Chapter Text
“Alright, everyone, calm down in the chat, or I’ll make Airplane pause it again.” Shen Yuan, or in this case Peerless Shizun Reviews, rolled his eyes at the eagerness of his followers. He doesn’t play video games often, but it's not the moment of the millennia. People are too easily excited these days. He only chose the game because it’s not often a new release is set in a cultivators setting. He’s not the best gamer, but it looks straight forward enough.
He took a sip from his energy drink, which he poured out of the can and into a nice teacup. He developed a bit of a lofty immortal personality since his streamer debut. He didn’t think people would care about his rants and at first he didn’t take it too seriously-- His old handle used to be “Peerless Cucumber” afterall. But over the years he grew to like the facade. Even though it takes a lot of work to keep up.
Honestly, how could he complain about the setup? He sits in front of a dark green wall to rant about poorly written trash. All while in his pajamas. He reviewed a variety of xianxia media over the years: harem dramas, stallion novels, and terrible cultivator shows. Shen Yuan had so much to say about the genre that people started calling him Shizun-- as if he's a teacher instead of a NEET hater. Shen Yuan took the role as seriously as his fans do. But no one took his poser facade more seriously than--
“Bingmei, yes, I ate today, you shouldn't worry about my diet so much,” he said over the rim of his cup. Bingmei didn’t need to his meal was old take-out that was on the verge of turning, he still technically ate! If he didn't know Bingmei was a man he would have thought he had a dotting housewife in his chat.
Bingmei-lotus: [But Shizun looks so thin! Who's taking care of Shizun?]
NingYY: [@bingmei-lotus hehe you always ask this bingbing, maybe you should cook Shizuns meal yourself ^°^]
“I am more than capable of taking care of myself, silly boy, we have more important things to talk about today-- like this new game ‘System Saving the Villian’. From what I've seen it's a game where we play as the actual system for a transmigrator and try to save him from his horrible written fate. I'll admit, the concept seems promising, but I don't know how much fun it is to play an incorporeal character.”
MOD- AirplaneSTTS: [if it's reallllly bad maybe we'll make it a goal reward for your next charity stream ;)]
“Airplane, stop giving them ideas, I'm still getting disturbing messages from your last 'helpful idea’.” He said with air quotes.
MOD- AirplaneSTTS: [hmph it's not my fault people liked the suggestion of you in a skirt >-<]
Shen Yuan felt his face heat, “You are a shameless man and I will block you.”
MOD- AirplaneSTTS: [Love you too Cucumber-bro <3 <3]
LQG-123: [Just play the game already.]
“Alright, alright, let's see if this game is worth the money.” Shen Yuan cracked his knuckles and sat down for a long session.
Shen Yuan played for a while. The mechanics were basic, but lent itself to some creativity. He got to customize the main character that the system was supposed to take care of. He went through a full can of his energy drink but he got through the tutorial and was almost done with the first major quest.
“Come on.” Shen Yuan groaned. His useless character struggled against the immortal binding cables. “How can a lowly skinner demon get the jump on an immortal master like this? What's the reason for his robes to be taken-- so annoying!”
MOD- AirplaneSTTS: [regret making the character look like you now? :3]
“How was I supposed to know the transmigrator would be this stupid. He's never going to get past the OOC locks at this rate.” He clicked through the next quick time events methodically, too eager to move on. The chat was a steady stream of people noting the graphics, backseat gaming, and discussion around the tropes of transmigration. Shen Yuan has quite the impressive audience, it made him feel like he really is a teacher to them. They were eager for his approval, his little ducklings.
The unskippable cutscene with the character and the demon was painful to watch. Most interactions in the game were shown with a bright artificial blue to help guide the player on what puzzle to do next, not a bad way to integrate the gameplay. It made the game feel more like an immersive story which he didn’t mind. The puzzles have been monotonous even with the interesting lore. He clicked through the low-IQ dialogue when the screen went black.
“Is that me, or the game?” Shen Yuan wondered out loud. He got closer to the screen. His mouse followed his movements still but the screen stayed dark. The blank screen highlighted how dark Shen Yuan's room was, the sun had set and he could see his own face covered in harsh shadow in the screen's reflection.
