Chapter 50

Chapter 50

The hot search about Yan Feng scolding obsessive fans was still trending when news of him bleeding and fainting soon followed, quickly shooting to the top of the trending list, marked with a red "Breaking" tag.

When netizens clicked on the news, they discovered it happened on a mountain in a scenic area in Z City. It was said that Yan Feng suddenly started nosebleeding and then fainted, with his condition still unknown.

Recalling his earlier fainting incident, many people speculated that he might have leukemia.

Fans, who had been clashing with obsessive fans online, grew anxious upon seeing the trending news. They kept refreshing the feed, eager to get the latest updates.

Many bystanders were also concerned and checked the updates.

Soon, various theories began to circulate.

The first was that Yan Feng was indeed sick and had known for some time that his days were numbered, but had been hiding it from the public.

The second theory blamed the obsessive fans, as the previous hot search video clearly showed Yan Feng being blocked on the mountain road, with the mountain behind him. Some suspected that he might have hit his head during a scuffle.

The third theory came from tourists at the scenic area, who mentioned that Yan Feng had fallen off a boat during rafting the day before, though it was unclear if it was related.

The fourth theory suggested he had been triggered by something, as the on-site video showed him chatting one moment and fainting the next.

Netizens, playing detective, began analyzing the footage frame by frame.

In the video, two people were standing near a tree, with a temple wall visible in the background.

Yan Feng had his back to the camera, making it hard to see what he was saying. The man opposite him was flipping through blessing ribbons. The first few sentences were blocked by the red ribbons and his hand, with only the last sentence visible.

Netizens guessed the meaning through lip-reading and got a rough idea: the man was telling Yan Feng not to confront obsessive fans impulsively in the future and not to worry about this incident.

They thought: "He's absolutely right, what a good guy!"

Moreover, the man looked gentle and handsome, fitting in perfectly with the tree adorned with red ribbons. There was no way he was involved!

However, people wondered why such a prime catch was unknown in the entertainment industry. What was his background?

Some netizens, having followed Yu Shu's gossip before, thought the man looked somewhat familiar.

But all videos from that time had been deleted, and posts discussing the rich second-generation were thoroughly scrubbed. Powerful entities even sent cease-and-desist letters to those spreading rumors, leading to several lawsuits. Now, no related information could be found online.

They could only speculate that his identity was likely something extraordinary.

Both the PR departments of the Fu family and June Culture Media were monitoring the online activity and guided the conversation a bit. They briefly clarified that the man was a high-level executive of June Culture Media, and it was perfectly normal for him to talk to Yan Feng after the hot search incident. The focus should remain on Yan Feng's safety, as he was the main person involved in this incident.

The netizens' attention shifted back to Yan Feng, reinforcing the first three theories, and they collectively blamed the obsessive fans again.

Meanwhile, the other hosts also heard about the incident.

Soon, the group chat, which had been quiet for days, became lively again.

All Are Concubines: "@Later Comes First, is your host in trouble?"

Wishing You Wealth: "How is he doing now, is he okay?"

Mung Bean Paste: "Could it be that Fu Xiuning did something? Scary [chilling]"

Wishing You Wealth: "Probably not."

All Are Concubines: "Hmm, if we were to detach from our hosts, their cause of death would be sudden death, without any bleeding. Besides, Yan Feng was just scolding obsessive fans; it's not enough for Fu Xiuning to take action."

Green Bean Paste: "Oh right, almost forgot about that."

All Are Concubines: "@LaterOvertaking, if you don't show up, I'll assume that Yan Feng is really your host."

The systems waited for a while, but it didn’t respond.

Green Bean Paste: "So it's really true?"

Congratulations and Prosperity: "Well... it's complicated..."

All Are Concubines: "You should ask @Shang Shang Qian about this. It's admitted before that someone was its host, and they ended up dead, but it's still here."

Green Bean Paste: "Seniors are such jerks [facepalm]"

Congratulations and Prosperity: "@LaterOvertaking, care to explain?"

LaterOvertaking was currently experiencing data disruption and was forced into hibernation, completely unaware that it had changed location.

