Reborn, I Became a Male God - Chapter 76-80

Yunshu never expected that Jing Ling would choose this moment to recognize her. Back when she was talking to the staff at the bus stop, she had secretly glanced in that direction from the corner of her eye. As expected, Jing Ling recognized her and, seemingly unintentionally, glanced her way. Their eyes met for a brief second, and then they casually looked away as if nothing had happened. Yunshu watched him stand there with his hands in his pockets, waiting seriously for the bus, and for some reason, she felt like laughing.

 

Later, he deliberately pretended to mistake her for someone else. Yunshu had guessed that much, but she didn’t expect what happened afterward. It’s almost common knowledge that there are a lot of pickpockets at bus stops, but no one expected to encounter them during a show recording. There’s no doubt that stepping in to help is a good thing, but after what happened last time—lying in the hospital for a month, followed by another month of recovery—when she saw Jing Ling take off running this time, to be honest, she felt very anxious.

 

And then?

 

And then she felt like she had been charmed again. The camera recorded everything—the young man took on five thieves single-handedly, not even frowning, and knocked them all down. She had never imagined a person could be so handsome to this degree.

 

“Ah Tan, is that you?” Jing Ling stood in front of her, smiling with his eyes.

 

Yunshu suddenly wanted to tease him a little.

 

“Huh? Me?” She deliberately put on a surprised expression and pointed at herself, then shook her head. “Sorry, you’ve got the wrong person.”

 

As she wished, she saw Jing Ling’s slight look of surprise.

 

“Hahaha!” She couldn’t help but laugh out loud. The staff from the show beside them also laughed along. The atmosphere immediately relaxed.

 

Later, when this scene aired, the post-production added subtitles— “Handsome for only three seconds!”

 

Jing Ling unexpectedly became the first person to find his partner. Over on Yu Leyang and He Lan’s side, after repeatedly mistaking others and eliminating all the wrong answers, they also successfully found their partners.

 

The first segment of finding their partners was just a warm-up. After that, the real interaction began. “A Day with Your Idol,” as the name suggests, meant spending a whole day with your idol—male and female paired up as a couple for the day. Although all the celebrities looked good, you couldn’t survive on love alone without eating or drinking for a whole day. It’s like having a boyfriend (or girlfriend) who takes you out, but all they do is drag you around all day without even buying you a meal, snacks, or a bottle of water—who would keep such a partner, let alone celebrate the New Year with them?

 

So the second segment was the “Earn Money for a Date.” The recording location was Baiyun Plaza, with each pair given 100 yuan as starting funds for their date. The requirement was to at least have one meal, play a game, and of course, snacks and drinks couldn’t be lacking.

 

On the way to Baiyun Plaza, the staff handed 100 yuan to each pair.

 

After getting the money, Yu Leyang and He Lan immediately discussed how to earn more. After all, 100 yuan was far too little. If they didn’t want to spend the rest of the day miserably, the only option was to earn money.

 

In this regard, the two official CP pairs who were regulars on the show didn’t have to worry. One was a singer—used the funds to rent a guitar, sat in a crowded area, and started busking. The other was skilled in various magic tricks and also performed for money. Plus, the show had aired for so many seasons, and they were fairly well-known now. With fans sponsoring them within the standard limits, they basically had no financial pressure.

 

He Lan had studied the show beforehand, and as a singer herself, she could completely copy the official CP’s busking approach.

 

Yu Leyang, on the other hand, had climbed the ranks entirely by his looks and had no particular talents. After discussing with his fans for a while, they decided to try their luck. As the saying goes, “The only way to relieve worries is to strike it rich.” He was probably planning to buy scratch-off lottery tickets.

Jing Ling, meanwhile, held the brand-new 100 yuan bill and exchanged a glance with Yunshu. He knowingly asked, “Do you like stuffed toys?”

 

Yunshu nodded, “I do.”

 

So, when the show crew arrived at Baiyun Plaza, he directly took Yunshu to the entertainment area. They looked at a few stalls where stuffed animals were given as prizes, and he chose the one with the big bear plush toy that Yunshu liked the most. He sat down at the table. “Boss, I’ll play once.” While speaking, he picked up pen and paper and started writing.

 

That’s right—it was the same number-writing game he had once played with Jing Qiu. The rules here were 20 yuan per attempt. If you could write the numbers from 1 to 500 without a mistake, not only did you not have to pay, but you also got a big bear plush toy as a reward.

 

This was no challenge for Jing Ling. He quickly and accurately finished writing, set down the pen, and handed the paper to the boss. “Please check this. If everything’s correct, I’ll take the prize.”

 

The boss looked a little surprised but took the paper and checked it carefully. The handwriting was neat, and there were no mistakes. Though reluctant in his heart, seeing the camera crew behind them, he realized they were filming a show. So, smiling, he handed the big bear plush toy to Jing Ling, and then suddenly turned to the camera and made a peace sign.

 

After handing the plush toy to Yunshu, Jing Ling led her to the next stall. In just over two hours, he swept through the entire entertainment area, clearing out the stalls. The types and quality of the prizes were not only numerous but also quite good. It wasn’t until they couldn’t carry any more that they stopped this outrageous behavior.

 

The two of them carried their prizes to the big tree beside the plaza.

 

It was already noon. Today’s weather was sunny with the sun high in the sky. After walking around with Jing Ling and carrying so much stuff, Yunshu was already panting from exhaustion. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her cheeks were slightly flushed.

 

“Good job!” Jing Ling said as he wiped her sweat with a tissue. His other hand wasn’t idle either—he pulled out a fan from their pile of prizes and fanned her. After she recovered a bit, he bought her a bottle of iced Moki drink. It was obvious this product kept appearing because it was a show sponsor.

