Chapter 132: Sweeping the Building
@Li Yang: Not bad! //@Gu Yueying: No one can affect the speed at which I draw my sword! [Video]
The video posted by Gu Yueying shows her first on-screen encounter with Gong Zihen.
Gong Zihen had been thrown into the Pit of Ten Thousand Man-Eating Demons by Li Yang, where he was chewed alive and revived countless times by the monsters.
Barely clinging to life, Gong Zihen finally sees a living person—Gu Yueying—and tries to run to her for help.
In the footage, covered in blood, Gong Zihen staggers toward Gu Yueying. Gu Yueying, expressionless, draws her sword and sheaths it again in under five seconds. Gong Zihen collapses on the spot.
As she walks past his corpse, Gu Yueying doesn’t even blink.
— Even so… Shizun (Master) is mighty, the character stays strong!
— As expected of the Demon King and cold-blooded assassin who slaughters everyone in sight without a word. Gong Zihen, take a hint and back out. This isn’t a place for you!
— Gong Zihen: You might not believe this, but both my master and my wife try to cut me down the moment we disagree!
— Shizun is so cool it cracks the sky, and Yingying’s heroic flair is stunning. Being slashed by them is your blessing (dog-head emoji). You better learn to appreciate it (dog-head emoji).
@Gong Zihen: Maybe I should just die… //@Li Yang: Not bad!
—Gong Zihen: I’m leaving now. Once I’m gone, Shizun, Wife, don’t try to—
—Li Yang: Stay dead. Don’t dirty this lord’s scales.
— Gu Yueying draws her sword: On your way… So annoying, walking so slowly. Might as well slash you to death!
— Gong Zihen: If you’re really my bros—no, I mean, Shizun and Wife, will you actually… come and slash me?
— Gong Zihen: This “blessing”—do any of you want it? (coughs blood)
After Shen Xiu shared the post, he didn’t immediately check the comments. Instead, he switched back to WeChat, took a screenshot of his repost and caption, and asked about it in the group chat.
[Group Chat – Character Group]
Li Yang: [Image]
Gu Yueying: Liked it!
Zhao Heng: Perfect, this is exactly the effect we wanted. The netizens are all busy bonding in your comment section now—no one’s complaining anymore about us only airing two episodes for the premiere, hahaha.
Gong Zihen: Everyone’s right… Only my world ends in pain (coughs blood).
Zhao Heng was very pleased, and Shen Xiu finally relaxed, tension leaving his body.
But… why did Fang Chengxing, who plays Gong Zihen, say that “only his world ends in pain”?
Puzzled, Shen Xiu switched back to Weibo and opened the character homepage set up by the production team.
Li Yang’s character page didn’t have any pinned posts. The first post on the page was the one he had just recently reposted from Gu Yueying.
Within less than ten minutes of reposting, Li Yang’s first Weibo post saw a rapid rise in comments, reposts, and likes.
The last time a post about Xuan Ji was shared and got tens of thousands of sarcastic comments left Shen Xiu with lingering trauma.
Thinking of Li Yang’s character persona, Shen Xiu hesitated for a moment, steeled himself mentally, and finally tapped into the comment section.
No one was criticizing Li Yang. Instead, they were saying things Shen Xiu could recognize individually, but when put together, left him completely bewildered.
Could it be… there was something wrong with the post he shared?
But his caption was clearly from the perspective of Li Yang’s character, supporting Gu Yueying’s personal creed in the Immortal Path.
If it wasn’t a problem with the text… then the issue must lie with the video content.
Finally realizing this, Shen Xiu exited the comment section and clicked on the video.
A minute later, after watching the clip, Shen Xiu fell silent.
And at last, he understood—why everyone in the comments was laughing at Gong Zihen.
Heaven knows—he really didn’t mean to say that Gu Yueying slashing Gong Zihen was “not bad”!
Shen Xiu wanted to explain and apologize, but then remembered he had used Li Yang’s character account to post it, and immediately abandoned that idea.
After all, Li Yang apologizing to Gong Zihen? Wouldn’t that ruin the image audiences had of Li Yang?
Instead, Shen Xiu opened his private chat with Fang Chengxing and began typing an apology.
When Fang Chengxing received Shen Xiu’s message, he nearly spilled milk tea all over his laptop keyboard while watching a drama.