Suddenly, the screen went from black to bright blue. The intense color took over everything, Shen Yuan jolted back from the light. The music changed to a sinister tone and screen flashed between black and blue in rapid fire successions. Black. Blue. Black. Blue. Stilled images appeared in between the flashing, most likely a show of future events that haven't happened yet. For many it’s an interesting thing to look at before returning to the calm cultivator setting, there’s probably easter eggs in the flashing images. But Shen Yuan couldn’t enjoy the sudden effect.
“Dammit, what's with the flashing lights-- ” He hissed and covered his eyes. The flashes ended but Shen Yuan hesitated to open them until all the light mellowed out. “Why would they add that out of nowhere?”
The sensation was immediate and although Shen Yuan closed his eyes, he could still see the constant flashes behind his eyelids. His head swam, a coiled tightness clawed up his chest. Shen Yuan felt his hands grip the front of his shirt but his body made his own touch feel foreign.
MOD- AirplaneSTTS: [Bro I swear I checked the warnings!]
MF-Fan: [I agree Shizun, it's a cheap gimmick -_-]
NingYY: [I hope Shizun is able to save the disciples who are still tied up!]
Bingmei-lotus: [Shizun, are you okay??]
Words got a bit murky as he floated in the strange warm pressure behind his ribs. Shen Yuan placed a hand on his chest where the tight hot coils worked up his spine, his head buzzed and his body jolted as his muscles clenched.
He opened his eyes briefly at the stream but his monitor looked like it was miles away that made the warmth rise more. There was a heavy scent of coolant in the air that assaulted his senses.
“I- ugh-- Sh- Shang Qinghua. End the stream.” The words were hard to get out, they felt heavy like a piece of bread got stuck in his throat. Shen Yuan had to keep his eyes closed, his body buzzed in sync with his heartbeat.
MOD-AirplaneSTTS: [oh shit!! Sorry everyone, we need to end the stream early, make sure to sign up for our community channel for more information on the charity stream and special features!]
LQG-123: [what's happening]
NingYY: [Shizun????]
Bingmei-lotus: [Shizun!!]
MF-Fan: [is he having a stroke?]
MOD-AirplaneSTTS: [Peerless Shizun is not feeling well, but he's okay! See you soon everyone.]
Stream Ended.
Shen Yuan heard his phone buzz right as his screen turned black. He smacked the screen, his own fingers felt big and clumsy.
“Airplane.” Shen Yuan said through gritted teeth. “What the hell?”
The screech on the other end of the call was inhuman and birdlike, “Are you okay?! Cucumber-bro everyone thought you were dying.”
“It's just an aura, it's fine,” Shen Yuan pinched his nose bridge. His breath couldn’t catch and he swallowed large chunks of air, “you said you checked.”
“Bro, I swear I did! I even played the first few quests. It must have been added after their recent patch.”
“Idiots.” Shen Yuan gritted out. He never understood why films and games need to add in these flashing effects just to make their games exciting. Unoriginal. Do not pass go. Jail.
“Should I call your brother?” Shang Qinghua asked tentatively.
“Don't. You. Dare.” He spat out. “I'm fine.”
“You've never ended a stream early before.”
“I've never had an aura during a livestream before.”
“Are you okay?”
“Am I still talking to you?”
“Yes?”
“Then it means I have not passed out.” Shen Yuan swallowed. The warmth receded slowly, the buzz in his skull receded. The stench lingered and made him nauseous but his senses slowly came back to reality. “Okay, I think it’s passing.”
“And that's a tiny one?”
“If a big one doesn't follow within the next five minutes then it's a tiny one.”
“And then we call your brother?”
“If I stop responding, call him.” Shen Yuan sighed and started a timer on his phone. “I'm fine. I've had enough of these to know.”
“I knew this happened to you, but I guess I've never...” Shen Yuan opened his eyes to his dark room. Sounds slowly gained clarity. The sounds of cars driving in the streets below. The hum of his air conditioner. His breath eased again and his words felt looser than before.