 

So far, their 100 yuan date funds hadn’t decreased at all—in fact, they had increased to 400 yuan. This was because some of the stall games, like throwing baseballs at empty cans, awarded cash prizes. Jing Ling had swept through the street, naturally including those.

 

Four hundred yuan was more than enough for half a day’s date. But when it came to money, who would ever complain about having too much?

 

Jing Ling let Yunshu pick a few prizes she liked, then casually placed the rest on the grass. His phone started playing a recorded message automatically—“Various toys, cheap clearance sale, first come first served, while supplies last!”

 

While challenging the various game stalls, Jing Ling had attracted a group of temporary fans who followed him from stall to stall. Though some people left when he stopped, others followed him over. Now that he had set up a stall to sell the prizes, people immediately came asking for prices. Since it wasn’t a proper business, Jing Ling didn’t care much about pricing. He sold everything at roughly half the market price. With good quality and low prices, the pile of toys was quickly sold out.

 

Jing Ling counted—they now had over 1,000 yuan in date funds.

 

The cameraman, who had followed them filming all along, was already completely numb. Having filmed so many episodes of the show, he had seen all kinds of guests, but someone like this, almost like a cheat code, was a first. Single-handedly taking down five thieves had already been unbelievable. Now, sweeping an entire street clean—the moment this episode aired, Jing Ling’s popularity would undoubtedly soar to a whole new level.

 

The long-dominant official CPs had finally met their match. There was no way their game completion rate could compare to this pair. More importantly, the game was only halfway through. Who knew what astonishing stunts Jing Ling and his partner would pull next?

 

Reality soon proved the cameraman wasn’t overthinking.

 

After taking Yunshu to lunch, Jing Ling strolled with her around the nearby man-made lake. The two of them whispered about something during their walk. After two laps, they began a new mission. When they headed toward the entertainment area again, the stall owners were terrified, worried he would come back to sweep through everything again. Everyone watched nervously, only to find they were just shopping.

 

Masks, wigs, ketchup, and white bed sheets.

 

The cameraman watched in utter confusion, having no idea what they were planning. But there was a bad feeling in his gut.

 

Beside the plaza was a large amusement park—their destination. Watching them buy tickets to go in, the cameraman instantly understood.

 

Baiyun City’s most famous couple dating spot—The Haunted House Maze.

 

 

Chapter 77

 

 

The haunted house maze in Baiyun City is the largest horror-themed amusement park in the country. It is located on the westernmost side of Baiyun Amusement Park, using an entire three-story building as the haunted house—two floors above ground and one underground—with a construction area of over 3,000 square meters. The exterior of the building looks extremely dilapidated, like a structure left behind from ages past. The walls are peeling, revealing mottled traces. Wild grass grows wildly at the corners, vines climb up the walls, densely covering several windows.

 

Not only the exterior but also the interior differs from ordinary buildings. The two floors above ground are not horizontally divided. Instead, they are uneven, staggered, and slanted. With the addition of doors, windows, and other features, it is arranged into a genuine maze.

 

This is one of Baiyun City’s iconic tourist attractions, attracting large numbers of domestic and international tourists every year.

 

This time, the production crew of A Day with My Idol came to Baiyun City to record the latest episode and planned to visit this so-called “100% guaranteed to scare you senseless” haunted house. However, this was intended as a secret surprise segment and was not announced in advance. The purpose was to capture the most genuine reactions from the guests when they found out.

 

What they didn’t expect was that Jing Ling’s team took the initiative to challenge it even before the crew said anything. The cameraman finally understood why they had bought all that stuff earlier—it was to stir things up! Just now, they had swept through the amusement area’s shopping street, scaring the shop owners so much that they trembled when they saw them. It hadn’t even been peaceful for long, and now they wanted to storm the signature attraction.

 

Truly the real-life portrayal of an angelic face hiding a devilish heart.

 

Since Jing Ling didn’t play by the rules, the cameraman quietly contacted the production team to report the situation and ask if they should be stopped. After a quick discussion, the production team decided to adjust the filming plan and gather the other teams for a grand haunted house battle. After all, ever since the unexpected thief incident earlier in the episode, Jing Ling had completely stolen the spotlight, and the others risked becoming mere background props. But there was no way the production team would give up on the viral moment of one hero fighting five. Since the plan was already derailed, going a bit further off course wouldn’t hurt.

 

The production team had already contacted the haunted house maze operators in advance, but the scheduled time was nighttime. Now, with the timing moved forward unexpectedly, although the operators didn’t mind, the previous group of tourists hadn’t come out yet.

 

Luckily, the other five teams hadn’t arrived either, and there were still things to arrange. By the time everything was ready, the tourists would likely be finished as well.

 

The secret segment was called “Haunted House Battle.” The production team had asked the haunted house maze operators to place a music box with the idol logo in a room on the third floor. The music box continuously played music. The team that found the music box and successfully brought it to the safe exit or out of the haunted house would win a free candlelit dinner at the rooftop restaurant of Baiyun City’s Wangjiang Tower.

 

Originally, Jing Ling’s over 1,000 yuan was already enough to leave the other teams far behind. But compared to this, that money was nothing. Of course, celebrities could all afford such a meal, but this was during filming. There were five teams in total for this episode, and apart from He Lan’s team, all the idols were men—the most prideful creatures. When others had to carefully budget every penny, you could take your female partner to a candlelit dinner at a rooftop restaurant, and your image would instantly become refined and high-class. Not only would you gain face, but your fans could also brag about it outside.

 

Thus, this was destined to be a life-or-death competition.

 

At first, Jing Ling only planned to take Yunshu to the haunted house to have fun with the staff inside. Now that the production team wanted a big haunted house battle, he was even happier. After all, that bastard Yu Leyang had trampled him enough in press releases. He was broad-minded enough not to deliberately retaliate in the same way, but with this opportunity handed right to him, he didn’t mind getting some revenge.

