The haters, though a bit over-the-top, weren’t entirely wrong in their mockery.

Before this, if any Dreamweaver from the Exile Star System had said they wanted to collaborate with Yun Yongxue, they’d absolutely be labeled as “delusional” or “overreaching.”

But Shang Jingyan? A newcomer?

She actually got the most brilliant musical genius in the entire universe to compose for her!

And just look at their posts. Shang Jingyan, not counting punctuation, said a total of a dozen or so words, and three of those were tagging Yun Yongxue’s name.

But Yun Yongxue? “Took the liberty of composing,” “Fortunately, she didn’t mind”… He perfectly embodied what it meant to pursue a beloved muse. Their mutual follow was also Yun Yongxue following Shang Jingyan first.

All these factors combined made the haters doubt their own eyes. Were they dreaming up this fantastical scenario?

Who knows how many haters were smashing their keyboards at home in frustration, their faces practically swollen from the metaphorical slap!

[It’s actually real?? And it’s a collaboration on a show, I’m not seeing things, right!!]

[Oh my god, in my lifetime! Director Shang, you’ve really brought glory to the Dreamweavers of our Exile Star System!]

[Hahaha, this is such a rapid face-slap! Haters, come out! Where are those who said they’d eat their phones, keyboards, and tree stumps if Director Shang and Yun Yongxue collaborated? Start a livestream, I love watching that!]

[I knew our Yanyan was the best! She deserves the best partners!]

[I’m dizzy from the two pieces of news. A show! Great, I have something to look forward to in the future.]

[Director Shang is such a workaholic! The speed at which she produces work, I admire her so much.]

A show usually holds a special significance in a Dreamweaver’s career. It represents that the Dreamweaver has a certain economic and audience base, capable of stably and continuously outputting long works. It’s a sign that the Dreamweaver’s career is on the right track.

For Shang Jingyan’s fans, their Dreamweaver’s first show had such great musical support. How could they not be overjoyed?

Shang Jingyan’s profile page also included the synopsis information for “Infinite Heartbeat.”

Protagonist: Lan Qing

Tags: Infinite Flow, Horror, Thriller, Time Travel, Dimensional Travel, Episodic Stories

Synopsis:

In the year Lan Qing turned eighteen, the “Infinite Heartbeat” trial grounds descended upon her home planet. From then on, she was forced to embark on an endless journey of terror.

This is a one-way ticket with no return. If she wants to survive, her only choice is to clear the trials and reach the summit.

[There’s only one protagonist. Director Shang, are you completely unwilling to let us see any romance? .jpg]

[Infinite Flow, a new tag I’ve never seen before. Director Shang is innovating again! Based on the combination of the tags ‘episodic stories,’ ‘time travel,’ and ‘dimensional travel,’ is the new work similar to quick transmigration?]

[Judging from the synopsis, the background seems very cruel and complex. I’m already starting to get scared.]

[I was naive. I just looked at the name and thought it was a romance… I should have known that Director Shang’s heartbeat is only the heartbeat stimulated by terror (facepalm).]

[I’m so excited, I’m so excited, I’m freaking out! Everyone, go listen to Yun Yongxue’s “Reincarnation Movement.” It’s so perfect! I can’t wait to see the chemistry of their collaboration!]

[Ahhhhh, just putting the two of them together makes me so excited I could scream! I hope our Director Shang flies higher and higher!]

Yun Yongxue’s comment section was also full of question marks and exclamation points. Everyone, regardless of whether they had guessed it or not, was shocked.

You have to understand, before this, Yun Yongxue’s public image was that of a cold, aloof person who rarely spoke. When sharing new songs, he usually just posted a link, at most adding a dozen or so words about his creative thoughts.

Other than that, his posts were either routine holiday greetings or photos of blue skies, white clouds, flowers, and plants.

[What did I see? Our Yun actually posted eighty-four characters in this post!?]

[Congratulations to Yunyun on his new single!! I’m rushing to listen!]

[Is this collaboration with a newcomer? I don’t seem to have heard of her.]

A few minutes later, the first batch of listeners who had finished listening to the song returned, with even more exclamations to make.

[Oh my god!!! This new song is giving me goosebumps. What kind of new style is this?]

[I didn’t even dare to finish listening to it. [Scared] My cat ran away halfway through!]

[I was planning to listen to the song first and then watch “Moebius Sea,” but now I’m hesitating. Is the movie in this style too??]

[As someone who’s already seen the movie, let me say, this is a perfect match! Yun Yongxue’s composition is spot-on!! I recommend everyone go listen to it!]

