Chapter 133: Sweeping the Building (2)
“?” Shen Xiu turned his head in confusion and frowned at Fang Chengxing after hearing his words.
“Cough cough cough…” Liang Cheng coughed a few times and gave Fang Chengxing a look.
Before Shen Xiu could figure out why Fang Chengxing asked such a question, he heard Liang Cheng’s coughing and glanced back and forth between Liang Cheng and Fang Chengxing.
Both of them left Shen Xiu puzzled.
Fang Chengxing realized his mistake and chuckled awkwardly, “Haha… Can we pretend I didn’t say anything just now?”
Fang Chengxing felt relieved that the livestream equipment was still being tested and hadn’t started yet.
Otherwise, saying something like that in front of the livestream—especially when Shen Xiu clearly didn’t want too much attention on his personal life—would basically be undermining Shen Xiu.
Adhering to the principle of ‘less trouble is better than more,’ Shen Xiu, despite his confusion, replied, “…Alright.”
Fang Chengxing’s anxious heart finally settled down.
Just a moment ago, after he spoke, Shen Xiu had furrowed his brows and given him a chilly look—it was obvious he was annoyed at how thoughtlessly the question had been asked.
“Look here, look here…” A staff member, who had just finished testing the equipment, spoke up to ease the awkward atmosphere: “We’re about to start the livestream—ready?”
The staff and accompanying makeup artist for Immortal Path this time were people who had worked with the crew before, and they were well coordinated.
Hearing this, Liang Cheng raised her hand and made an OK gesture, responding, “All good on my end~”
As the ‘culprit’ who had made things awkward, Fang Chengxing quickly followed, “I’m good too.”
Shen Xiu also said, “No problem.”
“OK, then three… two… one—livestream starting!”
As soon as the countdown ended, the staff member holding the livestream equipment turned on the stream.
The visit to K Corp for Immortal Path’s promotion hadn’t been announced in advance—not by the official Immortal Path social media account, nor by the two lead actors, Liang Cheng and Fang Chengxing, or even the important supporting actor, Shen Xiu.
So when the Immortal Path official account suddenly started a livestream, curious viewers clicked in and were first shocked to see the three of them on camera. Then, recognizing the location where they were standing, they were stunned again.
[Am I hallucinating? Or did I not get enough sleep last night? OMG, that outfit is so badass! Has my long-dead dark moonlight master finally stepped into my world? Could it be that the prayers I made in my dream last night actually worked?]
[The K Towers?! This appearance is insane! Did Boss Xiu bring his friends here for a tour?]
[Hah, we’ve run into the Black Moonlight Master—draw your sword, let’s duel!]
[A tour? Do you think K Corp is his personal playground? Just because he has friends in high positions at K Corp doesn’t mean anything. These entertainment industry people always try to act like rich heirs. Watch out—try too hard and you’ll crash and burn, turning from “young master” to “debtor’s kid.”]
[Speechless. Does someone like Boss Xiu even need to pretend to be a rich second-gen? Jealous much?]
[What is going on?? This wave of happiness is coming out of nowhere and making no sense! @ImmortalPath]
As more and more viewers flooded into the livestream, a staff member turned to the three people on camera and said, “Why don’t you greet everyone in the livestream~”
Fang Chengxing and Liang Cheng had spent a fair amount of time working with Shen Xiu and knew he didn’t really care for the typical entertainment-industry norms—like how artists were often expected to speak in order of their popularity, status, or follower count during variety shows or live events. Shen Xiu found these rules boring, even though many in the industry treated them as gospel.
Still, knowing they were the leads, they should logically be the ones to greet the audience first.
But Shen Xiu’s status was far above theirs. Having been steeped in those unspoken rules for so long, both of them instinctively looked toward Shen Xiu.
Noticing the two of them looking at him, Shen Xiu asked nervously, “What is it?”
Fang Chengxing said, “You go first.”
Shen Xiu: “……”
He was just a supporting actor. This was an Immortal Path promotional event—naturally, the leads should speak first, and then it would be his turn.
After all, the leads were the core of the story, the ones who carried the show.
Under these circumstances, Shen Xiu felt that since he was being paid for Immortal Path, he should follow the production’s arrangements. So he replied, “You two go first.”