 

The preliminary preparations were completed quickly, and the production team could officially start filming this segment. The entry order for the haunted house maze was decided by drawing lots, as there was only one entrance, and all five teams couldn’t go in together.

 

When it was Jing Ling’s team’s turn, he turned his head and said to Yunshu, “A-Tan, you draw.” Yunshu nodded, walked over, and casually drew a slip of paper. 

Upon unfolding it, the number “1” was written clearly in black on white paper. No explanation needed for the little red hand of luck.

 

“We’re going first, everyone!” Jing Ling held Yunshu’s hand and showed off the slip with the number one, then turned and entered the entrance. Their cameraman hadn’t expected their luck to be this good and was still sitting comfortably. Upon seeing this, he quickly got up and carried the camera to follow them.

 

The largest haunted house in the country wasn’t an exaggeration. About five meters in, there was already a fork in the path—one to the left and one to the right. Both sides were dimly lit, with flickering lights above. Bl00d-red handprints stained the walls, and at the end was an elevator.

 

“Left or right?” Jing Ling sought Yunshu’s opinion. She thought for two seconds, “Right.” So the team turned right, officially stepping into the haunted house maze.

 

The organizers sent them a big welcome gift right from the start. As the three of them approached the elevator, the moment the lights dimmed, a hand suddenly stretched out from the dark corner beside Yunshu. Jing Ling calmly extended his foot, accurately blocking the hand with his toe.

 

Ding—the elevator doors opened, and the three of them walked in. The doors slowly closed, reflecting a terrifying face on the glass. A faint voice came from the corner, “Welcome to the Ghost Domain Maze~~~” followed by a creepy burst of laughter.

 

Jing Ling and Yunshu remained calm. The former was carefully observing the elevator interior, while the latter stared steadily at the large face on the door. Only the poor cameraman was so scared his hand trembled, nearly losing his grip on the camera. Jing Ling reached out to steady him, comforting, “Brother Yang, don’t be scared. If it’s really unbearable, just recite the core socialist values. Want me to start for you? Prosperity, democracy, civili—”

 

Brother Yang, who had indeed been a bit scared, now had three black lines slide down his forehead thanks to the interruption. “…No need, thank you.”

 

Yunshu couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.

 

After this small interlude, the elevator descended to the first basement level, and the doors slowly opened. Yunshu was about to step out when Jing Ling stretched out his hand to stop her, “I think there’ll be a jump scare at the door.” As he spoke, he extended his leg, stepping onto the threshold. Sure enough, a person suddenly dropped down from above, hanging upside down with long hair dangling, wearing a tight white dress stained with large dark red splotches.

 

“This is a kind of sensor device. When you step into this area, the mechanism triggers, and this dummy drops down,” Jing Ling explained seriously. “Given the number of tourists passing through daily, this setup is probably on a loop—once you leave the area, it retracts.” As he spoke, he withdrew his foot. As expected, the hanging person retracted. He tested it a few more times—step on, dummy drops; step off, dummy retracts. The originally scary scene was turned into a comical act by him.

 

Brother Yang was covered in black lines, but the fear that had been lodged in his throat finally settled back in his stomach. His emotions had truly gone through highs and lows in a short time.

 

After stepping on it one more time, Jing Ling didn’t retract his foot but stood there completely. He reached out and touched the dummy’s head. After a quick circle of his fingers, he successfully pulled off the wig. Holding it in one hand, he turned to Brother Yang with a smile.

 

Brother Yang asked with a trembling voice, “What…what are you doing?”

 

“Yunshu and I both have disguises prepared, but I forgot yours, so we’ll have to improvise.” Jing Ling and Yunshu had come prepared to blend in with the haunted house staff, but the cameraman was still exposed. If he didn’t disguise himself, they’d be easily discovered.

 

But since the wig was technically the haunted house’s property, Jing Ling felt it necessary to leave a note. He turned back into the elevator, pulled out the white bedsheet they had bought earlier, used a red marker to write a line of text, then smoothed the sheet out and aimed it at the surveillance camera in the corner.

 

—Borrowing your wig for a bit, might borrow other things later too. Will return everything upon exit. If damaged, will compensate according to price.

 

In the surveillance room, the staff: “…”

 

 

Chapter 78

 

 

The elevator opened to reveal a dark, narrow passageway. About four meters deep, it split into two branches to the left and right. Jing Ling estimated that after this brief delay, the other teams had probably set off as well. With only two options and a fifty percent chance, the likelihood of encountering others here was high. Therefore, they had to leave the entrance and find another place to sit down and properly plan their next steps.

 

All the equipment was packed in the backpack carried by Jing Ling. He pulled out a sketchbook from the bag, took a ballpoint pen, and wrote something in the notebook as they walked. Brother Yang, carrying the camera, brought the lens closer for a close-up.

 

Whoa, he was actually drawing a map! This guy was seriously defying the odds!

 

At this fork in the road, they once again chose to go right. Probably feeling the thrill from the “door-opening scare” hadn’t worn off yet, the organizers kindly gave the tourists a breather. So along this stretch, all the way to the next fork, there were no sudden scares — only the dim environment and faint, eerie background music creating an atmosphere. After turning right two more times, Jing Ling had already borrowed several props, including a hollow skull.

 

To avoid accidentally running into other teams, they didn’t linger on the road but ducked into an inconspicuous room in the corner. The Haunted Maze covered over 3,000 square meters — impossible for every corner to be uniquely designed. For instance, this room they entered was lit, but like outside, the lights flickered constantly under the pretense of unstable voltage. Along the wall stood an old wooden desk, a stool missing one leg in front of it, scattered furniture pieces lying messily on the floor, and in the corner — a small figure with short hair, bluish skin, and large eyes completely black without any whites, squatting there, slightly lifting its head to look over, giving off a spine-chilling feeling.