[It’s so fitting. Compared to this, Director Shang’s original music selection is practically unbearable (dog head).]

[Seriously, I didn’t feel it before, but now after listening to this, I realize how important good music is! The atmosphere of terror is instantly maximized!]

[Am I the only one who noticed that Yunyun is composing for a show? Wow, this is really… rare.]

[And look, the synopsis of “Infinite Heartbeat” is out. The order of Yunyun and Shang Jingyan’s names is usually only for a team. Could it be…?]

Yun Yongxue had rarely taken on collaborations for shows before, and he had never had a fixed Dreamweaver partner.

But his actions this time made fans faintly sense a different vibe.

The hashtags #ShangJingyanYunYongxue# and #InfiniteHeartbeat# quickly shot to the top of the Exile Star System trending list. Under the two tags, you could see the fans of both sides in a strangely awkward yet expectant state, like two families becoming in-laws, shyly and eagerly testing the waters.

A few hours later, the hashtag #YunYongxue ShangJingyan# also made it to the bottom of the Main Star System trending list.

Yun Yongxue wasn’t a particularly explosive figure in the public eye. Many people didn’t recognize the name.

After all, he kept a low profile, never showing his face, and never had any scandalous news. His main work was composing, a somewhat behind-the-scenes Dreamweaver job.

In the public’s eyes, he wasn’t as down-to-earth as story-based or variety show Dreamweavers. Their main impression of him was “a very young musical genius” and “a composer many big names want to collaborate with”… Just like his name, he was like ice and snow, high in the clouds.

So, the Dreamweaver he likes and collaborates with must be pretty good, right?

Some people thought this, half-understanding, and curiously clicked on “Moebius Sea.”

But in the eyes of knowledgeable insiders, this news was no less than a bombshell.

“Have you seen the trending topics? Yun Yongxue is in the Exile Star System now…”

“Yun Yongxue turned down my invitation to take on this new Dreamweaver?…”

“What? New collaboration? Didn’t Yun Yongxue say he had no inspiration and wasn’t collaborating?…”

“Wow, did Yun Yongxue find a new muse? No wonder he turned us down recently…”

“Shang Jingyan, a name I’ve never heard of. This young person has only been out for less than half a year, and hasn’t even left the Exile Star System!…”

Similar conversations were happening in the homes of many well-known Dreamweavers in the Main Star System. Some were surprised, some were jealous, some were curious, and some were unconvinced.

It’s like pursuing someone. If the pursued person treats everyone equally and doesn’t respond to anyone, then the pursuers are all balanced.

But if the pursued person suddenly shows favor to one person, and this person is an unknown newcomer, then the pursuers can’t help but think: Let me see what’s so special about this person. Where did we lose?

With these various thoughts, “Moebius Sea” was clicked on countless times.

–

The next day, Blue River Moon, Sauvignon Club, shooting range.

Yun Yongxue ultimately didn’t let Shang Jingyan come to him. He took the initiative to come to Blue River Moon.

The sun was shining brightly, and the temperature today had reached twenty-eight degrees. Most of the people at the shooting range had changed into short sleeves.

“Bullseye!”

The robot announced the good news. Shang Jingyan put down her gun and turned her head. “Xiao Xue, aren’t you hot sitting there? Why don’t you go back first?”

Noel and Luo Zhiyu were nearby, scoring seven rings and ten rings, respectively. Noel saw her stop and immediately wanted to hand her some iced water, but Shang Jingyan twisted open a bottle herself and took a sip, causing the former’s hand to awkwardly change direction, pretending he wanted to drink himself.

In the distance, Yun Yongxue was sitting on the edge of the lawn, fully dressed in white from head to toe, like a snowman. Shang Jingyan was afraid he would melt in the sun.

Yun Yongxue shook his head, saying, “I’m not hot.”

After a pause, he added the nickname, seemingly a bit hesitantly, “…Yanyan.”

His agent, dressed in a suit beside him, thought: I’m hot!

But the agent didn’t want to miss this spectacle, so he endured it – Yun Yongxue! He was actually participating in outdoor activities!

Even though he was just sitting on the sidelines and watching, it was already a historic moment.

Yun Yongxue was like a child making friends for the first time. Even if he wasn’t interested in the activity itself, he would accompany his friend.

He had also accepted the nickname “Xiao Xue.” Before this, no one around him had ever called him that, and he never responded to nicknames from fans.

The agent thought about it and decided it wasn’t surprising.

