Live Stream Accident: Gu Yue's Fury

Night had settled like a heavy velvet cloth. Only a floor lamp was on in the living room, its warm yellow glow barely illuminating the sofa area.

Xie Xie sprawled across the single-seat sofa, holding his phone high. On the screen, a scantily dressed female streamer was showing off various "talents" to the camera, with cloyingly sweet background music playing behind her.

He watched with great interest, his finger hovering eagerly over the virtual gift section as he clicked his tongue.

"Damn, that waist, those legs, that interaction—amazing! Brothers, now this is what you call living!" he muttered, completely immersed in his own little world of joy.

On the long sofa across from him, Tang Wulin wore noise-canceling headphones and focused on a replay analysis of the Soul Master Tournament on his tablet. Xu Xiaoyan sat cross-legged on the carpet, agonizing over a newly released sequined gown in her shopping cart. Gu Yue, meanwhile, reclined in a beanbag by the window with a thick copy of Fundamental Theory of Elemental Planes in her hands. The soft screen light reflected off her serene profile, utterly at odds with the subtle atmosphere filling the living room.

"Ding-dong—"

A crisp notification sound shattered the "harmony." Gu Yue's fingers paused slightly as she turned a page, and her gaze shifted from the obscure theoretical equations to her lit-up phone screen. A red unread marker followed the group chat name, "Four-Person Study Group." Thinking it was a mission notice or study material, she casually tapped it open.

The screen lit up. What greeted her was not text, but a highly provocative moving image—the very female streamer Xie Xie had just been watching. She was posing seductively at the camera, her eyes hazy, with the caption: "Big brothers, if you like it, give me a follow~"

Gu Yue's hand holding the water cup froze in midair. The rim had just touched her lips, but the warm water had yet to enter her mouth. At that moment, the processor in her brain seemed to overload. The sight before her violently clashed with everything serious and pure in her understanding. Her worldview, built upon rigorous theory and arduous cultivation, seemed to have been hit by a depth charge, sending towering waves crashing through it.

"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!!"

Almost by instinct, a mouthful of warm water mixed with shock and suffocation burst from her lips in an uncontrollable spray! Droplets scattered everywhere, and a few even flew over the coffee table to land precisely on Xie Xie's innocent-looking face. Gu Yue coughed violently, her chest heaving as her cheeks instantly turned from white to red, then from red to green, before finally settling into a nearly blank expression of shock. She set down the cup in a fluster, leaving a small dark stain spreading across the carpet. Her whole body was motionless, like a wooden statue struck by lightning.

"I... I..." She opened her mouth, but could not produce a single meaningful syllable. The few seconds of footage replayed over and over in her mind as a dizzying sensation called "cognitive collapse" swept over her.

"Whoa! Gu Yue, are you okay? You managed to choke on water this badly?" Xie Xie wiped the water from his face. When he saw Gu Yue's state, instead of feeling guilty, he started laughing gleefully. Leaning closer with a playful grin, he said, "Come on, Gu Yue, you're way too old-fashioned. What's so shocking about this? This is content creation! So many people make extra money from this these days! If you're short on cash, I can teach you. It's simple and pays fast—way more interesting than chewing through those heavenly tomes!"

His words were like countless needles stabbing into Gu Yue's already crumbling worldview. She abruptly raised her head. For the first time, flames called fury burned in her eyes, which were usually as calm as a lake. Yet beneath them was an even stronger sense of absurd desolation after everything she believed in had been overturned.

"Xie Xie!" Gu Yue's voice had turned hoarse from overwhelming shock and anger. "You... you actually think this... counts as 'creating a business'? You call this 'interesting'?" She trembled all over in rage, and even her usual precise wording became disjointed. "Do you know what you just sent me? Every bit of understanding and every principle I've built over more than a decade has been completely rearranged, and you call me old-fashioned? No, what the hell do you call this?!" It was the first time Gu Yue had ever cursed in anger.

"I call it reality! I call it the trend!" Xie Xie craned his neck. Though he knew he was in the wrong, he refused to back down verbally. "Everyone watches it, so what are you acting all high and mighty for? These days, can spiritual pursuits put food on the table? Can they buy spirit souls? Can they make you stronger? No, right? So don't take everything so seriously. Just be happy. Come on, I'll register an account for you. I'll be your manager..."

"Enough!" Gu Yue cut him off sharply. She was too angry to say anything else and could only feel her temples throbbing as her vision darkened in waves.

"Can you two stop arguing?" Tang Wulin, who had silently watched until now, finally took off his headphones. Seeing the two of them at each other's throats—especially Gu Yue, who looked as though her faith had collapsed—he grew anxious and tried to mediate. "Xie Xie, stop talking. This really isn't appropriate. Gu Yue, don't take it to heart. He's just a fool with no sense of propriety. Don't lower yourself to his level. Calm down..."

He had only meant to smooth things over and settle the matter.

However, he never could have imagined that those words would become the fuse that ignited the entire powder keg.

Xie Xie's shrewd eyes instantly locked onto Tang Wulin. A mischievous thought—or rather, a revenge plan to drag him down together—formed in an instant. This was exactly the opportunity he had been waiting for!

"Oh? Boss, now you're trying to lecture me?" A particularly punchable, scheming grin spread across Xie Xie's lips. He deliberately raised his voice, making sure every word rang clearly through the living room. "Why are you pretending to be some righteous peacemaker? You think I don't know? When I sent that link just now, you weren't making that face!"