“Heh, it's strange the first couple of times.” Shen Yuan slid down to the floor, “You get used to it.”
“I don't want to!” Shang Qinghua screeched again.
“Just stay on the phone till I'm out of the woods, dumbass,” he said with little bite. Shen Yuan let the cool floor ease his heated skin with a sigh.
“Oh man, your fans are going to flip.”
“It's not a big deal, I'll post in the community channel after this.”
“Bro, seriously, Bingmei alone freaks out when he thinks you're not drinking enough water. He might think you’ve died.” Shang Qinghua’s voice cracked at the word ‘died’.
“Heh, he takes the disciple thing too seriously.” He said with a small laugh.
”He might be in the running with your brother for ‘most likely to lock you up like a pampered pet forever’ race.”
“Bingmei is nothing like Da-ge,” Shen Yuan sighed, “he doesn’t even know me.”
”Whatever you say,” Shang Qinghua said with heavy doubt.
”Ugh, enough about work, tell me you’ve finished the next chapters.”
"Oh no you don't. You have to wait for it like everyone else.” Shang Qinghua said.
"It’s basically me and one other person paying to read ‘Ice Immortal Demon Way,” Shen Yuan said, “just tell me what happens in the next shitty chapter. I’m sick.”
“Evil.” Shang Qinghua sighed but told him the outline for his next chapter. Shen Yuan finds his writing much to be desired, but the characters aren’t completely boring. He can tell that Airplane is writing something he truly wants. He could make a lot of money if he made it another porn-fest like the stallion novels he reviewed for work but Shang Qinghua is determined to make his work say something for him. Shen Yuan listened and interrupted with only a few scolding insults. He dragged himself off the floor at the sound of his alarm. His jaw hurt, and his skull was stuffed with cotton, but he felt the pressure in his chest completely leave. He promised Shang Qinghua that he will contact his brother himself if he felt bad again. With a click of a button Shen Yuan was alone.
He heated up a rice pack to sooth his sore neck and checked the flood of notifications on his phone from his channel's community message board. What a mess. He’ll let everyone know he’s alive, his fans are worried over nothing. While he doesn’t hide the fact that he has a disability, he doesn’t share all the details of his epilepsy with his fans. It can be hard to admit that your brain is your worst enemy, and a focal seizure can happen at any time. It just leads to more questions he unfortunately doesn’t have answers for.
A buzz pulled his attention. A familiar contact name flashed on the screen. He accepted the call with a groan.
"Da-ge, I—“
"Why did I have to hear from Liu fucking Qingge of all people that you had a seizure during your livestream?” A steady voice accused without a hello.
“I didn’t--”
“I’m coming over.” And the line went dead. No room for further argument. Shen Yuan closed his eyes again.
It was going to be a long night.
☆ - ☆ - ☆
Luo Binghe stared at the screen.
The stream's end message taunted him. No more messages. No more sweet Shizun’s face. No idea if he’s even okay. Luo Binghe eventually clicked over to the community chat channel where clips from today’s stream have already tainted the conversation. People are speculating over what happened, and many are wondering if Shizun is dying in the hospital right now.
Luo Binghe thought he had a handle on it. For years he’s been a loyal fan, and high paying donor to Peerless Shizun’s streams. He rewatched compilations to help him sleep at night, his Shizun’s voice was a soothing balm after his long days. He paid for extra content, for milestone awards during his charity streams, anything that brought him closer to his Shizun. He knew he had to share Shizun's attention with thousands of others, but every stream when Shizun responded just to him made his heart flutter.
It used to be enough. But it’s not anymore.
Shizun, his elegant sparrow. He never hid that his health isn’t the best, it’s why he started streaming in the first place, but Luo Binghe never had to witness it so clearly before. He should be there. To cook Shizun his meals, to keep his place in order, keep Shizun’s affairs in order, and stay by his Shizun side. He wished he could hear Shizun’s voice. That he could assess the man's condition himself, not this Shang Qinghua that he called for instead. The name itself sounded familiar. A face that his memory tried to dredge up, but nothing pulled to the surface.
