The official Weibo for Xing Tianqing posted exactly at 12:00 PM.

The actors were tagged in order of their billing based on their roles.

Song Zhi’an had the highest status and the most traffic, so naturally, he was listed first.

Next was a highly respected veteran actor, Wen Shi, who played Song Zhi’an’s father and the Emperor of the Great Yong Dynasty. Given his seniority, sharp acting skills, and past nominations for Best Actor, Lin Shuangyi placed him second in the official announcement.

Shen Qingye was the core figure of Xing Tianqing and the most controversial, highly discussed character in the original novel.

Controversy meant heat. Moreover, Shen Qingye was a deeply fleshed-out character with a turbulent life and immense dramatic tension. He perfectly fit the currently popular “beautiful, strong, and tragic” trope, earning him a massive legion of heartbroken book fans.

These fans possessed terrifying combat power, high loyalty, and extreme activity levels. They had managed to push his character’s super-topic into the top five, and even to the number one spot before.

So the moment rumors spread that Xing Tianqing was going to be adapted, Shen Qingye’s fans were the first to launch an attack.

Lin Shuangyi’s Weibo comment section and private messages were overrun, practically turning into a battlefield.

[Confused-Tu-Tu-Loves-Potatoes: Lin Shuangyi, stop playing dead. Cast the actors properly 【smile】【smile】 I suggest you just bury Shen Qingye. He’s suffered enough, don’t find some random nobody to desecrate him again 【smile】【smile】]

[Ding-Dong-Long-Dong-Qiang: Are all the screenwriters in domestic entertainment dead? Have their brains been dug out? Can’t they write an original script instead of ruining novels?]

[A-Star-Illuminates-Me: I can already imagine how awful this adaptation is going to be. My Shen Qingye… aside from his name, he’s probably going to be changed beyond recognition 【sweating yellow bean】]

[Captain-of-the-Wang-Wang-Squad: Ahhh my Shen Qingye! His body was already destroyed in the book, and now you want to destroy the impression of him in our hearts too? 【crying】]

[What-To-Eat-Today: Is no one speaking up for Shi Tianlin? I heard Gu Yuning is going to play him. Gu Yuning looks so childish, he doesn’t match my Prince at all, waaaah]

[Gu-Yuning’s-Little-Wife: The person above, don’t step on your daddy. We won’t acknowledge unofficial announcements. If you have free time, go watch Gu Yuning’s other works 【heart】【heart】]

[Holding-the-Flag-For-Gu-Yuning: The person two levels up, stop shouting. Gu Yuning was replaced because he offended a certain silicone fake with a sugar daddy. It makes me want to throw up.]

[Corgi-Who-Loves-To-Drink: I heard from the gossip auntie that the person playing Shen Qingye is some obscure nobody… I’m numb. Don’t die in front of me, roll as far away as you can.]

[Taro-Bobo-Crispy-Sauce: …Please don’t, my baby Qingye waaaah. With all due respect, there is no one in domestic entertainment who can play Shen Qingye…]

Most of the comments were quite hostile. Lin Shuangyi completely ignored them, burying his head in script revisions.

When the photographer finally delivered Gu Qichi’s makeup photos as Shen Qingye, Lin Shuangyi admired them with satisfaction over and over again. In a good mood, he even replied to Taro-Bobo-Crispy-Sauce’s comment:

[Lin Shuangyi: I’ll leave my words here—there actually is.]

His reply naturally caused a massive uproar.

Coupled with the fact that various marketing accounts had already started warming things up yesterday by releasing multiple promotional articles about Xing Tianqing, the original book fans were furious. They waited with bated breath for the official Weibo post at noon.

They wanted to see exactly which nobody had given Lin Shuangyi the sheer audacity to shamelessly claim he could play Shen Qingye.

At exactly 12:00, Weibo refreshed. The official Xing Tianqing account posted the announcement right on schedule:

Blessed across three lifetimes, to see the azure sky.
Sweet rain falls, nurturing the common people.
Hand in hand with you, admiring the golden age of Great Yong.

Shi Tianlin: @Song Zhi’an
Shi Chu: @Wen Shi
Shen Qingye: @Gu Qichi
……

Followed by a list of other actors. However, fans and onlookers no longer cared to read it; their attention was entirely focused on the official makeup photos.

Gu Qichi had actually shot several sets, but Lin Shuangyi ultimately chose one red and one white to post.

Red was Shen Qingye’s most frequently worn color. Whether as the early-stage romantic and naive young prince, or the late-stage powerful, treacherous eunuch despised by all, he was always dressed in a dazzlingly eye-catching red.