Shang Shang Qian and 99 could see the group messages and relayed them to Xing Shi.

Xing Shi, sitting in the waiting room outside the operating room, casually acknowledged the message.

After Yan Feng's accident, he was immediately sent to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment, and then urgently transferred to a hospital in the city for further treatment.

The trainees, led by their teacher, packed up and returned to the company, leaving only Fu Xiuning, Xing Shi, and a personal assistant at the hospital.

Media personnel and representatives from June Culture were on their way. Once Yan Feng's agent and assistant arrived to take over, Xing Shi and the others would leave.

Xing Shi had been waiting, but no word on his condition yet. He looked at the operating room door and called out to the system, "Can he still survive?"

This was something 99 had no experience with, so it wisely stayed silent.

Shang Shang Qian said, "Perhaps."

Xing Shi said, "Didn't the explosion happen directly in his brain? Last time you blew up, you took out a whole group of people."

Shang Shang Qian replied, "The previous explosion contained the entire soul energy of Yu Shu. This time, LaterOvertaking only detonated its remaining energy. I told it to set up a barrier before exploding. It probably calculated the explosive power of the remaining energy and controlled the range."

The system was very small, and with multiple layers of barriers, the explosion likely caused a brain injury.

It figured LaterOvertaking would likely keep Yan Feng alive. A system couldn’t stay outside its host for long periods, or it would gradually drain its energy.

The best solution would be to either turn Yan Feng into an idiot or put him in a deep coma. That way, there would be no need to worry about arguments, and the system could occasionally absorb the host's soul for energy, just enough to sustain itself inside the host, and then make other plans later.

Of course, LaterOvertaking probably didn’t realize that without the external energy source, its core’s biological energy couldn’t sustain itself by absorbing the host’s soul.

Xing Shi listened, then asked, "If the doctors can’t save him, will his soul energy just fade away?"

Shang Shang Qian replied, "It probably will, but without a return program for the host, he can’t go back to the main system, nor can he establish contact. Yu Yi is currently in a similar disconnected state."

Xing Shi nodded and opened his phone to check the trending topics. Seeing they were blaming the obsessive fans, he passed the phone to Fu Xiuning.

Fu Xiuning quickly scanned it and prepared to hand it over to the PR team for damage control.

After a short while, Yan Feng's agent and assistant arrived, sweating profusely. They greeted their boss and asked nervously, "What's the situation now?"

Fu Xiuning replied, "He's still in surgery."

The agent looked grave. "The last time he fainted, the doctors said it was from exhaustion. It hasn't been long, so how did this happen again?"

Fu Xiuning said, "We'll wait for the doctor's judgment."

However, he wasn't interested in the answer and turned to Xing Shi, asking if he wanted to leave.

Xing Shi looked worried and said, "Let's wait a bit longer. I won't feel at ease going back while Feng Ge is suddenly like this."

If Yan Feng didn’t make it, Xing Shi could still gain some energy from the situation.

Fu Xiuning looked at him and nodded, patiently staying seated without moving.

During this time, other people from the company arrived. Some went to deal with the media outside, while others stayed to wait for news.

Without realizing it, another three hours passed, and finally, the door to the operating room opened.

Yan Feng was moved directly to the intensive care unit. The doctor, seeing the crowd that had gathered, gave his conclusion, "Acute cerebral hemorrhage."

"Cerebral hemorrhage rarely causes nosebleeds. His case is very special," he said. "The wound at the bleeding point is also peculiar, and we can't determine the cause for now."

The agent asked, "So how is he doing?"

The doctor replied, "It’s hard to say. We’ve done everything we can; now it’s up to him to wake up."

The group saw off the doctor and began their follow-up work.

The assistant stayed behind at the hospital, while the PR team and the agent went back to hold a meeting and prepare the second statement after the incident.

After offering some advice, Fu Xiuning took Xing Shi home.

After showering and changing into comfy clothes, they headed to the living room.

Meanwhile, the company released a statement explaining that Yan Feng collapsed due to acute cerebral hemorrhage. Though he had been stabilized, his condition was still serious, and he remained in the ICU.

