Chapter 134: Sweeping the Building (3)
“Welcome, welcome!”
“Welkome~”
“Welcooome…”
Cheers mixed with clapping rang out as Shen Xiu froze in place, too stiff to move.
At that moment, Shen Xiu deeply regretted everything.
From the very beginning, he should never have stood at the very back. Being the last to enter the elevator had naturally placed him at the very front.
So when the elevator doors opened, in order to let those behind him exit, he had to walk out first.
Colorful streamers rained down, falling on Shen Xiu—who led the group out of the elevator—and the rest behind him.
The marketing department staff were simply following the instructions of their department head. As soon as the elevator doors opened, they reflexively released the confetti and clapped.
They hadn’t expected the first person to step out… would be Shen Xiu.
Caught off guard, they locked eyes with Shen Xiu’s expressionless face. What’s done is done—but of all people, the one who ended up covered in the most streamers was him.
His hair and clothes were now completely littered with glitter and sequins.
As the scene unfolded, the cheers and clapping gradually faded. All that was left were stiff, awkward smiles.
Uh-oh… That icy-cold look Shen Xiu was giving them—was he mad?
A group of people stared at Shen Xiu wide-eyed, trapped in a dead-silent, awkward moment.
Seeing a bunch of strangers smiling and greeting their group, Shen Xiu—who was standing at the very front—snapped out of it and, bracing himself, quickly said, “Thank you.”
Next time he got into an elevator, he swore he’d never stand in the back again!
Although his gaze was still cold, at least he spoke—and even said thank you.
The people from Immortal Path were initially worried Shen Xiu might be angry, but upon hearing his familiar tone of voice, they knew he wasn’t.
After all, based on Shen Xiu’s past behavior when he was mad, he’d turn into the Demon King version of himself—sharp-tongued and ruthless toward anyone who annoyed him.
Like Lin Jiashi back in the talent show days… or more recently, Fang Chengxing at the start of Immortal Path, when he tried to slack off during filming.
Relieved, the cast of Immortal Path quickly followed Shen Xiu’s lead and started greeting the marketing department staff.
“Hahaha, thank you!”
“Thanks, everyone~”
“Appreciate it!”
…
The K Corp staff quickly responded in kind:
“You’re welcome, you’re welcome!”
“No problem at all…”
And just like that, the two groups launched into polite but slightly awkward small talk.
Truthfully, the marketing staff hadn’t wanted to go through with this either—but ever since Qin Mo left, their department head insisted they do it.
He’d even said it was part of delivering the “warmth of home” that Qin Mo had requested.
But… honestly? Aside from birthday surprises, who walks into their home and gets ambushed by confetti?
It was just too bizarre. The whole department silently vowed: next time it’s the department head’s birthday, they’d get revenge with a surprise confetti attack of their own—just to make up for today’s embarrassment and panic.
While the two sides exchanged awkward pleasantries, Shen Xiu quietly slipped to the side and inconspicuously stood behind Immortal Path’s two leads, Fang Chengxing and Liang Cheng.
Successfully nestled among people he was relatively familiar with, surrounded by a sense of familiarity, Shen Xiu finally felt the turmoil in his chest begin to settle.
If it hadn’t been for today’s elevator ambush, based on Shen Xiu’s usual habits, he would have definitely stood at the back of the group.
But after what happened, he now had a bit of a psychological shadow when it came to standing in the back. For now, he chose the relatively safer middle spot—trying to stay inconspicuous and keep his presence low.
Once Shen Xiu moved to the middle, the accompanying makeup artist came over to help brush off the confetti and glitter from his hair and shoulders.
However, some of the glitter and streamers were too fine, or had gotten tangled in his hair. Trying to force them out would mess up the carefully styled look.
Unable to finish cleaning everything, the makeup artist apologized, “Sorry, some of it won’t come out.”
There wasn’t a mirror around, so Shen Xiu couldn’t see how much glitter was still stuck in his hair. But he saw that the area below both shoulders had been mostly taken care of and replied, “It’s fine. This is good.”
After a pause, Shen Xiu added, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, it’s my job,” the makeup artist replied cheerfully. Even though it was just her job, being thanked still made her feel genuinely happy.
[Did anyone else notice how awkward and nervous the marketing team looked the moment they saw Shen Xiu step out of the elevator covered in confetti?]
