Chapter 121: Got a Driver’s License
Shen Xiu remembered what the person on the other end said and responded, “Okay.”
Staff: “Do you have any questions?”
Shen Xiu: “…No.”
Do you need to ask anything before participating in a variety show? Based on Shen Xiu’s past experience, as long as you show up and follow the production team’s instructions, everything goes smoothly—there really wasn’t much you needed to ask.
Staff: “Alright. We’ll also send the specific time to your agent shortly. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”
Shen Xiu hung up the phone and immediately heard the system’s voice: [The guest list has been sent over. Do you want me to read it aloud?]
Shen Xiu replied, “Go ahead.”
When he heard the system mention the names of Ning Sinian, Jiang Yanxi, and Zhuang Yi, Shen Xiu couldn’t help but say, “That’s great.”
Having familiar faces around completely put him at ease.
Shen Xiu picked up Lucky and couldn’t help but speak softly to the cat: “Lucky, tomorrow…”
Halfway through the sentence, Shen Xiu suddenly felt a bit embarrassed for a few seconds before continuing: “Daddy’s going to introduce you to some new little friends and big brothers.”
“Meow~”
Lucky happily nudged Shen Xiu’s palm, then flopped down with a soft duang right into it. Twisting its fluffy body, Lucky rolled over to show its belly while sweetly meowing.
Even though Shen Xiu knew from past experience that petting Lucky’s little belly at this point would probably get him scratched, he simply couldn’t resist.
As expected, the moment his hand landed on Lucky’s belly and gently rubbed, Lucky wrapped his fluffy front paws around it and began gnawing, while furiously kicking with his hind legs—treating Shen Xiu’s hand like a toy.
Shen Xiu had trimmed Lucky’s claws before, and with his own low pain sensitivity, he didn’t feel a thing.
He didn’t get angry at all. Instead, he looked at the little black furball glaring at him with a satisfied and affectionate gaze, and sincerely praised it:
“Lucky, you’re amazing! Daddy’s never seen such an incredible little kitty!”
System: […]
This scene was too disturbing—its entire database was trembling! The system deeply suspected that, in Shen Xiu’s mind, as long as Lucky could breathe, eat, and use the litter box on its own, then Lucky was the most amazing cat in the world.
When this moment airs live during the pet variety show… will Shen Xiu’s fans really not have their jaws drop in shock?
Shen Xiu played with Lucky for over ten minutes. Once Lucky got tired of it, it lifted its little black tail high and hopped out of Shen Xiu’s arms, running to the nearby sofa, where it curled up and lay down facing Shen Xiu.
When Shen Xiu first brought Lucky home, it was still tiny—covered entirely in black fluff. Shen Xiu was worried the kitten might wander off and get lost, or worse, that he might accidentally step on it in the dark. So, he set up a playpen area in the living room specifically for Lucky and only let it out when he got home.
Now, Lucky had grown quite a bit. Under Shen Xiu’s care, it was healthy and agile. It could easily hop over the playpen and dart across the floor like a little black bolt of lightning—nimble and fast, leaping onto the sofa in a single bound.
So Shen Xiu took down the playpen and let it roam freely around the house.
Every time Shen Xiu came home, Lucky would spend at least ten minutes being clingy—cuddling and meowing. After that, it didn’t want to be touched anymore, but also wouldn’t let Shen Xiu out of its sight. The moment Shen Xiu walked away, Lucky would raise its tail and follow behind him, meowing non-stop.
Sure enough, the moment Shen Xiu stood up, Lucky—who had been lying down—got up neatly, gave its fluffy fur a shake, walked over, and followed alongside him.
“Lucky is just too cute!”
Shen Xiu couldn’t help but lower his head and gently stroke Lucky’s little head before standing up and opening the door. He took out a small suitcase, laid it open, and began packing Lucky’s things for the next two days: canned food, freeze-dried snacks, clothes, and some nutritional supplements prescribed by the vet.
He sorted everything into transparent pouches for organization, then used a vacuum sealer to portion out Lucky’s kibble into 5-gram packets.
Seeing how meticulous Shen Xiu was with Lucky’s packing, the system burst into imaginary tears of envy, cascading like a waterfall.
