During the evening livestream, Gu Qichi deliberately sent Bo Yu away and brought A’Ci onto the desk to do some fan service.

Compared to the last time, the British Shorthair Silver Shaded cat was much more familiar with the livestream camera, and could even pose for the lens.

Gu Qichi turned on the camera and let A’Ci play around while he adjusted the audio equipment.

The popularity of the variety show I Will Accompany You to the End remained sky-high. Thanks to this program, Gu Qichi had skyrocketed to become one of the hottest, top-tier stars in the domestic entertainment industry.

As soon as the news of his livestream dropped, it rapidly attracted a massive number of fans. On Weibo, Douban, and even Xiaohongshu, a flood of discussion threads popped up. Most of the content revolved around anticipating how Gu Qichi would suffer “social death” (public embarrassment) this time around.

After all, in the few livestreams Gu Qichi had ever done, he had always experienced some form of public embarrassment, which the masses loved to see. His fan base, the “Phoenix Trees,” even made a lot of chibi cat-ear Gu Qichi reaction memes that spread widely on WeChat and were loved by many.

Of course, there were also many keyboard warriors who couldn’t stand him, passionately spouting crap online every day. They mocked Gu Qichi for using borderline NSFW queerbaiting to hype his popularity, and even used photoshopped images and fabricated texts to deliberately smear him.

[Behind the Mask]: Yo, someone is relying on borderline content to grab attention again.
[Intentionally or Unintentionally]: The impure mind sees impurity. Watch if you want, if not, get lost. [Smile emoji]
[Looking at Gu Qichi from above the Horizon]: Sister, why waste your breath on them? If you have time, it’s better to refresh the official Weibo accounts for ‘Xing Tianqing’ and ‘I Will Accompany You to the End.’ There might be new promotional materials released. [Finger Heart]
[Hearing Gu Qichi’s Voice]: Wow! Baby, do you remember that quote from Lu Xun? Hmm, I didn’t remember it originally, but seeing this comment reminded me of it. It perfectly illustrates it. [Playful]
[Phoenix Resting on the Phoenix Tree]: Why bother with those keyboard warriors? Better to tune in to our beautiful Xiao Chi’s livestream tonight at 8 PM. [Finger Heart] God Chi’s visual critical hit! [Finger Heart]

Amidst the war between fans and haters, the already soaring popularity was hyped to unprecedented heights. Even before the broadcast time, Lychee TV had been overrun by fans and casual netizens, all urging Gu Qichi to start the livestream quickly.

At 8 PM, the livestream started right on time.

Everyone waited with bated breath, swarming into the broadcast room and nearly crashing the servers.

But unexpectedly, they didn’t see Gu Qichi’s face. Instead, they saw a large mass of a silver-grey blanket moving around on the screen.

“What is this??? Did I enter the wrong room? Where is Gu Qichi???”
“Looking at this fur color… it should be A’Ci? The silver-shaded cat that our baby Xiao Chi keeps at home.”
“Wait! If A’Ci is here, does that mean we’re about to see a kiss again!!!”

Recalling the livestream accident from the last time A’Ci appeared, the bullet comments quickly became lively again, the viewers incredibly excited.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Bo family mansion, Ruan Xian put on her glasses and sincerely asked a “Bathtub Girl” (Bo Yu/Gu Qichi shipper) she had just added on WeChat what the previous livestream accident was.

The other party quickly sent her a link. Ruan Xian nodded in sudden realization, then turned her attention to figuring out how to shower Gu Qichi with virtual gifts.

Less than two minutes later, the silver-grey “blanket” in front of the screen moved, and a certain silver-shaded cat revealed her true face. But before everyone could squeal about how cute she was, Gu Qichi appeared on the screen in the very next second.

The temperature up in the mountains was on the chilly side. Even with the heating on, Gu Qichi still felt cold drafts seeping in, making him shiver.

So, completely disregarding style and image, Gu Qichi had pulled out his plush pajamas from his suitcase.

It was a blue and white Cinnamoroll design, made of extra-thick coral fleece, complete with a Cinnamoroll hood hanging on the back.

Wen Xi had bought these on discount at a supermarket back then, gifting one set to Luo Qianqian and one to Gu Qichi, claiming they were Christmas presents.

Gu Qichi still remembered Wen Xi’s exact words at the time: “If you wear this and act cute for the fans… oh my god, that scene would be absolutely phenomenal.”

At the time, as soon as she had spoken, Gu Qichi righteously rejected her. He never expected that there would actually come a day when he’d wear these clothes to act cute in front of his fans.

Gu Qichi uncomfortably tugged at the hood hanging down his back, picked A’Ci up from the desk, and started reading the bullet comments.

