Yun Yongxue was notoriously aloof. He never replied to comments, so he just took a quick peek and backed out of his profile page.

His agent leaned over for a look and saw he was again on Shang Jingyan’s page. “…”

Ever since he’d seen Shang Jingyan share “Starlight Festival Prelude,” Yun Yongxue had been like this for over a day.

His agent sighed, “She’s your top ‘frequent visit’ now. Why don’t you just follow her already?”

“Do you think she really likes my music?” Yun Yongxue completely ignored him, his voice dreamy, then turning heavy. “But that piece was something I wrote when I was a kid. I can’t even stand listening to it now. I just want to delete it from my collection.”

The two of them, totally talking past each other, boarded their spaceship.

“She’s looking for a composer right now,” his agent said. “If you reach out, she’ll definitely agree.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say it outright: she probably just randomly shared a holiday song.

“I made two versions last night, and I’m not really happy with either of them,” Yun Yongxue said. “They don’t quite capture the feeling of ‘reincarnation.’ I’m torn… should I use a pipe organ or a waterphone for the second movement?”

“Look, there’s the billboard for the Eldritch God’s Castle!” his agent exclaimed. “I’m definitely not going in there. You’re on your own tomorrow… And is that a sneak peek of a Chinese-style haunted house being built in that promo image?”

“I’ve also watched ‘Rouge Comb’ twice,” Yun Yongxue continued, “and some livestreams of ‘Building 18.’ I’m bursting with inspiration. I want to compose for all of them.”

“If you’re too scared to contact her directly, I can help you follow her using the studio account,” his agent offered.

Yun Yongxue finally acknowledged him, turning his head. “…Absolutely not. Once I’ve finished writing the theme song for ‘Moebius Sea,’ I’ll send it to her, and we can discuss it together. You can’t bother her before then.”

His agent was speechless. In all his years, this was the first time he’d seen Yun Yongxue composing for someone with such a fanboy mentality. He was too embarrassed to let her know before he had a derivative work to show.

Their plan was to rest for the night and then check out Rose Heart’s signature haunted houses the next day.

Since they hadn’t contacted Shang Jingyan yet, they could just treat this as a relaxing vacation for now.

–

Actually, some fans had already noticed Yun Yongxue’s IP address changing when he took the starship for his spatial jump.

Yun Yongxue rarely left the Capital Planet. Any time he did, it was for a collaboration.

His fans had been buzzing with excitement, guessing what kind of project Yun Yongxue had taken on. The entire Yun Yongxue fan club was like a parched field finally getting some rain.

[Yunyun has finally moved from his nest!! Is he collaborating with a Dreamweaver? Tears of joy! It’s been a year, a whole year since he released a new song! I’ve been wishing on every star, and finally, it’s happening.]

[I’m guessing it’s Adeline? She said in an interview recently that she really admires Yunyun and hopes to collaborate on her next project.]

[It could also be Yan Ke. He also said he wanted a piece written by Master Yun…]

[But with Master Yun’s personality, he’s probably already collaborated with all the famous Dreamweavers. He always likes fresh styles, so it might be a newcomer. Wasn’t xxx a newcomer when he met Yun Yongxue a few years ago?]

[Could it be Su Dongshu? The Main Galaxy Association Exam is in a few months, and he’s one of the most promising newcomers.]

[I think it’s more likely to be Ji Lianxing! Her mood-altering style is really outstanding and unique lately…]

The Dreamweavers mentioned by the fans were all well-known figures throughout the universe, or rising stars in the Main Galaxy.

So, when they saw Yun Yongxue’s location finally settle in the Exile Star System, they all felt like they’d taken a wrong step.

Xinier was one of them.

“The Exile Star System?” he muttered. “Are there any outstanding Dreamweavers there… I think I heard something similar recently. There’s a new Dreamweaver who’s really popular there, with a very unique style… What was her name?”

Recently, Shang Jingyan had made a small splash in the Main Galaxy with her haunted houses and top ranking in the Association Exam, leaving an impression on dedicated enthusiasts in the field.

Her name even had an entry on the Main Galaxy encyclopedia.

Xinier pushed up his glasses. “Shang Jingyan… Debuted less than half a year ago, so young. Representative style: horror? What’s ‘horror’?”

Yun Yongxue’s fans quickly looked up the currently popular Dreamweavers in the Exile Star System, including newcomers Shang Jingyan and Hua Feitian, and Luo Zhiyu, who placed third in the Association Exam – they didn’t pay attention to anyone else.