Luo Binghe contemplated if he should throw his computer out the window. It would be a quick thing afterall. Perhaps slam it against the walls? But then how would he stay up to date on any information about Shizun? He chewed on the information gluttonously. Shizun. His Shizun is in trouble and there’s nothing he can do to fix it.
A knock at his door interrupted his broody spiral. Sha Hauling stood, backlit by the office lights in the hallway, one hand perched on her hip.
“Are you done moping the dark, sir,” She teased. This is why he tried to watch Shizun's livestreams at home but he had too much to do today. He closed his laptop harshly.
“What do you need?” He grumbled. She showed no signs that she was bothered by his tone. She had the nerve to roll her eyes instead.
”Ugh, that’s a no,” She said, suddenly too interested her long red nails, “Mo Běijùn called, his assistant had to take off earlier, so the report will be on your desk first thing next week.”
“Whatever,” he grumbled with crossed arms. He started hard at the closed laptop.
“Spoken like a real leader, Luo Xiānshēng.” She said dryly and turned back to the hallway.
A thought sparked in Luo Binghe’s head, “Wait.”
She turned back around, a perfectly shaped brow raised.
"Mo Běijùn’s assistant, the squirrelly one, what was his name again,”
Sha Hualing laughed, her eyes alight with curiosity, “Taking interest? You should know he’s pretty protective over the creature.”
"His name.” Luo Binghe said with little humor.
"Shang Qinghua,” she said after a beat, “Someone you know?”
"Possibly.” Luo Binghe sat back in his chair. His mind was made up. “Have one of our guys do a thorough background check on him. I need to know exactly how he spends his evenings.”
Sha Hualing studied him for a moment but found nothing in his expression, “Whatever you want, boss.” She left without another word. In the darkness of his office Luo Binghe had a kernel of hope, he just hoped that his Shizun was alright.
☆ - ☆ - ☆
Shang Qinghua is dead.
He’s super dead. In fact, maybe he’s already dead. He shoved two shaking fingers on the pulse point on his neck. Wait, what’s a normal heart rate anyway?
“How do you calculate what your pulse is?” He found himself asking out loud. Sha Hualing scoffed beside him. He put his hand down. Right. He’s alive right now, but if he’s called into Luo Binghe’s office first thing in the morning there’s no way he’s getting out of there in one piece. What did he do anyway? He pushed the deadline for his report, but this is a simple case, it’s not a big deal. Is his boss really about to read him his rights for it? He’s allowed to take time off, it’s not a crime to leave work a bit early.
He looked over to Mo Běijùn, his stoic-to-a-fault boss, to gauge anything from his reaction. He followed alongside Shang Qinghua, his face pinched in slight irritation. Mo Běijùn didn’t stop glaring at Sha Hualing since she interrupted their morning meeting. He’s known the man for years now, he would dare say they grew up together from their intern days, from the tilt of his brows Shang Qinghua is eighty percent sure his boss has no idea why Shang Qinghua is being summoned.
Which meant he’s definitely dead.
Sha Hauling stopped and turned on her heel. How dare she look so polished and scary this early in the morning. “He’s waiting for you in there,” She pointed at the dark wooden door. Heavy and ornate. She looked at him with a sharp smile. “Try not to cry.”
Shang Qinghua does not respond because he can’t make any promises on that front. He has rent due at the end of the week, he’s not making any money off of his self-indulgent book, and Shen Yuan only pays him in free edits and meals to be his moderator. He’ll grovel at Luo Binghe’s feet if it means he gets to keep his bed.
He spared one more glance at Mo Běijùn, but the man only glared at the door. Shang Qinghua gulped and slowly pushed the door open and entered alone.
The room was dark, only the morning light through the windows speckled the office in chilled light. The furniture was minimal and paled in comparison to the large oak desk that was most likely imported across the seas and cost more than his whole life. The man himself, Luo Binghe, executed power from his posture alone. Upright, focused, the tension filled the space around them like incense. Shang Qinghua only saw him once during his company’s merger, but people call him the demon in the attorney world. He knows the name is well-earned.