Tang Wulin's mediating posture instantly stiffened, and a trace of barely noticeable panic flashed across his face. "Xie Xie, what nonsense are you talking about? When did I..."

"Cut the act!" Xie Xie gave him no chance to explain. His finger swiped rapidly across his phone screen, then he turned it toward Gu Yue like he was displaying a trophy. His voice brimmed with the delight of exposing a hypocrite. "Everyone, look closely! I've got records! Five minutes ago, when I sent this 'good stuff,' our 'upright' Captain Tang was sitting next to me. He even leaned over and asked, 'That streamer dances pretty energetically. What kind is she?' When I asked whether he wanted a copy, he actually said, 'Send it to me, send it to me! I'll go support her too!' And that's not all! I saw him with my own eyes using his carefully saved allowance to send that streamer a 'luxury cruise ship'! Isn't that right, Captain Tang? Did your little secret stash bleed out again for this kind of 'spiritual nourishment'?"

"Boom—!!!"

To Gu Yue, those words were no different from detonating a mental nuclear bomb directly in the heart that had just survived a nuclear explosion.

"Tang... Wu... lin..."

Gu Yue spoke the three syllables as lightly as feathers, yet they carried crushing weight. Every sound seemed to have been pulled from an ice cellar, piercingly cold. She did not get angry. She did not question him. She did not even show the slightest emotional fluctuation. She merely looked at him—and then, without warning, smiled.

It was the smile of someone so furious that all emotion had warped, transforming grief and outrage into absurdity. The smile reached her lips without carrying any warmth. Instead, it was more chilling than a frozen lake.

"Good. Very good." She clapped softly, the sound painfully sharp in the dead-silent living room. "Truly... spectacular. I have truly... had my eyes opened."

Before her words had even faded, she moved. Without any unnecessary chatter or furious screaming, she walked directly up to Tang Wulin, grabbed the wrist he had been trying to hide behind his back in panic, and squeezed so hard that he cried out in pain.

"What are you doing?! Gu Yue, let go! We can talk about this!" Tang Wulin stumbled as she dragged him, looking utterly miserable.

Without looking back, Gu Yue pulled him toward the bedroom. "I need some time alone to properly 'get acquainted' with my 'good companion' again."

"Bang—!!!"

With a deafening slam, Gu Yue threw her entire back into the bedroom door, shutting out everything in the living room. The door shook.

The living room fell into deathly silence.

Xu Xiaoyan's phone slipped from her hand and landed on the carpet with a soft smack. Her mouth hung open as she looked from the tightly shut door to Xie Xie, who wore the smug expression of someone whose plan had succeeded and was happily pulling out tissues to wipe his face. After a long pause, she finally managed to say, "Xie Xie, you're done for. This time, you really... went too far."

The smugness had not even left Xie Xie's face before those words chilled him to the bone. He stared at the door and, for the first time, felt a trace of fear. He had only thought he was dragging Tang Wulin down with him so they could all embarrass themselves together. He had never expected things to spiral into such an uncontrollable abyss.

On the other side of the door was another world.

At first came the chaotic sounds of tables and chairs being knocked over, followed by Tang Wulin's frightened, pained cry. "Ow! Gu Yue! Be gentler! If you break something, can you afford to pay for it?"

Then came a burst of hurried, suppressed footsteps, as if someone were being chased around the room.

"Pay? Right now, I only want to know how much the trust I gave you is worth," Gu Yue's voice came through the door.

"I didn't! Gu Yue, listen to my explanation! I really was just... momentarily confused! I wanted to see what Xie Xie was so obsessed with every day, and then... then it just... ow!"

Another cry of pain rang out. He seemed to have hit the bedside table.

"No! Gu Yue! I like you! I like all of you! I just... I just thought there was nothing wrong with watching something lively with everyone..." Tang Wulin's voice carried a sobbing tone. He was genuinely panicking.

Outside the door, Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan stared at each other, neither daring to breathe loudly.

After a brief silence, another burst of chaotic movement came from the bedroom, as though Tang Wulin were awkwardly trying to approach her, followed by Gu Yue's firm rebuke. "Don't come closer! Stay away from me!"

Then came a long, miserable howl filled with grievance and helplessness. "Ow—! Gu Yue! I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! Can you forgive me just this once? I promise! I swear! I'll never watch it again! I'll get the donation money back! I'll treat you to hot pot for a whole month! As much as you want! Please..."

Then Gu Yue let out a helpless but warning-filled shout. "Shut up! You're so noisy!"

Yet most of the anger had clearly faded from her voice.

After that, Tang Wulin's voice became cautious and ingratiating. "Okay, okay, okay, I won't make noise. I'll just stand here. Gu Yue, don't be angry anymore. It isn't worth hurting yourself over anger. I... I'll hold myself to the highest standards from now on. Not only will I not watch it, I'll supervise Xie Xie too. If he sends this kind of thing again, I'll be the first to report him! I swear!"

"Your oath is worth only one 'luxury cruise ship' to you?" Gu Yue snorted, but her tone had softened considerably.

"It's not! It's not! It's absolutely not worth that!" Tang Wulin hurriedly admitted his mistake, his voice even carrying a faint nasal tone from having cried. "I was wrong, Gu Yue. Please be magnanimous..."