Chapter 13: A Lottery and Fortune-Telling

Yang Qin could never have expected that just after she had explicitly told him not to stir up trouble, this guy would go ahead and create such a massive uproar.

God knows how she felt when her assistant called her in a panic, urging her to check the trending topics. When she saw the hashtag #GuYuQuitsTheIndustry, her emotions were all over the place.

If she weren't well aware of his powerful background, she would have already fired him.

"I didn't know it would turn out like this! I was just doing some health exercises; I didn't say anything..." Gu Yu was similarly speechless, scratching his head in frustration as he detailed what had happened that morning.

"That's really all you did?" Sister Qin asked, unconvinced.

Still, she didn't think Gu Yu would lie to her—he had no reason to. Did he not already create enough trouble on a daily basis?

Lying is a tactic for the powerless. Even if Gu Yu caused a massive uproar, it wouldn't matter much with his connections. He didn't need to stoop to that level.

"It's all true. That's really it."

Hearing this, Yang Qin let out a small sigh of relief. As long as it was just a rumor, it could be handled. "Are you still streaming?" she asked.

"Yeah, I haven't had a chance to shut it down yet," Gu Yu nodded.

"Good. Go explain everything directly on the livestream, and I'll have Xiao Mei write up a clarification post for your Weibo. Once it's ready, I'll send it to you."

"It's trending anyway. Since it's not a negative topic, explaining it might even help you gain more followers."

With a curt "beep," the call ended. Gu Yu's face turned pale. He had just scrolled through the comments section and seen countless people mocking him, saying his movements looked like those of a zombie.

And now, he had to explain himself to them?

They would definitely laugh at him. But Gu Yu knew he had no choice but to do it.

His eyebrows furrowed so intensely they resembled two caterpillars.

"Brother Seven, is something wrong?" a soft voice asked. Yaoyao shuffled over with little steps, her face concerned as she studied his strange expression.

"It's just… a little incident. I need to handle it," Gu Yu replied, unsure how to explain the situation to his sister, so he deflected her question.

"Alright. Do you need my help with anything?" Yaoyao asked casually, not pressing the issue.

Gu Yu instinctively wanted to refuse, but then a thought struck him, and he swallowed his rejection.

"Actually… yes!" He suddenly smiled brightly.

Meanwhile, since Gu Yu himself hadn't addressed the situation yet, his livestream chat had descended into chaos. People were crying and wailing, and it looked like things were about to spiral out of control.

Suddenly, the rear-facing camera went dark. When the video resumed, the stream had switched to the front-facing camera.

Two figures, one tall and one short, appeared on the screen.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm Gu Yu," he greeted with a wave. His handsome face carried a warm smile, and his aristocratic air immediately came across through the camera.

It had to be said—Gu Yu's combination of elegance and good looks was unmatched in the entertainment industry. There really was no substitute for someone like him.

The livestream audience, who had been eagerly waiting for him to address the situation, froze for a moment before erupting with excitement.

"Young Master, please tell us it's not true! You're not quitting the industry, are you?"

"We can't lose you. Not even for a day!"

"I'm not quitting. I was just practicing some health exercises," Gu Yu explained. He had been unsure where to start, but the fans' concern gave him the perfect opening.

Relieved, he quickly clarified the rumors about him quitting the industry.

After all, he'd only been doing some simple exercises, with no intention of leading anyone to misunderstand. There was no reason for fans not to believe him.

Besides, if he were really planning to quit, why would he bother explaining it?

As the saying goes, "Nobody takes off their pants to fart"—there's simply no need for extra gestures.

The chat quickly filled with exasperated messages.

"Seriously? So you were actually just doing health exercises?"

"Good grief. This guy is really committed to his wellness routine!"

"That's pretty much the story," Gu Yu said. "I didn't realize things would blow up like this. I apologize for letting the situation escalate before addressing it."

"As for quitting the industry? Not happening! At least not until I've had my fill of fun. You can all relax!"

Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, Gu Yu returned to his usual nonchalant demeanor.

"Since you're not quitting, and you're streaming again this morning, shouldn't you give us something exciting to make up for this drama?"

"I was crying over this first thing in the morning. Don't we deserve some compensation?"

"Spill some tea! We demand a scoop!"

"Uh… that might not be possible," Gu Yu hesitated, the sound of Sister Qin's furious yelling still echoing in his ears.

The mix-up he had caused was bad enough. If he ended up spilling something inappropriate in the stream…

At that point, Sister Qin's resignation letter might hit the company's executive desks earlier than his rumored retirement announcement.

"No tea? Then what's the point of watching your stream early in the morning? I'm out!"

"Young Master, you've changed. You've gone soft. Unfollowing!"

As the chat filled with complaints, the viewer count began to drop rapidly. Some even left comments about unfollowing him.

Gu Yu wasn't particularly bothered by this. After all, he had entered the industry with a carefree attitude, treating it as a game.

But calling him a coward? Now that was unacceptable.

"Who says I wouldn't spill tea?" Gu Yu retorted, visibly annoyed. "Let's not act like cowards here. I'll set up a random video connection. Ask whatever you dare, and I'll answer!"

This bold declaration sent the chat into a frenzy.

"Holy crap, this is getting exciting! Only our Young Master has this kind of swagger!"

"I hope I get picked! I've got so many juicy questions to ask!"

Fueled by a surge of determination, Gu Yu ignored Sister Qin's earlier warnings and set up a random video call feature. He wasn't bluffing—he was ready for whatever came his way.

The livestream audience, now buzzing with anticipation, received pop-up invitations for the random video chat. Many viewers had been prepared, frantically tapping their screens to try their luck.

It didn't take long for the system to generate a match.

The livestream screen split into two, and a new window appeared, revealing a young woman with a delicate face.

She looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with her hair tied in a high ponytail and wearing a white floral dress. Her slender willow-leaf eyebrows and peach blossom eyes gave her a charming appearance, and her dimples added a sweet touch when she smiled.

In a crowd, her looks would definitely stand out. However, the dark circles under her eyes and the exhaustion etched into her features somewhat diminished her beauty.

"Ah, I actually got picked!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.

After a moment's hesitation, she said awkwardly, "But… I don't really have anything to ask."

Unlike the eager fans in the chat clamoring for gossip, Shu Xiuxiu had only joined the stream to fill the silence in her room.

She had recently moved into a new house, and the atmosphere felt oppressively eerie. Every time she woke up, she had the unsettling feeling that something was watching her. But no matter how thoroughly she searched the house, she found nothing.

Far from easing her nerves, her mental state had only worsened over time. She was now waking up naturally before six in the morning and couldn't fall back asleep no matter how hard she tried.

The soothing sound of someone practicing traditional exercises in the stream had been a rare source of peace for her, so she had stayed.

When the sound stopped, she had instinctively picked up her phone and noticed the invitation for the video call. Without thinking, she tapped it.

And out of tens of thousands of viewers, she was the one who got selected.

[--------------------------------------------]

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