Noticing Song Xu secretly glancing at him and Su Chenzhu, Chao Musheng assumed he had objections to his earlier suggestion: "Do you have other thoughts?"
"No!" Afraid of being misunderstood, Song Xu hurriedly explained, "I just thought you and President Su looked exceptionally striking standing together, so I couldn’t help but stare a little longer."
Su Chenzhu’s eyelids flickered slightly as he turned his gaze toward Chao Musheng.
Hearing this, Chao Musheng raised an eyebrow and glanced at Su Chenzhu. Their eyes met, and Chao Musheng’s were filled with amusement. "If there are no other objections, let’s move quickly."
"Got it." Aware of the urgency, Song Xu tightened the belt of his bathrobe, disregarding his celebrity image, and grabbed his phone to knock on the doors downstairs.
Old He silently headed toward the fire escape, preparing to go upstairs.
"If anyone gives you trouble, tell them I sent you," Chao Musheng said. "If you run into something you can’t handle, come find me downstairs or contact Xiaojuan."
Some people in the entertainment industry had volatile tempers and loved throwing their weight around, but most were well-informed enough to know who not to offend. Xiaojuan had been by his side frequently these past two days, and out of respect for him, they wouldn’t give her a hard time.
"I understand. Thank you, Mr. Chao." Old He’s mood was complicated. This NPC, Chao Musheng, was far too considerate and kind—almost unlike a dungeon boss at all.
As he entered the fire escape, he spotted a player hiding there.
The player, still pale with fear, rasped, "I saw it… You’re colluding with the NPCs. You’ve betrayed the players’ alliance."
He had also witnessed three players fail in their ambush against the boss, their tools turning into useless toys.
"Scram if you don’t want to die." Old He had no patience for his nonsense.
The player’s face whitened further as he hunched over and fled downstairs. Alone, he couldn’t kill the boss—he’d need to rally other players first.
After Chao Musheng and the others left, Xiaojuan’s expression turned icy. She coldly watched the three injured players attempting to slip away and stopped them. "When the medics come to help you, don’t resist or run. If you get to the hospital, you won’t die."
"What do you mean by that?" The three players detected a warning in her words.
"Exactly what I said." Xiaojuan scoffed. "Compared to killing you, the medical staff in this dungeon are far better at saving lives."
"Why should we believe you?"
"You don’t have to." Xiaojuan lazily lifted her eyelids. "But my job is to hand you over to the medics. Until you’re on that ambulance, I’m not letting you go."
"You’re a player too—why are you so obedient to that boss, Chao Musheng?"
The three players couldn’t understand.
"Because I want to. What’s it to you?" Xiaojuan smirked. "Don’t bother trying to fish for information from me. You’re not nearly clever enough."
Seeing her uncooperative attitude, the players fell silent.
More importantly, they owed the boss their lives—it felt wrong to badmouth him now.
"The wind’s stopped—move into the disaster zone now!"
The rescue team waiting outside the villa gates grew frantic as the gales abruptly ceased. "Hurry, hurry! Every second counts!"
The wind had been unnatural, appearing and vanishing without warning. No one knew if it would return, so they couldn’t afford to waste time.
Downstairs, the players took advantage of the lull to sneak into the VIP building.
Once inside, they hid in corners, afraid of encountering the man who had walked through the storm earlier. No new messages appeared in the player group chat—everyone feared betrayal.
Most of the celebrities had already left, leaving few occupants in the VIP building. Chao Musheng knocked on several doors, but only one executive from Pumpkin Video answered.
The executive’s expression was sour until he saw Chao Musheng, at which point he forced a smile. "Mr. Chao, are you alright after that terrible wind?"
"I’m fine." Chao Musheng noticed the cracked glass in the room, reinforced with tape to prevent shattering. "Are any of your staff injured? The rescue team will be here soon."
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Chao. I’ll check immediately." The executive snapped out of his daze and turned to find his work phone.
After a few steps, he remembered the masked man behind Chao Musheng and peeked back at their retreating figures. Who was that? A celebrity?
