"Even janitors get rotating days off—why can't I go out?" Chao Yin looked at the timid young woman standing before her and gently squeezed her hand. "If there's conflict among colleagues, you should communicate properly. Don’t let things get ugly. You’re the professional security team invited by Pumpkin Video, and I trust your problem-solving skills."
"You're absolutely right, Editor-in-Chief Chao," the security team leader fawned, flattering her before turning to the player. "Hurry up and apologize to Xiao Wang."
The player's face darkened, but he didn’t dare defy the leader. "I’m sorry, Ms. Wang."
These NPCs in the dungeon were all against him!
Wang Xiaojuan knew his apology was insincere and ignored him, whispering to Chao Yin instead, "Auntie Chao, I had work arrangements tonight, so I couldn’t go out with Brother Chao."
Chao Yin thought of the man she’d seen earlier walking with Musheng and said to the security leader, "Thank you for your hard work."
"Not at all, it’s our duty." Relieved that Chao Yin wasn’t making things difficult, the leader personally escorted her and Xiaojuan to the end of the path before returning to his team.
"Leader, I’m sorry for causing trouble," the player apologized, seeing the leader’s grim expression.
"You realize now that your behavior was a problem for our team?" The leader’s anger hadn’t subsided. "Do you even know who that was? That was the editor-in-chief of TimeLight Magazine—many big names in the industry are on good terms with her. If even Editor-in-Chief Chao knows Wang Xiaojuan, what’s she doing working as a paparazzo?"
The player was at a loss. How could he explain to these NPCs that most players entering this dungeon started with a paparazzo identity?
Wang Xiaojuan had only been in the dungeon for two days—how could she possibly be friends with the big boss’s son?
Had she used some kind of item to alter the NPCs’ memories, making the boss believe she had a connection?
If not for that so-called Editor-in-Chief Chao interfering, Wang Xiaojuan would’ve been fired by now.
Arguing would only fuel the leader’s anger, so the player kept his head down and apologized again. "I’m sorry, Leader. Next time, I’ll be more careful."
Hearing this, the leader recalled the player’s skill in catching paparazzi, and his temper cooled slightly. "Some artists have live broadcasts tonight, and there might be outdoor scenes at the venues. Stay sharp—we can’t let paparazzi get any photos."
"Yes, sir!"
The player lowered his head. There were still four days left in the dungeon—he couldn’t afford to rush.
The night view of Linhai’s waterfront was stunning, drawing crowds of tourists who came specifically to take photos.
Chao Musheng bought two pairs of beach sandals, one for himself and one for Su Chenzhu. Glancing down at their feet, he chuckled. "Is this your first time wearing sandals in such a crowded place?"
The young man’s toes were fair, his nails smooth and glossy. Su Chenzhu hesitated for a moment. "Probably."
Sand grains slipped underfoot, making Musheng kick lightly to shake them off. "There’s a vendor selling ice cream up ahead. I’ll get us some."
"Handsome, here for the show?" The ice cream vendor was chatty, opening her freezer for Musheng to pick his flavors.
"There’s a show tonight?" Musheng grabbed plain ones for the bodyguards and vanilla for himself and Su Chenzhu. "Sis, what kind of show?"
The vendor beamed at being called "sis." "A drone performance. Lots of couples came to the waterfront tonight."
She glanced at Su Chenzhu standing behind Musheng and flashed a knowing, open-minded smile as she bagged the ice cream. "Have a wonderful evening."
"Thanks." Musheng took the bag and scanned the payment code. "Wishing you great business too."
"Here, vanilla for you." He handed one to Su Chenzhu and distributed the rest to the bodyguards.
"The vendor said there’s a drone show later," Musheng said, unwrapping his ice cream with a grin. "We’re in luck."
The sea breeze tousled his hair, as if sharing his joy.
Su Chenzhu took the wrapper from him and passed it to a bodyguard. "Why vanilla?"
"The scent of grass and wood came to mind, so I grabbed this without thinking." Musheng laughed. "Forgot vanilla and woody scents are completely different."