 

Brother Yang, with the courage of an average person, unsurprisingly got scared again and quickly hid behind Jing Ling and Yunshu. Jing Ling glanced at the corner and continued his explanation, “It’s just a silicone doll with a layer of special paint on it.” After a slight pause, he added, “We’ll borrow this prop too. Strap it to the back — the effect should be pretty good.”

 

Brother Yang: “…”

 

Jing Ling placed the backpack on the desk, unzipped it, and took out the items one by one, laying them across the tabletop. He pieced together various props, finally dressing Yunshu in them. A female ghost wearing a tattered, bl00d-stained cloak with long, messy hair spilling from the hood was complete. After putting on the homemade mask, there was no trace of her being a show guest. As for his own disguise, it was much simpler: a clown mask, gloves on both hands, a fabric bag sewn onto his shoulder, a wig secured in place, long hair draping to his waist — it looked like a human head was lying there.

 

Brother Yang watched this entire transformation happen in an extremely short time, his worldview suffering unprecedented shock. What was even scarier was that the two fully disguised people suddenly turned their heads toward him with perfect coordination.

 

“Y-y-you guys… what do you want?!” His teeth were chattering as he spoke.

 

“It’s your turn~” Jing Ling said creepily.

 

“Ah—” Brother Yang screamed miserably.

 

A while later, the door to the room opened from the inside, and three figures — or rather, three ghosts — walked out. A female ghost in a cloak, a male ghost dressed as a clown with a head resting on his shoulder, and an odd-looking ghost with long hair, rags hanging from his body, and a human head slung over his shoulder.

 

Since the camera was rather conspicuous, Jing Ling had dressed it in clothes and put a wig on it. From a distance, it just looked like another head.

 

With that, the preparations were complete. Next, it was time to get down to business. First, they had to find the music box on the third floor, because according to the game rules, when a team obtained the music box and successfully brought it to the safe exit or outside the haunted house, the game ended. If Jing Ling’s group wanted to properly enjoy a haunted house play session with the others, they had to get their hands on that crucial prop.

 

Meanwhile, Yu Leyang’s group drew second in the lot, setting off five minutes after the first team. When they reached the fork in the road, he didn’t ask for his teammates’ opinions and directly chose the right path. All the way to the elevator entrance, while they waited, that hand reached out from the shadows again — still on the female teammate’s side. The girl in the group felt something touch her foot, instinctively looked down, and saw a bluish-grey hand grabbing the back of her foot. A sharp scream burst out.

 

“Ah—”

 

People scaring people — that’s how accidents happen. Yu Leyang and the cameraman were both startled.

 

The giant face behind the door and the terrifying laughter that followed brought two more screams.

 

Truthfully, Yu Leyang was a little scared himself. With the girl’s influence, the fear multiplied exponentially, and his anxiety was amplified. He barely managed to suppress his own screams. When the elevator reached the basement level, he told the girl, “I’ll go in front, you follow me! Stop freaking out. Even if there was nothing scary, you’ll scare me to death at this rate!”

 

His tone wasn’t very nice. The girl froze for a moment, then nodded. “I know, sorry.” After speaking, she covered her mouth, likely planning to control herself that way to avoid making noise.

 

Yu Leyang nodded in satisfaction and stepped out of the elevator. The floor sensed his weight, and the female ghost above suddenly dropped down. Completely unprepared for a door-opening scare, he practically jumped several steps back. It took him a few seconds to realize that this scare had some issues. The body was curvy, the bl00d-stained tight nurse uniform was fine, but… what was with the bald head???

 

Staring at the hanging figure for a few seconds, Yu Leyang suddenly cursed, “F*ck!” To think this thing actually scared him — how humiliating.

 

At the time, he didn’t sense anything wrong. The accompanying cameraman, who wasn’t particularly close to him, didn’t remind him either, just silently recorded everything with the camera.

 

The Haunted Maze was vast and complex in layout. Without a map, you could only rely on instinct to navigate. Yu Leyang led his team wandering around the basement level for several laps before finding the entrance to the second floor. A long corridor sloped upward into darkness. Along the way, they had encountered all kinds of jump scares, ambush scares, ghostly shadows — enough to leave a psychological scar. Seeing a path like this, his first reaction was an ambush ahead. But there was no choice; they had to grit their teeth and go forward.

 

Cautiously, they finally made it to the second floor without incident. Gradually, his vigilance relaxed. At that moment, his flashlight swept across a side corner, where a small black figure with bluish skin and pitch-black eyes stared at him.

 

“Uncle… uncle… I’m cold…” A faint voice came from that direction.

 

Yu Leyang froze on the spot, then turned and ran. After barely two steps, he felt something brush his head. Instinctively looking up, he saw a two-headed person hanging down. One head had glowing green eyes; the other had long hair trailing down — precisely what he had bumped into.

 

For a moment, his legs nearly gave out.

 

This time, he couldn’t hold back. A scream burst out, and he dashed into a nearby alley without looking back, successfully separating from his teammates.

 

The familiar music grew louder — a figure in a bl00d-stained cloak approached slowly. The girl left behind by Yu Leyang stood frozen, trembling uncontrollably. The cameraman was startled at first, but after recognizing the music, he relaxed, even curling his lips in amusement. After filming so many episodes, if you couldn’t even recognize your own show’s theme music, now that would be funny. He reassured the girl, “Don’t be scared. It’s just another guest team. They got the music box, so the game will end soon. Let’s go find Yu Leyang.”

 

Sure enough, as the cameraman said, the cloaked female ghost greeted them, “Hello.” The male ghost hanging upside down jumped down and waved, “Hi~.” 

