Bro, want some?

Qi Gu's client, Kang Hao, was keeping watch at the hospital.

His grandparents had fallen asleep after eight, but he was a night owl. After playing a few games on mute and finding them rather dull, he opened Weibo.

The moment he opened it, he saw the trending tag #Here'sARundownOfAllTheBizarreThingsQiGuHasDoneInShowbiz# highlighted in red on the front page.

Kang Hao angrily tapped into it and found a list of Qi Gu's supposed offenses leaked by so-called industry insiders, including but not limited to throwing his weight around despite being a nobody, sleeping with fans, and making life difficult for his manager and assistants. At the end, they even mocked the occult master persona Qi Gu was trying to establish this time.

By the dim night-light in the hospital's double room, Kang Hao glanced at his grandparents, who lay peacefully beside him.

If not for Qi Gu, he would no longer have his grandparents.

So there was no way he would let these idiots slander his family's benefactor like this!

Without hesitation, Kang Hao used his main account to lash out at the haters: [Qi Gu isn't putting on a persona. He really is a master!]

[Of course I've met him. If he hadn't been there yesterday, I wouldn't have my grandparents anymore!]

[I'm a shill Qi Gu paid for? Fine, if I'm lying, may I get hit at a hundred miles an hour when I go outside. What about you?!]

Young as he was, Kang Hao was a formidable fighter. He single-handedly battled his way in and out of the chaotic Weibo comments again and again, until a gossip account finally called him out and tagged him.

Showbiz Know-It-All V: @OkayOkayOkayOkay, how much did Qi Gu pay you to charge into battle for him like this?

Kang Hao nearly exploded with anger and replied directly: [I told you I'm not a paid shill. I happened to run into Master Qi yesterday. Master Qi divined that something had happened at home and told me to go back right away. I didn't believe him at first, but he was very serious, so I believed him. I never expected to get home and find my grandma lying in a pool of blood after being stabbed, while my grandpa was having a heart attack... Anyway, luckily I called 120 in time. They're both out of danger now and resting in the hospital.]

[Uh... why does what he's saying sound kind of real?]

[You, upstairs... forget it.]

[None of you are saying it, huh? Then I won't either.]

[I'll say it! First commenter, you're the kind who'll get scammed into buying health supplements when you're old, aren't you? You'd rather believe him than believe I'm Qin Shi Huang?]

[Enough, everyone. Mr. OkayOkayOkayOkay, just post a photo you took at the hospital, and I'll believe you.]

Kang Hao had only just finished his college entrance exams and rarely used Weibo. Thinking they really would believe him if he posted a photo, he immediately sent one of the hospital room.

But his freshly taken photo was immediately declared a picture he had found elsewhere online. One commenter even swore they had seen the exact same image somewhere else.

Kang Hao: "..."

Realizing he really couldn't win against the commenters, he decided instead to warn Qi Gu not to go on Weibo, lest those comments ruin his mood before bed.

He, for one, was now far too angry to sleep!

He cautiously sent Qi Gu a message: [Master, please stay off Weibo for a while.]

Qi Gu, who was happily eating a late-night snack because he would be receiving five thousand yuan a day for many days to come, replied: [?]

[But I'm looking at it right now.]

As he said this, he even sent a screenshot. It clearly showed the comments under his latest Weibo post.

[Qi Gu Get Out of Showbiz: Qi Gu was shot, but he didn't die. Why?]

[Qi Gu Get Out of Showbiz: Because the bullet hit Qi Gu's face, and his skin is thicker than a city wall.]

Kang Hao read the contents of the image: [You've suffered. I'll go yell at them!]

Qi Gu: [Don't you think it's hilarious?]

Qi Gu: [Such exquisite meme work.]

Having offended plenty of people in showbiz by speaking too bluntly before, he had considered buying a copy of The Art of Speaking to improve himself. But before he could start studying, the hate had driven him out of the industry.

Naturally, he had no use for The Art of Speaking anymore.

After all, playing a wild man at a tourist attraction required no talking. He only had to howl and chase tourists.

But chasing tourists and howling was still too tiring, so Qi Gu later decided he didn't want to do it anymore.

He still preferred playing motionless corpses, ideally ones that had died indoors in air-conditioned rooms.

Kang Hao: ???

He had reasonable grounds to suspect Master Qi was only saying these things because he had gone mad with anger.

In reality, however, Qi Gu was sitting cross-legged in front of a small table laden with beef and lamb skewers sprinkled with cumin and chili, along with a foil bowl of garlic baby napa cabbage.

...That was right. He had ordered more takeout.

He ate while scrolling through Weibo, occasionally offering sincere praise for the commenters' talent when their viciousness was particularly ingenious.