Woody scent…
Cheers erupted from the crowd as the drones took to the sky.
Dense clusters of lights flickered like stars fallen from the Milky Way. Musheng tilted his head back. "So beautiful."
A group of rowdy teenagers dashed past, and he tugged Su Chenzhu closer. "Careful."
The sweet vanilla blended with the faint woody fragrance on Su Chenzhu’s skin. Musheng let go of his arm. "If they ever make wood-scented ice cream, I’ll definitely try it."
The sweetness melted on his tongue. Su Chenzhu’s heart pounded as he turned to look at the young man beside him—only to find him already gazing back at the sky.
With a soft smile, Su Chenzhu followed his lead, lifting his eyes to the spectacle above.
When the drone show officially began, the crowd roared. The logo of Kunlun Corporation appeared, and Musheng realized this was a performance sponsored by Kunlun’s Linhai branch.
He finished his ice cream in a few bites, holding the stick between his teeth as he snapped a photo and sent it to the executive office group chat.
The work group was dead silent after hours unless there was overtime, but the casual chat group buzzed about everything except work.
The moment Musheng’s drone photo went up, the teasing began.
[In the mood to watch the branch’s anniversary drone show? Someone’s in a good mood.]
[Glad to see the boss didn’t blame you. We were worried.]
Blame him?
Noticing the message, Musheng quickly replied while Su Chenzhu was still watching the show.
[ChaoMusheng: Relax, why would the boss ever blame a good guy like me?]
Exiting the chat, he snapped a photo of Su Chenzhu’s profile, upturned toward the sky.
"Musheng?" Su Chenzhu glanced down at him.
Musheng pocketed his phone as the drones morphed into the shapes of the branch’s flagship products.
They watched the rest of the show in silence. As the drones descended, Musheng sighed. "That was incredible."
"Yeah." Su Chenzhu looked at him. "Very beautiful."
"Let’s go." After the show, Musheng turned to see the ice cream vendor’s stall swarmed by customers, the crowd too thick to even spot the seller.
They took their time, strolling leisurely along the beach. Bubble machines were everywhere, and Musheng got hit by floating bubbles more than once.
"You want to play too?" Su Chenzhu noticed him eyeing the bubble guns and turned to buy one.
"Mr. Su, I don’t like those," Musheng called after him. "I was just trying to see who’s blasting bubbles into my face."
A couple ran past him, playfully spraying each other with bubble guns, and Chao Musheng got another face full of bubbles.
"Forget it," Chao Musheng wiped his face. "Considering how sweet they look together, let’s just hurry and leave."
Su Chenzhu glanced at his bodyguard, who promptly returned with a bubble gun—bigger than the couple’s and even equipped with lights.
Chao Musheng took the bubble gun and, as they passed the couple, pulled the trigger, unleashing a long stream of bubbles before turning away nonchalantly and quickly sidling up to Su Chenzhu.
Su Chenzhu chuckled softly.
"Shh." Chao Musheng grabbed his wrist and broke into a sprint.
"Hey! Someone’s ambushing us!"
The bodyguards left behind in their wake: "…"
Who were they again? What exactly was their purpose for coming out tonight?
Both Chao Musheng and Su Chenzhu had long legs, covering distance effortlessly. Chao Musheng glanced back, confirming the couple wasn’t chasing them, and grinned, eyes crinkling. "Catching up to us won’t be that easy."
Looking down, he realized he was still holding Su Chenzhu’s hand and cleared his throat before letting go. "Mr. Su, have you arranged your accommodation for tonight?"
"I own property in Linhai City," Su Chenzhu replied, his fingers subtly brushing over the lingering warmth on his wrist. "I’ll take you back first."
"Oh." Chao Musheng lowered his gaze. "I was thinking… if you were staying at a hotel, you might as well come stay with me at White Tower."
"You’re the company representative for this event. If I stayed there, I’d overshadow you." Su Chenzhu clasped his hands behind his back, his thumb lightly tracing his wrist. "I believe you’ll do perfectly well on your own."