It grumbled sourly: [Lucky’s still so tiny… isn’t this a bit too much to bring?]
With Shen Xiu’s personality, it was clear he already knew Lucky’s exact food intake and could accurately calculate how many freeze-dried snacks, canned meals, and kibble Lucky would need for the trip.
And yet, even with that knowledge, he still packed this much. The system simply couldn’t understand.
Shen Xiu looked at the supplies he’d prepared, paused in thought for two seconds, then resolutely tossed the calculations from his mind and said, against all logic, “It’s not too much.”
Whether Lucky could finish it all didn’t matter—what mattered was that when they were out and about, Shen Xiu felt more at ease bringing extra for him.
System: [ … ]
It finally understood—when it came to Lucky, Shen Xiu had a blatant double standard, no question about it.
After he finished sealing the kibble, Shen Xiu turned around only to see Lucky had jumped into the open suitcase and was snuggling up to the canned food for the next two days.
Noticing Shen Xiu’s gaze, Lucky blinked its large emerald-green eyes at him, then—tempted by the freeze-dried snacks—began rubbing its little face against the packet. At the same time, it looked up at Shen Xiu with its best “clingy kitten” face: “Meow~”
It was obvious—Lucky was craving freeze-dried snacks.
Hearing that long, drawn-out meow, Shen Xiu crouched down and looked seriously at Lucky, trying to reason with it.
“You’re still little, you can’t eat too much freeze-dried food. You’re only allowed five pieces a day. You already finished today’s portion this morning.”
The little kitten didn’t care about any of that. When it saw Shen Xiu wasn’t giving in, it reached out a paw and patted the bag of freeze-dried snacks.
With eyes full of longing, it looked up at Shen Xiu: “Meow~”
At that moment, Shen Xiu could almost see imaginary words floating above Lucky’s fluffy little head: “Freeze-dried… hungry~”
“…Fine. Just one piece.”
There was just no reasoning with it!
Shen Xiu gave in, took the bag over, and under Lucky’s eager gaze, opened it. He picked out a small square freeze-dried chunk and placed it in his palm, offering it to Lucky.
“Only one. After this, there really isn’t any more.”
As he said this, Shen Xiu silently deducted one freeze-dried piece from tomorrow’s allowance in his mind.
Head bowed softly, Lucky munched the snack right out of Shen Xiu’s palm, totally unaware that its next day’s ration had already been stealthily reduced.
Lucky’s teeth weren’t fully grown yet, so it took a few seconds to finish the small freeze-dried chunk—not like an adult cat, who’d have swallowed it in two bites.
Once Lucky had finished, Shen Xiu, worried that the kitten might start acting cute again and that he wouldn’t be able to resist feeding him more, wasted no time. He quickly stuffed the freeze-dried treats and the sealed kibble into the suitcase and zipped it shut.
He moved so fast that Lucky didn’t even have time to react. The little cat looked up at Shen Xiu in confusion, its head tilted and big green eyes blinking blankly.
Meeting Lucky’s innocent jade-colored gaze, Shen Xiu immediately looked away, guilty.
“Ahem… let’s go outside.”
To avoid forgetting the next day, Shen Xiu deliberately placed the suitcase right by the doorway—where he’d be sure to see it before leaving.
The system sighed and reminded him: [According to the production team’s instructions, you’ll be staying at the filming location for Fluffballs Heal the World until 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, after the livestream ends. Aren’t you going to pack your own luggage too?]
Shen Xiu: “I’m packing now.”
Shen Xiu didn’t feel like there was much to pack for himself. He casually grabbed a few shirts, pants, and shoes from the wardrobe, sorted them, and stuffed them into another small suitcase.
From opening the suitcase to zipping it shut, the whole process took less than five minutes—a stark contrast to the twenty minutes he had spent meticulously packing for Lucky. His own preparation felt completely insignificant in comparison.
While Shen Xiu was packing for the pet variety show the next day, the official account for Immortal Path announced the end of filming.
As soon as the post went live, the system automatically used Shen Xiu’s personal and studio Weibo accounts to repost it.
@ImmortalPathOfficial: Congratulations on wrapping filming! 🎆🎆 @ShenXiu
[Images x8]
The eight posted images included:
The first six were sneak peeks of Shen Xiu’s costume and character from the drama.
