The entire anniversary celebration officially ended at 10:30 PM. The last group to clear the game was a full three hours behind Xu Yin’s group.
To say the instance was difficult—it actually wasn’t that hard. But if there isn’t a single clear-headed person in a group, then that becomes truly terrifying.
After all, once Xu Yin’s group cleared it, it was inevitable that some viewers would run to other groups’ livestreams and reveal the strategies. Yet even so, there were still groups that didn’t finish until 10:30.
As for Xu Yin’s group, their gameplay video was directly used as the example for clearing the instance and was repeatedly analyzed and appreciated by everyone.
Yin, Flower God, and Shuangcheng’s calm demeanor throughout, A-Lian’s late betrayal, the God of Chuuni’s death at the start…
Oh, and also the Truth or Dare segment!
This group had way too much drama—so much that while the forum discussions never stopped, several related tags even climbed onto the trending searches at night.
This time, it wasn’t just barely brushing the end of the trending list—they actually made it to the top ranks.
“Horror Chain Anniversary,” “God of Chuuni Shuangcheng,” “Yin x Flower God Fairy-tale Romance”…
Netizens flocked to watch the buzz, and among them, of course, were Yan Shixiu’s fans.
After finding out that Yan Shixiu normally played this app, quite a few of them registered accounts—some started playing games, others just watched the livestreams.
It wasn’t until that moment that someone suddenly posted a Weibo in the super topic.
“When I saw the Flower God and Yin throwing flower petals, I suddenly thought of ge. No idea which tiny corner of the Horror Chain he’s stuck in. sigh.jpg [image][image][image][image]”
The four images were screenshots of Yan Shixiu’s past four Weibo posts.
Yan Shixiu rarely posted anything outside of work. The only time he ever surprised his fans was with those four image posts.
In those four posts, he didn’t write a single word—only uploaded photos of little pink flowers taken by the roadside, in a park, or in a neighbor’s yard.
Back then, fans were shocked—how could someone like Yan Shixiu, such a serious and cold handsome guy, suddenly post pictures of tiny pink flowers? So cute, so girly! Could his account have been hacked?
But then he went back to posting work updates right after, so everyone figured—oh, not hacked…
—So why did this man post those soft, pink, cutesy photos?!
What did the little pink flowers represent?
This question remains a mystery to this day within Yan Shixiu’s fan community.
At this very moment, there were also fans replying under that Weibo post.
“I went to watch the video—this Flower God really feels a lot like ge! Looks so cold and aloof, yet loves tossing flower petals so much [laugh-cry emoji]”
“Don’t even—back when I used to stan the Flower God, I already thought so! Finally someone who feels the same [covering face emoji]”
“Damn, now that you mention it… it really does kind of feel like that…”
“Wait a sec, it does seem a little…”
“Hahahahaha but isn’t the Flower God and Yin supposed to be a couple?”
“I saw the part where Yin said his idol is ge, and the Flower Deity didn’t get mad but actually tossed more petals??”
“Right, I saw that part too and thought it was super weird. Now that I think about it… if the Flower God is ge, then of course he wouldn’t be mad…”
“Wait, no way, are you guys serious…”
The fan who first joked about the Flower God being similar to Yan Shixiu never expected anyone to take it seriously, and now the entire super topic thread was left in a daze.
Very soon, more fans went to rewatch the gameplay video that had just ended that evening—and to their shock, every move and expression from that Flower God… actually did give off that vibe…
No way? Seriously??
The more they watched, the more convinced they became!
But that Flower God stuck close to a guy called Yin the whole time, right?
According to the bullet comments, the two of them were even supposed to be a couple?
But when Yin said his idol was Yan Shixiu, their reactions were really… subtle.
If the Flower God was actually Yan Shixiu, then… does that mean he’s really dating a guy…?
The super topic thread was in turmoil.
Suddenly, a fan spoke up: “Did you all forget that analysis Miss XXX once did on the song ‘Gaze’?”
The rest of the fans froze, as if someone had flipped a switch—only then did they remember.
Back then, a major fan had listened to the classic song “Gaze” on repeat, analyzed the lyrics, and proposed the theory that perhaps the song was written by Yan Shixiu for someone—and that it seemed like it was written for a man.
That fan had put it delicately, but the implied meaning was clear: that man might be someone Yan Shixiu had feelings for.
Considering how Yan Shixiu left the spotlight just three years after debuting to work behind the scenes, it seemed less like he truly wanted to be a celebrity and more like he wanted to appear in the public eye—to search for someone, or perhaps to let that someone find him.
But, one, this idea felt too romantic, too much like a novel, and unrealistic. Two, it involved a same-sex relationship. Even though same-sex marriage is legal now, the topic still remains somewhat sensitive. So, although people had discussed it at the time, no one really took it seriously.
But now, in light of that fan’s old theory, when rewatching the video of those two boys named Flower God and Yin… all the fans were startled!
—No way???
“I just checked—Yin and Flower God only got together recently!”
“Flower God played a bunch of instances in a row and then suddenly disappeared, only to show up again when Yin came back… That whole pattern really feels like déjà vu, just like how ge joined the entertainment industry for three years and then left. orz”
“If everyone’s guesses are correct… Does that mean Yin is the person ge has been searching for all along? But what happened between them? I’ve gone through a bunch of videos and didn’t see any mention that Yin and the Flower God knew each other before?”