Fans were in tears and quickly got the hashtag "Stay Strong, Yan Feng" trending. They kept digging through the footage and found two different angles showing the shoving. It was clear he had been forced to the back, but the chaos made it hard to tell if he had hit his head. Still, this didn’t stop them from scolding the people in the video.

The obsessive fans were scared stiff and quietly packed up, fleeing the scene.

The legal department of the company also issued a statement, saying they would report the matter to the police. They asked everyone to stay calm until the official investigation results came out.

As witnesses, Xing Shi and Fu Xiuning were questioned by the police.

Xing Shi sat by and listened as they chatted casually with Fu Xiuning, occasionally chiming in with a well-behaved comment about Yan Feng’s situation at the scenic area. After seeing them off, he turned to his brother and asked, "Are the police in this area all familiar with you?"

Fu Xiuning calmly replied, "Yeah."

Xing Shi asked, "Didn't they ever suspect you?"

Fu Xiuning said, "They did, but there was no evidence."

Xing Shi felt both admiration and emotion, thinking that his brother really had it tough.

He had a rough time in the magic world too, but there, the strong ruled. If someone annoyed him, he could just take care of them without needing to make it look like an accident. But here, in a society ruled by law, he had to follow the rules, and everything had to be the other party’s fault.

He said earnestly, "Bro, I’ll stick with you from now on. I’ll be there for every event."

Fu Xiuning, who was throwing paper cups into the trash bin, paused slightly upon hearing this.

In fact, from the moment they formed their partnership, this had been a foregone conclusion. But hearing Xing Shi say it out loud, he realized he wasn’t as calm as he had imagined.

Over the past five years, he had slowly come to be seen as someone with a unique condition.

His family was worried about him, the police were suspicious, and his classmates gossiped behind his back. He had no one to confide in, finding fleeting comfort in the brief moments when the host was taken away, but it only made the constant hostility feel more unbearable.

Now, there was someone who had come to his island.

He looked at Xing Shi, reached out, and touched the other's head. "Hmm."

"Beep."

"Current favorability: 89."

99: "!"

The Shang Shang Qian system: "..."

Xing Shi remained seated, not attempting to lower the favorability value.

They stared at each other in silence, both instinctively drawn closer. The more they held back, the more they yearned to reach out.

Fu Xiuning's Adam's apple moved slightly; he was somewhat tempted to be impulsive again.

Xing Shi saw the emotion in his eyes and paused in his breath.

The Shang Shang Qian system observed their charged atmosphere and was about to say something when Fu Xiuning's phone, which he had left on the dining table, rang.

The warming air shattered instantly. Fu Xiuning averted his eyes and walked over.

The call was from his mother, who had clearly seen the trending news. Though she knew it wasn’t connected to him, she couldn’t help but worry.

Instead of asking directly, she inquired how he had been lately and if he wanted to come home for a meal, hiding her anxiety within her caring words.

Fu Xiuning thought of the photos Xing Shi had mentioned and said, "I'll go home tonight."

She sounded relieved. "Great! What would you like me to cook for you?"

After requesting two of her signature dishes, he ended the call and turned to Xing Shi.

He considered inviting Xing Shi but decided against it. Shang Shang Qian and 99 didn’t know much about Xing Shi, and it was best to keep things under wraps, especially since Shang Shang Qian would be leaving soon.

He said, "I'll go home for dinner tonight. You can ask Auntie to make whatever you'd like."

Xing Shi said, "Okay," not wanting the atmosphere to return to the previous tension, and proactively brought up another topic out of curiosity. "Your family used to hire bodyguards for you, right? They only lasted less than half a year. Why was that?"

The records documented everything. During Fu Xiuning's high school years, he frequently encountered extreme psychopaths, so the Fu family hired five bodyguards who followed him every day, but it didn’t last long.

He wondered, "Was it because having bodyguards around was too conspicuous and embarrassing, or was there a problem with the bodyguards themselves?"

Fu Xiuning slowly walked back and said, "They're still around. Most of the time, they're not by my side, only occasionally needed. I'll introduce you to them when there's a chance."

He had indeed used bodyguards.

