The perfectly placed lighting, his face with its undeniable authority, and the impeccable atmosphere brought the livestream chat to a brief standstill.
Only after several seconds did comments gradually flood back in.
[That's Wu Jiangyuan? Holy shit, why does he actually look kind of hot...]
[Is there a beauty filter on this stream? How does his skin look so good?]
[Was he this handsome before? Did he get plastic surgery?]
[Seriously, this guy suddenly looks so hot I almost can't bring myself to trash him.]
[Dressing up like a peacock just for an interview show. What a scheming boy.]
[For us face lovers, whatever Wu Jiangyuan has done no longer matters at this moment. I hereby declare that I will protect this face with its undeniable authority.]
Quite a few casual viewers in the livestream had already become fans after being won over by his looks.
People began sending flowers, and the number of likes was shooting up.
Wu Jiangyuan walked up to Ye Lan, offered his hand, and greeted her with a smile. "Hello."
Ye Lan shook his hand and smiled gently. "Hello, Wu Jiangyuan."
"Please, have a seat."
After Wu Jiangyuan sat down, Ye Lan took the seat opposite him with an elegant posture.
"We're delighted to have you on this episode..."
Smiling, Ye Lan went through some standard pleasantries before finally getting to the point.
"Next, we have some questions viewers and fans have been very interested in. We'd like to take this opportunity to ask you about them..."
Wu Jiangyuan smiled calmly. "Of course. I'd be very happy to answer."
[Great! We're finally getting to the point.]
[How could questions viewers want answered possibly be nice ones? Can Wu Jiangyuan keep his cool?]
[Here he comes, here he comes, Wu Jiangyuan and that sharp tongue of his!]
[Hahahaha, can't wait for Brother Crow Wu's answers.]
[Please don't make things difficult for my lovely Ye Lan. I'm begging you to go easy on her.]
Ye Lan said, "Let's start with the first question."
"How many years has it been since your debut?"
Wu Jiangyuan thought for a moment. "This is my fourth year."
[Wu Jiangyuan only debuted four years ago? Why do I remember his scandals coming out ages ago?]
[That can't be right. Is he lying?]
[I don't think I ever paid attention to that. So I've already been cursing him out for four years.]
[The person above is remembering wrong, right? Wu Jiangyuan really was popular the year he debuted. No joke, you could click on any entertainment video and find his fans underneath.]
[Yes, yes, yes, I remember that all too well.]
[It was just that after Wu Jiangyuan's scandals broke, his fans either stopped caring or became haters.]
[When you think about it, he really is pretty pitiful.]
[Pitiful how? He acted like a diva and cheated. He should be grateful he wasn't blacklisted.]
Seeing those comments, Ye Lan deliberately studied Wu Jiangyuan's expression.
He remained as composed as ever, meeting those comments with nothing but a faint smile, without the slightest sign of anger.
Ye Lan then asked her second question. "What was your first film or television project?"
Wu Jiangyuan tapped a fingertip against the sofa and smiled. "My first TV drama was called Alongside the Light. I was only the third male lead."
[I know Alongside the Light. I still rewatch that drama. That youthful school romance was so beautiful, sob sob sob.]
[Wu Jiangyuan's character in that was my forever love!!! To this day, I don't understand why the heroine didn't choose him. The male lead was so ugly.]
[Why do you think an unattainable love stays unattainable?]
[Seriously, can we get some questions with depth? What are these boring questions?]
[Exactly. Are you sure this pointless waffle is what viewers want to know?]
[Why do Wu Jiangyuan's answers feel completely different from his previous interviews? They're so conventional. There's nothing worth watching.]
[So boring. I'm leaving for a bit. Give me a nudge if there's a twist.]
Ye Lan said, "All right, onto the third question."
"What hardships did you endure to play your role well when you first started acting?"
Wu Jiangyuan said, "Calling them hardships gives me too much credit. I was afraid of holding everyone back, so I would memorize the script the night before."
After several rounds of questions, the livestream had lost half its viewers.
Everyone had come because of Wu Jiangyuan's notorious exploits, only to be sorely disappointed.
Wu Jiangyuan's answers were dry and dull throughout, boring to the extreme.
There was no shortage of viewers starting to curse in the chat, either.
Wu Jiangyuan remained unmoved by the comments. He was now answering entirely from the responses they had polished beforehand on the teleprompter.
He found these questions tiresome and pointless too, but he had no choice. This was his first step toward clearing his reputation.
However much it went against his feelings, he had to endure it.
Just then-
A huge Carnival suddenly popped up on the livestream screen, its flashy effects giving everyone a fright.
The viewers took a closer look. The account sending the gift had the username [Shining Star Candy].
At first, nobody paid it much attention, assuming it was just a fan sending a gift to their idol.
But everyone soon realized something was off.
The gift notifications from [Shining Star Candy] never stopped.
-[Shining Star Candy] sent Carnival ×5
-[Shining Star Candy] sent Carnival ×10
-[Shining Star Candy] sent Carnival ×20
In the end, it actually went straight up to ×99!
And they were still sending more as though they cost nothing!
Everyone was dumbfounded!
Even the production crew was stunned!
The director's mouth formed an O, Ye Lan stopped midsentence, and a deathly silence fell over the set.
Some sharp-eyed viewers noticed that [Shining Star Candy] had started at gift level 1 and was now leveling up at a terrifying speed.