[Imagine it this way: you’re at work, the elevator doors open, and you accidentally spill a whole cup of soy milk on your boss’s suit. Wouldn’t you choke on your own breath from the stress?]
[Thanks for the mental image—just imagined it and nearly passed out from secondhand embarrassment. I’d be terrified that I’d get fired the next day just for stepping into the building with the wrong foot first.]
[Hot take: Shen Xiu’s positioning move is 100% an attempt to avoid suspicion! Otherwise, the man who always likes to observe from the rear—calculating and in control—how could he suddenly be standing in the middle of the group?!]
Seeing all of this unfold, Li Nuo finally let out a long sigh of relief.
When the elevator doors opened, he had been by the control panel and hadn’t reacted in time—Shen Xiu had already stepped out.
Fortunately… Shen Xiu wasn’t angry.
Li Nuo stood to the side, watching the two main leads from Immortal Path chat with the department staff. After a few rounds of polite conversation, he finally spoke up: “Everyone, this way please…”
“Alright.”
The Immortal Path group responded with smiles, following behind Li Nuo.
“You’re now looking at our…” As planned, Li Nuo walked ahead while introducing the area to the Immortal Path crew.
He finally understood now why Qin Mo, after personally appointing him as the liaison, had also insisted he memorize the department introduction prepared by the marketing team.
As he gave the presentation, Li Nuo couldn’t help sneaking glances at Shen Xiu in the middle of the group—trying to gauge from his expression whether he was satisfied with the intro.
But from start to finish, Shen Xiu’s expression remained cold and unreadable. Li Nuo was deeply unsure. He had no idea if Shen Xiu was satisfied or not.
The marketing department took up one-fourth of this entire floor—a huge space. Most of the newcomers stayed seated at their workstations, continuing their tasks, while senior staff like team leaders came forward to greet the Immortal Path team.
In the group, Li Nuo walked in front as their guide. The Immortal Path crew was surrounded by senior marketing staff, who stepped in with detailed explanations or helpful commentary whenever their specific roles were introduced.
Fang Chengxing: “…”
Liang Cheng: “…”
Immortal Path crew members: “…”
Marketing staff: “…”
If they remembered correctly… weren’t they here for a walkthrough…?
But judging by the tone and behavior of Li Nuo and the marketing team, why did it feel like they weren’t just doing a casual visit—but instead were higher-ups sent by the company to inspect the department?
This presentation was way too much like a formal work report!
And the way Li Nuo kept glancing at Shen Xiu during his intro… it was hard to say what to make of it.
Shen Xiu: “?”
He didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt like he was watching a PowerPoint presentation and listening to someone give a work report.
As the leads of Immortal Path and the main force behind this floor-to-floor promotional event, Liang Cheng and Fang Chengxing were trying their best to stay focused. Though they couldn’t really understand the technical jargon, they held back their gossipy instincts and, unlike Li Nuo, didn’t dare to let their eyes wander toward Shen Xiu. They forced themselves into professional mode.
The two of them tag-teamed smoothly—responding in sync while pretending not to notice that this whole thing felt more like a “work report” than a visit. Meanwhile, they diligently promoted Immortal Path.
“Wow, that sounds so complicated. You’re all amazing!”
“Whoa, this new product is that incredible? It’s just as magical as Immortal Path! Want to know what makes Immortal Path so special? Tune in every night at 8 p.m. on Fruit Channel to find out~”
“As expected of K Corp—can’t wait for the new product launch! What? You’re also curious about what happens next in Immortal Path? Hahaha, then let’s both look forward to it together!”
“This feature is way too cool—it’s just like Immortal Path, full of endless potential for the future, hahaha…”
…
No matter what Li Nuo and the marketing team said, Liang Cheng and Fang Chengxing always had something to chat about—and they always managed to steer the conversation back to Immortal Path. The promotional effort was so offbeat that the audience watching couldn’t help but laugh.
Shen Xiu: “……”
They’re somehow connecting things that couldn’t be more unrelated? Impressive!
Thankfully, no one asked him anything directly, or he wouldn’t have even known how to make something up.
It was Shen Xiu’s first time participating in a promotional building tour. Every time Liang Cheng and Fang Chengxing cued him in, he’d just nod along without knowing what to say. The things they talked about jumped all over the place—leaving Shen Xiu both confused and in awe.