He wasn't the one whose malicious words would come back to bite him in the future, so why should he be angry?

Ten minutes later, he finished his late-night snack and tapped the Purple-Gold Gourd beside him. A small, translucent blue-green hand reached out of the gourd and opened its palm in front of him.

Qi Gu casually dropped his takeout trash into the hand and added, "It's getting a little hot. Let out some more ghostly energy."

The little hand trembled. A bloody mouth split open in its palm and swallowed all the trash. Then a muffled child's voice came from inside the gourd. "I got it."

Cool ghostly energy sprayed out of the gourd, instantly making the entire room considerably cooler than an air-conditioned room. Qi Gu nodded in satisfaction, picked up a change of clothes, and went to shower.

Three days later, at eight in the morning, outside the film studio complex's east gate.

Considering that he would be appearing on a show, Qi Gu hadn't come out looking shabby in a tank top washed so thin it was transparent.

Today, he wore a loose white T-shirt and black athletic shorts. He looked very casual, if one ignored the incongruous Purple-Gold Gourd hanging at his waist and the four pockets on either side of his shorts, all stuffed so full they bulged out of shape and ruined his appearance.

Song An, the director, had a pair of foxlike eyes and looked scheming at first glance. He eyed Qi Gu's pockets and gourd. "What are these?"

"Oh, snacks for the road." At the mention of snacks, Qi Gu's impassive face immediately came alive. His almond-shaped eyes curved, and he even pulled a packet of QQ gummies from his pocket. "Director, want some?"

Song An hastily declined, feeling that the Qi Gu before him was completely different from the one he had heard about.

His public persona had previously been polite and gentle. Looking at him now, that must have been something his agency had crafted for him rather than his true nature.

The second to arrive was Mu Xingchen, an eighteen-year-old idol from 6part, a group that had debuted through a talent competition. Between the drug users and those who solicited prostitutes, most of the group's members had already enjoyed fifteen-day stays in detention. Mu Xingchen alone remained unscathed.

He had delicate features and pale blond hair, and wore a cat-shaped zircon stud earring. His styling gave him a boy-next-door look.

The third to arrive was Sha Chuan, a male beauty influencer on a certain platform. He had long black hair as smooth as silk and two million followers online.

In person, he wasn't as instantly breathtaking as he was in his heavily retouched photos, but he was still a handsome man.

Next came Vivian, an extremely wealthy woman. She was in her forties, but thanks to careful upkeep, she looked barely over thirty. Her red lipstick gave her a commanding presence.

Vivian's background was mysterious. She had never spoken publicly about her identity, but she spent extravagantly and had an entire wall of Hermès at home.

Everyone was curious why a wealthy woman of such elevated standing would spare the time to join a little web variety show.

She had arrived this time in a Bugatti Veyron.

The final guest still hadn't arrived. The others and the director kept checking the time, wondering whether he would make it before eight thirty.

After all, they had already announced the livestream's starting time. If they couldn't start on schedule, they would probably be mocked as an amateur outfit.

Just as Director Song An was hesitating over whether to start streaming first-

A black SUV came speeding toward them, smoothly swung around with its rear sliding out, and stopped by the roadside. Then the door opened, and a pair of long legs clad in black combat boots stepped out.

Qi Gu looked over along with everyone else. The fifth guest, whose Weibo account revealed little information, was evidently a complete amateur, male, and around 186 centimeters tall. His skin was pale as cold jade, and he had alluring, peach-blossom-shaped eyes. Despite it being high summer, he wore a long black trench coat, fitted trousers, and combat boots, covering himself tightly from top to bottom.

He looked frail at a glance.

Qi Gu frowned. Someone with a weak constitution could easily get sick in a place with heavy yin energy. Watching this guy turn his head and cover his bloodless lips to cough with every step... hopefully he wouldn't die on the livestream.

"Sorry, I'm in poor health. I just went to the hospital for an IV. Luckily, I'm not late." As Lin Hanzhi spoke, he covered his lips and coughed several more times, coughing a faint flush into his pale cheeks. "My name is Lin Hanzhi. Hello, everyone."

He walked naturally over to Qi Gu and stood beside him.

Qi Gu, whom the other guests had all been more or less avoiding, couldn't help looking up and shooting him a glance: ?

Lin Hanzhi returned a weak yet beautiful smile.

Qi Gu immediately warmed to him a little. He pulled the packet of QQ gummies the director had politely declined from his pocket and offered it to him. "Bro, want some?"

He somehow made it sound like, "Bro, want a smoke?"

Lin Hanzhi paused, then accepted the packet of candy. "Thank you."