“Shang Qinghua,” Luo Binghe said, near friendly. He stood, his pinstriped suit had no wrinkles, and the dark fabric brought out the red accents in the stitching. If this were a movie he would easily be the male lead. Which only made a nobody like Shang Qinghua more nervous.
“Luo Binghe, uh, i-if this is about the Huan Hua report, I finished the research for it. I’m sorry about the delay." Why is he apologizing? It’s delayed but not late!
“Why.”
"Why?”
Luo Binghe's eyes tightened, “Sha Hauling informed me that you took off early on Friday. That’s why the report was delayed. Why?”
Is that a legal question to ask? Shang Qinghua should know this, he works at an attorney's office.
“Uh, I always take a half day on Fridays. Luo Xiānshēng.” Shang Qinghua stammered out, “But I haven’t missed a deadline yet!”
“That’s a specific schedule.”
“I’m a specific kind of guy.” Shang Qinghua said with a forced laugh. What else could he say? Does he need to tell the man everything? He’s just an assistant! A silly little guy. An innocent man with an inappropriate search history at the worst! What has he done to deserve such a stone-cold reception?
Luo Binghe continued. Unbothered by the sweaty man in front of him. He looked down at his notes with a low hum, “Do you find yourself busy every other Saturday, and Monday evenings too?”
Shang Qinghua's mouth gaped. That. Those are the typical times he moderated for Shen Yuan streams. Is this a weird coincidence, or is he breaking some moonlight agreement with this? Oh no, what if he found his novel online too? He should have picked a better handle. He’s dead.
“Luo Xiānshēng, I’m unsure why I’m here today?” Shang Qinghua tried hard to deflect. Maybe his poker face was good enough to put Luo Binghe off the scent.
“AirplaneSTTS.” Luo Binghe stood from his chair, eyes pinned him in place.
Shang Qinghua paled. At work? His online handle is found out at work? Of all the ways to be recognized he had hoped it would be for his writing.
“Uh,” He could not form a single coherent thought. The demon of the attorney world is a…fan? Unless he is still about to get fired? Is it too late for him to cry? “Yes?”
The man pounced like a leopard directly into Shang Qinghua space. He felt the cold wood of the doors touch his back, nowhere to go. The man gripped his shoulders, eyes tense and teeth nearly bared. Forget being fired, he's going to actually die today!
Shang Qinghua closed his eyes and waited for the pain to come. The reprimand. The insults. But nothing happened. He peeked at the man towered over him. His dark eyes look sunken. Dark circles marred his intimidating face.
“Is he okay?” Luo Binghe said Shang Qinghua would almost call his tone desperate.
“What?” Shang Qinghua's shoulder loosened in his confusion.
Luo Binghe shook his shoulders again, a glare leveled him. “Shizun. He barely messaged us after what happened. He even cancelled today's stream. Is. He. Okay?”
Oh fuck, is his boss a stalker? Is this a violation? Shang Qinghua’s palms got sweaty. Now he has the scariest man in the world (well, maybe second scariest) that controls his paychecks. Stupid Cucumber-bro. And stupid Shang Qinghua that he didn’t join environmental law when he had the chance.
"He- He’s fine, really!” Shang Qinghua gulped, the hands on his shoulders squeezed tighter. “Cucumber-bro just needed to take some time to figure some things out.”
"What happened?”
“I r-really can’t tell you that,” Shang Qinghua knows that’s not allowed. He understands HIPPA laws at least. “But he’ll be back to streaming this Saturday. Honest!”
Luo Binghe relaxed his grip finally. He tugged at Shang Qinghua’s blazer lapels to straighten it out. Satisfied with his work he stalked back to his desk to pull what looked like a tiny travel cooler out of the bottom drawer. Luo Binghe shoved the bag in Shang Qinghua’s arms. Shang Qinghua couldn’t stop the audible “oof” from the impact.
“You will bring this to Shizun.” He dared to smile at his demand. “It’s a light broth, with fresh ginger and rice.”