“Alrighty!”
That answer was exactly what Liang Cheng had expected. Shen Xiu really was different from the many in the industry who were obsessed with rank and status.
Liang Cheng lowered her head, raised a hand to clear her throat with a few coughs: “Cough cough cough…”
Then, when she looked up at the livestream camera, her face was serious. With her hair tied in a high ponytail and dressed in red, her gaze was sharp and filled with killing intent. Her red lips parted as she delivered a chilling line:
“So many have died by my sword—what makes you think you’re anything special?”
Once she finished the fierce line from the show, the killing aura on her face vanished. Smiling warmly, she waved at the camera and greeted the audience:
“Hi everyone~”
Thanks to that iconic performance, she didn’t even need to introduce her character—viewers immediately knew who she was playing.
Shen Xiu: “!”
You can greet people like that? I just learned something new!
But…
Shen Xiu subtly shifted his eyes to the side, using the corner of his vision to sneak a glance at their surroundings—and noticed people around them lifting their phones to record them. His toes curled with secondhand embarrassment.
Even in a situation like this, Liang Cheng could say such a cringeworthy line (at least by real-world standards) with such calm and confidence. So impressive!
Motivated by Liang Cheng’s courage, Shen Xiu, though inwardly squirming with shame, clenched his teeth and began thinking seriously about which line from the show he should say.
Fang Chengxing also lowered his head and cleared his throat. When he looked up at the camera, his eyes were misty and his expression full of indignation:
“Shizun, Gu Yueying—what am I, Gong Zihen, to the two of you?!”
After delivering his line, Fang Chengxing lightly pinched his throat to switch back to his real-world voice and smiled at the camera as he greeted the audience:
“Hi everyone~”
[…Damn! That was amazing, but I still gotta say—you were totally their test subject, lol.]
[Their acting is insane even when doing it live—no wonder Immortal Path is such a hit.]
[I always knew Liang Cheng could act—she’s played so many supporting roles that leave a lasting impression. Her rise makes total sense. But Fang Chengxing has really improved a lot! His acting is catching up to Liang Cheng, who’s always consistently strong!]
[I’m so hyped for my one and only Black Moonlight!]
Shen Xiu, multitasking internally, knew that with Fang Chengxing done, it was now his turn.
Right on cue, the livestream camera sensibly shifted to focus on him.
As the camera turned toward Shen Xiu, he lifted his chin slightly, his expression cold and arrogant as he stared into the lens. A chilling, disdainful voice flowed from his thin lips:
“All things are filthy and lowly. It is the world’s blessing that I find joy in their slaughter. If gods stand in my way, I slay gods. If Buddhas block me, I destroy Buddhas!”
Forcing himself to say the line, Shen Xiu immediately dropped out of his character, Li Yang. The arrogance and contempt vanished from his face as he looked at the camera and said calmly:
“Good morning, everyone.”
The staff: “…”
Liang Cheng: “…”
Fang Chengxing: “…”
Every time Shen Xiu switched between being in-character and out, the entire process took less than a second. Even though they had seen it happen many times, they were still amazed every time by Shen Xiu’s almost godlike ability to enter and exit a role on command.
Before meeting Shen Xiu, they didn’t believe someone could be so all-around talented—so perfect that it seemed unreal.
After meeting Shen Xiu, they realized: their standards had been too low all along.
The viewers were absolutely stunned by Shen Xiu’s live performance—raw, unedited, and powerful. For a brief moment after he finished, the barrage of comments on the livestream completely stopped.
A few seconds later, the screen was flooded with an overwhelming wave of new comments.
[G-Good morning! AHHH he just radiated pure alpha energy right into my face!]
[So it’s true—my Black Moonlight Shizun really has crossed time and space to come into my world! Waaa why do I feel like crying? This is so touching!]
[Is no one else freaking out over how fast Shen Xiu snaps in and out of character?? It’s insane! He must have known long ago what path he wanted to take—he was meant to be an actor. Nothing else explains how scarily good his acting is!]
[Am I the only one who noticed that Gu Yueying, Gong Zihen, and Li Yang’s lines all echo and connect with each other? This must’ve been rehearsed in advance!]