The whole time, Shen Xiu couldn’t help but look admiringly at Liang Cheng and Fang Chengxing.
Li Nuo was speaking cautiously and carefully, but Shen Xiu paid him no mind. Instead, his appreciative gaze remained fixed on Fang Chengxing and Liang Cheng.
So, by the end of the presentation, Li Nuo still had no idea whether Shen Xiu was satisfied or not.
[As expected of K Corp’s high-end products—I could barely follow anything they said. Thankfully, I at least understood the Immortal Path parts, but even then, I still felt completely dazed.]
[It’s that surreal feeling where you’re talking about the city gate tower and I’m talking about hip bones, yet somehow we’re still having a conversation. The way Xiu-baby looks at them is exactly how we’re looking at them—helpless in the face of such awkward chat, LOL.]
[Low-key feels like Xiu-baby is being escorted by a crowd on some inspection tour…]
[Sister, be more confident—it’s not just ‘feels like.’ I watched the previous livestream replay, and there’s a 99% chance Xiu-baby unlocked the place using his own iris scan, not a pass card. The K Corp staff who appeared in front of him all looked super cautious. So yeah, it’s just like you thought…]
[The Xiuologists are bragging again. Tsk tsk. Still claiming he’s not putting on a rich second-gen persona? Please, he’s spreading rumors daily—so desperate for clout, it’s laughable!]
[What trash just crawled in? Tsk, I can smell the sourness of a lemon spirit~]
Qin Mo rushed over after wrapping up his work.
When he arrived, the first thing he saw was Shen Xiu’s carefully styled hair and the glittery streamers on his clothes. Then his eyes fell on the now-empty confetti cannon bag nearby.
Qin Mo: “?”
Taking in the scene, Qin Mo froze just a few steps from the elevator. He raised a hand to clutch his chest, almost out of breath.
At that moment, he felt like he was watching a horrifying scene where his year-end bonus—so close to being secured—was drifting further and further away.
In all his years in the workplace, Qin Mo had never seen anything so brutal.
Li Nuo, still unsure whether Shen Xiu was pleased or not, saw Qin Mo and immediately felt like he was seeing a savior. He called out in excitement, “Assistant Qin!”
Everyone heard Li Nuo and instinctively turned to follow his gaze.
The moment they saw Qin Mo, everyone involved with Immortal Path, from the cast to the crew, straightened up and looked at him warily.
“Assistant Qin…”
“Mr. Qin…”
The marketing team and the Immortal Path team both called out respectfully.
Qin Mo gave a slight nod to the marketing folks, then looked at the Immortal Path group with a polite smile. “Hello.”
Then, his gaze landed on Shen Xiu.
Shen Xiu met Qin Mo’s eyes, straightened his back, and stiffly said, “Hello.”
He spoke first… Didn’t call me by name… Just said “Hello”…
Was that a hint for me not to call him “Mr. Shen” either?
Qin Mo instantly got it, and smiled as he replied, “Hello!”
Seeing the glitter on Shen Xiu’s clothes made Qin Mo instinctively nervous. For the sake of his year-end bonus, he couldn’t help but quietly say, “Sorry, about your clothes…”
Shen Xiu didn’t really understand why everyone was so concerned about the glitter on him. He simply replied, “It’s fine.”
Qin Mo let out a breath of relief. Since Shen Xiu said it was fine, then it must be fine. His year-end bonus was safe after all!
Everyone present: “……”
Livestream viewers: [……]
At that moment, everyone had the same thought:
The atmosphere is weird. Something fishy is definitely going on!
After confirming that Shen Xiu had nothing more to say, Qin Mo finally shifted his gaze and smiled politely at the Immortal Path team.
“Everyone, would you like to visit the Experience Hall first, or go to the Twin Towers Sky Bridge?”
As soon as Qin Mo finished speaking, Fang Chengxing raised his hand without hesitation and eagerly answered, “Twin Towers Sky Bridge!”
That area was only open to K Corp employees and clients.
According to one of his friends who worked at K Corp, once you step onto the bridge, the surroundings and the bottom light up with virtual projections of data streams—just like scenes from a sci-fi movie.
The visuals differ with each person’s entry. It’s immersive, surreal, and totally addictive.
The rest of the Immortal Path team quickly agreed with Fang Chengxing’s suggestion.