Chao Musheng froze. He hadn’t expected Su Chenzhu to be so considerate.
Attending this charity fashion event, he had indeed hoped to bring honor to his mother.
Was Su Chenzhu worried his presence would steal the spotlight?
Inside the charity event manor.
"Don’t pay too much attention to what others say." Chao Yin, noticing Wang Xiaojuan trailing behind her with her head down, spoke gently. "When I first graduated, my career wasn’t smooth either."
"After the college entrance exams, I was the city’s top scorer in everyone’s eyes. But once I got to university, I realized there were many others like me." Chao Yin paused, waiting for Wang Xiaojuan to walk beside her before continuing. "After graduation, to chase better opportunities, I lived in a basement in Jing City, worked two jobs a day, and stayed up late researching just to secure an interview slot—all while fetching tea for my superiors during the day."
"No job is beneath dignity." Chao Yin smiled warmly. "Ignore the gossip. Just trust in yourself."
"Auntie Chao…" Wang Xiaojuan looked up at her with admiration. "Thank you."
It felt so good—Chao Yin hadn’t mocked her or looked down on her.
"You’re still young. You have plenty of choices." Chao Yin adjusted Wang Xiaojuan’s slightly crooked hat. "I switched jobs many times early on, and those experiences eventually led me to become the editor-in-chief of TimeLight."
"Yeah." Wang Xiaojuan’s eyes grew warm, her head bowing again.
"Come on." Chao Yin smiled. "Let’s eat first, then get back to work."
With multiple players exposed as informants and eliminated from the game, the remaining players grew increasingly cautious. Some even used props to obscure their identities, disguising themselves as NPCs in the eyes of others.
At a high-profile entertainment event like this, countless staff members swarmed the venue. Players lurked among them, trusting no one.
As Wang Xiaojuan and Chao Yin entered the restaurant, they spotted two suspected players—one wiping tables and clearing dishes, the other scrubbing floor crevices in a corner.
Neither job was glamorous.
"That man who went out with Musheng tonight looked familiar. Is he also a close friend of his?"
"You mean Mr. Su?" Wang Xiaojuan answered reflexively. "He’s Chao Ge’s boss."
Mr. Su?
The big boss of Kunlun?
Chao Yin’s brows lifted slightly. Though her expression remained composed, her mind reeled.
No wonder he seemed familiar—he was Kunlun’s top executive.
The Kunlun CEO never attended entertainment industry events. She had only seen his photos before.
In those images, Su Chenzhu appeared aloof and immaculately dressed, a stark contrast to the man she’d just seen.
"Musheng and Mr. Su seem quite close personally." Chao Yin set down her cup, her gaze resting on Wang Xiaojuan. "Right?"
"Mm." Wang Xiaojuan stared at her plate. "Chao Ge is highly trusted by both his superiors and colleagues at the company."
"That’s good." Chao Yin nodded. "The industry is full of underhanded tactics. I was worried Musheng might be misunderstood by the higher-ups because of Luo Yixuan’s situation."
"Don’t worry, Auntie Chao. That would never happen."
Wang Xiaojuan was certain—even if Su Chenzhu saw Luo Yixuan sitting in Chao Musheng’s home, he’d assume Luo Yixuan had ulterior motives rather than blame Chao Musheng in the slightest.
For all his mystery and power, Su Chenzhu was a hopeless romantic.
He’d sooner blame the entire world than point a finger at Chao Musheng.
"Is that… another player?" Two players huddled together, cautiously eyeing Wang Xiaojuan seated across from the dungeon’s final boss in the restaurant.
"I know her," the other player muttered. "She’s been in an exploration dungeon before. Failed to clear it but made it out alive."
In that dungeon, no player had ever survived.
"She’s actually eating with the final boss?!" The two players burned with envy, but the sight of security personnel made them duck their heads back to work.
With so many indistinguishable security staff—most just background NPCs with no notable data—how were they supposed to find the snitch who’d betrayed them?
"It’s 8 PM. The artists’ livestream has started." The team leader addressed his crew. "Keep your masks on. Wouldn’t want to accidentally end up on camera next to those gorgeous celebrities and look like a potato in comparison."