From Li Yang’s character perspective, reposting Gu Yueying’s video with that comment made perfect sense.
But the fact that Shen Xiu himself would apologize, afraid of hurting him over a role—was completely unexpected?!
Fang Chengxing recalled how every time they acted together, he was constantly under the oppressive pressure of being “dominated by Demon King Shen.”
But now, he looked down at the chat box and read that line: “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.”
Although Shen Xiu hadn’t debuted for long, his popularity and fame had skyrocketed in a short period. His star status already far exceeded Fang Chengxing’s.
In an industry used to praising the powerful and stepping on the weak, it was rare—whether on set or now—for someone with greater influence, background, and ability like Shen Xiu to treat him with such genuine respect.
It felt disorienting… but also deeply moving.
Fang Chengxing slowly remembered the passion he had when he first entered the industry—naive, yes, but far more alive than the numb person he had become while sinking into the muck.
Thankfully, just as he was about to sink too deep, Shen Xiu had reached out and pulled him up.
With reddened eyes, Fang Chengxing typed his reply: “I know!”
Seeing that Fang Chengxing wasn’t angry, Shen Xiu finally felt at ease. He opened the orange-colored app, filtered through listings, and ordered a locally-installed security camera.
According to the production schedule for Storm, he was set to join the crew in just three days.
In the next three days, he had to install surveillance cameras at home to ensure Lucky’s safety when the housekeeper came by to feed him.
—
The Next Day
At 9 a.m., two workers arrived to install security cameras throughout the house.
After the installation was completed, one of the workers, following the standard procedure, said to Shen Xiu, “Mr. Shen, please open your phone and scan this QR code. It will prompt you to download an app. Once it’s installed, you can register and log in…”
As the worker spoke, Shen Xiu’s grip on his phone tightened involuntarily.
The thought of having to operate something in front of strangers immediately brought back memories of standing at the classroom podium giving a PowerPoint presentation—tense and self-conscious.
His voice came out dry: “That’s fine. I’ll read the manual later. Thank you.”
Better to excuse himself now than to make a mistake in front of others and feel even more embarrassed.
The client’s refusal only made things easier for the workers. One of them nodded readily. “Alright, Mr. Shen. If you run into any problems while using it, please call our customer service hotline.”
Shen Xiu nodded. “Got it, thank you.”
After seeing the workers off and watching them disappear into the elevator, Shen Xiu closed the door and went to retrieve Lucky, who had been temporarily kept in the study.
Having been shut in the study for half an hour, Lucky immediately let out a long, disgruntled meow the moment he was released. He continued meowing at Shen Xiu for a few minutes, until he was coaxed into cuddling mode with freeze-dried treats.
Now curled in Shen Xiu’s lap, he snuggled up, content.
Holding Lucky in one arm, Shen Xiu began following the instruction manual left by the workers. He downloaded the app, read the guide, and slowly figured out how to connect the cameras to his phone.
Compared to when others were around, Shen Xiu seemed far more at ease now.
Meanwhile, the two workers were driving away, chatting with mild curiosity.
“Why didn’t Mr. Shen let us finish the job?” one of them asked.
“That kind of thing is so simple. Didn’t you see what people say online? He can do everything. Something this basic—he probably doesn’t even need the manual.”
“Yeah, you’re right. But honestly, I’m kind of relieved. Staying in his house gave me the chills. Even though he wasn’t watching us work, just knowing he was in the house made me so tense—I didn’t dare relax for a second.”
…
Once Shen Xiu confirmed the cameras were working properly, he contacted the housekeeping service to finalize feeding times and the rooms that needed cleaning.
While chatting with the housekeeping service over WeChat, a voice message popped up from a contact labeled “Zhao Heng.” Startled, Shen Xiu’s hand trembled, and he nearly hung up by accident.
He paused for two seconds to calm himself, then answered the call: “Hello.”
As soon as Zhao Heng heard Shen Xiu’s cool, familiar voice on the other end, he felt like the temperature around him dropped.
Whether it was Shen Xiu himself or his tone and demeanor—though polite—it was impossible to miss the strong sense of distance he gave off.
While greeting Zhao Heng, Shen Xiu simultaneously switched back to his conversation with the housekeeper, deleting the typo he’d made during his moment of panic and sending off the corrected message.
