014 Qu Wan Tortures the Cat

The second episode of the variety show began recording soon after. The staff arranged a live broadcast for everyone, with each group connecting via audio.

Qu Wan was not adept at handling such technicalities, so when the crew came over to set things up, she simply stood aside. Today, Jiang Zeyu had gone to meet the director, apparently to discuss his next film. It was enviable—when you're popular, you can pick any good script you want. Just thinking about it, Qu Wan felt a pang of bitterness.

Fortunately, she had the foresight to host the staff directly at the hotel. For one thing, she did not want her home address exposed; for another, there were still many of Jiang Zeyu’s belongings at her place, which would be inconvenient.

Her assistant called her aside to touch up her makeup. "Sister Ye reminded you that during this live broadcast, you’ll be able to see the comments. So, keep calm—don’t get angry, no matter what you see. The moderators will mute people if necessary. She also told me to remind you that making money is the most important thing—don’t let anything get in the way of that, understand?"

Qu Wan thought these words made perfect sense. When she first entered the entertainment industry, her family strongly opposed it, especially her brother, who even threatened to blacklist her. Back then, Qu Wan dreamed that, once she became famous and made lots of money, she’d buy out the family company and make Qu Jin work for her, calling her "boss."

But reality struck her hard. There are only two kinds of stars who become popular in the entertainment world: those backed by capital, and those lucky enough to explode overnight. Qu Wan was neither; instead, she was endlessly insulted.

When the live broadcast began, Qu Wan sat at the table, staring at the camera. In an instant, the stream was flooded with viewers. She wasn't sure why, but suddenly felt timid—if so many people started cursing her, she wouldn’t be able to fight back.

The broadcast had only just started. Qu Wan greeted the audience, “Hello everyone, I’m Qu Wan.” Seeing some sparse replies on the screen, she swallowed nervously; for the moment, no one was insulting her. She chatted casually, following the comments.

Qu Wan realized she actually had some fans—at least enough to carry on a conversation.

“Is this a hotel?”

Qu Wan nodded. “Yes, I’m in a hotel.”

“I see the other artists are streaming from home. Why are you staying in a hotel?”

She answered honestly, “I don’t want my address exposed—mainly, I’m afraid someone might send me a dead cat.”

When she and Jiang Zeyu first publicly announced their relationship, Qu Wan was still renting an apartment. Then, out of nowhere, she received a package—inside was a bloodied dead cat. That moment truly terrified her.

She had praised a cat’s cuteness on her social media, and a hateful fan sent her such a thing. Afterward, her agent arranged for her to move. Later, at the suggestion of both families, she began living with Jiang Zeyu.

“A dead cat? Really? Do people actually do that?”

“She’s just playing the victim, saying it on purpose. Isn’t this Qu Wan’s usual marketing ploy? She’ll do anything to get famous.”

“Qu Wan probably killed the cat herself and blamed it on anti-fans.”

“With her character, it’s entirely possible.”

“Can you all stop making baseless accusations? Spreading rumors is illegal. Qu Wan just mentioned it casually—she never said she really received a dead cat. Why are you attacking her?”

Her genuine fans were vastly outnumbered and couldn’t win against the trolls. Qu Wan watched the lively comments, sipping water as she scanned the screen.

Meanwhile, Gu Siyuan had also started his stream and connected with Qu Wan.

“You’re in a hotel?” he asked.

Qu Wan nodded, holding her cup, and glanced at the background behind Gu Siyuan—it looked like he was at home.

Gu Siyuan suddenly bent down and called out, “Princess!” Then he picked up his dog. “You haven’t seen Princess in ages. Doesn’t he look better lately?”

Qu Wan’s expression was hard to describe. “He’s a boy. Why did you name him Princess?”

“Who said Princess has to be a girl, or Prince a boy? I do what I want,” Gu Siyuan replied, teasing the dog as he glanced at the comments.

“Such a stark contrast—someone here abuses cats, while he’s got a dog so well-fed.”

“Qu Wan abuses cats? Is that true?”

“It’s been confirmed—she admitted to killing a cat! Watch the playback if you don’t believe it.”

“Wow, is she really so heartless? Why isn’t she banned? How does she still have a career?”

Gu Siyuan continued playing with his dog, then casually asked, “When did you ever abuse a cat?”

Qu Wan rolled her eyes bluntly. “Is that even possible?”

Gu Siyuan kept scanning the comments, piecing together what had happened. He remembered the incident—he was the one who dealt with the cat.

He hadn’t seen Qu Wan cry in years, but that time she sobbed uncontrollably.

“Where are the moderators? Are they just letting the stream get derailed? Spreading rumors is a crime—think before you speak. Some people are truly malicious, sending a dead cat is absolutely insane.”

Back then, Gu Siyuan’s first reaction was to call the police, but Qu Wan stopped him; she didn’t want the matter blown out of proportion. No matter what, she’d end up getting blamed. They had just gone public with their relationship, and the backlash was fierce. If the incident became public, things would only escalate, and she didn’t want Jiang Zeyu to be caught in the middle.

“What does Gu Siyuan mean? He knows about this too?”

“What’s going on? Are they really that close?”

“So, Qu Wan is two-timing?”

“This woman is something else! Have you considered starting a class? I’d pay anything to learn how to attract men like Jiang Zeyu and Gu Siyuan.”

“Paging Jiang Zeyu—come see your wife cheating!”

At that moment, Jiang Zeyu was in the car, headphones on, watching the live broadcast. It was the first time he learned that Qu Wan had received a dead cat, and that Gu Siyuan knew about it while he had been kept in the dark.

Qu Wan spoke up, “Everyone seems to have lost focus. Today’s live stream is to discuss our schedule for the next episode—the main point is to promote the show.”

Afterwards, Qu Wan and Gu Siyuan earnestly discussed the program, carefully calculating travel and living expenses.

Viewers watched as two “schoolchildren” sat with calculators, tallying numbers—and getting them wrong.

Suddenly, the comments turned cheerful, and the trolls fell silent. They had come to criticize Qu Wan, but started to feel uneasy—imagine receiving a dead cat, especially as a woman, how frightening that must be. Some even thought it might have been their own doing and felt guilty, so they decided to take a break and not attack her today.

Some trolls left the stream, while others stayed, planning to catch her slip-ups for future attacks. But then, they found themselves entertained—this woman was unexpectedly funny, and with Gu Siyuan and his dog, the stream was filled with laughter.