Chapter 110: Walking the Red Carpet
Seeing some prophets in the comments, Xuan Ji couldn’t help but switch to his alternate account and secretly gave a like.
Of course, there were also some sarcastic comments in the comment section accusing Immortal Path of riding the hype again, but Xuan Ji just ignored them.
VG’s offline event had an official live broadcast. The invited artists weren’t just Shen Xiu alone; the live chat was taken over by various fan groups. Before the red carpet segment even started, fans were building momentum in the comment barrage, fighting to boost their own artists’ face.
[My Brother Jing is going to blind you all today!]
[My Great Demon King Xiu will A-mash the whole scene!]
[My Sister Zhou has arrived, everyone step aside!]
[Screen recording is ready, sisters, just waiting for our Demon King Xiu to get out of the car to start!]
[Wait… what’s up with the Xiuologists? Every time I see you, you’re either on the way to record or already recording?]
[(Shy) Because after our Xiu-baby started school, it’s harder to get out. As qualified a Xiuologist, if there’s no content, we make our own (wink).]
Before the red carpet started, while the live chat was buzzing, Shen Xiu sat in the car looking at the glasses the makeup artist had finished applying and handed to him, feeling conflicted inside.
The makeup artist said the glasses had no prescription, so it was fine for him to wear them.
But, the gold-rimmed glasses paired with a silver chain reminded Shen Xiu of Shang Yu’s stage makeup look.
On stage, they needed to attract the audience’s attention, so exaggerated makeup and styling were normal. But now, they weren’t on stage.
Shen Xiu imagined himself stepping out of the car and walking on the red carpet, the single silver chain dangling from the glasses frame, swinging beside his face with every step…
This was an offline event. If he wore it like that, everyone would definitely think he was strange.
Would he rather endure being stared at by a crowd later, or bravely face the makeup artist alone now?
Shen Xiu decisively chose the latter!
“Can I not have the chain?”
The makeup artist, who was threading the silver thin chain onto the glasses frame, suddenly heard Shen Xiu’s low and cool voice and looked up in confusion. “Huh?”
Meeting the makeup artist’s gaze, Shen Xiu found repeating himself somewhat difficult. “Can I not have the chain?”
Although Shen Xiu’s voice was icy cold, his question was polite. This strange contrast completely caught the makeup artist off guard.
Not to mention facing Shen Xiu’s cold and serious stare, at that moment the makeup artist felt that whatever Shen Xiu said was right and without hesitation put the silver chain away. “Sure, absolutely no problem!”
“!” Trying to communicate… wasn’t as hard as he thought.
Supported without hesitation by the makeup artist, Shen Xiu felt a little lightheaded in that moment.
The red carpet segment was about to begin. When the makeup artist applied makeup on Shen Xiu’s closed eyes—on that face where he was showing off like a goddess Nuwa—it was already a real test of her self-control.
She simply didn’t have the courage to personally put the glasses on the bridge of Shen Xiu’s nose while his eyes were open, and he radiated a “keep out” cold aura.
Therefore, she decisively handed the open glasses case to Shen Xiu and reminded him, “It’s starting soon, put them on.”
“Okay.” Shen Xiu nodded and put on the glasses, saying, “Thank you.”
The makeup artist watched helplessly as Shen Xiu reached out his slender fingers, took the glasses with one hand, put them on, and politely thanked her with his gaze fixed on her. Her heart felt like it had been shot—she took two seconds to recover before stammering, “Y-You’re welcome.”
Elegant. Truly elegant!
She had done makeup for so many artists but never thought the simple act of putting on glasses with one hand could be so charming!
Hearing the makeup artist stammer, Shen Xiu looked at her in surprise and felt a silent shock in his heart.
After all this time together, he never expected that the makeup artist, like him, appeared normal on the surface but was actually someone who might get nervous and even stutter.
Putting himself in others’ shoes.
Shen Xiu didn’t want to be looked at strangely when he stuttered. Before the makeup artist could notice, he quickly shifted his gaze out the window, pretending he hadn’t heard her stumble over her words.
Assistant Wen saw the message on his phone, turned to Shen Xiu, and said, “The red carpet is about to start. We’ll be appearing last.”
Hearing this, Shen Xiu’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled.
He would be the last to walk out. After everyone else had been seen, by the time it was his turn, the audience would likely be visually fatigued and the attention on him would be less.
