Royal Ch.37

Chapter 37: Private Investigation

[Goose Gossip Group丨Highlights丨“Starlight” Episode 2 Livestream Thread]

———

[Main Post]

RT.

Everyone knows the thread rules. OP will monitor in real time. Anyone who breaks them gets an instant mute package.

[3F] The other thread next door has piled up thousands of floors. It turned into chaos with all sorts of wild stuff going on. OP probably couldn’t control it anymore, so opening a new thread is a good idea.

[7F] I took a glance at the other thread. There was a post that said:

“On the surface it’s Goose Group, but in reality, everyone’s streaking for love. Who wouldn’t call this the base camp of h*rny beasts after seeing it?

Lao Sheng (Old Monkey)’s luck really is something. Xingqiong practically wants to chew up resources and spit them into his mouth—he’s simultaneously milking the “cute submissive” persona and the “top dog” persona. A debut-less idol from a survival show, clout-chasing every established name in the entertainment industry like a lunar rover, and finally making it big. Honestly, not easy.”

Just listen to that tone. You get the idea.

[12F] That familiar vibe… Checked their profile—yep, as expected, a CP fan from that historical BL drama aired last year.

Didn’t their fandom just enter the “fighting then purifying” stage recently?

How do they still have time to meddle in the survival show circle?

[This post has been censored]

[21F] First of all, most of the audience base for danmei dramas is made up of fujoshi, no argument there, right?

Second, the Emperor Yue’s CP is delicious. His face is next level. Shipping him hits different.

Compared to a fandom where the idol is busy drawing lines while the fans wake up and immediately go into PR-control mode, sneaking a few bites of scraps from Emperor Yue’s side is totally normal.

But the more you snack, the more likely your side ship might become your main bias. Who knows, hmm.

[This post has been censored]

[33F] So the idea is: argue first, then you become “rival fandoms,” which prevents fans from jumping ship.

[42F] Such long-term planning, huh? But now, after Old Fart from Uncle Circle, Emperor Yue has gained two more completely unrelated “rivals.”

[This post has been censored]

[48F] This is what it really means to streak for love…

[62F] OP: Muted. No mentioning of other people, okay?

…

[106F] Back on topic! Back on topic!

[122F] Watched the beginning of episode 2 with my elders—right at the part where Emperor Yue fainted—and they already started feeling sorry for him.

[143F] My mom straight-up said, “This show is such a sin,” in that tone. You all know the one, right?

[159F] Same mom, apparently.

[201F] The reactions of everyone on set were so telling…

[234F] Crown Prince Ying’s expression didn’t look like acting. His relationship with Emperor Yue feels like it’s more than just coworkers?

Cen Chi and Meng Yu’s reactions stood out especially. S.K’s Tan Shen reached out the fastest—just swooped him up in one move.

[251F] Wow, they interviewed so many people in the post-episode cut…

[267F] Crown Prince Ying said in the post-episode interview that he shares a dorm room with Emperor Yue, and he’d never seen him this sick before, so he panicked.

Also, his first impression of Emperor Yue was “a ridiculously strong faker” — that somehow really hit my funny bone.

[315F] Wait, so Meng Yu also went to the Zhaozhou Music Festival where Emperor Yue first appeared? The editing even replayed the moment he reached out to stop that flying bottle.

[349F] Considering the livestream thread for Episode 1, I’m starting to feel kinda… complicated about Meng Yu now…

[367F] +1. I’m even wondering now — were all those CP fansites pre-purchased by him?

…

[431F] Back to the initial evaluations.

[524F] Can someone please turn on the pitch correction? Some performances are so awkward I can’t even laugh.

[587F] Chu Li’s here — he’s got real skills. Him joining a survival show feels like a dimensional downgrade for him. He’s probably the second A after Emperor Yue, right?

[622F] Meng Yu got an A too. This guy is definitely calculating, but to be fair, his strength is solid.

[711F] Tan Shen’s initial evaluation almost killed me with laughter — the only known footage of a stick insect dancing in Chinese entertainment. I suggest we preserve it as a national heritage.

[734F] I hereby declare we’ve found the comedy king of Starlight.

“Your initial rating is F. Are you disappointed?”

“Not disappointed. I deserved it.”

“Yue Zhaolin got the first A. What are your thoughts?”

“He deserved it.”

Just two bland sentences — but paired with the dramatic sound effects and zoom-in editing from the production team, why was it so hilariously funny?

[811F] This one’s nickname is settled: “Brother Deserved.” So what should the CP name be for Brother Deserved and Emperor Yue?

[826F] “Love, Deserved”?

…

[1023F] EMPEROR YUE IS BACK!!!

[1074F] All the trainees stood up — that was such a scene.

[1105F] And the key point is: it was spontaneous. No one told them to stand… Emperor Yue ascending the throne…

[1218F] Next is dorm assignment.

I used to be on the fence about Meng Yu being manipulative, but in this segment his intentions were way too obvious — going straight for Yue Zhaolin?

Not a good look, honestly.

[1269F] Meng Yu is getting so much screen time in this segment, it’s reminding me of that monkey guy from episode one who got tons of reaction shots. What was his name again?

[1298F] Reply to 1269: Wei Lai.

[1325F] Almost all of Meng Yu’s shots are tied to Yue Zhaolin — they’re pushing this “Yue Zhaolin fanboy” image way too hard.

Yeah, he’s gonna get dragged. Veteran Xiufen can see right through this — it’s obvious the show is deliberately editing this segment to stir up drama.

[1401F] Used Wei Lai as a sacrificial lamb before, now it’s Meng Yu. Both are trainees without strong backing—easy targets for the show to b*lly.