Yun Yongxue had received the strictest education from his mother since childhood. His world was only music, music, music. His only playmates were various musical instruments. He had never made friends with anyone his own age.

The people he interacted with closely were all collaborators, and all his social interactions were handled by others. Previously, it was his mother, and now it was his agent.

And the collaborators, having a preconceived notion that Yun Yongxue was withdrawn, wouldn’t invite him to have fun. At most, they would only send him some exquisite and elegant gifts.

This time, it was Yun Yongxue who took the initiative to show affection and admiration for someone.

A young, talented peer, someone who appreciated him back – wouldn’t it be natural for them to become friends?

Shang Jingyan was also unconventional. She directly took Yun Yongxue out to play.

When she asked Yun Yongxue if he wanted to go to the shooting range, the agent was startled, because Yun Yongxue was physically weak and had always been averse to outdoor sports. But to his surprise, Yun Yongxue agreed and followed her like a little tail.

Some people online were guessing whether Yun Yongxue and Shang Jingyan would form a team. But in fact, the two of them had only agreed on a collaboration for the show for now. However, the agent thought it wasn’t impossible in the future.

The agent’s attitude toward Yun Yongxue was mixed. On the one hand, he was his boss, a genius from a completely different world. Sometimes he even found Yun Yongxue a little scary, so he never interfered with Yun Yongxue’s life.

On the other hand, he had been taking care of Yun Yongxue for so long and was more than twice his age. He couldn’t help but have a somewhat protective attitude, feeling gratified by the changes in him.

“Lao Lin,” Yun Yongxue said, sitting with his knees hugged to his chest. He suddenly asked, “If I start exercising now, can I also shoot?”

He raised his head and looked at his agent, like a child subconsciously seeking the opinion of an elder.

The agent’s real name was Lin Feijie. He thought for a moment and said, “Laser guns have no recoil. As long as you can pick it up, theoretically, you can use it – it shouldn’t be heavier than your cello.”

This was practically encouragement.

But Yun Yongxue was still a little hesitant, or rather, apprehensive about the unknown. He nodded and didn’t say anything more, continuing to watch Shang Jingyan, his gaze full of inquiry and curiosity.

On the shooting range, Shang Jingyan’s long hair was tied back in a ponytail. She was dressed in black clothes, black pants, and black Doc Martens, her posture holding the gun standard and dashing, the complete opposite of Yun Yongxue. The sunlight shone on her silver hair, so bright it was almost dazzling.

The brown-haired young man was like a moth drawn to a flame, circling around her, yet still thinking that no one could see through him.

Lin Feijie touched the sparse hair on top of his head, his mood slightly subtle.

Young people… Curiosity is the first step to falling in love. He thought Yun Yongxue would soon understand what the excitement of first love felt like. But in his opinion, Yun Yongxue was still too much like a child in front of Shang Jingyan.

But, who says that love is the only solution for close relationships?

The excitement of youth doesn’t necessarily have to have a result. It’s quite beautiful just like this.

That’s what he thought, but as a typical interstellar person with a romantic mindset, Lin Feijie honestly opened his light brain, logged into his alt account, and secretly searched for fellow fans who wanted to ship this CP.

–

Shang Jingyan felt like she was probably destined to be busy. She had planned to take a vacation, but ended up picking up a Yun Yongxue.

When the haunted house contacted her, her first thought was: Keep him, I’ll recommend myself.

When she heard that Yun Yongxue had come specifically to find her, this thought became: Great, as expected of me!

Shang Jingyan knew very well the importance of music for horror films. To give an inappropriate example, if you play “Good Luck” when a ghost suddenly appears, even the scariest scene will be weakened.

Similarly, if the BGM is used appropriately to create atmosphere, it will have a dual effect of combining sight and sound.

Yun Yongxue had brought a contract template with him. She had planned to wait until the end of the Starlight Festival to contact Evergreen to sign it, since working during the holidays was simply inhumane.

Fortunately, her editor, Mu Xiu, was also a workaholic and worked overtime directly. The two sides announced it that night.

After leaving the shooting range, Mu Xiu had scheduled a meeting with her this afternoon to discuss casting – Director Shang’s schedule was just that packed.

The infinite flow genre could be said to encompass everything. Wu Rui, Tang Chuntao, and others could all participate, but this time Shang Jingyan wanted to choose a new actor for the protagonist.

“I hope she looks ordinary, like a young person who just graduated from high school and can be seen anywhere. But preferably the kind of straight-A student who looks very smart. This requires the actor to be young, but with very good acting skills.”