Suppressing the happiness welling up inside, Shen Xiu replied with composure, “Okay.”
Assistant Wen, seeing Shen Xiu’s calm demeanor, knew he must have appeared on many stages before. This small event was nothing to him.
Outside, the red carpet segment had begun. The artists shone brightly — some walking alone, some accompanied by company colleagues, others alongside company executives.
Before it was his turn, Shen Xiu sat in the car watching out the window, observing and learning quietly.
The more he watched, the more intimidated he felt inside.
No matter what they wore, all the stars on the red carpet faced the cameras and crowds with confident smiles, poised and natural—some raising a hand to greet, others smiling directly at the lenses.
The only thing that comforted Shen Xiu was that everyone’s makeup and styling were gorgeous and eye-catching.
As for him, dressed in either black or white, so plain and understated that no one would care—this gave Shen Xiu a small, invisible sense of security.
The artists dazzled on the red carpet, while fans flooded the live chat with messages praising their own idols’ beauty and handsomeness, spamming their names to boost the data.
Seeing all the other artists appearing one by one, the Xiuologists who hadn’t seen Shen Xiu yet grew anxious.
[Where’s our Boss Xiu!!! It’s been so long and we still haven’t spotted him?]
[Don’t panic, sisters. As VG’s special guest spokesperson for this event, our Boss Xiu will definitely be the last to appear!]
[The host just introduced Xuan Ji as the director of Immortal Path. Seriously, I don’t get it — Immortal Path hasn’t even started filming, not a single actor has been confirmed, so why is the director here walking the red carpet alone?]
[Isn’t it even stranger that after Xuan Ji finished the red carpet, he hugged VG’s director Kaiser, signed the subtitle banner, and still didn’t leave? He’s standing up there with Kaiser too.]
[Case solved. Just by looking at Xuan Ji’s expression, he’s clearly quite close with Kaiser. Probably invited here just to hang out.]
[Agreed. The official Immortal Path social media manager is probably just trying to ride the hype by posting weird tweets about their own director walking the red carpet.]
Seeing the viewers’ guesses in the live chat, the Immortal Path social media manager felt wrongly accused and quietly typed a defense: “It’s not me, really…”
But their messages were quickly drowned out by millions of viewers’ comments, not leaving even a splash.
As the Xiuologists watched eagerly, scanning all the surrounding luxury cars on screen over and over, Assistant Wen finally got out of the car.
Assistant Wen walked around to Shen Xiu’s side and opened the door.
The only black car on site that hadn’t opened yet was pulled open from the outside by Assistant Wen.
The viewers in the live chat first saw a long leg stepping down onto the ground, clad in dress pants and leather shoes. Then Shen Xiu’s tall, upright figure appeared in the camera frame.
“Thank you.”
When Assistant Wen got out of the car, Shen Xiu hadn’t expected that Assistant Wen was opening the door for him, and he shyly expressed his thanks.
Assistant Wen replied, “It’s my duty.”
The moment Shen Xiu appeared, everything around seemed to pause. Even though he wasn’t under a spotlight, everyone’s gaze was irresistibly drawn to him, leaving only the clicking sounds of camera shutters.
Shen Xiu: “…”
He had deliberately removed the flashy silver chain from his glasses—so why were so many eyes still on him?
His posture stiffened for a moment.
But standing there awkwardly would obviously look even stranger. Just as he prepared to walk forward using the skills he’d secretly observed, he asked Assistant Wen, “Aren’t you walking with me?”
Assistant Wen stood still, showing no intention of moving, which gave Shen Xiu a bad feeling.
Assistant Wen said softly, “No, my job is just to escort Mr. Shen.”
Shen Xiu: “…”
With no one to share the spotlight, Shen Xiu helplessly imitated the veterans and stepped onto the red carpet…
On the red carpet.
Shen Xiu wore gold-rimmed glasses perched on his high nose bridge, his eyes still cold and unreadable. His perfectly tailored white silk shirt and black dress pants complemented each other impeccably.
Under Shen Xiu’s powerful aura, even a simple step highlighted his superior and upright figure.
The glasses perched on his nose made Shen Xiu’s entire demeanor appear refined and steady, while his natural commanding presence made him look even colder and more imposing under the camera.