In the first photo, Gu Qichi wore a red python robe. With his broad shoulders and narrow waist, the crisp fabric made his spine look even straighter. The fabric narrowed downwards to its thinnest point at his waist, where a white jade belt was tightly fastened, outlining a graceful curve that seemed like it could be snapped with one hand. Below the waist, the red silk cascaded out, embroidered with exquisite and complex patterns that made him look even more luxuriously regal.

Shen Qingye’s hair was bound by a flawless white jade hairpin. His slanted peach blossom eyes were smudged with red eyeshadow, with faint eyeliner drawn at the outer corners. A single, distinct cinnabar mole sat right between his brows.

In the Great Yong Dynasty, men leaning towards a soft, feminine aesthetic was the height of fashion; it was common for them to wear powder and rouge.

Furthermore, Shen Qingye had an alluring, enchanting face. Working within the inner palace, he had to be cautious and meticulous in everything. He also had to cater to Shi Chu’s aesthetics and preferences, lowering his status and casting aside his former identity as a noble prince to recognize his true place—

He was merely a lowly eunuch.

Whatever the master liked, he had to become.

The second photo, however, was completely different from the first, displaying an entirely different style.

It depicted the scene of Shen Qingye’s death.

He had committed countless evil deeds, racking his brains to provoke disputes among the imperial heirs, causing brothers to turn against each other in a fight for the throne. He had secretly poisoned the Emperor, letting the toxin seep into his lungs and cut his lifespan short.

In the end, after the Emperor died from the poison, Shen Qingye launched a rebellion but was taken down by Shi Tianlin. Pierced through the chest by a red-tasseled spear, he died beneath the crabapple tree in the Imperial Garden.

In this photo, Gu Qichi wore a wig. His jade crown had been shot off by an arrow, and his glossy black hair draped over his shoulders and neck, glowing softly under the moonlight. Most of his costumes were richly colored and bright; only a very few were elegantly pale.

And this particular outfit was white, woven from light gauze and adorned with the wing feathers of white egrets, giving him an ethereal, immortal-like appearance.

Gu Qichi shot this photo bare-faced. Lin Shuangyi had specifically emphasized that he shouldn’t wear makeup. What he wanted to see was the Shen Qingye who had finally returned to purity.

He was still that proud, unrestrained young prince—not some worthless plaything to be casually demeaned.

In the photo, Gu Qichi’s eyes were half-closed. A fox-fur cloak wrapped him tightly. His long, thick eyelashes drooped downwards, catching a fine layer of snow. In his hand, he held a white jade flute, with a red tassel hanging from the end—the only spot of bright color in the misty whiteness.

Gu Qichi tapped the forward button. After some thought, he ultimately didn’t post the caption Wen Xi had sent him, but instead typed out one of his own.

@Gu Qichi: Fortunate to see the azure sky, fortunate to meet you. Hello, Shen Qingye, I am Gu Qichi.

The attached images were the two from the official Weibo.

Under the official post, comments flooded in at a visible rate—so fast it nearly crashed Gu Qichi’s Weibo app.

[When-Will-Hengshui-Font-Let-Me-Go: Uh, although, but, uh, his face is actually really pretty…]

[Shen-Qingye’s-Dog: How do I put this… um… what’s the name of the guy playing Shen Qingye? I want to be his dog.]

[Dustpan-Dustpan: He doesn’t look like Shen Qingye at all! But I can’t bring myself to say anything insulting to this face…]

[Baby-Chi-Chi-I-Love-You: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Chi Chi you finally appeared! Mom loves you so much!]

[Baby-Chi-Chi-Is-So-Sweet: Waaah pure passerby here, is this a face that actually exists in this world? My beautiful wife, may I ask when you’re going to marry me?]

[Teaming-Up-To-Steal-Zhaozhao: The desolate lands of Bashan and Chu waters… Chi Chi please marry me 【licking screen】【licking screen】]

[I-Really-Don’t-Know-What-Username-To-Pick: After looking around, this is actually the face that fits the original work the most. I have to say, Lin Shuangyi, you actually have some skill…]

[Love-Eating-Strawberries-And-Peaches: It really is… quite fitting. Compared to Song Zhi’an playing Shi Tianlin, seeing Gu Qichi’s Shen Qingye instantly made me satisfied.]

[Happiness-Is-So-Simple: That second one in white, the sense of fragility is amazing, save me save me, I’ve already made up a whole scenario in my head what do I do 【crying】]

The comment section was surprisingly harmonious. Although many book fans were still unsatisfied, most people didn’t attack Gu Qichi’s face, but instead directed their spearhead at Song Zhi’an in the same cast.

Of course, there were also nitpickers, as well as the water army Gu Yuning had bought in advance to insult Gu Qichi. But they seemed incredibly insignificant amidst the massive wave of comments from casual onlookers, to the point they could almost be ignored.