 

In the corner, the ghost carrying a human head bent down, picked up the small ghost on the ground, and greeted them, “Hello!”

 

The girl: “…”

 

The cameraman recognized them — or rather, recognized the disguised equipment — and was speechless for a moment. After greeting them with one hand, he led the girl to find their team leader.

 

In theory, once a team found the music box, the game should’ve ended. But after walking for quite a distance without hearing from the production team, the cameraman sensed something was wrong and asked what was going on.

 

“Actually, about ten minutes ago, one team already got the music box, but when they passed the safe exit, they didn’t even look at it and just kept wandering around the maze. You’re the second team they’ve blocked…”

 

“…What does that mean?”

 

“Obviously, the team with the music box forcibly turned the item-hunting adventure into a one-sided game of hide-and-seek.”

 

“…”

 

The cameraman felt utterly defeated.

 

Jing Ling, along with Yunshu and the team’s cameraman, played hide-and-seek with other teams while mapping the maze. Before long, a rough outline appeared in his sketchbook. Their team’s skill was impressive — finding people almost always on the first try.

 

After several scares, the others caught on. The moment they heard the music box, they became instantly alert.

 

Jing Ling smoothly changed tactics — hiding the music box and stealthily approaching other teams from all directions except head-on, greeting them unexpectedly.

 

Once, twice, three times…

 

The other teams realized this couldn’t go on. They had to come up with a solution! In the end, they decided to stick together — strength in numbers. With so many eyes, no ghost or monster could sneak up on them!

 

This turned out to be a smart move. Jing Ling indeed couldn’t approach anymore. So he led his team to mess with the maze staff.

 

The staff, who had been laughing at the production team in the control room, were suddenly intrigued, ready to “counter-attack” Jing Ling’s team. With surveillance as their biggest advantage, they coordinated with the staff inside the maze. But their faces were soon metaphorically slapped — surveillance had blind spots, and Jing Ling exploited them, leading his team to appear and disappear unpredictably, scaring the staff senseless.

 

These professional actors, who usually terrified tourists into screaming and crying, finally experienced what it felt like to be scared themselves.

 

Chaos erupted below. The maze staff were no longer laughing, quickly contacting the production team to end the game.

 

Jing Ling’s team was having a blast. Not just him and Yunshu — even the usually timid cameraman Brother Yang was excited, gleefully running around carrying that plastic doll. Unfortunately, the production team called a halt to the game, so they had to obediently carry the music box out of the haunted house.

 

Although their team deviated from the conventional path, with a music box in hand, they were naturally the victors. The production team rewarded them with a candlelit dinner.

 

This episode’s filming concluded amidst a stark juxtaposition: on one side, an upscale restaurant offering a romantic candlelit supper; on the other, a quaint street-side eatery serving hearty, homemade fare. Once post-production is finalized and some additional scenes are shot, it will be ready for broadcast.

 

 

Chapter 79

 

 

Jing Ling earned back a thousand yuan from the stall owner at the plaza play area. Originally, he planned to take Yunshu for a nice meal. Of course, “nice” here was relative to the other teams in the show. Unexpectedly, the official team sent him a gift—not only free companionship for the play session but also a candlelight dinner.

 

So, amidst the envious, jealous, and resentful gazes of the others, he directly took Yunshu to the Wangjiang Tower Hotel. As the name implied, Wangjiang Tower Hotel was located by the river, facing the vast expanse of sky and water, offering a magnificent view. The restaurant on the top floor was on the 48th floor of the hotel, far from the hustle and bustle of traffic, yet capturing the prosperous night scenery in full view. Cruise ships passed over the river surface, ripples spreading layer by layer, the water sparkling, and the flickering lights reflecting on the water.

 

When the two of them arrived at the entrance of Wangjiang Tower, Jing Ling’s gaze unintentionally swept to the left. He paused slightly, narrowed his eyes, and said to Yunshu, “A-Tan, you go up first.”

 

Yunshu followed his line of sight but didn’t see anything unusual. She asked puzzledly, “Is there something going on?”

 

“Got a surprise for you.”

 

The hotel staff led Yunshu upstairs first, while the cameraman followed Jing Ling as he turned left, crossed the street, and walked straight into the shopping mall. Right at the entrance was the jewelry section, with several brands. One silver jewelry store was precisely Jing Ling’s target. He walked over, politely declined the salesperson’s introduction, looked around through the glass display counter, and finally picked out a pair of pinky rings, two different sizes, and took them away.

 

This flirting technique was simply top-tier. The cameraman was dumbfounded.

 

Yunshu sat alone on the terrace, resting her chin on one hand, lost in thought.

 

Her job was confirmed; she would report in September. When Jing Ling called her to sign up for the variety show A Day with My Idol, she was in the middle of preparing for her new job. Actually, she’d been hesitant about this job all along, but after meeting Jing Ling, it was as if she was suddenly filled with endless courage. Even if the road ahead was bumpy and full of thorns, she was no longer afraid.

 

In the past, Yunshu felt that no one could be trusted. Because of the Tan family, she had an ingrained aversion to romantic relationships. In this world, only oneself could be relied upon—never betrayed.

 

But after meeting Jing Ling, all her perceptions were overturned. An inexplicable sense of confidence arose. Whatever she wanted to do, he would unconditionally support her. It felt as if this person was destined to belong to her, and there would never be a day of betrayal.

 

Sisi told her this was the illusion every person in love experiences, thinking they could be together forever. But dreams are still worth having—what if they come true? Even if in the end something unexpected happens, and she looks back one day and laughs at her current naivety, at least she tried.

 

“What are you thinking about?” A gentle voice sounded beside her ear.