From the moment Shen Xiu stepped out of the car, there was a brief silence in the live chat. But by the time he walked onto the red carpet, the screen was flooded with dense scrolling comments.
[Oh my god, gold-rimmed glasses! I hate that I wasn’t serious about studying before. Now I am so excited to see Boss Xiu, but my mind can only think of superficial and straightforward words such as expensive, expensive, expensive, and expensive boss aura!]
[Hair slicked back to reveal a full forehead, gold-rimmed glasses on the nose bridge, silky white shirt, black ring on the slender ring finger, expensive watch on the wrist with visible veins… Who wouldn’t want to buy all that? Such effective endorsement! Thank you, Boss Xiu, for letting me finally understand what unstoppable charm looks like in a cold and aloof boss’s every gesture!]
[Damn, this wall is really tempting. No more hesitation, I’m climbing it first! I apologize for previously disliking the Starlight Ring — I can’t afford the Rose Night one, but the Starlight Ring I must have!]
[Dressed like an impeccably and refined scumbag… ah, no, Boss Xiu is no scumbag! I am a follower of gold-rimmed glasses Boss Xiu!]
[I know the Xiuologists have always been consuming celestial products. For my treasure, I’ve held back and never eaten even once, but this unexpected side of him — I declare I have fallen in love at first sight with the legendary Boss Xiu! I want to consume such celestial products too!]
[Which designer is this from? The style is simple, but on Boss Xiu it looks incredibly expensive. Xiuologists, step aside—no sneaking around eating celestial delicacies behind our backs… Wait, no, I’m a Xiuologist now too, so forget it! Xiuologists, charge!]
[Hiss, hiss—being online is just great, fearless under the death stare of the Great Demon King Xiu~]
The live broadcast account wasn’t a Weibo account; checking its profile gave no hint of fandom. Some fans who had previously been spamming data for their own idol couldn’t help but cheer wildly for the elegant and dazzling Glasses King Xiu on the red carpet.
Shen Xiu trudged through the red carpet and silently gave himself a thumbs-up: Well done, passing the first challenge flawlessly under the spotlight!
Arriving at the signing and photo area, Shen Xiu’s mood immediately sank when he saw Kaiser and a stranger waiting.
In his heart, Shen Xiu silently declared: The second challenge begins.
Kaiser saw Shen Xiu, smiled, and opened his arms as he strode over: “Little junior brother, we meet again!”
Little junior brother?
Hearing this, Shen Xiu was confused. Politely but stiffly, he walked toward Kaiser, his mind full of question marks.
When did he become Kaiser’s little junior brother? How come he didn’t know about this?
Having not understood what others were thinking for a long time, Shen Xiu felt a bit unfamiliar now.
Kaiser said, “Little junior brother, your outfit today is fantastic!”
Cee’s haute couture paired with the Starlight Ring and Rose Night clearly showed that the “little junior brother” had been carefully selected and thoughtfully styled, taking today’s event very seriously.
System: […]
A few minutes of careful and thoughtful preparation, huh?
After sharing a brief hug with Kaiser under the spotlight, Shen Xiu heard the compliment and instinctively replied, “Thank you.”
Faced with Kaiser’s warmth, even though Shen Xiu was burning with curiosity inside, he felt too embarrassed to ask why Kaiser called him “little junior brother” in front of the cameras.
Some Xiuologists, upon hearing Kaiser’s “little junior brother,” shared Shen Xiu’s same confusion.
[Little junior brother??? Since when did Boss Xiu and VG’s Crown Prince become senior and junior brothers from the same sect?! How many senior brothers does Boss Xiu have behind our backs?!]
[Calm down. Remember Mr. S by Daming Lake? Now, no matter who Xiu-baby knows, I’m never surprised.]
[Maybe… does anyone remember the photo of K Corp Qin Mo standing next to Xiu-baby? That’s the real meaning of “Xiu-baby knows all kinds of people, nothing is strange.”]
[Even the living devil of the legal world said he sued Xiu-baby’s roommate and marketing accounts who spread rumors, demanding they apologize with their ID cards for humanitarian reasons. Is it strange that Xiu-baby knows VG’s Crown Prince? Not at all!]
Meanwhile, Cee received photos of Shen Xiu taken at the event and posted a curated blog post on the official account, claiming Shen Xiu’s dress tonight.