Fang Chengxing couldn’t help glancing at Shen Xiu, swallowing nervously.
Even though Immortal Path had long since wrapped filming, every time Shen Xiu made that expression as Li Yang, that cold, domineering air, Fang Chengxing still felt a deep-rooted fear.
That fear—the kind dominated by Li Yang’s presence in the show—wasn’t something Fang Chengxing knew how long it would take to shake off. He also had no idea how long it would take for him to reach Shen Xiu’s level, where entering and exiting a role felt as natural as eating or drinking.
After Shen Xiu finished speaking, he realized no one around him was saying anything.
It was one thing for Fang Chengxing to sneak glances at him, but even people nearby who were recording on their phones were now covering their mouths, staring in disbelief.
Shen Xiu: “…”
At that moment, Shen Xiu felt like an embarrassed monkey at the center of a circus—on full display for everyone’s amusement.
What he dreaded most was seeing people look at him with shock in their eyes while whispering to the person next to them. That kind of reaction always made him feel uncertain and insecure.
To escape the suffocating awkwardness, Shen Xiu mustered up the courage to turn to the staff member and ask, “Aren’t we going in?”
As long as he could get inside the building, he’d be safe. The structure would shield him from most of the prying eyes and save him from further embarrassment.
It was currently working hours, and just by looking at the K Towers’ impressive exterior, one could tell that those who worked here must be busy professionals—too focused and disinterested to pay attention to them.
The staff member, still stunned by Shen Xiu’s incredible performance, quickly responded, “Yes, of course—let’s go in!”
“This way—let’s take this side,” the staff added, stepping ahead to lead the way. They had arrived earlier than Shen Xiu, Fang Chengxing, and Liang Cheng, and knew the layout.
Just then, Qin Mo’s assistant came out from inside and saw the team from Immortal Path.
“Hello everyone, I’m Special Assistant Qin’s assistant. My name is Li Nuo.”
“Hello, Assistant Li,” said the Immortal Path crew, reaching out to shake hands.
After the handshake, Li Nuo glanced at Shen Xiu—perhaps remembering Qin Mo’s particular attitude toward him—and couldn’t help but look again.
The moment he did, however, he was met with Shen Xiu’s cold, indifferent gaze. Li Nuo’s heart jumped, and he instinctively looked away in panic.
Even after breaking eye contact, the chill from Shen Xiu’s glance lingered on Li Nuo’s spine.
‘He caught me the second I looked at him—what terrifying situational awareness!’
[Why is Li Nuo looking at our precious Xiu-baby and no one else?]
[Sisters, is that really the point? The point is why Shen Xiu looked back at Li Nuo with that cold, warning stare. I swear on my Level 10 Xiuology certificate—something fishy is definitely going on!]
[Do we even need to guess? All of you Xiuology majors just failed your finals! That look from Shen Xiu was clearly a warning to Li Nuo: “Keep your mouth shut. Don’t go saying what you shouldn’t.”]
Having caught Li Nuo’s glance, Shen Xiu was left internally puzzled.
‘A question mark slowly appeared in his mind: Why was Li Nuo looking at me?’
‘Was there something on my clothes? Or my face?’
Thankfully, Li Nuo looked away on his own.
Still uneasy, Shen Xiu glanced at the mirrored glass wall of the K Tower and discreetly used it to check his reflection for anything out of place.
He examined himself from head to toe, carefully inspecting through the glass. Just as he confirmed everything seemed in order, he heard Li Nuo speak.
“Please follow me, everyone.”
Li Nuo walked ahead and stopped at the building’s entrance. He took out a sleek black card from his pocket.
“Apologies,” he explained, “It’s a bit of a hassle for non-K Corp personnel to enter. You’ll need to go in one at a time.”
Every K Corp employee had their iris pattern registered in the building’s system. Only those with biometric data recorded could enter through verification.
External visitors, on the other hand, had to use a special access card, and each swipe would be logged.
Hearing this, the Immortal Path group instinctively lined up.
Shen Xiu: “…”
He didn’t mind queueing—so why was he suddenly standing at the front?
After the crew had lined up, they realized they had somehow placed Shen Xiu at the very front. The moment felt a little awkward.
