At six the next morning, Chen Xun woke a second before his alarm went off and switched it off the instant it rang.
He threw back the covers and tidied the bed out of habit. After washing up, he changed into a black T-shirt and put a gray shirt over it.
He went to the top floor for breakfast first and picked up a few extra oranges for Qu Nanzhu to try later. By the time he returned to his hotel room and checked the time, it was only six forty, ten minutes before the variety show's livestream began.
He sent Qu Nanzhu a message. The reply came quickly, saying he was awake.
Reassured by the reply, Chen Xun sat down at the desk, took out his tablet, and opened the livestream.
At six forty-six, the stream was already playing ads, with over a million and a half concurrent viewers. Even through the internet, Chen Xun could guess that the director was grinning from ear to ear.
[We're here, we're here!]
[Aaaah, I can't wait to see how our boy does live. Sob, I'm a little worried too, hahaha.]
[To all the other stars' fans, our Linlin is a newcomer and a little shy. She's not being rude, so please be understanding.]
[Are they doing wake-up calls for a livestream this early? Hahahaha, any chance we'll get to see the stars without makeup?]
[Not likely. They all make their living off their faces, after all.]
[I'm honestly curious how they're going to film a supernatural variety show with people from outside the industry. They're being so secretive about it. None of the challenges or rules have leaked yet.]
[That's what makes it fun! I'm really looking forward to God Qu's performance later!]
[I just hope the special effects won't be too lousy, or it'll be awful to watch.]
[Same. Like going to a haunted house. They make it sound terrifying, but then it's all jump scares and weird shrieks...]
[Why are you so sure it's special effects? It's not like you haven't seen God Qu's Paper Person Technique.]
[Pfft... the person above has the exquisite aura of someone missing a brain.]
[This stuff only exists if you believe in it. If you want to put him on a pedestal, that's your business. Don't force us to believe too, okay? We're only watching for the stars we like. The content has nothing to do with it, understand?]
[All right, all right, stop arguing. They're going to get the first guest.]
On the livestream, a camera operator carried his camera behind the FD, who introduced the livestream's content and what they would be doing next as he walked.
The elevator rose to the floor where the guests were staying. The first door they knocked on belonged to Lu Luqing, a young star whose popularity had recently exploded. He had innocent looks and a gentle personality with a stubborn streak, and he was Su Yuanshen's rival-though not anymore, of course.
He had clearly gotten ready well in advance. His clothes and appearance were immaculate when he opened the door. He greeted the camera naturally, exchanged a few pleasantries with the FD, and joined the wake-up crew.
Second was Su Liyun, an industry veteran. She had debuted as a child star and spent twelve years in the industry, yet she was still only twenty-five when she returned.
The number of comments visibly increased the moment she appeared. Her fans accounted for a fifth of the livestream's viewers.
Next was Zhao Lin, a child of industry capital. She had a dainty, girl-next-door look and a petite figure. At the sight of the two senior stars, she merely gave a faint nod, then closed her door and joined the group without a word.
Some negative comments began appearing then. After all, Zhao Lin had been shoehorned in by her backers. Calling her shy was putting it nicely; in truth, she had no emotional intelligence. With that attitude on top of it, she was hard to like.
After her came Lin Qianyu and Zhou Mingzhong, a singer and a veteran actor, both currently hot names.
In less than ten minutes, the wake-up crew had grown to six. The other two had long since woken up and were visiting each other's rooms. The FD froze briefly when the door opened to reveal two people.
Bai Shiyu was what netizens called the sunny puppy type. His two pointed canines showed when he smiled, attracting a large following of girlfriend fans.
The other one, Luo Wenxi, was genuinely shy. He was a singer-songwriter who had recently become very popular, with an ethereal, emotion-filled voice that earned him the name "the sprite of the music world."
Everyone knew the two were college classmates, so the viewers found it perfectly reasonable for them to appear together.
After meeting up with those two, only Qu Nanzhu remained. This was, of course, deliberate on the director's part. Qu Nanzhu was undoubtedly the grand finale.
But many viewers in the livestream did not see it that way. On the contrary, they were not particularly willing to see Qu Nanzhu.
Like the stars they followed, they all thought Qu Nanzhu was a new plaything being promoted by capital. Hadn't his backers simply latched onto the attention he had received for saving someone, intending to turn him into a money-making tool?
And of all things, they had chosen such an absurd persona. Wasn't it laughable?
The FD did not care about any of that. He was a diehard Qu Nanzhu fan!
Heart pounding and hands trembling, the FD knocked on Qu Nanzhu's door.
