"Why is everyone heading outside?" Xiaojuan noticed several stylish young men and women walking toward the main entrance, their smiles dazzlingly bright.
"Must be some big shot arriving." Ever since Xiaojuan had looked at the chatty employee with admiration yesterday, the latter had taken a liking to working alongside her. Not for any particular reason—just for the emotional validation she provided.
"A big shot?" Xiaojuan frowned. "But didn’t you just say all the major celebrities had already arrived?"
"The real power players in the entertainment industry aren’t the artists," the talkative employee said, pointing at a hurriedly passing celebrity. "Small fame comes from promotion, but lasting stardom depends on fate. Big shots might not guarantee their success, but they can decide whether they stay relevant."
"The film and fashion resources artists crave are all in the hands of these moguls," the employee added with a chuckle. "But even moguls have their own bosses. If today’s guest weren’t from Kunlun’s film division but from headquarters, even these big shots would rush out to greet them."
At the mention of Kunlun, Xiaojuan’s eyelids twitched, and she nervously glanced around.
Thankfully, Brother Chao wasn’t here.
She sighed in relief. At least she wasn’t doomed to embarrass herself forever.
Another employee approached. "You’re a bit behind on the news. Editor-in-Chief Shi Guang just went to the entrance to welcome the VIP."
"Editor-in-Chief Shi Guang?!" Xiaojuan’s voice rose. "She’s here too?"
Which meant Auntie Chao was also somewhere in this villa.
She pulled her cap lower, adjusted her mask, and tucked away her signature curly hair.
Her desire to obliterate the "Main God" grew even stronger today.
"Shi Guang is one of the event’s organizers, so of course the editor-in-chief would be here," the chatty employee explained before turning to the newcomer. "Who’s the VIP that arrived?"
The other employee shook his head. "No idea. Security’s clearing the area—even some celebrity teams aren’t allowed near, let alone small-time employees like us."
Just then, several industry heavyweights hurried down from upstairs, one of them even fussing with his disheveled hair on the way.
"Aren’t those the most famous entertainment company CEOs? They all came out?"
"Mr. Chao!" A middle-aged man strode through the villa’s entrance. Spotting Kunlun’s representative standing with Editor-in-Chief Shi Guang, he immediately greeted Chao Yin with a smile. "Editor Chao, I was busy with company matters this morning and didn’t get a chance to catch up. It’s been a while—you’re as radiant as ever."
Chao Yin responded politely, "Not as radiant as you’ve been lately, President Qian."
"Mr. Chao, hello. My name is Qian Youfu," the man said eagerly to Chao Musheng. "I’m the owner of Duofu Entertainment. Our company was the primary investor in the recent box office hit Heroic Warriors."
"Nice to meet you, President Qian." Chao Musheng extended his hand. "I’ll make sure to buy a ticket and support it when I have time."
Qian Youfu immediately clasped his hand with both of his own. "No need for you to buy a ticket, Mr. Chao! I’ll have my assistant send some over right away. Thank you for supporting the arts."
Seeing this, the other CEOs quickly stepped forward to greet Chao Musheng. Especially when they noticed he never strayed far from Chao Yin during conversations, they realized his attendance was entirely due to her.
Since when did Chao Yin have connections with Kunlun headquarters?
Speculations ran wild, but regardless, they all began mentally reviewing whether they’d had any unpleasant dealings with Shi Guang recently.
"Didn’t Shi Guang have a falling out with one of Kunlun’s artists last month?" a top-tier celebrity murmured to their agent. "How are they so chummy now?"
"Editor Chao and Assistant Chao share the same surname—maybe they’re related," the agent whispered back. "Shi Guang’s about to take off. I’ll try to secure you their September or October cover."
September and October were prime months in the industry. Given Shi Guang’s rising influence, their September issue might feature a group cover rather than a solo one.
"Be on your best behavior these next few days. No slip-ups. We can’t afford to miss this chance and get mocked by rival fans for being ‘washed-up.’"
"Got it," the celebrity replied. "I share a surname with the boss too—wonder if he’d acknowledge me as family?"
The agent sighed. "That’s wishful thinking. I heard Editor Chao was a rural scholar who became a city’s top scorer—she got here entirely on her own. If she had such powerful connections, why wait till now to use them?"
The celebrity sighed. "Too bad Kunlun’s rep is swarmed. If I could get his attention, I’d have first pick of all the best resources in the industry."
The agent glanced around. "You’re not the only one dreaming of that."
While sharp teams scrambled to land their stars on Shi Guang’s covers, the less-informed still wondered why so many big names were fawning over a young man.
