The day's shoot went perfectly.
That night, back at the hotel, Hu Xiaoyu called Yu Tan.
He just wanted to talk—to babble about everything that happened, or even about nothing at all.
After all, wasn't that a human thing? To call the person you cared about, even if you had nothing new to say?
Yu Tan was never talkative, but Hu Xiaoyu didn't mind filling the silence himself.
He happily chattered away until, right before hanging up, Yu Tan suddenly asked,
"Sounds like you had fun today."
Hu Xiaoyu nodded at his end of the line. "Yeah! Master Qi Duan's house had so many—"
The call ended before he could finish.
… Maybe he pressed the wrong button?
He called again—no answer. Then a text came: Busy. Talk later.
Hu Xiaoyu was used to it. Yu Tan was always busy.
He sent back a sticker of a bunny brushing its fur.
No reply.
He didn't mind. Yu Tan was probably drowning in work again.
Then he remembered what Chu Yin said—that his following had grown fast, and he should post something.
He took a quick selfie, smiled, and uploaded it with the caption:
"Hi everyone "
In Shencheng, Yu Tan's phone buzzed.
A notification—someone on his "special watchlist" had posted.
There was only one person on that list.
Had been, since the first post.
He opened Weibo.
The boy in the photo was smiling, eyes curved in sunlight.
Golden light pooled in his hair like a halo, making him look almost unreal—
A creature of air and light.
Yu Tan's thumb brushed the screen, over the boy's cheek.
He closed his eyes, tilting his head back with a quiet sigh.
He had never seen anyone more beautiful than Hu Xiaoyu.
And yet the boy was infuriating—
Teasing him, stirring him up, and then, without a thought, mentioning someone else's name.
in public.
If it hadn't been for that painting…
He wouldn't even have known that behind that soft, silly smile was real talent.
He, Yu Tan, had been the fool.
Fool enough to think about the future.
A toy is still a toy.
Something to admire, to play with for a while.
Start giving it meaning, and it forgets its place.
He had no intention of asking who the man in that painting was.
If he didn't care, he'd have grilled him about it.
But caring made it worse—it meant stepping back, drawing the line,
Pretending he couldn't be hurt.
All that restlessness, the spark, the tenderness—
What illusions.
Yu Tan laughed under his breath.
Laughed at himself.
The world doesn't stop for anyone.
He should have known better than to start hoping.
Love, family, marriage—all weapons disguised as gifts.
Back in Beijing, Li Yu never returned to the set.
Chu Yin said he'd quit halfway, arguing with the producers—
And probably breached his contract.
Hu Xiaoyu didn't care enough to ask. He let the words pass in one ear and out the other.
What mattered was Yu Tan's fate.
He'd written down the man's birthdate and time, and his fingers were itching to start the calculation.
The crew had scheduled a week of filming, but Day 3 and 4 were "break days" — time for the stars to handle other gigs or personal work.
After dinner on the second night, Hu Xiaoyu told Chu Yin he'd sleep early.
He even locked the door.
Tomorrow there will be no shooting.
He was going to divine Yu Tan's future—see his coming calamity before it struck.
Calling it divination sounded crude.
He planned to use the purest nine-tailed fox spirit power as a medium—
To send his soul through the void and witness the truth himself.
The price would be high.
But he couldn't take chances, not with Yu Tan.
Especially now that he knew his true origins.
He wouldn't allow him to suffer again.
Not in this lifetime.
If humans had a word for it, it would be: eliminate pain before it begins.
Spirit projection through the void was something only higher beings could do.
But it drained everything.
He used almost all the energy he'd gathered over those days.
Sweat soaked his shirt; his body cramped and trembled.
And yet—he saw it.
Just a few flickering frames.
When it ended, he couldn't even reach for the pillow that still carried Yu Tan's scent.
His fingers only twitched.
But what he saw—
That was enough.
Yu Tan, sitting in a wheelchair.
His body thin and weak.
Those dark eyes dimmed to ash.
Dead air clinging to him like a curse.
His legs—gone.
That would be his great calamity.
Hu Xiaoyu could barely move, blinking away the sweat that blurred his vision.
March 18 next year.
That was the day.
Half a year away.
He didn't see what caused it—maybe Heaven had caught on to his spying.
The rest was fog.
But it didn't matter.
As long as he stayed by Yu Tan's side that day—
He could take the blow himself.
He lay there the whole night, exhausted, finally falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When he woke near noon, he was still pale.
First thing he did was book a flight to Shencheng.
He had to see him.
Even if he did nothing else.
He thought of that vision again, and his chest hurt.
Yu Tan had done so much good—how could fate still be this cruel?
He booked an afternoon flight, planning to return the next day in time for filming.
He promised to stay covered up so no one would recognize him.
Still, Chu Yin insisted on going along.
My artist doesn't realize how famous he is yet, she thought grimly.
By the time their plane landed, night had fallen.
Hu Xiaoyu texted A-Jiu, asking where Yu Tan was—
And told him not to tell his boss. It's a surprise.
A-Jiu quickly replied: He's at Nightfall.
Then another text: Drinking with Shi Jingyang and Ren Zhifan. No one else.
"Talkative lately," Hu Xiaoyu muttered, amused.
He sent a sticker of a nodding bunny and grabbed a cab to Nightfall.
He parted ways with Chu Yin at the door.
He was dressed simply, but everything he wore was custom-made—hand-picked by Butler Hong to match Yu Tan's own wardrobe.
The moment he stepped in, someone greeted him politely.
"I'm looking for Manager Wu Li," he said.
Wu Li, the manager of the super-VIP lounge, rarely heard his real name used.
The second he saw the boy lift his mask a little, he knew who it was.
No questions asked. He personally led him upstairs.
As they walked, Hu Xiaoyu's spiritual energy slipped under the door of a private room, where three men were gathered.
Inside, he heard Shi Jingyang laugh, "Brother Yu, when are you and Xiaoyu inviting the rest of us to dinner, huh?"
Everyone knew what that meant. When are you going public?
The rumor was that the cold, work-obsessed Yu Tan had suddenly taken an interest in buying a private island.
Shi Jingyang knew him well. The man had no hobbies outside of money and control.
If he was suddenly shopping for an island,
It could only mean one thing—
A honeymoon.
Hu Xiaoyu's step faltered outside the door, a smile already curling up at the corners of his lips.
An island?
That island in the sea?
There were so many fish there… maybe he could go too.
He was still smiling when he heard Yu Tan's voice.
Cold. Dismissive.
"A spoiled little nobody like him?"
A pause.
"He's not worth it. Don't bring him up again. Annoying."