The last two showed Shen Xiu holding a bouquet and a red envelope from the crew on the wrap day, and a group photo from the wrap party with the Immortal Path team.
The filming process of Immortal Path had been kept under strict wraps; even paparazzi couldn’t get any useful photos. Netizens and fans knew it had started filming, but had no idea how far along it was.
So when the official account suddenly dropped these wrap-up photos, it really did come as a surprise—albeit a very pleasant one.
Shen Xiu’s fans, the Xiuologists, had always believed in his abilities. Acting was never a concern, and with K Corp’s investment, the production quality—especially costumes and styling—was guaranteed to be high.
Some netizens, not being fans, had previously questioned why a newly debuted idol like Shen Xiu was jumping into acting so soon, doubting his capabilities.
But the moment those official teaser photos were released, even those skeptics were at a loss for criticism. Just from the visuals alone—Shen Xiu’s striking height, his almost sculptural features like those crafted by Nuwa herself, paired with a top-tier makeup and styling team—the effect was nothing short of seamless perfection.
Such stunningly accurate and beautiful styling for Immortal Path’s characters quickly sent the drama soaring to the top of entertainment trending lists.
#ShenXiuLiYangWrapsFilming
#ImmortalPathCrewVisualsAreInsane
#LiYangDestroyedMe
#LegendaryLevelUnlocked
— Is this some kind of New Year’s gift drop?! The styling is incredible! With K Corp backing it, you can feel the money in every frame. Now I’m just hoping the VFX holds up too.
— Aaaaah today we meet the mighty, peerlessly gorgeous dragon cultivator! Can’t wait for my Shen Xiu’s Li Yang to go full power and wreck everyone!
— Every few days he gives us New Year-level surprises. As a career stan, I’m thriving!
— Every time Boss Xiu posts, his personal and studio Weibo accounts are lightning-fast. Love the efficiency! No slackers can survive in Boss Xiu’s orbit—give the agent and studio team a bonus!
— Shen Xiu as the dark lord—too cool! Finally a villain who’s not ‘tragic’ or ‘redeemable,’ just out to destroy everyone on equal footing. Best styling in a drama in recent years, hands down!
— He slays gods, slays Buddhas, and hacks his way through as the unstoppable protagonist! All hail our Demon King Xiu!
Amid the flood of praise, a few netizens raised questions about Shen Xiu’s school attendance:
— If I’m not mistaken, isn’t Shen Xiu still in college? That’s insane efficiency. He filmed this fast? Did he take leave from school?
That was quickly addressed by someone claiming to be a classmate:
— Speaking as someone also at Qinghe University—Shen Xiu has only ever taken half a day off from class. And that wasn’t even for filming—it was to take his driver’s license test. Yup, you heard that right (pushes up glasses), not only did he finish all of Li Yang’s scenes during weekends, but he also squeezed in a driving license exam during his class breaks and free weekdays!
— Wait, are you in our class too? You know so much!
— He didn’t even rest on weekends?! And he got a driver’s license too??? As a casual observer, I’m just sitting here stunned. Do artists this hardworking really exist?
— As a devoted Xiuologist, I’m still in shock. This is exactly what I’d expect from our Overachiever God Xiu—absolutely brutal with how hard he goes!
— This is just basic conduct from King of the Grind Shen. Calmly stated (as I frantically try to suppress how excited I am).
— Wait a second… isn’t the real shock here that Shen Xiu only just got his driver’s license?!
— Right?! I thought he’d had one for years already!
Thanks to firsthand confirmation from his classmates, everyone now knew Shen Xiu hadn’t skipped a single class for filming. In fact, he’d squeezed his driver’s test into weekdays when he didn’t have classes. The sheer level of discipline and productivity stunned the internet all over again.
His flawless makeup and costume in Immortal Path earned him a fresh wave of fans—and his relentless work ethic only solidified their admiration.
Then Shi Buwen added fuel to the fire.
He reposted a comment questioning why Shen Xiu only recently got his license, with his own clarification:
@Mr_S: When I was filming with my little junior brother, he really didn’t have a license yet. That’s why, in the original VG commercial plan, there was a scene where he was supposed to drive across an overpass to arrive at the gala—but we had to switch it to a billiards scene instead.