However, the school didn’t allow such a conspicuous presence, so the bodyguards were mostly effective during vacations when he had events outside of school. Whenever the host was intercepted by the bodyguards, he could hear the system’s frustrated reactions.

At first, he found it amusing to watch them lose their cool. But something changed.

It was the day he returned home to find his mother with an injured wrist, and the host of a lifesaver sitting beside her.

To this day, he can still recall the surge of hatred that overwhelmed him in that moment.

Fu Xiuning sat back on the sofa and gently explained, "It would be too much trouble to bring them, so I left them behind."

Xing Shi understood the unspoken danger in that "inconvenience" and nodded with a knowing "Oh."

By the time they got back, it was already late afternoon. After wrapping up their chat with the police, dinner was just around the corner.

Fu Xiuning knew Xing Shi had absorbed energy again today. He checked his temperature to make sure he wasn’t running a fever before finally relaxing.

Xing Shi walked him to the door and, just as Fu Xiuning was about to leave, held out his phone.

Fu Xiuning glanced at the screen, confused, and saw a picture of himself with Lazy Sheep.

"Ping!"

"Current favorability: 88"

Fu Xiuning: "..."

Shang Shang Qian: "..."

99 said, "Tsk."

Xing Shi withdrew his hand, a bright smile on his face. "Bro, be careful on the road, and come back early~"

Fu Xiuning looked up at him, pinched his cheek, and left.

Xing Shi smiled and closed the door. After just two steps, he heard the notification sound again.

"Ping!"

"Current favorability: 89"

Both of them fell silent, while 99 remained quiet for a moment.

Only 99 broke the silence. "He’s probably still feeling the squish of your cheek."

Xing Shi remained silent.

Even though 99 knew they had recently been lowering the favorability, he couldn't help but indulge. "College boys can’t help but clash, huh? The more you push back, the hotter it gets."

Xing Shi cut him off with a sharp "Shut up."

99 immediately fell silent.

Feeling a bit helpless, Fu Xiuning stepped into the elevator.

When he got home, dinner was halfway done, and his dad, Fu Pengfeng, was already there.

His mother, Bian Ran, placed a dish on the table and said with a smile, "Sit and rest for a while, it’ll be ready soon."

Fu Xiuning responded and walked over to sit next to his father.

Fu Pengfeng looked at him. "Is another artist from the company in trouble?"

Fu Xiuning nodded slightly.

Noticing how calm he was, Fu Pengfeng asked, "Didn’t your partner say anything about it?"

Fu Xiuning replied, "No."

He knew his dad was worried, so he explained, "The previous case was sudden death from exhaustion; he did it to himself. This time, it was a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. Neither of them has anything to do with me."

The doctors couldn't determine the cause of Yan Feng's injuries, and there was no evidence linking the obsessive fans. The police wouldn't find any results, and eventually, the case would be dropped.

As for the others, June Culture Media had only been established for a little over two years, and the hosts around him had been replaced one by one, becoming artists.

At first, only Li Yu was an artist, and the other five were not, so those five had been taken away over these two years.

Later, the hosts were replaced one after another, mostly with artists, but a small number were not, such as the girl who was rendered comatose at the beginning of the year and Lin Kecheng, who was in prison.

Although there had been an artist host who was too reckless and was also taken away by him, that host was a local and was blacklisted and shelved by him. The system didn't see any hope for a successful outcome and actively disengaged, causing no attention.

Yu Shu and Yan Feng had been working at the company since they joined. Over a year later, they were taken away, but their incidents were unrelated to the company. The company had responded actively, leaving no room for external criticism.

Qi Changyi knew about his special condition, and they had discussed it before. But compared to superstition, Qi Changyi valued the strength and resources of the Fu family more.

Moreover, the psychopaths around him deserved their fate. Even if there were any public opinion impact in the future, they would still stand firm. And over the years, his privacy had been well protected by his family, with almost no discussions about him online.

However, with Xing Shi around, the remaining two artists would likely face incidents soon. Given how close together these events were, people would definitely start talking.

He said, "Help me keep an eye out for talent in public relations, just in case."

Fu Pengfeng knew the capability of his son's company's public relations department and was aware that handling this incident wouldn't be a big problem. He asked, "What for?"