As the message went out, Zhao Heng’s voice followed: “Hahaha, hey Shen Xiu!”
“What’s the matter?” Shen Xiu didn’t know how to make small talk, so he instinctively went straight to the point.
Zhao Heng was briefly stunned by the blunt question. He figured Shen Xiu was probably busy grinding away at something again and didn’t want to waste his time, so he cut to the chase.
“Here’s the thing—K Corp has invited the two leads of Immortal Path, including you, to do a building sweep tomorrow.”
Sweep a building? Like… clean one?
The phrase building sweep completely blindsided Shen Xiu.
Not knowing what it meant, he didn’t dare answer recklessly.
Sensing that this probably didn’t mean what he thought, Shen Xiu kept Zhao Heng on the call while quickly opening his browser and typing in the keywords: “entertainment industry building sweep.”
After reading the search results, Shen Xiu finally understood what “sweeping a building” meant in the entertainment industry.
When Zhao Heng didn’t hear Shen Xiu respond after saying “building sweep,” he assumed Shen Xiu was being low-key and unwilling to go to K Corp, which might confirm the online rumors suggesting a deep and complicated connection between Shen Xiu and K Corp.
He quickly added, “The person from K Corp coordinating with us also said that if you don’t want to go, it’s totally fine.”
Just as Shen Xiu finished reading the explanation and before he could respond, he heard Zhao Heng’s voice again. He immediately spoke up: “I’ll go.”
It would be impolite if both lead actors were attending and he, a supporting actor, declined.
Besides, this was part of the promotional work for Immortal Path, something covered in his contract. He had to go.
Zhao Heng: “!”
The famously “constantly busy” Shen Xiu had hesitated only briefly before agreeing to join. That meant Shen Xiu genuinely valued the Immortal Path!
Zhao Heng’s voice brimmed with excitement: “Great! I’ll start making arrangements right away. Xing and Liang Cheng will definitely be thrilled when they hear you’re coming…”
Shen Xiu had never publicly responded to rumors about his connection with K Corp, so Zhao Heng avoided mentioning the company directly and only named Liang Cheng and Fang Chengxing.
Shen Xiu then remembered that in two days, he was due to join the production team of Storm. According to writer Lu Wen, after the opening ceremony, the team would be traveling around the world for location shoots.
In five days, he might not even be in the same city anymore.
Thinking of this, Shen Xiu cautiously asked, “Will the building sweep end on the same day?”
While the opening ceremony was technically in two days, he would need to pack and fly out the day after tomorrow.
If the event wasn’t finished in one day, he’d have to ask for leave in advance.
Zhao Heng replied, “It usually does.”
Then, realizing that Shen Xiu probably didn’t like vague answers, he quickly followed up with a firmer reply.
“Yes, it’ll be over the same day!”
Shen Xiu finally relaxed. “Got it.”
Zhao Heng recalled the time Shen Xiu drove Xuan Ji to the airport and trended on social media. He wasn’t sure whether Shen Xiu preferred to drive himself this time or needed the production team to arrange transport.
So he asked cautiously, “The building sweep will officially start at 9 a.m. tomorrow, and it’ll be livestreamed in full. Staff will arrive at Yulin Banxia to pick you up at 8 a.m. Does that work for you?”
Yulin Banxia wasn’t far from the K Corp building—just a 20-minute drive.
The early pickup was to allow time for hair and makeup to be done in the car for all three participants.
Shen Xiu replied, “That’s fine.”
Zhao Heng breathed a sigh of relief. “Great. This afternoon, the production team will send over the outfit for tomorrow. Will you be available to receive it?”
The Immortal Path was undeniably popular. To boost its success even more, the production had specially designed “building sweep” outfits reflecting each character’s style.
Shen Xiu said, “Yes, I’ll be available.”
Zhao Heng: “Alright, see you tomorrow then.”
Shen Xiu: “See you tomorrow.”
After ending the call, Zhao Heng couldn’t help but mutter to himself:
“That car is so nice—how did Shen Xiu resist the urge to drive it again? If it were me, and I knew there’d be livestreamers around, I’d definitely show it off so everyone could admire my baby!”
His assistant overheard and chimed in, “Director Zhao, that’s not strange at all. It’s Shen Xiu. Does he really seem like the kind of person who’d care about a car?”