But Xiufen really fall for it every time. Once they get riled up, no one cares if it’s the show’s scripted drama or not—they’ll just start flaming. (sigh)

[1453F] Xiufen: forever young, forever getting duped. (chokes up)

[1589F] That group of four actually looks pretty good together, just visually speaking.

[1612F] They’ve arrived at the dorms. Conditions this season seem okay—the beds aren’t as narrow.

[1667F] All the other dorm footage was skipped with a quick flash to the next day? Starlight’s editing feels so rushed.

[1711F] Probably because they have to re-edit two episodes within a week. They’re definitely running out of time, so anything that can be glossed over will be.

[1742F] The theme song this season is called “Meteor”. Not bad — the intro is pretty catchy.

…

[2023F] You can already tell from the first dance practice: Emperor Yue’s fundamentals are clearly weaker than Cen Chi’s and Meng Yu’s — the precision of their choreography breakdown is noticeably different.

…

[2169F] Meng Yu is now leading the full group class. Honestly, this direction suits him much better than playing Yue Zhaolin’s fanboy.

[2197F] Yue Zhaolin is drenched in sweat from training — hair, clothes, all soaked. But those eyes in the mirror… burning with ambition…

[2221F] Training from 7am till after midnight — absolute beast.

[2452F] It kind of feels like… he actually treats being an idol as a real profession, not just a stepping stone into the entertainment industry.

[2517F] If Yue Zhaolin actually debuts, there’s no way he’ll stay an idol—unless he’s lost his mind. Or Xingqiong has.

[2521F] Honestly, I really can’t guess what Emperor Yue’s career plan would be post-debut…

[2565F] But judging by how much Xingqiong values him, I can’t even imagine how good his first post-debut gig would be.

[2602F] Reply to #2565: a Hollywood cameo.

[2623F] Reply to #2602: ?!

[2756F] Reply to #2602: I hit send too fast before finishing my message. It was a cameo invitation personally sent by Herland Gale, but Xingqiong turned it down, hehe.

[2903F] ?!?!

[2987F] Wait, what the heck?!

[3015F] First time catching a livestream info drop. It sounds unbelievable, but also… makes a weird kind of sense. It’d have to be something at that level to make all the resource-heavy guys in Uncle Circle this bitter…

[3178F] But why would Xingqiong refuse? Do you know how many A-listers in C-ent would kill for just a cameo in a Herland film?

One—it boosts status. Two—you can brag about “bringing glory to the country” for the next ten years.

[3204F] “Brag about glory”? Lol

[3225F] OP of #2602 dropped the bomb and vanished… I have a feeling someone’s already screenshot that post and is sending it around.

…

[3317F] It’s already out—one of the film industry bloggers I follow just posted: “Herland invited Yue Zhaolin for a film cameo, what level is that? 💅”

[3357F] Post #2602 hasn’t even been up for five minutes—someone is definitely lurking in our group!

[3390F] What’s the comment section like?

[3405F] Film bloggers still have their loyalties—their followers are all from Uncle Circle, so the moment it dropped, the replies were all mocking.

[3428F] Top comment: “What is Herland, an old horndog sending out cameo invites via QQ Mail?”

…

After the episode, He Jie searched up Yue Zhaolin’s info and saw that Weibo post. Her brows furrowed, and she DMed the link to the comment control team.

Screenshots from anonymous forums are about as credible as WeChat rumors—some people believe them, some people make them up. He Jie just found it absurd.

But it wasn’t a major issue. The episode was almost over, and the fanbase Tide was already in a restless stage. Mobilize just a part of them and they could wipe it all out.

Right now, after finishing the episode, what He Jie was more concerned about… was the private investigator’s report.

Earlier, she had spotted the man who threw the bottle in the plaza. Something felt off, so she hired a private investigator to keep tabs on them.

And what the PI found was surprising:

The two men were father and son—and they’d been staying together at a nearby hotel for a full week.

The string in He Jie’s mind pulled even tighter. She told the private investigator to keep watching, but there hadn’t been any new updates yet.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. She answered immediately. “Hello?”

The voice of the private investigator came through the line:

“Boss, did you hire someone else too? I think I just spotted another PI working the same case.”

He Jie froze. “Huh?”

Someone else?

—

The other private investigator had been hired by Liu Li.

In the entertainment industry, troublesome relatives dragging celebrities down wasn’t uncommon, so Xingqiong had started monitoring them early on.

Before even arriving in Haicheng, Liu Li received word at the train station. And as for what they were planning—it didn’t take much imagination to figure it out.

Liu Li’s solution was simple: pick a time and talk to them. Talk about—just how much money the company would lose if Yue Zhaolin got caught in a scandal.

As the old saying goes: Cutting off someone’s source of income is like killing their parents.

So the question was—did that father and son duo have the guts to withstand the wrath of capital?

“Petty people fear power, not virtue. It’s best to let the company handle this. Once it’s dealt with, then we can tell Zhaolin.”

When you think about it, it was almost laughable.

Yue Zhaolin didn’t sign with the company for fun—so why did they assume he’d be at their mercy?

What a strange kind of confidence.

Liu Li didn’t take the father and son seriously at all. She was used to wielding the privileges that came with power and status.

She turned back to her assistant and got to business: “By the way, have all the props Etienne requested arrived?”

The fan meet was just three days away, and Yue Zhaolin’s first magazine shoot was coming up soon.

Etienne Delorme’s brand feature cover—“Rêverie & Désincarné.”

Transcendence of the flesh, and fantasy.

“All the items have more or less arrived at the warehouse,” came the reply.

The most difficult prop to unpack was a six-winged feathered set of wings, sent from abroad by Etienne himself—exquisitely luxurious, and uncannily lifelike.

Because Etienne had said: “He possesses a beauty that transcends gender. He is an angel—he must be exquisitely beautiful, he must be wounded, and he must fall.”

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