Xinier refreshed the page and soon saw someone say: [I’m guessing it’s this Dreamweaver named Shang Jingyan! She recently shared Master Yun’s “Starlight Festival Prelude.” Maybe they’re communicating in advance?]

[Now that you mention it, that’s possible. I saw her “Moebius Sea” in Jiang Xindong’s livestream. It was really amazing!]

[Not necessarily. The Starlight Festival holiday starts tomorrow, and a lot of people are listening to “Starlight Festival Prelude.” If it were her, why wouldn’t Yunyun announce it beforehand?]

[It wouldn’t hurt to take a look. I know nothing about Dreamweavers from the Alpha Star. Can anyone tell me about her…]

Xinier was already over 50 this year. It was rare for him to be a fan of the 18-year-old Yun Yongxue. Now, seeing another young newcomer with a new style, he hesitated about whether to spend time watching her work.

He clicked on Shang Jingyan’s most popular work, “Moebius Sea,” and saw a warning: [This plot may induce heart palpitations. Middle-aged and elderly viewers, and viewers with a history of related illnesses, should watch with caution.]

Xinier: “?”

Whoa, seriously?

“Honey!” Xinier, feeling a bit defiant, called out to his wife. “Should we watch a movie together tonight? I’m telling you, this movie thinks we middle-aged folks can’t handle it. Let’s show it what we’re made of…”

Yun Yongxue’s fans didn’t have any objections to this guess. They were already familiar with Yun Yongxue’s unconventional personality. They just found it strange that he hadn’t given any hints.

Many, like Xinier, took this as an opportunity to start watching Shang Jingyan’s work.

On the other hand, Shang Jingyan’s haters, who were lurking, saw this news and exploded.

—It’s a universal truth: the more honor you receive, the more slander you’ll endure. As Shang Jingyan gradually became famous, her hater group also began to take shape, although it wasn’t very big yet, since Shang Jingyan didn’t have any scandals.

Like her fan base, her haters were mostly from the Exile Star System. Most of them simply disliked the horror genre, while a small portion were fans of Guan Gaoyang.

Now that Shang Jingyan was the darling of the Exile Star System’s new generation, with unparalleled popularity, the haters didn’t dare to mock her on public platforms. But in their private groups, they shared screenshots and ridiculed her extensively.

[Seriously? Do Yan fans really think they can ride on Yun Yongxue’s coattails? I let the jokes slide before, but now they actually think they can get close to him?]

[She is not that popular, but very ambitious! Someone at Yun Yongxue’s level, how could he collaborate with someone without making any announcement and just running off to meet offline?]

[Maybe he’s just here for a vacation? Maybe he was tricked by the gimmick of that haunted house…]

[Speaking of haunted houses, I hate them. I don’t know what’s so appealing about these scary things! Should we submit this to the gossip section and let everyone see the face of the Yan fans?]

[The screenshots don’t seem to be from Yan fans. Let’s wait a bit longer. They’ll definitely see this and start bragging.]

[I really feel sorry for Master Yun, being used for clout by this nobody. Let’s wait another day. If there’s no official announcement, then his collaborator is definitely not Shang Jingyan. Then we’ll submit it!]

The haters were itching to pounce, just waiting to catch Shang Jingyan slipping.

–

Blue River Moon.

Shang Jingyan tilted her head, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to give Pei Yi a little hint. She would be announcing it to her fans by the end of the Starlight Festival at the latest, anyway. “My next work… Well, it’s kind of like ‘quick transmigration,’ but each world is terrifying. The genre is called ‘Infinite Flow’.”

The interstellar world, of course, had quick transmigration stories, but they were mostly about falling in love in each world.

“Infinite Flow?… That sounds interesting.” Pei Yi mulled over this unfamiliar genre name, opening the package for Shang Jingyan, who took a small cookie and ate it.

“Do you know what my first thought was after leaving the Association Exam venue?” Shang Jingyan asked, swallowing the last bite with satisfaction.

Pei Yi played along, “What was it?”

Shang Jingyan: “The desserts in the exam hall were way too sweet. I miss the gifts you and You Yao gave me.”

Pei Yi chuckled. “Then You Yao should be greatly honored and rush to send you desserts.”

Shang Jingyan shrugged. Speaking of which, You Yao had been very quiet this Starlight Festival. He hadn’t even flooded her chat box with nonsense.

She had made a big splash in the Association Exam, winning first place, and the Reality Matter Society hadn’t said anything to her, seemingly acquiescing to her shenanigans.