It took Chao Musheng over ten minutes just to cross the villa’s threshold, thanks to the crowd.
The villa, built near the ocean, featured a predominantly white architectural style. In the distance, staff were setting up a stage on the beach.
"Mr. Chao, this event spans three days and two nights. Today’s agenda focuses on learning the spirit of charity and walking with love," an organizer explained, though most guests found such sessions dull and sent assistants in their place.
Chao Musheng took the program booklet and nodded when he saw Chao Yin listed as the keynote speaker. "Understood."
The entourage escorted him to his prearranged private lodge before tactfully excusing themselves. They wanted to curry favor, not annoy him.
Chao Yin and her assistant lingered at the rear. With many eyes on her, she simply poked Chao Musheng’s forehead and said, "I’ll be at the main conference hall in half an hour. Get some rest."
"Okay, Mom," he whispered. "You should rest too."
"I know." In the workplace, Chao Yin shone brilliantly. She checked her phone—countless messages from celebrity teams awaited. "We’ll talk about work later."
Chao Musheng flashed an ingratiating smile.
"This lodge was specially reserved for you," she added. "Apart from your suite, the other rooms are for your entourage and bodyguards. Given your status, expect plenty of people trying to cozy up—keep your guards close."
He nodded obediently.
"These bodyguards and assistants… were they assigned by the company?" Chao Yin studied the guards stationed along the corridor, sensing an unusual air of severity about them.
"Yeah…"
Chao Musheng's gaze drifted to the right, avoiding direct eye contact with Chao Yin.
Mr. Su had assigned his personal bodyguards to him, which, by extension, could be considered an arrangement by the company.
"These bodyguards look very professional. With them protecting you, I can rest easy," Chao Yin said hurriedly before leaving for the main conference room.
Promoting the spirit of charity was a mandatory part of the event's agenda. Regardless of which assistant the invited guests sent to fill the seats, the organizers had to strictly adhere to the content submitted to the relevant authorities in the event application.
When Chao Yin arrived at the conference room, only a sparse scattering of assistants were seated inside. She turned on the projector, pulled up the files on her computer, and prepared to conduct a meeting where everyone would go through the motions—pretending to care while barely paying attention.
With ten minutes left before the meeting began, attendees trickled in one by one until finally, more than half the seats were filled.
She turned on the microphone and was just about to begin when Chao Musheng walked in with an assistant, notebook in hand.
That little troublemaker...
Chao Yin glanced at the visibly unsettled expressions of the attendees, pretending not to notice them frantically typing messages with their heads down. She flashed a perfectly polite smile and began the proceedings.
Meanwhile, in the lounge, a group of executives sipped tea while discussing investments and collaborations.
But human nature is inherently curious, and soon the topic shifted to the representative sent by Kunlun headquarters.
"What’s the background of the representative Kunlun sent this time? Why are you all fawning over him like that?" asked one executive who had just returned from abroad. "I remember Liu Mingjin being the most trusted person around Mr. Su. This Chao fellow is so young—when did he rise to prominence?"
"You were only overseas for a couple of weeks, not cut off from the world. How do you not know about Kunlun’s personnel changes?" replied another, who had attended Old Chen’s soirée. "Though he looks young, Mr. Chao enjoys Mr. Su’s full trust. Last time Mr. Su visited the Chen estate, Chao Musheng was the one constantly by his side. Mr. Su relies on him heavily."
"Didn’t Old Chen get arrested?" The executive was also curious about the Chen family. "That old man preached compassion, claiming he wouldn’t even harm a hedgehog crossing his path. Who’d have thought he was dabbling in human sacrifice—such sinister stuff."
While the elite circles dabbled in feng shui and fortune-telling, rituals involving human lives were rare.
"Truly kind people don’t go around boasting about it," another executive scoffed. "Old Chen was willing to sacrifice his own grandson—how does that qualify as kindness?"
"So who’s running the Chen family now?"
"His youngest daughter."
Everyone was surprised. They all knew Old Chen had two sons and a daughter, but the daughter had always been a non-entity. Their only memory of her was the car accident years ago that left her wheelchair-bound for life.
No one expected her to be the one to ultimately seize control.
"I heard it was Mr. Chao who saved Old Chen’s grandson. Rumor has it the boy was already on the sacrificial altar when Mr. Chao, sensing something off about the Chen family, forced his way in despite Old Chen’s protests."
"I heard Mr. Chao knows feng shui—that he spotted the irregularities in the Chen estate’s energy at a glance?"
"Wait, wasn’t Mr. Chao hired by Kunlun as a high-paid technical consultant?" A quieter executive in the corner frowned. "His skills are exceptional. Mr. Su and Secretary Liu personally went to Jinghua to recruit him."
