Editor and proofreader: Oceanblue

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What did it mean that only Gu Shenyuan’s things could feel his body temperature?

Ye Qingyun wasn’t living in an ivory tower; he understood what Gu Shenyuan meant immediately.

“Always being a rogue,” Ye Qingyun blushed, pushing Gu Shenyuan away.

“You talk so sweetly, but if you can’t overcome your psychological barriers, and that night we end up just helping each other with our hands, see if I don’t scold you!”

Gu Shenyuan’s gaze became even deeper. He let go of Ye Qingyun and smiled slightly.

“Hands? You won’t need to use your hands, just hold me.”

Ye Qingyun didn’t want to continue this discussion. After all, no matter how much they talked about it, it was just theoretical. If their expectations were too high, it could end in embarrassment if things didn’t go as planned.

Ye Qingyun glared at Gu Shenyuan, turned around, and walked out.

After having lunch and taking a nap, Gu Shenyuan was still busy. Ye Qingyun, feeling free, lay back in a lounge chair and continued to follow the news he had been reading earlier.

On the internet, more and more people were reporting that they had been feeling more sluggish lately. The actions they took while in a groggy state were starting to make many people feel anxious.

“I woke up and found myself trying to bang my head against the wall, am I going crazy?”

“I didn’t hurt myself, but I wrote down all my bank passwords. What’s worse, I was about to send the payment password to an empty Star network account!”

“…I’m not superstitious, but is this some kind of curse?”

Ye Qingyun scrolled through these comments, his brows furrowing.

This situation was abnormal, but he wasn’t sure if Gu Shenyuan had sent anyone to deal with it.

He had seen similar methods of controlling people before. In the original story, there was a scoundrel with the ability to briefly control a person’s actions, and the side effect was just like what these people described: the person being controlled wouldn’t remember what had happened while they were under control, and when they woke up, they’d be slow to react.

In the original story, that person had targeted Gu Shenyuan, drawn to his appearance and strength, attempting to control him. He even declared that if he couldn’t win Gu Shenyuan’s heart, he’d settle for having Gu Shenyuan’s body.

Of course, that person never even came close to touching Gu Shenyuan and was ruthlessly killed by him.

Could this be the same person causing trouble now? But that person couldn’t possibly control so many people at once.

As Ye Qingyun was deep in thought, the popular interstellar website he was browsing suddenly went black.

All the text and links disappeared, replaced by a live-streaming interface.

At the center of the screen, a man sat, his face covered by a mask with a strange, smiling face, pale and eerie.

“My puppets, how are you all?” the man spoke, his voice altered by a voice changer to sound sharp and strange.

The live stream didn’t block viewers from commenting, and soon, there were numerous comments on the screen.

“Who is this person?”

“Who are his puppets? Is he crazy?”

“Did he hack the website? Why isn’t anyone doing something about it?”

The man noticed the comments and laughed mockingly.

“You seem to be unaware of your situation. No matter, I’m a patient person. Let me slowly explain it to you.”

The man clapped his hands, and a few emotionless people appeared on the screen.

Their eyes were vacant, looking like walking corpses. The man snapped his fingers, and gradually, the people’s eyes regained some life. They looked around in panic as if they had no idea how they ended up there.

One of them looked at the most composed, oddly dressed man and said, “Who are you? Did you bring us here? I warn you, let me go, or I’ll make sure you regret it!”

The man who had been threatened laughed and waved his hand casually.

“Kneel.”

The person who had been threatening him immediately dropped to his knees with a thud.

All their eyes became vacant once again.

“So, how about it? Do they remind you of yourselves?” The man in the mask looked back at the camera.

“Did you see a reflection of yourselves in them? Feel confused about things happening, have no memory, and feel sluggish?”

The live stream was silent, with no one typing anything.

“Congratulations!” The masked man spread his hands, his tone high and dramatic.

“Anyone who feels like them will soon become my puppets, just like them.”

Finally, a new comment appeared in the live chat:

“You’re lying! No one’s power is strong enough to control so many people across such a wide distance. Even a leader couldn’t do that!”

This comment seemed to awaken the viewers, and many began agreeing, trying to get the man to admit he was lying.

The masked man shook his head and replied with a tone full of schadenfreude, ^[1]pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune.

“Yes, you’re right, no one’s power is that strong. But unfortunately, it’s not just my ability controlling you.”

“Blessed by the heavens, I received a magical potion. If I add my blood to it, the potion will transform according to my powers, becoming an amplifier for my abilities.”

“This potion, just one drop, can corrupt the land of an entire planet, amplifying and releasing my abilities to cover everyone on that planet,” the man continued.

“Anyone who thinks they’re safe, don’t get too happy, your turn will come. Not one of you will be spared.”

As the man spoke, he grew increasingly smug. He stepped on one of the kneeling individuals, kicking them to the ground, making them lie there like dogs.

Ye Qingyun, watching this, felt both angry and anxious. He immediately typed into the live stream:

“Don’t get too proud! It’s all just the power of the potion, and once the antidote for it is found, you’ll be nothing!”

The man laughed heartily. “You’re right, you can certainly try.”

He was so confident because he knew there was no antidote for the potion.