“No, no, no—go back and watch the anniversary game video. During the Truth or Dare segment, both Yin and Flower Deity said their longest relationship lasted over five hundred years. I didn’t fully get it, but something about it just feels significant!”
“So what now—are we confirming Flower God is ge?”
“Not confirmed! Everyone’s just speculating (:3)∠)”
“Even if all the speculations make a lot of sense, I’ll only believe it if ge says it himself. But if ge really is in a relationship with a guy, I’ll absolutely support him.”
“Support +1. I’ve always said—as long as we get to see ge from time to time, and hear new songs, that’s enough. Whether he’s in love, married, whatever—as long as he’s happy, I’m happy.”
“Forever support +1.”
The next morning, Xu Yin lay in bed scrolling through those posts in Yan Shixiu’s super topic thread, feeling a bit emotional. “You really do have a bunch of gentle fans.”
Of course, because this man was indeed quite popular, even though the fans were gently discussing things among themselves, the conversation still ended up breaking out of the fandom circle. At this point, the topic of whether Flower God was actually Yan Shixiu had already hit the trending list, and the Horror Chain forum was also buzzing about it. But most people still held the stance of: “No way, right?”
Yan Shixiu pressed a light kiss to Xu Yin’s shoulder, then lifted his gaze to the phone screen in Xu Yin’s hand—his eyes deep and unreadable.
Xu Yin smiled and said, “Do you still have a manager now? Aren’t you going to handle this trending topic?”
“Why should I handle it?” Yan Shixiu countered.
Xu Yin was taken aback.
The man leaned over and gently kissed his lips again.
Half an hour later, the two of them got out of bed, and Yan Shixiu’s regular makeup artist arrived to start getting him ready.
Xu Yin sat to the side, watching him thoughtfully.
Once the styling was done, the man asked seriously, “I think there’s a segment later where we play games with students. Do you want to join?”
“No,” Xu Yin laughed. By now, he was fairly certain this man was planning something “big” today.
He reached out to gently smooth the strands of hair on the man’s forehead and said with a smile, “Be good on the show.”
Yan Shixiu gave a soft smile and replied quietly, “I will.”
Yan Shixiu was picked up by the show’s car, while Xu Yin was driven to campus by the makeup artist a bit later.
The opening game of the show was set in the school’s largest stadium. Xu Yin received a message from his roommate and headed straight there. After squeezing through the crowd for about twenty minutes, the MC and guests finally made their appearance, and waves of cheers swept through the stadium.
Xu Yin never took his eyes off Yan Shixiu.
In truth, this man didn’t really fit into the entertainment industry.
He was quiet, not good with words, not the lively type. Compared to the other guests and MCs, he always seemed just a bit out of place.
And yet… his presence was always so striking.
Even that awkwardness somehow became endearing.
…
Xu Yin followed the main crew of the show from afar.
He stayed at a distance, quietly accompanying Yan Shixiu, while the man’s gaze would now and then search through the crowd and land on him.
Xu Yin smiled and gave a little wave, and the man responded with a gentle smile of his own.
That rare expression drew waves of excited screams from the surrounding students.
The screams drew the attention of several MCs. One of the veteran MCs secretly nudged Yan Shixiu with his elbow and whispered something to him, his expression full of teasing amusement.
Xu Yin guessed that the “big thing” his boyfriend was planning to do later had probably already been run by the production team.
He just didn’t know exactly what they had planned.
…
It wasn’t until late in the evening, after a packed day of nonstop filming.
The production team had organized a small evening party where all the guests and MCs had to perform on stage.
Yan Shixiu sang “Gaze.”
His voice was deep, magnetic—when he sang, it was as if he were slowly telling a story.
Xu Yin closed his eyes, quietly mouthing the lyrics along in his heart.
At a certain moment, the melody shifted, and Xu Yin knew the next line was supposed to be, “Did you see me?”
He instinctively parted his lips, just a little, about to sing along—
But the man on stage opened his mouth, and the lyrics that came out were:
“I’ve finally found you.”
…Xu Yin froze, his eyes snapping open.
Across the thick night air, across the sea of spectators, his gaze met the man’s on stage.
As fans below slowly began to react—surprised, stunned, as if they were suddenly putting the pieces together—
That man kept looking at Xu Yin, and slowly, once more, he sang:
“I’ve finally found you.”
…
The trending list exploded. Yan Shixiu’s fans went absolutely wild.
“Ge just performed ‘Gaze’ on stage, and he changed the lyric ‘Did you see me?’ to ‘I’ve finally found you.’ What does this mean?? Is this a response??”
“Ge definitely saw our discussion yesterday—this is the response! He really is the Flower God!!”
“The person he’s been searching for all this time is Yin!!”
“Did anyone record a video?? I need to see it!!”
“Just wait for the show to air. I was just a passerby at the scene—I didn’t even realize what was happening. Then I saw the trending tag and was completely shocked. Thinking back now… I do remember Yan Shixiu seemed to be looking in a particular direction. I wonder if his boyfriend was in the audience too!”
“This Horror Chain player is officially brain-dead—what the hell, the Flower God is actually Yan Shixiu??? Is this for real???”
“I remember Yin is a college student, just not sure which university… Don’t tell me it’s this one, X University? Holy crap, I’m so excited right now!”
“I followed them around all day today and saw Yan Shixiu smiling so many times… sob sob sob is this the power of love?? sob sob sob!”
“Alright then, this passerby is officially shipping Flower God and Yin now!”
The internet was going crazy. In reality, the crowd was slowly dispersing.