Zhao Heng thought of Shen Xiu’s cold, distant expression once he was out of character and murmured, “…No. Not at all.”
“Exactly. Plus, Shen Xiu probably doesn’t drive often or even like driving. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have only just started learning to get his license recently. He was probably used to having a family driver all these years.”
Zhao Heng: “Then why’d he suddenly decide to learn?”
“It’s probably for acting purposes. After all, when filming for real, you can’t exactly use a double to drive. Shen Xiu has never used a stunt double in our production—whether it’s water scenes, fight scenes, or wire work.”
“If someone suggested using a double for driving, Shen Xiu would definitely take it as an insult!”
Hearing this, Zhao Heng felt like he had an epiphany. “Looks like my mindset just wasn’t broad enough!”
His assistant chuckled. “Next time it comes to anything involving Shen Xiu, you might want to automatically expand your mindset—by just a billionth more.”
—
The next day.
At eight o’clock, Shen Xiu put on the clothes the production crew had delivered the day before, donned a face mask and a baseball cap, and headed to the entrance of the residential complex.
Seeing Shen Xiu’s familiar figure walking out, the two guards in the security booth once again voiced their confusion.
“He’s walking again! How on earth does Shen Xiu resist the urge to drive a new car every day? I don’t get it, not at all!”
“Don’t look at me. The mind of a big shot is unfathomable. I don’t get it either. But I will say, Shen Xiu’s outfit today is super eye-catching.”
As Shen Xiu walked from inside the complex to the outside, he noticed the stares following him along the way and was well aware of how striking his outfit looked.
Shen Xiu: “……”
Sure enough, no matter how deep and dark a shade of blue it is—if it’s not black, it’s not black!
If it’s not plain black or white, then it’s practically guaranteed to draw attention.
To escape the stares coming from every direction, Shen Xiu quickened his pace and walked swiftly toward the black business van parked not far from the complex.
Inside the van.
Liang Cheng clutched his chest dramatically and exclaimed, “It’s like I just saw the real Li Yang step out of another timeline and appear before us!”
It was clearly just a simple pairing of a dark blue-black silk shirt with black dress pants, but on Shen Xiu, it exuded an inescapable chill and elegance—like Li Yang had torn through the dimensions and arrived in this world.
Fang Chengxing, also in the van, agreed wholeheartedly. “Have some confidence—don’t say ‘it’s like.’ Just from the way he walks, that aura of a true boss can’t be hidden. If you ask me, that is Li Yang!”
The staff in the van nodded in agreement with the two leads and didn’t forget to praise them as well.
“You two look just as much the part.”
“Hahaha, totally—everyone’s like their character come to life!”
Liang Cheng was dressed in a modernized version of traditional clothing. A hairstylist was pulling her hair up into a high ponytail, shaping her eyebrows to match her character in the drama. As long as she didn’t speak, she looked strikingly similar to Gu Yueying—bold and effortlessly cool.
At this point, the show had only aired up to episode eight. Fang Chengxing’s look followed his character’s early design—Gong Zihen. He wore a white shirt and casual pants, exuding the aura of a youth freshly emerged from the abyss, full of spirit and ambition.
Shen Xiu arrived at the black business van. The door opened, and he quickly got in, eager to escape the eyes of passersby.
The staff had picked up Liang Cheng and Fang Chengxing first, and the two were seated at the back of the van getting their hair and makeup done. Shen Xiu sat in one of the forward seats of the rear compartment.
“Good morning!”
“Morning~”
“Morning…”
As Shen Xiu sat down, he heard greetings from Fang Chengxing, Liang Cheng, and the crew. He looked at each person who greeted him and replied, “Good morning.”
Once the greetings were exchanged, the makeup artist—someone who had worked with him for a long time—asked skillfully, “Shall I start on your makeup?”
Shen Xiu nodded. “Mm.”
Compared to walking along the main roads and being stared at by strangers—people he didn’t know, whose intentions he couldn’t read—Shen Xiu much preferred being in a confined space with people he was at least somewhat familiar with. It made him feel far less tense.
Before Shen Xiu got in, Fang Chengxing and Liang Cheng had been casually chatting, sprawled in their seats, relaxed and carefree.
But the moment Shen Xiu boarded the van, both of them instinctively straightened their backs and even unconsciously softened their breathing.