Wen Xi had been keeping an eye on her phone the whole time. She had even bought five hundred alternate accounts on Taobao, ready to charge into battle for Gu Qichi, but hadn’t expected them to be entirely useless.

Luo Qianqian was also holding her phone. Her dark, moist eyes hidden behind black-framed glasses shone as she sincerely praised Wen Xi: “Sister Wen, you’re so amazing! You actually managed to control the top comments!”

Wen Xi: …
My dear, would you believe me if I said this isn’t my doing at all? My water army hasn’t even entered the field yet…

She had deliberately wanted Gu Qichi to see the influx of new fans on Weibo, and the encouraging words they left him. Not only was it to reignite his confidence in striving within the entertainment industry, but she also hoped that after the official announcement, he would feel a bit better when facing backlash from book fans.

No one was strong enough to face those vicious comments day after day, especially someone as wonderful as Gu Qichi.

He deserved to stand in the sunlight and be loved by everyone.
For no other reason than because he was worthy.

While Wen Xi was still spacing out, Luo Qianqian’s scream rang in her ears again: “Sister Wen, Teacher Gu is trending again!”

Wen Xi panicked and quickly backed out of the official post’s comment section, clicking into the entertainment trending list:

#ShenQingyeMakeupPhotos#
#XingTianqing GuQichi#
#GuQichiSnowMakeupPhoto#
#LinShuangyi ActuallyHasSomeSkill#
#GuQichiBeautifulFragility#

They had just surged onto the trending list and hadn’t reached the top yet, but these tags were growing at rocket speed. Clicking into any of them, it was no longer the past insults and abuse, but genuine awe from casual onlookers:

[Oh-No-Oh-No-OMG: Fuck, who is this, is this heavily edited???]

[Gu-Qichi-Please-Climb-Into-My-Bed: This is fucking Nuwa’s graduation project, right? Why am I the only mud droplet?!! Nuwa! You have no heart!]

It wasn’t just Wen Xi and Luo Qianqian; Gu Qichi had also been scrolling through the live comments under these tags.

It was absurd. In the past, he had clearly done nothing, yet he’d be cursed onto the trending list with people insulting his entire family.

This was the first time—oh wait, the second time.
That Gu Qichi had unintentionally planted a willow that grew into a whole forest of shade, appearing on the trending list in a positive, uplifting way.

Twenty minutes later, the tag #GuQichiShenQingye# completely dominated the screen, reaching the number one spot on the trending list.

The read and view counts kept soaring without the slightest sign of stopping.

Gu Qichi was reading so intently that he didn’t even notice when they had arrived home. The car had been turned off for a while before he belatedly felt Bo Yu’s burning gaze fixed on him.

The great beauty froze for a moment. He looked up blankly, only to see that Bo Yu was also browsing those very same trending tags.

President Bo’s expression was exceptionally serious, as if he were handling a major international crisis. However, his eyes had completely shed their usual cold sharpness; instead, they were so gentle they could drown someone.

“Bo Yu,” he called out, his tone somewhat bewildered and uncertain.

Hearing Gu Qichi call him, Bo Yu naturally looked up. The progress bar for saving images on his screen went from one to a hundred. His phone gallery was now densely packed with photos of Gu Qichi, yet even with the real person right in front of him, he felt he couldn’t get enough.

“These trending tags… did you deliberately help me with them?” He pursed his lips, voicing his doubts openly.

It wasn’t that he was being overly sensitive; it was just that before this, he truly had never experienced such immense enthusiasm, nor had he ever personally felt what it was like to be passionately liked by others.

Bo Yu slowly and methodically set the photo of Gu Qichi in the snow as his lock screen wallpaper, his expression perfectly composed. “There is indeed a marketing team from the Bo Corporation operating behind the scenes, but this is merely a standard promotional tactic for a show we invested in. I didn’t intervene excessively.”

“Gu Qichi, don’t be afraid. What you’re seeing are real, unadulterated comments. There really are many people who like you.”

Gu Qichi met his gaze directly, only to see the man let out a scoff, looking rather displeased:

“But there are too many people who like you. They’re all saying they want to sleep with you, look at your face while making love to you. Asking you to be their boyfriend.”

“But you are clearly my marriage partner.”

“I do want more people to like you, but when I see these words, I really want to lock you up so that only I can see you.”

---

Author’s Note:
Bo Yu: Wife, you can only have eyes for me, or else I’m going to go crazy.
Baby Xiao Chi: … 6 [Slang for “speechless/impressive”]
President Bo: After getting the certificate, speaking dirty is perfectly legal.