@Cee: #SupremeKingSeries1# Starlight dazzling, a shining life. @Shen Xiu [18 images]
Being an ambassador for a luxury brand and being invited to their events is a true reflection of an artist’s commercial value.
When attending events, artists often borrow outfits from top luxury brands to showcase their fashion connections and friendly relations with the brands.
That’s why VG’s luxury event garnered such intense fan attention. Fans of attending celebrities hovered under luxury brands’ social media posts, just waiting for a brand to claim their idol’s outfit—so they could use it to make dazzling data reports and fan war charts.
As a long-established luxury brand, Cee holds an extremely high status in the eyes of both artists and fans.
Naturally, many fanbases were keeping watch on Cee’s official blog.
The moment Cee posted claiming Shen Xiu’s outfit for the night, the comment section exploded.
— Cee haute couture?! As expected of Boss Xiu, the most luxurious one on the red carpet!
— How can a new idol possibly have a luxury brand offering outfits? Must’ve bought it himself, not even gifted. What’s so great about that? Ugh, everyone calling him big boss all the time is so annoying. These fans are the worst.
— The wheel of fortune turns, next time it’ll be our turn (clenched fists with resolve).
— Xiu-baby’s hardworking ways don’t affect you—what’s your problem? I might be lazy as hell, but that doesn’t stop me from admiring Xiu-baby’s hustle. Sounds like someone’s just jealous!
— Heh, enjoy this sky-bestowed fortune… for now.
— Cee, just wait. One day I’ll take back what’s rightfully mine!
— Wait, are my eyes deceiving me? Are those passive-aggressive comments in the replies really from other official luxury brand accounts?
— Checked them out—confirmed real. I even liked and screenshotted their comments before they could delete them, hehe. Gotta let everyone see how salty they’re being, lol.
The shady, sarcastic comments from other luxury brands that lost out to Cee this time around were quickly pushed to the top of the comment section—thanks to gleeful spectators who loved the drama and chaos.
Fans from all camps looked on in confusion as the top-liked and most-commented posts showed luxury brands throwing subtle shade at each other, all from different angles expressing envy and sour-grapes vibes over Cee.
— I’ve followed so many people, but I’ve never seen luxury brands pulling each other’s hair over one person like this!
— Well, now you’ve seen it!
— Are all the big-name luxury brands fighting over Xiu-baby now?
— Who was it earlier that said Xiu-baby bought the clothes himself? Heh, surprise! It was a gift from Cee. And it’s not even just Cee—other luxury brands wanted to give Shen Xiu something too, they just lost to Cee. If other fans saw these comments, they’d be furious, hahaha.
The fans from other camps who had previously been sour and claimed Shen Xiu bought his outfit himself quietly deleted their comments.
…
After hugging Kaiser, Shen Xiu took the signature pen from the host, handed over by Kaiser, and under everyone’s gaze, carefully signed his name on the backdrop.
After signing, Shen Xiu returned the pen to the host. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” the host replied with a smile as he took back the pen.
“Ah, looks like I’m late!”
Xuan Ji hadn’t expected that a brief detour to say hi to an acquaintance inside would mean missing Shen Xiu’s signing moment.
Hearing the voice, Shen Xiu turned his head along with the others.
He saw a young man in a hoodie striding toward them.
Shen Xiu remembered him — he was the one who had hugged Kaiser in front of the cameras earlier.
Judging by the direction he was heading, it looked like he was going to Kaiser.
Shen Xiu was standing next to Kaiser, and if Kaiser hadn’t been blocking his way, he wouldn’t particularly want to stand there and get in the way.
From observing earlier, Shen Xiu had noticed that once artists finished signing, the host would guide them into the main venue.
He had already signed his name—so why hadn’t anyone told him to leave yet?
Standing awkwardly on stage with nothing to do, he was so embarrassed!
Which raised the question: what could he do to silently and smoothly slip away?
As Shen Xiu was pondering this in his mind, he saw Xuan Ji step around Kaiser and walk up to him.
A mental question mark slowly popped up in Shen Xiu’s head: ‘?’
“Hello, Shen Xiu.” Xuan Ji beamed brightly and extended his hand.
“Let me introduce myself. I’m the director of Immortal Path, Xuan Ji.”
‘!’