Well, that’s an upgrade from Shen Yuan’s microwave noodles at least. Shang Qinghua shook the thought out of his head, “What makes you think I know where he lives? He could be anywhere in the world, you know.”
Luo Binghe paused. He studied Shang Qinghua. His eyes bored into his soul, like he could see every mistake Shang Qinghua ever made with one look. He asked with a slight head tilt, “Do you? Does he?”
Shang Qinghua looked down at the cooler. No words came to mind. The fight drained from his shoulders, “I can’t promise he’ll eat it.”
Luo Binghe's eyes had a pleased gleam, a cat that caught the cannery. “Thanking Shang Qinghua for his time.”
Shang Qinghua escaped and barely managed to avoid Mo Běijùn’s questioning glare when he left with a suspiciously heavy cooler.
☆ - ☆ - ☆
“Let me get this straight.” Shen Yuan pushed his glasses up up the bridge of his nose and inspected the bright green cooler on his dining table, “He just... threw this at you and that was it?”
“That was it,” Shang Qinghua said. His voice muffled from his head tucked in his arms on Shen Yuan’s table. “I haven’t even opened it, it could be a bomb so... yeah.”
“I’d like to think my fans would send a bomb more cleverly.” Shen Yuan said with too much conviction and pride for the situation.
"And I,” Shang Qinghua lifted his head to point at Shen Yuan, “would like my boss to not be one of your freaky fans but here we are.”
Shen Yuan opened the cooler slowly. When an immediate explosion didn’t occur, he dared to pull out a few containers filled with a cloudy broth and perfectly cut vegetables. Another contained a few dumplings and sides. There was even a thermos with a minty scent.
"It could be poisoned.” Shang Qinghua emphasized, he angled his body away like it was going to explode.
"But it does look good,” Shen Yuan mused, “What was his name, Luo Binghe? Do you think da-ge has worked with him before?” Shen Yuan asked, he knows little about lawyers besides what his brother rants about after work.
“If he did then it’s definitely poisoned.” Shang Qinghua managed to look even more pale than before.
”Oh shush, with da-ge’s stupid diet restrictions I’m basically forbidden from eating anything fun let alone with flavor.” Shen Yuan stood to grab a bowl from his cabinets, “Just one bite, so you don’t have to lie to your boss.”
”Dude, if you go to the hospital again your brother will kill me dead.”
“It was not a big deal, I wasn’t even hospitalized.” He poured the broth and added the chopped vegetables before starting the microwave. “Da-ge is paranoid and wanted to make sure my meds were still working-- which newsflash-- they are.”
“I’m already public enemy number one with him, he thinks I personally triggered your epilepsy!”
"That’s because I told him you don’t believe in modern medicine and think my body should naturally heal itself.”
“I hate you,” Shang Qinghua pouted, which Shen Yuan ignored. He watched the bowl rotate slowly. The silence was filled with the microwaves' small hum.
The microwave beeped and there was a waft of a savory-sweet aroma. Shen Yuan’s mouth couldn’t help but water. Eating nothing but plain rice would make anything look appetizing. “It does smell good. Does he really cook?”
Shang Qinghua shrugged, “Only Sha Hauling would know. He cooks sometimes when they have meetings at his house. She seemed tempted to steal the cooler from me, actually.”
Shen Yuan perked up at that, “Doesn’t smell tainted at least.”
Shen Yuan grabbed a spoonful and took a tentative sip. He hummed in surprise. It was rich and flavorful, and the ginger kept everything light. Even the vegetables were fresh with a satisfying crunch. It was the best meal he’s had all year. Shen Yuan couldn’t stop a satisfied sound as he took another bite.
"Wait, can I try?” Shang Qinghua leaned over the table and hovered over his meal to take in the aroma.
Shen Yuan pulled the bowl closer to himself, “What happened to ‘my boss is trying to poison you?’” He added an especially annoying pitch the words.
Shang Qinghua rolled his eyes, ”Well, you’re still alive, give me one bite.”
"No, you can have plain rice.”
"Bro, come on!” Shang Qinghua complained but Shen Yuan refused to share a single bite. This was made just for him afterall.