From behind the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows, a player watched Wang Xiaojuan dining with Editor-in-Chief Chao, his resentment boiling over.
Why were Wang Xiaojuan's props so effective, while his S-tier Mind Alteration Device couldn't even control a security captain for long?
He summoned the system and filed a complaint.
[Ding! System review confirms no abnormalities in player data. False reporting detected. Deducting 300 points!]
Damn it!
Stupid system!
If nothing was wrong, why was Chao Yin treating Wang Xiaojuan so specially?
They’d all only entered the dungeon two or three days ago—how could Wang Xiaojuan have befriended the editor-in-chief’s son already?
Frustrated, he switched tactics and filed another complaint—this time about his prop malfunctioning.
[Ding! System check complete. Player item data is normal. If items expire quickly, please reflect on whether it’s due to improper operation or lack of effort in the instance. Repeated invalid complaints will burden system calculations. Deducting 500 points as a warning.]
Damn it!
Losing 800 points in just a few minutes, the player took a deep breath and closed the system interface.
Trash system, bastard god, shitty instances!
"Hello everyone, I’m Song Xu." Song Xu waved at the camera, his smile widening as the number of viewers in his livestream skyrocketed.
The comments section was scrolling too fast for him to read. Stepping out of the elevator, he said, "I heard many fans are curious about the accommodations for this event, so I’ll take you all on a little tour."
Two other artists happened to pass by, "coincidentally" appearing in Song Xu’s livestream. Both were signed under Kunlun Entertainment’s film division. Song Xu greeted them and let them appear on his stream for a few minutes before continuing on his way.
[Wow, the organizers went all out! This is the famous seaside villa in Linhai City. Renting the entire place for the event must’ve cost a fortune!]
"That’s right, this is the renowned seaside villa of Linhai. But the owner didn’t charge a fee," Song Xu explained, remembering his livestream mission. "The villa owner is passionate about charity. When they heard this event was for a good cause, they offered the venue for free and even donated twenty ambulances to local medical institutions."
Song Xu took his curious viewers on a full tour of the villa, satisfying many fans’ curiosity. Whenever other artists passed by, he tactfully avoided their cameras. At this time, all the artists were aware of the livestream arrangements, so there were no "accidental appearances" like in novels.
[Such a beautiful villa must have an impressive entrance. Can you show us, Xu Xu?]
Song Xu glanced at his manager off-camera, who gave him a thumbs-up.
"Of course!" He turned the camera toward his face. "Now, let’s embark on an immersive journey to the villa’s grand entrance!"
The walk to the entrance was long, and Song Xu answered some fan questions along the way. He ignored gossipy queries about who was dating whom or who cheated, only responding to questions that benefited him.
[Xu Xu, who’s that incredibly handsome non-celebrity in the photos posted by TimeLight’s official account yesterday?]
[Xu Xu, is that high-value non-celebrity a trainee from some company?]
[Song Xu, stop pretending you didn’t see this! What’s that guy’s deal?]
What non-celebrity?
Song Xu deliberately diverted attention. "Wow, look at the koi fish in the pond! So pretty!"
He turned the camera toward the pond and mouthed to his manager, "What non-celebrity?"
His manager pulled up TimeLight’s post and pointed to a figure in the corner of one photo.
Wasn’t that Assistant Chao?
The sight of that face reminded Song Xu of Song Cheng’s miserable state. Gulping, he skimmed the comments.
Holy crap, some fans of other artists were mocking Assistant Chao, calling him a clout-chasing rookie.
What a joke. That artist had double-eyelid surgery and a chin implant—how dare they say Assistant Chao was "reaching for the stars"?
The audacity!
Song Xu turned the camera back. The livestream was still buzzing about the "non-celebrity."
[The way Song Xu’s avoiding the question proves it’s some rich kid trying to debut by stepping on others.]