Pei Yi glanced at the time. “My family goes to bed early. They’ll be turning off the lights soon. Should we find somewhere to sit?”

This villa area was a retirement community. Looking around, there were only a few houses with lights still on. Shang Jingyan nodded. “Sure.”

The Qing Xun Restaurant that Shang Jingyan had visited last time was nearby, so they chose that place. She had some fame now, so she wore a mask and sunglasses when going out.

[By the way, Yanyan, I just searched, and there are already people imitating your style.] X71 complained in her mind.

Its indignant tone made Shang Jingyan want to laugh. Initially, X71 had strongly opposed her doing horror, but when it discovered that she was being imitated, X71 was more concerned than anyone.

[It’s okay, that’s normal.] Shang Jingyan said, [Any genre needs many different people to participate in order to have vitality and development.]

After her explosive popularity, some people had realized that horror works were a blue ocean waiting to be explored.

However, the current market development was not yet mature. Most were still stuck in the imitation stage of Jump Scares, and the maps were mainly based on learning from her, such as castles, Chinese-style mansions, and aquariums.

[I checked, and recently the prices of ancient castle buildings and Chinese-style buildings in the Exile Star System have increased by one percentage point because many Dreamweavers and program teams are renting them.]

X71 sounded like a whining child. [It’s all because of you.]

As if it was heartbroken that the money hadn’t been shared with Shang Jingyan.

Shang Jingyan teased, [Don’t worry, Little Seven One. After all, I can’t switch to real estate development, can I?]

She suddenly came up with a nickname, and X71 was a little uncomfortable, then excited. [Yay! I like this exclusive nickname! It’s different from a simple number.]

It was like a little puppy, wagging its tail happily at any gesture from its owner. Its electronic voice became lively. Shang Jingyan felt a little embarrassed, thinking, should she give the little system a name in the future?

As soon as they arrived under the Qing Xun tree, Shang Jingyan saw that the slogan had changed:

[“Turtle Soup” Text Game Challenge! Scan the QR code to download the app. Solve the soup base within fifteen questions, and receive a delicious V059 specialty seafood Flala Sea Turtle Soup from the chef.]

There was also a line of small print below:

[Qing Xun Restaurant, where Director Shang played her first Turtle Soup game!]

Shang Jingyan: “…”

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She remembered that a few days ago, the Dreamweavers from the last gathering had contacted her wanting to buy a promotional spot. So this was what it was for.

Playing the game and then drinking real sea turtle soup… wouldn’t that be a bit traumatizing?

However, she saw a long queue at the sea turtle soup window, and the customers were all excited. It seemed they didn’t care about any psychological shadows.

Pei Yi looked eager to try, but also a little hesitant. Shang Jingyan said, “What are you afraid of? I’ve got your back.”

She was a Turtle Soup expert, after all.

After they sat down, they applied for the challenge. Pei Yi asked ten questions and then stopped, looking at her thoughtfully. Shang Jingyan took over smoothly and successfully deduced the soup base.

“Table X has successfully completed the challenge!”

The waiter rang the bell. She had actually recognized Shang Jingyan while she was asking questions. After a while, she came over and whispered mysteriously, “Director Shang, the boss says that Qing Xun Restaurant is giving you and your friend a free meal.”

Shang Jingyan enjoyed the meal immensely. Perhaps this was the joy of being treated to a free meal.

When she returned to the club with the little desserts, Noel was in the reading corner on the first floor.

—This position was visible as soon as you entered the door. He was wearing a bathrobe, his hair still slightly damp, and the orange light cast shadows on his chest, perfectly outlining his muscles. Even his posture holding the book was a deliberately casual pose.

In short, he was very pretentious.

Shang Jingyan: He looked like a peacock in a pot.

“Ahem.” Seeing her return, Noel coughed, his gaze still fixed on the book, pretending to be casual. “Oh, what a coincidence, you’re back. I just thought of an interesting Turtle Soup. Does Miss Shang have time to help me refine it?”

After he finished speaking, he wanted to applaud himself. He asked about something the other party was interested in and subtly brought up the memory of their first meeting. A perfect conversation starter!

Actually, Noel didn’t know what was wrong with him, why he cared so much about Shang Jingyan.

At first, before the gathering, he just thought that he had to get to know a woman as outstanding and beautiful as her, and it would be best if they could develop a romantic relationship. Later, when she scared him at the gathering, he was determined to stay away from such a woman.

“But… after going back, he couldn’t forget Shang Jingyan. Her image kept popping up in his mind, with paper playing cards held between her fingers and a faint smile, her green eyes like the most mysterious gems.”