But that height, demeanor, and gait were unparalleled in the entertainment industry—he couldn’t think of any star who matched that presence.
"This is the last one." Chao Musheng glanced back at Su Chenzhu with a smile before knocking.
The door opened quickly, revealing a familiar face.
"Luo Yixuan?" Chao Musheng was surprised. "What are you doing here?"
Luo Yixuan was a rising star with a packed schedule—how did he have time to stay at the villa?
"Mr. Chao." Luo Yixuan clutched his arm, immediately recognizing the man behind Chao Musheng. "President Su."
He lowered his head, avoiding Chao Musheng’s gaze. "Mr. Chao, what brings you here?"
"Your arm’s hurt?" Chao Musheng noticed him holding it and glanced past him—the room was littered with shattered glass, the bedsheets strewn across the floor.
"I was napping when the storm hit," Luo Yixuan explained with a weak smile. "But I reacted fast—dropped to the floor and hid in the bathroom."
He uncovered his arm, revealing minor scrapes. "Just some scratches from crawling. Nothing serious."
"There’s a cut on your face too." Chao Musheng studied him closely, spotting a three-centimeter mark on his forehead. "Where’s your manager?"
Luo Yixuan stole a glance at Su Chenzhu, who seemed indifferent to the topic, before answering carefully, "I don’t have one right now."
Only then did Chao Musheng recall—Luo Yixuan’s contract had been transferred to Kunlun Studios, but the paperwork wasn’t finalized yet, leaving him in limbo.
Remembering that Luo Yixuan had been offered to him as a "gift," Chao Musheng instinctively turned to Su Chenzhu.
"Chao Chao?" Su Chenzhu removed his mask, smiling faintly. "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing." Chao Musheng shook his head and turned back to Luo Yixuan. "Your room’s covered in glass. Go to Song Xu’s to disinfect those cuts first."
"Would this cause trouble for Teacher Song Xu?" Luo Yixuan had no prior relationship with Song Xu. Two months ago, when one of Song Xu's endorsements expired, the brand chose Luo Yixuan as the new spokesperson instead of renewing. Song Xu probably didn’t think too highly of him.
"You’ll be colleagues from now on." Chao Musheng bent down to pick up a script lying by the door, its pages covered in dense annotations. "Get familiar with each other early so it won’t be awkward when you attend events together later."
He handed the script back to Luo Yixuan. "Welcome to Kunlun’s Film Department."
"Mr. Chao!" Luo Yixuan’s eyes lit up with boundless hope. "I can really sign with Kunlun?"
Rumors had been circulating in the industry lately that he was being kept by Mr. Chao, and his agent had already abandoned him.
After seeing the online gossip about Mr. Chao and President Su’s rumored relationship, he had prepared himself for the worst—being blacklisted by Kunlun’s Film Department.
Now, hearing Chao Musheng’s words, he couldn’t contain his overwhelming joy. "Mr. Chao, does this mean I can keep acting?"
"Of course." Chao Musheng glanced at the script in his hands. "Signing you to the Film Department means we want you to act more and create value for Kunlun."
Luo Yixuan’s excitement quickly cooled when he noticed Su Chenzhu standing beside Chao Musheng. "Mr. Chao, you only helped me escape Mr. Qian’s harassment, yet you’ve been dragged into this mess because of me. I’m sorry."
Chao Musheng shook his head. "The ones spreading rumors are at fault. The ones harassing you are at fault. You’re just an innocent victim—what do you have to apologize for?"
"But if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be caught up in these rumors."
Some even whispered privately that Chao Musheng, despite his youth, was already playing around and would eventually provoke the displeasure of the higher-ups.
Luo Yixuan chose this moment to apologize because he also wanted to explain to President Su—Mr. Chao was absolutely not the type to indulge in frivolous affairs.
"Mr. Luo, there’s no need to worry." Su Chenzhu finally spoke. "Kunlun’s legal team won’t tolerate slander against anyone in the company. More importantly, I trust Chao Chao’s character."