"What non-celebrity?" Song Xu noticed some were deliberately stirring drama. Walking slowly toward the entrance, he said, "If you’re talking about that ridiculously good-looking, super elegant guy in yesterday’s meeting, I can confirm—he’s not an artist. He’s a company representative."
The already chaotic comments section exploded even faster.
[HAHAHA, the fans who accused him of clout-chasing just got owned.]
[Like Song Xu’s word is gospel. Maybe he’s just sucking up to the rich kid.]
[Some fans are so pressed. Just admit their fave got outshined by a non-celebrity and move on.]
[I’m more curious—which company does this hottie represent?]
"Why are you all so nosy?" Song Xu shot his manager a desperate look.
After receiving confirmation from Secretary Liu that Assistant Chao’s identity could be disclosed, the manager nodded.
"He’s not from some small company," Song Xu finally reached the villa entrance and paused. "He’s a high-level executive at Kunlun Headquarters, representing the company at this charity fashion event."
[!!!]
A Kunlun executive? Who would dare offend someone at that level?
The comments flooded with exclamation marks. Fans of other artists lurking in the stream scrambled to delete their rude remarks from official posts.
But internet sleuths were faster, screenshotting the toxic comments and spreading them across platforms for maximum ridicule.
An artist’s looks getting overshadowed by a "non-celebrity," their toxic fans throwing tantrums, only to find out the "non-celebrity" is someone even their idols’ bosses have to suck up to—this kind of drama was catnip for chaos-loving netizens.
These netizens didn’t stan celebrities but thrived on drama. Wherever there was gossip, they’d swarm like ravenous weasels.
In minutes, Song Xu’s livestream gained over 100,000 new viewers—all here for the mess.
"Is our Kunlun rep good-looking in real life? Not just good-looking—he’s insanely gorgeous. Our film division head once said if any of us had even half his looks, we’d dominate the entertainment industry."
[Song Xu’s such a bootlicker. If he’s that hot, why didn’t the company debut him?]
"Not bootlicking—just facts." Song Xu laughed dryly. "He’s a Peking University prodigy. Right after joining Kunlun, he solved a major tech issue. Rumor has it the R&D team leader literally rolled on the floor in the CEO’s office, begging to have him transferred. Someone like him wasting time in showbiz would be a crime."
[No way! That’s insane!]
[Was he involved in Kunlun’s breakthrough tech last month?]
[Everyone knows tech geniuses usually have… uh, hair and looks that are…]
"Song Xu?" Chao Musheng stepped out of a car, spotting the Kunlun artist holding his phone. He quickly pushed Su Chenzhu, who was halfway out, back inside. "You’re livestreaming?"
Song Xu’s phone shook, accidentally capturing Chao Musheng’s face and Su Chenzhu’s leg in the frame. He hurriedly lowered the phone. "A-Assistant Chao! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to film you!"
"It’s fine." Seeing how pale Song Xu had gone, Chao Musheng offered a reassuring smile. "Should I greet your viewers?"
Song Xu raised his phone with trembling hands—steady, don’t shake now.
"Hello everyone, I’m the representative from Kunlun Studios participating in today’s event." Chao Musheng waved at the camera with a smile. "Please show your support for Kunlun’s artists and projects. And while taking care of your own lives, we also hope you’ll pay attention to charitable causes. Wishing you all happiness—thank you!"
The comments section was dead silent at first, then exploded into a frenzy.
[Ahhhhhh!!!]
[Song Xu, you dog—if you had even a third of your film division head’s beauty, I wouldn’t call you a mutt.]
[I’ve seen this handsome guy before—he’s the one who patted the lion’s head at the event!]
[There’s someone else in the car! I just saw the hottie push him inside!]
[Can the person in the car get out so I can take their seat?]
Chao Musheng stepped out of the camera’s view and returned to the car, leaning in to whisper to Su Chenzhu, "Mr. Su, our company’s artist is live-streaming outside."
"I saw." Su Chenzhu’s phone screen was lit up, displaying Song Xu’s live broadcast.
The comments section was a chaotic mix, but his gaze lingered on the one demanding he vacate his seat. His lips pressed into a tight line.