This feeling even affected his Association Exam work. Some viewers noticed that his female lead looked a bit like Shang Jingyan, which made him feel a little guilty.

And after Shang Jingyan defeated him in the Association Exam, she shined even brighter in Noel’s eyes.

Noel waited for a while and didn’t get a reply. He looked up and saw that Shang Jingyan had already reached the elevator.

“?” He subconsciously called out, “Director Shang?”

“I just played with someone else, I’m busy.” Shang Jingyan said from afar. The elevator doors closed mercilessly, cutting off Noel’s line of sight.

Noel: “…”

With someone else? It must be the man who gave her the desserts!

Damn it, should he also sign up for a dessert-making class?

–

The next day.

Yun Yongxue got off the tour bus and looked up at the Eldritch God’s Castle in front of him.

He was still dressed all in white, the only dark color being the sunglasses on his face. Yun Yongxue’s eyes were sensitive to strong light, so he needed to protect them when going out.

Standing in front of the black-themed building in such attire, he was very eye-catching. Some passersby even sneaked glances at him, guessing if he was from some program crew.

Currently, the only one of Shang Jingyan’s works that Yun Yongxue hadn’t had time to watch was “Eldritch God,” because he had doubts about its Gothic style.

Gothic style, of course, was not just about architecture. It was the style of an entire era, and it also included music. Gloomy, dark, and old punk were its synonyms.

Compared to architecture, more fragments of Gothic music survived in the interstellar world. Yun Yongxue had also studied this special style, but he had never figured out what kind of situation it should be played in.

—But the moment he saw this castle, he knew immediately.

This was where it belonged.

Yun Yongxue’s heart was surging. His fingers, tucked in his pockets, had already begun to move unconsciously, imitating the playing of piano keys.

“Do you need to team up?”

“No need. Just me.”

The ticket seller didn’t try to persuade him further, but felt a pang of sympathy: another one who thinks he’s bold. He saw ten such tourists on average every day, and not a single one of them didn’t run out screaming and crying.

Yun Yongxue walked into the castle alone. The door closed behind him. In the dim light, his white hair was like cast silver.

The first scene on his route was the banquet hall on the first floor of the castle. The backstory was that the mad scientist had transformed some of the test subjects into blood-sucking monsters, letting them hold a massive banquet here, feasting on the other test subjects.

The banquet table and floor were littered with prop hearts, livers, lungs, and intestines – a clear sign of how the vampires had gone on a killing spree during their feast.

But Yun Yongxue’s gaze immediately went past the table to the corner of the banquet hall – where there was a prop piano.

He held out for a solid three seconds before the temptation overwhelmed him, and he strode over.

Moments later, a gloomy, magnificent melody poured out as his fingers danced across the keys.

The vampire NPC, who was adjusting her fangs in the banquet hall’s bathroom, thought: “???”

She hadn’t started playing yet, so where was this music coming from?

Was it a guest? But which guest would be so bold as to play the piano alone on the first floor of the castle…?

The melody was one she’d never heard before, and it fit the castle perfectly, even making her doubt whether that ordinary prop piano could produce such beautiful sounds.

The NPC gathered her courage and peeked out—

She saw a figure sitting at the piano, lost in his playing. He was dressed all in white, and the translucent curtains were billowing in the wind, hazily covering him, making him seem almost transparent, like a ghost.

The young man raised his head, his features exquisitely handsome, his lips pale, only his eyes sparkling, a blood-red color, like a true vampire.

The NPC: “AHHH!!”

–

The agent never expected to get a call to pick up his artist from a tourist attraction’s staff office.

Yun Yongxue was curled up in a chair like a child who’d gotten in trouble. The staff had even given him a harmonica to play with, and he was fiddling with it with his long, elegant fingers, occasionally blowing out a Gothic-style tune. When he stopped, his fingers still twitched nervously, mimicking the motions of playing the piano.

The agent was a little embarrassed, hurrying over to collect him.

Before he could say anything, Yun Yongxue started talking: “There’s good news and bad news.”

The agent, using a tone you’d use to coax a child, asked, “What is it?”

Yun Yongxue said dejectedly, “The good news is, they let me go after confirming my identity.”

Actually, the NPC hadn’t been that scared. On second glance, she’d realized he was human and had even listened for quite a while.

He’d been asked to leave because the control center had noticed that several NPC employees were drawn in by his music, captivated by the tunes and neglecting their scaring duties. They’d had no choice but to put a stop to his solo concert.

He even handed out a few autographs while in the staff office.

