Chapter 9

Jiang Mingshuang froze. Impossible! He was certain he hadn't seen anyone there! But if what this man said was true...

Sun Zhanyuan turned his head to look at Jiang Mingshuang suspiciously, his frustration growing with every word. "You saw them? Gu Yunshuang even nodded and greeted you? You knew they were in the car, yet you deliberately said Gu Yunshuang hadn't arrived yet to lead us into bad-mouthing him?"

Xie Yuhua and Qiao Yuanzhong also cast dissatisfied glares at Jiang Mingshuang. What was he playing at? Was he trying to frame them in front of a live audience?

Even Xue Tinghe wore an expression of displeasure.

Jiang Mingshuang was trapped in a situation where he couldn't explain. He had been so certain that no one else was in the car, and he had even secretly resented that he was the only one who had looked inside. Now, everyone was pretending to be ignorant, knowing that if what Qi Yue said was true, someone had to be the scapegoat. They were all just turning their target onto him because Qi Yue had singled him out.

The live stream chat was descending into chaos.

The fans of the other celebrities finally found a reason to defend their idols, rushing to the moral high ground to accuse Jiang Mingshuang of deliberately setting a trap for the others.

Jiang Mingshuang's fans were not to be outdone, accusing the others: "It wasn't just our idol who looked into the car! How could they have missed two people sitting right there? Why are they pretending to be blind?"

They went back to meticulously scrub the recorded footage, finding evidence that the others had also looked inside and must have seen Gu Yunshuang and the other man.

The director, who had been watching from the sidelines, could no longer sit still. He had realized the situation was dire the moment he heard that soft laugh from Qi Yue. He never expected that in just a few seconds, with only a few words, Qi Yue would turn everyone's hostility toward Jiang Mingshuang.

This wouldn't do. He knew exactly who this variety show was intended to promote. If Jiang Mingshuang was smeared this early in the broadcast, the financial backer behind him would tear him to pieces.

But before he could act, something even worse happened.

To prove that the others had seen Gu Yunshuang and were merely pretending otherwise, fans zoomed in on screenshots of the guests, looking for reflections of the two men in their eyes. The program team used the best high-definition cameras available, installed both at the front and back of the bus. Even with the eyes magnified, the reflections were crystal clear.

The discovery was shocking: among the guests, Jiang Mingshuang, Xie Yuhua, Qiao Yuanzhong, and Hu Lijing had all looked toward the corner, but at that moment, there were truly no reflections of Gu Yunshuang or Qi Yue in their eyes. It was as if they really hadn't seen them at all!

What was going on? Was there a paranormal event? The "Childhood Sweetheart" variety show had just started, and a supernatural incident was already occurring!

Once this discovery surfaced, the barrage of comments, previously a cacophony of fighting, fell into an instant, eerie silence. It was absolutely terrifying to think about.

A single, trembling comment appeared:

"Isn't Xue Tinghe a powerful Celestial Master? A supernatural event happened right in front of him, and he didn't notice a thing?"

Not only did it happen in front of him, but it was practically shoved in his face! Not only had Xue Tinghe failed to notice anything unusual, but he still hadn't suspected a thing. Looking at him, it seemed he was still questioning whether Jiang Mingshuang or the production team was trying to sabotage them.

The director panicked. He knew full well that Xue Tinghe was not only powerful but held significant status in the Celestial Master community. He was the favored disciple of the President of the Huaxia Celestial Master Association and was rumored to be the last successor of a mysterious, most powerful lineage of Celestial Masters in China. He was not only the leader of the younger generation but also highly regarded by the elders, who often spoke of him as the tide that would surpass the waves before him.

Countless wealthy moguls, including President Han of New Trend Entertainment and the largest shareholder, Jiang Honghui, had to offer heavy sums of money and beg with humility just to get Xue Tinghe's help.

If word got out that Xue Tinghe was incompetent and had been humiliated, it would cause a domino effect. The elders who had backed him would also lose face, and the reputation of the Celestial Master Association would be tarnished. This would be a slap in the face to more than half of the entire Celestial Master community. That was a consequence this small production team could never afford!

The director hurriedly ordered his staff to block accounts, delete comments, and limit the spread of the footage. Fortunately, the stream had just begun, and the news hadn't spread far yet.

He then stepped onto the bus, appeared on camera, and tried to smooth things over with a smile: "This was a task I assigned to Jiang Mingshuang. Congratulations to him for completing it successfully."