Shang Jingyan told her editor, Mu Xiu, her requirements, and also elaborated on some character details.

“Lan Qing’s core is very tough and sharp, although she looks ordinary… At the same time, her underlying tone is a chaotic gray… Hmm, when looking, we can pay attention to the shape of the eyes. I want the actor to be able to portray a ‘wolf cub’ look… This protagonist is not essentially a noble good person, but because her family and experiences are very normal, and she has just graduated from high school, she still has the naive sense of order out of an ivory tower society.”

She looked at her document. “And the supporting characters of the protagonist team, it’s a classic three-person squad. The protagonist is the intellectual type, the decision-maker. One female supporting character is the attack type, a tall older sister, the actor needs to work out… Hmm, I think Wu Rui is completely capable of this. The other female supporting character is the comedic relief, responsible for making jokes. The actor needs to have a bit of a comedian’s temperament.”

So, that meant they needed to find two new actors.

Mu Xiu swiped through her schedule, preparing to post a recruitment notice in the industry and arrange auditions for Shang Jingyan. She nodded continuously. When she heard this, she paused, subconsciously asking, “And then?”

Shang Jingyan: “What else is there?”

Mu Xiu was stunned, only then realizing that she was dealing with Shang Jingyan – she didn’t consider the CP chemistry between the female lead and male characters at all. She laughed, “I just wanted to ask about the male lead and male supporting characters.”

Shang Jingyan: “Well, I haven’t thought about that yet. The requirement is that they be handsome?”

Mu Xiu: “…”

Isn’t that a little too perfunctory!

No one knew when all the preparations for the new work would be completed. Mu Xiu pushed up her glasses. “Then what are your plans for the upcoming gap period?”

Actually, Shang Jingyan was already very diligent. She just asked casually, not expecting her to really fill the gap period.

Unexpectedly, Shang Jingyan said, “I have plans. I’m going to launch a new multiplayer holographic game. The BGM for the game is composed by Yun Yongxue. It’s a way for us to get used to working together.”

This was also strongly requested by Yun Yongxue. He was currently in a period of explosive inspiration. Other than sleeping, he felt uncomfortable if he didn’t write music for an hour.

Mu Xiu’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Multiplayer?… Oh, you mean the kind with a very simple mode, right?”

Multiplayer holographic games were almost exclusively built by large companies that hired a team of Dreamweavers. Games made by a single Dreamweaver usually only allowed players to move around in a single map, with limited activities.

Players jokingly called them “scenic spot tourist photo simulators” – wandering around a map with friends, with no plot and no intense fighting. No matter how beautiful the map was, what else could it be but a tourist photo op?

“More or less, the core is indeed very simple,” Shang Jingyan said.

Those “tourist photo” games didn’t have a good reputation. Players felt that the Dreamweavers were just trying to milk their fans for money. And in fact, that was often the case.

“Uh, you’re on the rise right now, should you reconsider…?” Mu Xiu said euphemistically.

Shang Jingyan smiled. “It’s not what you think. I actually think it’s quite interesting. I’ve already finished most of the framework, and I even have a name for it.”

Mu Xiu, seeing her confidence, didn’t interfere further and asked, “What’s the name?”

Shang Jingyan: “《Catch Me If You Can^[1]Literal: “If You Have the Ability, Come Catch Me”》.”

Mu Xiu: “?”

What a weird name?

The collaboration between Yun Yongxue and Shang Jingyan was big news in the Dreamweaver news during the entire Starlight Festival. For the next ten days or so, the popularity remained high.

The audience witnessed Yun Yongxue composing theme songs for Shang Jingyan’s works one by one, and many of the original soundtracks were replaced. It was almost overwhelming.

The fans of both sides were in a dreamlike state of unreal happiness. For Shang Jingyan’s audience, the music added the finishing touch to her works; for Yun Yongxue’s listeners, it meant many new songs to listen to.

On the last day of the Starlight Festival holiday, another bombshell dropped.

Jingyan v: [Made a simple holographic mini-game. Music credit: @YunYongxue . [Purchase Link: 《Catch Me If You Can》]]

The top comment: Yun Yongxue v: [It’s a very interesting mini-game.]

This instantly sparked heated discussion.

–

V066, the Jiang family home.

“Sis, look! Director Shang posted!”

“What, what?”

After seeing Shang Jingyan’s new post, Jiang Yuran’s mental journey was as follows:

Director Shang released a new work, yay!

The new work is a game, yay!

The game is multiplayer… Uh, multiplayer?