 

Yunshu snapped out of her daze and looked up, directly into a pair of eyes reflecting candlelight, as deep and dazzling as the night sky. It was Jing Ling. He walked over, pulled out the chair beside her, sat down, and looked at her with a smile in his eyes.

 

Thinking about a long future with you. But that thought she would only keep to herself, perhaps speak it out one day in the future, but definitely not now.

 

“Nothing.” She shook her head.

 

Once both of them were present, the waiter began serving the dishes. The air was filled with ambiguous music, the dim environment dotted with candlelight. Faint whispers of couples’ sweet talk could be heard.

 

After all, they were filming a show. Once they finished dinner, it was time for them to leave. Just then, Jing Ling suddenly called out to Yunshu.

 

“A-Tan.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Here it comes! The flirting master in action! The cameraman perked up, internally rubbing his hands in anticipation. Once this episode aired, fans everywhere were going to die of envy!

 

Under the high-definition camera, Jing Ling pulled out the ring box from his pocket, opened it. The pure silver pinky ring reflected the candlelight, sparkling softly with a warm glow. He took the girl’s right hand, gently lifted her pinky finger, and slipped the ring onto it. The girl had beautiful, delicate hands, her skin as fair as jade, smooth and tender, her slender fingers like carved scallions.

 

The cameraman zoomed in on Jing Ling’s profile. The boy’s features were almost flawless, his expression so focused and serious, his long eyelashes fluttering lightly, making people subconsciously hold their breath, afraid to disturb this peaceful moment.

 

Afterwards, Jing Ling put the other ring on the pinky of his own left hand. He took out his phone, snapped a photo, and posted it to Weibo.

 

Jing Ling—Second Most Handsome Under the Heavens V: Even if it’s just for one day, you deserve the best, the most perfect. [photo]

 

The comments under this Weibo post exploded almost instantly.

 

Deep Sea in the Clouds: I was off Weibo for just one hour, what the hell happened?!!!

 

Ah Miao: Male god, you’re in love [crying dog jpg]

 

Must Work Hard to Sleep with Male God Today: I don’t believe, I don’t listen, I don’t care. This can’t be real. I must still be asleep, going back to bed right now!

 

These were the clueless fans, wailing and crying. Right after, the informed crowd quickly came to clarify.

 

Missing Male God Every Day V: Doesn’t anyone follow Male God’s updates? He said it on Weibo before—the show A Day with My Idol is being filmed today in Baiyun City. The girl in the photo is his partner, playing the role of a couple for one day. That’s why it says, “even if it’s just for one day.” They’re not actually dating, okay!

 

Bunny—Third Most Handsome Under the Heavens: Any locals from Baiyun City? We need some leaked photos, please!

 

Blue Smoke: Even though I know it’s filming for the show, I’m still insanely jealous! I signed up too—why didn’t luck favor me? QAQ Spending a whole day with Male God, and even getting couple rings in the end… I could laugh myself awake from dreaming about that!

 

July’s Lie V: Am I the only one staring at the girl’s hand? Oh my god, those hands are too beautiful. I could admire them for a whole year!

 

The Rain in Your Eyes: Just one photo and I’m already melting. Male God’s variety show debut—super looking forward to it!

 

The funny thing was, the clueless fans’ misunderstanding was actually the truth, but the people stepping up to clarify happened to deny the truth. The Weibo comment section was truly entertaining.

 

On Friday, August 12th, at 8 PM sharp, the latest episode of A Day with My Idol aired on Nancheng TV.

 

Yang Rou had made plans with her best friend to travel together—their destination was one of Jiang City’s Twelve Islands, the isolated island. Where Male God filmed his movie had to be visited in person to show support! Besides, the coastal islands all looked similar, and she’d already been to the others, so this time she dragged her best friend here.

 

Nancheng TV had released the trailer two days earlier, and the clips of Male God made Yang Rou’s girlish heart explode. The title was also super exciting—Jing Ling’s Variety Show Debut: A Life So Blessed It Needs No Explanation. 

For this, Yang Rou was glued to the TV even before the show started.

 

After enduring a long introduction and transitions, they finally got to the main event—Male God looking for his partner. In truth, Yang Rou didn’t care who his partner was. As long as she could admire his ridiculously handsome face, that was enough.

 

Yang Rou watched with a lovestruck expression the whole time, even giggling suspiciously. Her best friend came out of the shower, heard her, and teased, “Rou Rou, you’re drooling, wipe your face, thanks!”

 

“Oh my god, how can my Male God be this handsome!” Yang Rou cupped her cheeks in awe.

 

Her best friend rubbed her forehead and casually glanced at the TV. The screen showed the bus door opening again, and a girl running down, emotionally pointing ahead, shouting something.

 

“Thief?” she asked casually.

 

The scene cut to another team, and Yang Rou seized the moment to turn back, “I think so. This episode’s filmed in Baiyun City—famous for its pickpockets.”

 

Soon, the show cut back to Jing Ling’s side, and the answer was revealed—it really was a thief.

 

The best friend’s first reaction was that it was staged by the production team. But as the situation unfolded, it seemed to confirm her guess. Jing Ling helped the girl steady herself, then immediately sprinted after the thief, chasing him into an alleyway, refusing to give up. The chase ended with the thief trapped in a dead end. Yang Rou clutched her friend’s hand in nervous worry, but the friend felt nothing—after all, the production team wouldn’t let a celebrity get hurt.

 

What she didn’t expect was how shameless the twist was. Jing Ling’s 1v5 overwhelming victory, not only unscathed but also with action moves straight out of an action movie—it was over the top!

 

She held back her urge to complain, only to see uniformed police officers appear on camera. After a quick montage, Jing Ling’s voice was heard saying, “I secretly learned this from the instructor during military training.”