It wasn’t on purpose… but the moment they imagined standing in front of Shen Xiu and feeling his quiet stare from behind, the pressure had been too much—they unconsciously stepped behind him.
Under the watchful eyes of Li Nuo and the security at the door, Shen Xiu moved stiffly, inching toward the entrance.
Watching everyone line up like little quails behind Shen Xiu, and then seeing Shen Xiu’s blank-faced approach, Li Nuo felt an urge to laugh—but didn’t dare to.
Remembering that icy glance from earlier, he dared not meet Shen Xiu’s eyes again. As Shen Xiu was just one step from the doorway, Li Nuo raised his right hand, preparing to swipe the access card.
Beep—
But just as his hand lifted, before the card even touched the scanner, the entrance gave a soft chime and opened automatically.
Out of the corner of his eye, Shen Xiu caught Li Nuo’s movement—he noticed that the card in Li Nuo’s hand was still a good distance from the scanner when the entrance automatically opened.
Shen Xiu couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: K Corp’s tech really is top-notch. Even their sensors are more responsive than anywhere else.
Li Nuo: “?”
‘Did… did I even swipe just now?’
‘Or is the machine malfunctioning?’
His hand froze midair. Instinctively, Li Nuo looked up at Shen Xiu.
Having been looked at three times now, Shen Xiu couldn’t help his curiosity and asked, “Is there a problem?”
Meeting Shen Xiu’s emotionless expression, Li Nuo swallowed nervously and shook his head immediately. “N-No, not at all.”
He forced a stiff smile. “Please, go on in.”
“…Okay.”
Since the other party didn’t want to explain, Shen Xiu—despite his curiosity—felt it wouldn’t be polite to press further. He stepped through the now-open entryway.
As soon as he passed through, the door closed behind him.
Li Nuo stared at the access card in his hand. He raised it and, mimicking his previous distance, held it up again.
The machine remained unresponsive.
He brought the card closer. Only when it touched the scanner—just like always—did the gate open again.
Li Nuo: “…”
Once wasn’t enough to prove anything—he tested again!
…
Two minutes later, after scanning in all the other visitors, Li Nuo finally put the card away and numbly raised his gaze to the iris scanner.
With the familiar beep, he moved stiffly through the entryway.
After all the repeated tests just now—and recalling how oddly his boss had treated Shen Xiu in the past—Li Nuo finally understood.
He now realized why his superior’s attitude toward Shen Xiu had always been so strange.
And at last, it made sense why his boss had, so unusually, taken the time this morning to personally visit the Marketing Department and say what he said.
More importantly, he finally understood what Shen Xiu meant when he looked at him coldly before entering and said, “Is there a problem?”
The underlying meaning was: there was absolutely no problem with him entering without swiping a card.
On the surface, it was a rhetorical question, but in reality, it was a warning—telling him not to speak carelessly!
Li Nuo raised a hand and touched the spot over his heart.
That was close. Thankfully, he hadn’t said anything rash and had stayed another day at K Corp—nice!
[As expected of K Corp, even just the main entrance exudes such luxurious elegance. Of course, I’m not shallow enough to judge a company solely on its environment—the real appeal is the two-day weekends, no overtime, high salary, and excellent benefits. It’s my dream company!]
[Same here! Who hasn’t dreamed during college of working at K Corp after graduation?]
[Why does this Li Nuo keep looking at our Boss Xiu?]
[Uh… did anyone else notice whether Li Nuo actually swiped his card when they went in? I feel like Boss Xiu’s swiping motion looked different from everyone else’s. Or maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me?]
[I think I saw it too, but I’m not sure. I’ll check again when the replay is out.]
As Li Nuo walked inside and met Shen Xiu’s gaze, he instantly straightened his back.
With a smile, he said, “Everyone, the elevators are this way—please follow me!”
Shen Xiu had no intention of repeating the awkward scene from before, so he decisively stood at the back of the group—no way was he walking in front again.
He was so tall that if he stood in front, he’d block everyone’s view—and people wouldn’t be able to avoid looking at him even if they wanted to.
There were four elevators in total, and Shen Xiu wasn’t sure which one Li Nuo intended to lead them to, so he stayed in the back and observed.
As he led everyone toward the elevators, Li Nuo couldn’t help glancing at the innermost one—the one furthest to the left among the four.