“Yeah, let’s go to the Twin Towers Sky Bridge first!”
“I vote for the Twin Towers Sky Bridge too!”
…
With everyone excited to go, Shen Xiu didn’t mind either way and said, “Sure, let’s go to the Twin Towers Sky Bridge.”
[Even if I can’t go in real life, watching them go is just as fun. I’m happy!]
[Ahem, speaking quietly as someone who has walked on the Twin Towers Sky Bridge before—it’s different. The scene you see when you’re on it is only visible to you; the people around you can’t see it. Except for K Corp’s internal equipment, regular livestream devices can’t capture it either. So… what we’ll be seeing later might just be a glass bridge that shifts between white and tea-brown.]
[Caught a K Corp insider! Wahhh, hand over your iris scan so I can sneak into K Corp—I promise I won’t kill anyone!]
With a unanimous vote from the Immortal Path team to go to the Twin Towers Sky Bridge, Qin Mo nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the Twin Towers Sky Bridge.
Everyone stood at one end of the bridge, and looking across, they could see the opposite office tower—which looked like a copy-and-paste version of the building they were in.
The two towers were connected solely by this elevated sky bridge.
Bathed in sunlight, the wide bridge shimmered as it switched between tea-brown and white.
Shen Xiu, who had been carefully maintaining his position in the middle of the group, glanced past Fang Chengxing and Liang Cheng at the bridge ahead—and his brain instantly went blank.
“!”
So, so scary!
Now that he was just a few steps away from actually walking on it, Shen Xiu had a strong urge to turn around and run.
He’d known the bridge was made of glass back when they were downstairs. But he hadn’t realized how terrifying it would feel to actually stand right in front of it.
If he could rewind time, Shen Xiu would’ve gone back to that moment and firmly covered his own mouth before he said “okay.”
Meanwhile, Fang Chengxing clutched his chest, his face flushed with excitement. “I finally get to see it!”
Despite his excitement and eagerness to cross, Fang Chengxing still restrained himself and politely asked Qin Mo, “Can we walk on it now?”
Qin Mo smiled and nodded. “Of course—feel free to walk across. Once you’re done experiencing it, we’ll head to the Virtual Experience Hall.”
“Thank you!” Fang Chengxing replied excitedly. He turned to the Immortal Path team and the still-live camera. “Everyone, I’m going to start walking now!”
With that, Fang Chengxing took a deep breath and stepped onto the Twin Towers Sky Bridge…
Watching Fang Chengxing barely able to contain his excitement, Shen Xiu thought: “……”
The joys and sorrows of mankind really are not shared.
When Liang Cheng saw Fang Chengxing step onto the bridge—his expression a mix of wonder and exhilaration at whatever scene he was seeing—she couldn’t resist any longer either and said, “I’m going too!”
H-Help! They were both leads—if they’d gone up, did that mean he had to go too?
Staring at the glass bridge suspended high in the air between two ultra-modern office towers, Shen Xiu found it hard to breathe. His eyes didn’t dare look down. He was afraid that the sight of the ‘bottomless abyss’ beneath the transparent glass would make his legs give out before he even took a step.
One by one, the other members of the Immortal Path team couldn’t resist either and went up to experience it for themselves.
Within a minute, Shen Xiu tragically realized that all the “familiar faces” around him had stepped onto the bridge.
Shen Xiu: …If he was the only one who didn’t go, would everyone think he was weird?
Someone save him!
Standing in the middle of the bridge and not seeing Shen Xiu, Fang Chengxing turned and called out, “Shen Xiu, aren’t you coming?”
“……”
Shen Xiu, in his heart, dug up his long-forgotten Book of Grudges.
When Shen Xiu didn’t respond, Fang Chengxing thought maybe he hadn’t heard, so he called again, “Shen Xiu?”
Stiffly, Shen Xiu replied, “You guys go ahead. I’ll wait here for you.”
Just looking at it made him nervous and terrified—if he really tried walking across, he might just have a heart attack on the spot.
So be it if it was embarrassing—he wasn’t going to walk that bridge, no matter what.
His feet were firmly rooted to the very spot he was standing on, like they’d been locked in place.
He’d swallowed the key himself. No one was dragging him off this square foot of safety!
Liang Cheng tugged on Fang Chengxing’s sleeve. “Use that rusty brain of yours.”
