Noticing Lu Youze’s gaze, Yu Li subconsciously furrowed his brows. This unfamiliar feeling made him uneasy. Everything had been proceeding according to plan, but no matter how much he calculated, he never accounted for the possibility that Lu Youze would lose his memory.

This amnesiac Lu Youze was completely beyond his control.

Seeing that Lu Youze seemed ready, Gu Xuanze signaled to the host, who immediately understood and handed the microphone to Lu Youze.

“Oh dear, it looks like Youze also has something to say in response to what Li just said. Let’s hear what Youze has to share!”

Lu Youze took the microphone from the host. Without sparing Yu Li another glance, he turned to the camera and, with remarkable poise, said, “I can only apologize to Mr. Yu Li, but I truly don’t remember anything. The doctor said I subconsciously erased the painful memories from my mind because I was too heartbroken. Mr. Yu Li, I don’t think you would want me to remember those painful memories either, would you?”

No matter what Lu Youze originally meant by those words, to the audience and his fans, it was pure provocation.

The other celebrities on stage were all stunned, staring at him in disbelief. This was a live broadcast—did Lu Youze really dare to say such things? Did he think that just because he had the Gu family backing him now, he could afford to be reckless?

After the initial shock, many of them were eager to watch the drama unfold. Lu Youze had never been well-liked in the industry—his arrogance had offended countless people. When he fell from grace, many secretly rejoiced, itching to trample him further. But who would have thought that, in such a short time, he would climb back up by aligning himself with the Gu family, using their influence to secure premium resources? That only made people resent him more, and now, a large portion of the crowd was waiting for him to make a fool of himself.

Yu Li lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes, hiding the darkness within them. However, to the fans, this conveyed an entirely different meaning.

“Youze, am I a source of pain for you?” Yu Li’s shoulders trembled, his voice choked with emotion, as if he were silently crying. “But to me, every memory with you is filled with happiness.”

His words were like a bomb detonating in the fans’ hearts. In an instant, the audience erupted.

The hateful comments flooding the live stream were one thing—Lu Youze couldn’t see them anyway, and Gu Xuanze would never let him. But the verbal abuse on-site was relentless.

“Get off the stage!”

“You scumbag! You think amnesia lets you pretend nothing happened?”

“What a joke! This isn’t some TV drama. This is just a new way for a scumbag to whitewash himself!”

“Li Li, don’t cry! We’ll always stand by your side!”

“He’s not worth it!”

“Does someone with such a terrible character even deserve to be a leading actor?”

Angry fans cursed at him, pushing toward the stage as if they were ready to tear Lu Youze apart.

Fortunately, Gu Xuanze had anticipated this. He had arranged for the organizers to bring in extra security in advance, specifically requesting the best guards from a security firm. Money wasn’t an issue—the priority was having enough strong personnel to ensure both the celebrities’ and fans’ safety, preventing any stampedes due to the chaos.

At first, the organizers thought Gu Xuanze was overreacting. Now, they had no choice but to admire his foresight. Over fifty security guards, all tall, strong, and experienced, were present. With them in place, there was no way the fans could storm the stage.

Lu Youze watched the commotion unfolding around him with a calm expression. Maybe it was because of the person holding his hand beside him, but at this moment, his inner state truly matched his outward composure.

The fans’ emotional outburst had already turned this into a live broadcast disaster. Under normal circumstances, the stream should have been cut immediately, followed by the idol stepping in to pacify the fans, with an official apology or explanation issued afterward.

That was the standard procedure.

But before the broadcast began, Gu Xuanze had given strict orders: No matter what happened, the live stream had to continue unless he said otherwise.

And so, the broadcast kept rolling. On Weibo, trending topics popped up one after another. The live viewership count had already shattered the platform’s record, making it the most-watched stream across all streaming services at the moment.

“Youze,” Gu Xuanze switched off the mic clipped to his outfit and leaned in to whisper in his ear, “all you need to do right now is collapse from the overwhelming pain. That wouldn’t be too difficult for you, would it? I’m really looking forward to your performance.”

His voice was low, drowned out by the surrounding noise. Apart from Lu Youze, even the host and Yu Li, who were standing closest, couldn’t hear what he said.