If Chao Chao were the type to chase after fleeting pleasures, Su Chenzhu wouldn’t have had to wait so cautiously all this time.
"Right." Luo Yixuan paused, then relaxed.
As long as Mr. Chao wasn’t truly affected by helping him, that was the best outcome.
"Let’s go." Chao Musheng smirked at Su Chenzhu before turning to Luo Yixuan. "I’ll take you to Song Xu’s room."
As he turned, he moved slightly closer to Su Chenzhu.
Su Chenzhu glanced at Chao Musheng, now less than twenty centimeters away, and silently shifted his stance, closing the distance to just ten centimeters. A slight lean, and their shoulders would touch.
Luo Yixuan followed behind, watching the two walk side by side. When their sleeves brushed against each other, he caught a glimpse of an intimacy that seemed impenetrable to outsiders.
He stared at their sleeves, watching them separate and meet again with each movement, gradually suppressing the wistful feelings stirring in his chest.
"We’re here." Chao Musheng stopped. "Go in and wait for a bit. There are three injured people inside."
Su Chenzhu glanced back at Luo Yixuan, then gently pulled Chao Musheng aside with a hand on his shoulder, letting Luo Yixuan enter alone.
Luo Yixuan’s gaze flickered over Chao Musheng’s shoulder before he quickly lowered his eyes, not daring to look again.
Hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway—rescue personnel had arrived.
"Where are the injured?"
"Over here." Chao Musheng waved them over.
The medics rushed into the room and, seeing that the three injured had already received basic first aid, sighed in relief. "Good thing the bleeding was stopped. Their condition is much better than the two downstairs."
"The ones downstairs are in bad shape?" Chao Musheng frowned. His assistant had just sent him a list of injured staff, and none seemed critical.
"Two paparazzi who snuck in." Song Xu returned, his expression grim. "One had a severed femoral artery from broken glass, the other injured his eye. They’ve already been taken away by ambulance."
Paparazzi?
The three "players" knew better—those were likely fellow players.
They didn’t trust these suddenly appearing medical staff, but with no chance to escape now, they reluctantly let themselves be escorted out of the VIP building.
Outside, not only were there multiple ambulances, but also police cars, fire trucks, and other emergency vehicles. Rescue teams with equipment were everywhere—a scene they had never witnessed after surviving a "dungeon" disaster.
"Three more rescued!"
"Any other injured?"
The urgency on the rescuers’ faces left the players momentarily dazed. It had been so long since they’d seen such a sight.
This was supposed to be a "dungeon world," yet the scene felt eerily reminiscent of reality.
Someone helped them onto an ambulance. The siren blared, and pedestrians and vehicles ahead made way.
So familiar.
Just like the memories they had of the real world.
"Chao Chao, let’s go back to the White Building to pack. You’ll stay at my place tonight." Su Chenzhu stood in the corridor, his gaze sweeping over the emergency exit.
"Okay." Chao Musheng surveyed the wreckage around them and sighed. "At least no one lost their life."
Hidden by the emergency exit, a player trembled violently.
That man—the one who could make players vanish in the blink of an eye!
Why was he standing next to the BOSS?!
Due to concerns about secondary disasters, everyone in the villa was being evacuated. Chao Yin, upon hearing the news, rushed back in a panic. Without even stopping at her own room, she sprinted straight to the White Building where Chao Musheng lived.
"Shengsheng!" Chao Yin gasped for breath, high heels dangling from her hand, her carefully styled hair now disheveled. The moment she saw Chao Musheng descending the stairs, she tossed her shoes aside and grabbed him, frantically checking him from head to toe. "Are you hurt? Are you okay?"
"Mom, I’m fine. Not a scratch." Chao Musheng spun in place, letting her inspect him thoroughly. "See? Now can you relax?"
Only after confirming his safety did Chao Yin slump against the wall, her strength draining away. "Your phone was unreachable—I thought…"
When she heard about the incident and saw the emergency vehicles flooding the villa, her legs had nearly given out. Now she understood why Shengsheng had called earlier to ask about the weather.