Hearing this, Jiang Mingshuang let out a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement, then offered an apologetic look to the others. The others, receiving the director's signal, followed suit and claimed they had also been given tasks by the director.

The audience had an "aha!" moment. It was just a task from the director; they had wondered why the guests were acting so stupidly. It was all the director's fault. This was common; some directors loved assigning teeth-grinding tasks for the sake of "show effect," sometimes even causing stars to lose fans due to ruined reputations. It all came back to the director being a nuisance.

The audience began to berate the director, though many remained suspicious because the previous discovery had been too thrilling and strange.

All the director could do now was shift the audience's attention and move past this.

However, Qi Yue was not willing to let it go. He questioned the director: "Director, what was the purpose of this task? To let the audience see your production team colluding with guests to frame Shuangshuang and bully him? Are you advocating for bullying?"

He didn't directly mention the issue with the arrival time, as that had been a verbal notification; they had no evidence, and the director could just blame it on a staff error.

The director’s expression shifted. Society was currently extremely sensitive to the word "bullying." If the show were linked to that, they might as well cancel the rest of the broadcast and wait for an official investigation!

The director’s face darkened: "Don't talk nonsense. This is just a small warm-up game. Since you're on the show, don't be such a sore loser."

"A 'small game,' is it? Who doesn't know that our Shuangshuang has been unfairly scapegoated by internet trolls for being late and acting like a diva? To pull this stunt on the very first day of the show—who are you trying to insult? Or are you trying to give us a warning? This show is invested in by New Trend Entertainment, right? Isn't it said that New Trend invested in this to 'clean up' Shuangshuang's reputation? Why start with such a heavy-handed warning? Could it be because Shuangshuang’s contract is about to expire, and since he hasn't agreed to renew it, you're trying to intimidate him?"

Not only the guests present, but the audience in the live stream were hearing for the first time that Gu Yunshuang’s contract was expiring and that he seemed unwilling to renew.

Gu Yunshuang’s fans were overjoyed and expressed their support.

[Yunshuang, listen to me, get rid of that lousy company. When you need them, they’re either hiding or showing up late. They’re number one at suppressing their own artists, giving you trash resources, and grabbing the work you fought for to feed others. I’m starting to think this is a rival company, not yours!]

[It makes no difference whether they exist or not. A company this irresponsible—changing it might be for the better.]

[Support Yunshuang in kicking this useless, trash company to the curb!]

Other viewers had a different focus.

[Gu Yunshuang’s contract is expiring and he’s not renewing? Is that true? If it is, why would New Trend spend so much effort on this show to clear his name? Aren't they being too charitable?]

[Doesn't that just prove how powerful Gu Yunshuang’s secret backer is? Maybe this is all part of the PR campaign—see, isn't it already starting to work?]

The director was sweating profusely, unsure how to respond.

Jiang Mingshuang asked cautiously: "This... sir, may I ask your name? And what is your relationship with Brother Gu?"

The director, prompted by this, finally found a loophole in Qi Yue’s armor. With a dark face, he glared at Qi Yue: "Exactly, who are you? I don't recall inviting someone like you to my show. Our contracts explicitly state that no unauthorized personnel are allowed, so as not to interfere with filming." He looked at Gu Yunshuang with condemnation.

They all knew he was Gu Yunshuang’s childhood friend. When "Sister Hua" had contacted them and insisted on this man being Gu Yunshuang’s partner, they hadn't taken it seriously. Now they realized he was a handful. He couldn't stay on the show. Since they hadn't signed the supplementary contract yet, they decided to kick him out first.

Gu Yunshuang had suffered many secret blows from them and immediately grew alert: "He is Qi Yue. Didn't your program emphasize that I must bring a childhood friend I grew up with? That’s him. If you want to kick him out and replace him with someone you’ve arranged, go ahead, but I will never acknowledge any so-called 'childhood friend' other than him."

The director’s face went black. Ever since Qi Yue arrived, even Gu Yunshuang had stopped holding back!

Qi Yue continued to dig the trap: "You all are really interesting. On one hand, you demand that I bring a 'true' childhood friend, and now that I’m here, you refuse to acknowledge it and want to kick me out. Once I’m gone, who do you want to be Shuangshuang’s partner? An actor from New Trend Entertainment? Why are you so obsessed with finding an actor for Shuangshuang? Could it be that there's something wrong with this person?"

"Don't talk nonsense, there's no such thing! Without Gu Yunshuang’s acknowledgment, who would dare force a fake childhood friend on him?" The director was covered in cold sweat, quickly interrupting Qi Yue while feeling a splitting headache.