Silence passed. Looking at the unresponsive door, the stars behind him exchanged glances.
Meanwhile, Chen Xun watched from downstairs without a ripple of emotion.
The FD knocked a second time.
This time, there was a response.
The door slowly opened from inside, revealing Qu Nanzhu.
Chen Xun secretly let out a breath of relief.
The FD immediately broke into the smile of a fan meeting his idol. "Good morning, Master!"
Qu Nanzhu nodded reservedly. "Sorry, I didn't hear you just now." In truth, he had zoned out while watching the livestream and had not realized he was next.
The FD said, "All right, everyone's here now. Let's head to the lobby together!"
Qu Nanzhu followed behind them and shut his door. Just then, Su Liyun asked, "Didn't you say there were two bona fide celestial masters as well? Aren't we waiting for them?"
The FD immediately answered with a smile, "You really are a veteran. So thoughtful. But those two masters are heading straight to the filming location. We'll meet up with them when we get there."
At that, the others who had looked over turned back and resumed their conversations.
Only Qu Nanzhu knew no one. He walked behind the others, with the camera operator bringing up the rear and capturing his every move clearly.
[I don't know why, but this scene makes me feel good.]
[I get you. If he wants to use the veterans as stepping stones, he'd better have what it takes.]
[This so-called Master doesn't fit in at all.]
[His fans had better not start accusing the veterans of isolating their precious baby later. Hahaha, I'm dying.]
Just as the comments filled with snide remarks and the Candlelight fans dared not speak up to object, Qu Nanzhu's collar suddenly moved on-screen. Before anyone could react, Little Eighteen popped straight out and greeted the camera.
"Heehee-"
The eerie laughter of a female ghost instantly reached everyone's ears. The camera operator was so startled that he nearly lost his grip on his equipment, then held it firmly in place when its price flashed through his mind.
The others were a different story. All three women screamed on the spot, and Bai Shiyu outright stuffed himself into his good friend's arms, not daring to move. Luo Wenxi looked the calmest, but in fact, he had not processed what had happened at all.
Lu Luqing and Zhou Mingzhong were badly startled too, but immediately afterward, they inwardly blamed the production team for being so awful as to scare them deliberately.
Qu Nanzhu, on the other hand, was startled by the three women's screams. He stared blankly at the people looking back at him.
The others had originally turned around to demand an explanation, but the sight of a certain floating piece of yellow paper left them speechless. Little Eighteen was still persistently greeting the camera, her eerie, strange laughter ringing out from time to time.
Zhao Lin timidly caught Lin Qianyu's sleeve and asked, "What is that thing?"
The livestream viewers exploded too. Little Eighteen's laughter was so eerie that, for an instant, they all thought they had seen a ghost.
Especially since this thing did not merely flash past, but kept floating in front of the camera, looking as though she would not stop until she scared them to death.
Now it was time for the Candlelight fans to be useful. They all began typing explanations.
[Don't be scared, everyone. This is God Qu's little paper person. They're adorable.]
[Adorable, my fucking ass. Are you blind?]
[Don't be scared, don't be scared. She's just saying hello to us.]
[Who the fuck says hello like that? Fuck, I nearly had a heart attack.]
[...]
Qu Nanzhu went over and caught Little Eighteen, who was still saying hello, then answered Zhao Lin's earlier question. "Sorry for scaring you. She's my paper person. She was just trying to say hello to everyone. She's always..." Qu Nanzhu paused and considered his wording. "Thought she was very cute."
After he said that, Little Eighteen obligingly giggled.
The people present shuddered in fright again.
The FD had clearly seen a thing or two. Not only was he unafraid of Little Eighteen, but he excitedly asked Qu Nanzhu, "Master, does she have a name?"
[My man, you asked what the Candlelight fans have always wanted to know!]
Qu Nanzhu stuffed Little Eighteen into his pocket before answering, "Yes. Little Eighteen."
[Little Eighteen! Aaaaah, what an adorable name!]
[Fuck, are Qu Nanzhu's fans devils? What exactly is cute about this thing??!]
[I'm absolutely furious!]
After forcibly muting Little Eighteen, Qu Nanzhu earnestly asked the FD, "Since this is a supernatural variety show, it should be okay for Little Eighteen to appear, right?"
Off-camera, the director was grinning so hard at the livestream's results that his face nearly split. Completely disregarding the other guests' welfare, he told the FD that of course it was okay.
The FD relayed the director's answer, and Qu Nanzhu sighed in relief.
He had really been afraid that Little Eighteen would cause him to violate his contract and get kicked off the show. Paying compensation would be a minor matter; his fans would probably be heartbroken.