She had tried calling him the entire way back, but his phone was dead, just like all the other staff still at the villa—completely cut off.
"Probably the extreme weather disrupted communications." Seeing his mother’s trembling hands and bare, dust-covered feet, Chao Musheng guided her to the sofa. "Mom, let me get some water to wash your feet."
"No." Chao Yin grabbed his wrist, her palm icy. "Sit right here. Don’t go anywhere. This place isn’t safe. I’ve already arranged for a friend to pick you up soon."
"Mom, I..." Chao Musheng looked up toward the upper floor. "My friend has come to pick me up. Why don't you stay with us at his place tonight?"
"Your friend?" Chao Yin followed his gaze but saw nothing but an empty hallway.
"Chaochao." Su Chenzhu descended the stairs with a suitcase in hand, followed by several bodyguards. "Everything’s packed. When did you contact Auntie Cha—"
"Auntie Chao." Su Chenzhu handed the suitcase to a bodyguard and strode to the sofa, bending slightly to offer his hand. "Hello, I’m Su Chenzhu, Chaochao’s friend."
"CEO Su?" Chao Yin snapped out of her momentary surprise and quickly adopted her usual professional demeanor, standing to shake his hand. "Good evening, CEO Su."
"Auntie Chao, there’s no need for formalities." Su Chenzhu remained slightly bowed. "Chaochao and I are close. You’re his mother, which makes you my elder. Please, have a seat."
Friend?
Chao Yin’s eyes flickered to the watch still on Chao Musheng’s wrist—had all the jewelry he wore to the gala been provided by CEO Su?
"Thank you, CEO Su." She sat down, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear before giving Chao Musheng a meaningful glance.
Chao Musheng hurried to fetch a pair of clean slippers and placed them at her feet.
"Thank you for taking the time to ensure Musheng’s safety," Chao Yin said, slipping her feet into the slippers. "After everything that’s happened tonight, I need to stay and oversee arrangements for TimeLight’s staff and the remaining artists. I’ll entrust Musheng to your care."
"Chaochao is my most important friend. Taking care of him is my pleasure." Su Chenzhu accepted a glass of water from a bodyguard and handed it to Chao Yin. "It’s quite late. I happen to own a hotel in Linhai City—perhaps we could accommodate the staff and artists there?"
Chao Musheng blinked in surprise. "Mr. Su, you own a hotel in Linhai?"
"Yes." Su Chenzhu nodded. "The facilities and security are excellent, suitable for artists."
Chao Musheng stepped closer to Su Chenzhu. "Mom, everyone’s been shaken up tonight. Staying at Mr. Su’s hotel would be much better than anywhere else."
Chao Yin rotated the glass in her hands, studying the two standing side by side. After a brief silence, she said, "Thank you, CEO Su. Your assistance is greatly appreciated."
Relocating so many people on short notice had been a headache for the event organizers. With fans flooding the city for the charity gala, most high-end hotels were fully booked. Staff could squeeze in, but the artists and VIP guests couldn’t possibly share rooms.
When Chao Yin called to announce the lodging solution, everyone breathed a sigh of relief—until they heard the hotel’s name. Their jaws nearly hit the floor. The Kunlun Group’s ultra-luxury hotel? How had Chao Yin secured so many rooms? Had she saved CEO Su’s life?
"Musheng, you and CEO Su have already done more than enough." Chao Yin smoothed her hair, her composure fully restored. "I’ll handle the rest. You two should go and rest."
Her phone buzzed incessantly. She reached out to ruffle Chao Musheng’s soft hair, her gaze as warm as spring sunlight. "Thank you, Musheng. You’re my pride."
"Mom, you’re making me blush." Chao Musheng’s cheeks pinkened. "Are you sure you don’t need me?"
"No." Chao Yin chuckled, withdrawing her hand. "If anything comes up, I’ll call you."