The agent was baffled. “That sounds pretty good. So what’s the bad news?”

Yun Yongxue: “The bad news is, Director Shang saw it too. She knows I came to collaborate with her. But my theme song isn’t finished yet.”

The agent: “…”

Whether that news was actually bad was, well, debatable.

“She said she’s coming to see me,” Yun Yongxue said, standing up. “We need to go back – I need to hurry up and finish writing the last movement.”

–

Main Star System.

Xinier and his wife ultimately didn’t watch “Moebius Sea” at night. They waited until the next day, when the sun was shining brightly.

After watching it, he had only one thought: I was wrong. I shouldn’t have thought about showing it what we’re made of. This movie is genuinely terrifying!

Luckily, both he and his wife had strong hearts. Aside from multiple screams during the movie and being a little thirsty, they didn’t have any other physical discomfort.

“It’s so scary. Do young people like this kind of style now?” Xinier said, still shaken. “Honey, hold me. Otherwise, I won’t be able to close my eyes and sleep…”

His wife, Helen, nodded in agreement. “The trends of young people today are completely different from our time… Hmm, but dear, didn’t you like it? I feel like my mental power was stimulated. It seems very suitable for treating Void Syndrome…”

They exchanged a look.

—If they really hadn’t liked it, how could they have finished it?

“In my time, no Dreamweavers from the Exile Star System were famous,” Xinier finally said. “This young person named ‘Shang Jingyan’ is really something…”

Helen nodded in agreement. “She’s destined not to belong only to the Exile Star System, but to amaze everyone.”

It was only then that they remembered that their reason for watching was Yun Yongxue. They were curious and searched the Exile Star System website to see what was happening.

They wondered what Shang Jingyan’s audience thought of Yun Yongxue.

But to their surprise, they found that the Exile Star System’s trending topics were filled with arguments.

The cause was a submission to the gossip section, saying that a certain newly-promoted Dreamweaver was punching above her weight. Seeing a famous music master come to the Exile Star System, she assumed he was there to collaborate with her. But after a day and a night, the master hadn’t made any moves, just staying at Rose Heart for tourism. So, they were inviting everyone to enjoy the joke.

Although the post didn’t name names, everyone could tell who the parties involved were. The comment section erupted in arguments, and the hashtag #ShangJingyan YunYongxue# even made it to the trending list.

[Don’t think that just because you got first place in this year’s Association Exam, you’re the center of the universe. People from the Exile Star System, do you really think Yun Yongxue would be interested in you?]

[Lol, I don’t hate anyone, but realistically, there’s a huge gap in their status.]

[Just seeing the two names together feels like they’re not on the same level…]

[Yun Yongxue’s listeners don’t have any objections, and Shang Jingyan’s audience hasn’t actively said anything. Where did you monsters come from to object??]

[How could someone from the Exile Star System say that? Aren’t you from the Alpha Star System yourself? 🙂 You look down on yourself, but we don’t!]

[The poster is so twisted, turning black and white upside down. It’s clearly not us who said this first…]

The haters weren’t necessarily genuine fans of Yun Yongxue. They were just using him as a shield, their ultimate goal being to attack Shang Jingyan.

The two sides were battling it out on the gossip board. Passing netizens were surprised:

[OMG, Director Shang is really a magnet for drama. She’s just joined the Association and her name is already being put together with a musician of Yun Yongxue’s level.]

[So is it possible for them to collaborate? That’s all I care about. I see that Yun Yongxue’s fans haven’t said anything, so what are these people arguing about…]

[I clicked on the trending topic in confusion, and I’m leaving in confusion. Yun Yongxue actually came to our Exile Star System? Is it a collaboration or not? Can someone give me the inside scoop!]

The hashtag was originally hanging at the bottom of the trending list, appearing lukewarm. The haters, seeing that neither Yun Yongxue nor Shang Jingyan had made any response, became even more arrogant, convinced that Yan fans would be embarrassed this time.

But at midnight, two posts ignited the Exile Star System’s star network, pushing the incident to a climax—

Jingyan v: [Serial drama “Infinite Heartbeat” in production. @YunYongxue It’s a pleasure to collaborate.]

Yun Yongxue v:

[I took the liberty of composing a piece for my favorite, “Moebius Sea.” Fortunately, @Jingyan didn’t mind. Now I’m sharing it with everyone. [Link: Share Single “Reincarnation Movement”]]

[Director Shang’s next work, “Infinite Heartbeat,” will feature my music. Please look forward to it.]

The haters: ???

What did you say? Say that again?!