[Hahaha, never say never! The story isn’t even over yet—how do you know she won’t write romance?]

[This whole attack was definitely premeditated. Who did Master Yan piss off?]

[Time to @Evergreen Streaming’s official account. Before any results were even out, people were already spreading lies that Eldritch God got into the competition through connections. What now? [Screenshot] [Screenshot]]

The criticism collapsed in on itself. Some still tried to argue that [This kind of obsessive, pathological love doesn’t count as romance], but they couldn’t hold up against the counterarguments and quickly disappeared.

[…I apologize. I shouldn’t have jumped on the hate bandwagon before watching the next episode.]

[This is so embarrassing. I almost wronged a great piece of work…]

[I did not see that twist coming. I tuned in just to watch someone get owned, and now I’m the one getting owned… I have nothing to say. Damn it, Master Yan, from now on, you’re the GOAT!]

The original poster, realizing they had no leg to stand on, deleted their post and fled in disgrace.

–

SMACK!

Guan Gaoyang, seething with rage, slammed his light brain shut. His face burned like it was on fire. The last thing he saw on his screen was a trending post:

[Here’s the ‘love’ you asked for. Enjoy.]

Initially, his post hadn’t gained much traction. It was only after his signed company, Oren, caught wind of it and fanned the flames that it blew up.

His editor had thought the approach was solid and suggested continuing the PR push in that direction.

At first, Guan Gaoyang had been thrilled by the news. But the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became.

On one hand, this meant the company was backing him. On the other… it also meant that Oren saw Married to an Eldritch God as a serious enough threat to his number-one spot that they needed to take it down preemptively.

He had spent a year working his way into Oren’s ranks. The company was a has-been, once a major platform in the wandering star systems, now slowly fading into obscurity. Word on the street was that unfair treatment had driven Dreamweavers away in droves.

Guan Gaoyang didn’t care. Oren was throwing all its resources at him, and that was all that mattered. The company, in turn, needed a “flawless rising star” to cement its reputation. Winning first place in this event was just step one for both sides.

[Plan A failed. Move to Plan B.] His editor was unfazed. [You take care of it.]

A wave of unwillingness and resentment surged through him. Gritting his teeth, Guan Gaoyang picked up his light brain, opened Jingyan’s private message interface, and sent over Oren’s contract offer.

—Yes, Plan B was simply bribing Shang Jingyan into withdrawing from the competition.

If she signed with Oren, they would both be under the same management and could “strategically” agree for her to lay low. Oren’s resources would continue pushing him first, and next time, it’d be her turn.

A win-win. The company got a second genius Dreamweaver for free.

Neither he nor the editor considered rejection a real possibility. Oren still carried weight in the industry.

But a few minutes later, Guan Gaoyang received a reply:

[Not interested. Consider this a polite refusal.]

Guan Gaoyang and his editor: “…”

That was some real passive-aggressive wording. Who even says polite refusal about themselves?

Holding back his anger, Guan Gaoyang sent another message:

[Miss Jingyan, I urge you to reconsider. If your ranking doesn’t hold up, we may have to consider other candidates.]

Translation: This is a one-time offer. Take it or leave it.

Her response was curt and arrogant:

[Oh? I won’t.]

He tried to reply, only to see a red exclamation mark next to his message—

She had blocked him.

Both men sat there, dumbfounded.

His editor remained silent, but dread crept into Guan Gaoyang’s heart. If she had refused, then… what if she really overtook him and snatched first place?

Oren wanted a perfect rookie. If his debut competition ended in failure, then he was nothing more than another disposable newbie. Would Oren… still back him the same way?

–

V059

[Why’d you turn down Oren?] X71 asked, curious.

It had detected that the IP address belonged to the same person who made the initial attack post—White Sun High in the Sky, the current top-ranked competitor. But how did Shang Jingyan know?

“All I need to know is that White Sun High in the Sky is backed by Oren. That’s enough.” Shang Jingyan replied.

After studying how entertainment worked in this world, she had concluded that signing with a company was a necessary step. But not now, and definitely not Oren.

That company’s ambition was as obvious as the sun at noon. Even if they hadn’t orchestrated this mess, signing alongside White Sun High in the Sky would only lead to endless backstabbing down the road.

Ever since she entered the top 50, her inbox had been swamped. Every time she replied to one, another popped up.

There were invitations from agencies, inquiries about her actors, questions about her composer, and—of all things—an old-fashioned architecture firm asking about Gothic designs.

She ignored most but added the last two contacts—music and architecture.

These were all things she had brought from Earth. She had no reason to hoard them.

But the most popular topic in the Eldritch God comment section wasn’t the female lead. It was the police officer.

[She’s so cool, omg. It’s not just the three-person filter effect—she genuinely stands out!]

[This is weird. The data says the female lead is based on some minor celeb named Wu Rui, but we’ve had three mega-threads hunting for info on the officer, and still nothing. Is she a nobody?]

[Maybe she’s a custom AI model, but if she is, she’s crazy detailed. AI that flawless would cost a fortune—I doubt Master Yan could afford it, haha.]

[Eldritch God is stunning and badass, but the officer is just so cool!]