Only now did Shen Xiu finally realize—so this was the director of Immortal Path that the system had mentioned—the one who would come speak to him on camera without him needing to do anything!
Shen Xiu had instinctively assumed that directors couldn’t possibly be around their age, so when he first saw Xuan Ji, he didn’t associate him with the Immortal Path director mentioned by the system.
At this moment, Shen Xiu realized just how shallow that assumption had been.
“…Hello, I’m Shen Xiu.”
He silently apologized to Xuan Ji in his heart, reached out his own hand, and imitated how others did it—giving a light, polite handshake before letting go.
As he withdrew his hand, Shen Xiu’s mind flashed back to the time he had declined the role in Immortal Path. Now, standing in front of Xuan Ji, he just felt cripplingly awkward.
Even after being turned down, Xuan Ji had still come back to him, kindly agreed to let him take on the role, and even greeted him with a friendly smile in front of the cameras.
At this point, in Shen Xiu’s mind, Xuan Ji = good person!
Xuan Ji, to test his own theory, when he coordinated with Shen Xiu’s agent, he had deliberately not sent his photo.
And now, seeing Shen Xiu’s calm and indifferent expression upon meeting him, Xuan Ji thought to himself that his father had been right—Shen Xiu must have already figured out he was Xuan Yushu’s son, and accepted the role of Li Yang as a favor to Xuan Yushu.
Seeing this scene, the live chat was flooded with question marks.
[I don’t quite get it—why did Xuan Ji come back on stage just to shake Shen Xiu’s hand?]
[Thinking back to that Immortal Path Weibo post earlier… I smell a conspiracy.]
[No way… it couldn’t be what I’m thinking, right?!]
Xuan Ji, unaware of what the audience was saying, smiled at Shen Xiu and said, “Then let me wish us a smooth collaboration in advance~”
Following the agreement between the system and Immortal Path, Shen Xiu replied, “Looking forward to working with you.”
Kaiser glanced at his watch and spoke up, “It’s about time. Let’s head in.”
The outer red carpet area was open to the public, but the inner venue was private. No matter how reluctant the viewers in the livestream were, all they could do was watch as Shen Xiu’s back disappeared from the camera view.
Once Shen Xiu was gone, the viewers who remained in the red carpet livestream finally processed the exchange between him and Xuan Ji, and the comments exploded with speculation.
[“Looking forward to working together”??? Sisters, is it what I think it is?!]
[I want to ask too. The official Immortal Path account told us to broaden our perspective a little… I think this is very likely.]
[If it is what I think, then I’m officially declaring—I’m a prophet!!!]
[Genuinely curious—what exactly do you guys think it means?]
[Babe, it means Shen Xiu is playing Li Yang.]
[Hahaha, we’ve got an honest one here—let’s tease him!]
Watching the livestream, Lin Jiashi’s face darkened as he read the barrage of speculation and recalled the interaction between Xuan Ji and Shen Xiu. He stood up abruptly: “So it was Shen Xiu who stole my role!”
Du Heng, who had to stay late at the studio with Lin Jiashi to watch the livestream, was startled and clutched a throw pillow, trying to quietly calm him down.
“It was just a simple ‘looking forward to working together.’ Xuan Ji is Xuan Yushu’s son—they’re going to have plenty of collaborations in the future. That doesn’t necessarily mean Shen Xiu is playing Li Yang.”
Lin Jiashi: “Really?”
Du Heng, firmly: “Really!”
—
Inner venue.
As soon as Shen Xiu, Xuan Ji, and Kaiser entered the inner venue, Kaiser was called away by Assistant Wen.
Just as Shen Xiu was trying to come up with an excuse to politely slip away from Xuan Ji, find his seat, and sit down like a good boy—minimizing his chances of embarrassing himself—Xuan Ji suddenly leaned in and spoke with barely contained excitement:
“Shen Xiu, see that man in the suit over there? That’s Qin Mo. Want to meet him?”
Shen Xiu followed Xuan Ji’s line of sight—right as Qin Mo happened to look over at him.
The moment their eyes met, Shen Xiu felt a wave of awkwardness hit him so hard his scalp tingled.
The instant Qin Mo saw Shen Xiu, he turned to the person beside him—who was still chattering away—and said, “Hold on a moment.”
Then he stood up and began striding purposefully toward Shen Xiu.
Shen Xiu: “……”
Is it too late to run?