"Alright." Chao Musheng nodded. "Take care, Mom. Don’t worry about me."
"Mm." She slipped into her heels and disappeared into the night.
Chao Musheng watched until she vanished, then turned to Su Chenzhu. "My mom’s amazing."
"You’re right. Auntie Chao is remarkable." Su Chenzhu agreed.
"You think so too?" Chao Musheng beamed. "Mr. Su, thank you—for everything tonight."
"Are you thanking me now too?" Su Chenzhu descended the steps, pausing to glance back at Chao Musheng still on the landing. "Come, Chaochao. Let’s go."
Chao Musheng hopped down to walk beside him. "I’m thanking you on Mom’s behalf."
"It’s only natural." Su Chenzhu’s lips curved faintly. "No thanks needed."
"Natural?" Chao Musheng grinned. "Oh."
"Mm." Su Chenzhu took the suitcase from a bodyguard, carrying it himself. "Only natural."
Side by side, their shadows merged under the streetlights.
Song Xu, wearing a cap and mask, trudged through the manor’s courtyard with his manager, hauling several large suitcases. He suddenly froze. "Stop. Don’t move. We can’t go any further."
"What’s wrong?" his manager asked.
"Look who’s ahead of us." Song Xu hunched his shoulders. Even in the dim light, he instantly recognized Chao Musheng and Su Chenzhu.
"That’s…" The manager’s eyes widened. "Mr. Chao!"
The man beside him was clearly not Luo Yixuan.
Unbelievable. Not only was Mr. Chao involved with Luo Yixuan, but he also had someone else—though that figure looked oddly familiar.
"Who told you to focus on that?" Song Xu’s eyes sparkled with gossip. "Look at the other one!"
"His boyfriend?" The manager whispered, terrified of being overheard. "Does he know about Mr. Chao and Luo Yixuan?"
"Luo Yixuan and Mr. Chao? That’s nonsense." Frustrated, Song Xu hissed, "The man next to him is CEO Su. Got it? CEO Su!"
Just look at them—what a perfect pair.
"No way!" The manager gasped. "CEO Su and Mr. Chao… they’re together?"
"You see it too?" Song Xu finally felt vindicated. This explosive ship was his secret to bear, and the pressure had been unbearable. "Tell me, if this isn’t love, why would CEO Su rush here in this storm just for Mr. Chao?"
The manager was speechless for a long moment. "But… didn’t Mr. Chao have eyes for Luo Yixuan?"
"Absolutely not!" Song Xu scoffed. "Tonight, when CEO Su stood beside Mr. Chao, Luo Yixuan looked like a shriveled gourd in comparison. How could he possibly measure up?"
The manager paled. "Xu-ge, you’re shipping Mr. Chao and CEO Su?! Xu-ge, you’re signed under Kunlun! Shipping real people will be the death of you!"
"Don't talk nonsense. I've seen all kinds of tactics in the industry where people fake romantic relationships for publicity—how could I possibly ship real-life CPs?" Song Xu disagreed with his manager's accusation. "Let me tell you, President Su and Mr. Chao are different from the others. They're the real deal."
The manager looked utterly despairing.
It’s over.
Every CP shipper out there says the exact same thing.
Song Xu, ah, Song Xu. Your acting is mediocre, your brains aren’t great, you’ve dropped your noble young master persona, and now you’ve caught the CP-shipping bug—what’s going to become of you?
Chao Musheng faintly heard voices behind him and turned to see Song Xu and his manager. Remembering how Song Xu had rushed around helping him rescue people earlier that night, even neglecting his own image, he paused and asked proactively, "Song Xu, what are you two talking about? Do you want to leave with us?"
"We were just saying that President Su and Mr. Chao are real..." Song Xu, still in the middle of passionately convincing his manager that Su Chenzhu and Chao Musheng were a couple, answered without thinking.
When he realized what he’d just blurted out, he froze in place.
His completely despairing manager: "..."
It’s over!
If he’d known this day would come, he never would’ve signed an artist just for their looks without considering their common sense.