"So you’re saying he’s not just brilliant at his job but also versed in feng shui?" The recently returned executive nodded in realization. "No wonder Mr. Su values him so much. He’s impressive."
The group chuckled at the remark, their laughter low and knowing.
Then one executive checked his phone, and his smile vanished.
"What’s wrong?"
"My assistant says Mr. Chao personally attended the conference room to listen to the organizers’ charity promotion."
"What?!"
The executives abandoned their gossip and rushed to the conference room.
If Kunlun’s representative was dutifully sitting through a charity lecture, how could they lounge around in the break room?
Half an hour later, the conference room was packed—every executive and celebrity in attendance.
The organizers’ representatives shot admiring glances at Chao Yin. The last time these people had sat quietly in one room was during an official government-mandated meeting.
This time, thanks to Editor-in-Chief Chao bringing Kunlun’s representative into the fold, they got to experience that same level of compliance.
"A whole day, a whole damn day!"
A top-tier idol, currently at the peak of his fame, massaged his sore back and grumbled to his manager behind closed doors: "Every single event Editor-in-Chief Chao attends, Chao Musheng shows up without fail. Is Time’s editor his dad or his mom or something?"
"Enough. By the rules, all invited guests were supposed to participate today. It’s just that in the past, everyone only cared about the red carpet, so the rest became a formality." The manager quickly soothed him. "Don’t make trouble. You’re at the height of your career—don’t throw it away over this."
"I know." The idol understood, but his frustration simmered. "We originally agreed with Time that I’d only walk the red carpet, but then the company went behind my back and changed my schedule."
What was the point of sitting through a charity lecture? No live broadcast, no engagement—just a waste of time.
Fans and casual observers only cared about how much money or resources the celebrities donated. Gossip accounts focused on red carpet outfits, photo-op positioning, and who outshone whom.
Almost no one cared about the actual purpose of the charity event.
"You should take notes from your rival. Did you see how seriously he was taking notes in there? More focused than I was in high school," the manager said. "Image is everything in this industry."
"You mean Luo Yixuan?" The idol’s face twisted in disgust. "He’s the fakest of them all. A hypocrite."
Then, thinking of Chao Musheng’s striking looks, a wild idea formed in his mind. "I heard Chao Musheng studied at Jinghua. Find someone to dig up whether he’s into men or women."
"What are you planning?" The manager immediately grew wary.
"Chao Musheng’s gorgeous, influential, and high-status. If I could get involved with him, it wouldn’t be a loss for me."
"Maybe not for you," the manager muttered, eyeing the idol’s surgically enhanced nose. "But what if Mr. Chao thinks otherwise?"
[Day and Night: Mom, you’re as radiant as ever!]
Chao Musheng sent the photos he’d taken of Chao Yin to the family group chat, sparking a flood of praise from Grandma and Grandpa.
[Grandma: Musheng, these photos are wonderful! Grandpa and I sent some local specialties your way this afternoon. When they arrive, make sure to share some with Mr. Su.]
【Morning and Evening: Okay, thank you, Grandma.】
【Little Chao’s Father: Why did you go to your mom’s place?】
【Morning and Evening: I represented the company at an event @Chao Yin Mom, wasn’t my performance today amazing?】
Chao Yin couldn’t help but laugh when she saw her son’s tagged message.
By the time the meeting ended, some of the big shots had turned green with frustration. Among the entire crowd, only Shengsheng probably understood what she had said—everyone else had long zoned out.
The entertainment industry was always like this—glamorous on the surface, yet rigidly hierarchical beneath.
When you were popular and influential, everyone around you was kind.
But the moment you fell from grace, anonymous "insiders" would crawl out of the woodwork to smear you.
She knew the dark side behind the glitz all too well, which was why she never brought Chao Chao to these events. Yet she never imagined that one day, Chao Chao would become one of her most valuable connections.
"Something’s off." A rookie entertainment reporter quietly pulled Xiaojuan aside. "Didn’t our boss say we wouldn’t get any useful shots in the first two days and that the real action would be on the last day? So why have I run into so many A-listers today?"
The three of them regrouped near the flowerbed below the VIP building. Most people assumed paparazzi would lurk in the shadows—no one would guess they’d dare to discuss business right under the VIP building.
"No idea. Rumor has it some big shot’s arrived." Another rookie paparazzo glanced at Xiaojuan. "You seemed pretty chummy with one of the staff earlier—did you get any insider info?"
"I’ve been running errands all day. What useful intel could I possibly have?" Two days into this "instance," Xiaojuan still hadn’t encountered any other players, nor did she know their identities.