Shen Xiu recalled how things were on set and instantly picked up on the fact that they were holding back because of him. He looked at the two of them, hesitated for a few seconds, then spoke:
“…Say whatever you want. You don’t need to mind me. Pretend I’m not here.”
‘Pretend you’re not here?’
That was way too hard on them!
Liang Cheng and Fang Chengxing exchanged a glance, each seeing in the other’s eyes the hesitation to speak up.
Liang Cheng cautiously asked, “We’re not disturbing you, right?”
Fang Chengxing whispered, “Yeah.”
Shen Xiu said, “No.”
Then he added, “I like listening to you guys talk.”
Not only could he hear insider gossip he didn’t know about, but it also eased the awkward silence. When those two talked, it was like music to his ears!
Liang Cheng: “…Okay.”
Fang Chengxing: “…Alright.”
Shen Xiu was really funny! To ease their tension, he could even say something like “I like listening to you guys talk.”
After that, Liang Cheng and Fang Chengxing spoke in normal voices. At first, they still sneaked glances at Shen Xiu to see if he frowned, but as they got more into the conversation—just like on set—they became more and more excited, forgetting to check his reaction.
Once their makeup and styling were done at the stop, and everything was confirmed to be fine, the crew drove on toward the K Corp.
—
Meanwhile, at the marketing department of the K Corp.
The marketing team had received notice the day before that at 9:30 AM, the leads of Immortal Path—the recently popular drama also invested in by K Corp—would be visiting the building for a floor sweep.
An internal company group chat had already sent out a notice yesterday, urging everyone to be extra proactive and professional while the Immortal Path cast were around.
Privately, the marketing team grumbled: “It’s not like the higher-ups are inspecting. It’s just the actors coming to tour the building—who exactly are we trying to impress by ‘being proactive’?”
The marketing team hadn’t expected that after their complaints yesterday, early this morning, Qin Mo—who was, in their words, “the higher-ups”—actually showed up in their department.
The marketing staff: “…”
So who exactly is coming to sweep the floors?!
Qin Mo stared seriously at the marketing department that the Immortal Path crew was about to visit, and under everyone’s tense gazes, he said sternly, “Don’t be so nervous.”
The marketing team: “?”
Who’s really nervous here? From the way your brows are furrowed, it’s clearly you who’s nervous, Assistant Qin! Please stay sharp!
Because Qin Mo, though “just an assistant,” could cross countless departments at K Corp and act as the “chief coordinator,” no one dared to say anything out loud. Instead, everyone straightened their backs and said in unison, “Not nervous!”
None of those saying it could have imagined that after joining K Corp and landing what the world considered a high-paying job, they’d one day be gathered early in the morning, hyped up like a multi-level marketing meeting, shouting encouragement at each other.
Seeing everyone’s expressions, Qin Mo nodded in satisfaction. “Good spirit.”
“Fifteen minutes from now, in fifteen minutes, the Immortal Path team will enter the K Corp building and come here. When that happens, make sure to give Shen—ahem—Shen Xiu, and Liang Cheng, and Fang Chengxing the warmth of home, understood?”
Warmth of home?! Assistant Qin, do you hear what you’re saying?! The marketing director beside him shook his head silently.
He thought Qin Mo was a little crazy, but dared not say so, fearing Qin Mo might make things difficult for him.
“Ahem ahem,” the marketing director coughed awkwardly. “Well said!”
Everyone: …Still don’t understand what the higher-ups are always thinking about in their heads!
—
Fifteen minutes later, the black business van carrying the cast of Immortal Path stopped in front of the K Corp.
The K Corp were a landmark building in the city, connected by a skybridge linking the two towers, making it a popular city attraction.
Fang Chengxing stepped out of the car, looked up at the futuristic skybridge connecting the two towers, and sighed, “After all these years, I finally get to walk up there!”
Liang Cheng got out and couldn’t help but say, “Don’t tell me your childhood dream was to work at K Corp after graduation? Just so you could enjoy the view from the bridge between the K Corp?”
Fang Chengxing: “…Don’t make life harder for me!”
Then, seeing the silent Shen Xiu beside him, Fang Chengxing blurted out without thinking, “Shen Xiu, do you often go up there to enjoy the view?”