He had discovered it when he accidentally stumbled upon the tomb of the most famous pharmacist in interstellar history. The legendary pharmacist had created the potion but failed to produce an antidote for it.

The pharmacist had even concluded that it was an uncurable potion, hoping that no one would ever find it. If someone did, he hoped they would use it for good, not evil.

With this potion in his hands, the man could do whatever he pleased. He wasn’t going to use it for some “good cause”—of course, he would use it to take what he wanted.

Just to be sure, the man had captured several skilled pharmacists still alive and forced them to try and create an antidote. None of them succeeded; there was no breakthrough. This allowed the man to relax completely.

Ye Qingyun typed again: “Why are you doing this? What’s your goal?”

The man’s eyes, visible through the narrow slit of his mask, gleamed with greed.

“Why? Because I am the strongest in the universe! I will be the king of this star system!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted in fury, desperate for Gu Shenyuan’s protection.

The man’s expression shifted, becoming even more disgusting, as he smirked and spoke again: “Gu Shenyuan, I know you’re watching. Listen up, if you want to keep your people sane, instead of turning them into mindless puppets, there’s still a way—just agree to one condition.”

Ye Qingyun’s heart skipped a beat. Gu Shenyuan was the main character, the heartthrob of the book, and this man, in the story, was a minor character obsessed with Gu Shenyuan’s looks. It couldn’t be anything good!

Sure enough, the man continued, “I heard you’re getting married. I’m not happy about it. You and I are the perfect combination of power and ambition, so I want you to kill your bride, hang his head in the highest council hall for all to see, and make me your wedding partner.”

Ye Qingyun slapped the armrest in anger. This guy was definitely up to no good—he was plotting against Gu Shenyuan!

“Don’t even think about assassinating me. If you kill me, all these people will die with me! Heh, if you can meet my demands within three days, I’ll let your people stay normal, otherwise…”

Before he could finish, the man clapped his hands, and one of the people who had been lying on the ground stood up. They grabbed a knife from the table and aimed it at their own body, ready to strike.

Ye Qingyun was so frightened that he immediately closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impending scream.

But the scream never came. Hesitantly, Ye Qingyun opened his eyes, only to see that his terminal had been shut off, and a slender hand was now resting on it.

Even without seeing the owner of the hand, Ye Qingyun knew who it was.

Gu Shenyuan ruffled his hair and softly reassured him, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

Ye Qingyun grabbed his hand anxiously. “That man, he—”

Ye Qingyun was too anxious and ended up choking on his words. Gu Shenyuan patted his back gently, his voice calm, “I’ve already sent all the best pharmacists I could find to research an antidote. I’ve also sent an elite team to find that man’s location, and they will apprehend him as soon as they can.”

“That man only gave us three days. Do you think they can finish everything in that time?” Ye Qingyun didn’t want to be pessimistic, but he couldn’t help but be worried.

“How about we delay the wedding, and make a statue to disguise my body—”

Before Ye Qingyun could finish, he was abruptly kissed, and it wasn’t until a long while later that he was released.

Gu Shenyuan’s voice was laced with anger. “Don’t say that.”

“I’m just trying to think of something, we need to buy some time. Otherwise, with such little time…” Ye Qingyun’s voice grew quieter as he trailed off.

Gu Shenyuan’s tone became cold. “I’m not going to let someone else marry in your place, even if it’s just a temporary measure, That’s impossible.”

‘But what about those who were being threatened?’ Ye Qingyun didn’t say this out loud.

Instead, he watched Gu Shenyuan’s expression, and slowly, he began to understand.

Gu Shenyuan was unnervingly calm, even to the point of seeming indifferent.

…But this was Gu Shenyuan’s nature. If not for his presence, he would live alone, indifferent to the lives of others.

Gu Shenyuan looked at him with a stubborn expression, as though resigned to something broken: “I was never a good person, nor do I have some grand, selfless heart. In the balance, no matter who’s on the other side, it will always tip in your favor. I won’t let you suffer for the sake of saving others.”

Ye Qingyun stared into his eyes. After a moment, Gu Shenyuan shifted his gaze.

Gu Shenyuan knew that Ye Qingyun probably disliked his approach.

Ye Qingyun was someone who leaned toward the light. His selfishness, darkness, and lack of concern for the bigger picture would surely upset him.

But this was Gu Shenyuan’s real thinking. He could be an excellent leader, but that only worked as long as his bottom line was not crossed.

Ye Qingyun was his bottom line. The lives of others didn’t matter to him.

The two of them remained silent for a long time.

Then Gu Shenyuan softly asked, “Do you still want to marry me?”

“You just said that all the top pharmacists went to make the antidote, but you’re lying,” Ye Qingyun said, avoiding the question.

“…I didn’t.”

“You did. There’s clearly someone here who could make the antidote, and yet they’re doing nothing,” Ye Qingyun replied.

Gu Shenyuan didn’t say anything.

Ye Qingyun stood up and wrapped his arms around Gu Shenyuan’s neck.

“I’m leaving. I won’t see you for the next few days.”

Gu Shenyuan tightened his grip on Ye Qingyun’s slender waist, almost wanting to pull him completely into his embrace.

Ye Qingyun’s lips brushed against his face as he spoke, “I’ll try my best to come up with the antidote quickly and not delay the wedding. Wait for me.”