"Nothing at all?" The other two didn’t believe her. They suspected Xiaojuan was hoarding information to hog the credit.
"Nothing." Xiaojuan tugged her baseball cap lower. These two rookies were idiots—they insisted the most dangerous place was the safest, that chatting on phones left traces, and so they’d picked this spot.
How was this place safe in any way?
Spotting bodyguards approaching, Xiaojuan didn’t bother with the fools. She ducked over the flowerbed and vanished into the complex behind it.
She’d done her homework—Auntie Chao was staying in the VIP building. As long as she circled around it and avoided the areas Auntie Chao frequented, she wouldn’t embarrass herself.
"Paparazzi got in!"
"Security, go catch them!"
"Someone’s running east!"
"Hurry up!"
Xiaojuan dodged surveillance cameras and spotted a small white building ahead. With a few quick leaps, she scaled the wall and slipped through a second-floor window, crouching in the shadows.
Beep beep beep.
A low mechanical hum sounded in the darkness. She looked up and locked eyes with a burly man in a suit.
Silence. Dead silence.
Just as Xiaojuan thought she was done for, the bodyguard suddenly turned and signaled to the side.
Within moments, four or five bodyguards surrounded her. Two of them looked vaguely familiar.
A sinking feeling hit her.
This couldn’t be…
"You wouldn’t happen to be… Miss Xiaojuan?" One bodyguard eyed her cap and mask skeptically. "If you don’t remove your mask, we’ll have to notify event security."
Xiaojuan closed her eyes, resigned, and pulled down her mask.
"It really is you." The bodyguard chuckled. "Before we left, Mr. Chao joked that we might run into you at this event. Who knew he’d be right? What a coincidence."
Xiaojuan: "..."
Not a coincidence. Just terrible luck.
Thinking of her grand entrance, despair washed over her.
Had she ever fought for her dignity in this lifetime?
Standing up from the shadows, Xiaojuan didn’t wait for the bodyguards to prompt her. "Is Brother Chao asleep?"
The bodyguard shook his head. "Mr. Chao is video-chatting with his family. Did you want to—"
"Brother Wang, the event’s head of security is here," another bodyguard whispered. "They said a few paparazzi snuck into the estate, and one might’ve entered this building."
"Paparazzi?" The bodyguard glanced back at Xiaojuan. "Tell them everything’s normal here. No suspicious individuals."
Xiaojuan tugged her cap down further, covering her face.
She had no pride left.
[Ding! One player detected as anomalous. Eliminated.]
[Ding! Two players detected as anomalous. Eliminated.]
Within half an hour, four players had been eliminated. The system didn’t disclose the total number of players or how many remained.
Xiaojuan couldn’t help but suspect these players were like her—undercover paparazzi planted by various agencies.
Useless System. Couldn’t it give players a more respectable identity?
She’d thought being a Kunlun customer service rep was rock bottom. Turns out, that had been the peak of her career in this world.
Soon, the bodyguard returned. "Brother Wang, event security won’t leave. They insist they’re responsible for every guest’s safety."
"Is security handled by TimeLight?"
"This event is co-hosted by TimeLight, Pumpkin Video, and two charities. Pumpkin Video’s in charge of security." The bodyguard asked, "Should we inform Mr. Chao?"
"What’s going on?" Chao Musheng, hearing the commotion, opened the door and immediately spotted the utterly defeated Xiaojuan.
"Brother Chao." Xiaojuan lifted her cap slightly, offering him a weary, world-weary smile.
"Security’s hunting paparazzi," Brother Wang said, giving Xiaojuan a meaningful look. "The organizers want to check inside for your safety."
"Paparazzi?" Chao Musheng turned to Xiaojuan. "Xiaojuan, you…"
Xiaojuan’s smile turned bitter as she avoided his gaze.
No words could salvage this. She was out of options.
Just end it, universe.
Security soon received word—Mr. Chao was inviting them in.
"Why would paparazzi be here?"
The moment they entered, Mr. Chao spoke gravely. "Please check everywhere. We can’t risk an intruder."
"Rest assured, Mr. Chao. Your safety is our priority."
The head of security scanned the room—six bodyguards, two assistants, and one curly-haired… maid?
Mr. Chao hadn’t had this person with him this morning.
"She’s a temp worker from the estate. I noticed she’s strong and diligent, so I had her join my cleaning staff this afternoon," Chao Musheng said. "That’s not a problem, is it?"
"Of course not. It’s an honor for her to earn your favor."
The security captain envied the temp’s luck.
One security guard glared at Xiaojuan, eyes burning with hatred.