Fang Chengxing gave it a moment’s thought and quickly understood. “Ah, of course!”
What he’d suspected at first had to be true: the sky bridge connecting the Twin Towers—Shen Xiu must’ve walked it countless times before. That’s why his expression had stayed so calm ever since he first laid eyes on it.
He’s crossed it so many times—why would he be desperate to experience it again like I am?
“It’s your small-mindedness showing~” Liang Cheng said with a smile, tossing the line at Fang Chengxing and leaving him to it.
Once everyone from Immortal Path had stepped onto the bridge and the livestream camera had moved farther away, Qin Mo’s gaze naturally shifted toward Shen Xiu.
Taking advantage of the fact that the camera was now too far to pick up their voices, and viewers could only see the visuals without hearing the audio, he seized the chance to ask discreetly:
“Mr. Shen, you—”
“Ahem ahem ahem…”
Li Nuo quickly glanced at the other colleagues nearby and interrupted with a loud cough to warn Qin Mo.
When some coworkers looked over in confusion, Li Nuo lied with a straight face, “Sorry, I’ve got a bit of a dry throat.”
Hearing the deliberate cough, Qin Mo instantly understood and smoothly changed his words:
“Mr. Shen, do you feel everything you’ve seen today has been satisfactory?”
Shen Xiu: …Is this a satisfaction survey?
Once he figured it out, Shen Xiu gave a nod. “Very good.”
But Qin Mo clearly noticed Shen Xiu hesitated in silence for a few seconds before saying “very good.”
It was obvious he was forcing a positive review. Qin Mo’s brows furrowed slightly, and he looked toward Li Nuo.
Li Nuo blinked innocently, baffled.
‘Why is he glaring at me again? Shen Xiu already said he was satisfied. Isn’t that enough?’
Shen Xiu’s hesitant and reluctant “good review” left Qin Mo uneasy.
He kept glancing at Shen Xiu, several times wanting to speak but holding back.
As Qin Mo looked, the others also began sneaking peeks at Shen Xiu.
Shen Xiu: “……”
Was there something wrong with his answer?
Why were they all staring at him?
Qin Mo alone would’ve been fine, but now everyone was doing it?
‘Help… Why is this kind of thing contagious?!’
But—
Shen Xiu’s gaze fell just a few steps ahead, a distance that to him might as well have been a yawning chasm in midair.
Compared to the heart-stopping terror waiting just ahead, he’d rather stand here and endure everyone’s stares.
Getting stared at wouldn’t kill him. Taking one step forward just might.
To avoid meeting anyone’s eyes, Shen Xiu pretended not to notice the glances and kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, feigning interest in the Immortal Path crew up on the bridge.
He even softened his breathing, afraid that the sound of it might draw even more attention.
Ever since Shen Xiu had forced out that “very good,” he’d been tightly pressing his lips together, wearing a cold, stern expression as he stared ahead.
There was no hint he wanted to say anything more.
Qin Mo’s unease only deepened.
He had a sinking feeling—his year-end bonus might be slipping away again.
With Qin Mo staying quiet and the others unsure of Shen Xiu’s identity, no one dared speak recklessly.
The K Corp staff all unconsciously began to breathe more lightly.
Just as Shen Xiu was about to suffocate from secondhand awkwardness, the Immortal Path crew finally returned.
Under Qin Mo’s lead, the group headed toward the virtual experience hall.
At 6:30 p.m., the Immortal Path team left K Corp.
The first person the production team dropped off afterward was Shen Xiu.
And the moment he got out, Fang Chengxing couldn’t help but say, “Whether it was on the Twin Towers Sky Bridge or in the virtual experience hall, Shen Xiu was so calm.
Tell me, what do you think Shen Xiu’s real identity is at K Corp?”
Liang Cheng thought of the way Qin Mo, Li Nuo, and the other K Corp staff treated Shen Xiu, and said faintly, “Do you know what the people at K Corp jokingly call Qin Mo?”
“You’ve acted in so many historical dramas—if you compare Qin Mo’s role to someone from those kinds of stories, you can probably guess what Shen Xiu’s identity really is.”
The staff members perked up their ears, eager for gossip.
But just as someone seemed to remember something, their expression turned to alarm.
They glanced at the still-running livestream camera, coughed a few times, and whispered in a barely audible voice, “Cough, cough… the livestream isn’t over yet!”
