for themselves.