When fans saw this retweet, a wave of question marks flooded in—then realization hit:
—??? That VG commercial was shot by you, Mr. S?! No wonder it captured us so well. Thank you for your service!
— Wait, you shoot commercials too?! How many surprise talents do you have that we still don’t know about @Mr_S?
— Why is Shen Xiu’s driving license journey nothing like mine 😭 And why didn’t he post about it?! If it were me, I’d have that license plastered across every platform.
— Honestly, it makes sense. Shen Xiu is so capable, he probably sees getting a driver’s license as such a minor achievement that it’s not even worth bragging about.
— Sisters, take note: Shen Xiu now has a driver’s license and can drive, which means… he can finally do car commercials and driving scenes in dramas!
— Just imagine our cold and ruthless Demon King Xiu, dressed in a tailored suit, wearing an expensive watch, driving a luxury car worth over 100 million… Aaaah I’m fainting in one second! Can we please get a CEO drama? But of course, not one of those that insult our intelligence.
— So here comes the real question: now that he’s done with driving school and has wrapped up filming Immortal Path, what’s next for our little Xiu-baby? 😭 Are we going to be without him again for a long while?
#GrindGodShenComingThroughMakeWay
#WhatShenXiuDidInTwoAndAHalfMonths?!
#JustCasuallyGotADriverLicense
#GiveUsCEOShenNow
The Immortal Path team’s social media manager never expected that a simple post about Shen Xiu wrapping his role as Li Yang would push the entire drama into multiple trending topics.
Even more unexpected—Shen Xiu getting his driver’s license would also light up the trending list.
Despite spending most of his time in school and staying out of the spotlight—with barely any appearances for brand work or public events—Shen Xiu, the moment he reentered the public eye, effortlessly pulled everyone’s attention like he was born under a spotlight.
Meanwhile, the team managing Fluffballs Heal the World was feeling conflicted.
According to their schedule, they were supposed to announce the guest lineup for the latest episode of their reality show in the early hours of that morning. But with Shen Xiu dominating the trending charts thanks to his wrap-up photos and driver’s license news, they hesitated.
Worried that their own announcement would be buried under all the buzz, the production team decided to hold off. Instead, they’d release the guest info when they picked Shen Xiu up the following day.
—
The next day.
At 8 AM, Fluffballs Heal the World posted their scheduled announcement.
The post revealed only the list of guests participating in the current episode of the show, without mentioning anything about the pets they were bringing. This immediately piqued the curiosity of fans and netizens alike.
As soon as it went live, the system—acting as his Shen Xiu’s agent—shared the post.
Seeing the news that Shen Xiu would be appearing on a pet-themed variety show first thing in the morning left his fans totally stunned.
[Did I wake up too fast or are my eyes playing tricks on me? The Demon King Xiu is joining a fluffballs reality show?!]
[When did Xiu-baby start raising a furball? This has to be fake.]
[ Wait… do tigers, lions, or cheetahs count as ‘furball’ too?]
[They’ve got fur, so… technically, yes. People on international fansites keep them overseas—it’s legal in some cases, like if the animals were rescued and can’t be released back into the wild. They’re affectionately called ‘house big cats’…]
[Don’t tell me Xiu-baby flew abroad overnight and is about to livestream from home with his tiger or lion or cheetah???]
[The Fluffballs Heal the World livestream is up now! They’re currently doing split-screen streaming on their way to pick up the guests and their pets. Sisters, from the looks of it, the car heading to pick up Xiu-baby is almost at Yulin Banxia!]
That comment sent Shen Xiu’s fans and curious netizens alike scrambling into the livestream via the link shared by an enthusiastic fan, all desperate to find out the truth.
Shen Xiu placed Lucky into a rectangular canvas pet carrier with mesh panels on all sides and the top for ventilation.
To help Lucky see him at all times, Shen Xiu wore the carrier across his front. With both hands pulling the two suitcases he’d packed the night before, and wearing a mask, he made his way to the gate of Yulin Banxia.
The moment Shen Xiu appeared in the livestream frame, the live chat in his dedicated split-screen feed froze for a few seconds.
A… a kitten?!