[How dare you lust after the Eldritch God?! Begone! Goddess, look at me instead—ignore that other fan. I volunteer as tribute!]

[I choose the human cop…]

Shang Jingyan felt a bit conflicted—because the police officer everyone was raving about… was actually her.

She had simply tweaked the parameters to make the character resemble her past self—around thirty years old.

There was no other choice. She was broke. Budget was tight. Since the only supporting role outside the leads was just one character, she might as well do it herself. Besides, her acting skills weren’t bad. In her past life, directors often had to personally demonstrate the emotions they wanted from actors, so she had plenty of experience.

Putting down her optical computer, Shang Jingyan picked up the encrypted box beside her.

The original owner had kept it hidden under the pillow. After her mental resonance with Tian Jiangli the other day, a fragment of memory surfaced, and she suddenly recalled the box’s passcode.

PAN2219.

The letters seemed to reference Pan, the Greek god. The numbers looked like a year—four years ago—but she had no recollection of their significance.

What happened four years ago?

Inside the box was a contract. Shang Jingyan read it, then fell silent for a full minute.

“…”

In short, it stated that she was in debt. A massive one. And the creditor had specified a rather unique repayment method—three years of Dream Source Crystal mining rights—with a repayment period of fifty years.

Dream Source Crystals…

There wasn’t a single person in the interstellar world who didn’t know about them. The extracted compound from these crystals was the only known cure for Psychic Void Syndrome, making it more expensive per gram than gold.

These crystals were delicate. Cultivating them required an entire planet, and no other life could exist where they grew. Even mining them required machines or humans wearing specialized isolation suits.

For her to have offered up mining rights, that meant she must have been the owner of a Dream Source Crystal mining planet.

Shang Jingyan: “…”

This was catastrophic news.

She really wanted to know how the original owner had racked up such a ridiculous debt, but the bizarre contract contained no backstory, no creditor’s name—just an emblem of a planet.

So… how does one become a planet owner?

Besides inheriting land from one’s ancestors or literally having a planet-sized fortune, there was only one other way—becoming a top-tier, Star-Resident Dreamweaver.

A Star-Resident Dreamweaver was granted ownership of a Dream Source Crystal planet named after them, symbolizing their eternal presence in the dreams of the Alliance’s people.

There were fewer than a handful of active Star-Resident Dreamweavers in the entire world.

Shang Jingyan let out a deep sigh and started scribbling in her notebook.

She had done everything she could for Married to an Eldritch God. Now, it was up to fate. As long as she placed in the top three, there’d be prize money. Combined with the donations, it would be enough to pay off Sister Cui’s debt.

At this point, she had so many debts that she was almost numb to them. She casually began brainstorming her next project.

What should she create next?

–

Time flew by. The theme event was down to its final day, and Eldritch God had soared to fifth place, trailing the second spot by only 30 votes.

【It should finish in second place, but first is out of reach. What a shame.】

【There’s still a gap of over 200 votes. Unless the buzz explodes again, it’s unlikely.】

【I’ve already recommended it to all my friends. Honestly, Eldritch God is incredibly effective in alleviating early-stage Psychic Void Syndrome… aside from the minor side effect of nightmares.】

【You Jingyan fans need to stop acting like you’re still struggling. A newbie debuting straight into second place—what more do you want?】

【What’s wrong with hoping? Everyone knows White Sun Hanging High bought a ton of trending spots early on. Don’t think we didn’t notice. Totally undeserved.】

【If the winning work ends up being something that just uses default character models, it’s going to be hilarious. Besides, White Sun Hanging High is real romance.】

【What’s that supposed to mean? What did default models ever do to you? Is there a rule saying works using default models can’t win first place?】

【Newbies use them because they’re broke. Also, how do you know Jingyan didn’t do it on purpose? It actually enhances the horror elements. And why are people still hung up on the romance aspect? I swear, Eldritch God’s pairing is amazing too!】

As the event neared its end, the comment section turned into a warzone. Eldritch God had attracted so much attention that no one even cared about the soon-to-be-overtaken second-place work anymore. All eyes were on the battle between White Sun Hanging High and Eldritch God.

Guan Gaoyang was losing sleep, desperately hoping nothing would happen to give Eldritch God another popularity boost.

His prayers went unanswered.

With 24 hours left on the clock, renowned artist Azure Snow dropped a fanart piece—

She didn’t depict the Eldritch God’s true form, instead opting for a silver-white humanoid figure. The entity was embracing the male lead from behind, while the male lead, dressed in a white shirt, leaned back with closed eyes, hands crossed over his chest—like an offering in a ritual.

Bioluminescent bubbles floated around them, accompanied by jellyfish, silverfish, and other sea creatures, their soft colors shimmering like something out of a fairy tale.

Yet, lurking in the deep blue background was a golden eye, its presence both hidden and looming, staring not just at the two figures, but seemingly at the viewer as well—an unsettling, almost terrifying gaze.

Even those unfamiliar with the story could immediately sense the painting’s eerie beauty.

Within three hours, the artwork, tagged #MutualAffectionSickness, had skyrocketed into the top ten of the StarNet fanart rankings.