He noticed that Shen Xiu didn’t approach the innermost elevator, but instead stood by the one closest to the outside.
“!”
Got it—he was trying to avoid suspicion!
Although K Corp highly valued the arrival of Immortal Path, aside from the marketing department, which was open to visitors, the other departments were still operating as usual, so there were plenty of people using the elevators.
While waiting for the second elevator to come down, Fang Chengxing glanced curiously at the innermost elevator, which was still on the first floor, and asked, “Why aren’t we using that one?”
Li Nuo: “……”
Was this what people meant by “bringing up exactly what you shouldn’t”?
Shen Xiu was curious too and perked up his ears to catch the gossip.
But since Li Nuo had glanced at him several times already, Shen Xiu didn’t dare look directly at him like the others did for fear of drawing more attention—he didn’t want to get caught staring.
Li Nuo saw that everyone except Shen Xiu was staring at him with curious expressions, which only reinforced his suspicions.
With a polite smile, he explained, “Sorry, that elevator is a private one. We normally use these three elevators on this side, and there are four more on the other side.”
Fang Chengxing: “So many elevators!”
Liang Cheng raised a hand to her forehead: “Is that really the point?”
Hearing that, Fang Chengxing laughed awkwardly. “Hahaha, I got off track again.”
Then he couldn’t help turning to the camera and exclaiming, “Guys, did you see that? The legendary private elevator!”
Liang Cheng laughed too. “Can’t believe the stuff they write in novels is actually real, hahaha.”
Fang Chengxing sighed with emotion, “This place will always be my dream.”
Ever since they entered one of the Twin Towers of the K Corp, viewers in front of their screens had been busy—busily taking screenshots of their idols’ breathtaking looks while also trying to take in the interior of K Corp’s headquarters.
[Just looking at this company environment—like something straight out of a rich-people novel—and these high-end, luxurious elevators, my brain has already filled in 1.8 million words of a novel. The protagonist? None other than my precious Xiu-baby, standing in front of the elevator radiating boss energy!]
[I’m currently a sophomore in college—if I start working hard now, do I still have a chance to get into K Corp?!]
[Here, take the pen. If you don’t write this story, I’m crawling through the internet to your house tonight!]
[Is it just me, or does Xiu-baby look completely uninterested in Li Nuo’s explanation? I have a strong suspicion that he already knew exactly what that elevator was for. After all…]
Liang Cheng glanced at Shen Xiu. Seeing his calm expression, and thinking back to the moment she saw him swipe his card while standing behind him, she felt a quiet thrill rising in her chest.
Since entering the building, unlike the rest of them who were looking around curiously and full of amazement, Shen Xiu’s expression hadn’t changed. He seemed so composed, as if he already knew exactly what the place looked like inside.
Just as Shen Xiu was wondering what kind of cryptic conversation everyone was having, he noticed Liang Cheng’s gaze on him.
During filming, he and Liang Cheng had chatted a lot about the script, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with her. He didn’t need to muster any courage to slightly tilt his head and ask:
“What is it?”
Liang Cheng quickly shook her head. “Nothing!”
Even if she had suspicions, since Shen Xiu hadn’t said anything himself, there was no way she could bring it up in front of the cameras.
The elevator arrived. Li Nuo stepped in first and said, “Please, come in.”
“Thank you.”
Everyone thanked him and entered the elevator. Following Qin Mo’s instructions, Li Nuo pressed the button for the 28th floor.
“Where are we going?” Fang Chengxing asked curiously.
“You’ll find out when we get there.” Then, realizing his answer sounded too stiff, Li Nuo quickly added, “It’s supposed to be a surprise—they told me not to spoil it.”
“A surprise? I’m intrigued.” Liang Cheng laughed to smooth things over.
Shen Xiu thought, ‘As long as I don’t get surrounded and stared at like outside, I don’t care where we go.’
From the moment they entered the building until now, he hadn’t seen many people around. Just as he expected—everyone was busy working and didn’t have time to watch them.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened.
The instant they stepped out, applause and the sound of party poppers erupted.
Shen Xiu, hit full-on by the confetti as soon as he exited: “…”
What the hell—doesn’t anyone here have work to do?