 

The best friend felt something was off. Then a disclaimer popped up on the screen, explaining that this entire sequence wasn’t staged but a real accident. The chase and 1v5 fight were completely authentic, with no acting or deception involved. Viewers interested could check out behind-the-scenes footage on the Nancheng TV official website—plenty of surprises awaited.

 

“Oh my god, that’s insanely handsome… I feel like I’ll never get married now…” Yang Rou was dumbstruck.

 

Her best friend was equally shocked.

 

She didn’t even bother drying her hair, wrapped it in a towel, and sat beside Yang Rou to keep watching.

 

After the partner-finding segment came the earn-money date. Yang Rou, as a veteran viewer of A Day with My Idol, knew this part was tricky. Male God was still a student, probably with no real money-making experience. So while she mentally screamed that Male God was the best, she also realistically knew he was at a disadvantage.

 

But once again, Male God shattered her expectations.

 

Sweeping through the entire play area street, it was like a fantasy too unreal to believe. But the stall owners’ vivid expressions were priceless—terrified when he approached, sighing in relief when he left—a perfect display of what it meant to be “dominated by the fear of Jing Ling.”

 

The funniest part was that after piling up his mountain of prizes, Male God actually set up a stall next to the plaza for a massive clearance sale. The production team even filmed close-ups of the other stall owners’ expressions—through the screen, you could feel their inner collapse and the urge to beat someone up.

 

 

Chapter 80

 

 

Yang Rou and her best friend had just gone to play the claw machine during the day. They fed in a hundred yuan, the first few tries all went to waste, but on the last try, they finally managed to grab one. In the end, the doll’s two hands got stuck above the exit, looking as if it refused to leave even in death. The rules of the claw machine were clear: if it didn’t fall into the exit, it didn’t count. Yang Rou and her best friend stared at each other for a long while, but in the end, they could only leave in frustration.

 

It hadn’t been long since then, and now, watching the variety show, they saw a real-life claw machine killer. As long as it wasn’t one of those buried at the bottom and unreachable, whatever doll the girl pointed at, he could grab, every shot hit its mark, not a single miss. Not to mention how he swept through all kinds of scams, making the street stall owners pale at the sight of him.

 

Her best friend wasn’t into celebrity chasing, but even she couldn’t help sighing, “I want a boyfriend like that too, it’d be so impressive to take him out!”

 

Yang Rou snorted, “The male god is mine, not giving him to you~”

 

Her best friend rolled her eyes at her.

 

The camera then shifted to other groups. Two were performing street acts, one was working hard on a small business, and another relied on his partner to draw portraits for people to earn money. That’s right, it was Yu Leyang. No real talent, couldn’t bring himself to be shameless, and the show rules didn’t allow using one’s face to earn money. He held a hundred yuan and sat under a tree’s shade, frowning so hard a fly could be caught between his brows. His female partner tried to suggest ideas, but he rejected them all. In the end, the girl said, “Why don’t I go draw? I studied art in university.” Only then did he reluctantly relax his brows and nod in agreement.

 

“This freeloader sure has it easy, yet still has the nerve to complain about the cook’s skills, huh.” Her best friend sneered.

 

Yang Rou took the chance to explain, “Baby, let me tell you, this dead fish has no skills and relies entirely on his looks, but that’s not the worst part—he has terrible character. Every time he releases a press piece, he has to drag others down, whether it’s co-stars or actors from the same period, he spares no one. He tirelessly hypes up his so-called god-like looks and fake diligence, as if he works 25 hours a day! His fans are also a special kind of troublemaker, always smearing others everywhere. If you’re unlucky enough to work with him, just the fan war over billing order on forums could last for days, not to mention what happens after the show airs. But in the end, wasn’t he still crushed to bits by my male god? Even that one redeeming feature—his face—lost so miserably. Trash!”

 

In the middle, an advertisement played. After it ended, the camera shifted back to Jing Ling. Seeing him lead his partner towards the game area again, Yang Rou and her best friend had the same reaction as those pitiful street stall owners, thinking he was going to do another sweep. But unlike those terrified owners, they were quite pleased to see it.

 

However, they guessed wrong. Jing Ling and his partner walked straight past the game area and bought a bunch of things with unclear purpose.

 

“Is it for a picnic?” Yang Rou and her best friend discussed. The latter sneered, “Who buys everything but food for a picnic?”

 

On the screen appeared an old building covered in vines. They recognized it instantly—it was Baiyun City’s Haunted House Maze. They had gone there before too, but hadn’t even made it past the first basement floor before choosing to quit.

 

The show’s production team also timely provided a warning: the upcoming content contained intense scenes, viewers who feel uncomfortable should refrain from continuing.

 

Yang Rou shrank her neck and turned to her best friend, “Baby, what do we do?”

 

Her usually sharp-tongued best friend was also silent for a few seconds before saying, “Keep watching, your male god isn’t scared, his female partner isn’t scared either, what are you afraid of?”

 

Yang Rou took a deep breath, “Alright!”

 

The filming plan was temporarily changed, the other teams were gathered together for a Haunted House Battle. Jing Ling’s partner, A-Tan, the lucky one, drew first place, so the two of them entered the haunted house first. Right at the elevator entrance was a small surprise, scaring Yang Rou enough to instinctively move closer to her best friend. A ghost hand was about to grab A-Tan’s foot. She was dressed in an ordinary white T-shirt, denim shorts, and white sneakers. Her legs were long and straight, her skin so fair it made people envious. But precisely because of this, the ghost hand stretching out from the dark corner looked even more terrifying.

 

Even as a bystander, Yang Rou felt nervous for A-Tan.

 

However, under the cameraman’s lens, they saw Jing Ling calmly stretch out his foot, pressing the tip of his shoe against the ghost hand, preventing it from advancing even a centimeter. The elevator arrived right after.