“Good evening everyone. Don’t worry about me, my health is perfectly fine right now. And please don’t blame Sister Wen Xi anymore; she has already suspended all my work. This livestream is just a special bonus for you all.”

His voice was smooth and clear. Under the light, his pupils glowed a translucent amber, and his eyelashes were illuminated into a soft brown.

Because he had just taken a shower, his hair was only half-dry. His face was rosy from the steam, and his cheeks had filled out a little. It was obvious at a glance that he had been resting and taking good care of his health recently.

Only then did the fans feel relieved, finally dropping their murderous intent toward Wen Xi.

Gu Qichi leaned closer, holding A’Ci. “Also, I want to wish everyone an early Happy New Year.”

The bullet comments flew by at lightning speed.

“Ahhhhhh!!! My destined wife!!! I am literally standing at attention!!!”
“Wifey, why is it only you? Where’s Bo Yu?”

Gu Qichi read the comments aloud and answered the netizens’ questions.

“I chased Bo Yu to the room next door. He’d just disrupt the order of our livestream.”
“Have I watched the recorded version of I Will Accompany You to the End?”
“Because I was hospitalized on the day it premiered, I haven’t had the chance to yet. I’ll open it and watch it now.”

Gu Qichi leaned back, calling A’Ci over to do her job in front of the camera, while he used the mouse to switch to a synchronized viewing screen on his computer and opened I Will Accompany You to the End.

After being played repeatedly over this period, this episode’s view count was incredibly high. Gu Qichi cast a quick glance and saw that it had already reached 360 million views.

Gu Qichi split his attention between watching the show and reading the netizens’ questions.

“Where am I right now?”
“I’m at Bo Yu’s house, here to celebrate the New Year with his family.”
“What birthday present did Bo Yu get me?”
“This should be what’s going to air in the next episode. The director specifically messaged me on WeChat begging me not to give out spoilers. But he gave me something very precious. I love it very much, and I believe you guys will be quite shocked by it too.”
“I can only give you a tiny spoiler: one of the gifts he gave me is called ‘Feng Qi’ (Phoenix Resting).”

The progress bar of the show moved towards the end. The interview with Gu Qichi and Bo Yu had been placed at the very finale.

Gu Qichi’s previously lazy demeanor faded. He stared unblinking at the screen, leaving only his side profile for the viewers in the livestream room.

“Wifey loves him so much. Why is it that as soon as he appears, Wifey doesn’t even look at us anymore? [Crying]”
“Here we go again, I can practically recite it from memory. Who wants to watch this man show off? [Aggrieved]”
“‘Gu Qichi is my wife, my height is 186cm, I am very handsome, I am a domineering CEO.’ Sisters, type these lines on the public screen! Let Chi-chi see how shameless Bo Yu is.”
“This segment has been edited into so many meme mashups on Bilibili. Does Bo Yu know about this? [Doge]”
“I even have his meme. [Domineering CEO’s Height is 189 JPG]”
“[I am his only lover JPG]”

While the netizens were teasing, Gu Qichi was staring at Bo Yu, smiling foolishly. His eyes curved into crescents, the laughter in his eyes radiant.

Bo Yu is so cute.

As the progress bar moved forward, the host threw out questions one by one, and Bo Yu casually countered them.

It reached the final question—the one about their impressions of each other.

“Teacher Gu Qichi, how would you evaluate your impression of Teacher Bo Yu?”
“Teacher Bo Yu, how would you evaluate your impression of Gu Qichi?”

Their answers were edited together side-by-side, with Gu Qichi on the left and Bo Yu on the right, and a very cheesy pink electrocardiogram line added in the middle.

Gu Qichi: “He is an existence I can never let go of in this lifetime.”
Bo Yu: “He is the best gift the gods have ever bestowed upon my life.”

Gu Qichi’s heart skipped a beat, then began to pound wildly.

The bullet comments flared up in excitement again.

“Okay, I admit it, Bo Yu does have a bit of romantic talent in him.”
“But Xiao Chi isn’t bad either! What Xiao Chi said was also very sincere.”
“‘Yu Qin Gu Zong’ (Playing hard to get / Bo Yu catches Gu Qichi CP) is the best match! They’ve completely reached soul resonance, fam!!!”
“Wuwuwuwuwu they are so good to ship! I really want to know right now exactly what gift Bo Yu prepared for Xiao Chi! Also, exactly when did they first meet? Why did the production team say the two of them have different impressions of their first meeting? [Aggrieved] I want to see it! [Aggrieved]”
“Xiao Chi is completely stunned watching this, hurry up and come back to chat with us!!!”