LV.30, LV.45, LV.50...
The livestream erupted in an uproar comparable to a volcanic eruption.
[Holy mother of prosperity! Which Dubai prince has gotten into celebrity fandom?!]
[One Carnival costs three thousand, so ninety-nine is almost three hundred thousand!]
[Wait, why are they still sending them?! Are they insane?!]
[That's already way more than ninety-nine Carnivals! Dad! You're my dad!]
[Please, Wu Jiangyuan doesn't look short of money. Could you spare some for me? I'm broke!]
[!!!!!! Almighty one, please accept my worship.]
[Father, do you need another adopted son?! God, I've never seen so many Carnivals all at once in my life!]
[Master, do you need a watchdog?! I'll be very good and come whenever you call! Woof, woof, woof!]
As [Shining Star Candy] kept sending gifts, they had evidently unlocked higher-tier ones. Having grown bored of Carnivals, they began sending even more expensive gifts.
Director Zhong sucked in a breath and couldn't hold back a curse. "Holy shit, they're throwing around more money than our show's investors."
"Is this a fan of Wu Jiangyuan's?! Who the hell are they?!"
"Director, why am I getting a little nervous?"
"I'm not dreaming, am I?!"
Five minutes later, [Shining Star Candy] was still sending gifts!
Director Zhong finally snapped out of it and abruptly told the staff, "Go find out who this [Shining Star Candy] is!"
A minute later, a staff member shouted, their voice almost cracking with excitement.
"Director! This [Shining Star Candy] is a newly registered account, and their level... is already fifty-seven!!!"
The livestream wasn't muted, so the conversation between the director and staff was picked up loud and clear.
It was the most chaotic episode in the show's history, with absolutely no script to speak of!
What did level fifty-seven mean? Reaching it required spending nearly ten million!
This [Shining Star Candy], who had appeared out of nowhere, had splashed out millions upon millions in the livestream in one uninterrupted spree!
The livestream was pushed to the peak of traffic.
The number of people pouring in to watch skyrocketed.
Wu Jiangyuan also snapped out of his daze. Looking at the username [Shining Star Candy], his heart inexplicably began pounding.
Seeing the situation spiraling further out of control, he abruptly stood and walked toward the equipment still broadcasting, switching it off with lightning speed.
The live connection broke, and several large words immediately appeared on the livestream screen.
[The program is offline-]
"Wu Jiangyuan, what are you doing?!"
Director Zhong's expression changed, and he strode over.
Wu Jiangyuan's expression was cold. "Can't you tell?"
Director Zhong's voice was agitated. "This is a live broadcast! Shutting down the stream without my permission is a serious broadcasting incident, do you understand?"
Wu Jiangyuan was half a head taller than him. Looking down at him, he asked only, "Can those gifts be refunded?"
The corner of Director Zhong's mouth twitched. "How could gifts collected by the platform possibly be refunded?"
"Is that so?" Wu Jiangyuan's voice was a little cold. "Then the proceeds from those gifts ultimately go to you, right?"
He wasn't an idiot. That mysterious person had poured money into gifts so crazily in this show's livestream, and judging by the comments earlier, the estimated total had already reached millions upon millions. Even after the platform's cut, the show would receive a considerable amount.
Several times more than his appearance fee.
Director Zhong's face stiffened for a few seconds before he tried to keep his tone light. "Once the livestream gifts are cashed out, all the proceeds are transferred to the company account. Don't think they go straight into our pockets."
"Fine, then." After hearing that, Wu Jiangyuan said without hesitation, "Calculate the total value of those gifts and refund all of it."
"Are you insane?!" Director Zhong's face turned livid. "Wu Jiangyuan, do you think you own this show?"
Refund all the gifts? Even setting aside how difficult it would be to get the platform to agree, the financial backers behind the show would never let money delivered to their doorstep slip away.
"You can't take this money." Wu Jiangyuan frowned.
Director Zhong said, "Wu Jiangyuan, I know you feel it's unfair because that money was spent in our livestream. I can discuss it with the investors behind the show and let you have..."
"I don't want that money." Wu Jiangyuan impatiently cut him off. "I don't even know the person behind that username. Why should I accept such extravagant gifts from them?"
He simply wouldn't accept someone giving things for no apparent reason. Whose lunatic had stolen money from home and run loose?
Call him precious or crazy, but this was out of the question.
Director Zhong took a deep breath. "Wu Jiangyuan, there really is something wrong with your brain."
"This money isn't mine to decide on. If you have objections, take them to the investors behind the show. They're the real bosses."
Director Zhong had meant to make Wu Jiangyuan understand that the investors behind this weren't people he could afford to offend.
Wu Jiangyuan couldn't care less about all that. He was now utterly speechless and irritated. "Then take me to see them."
Director Zhong had never encountered a freak like Wu Jiangyuan. Someone was handing him money, and he didn't even want it?!
This sudden turn had caught them all off guard. They had originally planned to use Wu Jiangyuan's current notoriety to make the show popular again.
They had never expected a single [Shining Star Candy] to send it soaring into the heavens.
This would definitely become a huge trending topic.
Meow, meow, meow, melodrama is the whole point. Don't yell at me. This is pure madness, so just read it for fun.
You can probably guess who this crazy [Shining Star Candy] is, right? Hehe૮ ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈ෆა
Before you continue