Fu Xiuning said, "It's always good to be prepared."

Fu Pengfeng thought it made sense, especially since it was the entertainment industry, and nodded.

Dinner was ready soon.

Ran Bian served her son some food and asked about the kid who stayed with him.

Since the cook who went there every day was from the Fu family, she had heard about it and asked with concern, "How's your relationship?"

Fu Xiuning said, "It's good."

Ran Bian, realizing how few close friends her son had made over the years, felt a wave of relief and said, "Then why don’t you bring him over for dinner sometime?"

Fu Xiuning said, "Yeah, some other day."

He finished his meal slowly and asked about the photos.

Ran Bian found them and sat next to him, watching as she asked, "Why the sudden interest in photos?"

Fu Xiuning said, "I’m trying to find someone."

Ran Bian was surprised, "Who?"

Fu Xiuning flipped through several pages but didn't see any beach backgrounds, so he asked directly, "Which time?"

Fu Xiuning wasn’t sure and thought for a moment before saying, "Probably around the age when they could save someone."

Ran Bian immediately remembered, picked up another album, opened it, and found the photo of the sandcastle. "This?"

Fu Xiuning's eyes paused, took it over, and examined it.

The photo showed three children. He was crouching on the left, while a chubby kid stood on the right. In the middle, a child smiled brightly, their face still dusted with sand, looking incredibly beautiful.

Ran pointed at Xing Shi and said, "You were the one who saved him, and the three of us used to play together every day."

Fu Xiuning asked, "Is this the only photo?"

Ran replied, "There are more."

She smiled as she spoke, "You two were so good-looking that I took several pictures."

Nodding in response, Fu Xiuning flipped through the pages and saw a cool-looking Xing Shi wearing a sun hat and sunglasses. He couldn't help but reach out and touch the photo.

Ran noticed her son’s reaction and asked, "You’ve seen him again?"

Fu Xiuning said, "He’s living at my place now."

Ran was surprised and remarked on the coincidence.

Looking at the photo, Fu Xiuning still had no memory of it. He flipped another page and saw a group photo of the three of them again. He pointed at the round-faced kid and asked, "Who’s this?"

Ran recalled, "He was probably his playmate. Their families were traveling together at the time."

Fu Xiuning nodded and looked back at Xing Shi.

By this time, Xing Shi had finished dinner.

In Fu Xiuning's absence, he sat in the living room for a while before heading back to his room.

After washing up and lying on the bed, he closed his eyes and focused.

99 and Shang Shang Qian soon sensed a familiar energy. The difference this time was that it wasn't directed at them but at the newcomer.

Xing Shi transformed the energy into threads, ignoring whether the other was in hibernation, and began to study its structure bit by bit.

99 and Shang Shang Qian watched silently, both feeling like lighting a candle for the situation.

Xing Shi manipulated the energy to circle through the newcomer's body three times, waking it up.

The newcomer had far less severe injuries compared to Shang Shang Qian.

Even though Shang Shang Qian only mentioned protecting the host, it had also been cautious enough to leave some barrier energy for itself. However, the time from deactivation to detonation was too short. It only managed to put on two layers of protection before being blown up, and the remaining energy exploded along with it.

But regardless, the newcomer's injuries were much lighter compared to Shang Shang Qian's direct confrontation with the explosion. It woke up as soon as Xing Shi started probing it.

Opening its eyes, it recalled the unfamiliar scenes from the dream while checking itself.

The data was a bit disorganized but would recover after hibernation. Aside from the lack of energy, everything else was intact.

It seemed their defenses as higher-dimensional entities were indeed formidable. Satisfied, it looked up and met the gaze of the two systems.

Later Ju Shang: "???"

99 beamed, "You’re awake! Welcome to my host. By the way, I’m the resident beauty enthusiast in the group~"

Later Ju Shang looked at 99, then at Shang Shang Qian, and then its eyes landed on the hovering advanced energy core. Its pupils shook. "Is your host...?"

Xing Shi chuckled. "That’s me."

Later Ju Shang: "!!!???"

I must still be dreaming!