The video continued playing. It didn’t just feature the five couples on the show, but also Yu Sheng and the other observation panelists invited by the production team.

Living up to expectations, Gu Qichi saw the clip of Yu Sheng and Shen Chen hugging each other and going crazy, abruptly cutting off his previous feelings of being moved.

Yu Sheng: “Teacher Shen, I’m telling you, they are just like this normally! They’re so affectionate, way more clingy than on the show!!!”
Shen Chen: “What exactly is the gift Bo Yu asked Gu Qichi to look for?”
Yu Sheng: “I think it’s paintings! Oh my god, how does this man know exactly what to do? He actually painted every stage of baby Xiao Chi’s life from birth to the present!”
Yu Sheng: “Wuwuwuwuwu, if I had known, I would have pestered him to let me go film the show with them! Why didn’t I get to see such a romantic scene with my own eyes!!!”

As she spoke, she clutched her head and gasped for oxygen like an overly dramatic soap opera character desperately searching for her child, clearly looking like she had lost her mind.

Gu Qichi: “…”
Gu Qichi fell into a stunned silence.

He turned his head and asked the viewers in the livestream room, “Was Yu Sheng this… this uninhibited on the show?”

The viewers in the livestream were nearly dying of laughter. They all ran to Gu Qichi’s Weibo to show him the various viral reaction memes of Yu Sheng from the show.

[Yu Sheng Inhaling Oxygen JPG], [Yu Sheng Pinching Her Philtrum to Stay Awake JPG], [Yu Sheng Thrashing Her Head JPG].

“Baby Xiao Chi, she’s always been this unrestrained hahahahaha.”
“But Bo Yu really knows how to romance! You can’t blame Yu Sheng for going crazy. I was turning into a screaming rubber chicken in front of the TV too. Damn it, he is so romantic!!! [Crying]”
“Even though Bo Yu is a bit of a show-off, he’s very practical! Look, he’s always doing big things in silence. He debunked the rumors for Gu Qichi, bought him a pigeon-egg diamond, helped him deal with Gu Yuning and the Gu family, and even made up for his twenty-two years of regrets. [Crying]”
“Stop talking, I want to cry now.”
“Wuwuwuwu, I’m twisting around in my bed like a maggot from the sweetness.”
“‘Yu Qin Gu Zong’ needs to be locked together forever! The ‘Bathtub’ Husbands score big time! Be sweet and happy for a lifetime! Grow old together!”
“Seriously, my friend is a staff member on I Will Accompany You to the End, and she said the gift Bo Yu gave to Gu Qichi is absolutely earth-shattering! Who the f*ck can give me a spoiler in advance? This child really can’t wait any longer. [Wilted Rose]”

The camera shifted away from Yu Sheng and cut to the other guests on the show. Gu Qichi turned his head back, unlocked his phone, and glanced at his Weibo comment section.

It was truly a spectacular sight.

Fortunately, this episode had reached its end and skipped to the preview for the next episode.

It was the theme of “First Meeting.”

How did Bo Yu answer about their first meeting?

Gu Qichi cast a glance and found that his and Bo Yu’s answers had been censored, with a giant question mark added in the middle.

The production team was deliberately manufacturing a cliffhanger.

Gu Qichi felt a bit dissatisfied. Glancing back at the screen and seeing fans asking how the two of them actually met, he casually cracked a joke: “Probably, I saved his life in the past, he fell in love with me at first sight, and so he pledged himself to me in return?”

A loud clatter came from by the door. Gu Qichi looked over towards the sound and found that Bo Yu had nearly tripped and fallen to the floor. He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“Why are you so clumsy?” He stood up, not even minding the thousands of people in the livestream, and walked straight over to help Bo Yu up.

“You spilled the milk you were holding. You’re so silly,” he teased him with a smile.

Bo Yu didn’t show the slightest embarrassment at being teased. He lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting a faint shadow over the skin beneath, concealing the dark, unreadable emotions swirling in his gaze.

After quite a long moment, seeing that he wasn’t speaking, Gu Qichi pulled him inside the door and took the glass from his hands, preventing the chilly wind in the hallway from freezing him.

His tone was very relaxed: “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Bo Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He lifted his eyelashes, staring deeply at Gu Qichi in front of him. “How did you know…” Realizing the phrasing was ambiguous, he rephrased the question: “When did you remember?”

He was likely talking about their true first meeting.

Gu Qichi blinked. The slyness in his eyes was so thick it practically materialized, making him look like a fox plotting mischief.

“I dreamt it.”

“Bo Yu, you definitely said you loved me many, many years ago.”