 

“Damn!” Yang Rou couldn’t help but curse, “Male god’s boyfriend power max! His future girlfriend must have saved the galaxy in her previous life to be with him in this one!”

 

Next came the large face on the elevator door and the classic jump scare at the entrance. Yang Rou truly felt she had broadened her horizons today. 

Someone actually managed to turn this top-level terrifying haunted house into a comedy act.

 

“What the hell are socialist core values doing here…”

 

“I bet the female ghost is cursing ‘lunatic’ in her heart right now!”

 

“This makeup technique deserves full marks, don’t be proud though!”

 

“Hahahahaha, that trash Yu Leyang got scared off, male god definitely knew about his little tricks, love this kind of upright revenge!”

 

“The Haunted House Maze staff probably never imagined this day of karma would come. They nearly scared me to tears back then, thank you male god for avenging me!”

 

“Furious about this bowl of dog food with only a one-day shelf life! Baby, I don’t care, I’m hurt, I’m wronged, you have to take me to buy couple rings, I! Want! To! Flaunt!”

 

“Flaunt your IQ deficiency?”

 

“…Let’s break up!”

 

From the moment he 1v5’ed and took down the pickpocket gang, this episode of the variety show gradually turned into Jing Ling’s personal show. Aside from the stars’ own fans, almost all the attention from casual viewers was drawn to him.

 

A Day with My Idol aired for 90 minutes, with five teams filming together, so Jing Ling’s screen time wasn’t much, same for the others. To satisfy the curiosity of both fans and general viewers, the production team would upload behind-the-scenes footage on the official website the next day. Not short few-minute clips, but roughly edited raw recordings, containing all the highlights and jokes, lasting several hours, each team’s footage posted separately.

 

The show finished airing at 9:30 PM, and by a little past 10 PM, Jing Ling’s related clips were already spreading wildly on Weibo. Big and small marketing accounts were all reposting. Of course, this wasn’t because Jing Ling suddenly decided to spend money on marketing, nor was it paid for by the production team. It was purely spontaneous behavior from the marketing accounts themselves. After all, not only do celebrities need popularity, these accounts also need attention. They post multiple amusing or amazing Weibo posts daily to attract followers, so they often repost trending events.

 

The super topic #New Haunted House Gameplay Get# was established, with search and discussion numbers skyrocketing, and even the Haunted House Maze’s official account joined the discussion.

 

Baiyun City Haunted Maze V: #New Haunted House Gameplay Get# Mommy no longer has to worry about me being afraid of haunted houses. Come see how the male god brings new tricks to the haunted house!

 

Stars in His Eyes: OMG, haunted houses can actually be played like this!

 

Call Your Name If You Dare Answer: Hahahahahaha, the jump scare at the door killed me!

 

A Giant Roll of Toilet Paper: If you were that female ghost, would you still be laughing? [shrug]

 

Melon Cute Cute: Jing Ling is great and all, but am I the only one focusing on Yu Leyang? A grown man who usually acts all high and mighty, but when it counts, runs faster than anyone, his courage is seriously lacking, huh?

 

Bamboo’s Whisper V: Learned something new, also asking anyone in the know to share male god’s info, thanks!

 

Fish with a Temporary Username: Replying from afar, I’m not a female ghost, so I can laugh without guilt hahahahaha!

 

Origami Show: Watched the variety show, not an anti-Yu Leyang person, but I genuinely have to ask—does he really not have any brain issues? Freeloader, no manners, bad temper… a pile of flaws with not a single redeeming quality. Presenting this image to fans and viewers, is that really okay? Also, playing in the haunted house, he wouldn’t even let the girl be scared or scream, but then ran off himself scared witless. The slap in the face came faster than a tornado. Seriously, forget about comparing to that positive-energy, royal dog food CP, even the other teams completely crushed him. Curious if his female partner can still continue to be his fan after this?

 

Though no one is perfect, the other groups also had flaws, but at least they had more strengths than weaknesses. Originally, these CP groups had the chance to shine, but unfortunately, they ran into the cheat-like existence that is Jing Ling and became mere background. But they weren’t the most miserable—the one propping them all up was Yu Leyang. Truly, with contrast comes disparity. Jing Ling’s group was nearly flawless in both the big picture and details, so perfect it was believable they had rehearsed with a full script multiple times. Perfect chemistry, explosively sweet. Yu Leyang, on the other hand, managed to turn himself into exactly the kind of scumbag girls hate—useless, bad-tempered, not a single redeeming feature besides his face. Even worse, under the contrast, he lost even the face competition.

 

The mocking thread on the forum rapidly built into a high-rise building. It wasn’t clear who started the thread, but the replies came from all over. Aside from the fans and haters of the two involved, most were from the fresh-meat fan circles, basically all joyfully mocking and stepping on him. Who told Yu Leyang to have such a bad reputation? He’d spent plenty of time dragging other actors down, now being collectively mocked was only what he deserved.

 

In no time, the thread hit over a thousand replies, the situation almost entirely one-sided, Yu Leyang was practically being mocked into the Earth’s core. His fans, seeing things go wrong, some started barking like rabid dogs at random people, others spammed to ruin the thread, not only flooding it with meaningless repetitive text, but even posting gruesome, bloody images.

 

That wasn’t enough—the fans also started posting other baseless rumor threads on the forum, almost dragging the entire small-actor circle down with them, playing a game of mutual destruction.

 

While the fans stirred trouble everywhere, the idol himself wasn’t idle either. Enraged by the endless mocking comments, he lost it and used his main account to post a veiled Weibo late at night.

 

Samuel_Yu Leyang V: Sometimes, constantly being drawn in games isn’t because you’re unlucky, but because someone is deliberately targeting you.