The incident had sparked numerous posts on gossip forums. At the time, Xia Xianning had said Xia Zheng was behind it.
Luo Yingbai had thought he was crazy then, but now saw the person was quite capable. He said, “He wouldn’t happen to be a fortune-teller too, able to guess our situation so accurately… No, wait. If he could really predict the future, he wouldn’t be unaware of my identity, right?
Xia Xianning didn’t speak. Luo Yingbai ate a couple of bites and looked up at him strangely, only to see Xia Xianning was smiling.
Luo Yingbai: “?”
Xia Xianning shook his head and said: “You’re the silly one. You haven’t been to my home for a long time, but there are still your photos in my room. I sometimes take them out to look at. He occasionally returns to the old mansion and has seen them several times.”
Luo Yingbai was stunned, and couldn’t help but smile. He stood up and patted Xia Xianning’s head: “Alright, let’s go home. Now you can look at my face.”
Now all the events were connected. On the surface, the case seemed to have been basically sorted out – the screenwriter Gai Xiao fell in love with the virtual character Yue Huan during the character creation process and made an amulet trying to resurrect Yue Huan.
Originally, an amulet’s power wouldn’t reach this extent, but by chance, fragments of the Ghost Emperor’s soul were mixed into the production materials, giving birth to Yue Huan, an evil spirit with self-awareness. He was created by Gai Xiao, carrying Gai Xiao’s regret and hatred towards Zhou Junyi, with the ultimate goal of killing Zhou Junyi.
But to kill Zhou Junyi, Yue Huan needed sufficient power and the best opportunity. For this reason, he chose to play his own actor and select the best performer.
Now that the part in the drama was completed, the only remaining opportunity was the variety show that Zhou Junyi mentioned.
Soon, the “Superstar Face-to-Face” program hosted by Strawberry TV invited some main actors from “Goose Tooth Little Red Bridge” as guests and began formal recording.
Besides the crew members, Luo Yingbai, as a special invited guest, also participated in this program. The special investigation team members were scattered in the audience, secretly cooperating with him to capture Yue Huan.
When stars enter, they are often immediately surrounded by camera shutters. However, when it came to Xia Xianning and Luo Yingbai, the two openly entered through the main entrance, and the surrounding noise surprisingly quieted down.
Reporters fell silent, with bodyguards clearing the path. Due to the lingering majesty of Luo Xiao’s previous warning, reporters were extremely cautious about taking photos, let alone approaching to ask questions like before.
Luo Yingbai wore a black suit, which he rarely dressed so formally. Standing in the light with a smile, he unexpectedly had an extraordinary demeanor, appearing even more elegant and refined.
A reporter couldn’t resist and pressed the camera shutter, thinking her movement was discreet. Unexpectedly, in such a noisy environment, Luo Yingbai seemed to accurately capture her position and looked directly at her.
The reporter was startled but found Luo Yingbai was just nodding and smiling at her, composed and without further reaction. Then Xia Xianning walked over, put his arm around his shoulder, and they walked in together.
Xia Xianning was imposing. When he appeared, the entire venue paused momentarily, followed by distant fan screams. Everyone was excited that after all truths were clarified, these good brothers could finally appear in public without reservations.
At this moment, the night was like water, with a bright moon hanging in the sky. On the Xie Fang Terrace within the imperial palace, several tables and couches were arranged in the open air, with each dining table able to seat two people. The atmosphere was more like a friendly gathering than a negotiation between two countries.
The program’s costumes and props were exquisite. Following the director’s signal, the actors began their performance.
Luo Yingbai, playing Yue Huan, sat alone in the main seat, drinking by himself, appearing extremely arrogant.
After three rounds of drinks, Zhou Junyi, playing Qi Changfeng, said, “Our Wei Kingdom has come with sincerity, and all terms have been listed. I wonder what the Jin Prince thinks about this peace negotiation?”
Yue Huan narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing at him with undisguised contempt. He played with the wine cup in his hand and smiled faintly, “The Wei Crown Prince’s words are truly interesting. Sincerity is not something you can claim exists. If you ask me, peace is impossible, but a marriage alliance might be considered.”
Zhou Junyi paused momentarily.
Fortunately, Luo Yingbai had given a heads-up before shooting this scene, and both he and the director knew a bit of the inside story. Zhou Junyi was experienced and quick to respond, promptly saying, “State affairs should not be influenced by personal feelings. The Jin Prince’s words are biased.”
“
Yue Huan did not appear this time, apparently having improved his level after the previous stimulation.
Luo Yingbai continued to annoy him with out-of-character behavior, laughing and saying, “Right, I almost forgot the Crown Prince is already married. How about this – if your country truly has such sincerity, have your wife perform a dance as proof. What does the Crown Prince think?”
Luo Yingbai clapped lightly, and two maids came forward to replace the dining table with a qin rack. He casually plucked a string to tune, and the high-quality ancient qin produced a melodious tune.
Allowing no room for objection, he raised his chin at Wen Qianqian and said, “I will personally accompany the Crown Prince’s wife. Please.”
Wen Qianqian: “…”
The program’s director did not call cut, and the recording staff continued, though many were puzzled by Zhou Junyi and Luo Yingbai’s deviation.
Since the current location was an outdoor shoot, many fans were also peeking from the outside, using telescopes to look in. They dared not make too much noise to avoid disrupting the shoot, only whispering their thoughts to each other.
Seven-stringed Zither, divided into seven strings of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, civil, and martial, with the martial string’s tone focusing on Minor Shang, added by King Wu of Zhou, having the strongest offensive power. When Luo Yingbai plucked the strings, he slightly used a trace of spiritual power, and the murderous aura instantly surged out, directly pressing towards Yue Huan, forcing him to reveal his true form!
Yue Huan was forced back a few steps by Luo Yingbai, with annoyance showing between his eyebrows. The second string belongs to metal and is called Ruler, matching Yue Huan’s identity in the play. The sixth string represents Lesser Palace, named Literature, soft and lingering. Luo Yingbai then simultaneously plucked the second and sixth strings, with a heavy and intense tone, temporarily preventing Yue Huan from escaping and buying a moment of time.
Xia Xianning knew time was tight and couldn’t let Luo Yingbai handle this alone.
He made a gesture to ensure the safety of ordinary people, then grabbed the nearby director and quickly asked, “Are there any spare costumes? Please help me find one, something loose that I can quickly put on!”
The program’s director, unsure of what was happening, was infected by his urgency and quickly grabbed a nearby outfit, handing it to Xia Xianning: “This costume is big, you can wear it over your clothes. It’s a court musician’s outfit. Ah, Director Xia should know, it’s for Xu Jinfeng.”
Xia Xianning: “…”