The name is “Catch Me If You Can”… Uh?

Taking a closer look, each game even required 7 players.

“Hiss…” The excitement on Jiang Yubai’s face gradually faded, replaced by an expression like he had a toothache. “A multiplayer game?”

No synopsis, no trailer, just released directly, as if it were a practice piece thrown up on a whim.

He refreshed the comment section of the game’s purchase page, and sure enough, people were already commenting.

[? … ]

[Tourist photo simulator… ?]

[emmm… ]

The first to arrive were loyal fans. Even if they had doubts, they wouldn’t express them intensely, just leaving some ambiguous ellipses.

“It… might not necessarily be bad, right?”

Jiang Yuran said hesitantly.

She had originally thought she would be playing another exciting and thrilling single-player holographic game like “Building 18.” Who knew the new work would be this type.

Jiang Yuran didn’t think Director Shang was trying to take advantage of her popularity to scam them, but she felt that being a fan of Director Shang might be even more thrilling than watching her horror films.

The arguments of the past few days were still fresh in her memory. At that time, she and her brother were furious when they saw the haters’ comments. Fortunately, in less than a day, the haters’ faces were slapped swollen at lightning speed.

And this game, it was obvious that it would stir up another storm!

Jiang Yuran thought about it and felt her heart couldn’t take it.

Nevertheless, she and her brother bought the new game, and even invited all their friends who could come.

Before evening, the Jiang siblings didn’t dare to look at the online comments.

For the sake of “Eldritch God” and the other four excellent works, a tourist photo simulator was fine! Maybe Director Shang really needed money?

If it really was that kind of game, she hoped the scenery in the game was exquisite and had some of Director Shang’s signature horror style. And there was Yun Yongxue’s music, right? That was worth it too, you had to pay for his albums anyway…

Jiang Yuran prayed in her heart as she logged into the game.

She first saw the huge title, consistent with the website page. Unlike the previous works, the words “Catch Me If You Can” were designed in a style that was both terrifying and playful. There was a white-robed, chibi-style ghost making a face on the word “You.”

All seven people landed. Clicking start, the loading animation showed a little ghost chasing six little stick figures.

Once the loading was complete, Jiang Yuran saw a huge map atlas appear in front of her. Only the box in the upper left corner was unlocked, with the name “Deep Blue Aquarium” below it.

The other “Rose Castle” and “Ghost Bride Town” were grayed out and unselectable, and further on there was “New Map in Preparation.”

“Do we click on it?” After Jiang Yuran clicked on “Deep Blue Aquarium” to confirm, a floating card appeared in front of everyone.

[Beginner’s Guide: Please follow the instructions and draw your card.]

[Game Rules: In each round, one player is randomly selected to play as the ghost. The ghost must wait at the starting point for 3 minutes. Within those 3 minutes, the human players must find hiding places within the map. After the waiting time is over, a 30-minute hunting period begins!]

[After 30 minutes, if the survival rate of the human players is greater than or equal to 3, the human side wins; otherwise, the ghost side wins.]

[Note: Clever use of the props in the map can hinder the ghost’s capture. Have fun playing mind games!]

The rules were simple and easy to understand. Jiang Yuran blurted out, “Hey! Isn’t this just hide-and-seek?”

She had never imagined that a “tourist photo simulator” could have this possibility. Jiang Yubai and her friends were also stunned. “So it’s this kind of format!”

It was unexpectedly… exciting.

With a flash of white light, Jiang Yuran didn’t even have time to see her card before she was transported to the map “Deep Blue Aquarium.”

She felt like she had suddenly transmigrated into “Moebius Sea.” The deep blue fear washed over her.

White walls, curved staircases, dim lighting, tall and large aquariums, water ripples reflecting on the floor, fish swimming behind the glass…

The scene was similar to the movie, but different. This was an aquarium, not a research institute. Soft, pure music drifted throughout the map.

And she was at the visitor entrance of the aquarium. Jiang Yuran flipped over her card – she had drawn the ghost identity!

Jiang Yuran’s heart was pounding. She looked down and saw that her appearance had also changed.

The ghost form in the “Deep Blue Aquarium” map was a figure wearing a gas mask, wrapped in a black robe, with a transparent lower body, and holding a black triangular harpoon.

If Jiang Yuran had drawn the human side, being chased by such a ghost in this map would definitely make her heart race and scream.

But…

She was the ghost now!

As soon as the three-minute countdown ended, Jiang Yuran excitedly clenched the harpoon.

Humans, here I come!