Yu Li’s frown deepened. Seeing Gu Xuanze’s effortless control over the situation, he had no doubt that the man had more plans in motion. This unexpected wildcard was an eyesore in every way. But without knowing his exact strategy, all Yu Li could do was take things one step at a time.

Although he didn’t know what Gu Xuanze was up to, Lu Youze still did as he was told—first showing a pained expression and then fainting into Gu Xuanze’s arms.

“Youze.” Gu Xuanze, taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, quietly turned his microphone back on. He caught the collapsing Lu Youze in his arms and immediately called out to the host beside him, “Call an ambulance.”

The unexpected situation stunned the previously agitated fans into silence.

Yu Li initially wanted to step forward to check on Lu Youze’s condition, but Gu Xuanze avoided him. He effortlessly lifted Lu Youze, who was actually taller than him, into his arms. Then, he coldly glanced at Yu Li and said, “Mr. Yu Li, don’t go too far. Youze has already retreated again and again—why must you keep pushing him, forcing him into a dead end? Some things, perhaps others don’t know, but heaven knows, the earth knows, you know, and I know.”

Gu Xuanze fell silent for a moment before lowering his gaze to the person in his arms. His tone softened significantly. “Youze knows as well. But because the memories are too painful, he chose to forget everything.”

Yu Li’s expression flickered, but he maintained an innocent look. “I just saw Youze and couldn’t hold back my feelings, so I spoke my mind. President Gu, I don’t quite understand what you mean—are you implying something?”

Whether Gu Xuanze was implying anything was unclear, but Yu Li’s words were definitely suggestive.

Lying in Gu Xuanze’s arms and diligently playing the role of an unconscious man, Lu Youze coldly thought to himself upon hearing Yu Li’s words:

“What a blatant threat—does Gu’s company really think they can control everything?”

“We’re not afraid, Lili. We’ll always stand by your side.”

… …

Sure enough, the fans’ reactions were exactly as Yu Li had anticipated.

Gu Xuanze remained completely unfazed, his tone identical to before.

“Mr. Yu Li, I neither implied anything nor needed to. Since you claim not to understand, let me put it more clearly. Everything you did to Youze—he endured it all because he liked you. He even went so far as to ruin his own reputation and destroy his health. If he hadn’t lost his memory, he might still be suffering under you. But things are different now. Now, he has me. I will never let him be wronged again.”

“President Gu, don’t you think that’s a bit unfair?”

“Unfair? Who’s really being unfair here? You took advantage of his feelings for you and kept tormenting him. Forget about his self-destructive tendencies—just the fact that this is already the second time he’s fainted in public because of the violence from your fans should be enough.”

“I took advantage of his feelings?” Yu Li laughed, but his voice trembled as if he were about to cry. “The whole world knows that I’m the one who was abandoned. I would have loved to use his feelings against him—but unfortunately, he never even liked me.”

The fans below the stage were growing increasingly agitated, though security kept them in check. Meanwhile, other fandoms had likely received instructions from their respective studios or major fan accounts, advising them to stay silent and not get involved.

On stage, the tension between the two men escalated. The livestream viewership soared to an all-time high—not just fans but also many curious onlookers eager for drama.

“Mr. Yu Li, if you want to keep things secret, don’t do them in the first place. I originally had no intention of interfering in what happened between you and Youze. I trust that he’s truly forgotten you. But since you insist on pressing the issue, I won’t sit back and do nothing. After all, no Alpha would tolerate seeing their Omega get bullied. Do you really think no one knows who hurt whom first?”

Almost as if it had been timed perfectly, the ambulance arrived just as Gu Xuanze finished speaking. Without wasting another word on Yu Li, he carried Lu Youze onto the ambulance, leaving the mess for the event organizers, Yuan Baiyue, and Gu Corporation’s PR team to clean up.

Humans are naturally curious. Some things don’t need to be spelled out—his job was simply to ignite the interest of those watching the livestream. The rest was up to Yuan Baiyue.

Of course, he had his own personal motives as well. Driving a wedge between Lu Youze and Yu Li was one of them. That way, if Youze ever regained his memories one day, the chances of them getting back together would be even slimmer.