Chapter 71

At the same time, other contestants were also busy heading to their respective locations for other engagements.

As soon as the performance stage ended, Xiao Ling didn’t even have time to remove his makeup. He rushed back to the dressing room, grabbed his bag, and ran out.

His agent had scheduled a tight timeline for the Xue performance, and there had been some unexpected issues on stage that delayed the show by nearly half an hour. Now, he was rushing to leave, and he was almost about to miss the flight's departure time.

The income from the Xue performance wasn’t high, and his agent basically left him to fend for himself. The ticket had been bought by the event organizers.

If he missed this flight, he would have to pay for the ticket change himself!

Xiao Ling’s expression was anxious. While running towards the filming base, he looked down at the time on his phone and replied to the staff urging him, when suddenly, he heard someone call his name.

"Xiao Ling?"

The voice sounded a bit familiar. Xiao Ling quickly switched to a light jog and turned his head to look in the direction of the voice. When he saw the speaker, his eyes lit up. "Teacher Peng!"

The person who called him was none other than Peng Jingshan, the newly crowned Three Gold Best Actor, invited specially by the production team for this episode.

It was quite ironic—Peng Jingshan’s performances on screen were clearly remarkable, yet in real life, he had the kind of face that was easily forgotten. When he first arrived at the production team, many contestants nearly mistook him for a staff member. Even the production staff and the people he brought with him often had difficulty picking him out of a crowd.

Fortunately, this situation only lasted for the first couple of days. After people got used to his face, there were no more mix-ups.

Some even said that after Peng Jingshan had a little daughter, he became more cheerful, which brought about a change in his appearance, and even his career luck improved.

Looking at the thick stack of scripts in Peng Jingshan’s hand, Xiao Ling thought that this might not just be a baseless rumor.

Seeing Xiao Ling looking anxious, Peng Jingshan kindly spoke up: "Where are you going? If it’s on the way, I can give you a ride."

Peng Jingshan was friendly and took good care of newcomers. He was an easygoing senior. So even though Xiao Ling was in a hurry, he didn’t brush him off. Instead, he apologized and said, "I’m heading to the airport. I have a Xue performance tonight in Jiangcheng..."

"Well, what a coincidence!" Peng Jingshan smiled and immediately opened the door of his van. "I’m also going to the airport, and my destination is Jiangcheng too. Get in, we might even be on the same flight."

Normally, Xiao Ling would definitely refuse.

But today, he was in such a rush that he was really worried about missing the flight. Plus, Peng Jingshan had a good reputation in the industry and wasn’t someone who acted one way in person and another behind your back. After a moment’s hesitation, Xiao Ling nodded in gratitude and got into the car.

On the way, Peng Jingshan asked about his schedule and was surprised to find that they were indeed on the same flight. The only difference was that one was in first class and the other in economy class.

At that point, Xiao Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as it didn’t delay Peng Jingshan’s schedule, everything was fine!

Neither of them was particularly familiar with the other. Peng Jingshan only gave him a lift out of concern for a fellow entertainment industry junior, as his own work was still busy. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they both fell silent.Peng Jingshan turned on the car light and quietly read his script, while Xiao Ling familiarized himself with the process and songs for his performance that evening.

When they arrived at the terminal, the two of them went separate ways.

Xiao Ling barely made it to the boarding gate in the last few minutes, and even after boarding the plane, he still couldn't quite process everything.

Today was just too lucky!

But when he remembered what Ke Xingzhou had said to him the day before, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. After getting on the plane, he remained restless, carefully observing his surroundings, worried that something unexpected might happen.

Meanwhile, in first class.

"You’re on this flight too?" Peng Jingshan looked at the person sitting next to him, a bit surprised.

"Old Peng?" The man beside him also looked surprised. "What a coincidence, did you finish recording your show?"

"Yeah. There's a trial performance tonight in Jiangcheng, and I'm quite interested in this script, so I’m planning to try it out. How about you?"

The man smiled and half-jokingly said, "Me? I’m just like you."

Peng Jingshan paused and turned back to take another look at him.

The man in front of him was Ban Wen, not young anymore, and had debuted around the same time as Peng Jingshan.

However, unlike Peng Jingshan, who had been a "golden supporting actor" for decades, Ban Wen had always been a stunt double and had never appeared on screen with his own face.

While Peng Jingshan had turned his career around and become a three-time Best Actor, Ban Wen was still a stunt double.

Stunt doubles didn’t need to audition, at least not in the same way as the lead actors, and so Peng Jingshan never expected him to be in the same production.

He was surprised and said, "You’re going to audition for the 'Scent' drama too? Well, finally, you’re planning to change paths. Which role are you aiming for this time? Let me know and I’ll give you some advice."

But Ban Wen only smiled. "You’ll know when the time comes. By the way, what’s that on your neck? Since when did you start practicing religion?"

Peng Jingshan knew his old friend had always been proud and picky. In the past, even when Peng Jingshan introduced him to roles, Ban Wen had refused them, preferring to work as a stunt double for a small paycheck.

Thinking Ban Wen’s pride was acting up again, Peng Jingshan didn’t push and changed the subject.

Following Ban Wen’s gaze, he touched the talisman pouch around his neck and smiled. "This? I met a really spiritual master recently, and he gave it to me. You shouldn’t doubt it, it’s really effective!"

While they were talking, some people in nearby seats recognized Peng Jingshan and came over to ask for his autograph. After signing and taking a photo with them, Peng Jingshan watched them leave and then turned back.

"See? It’s effective!"

He had mentioned to Ban Wen before that he often felt overlooked, so there was no need for him to hide his true feelings now. He was genuinely happy.

Seeing this, Ban Wen was indeed intrigued by the talisman pouch and asked, "Can I take a look?"

"That’s not possible." Peng Jingshan quickly tucked the talisman pouch back into his collar like it was a treasure. "The master who gave it to me told me his disciple specifically warned me that I shouldn’t remove it except when bathing or exercising. The audition is coming up soon, and I can’t afford to ruin it."

Ban Wen didn’t press further. He gazed at the spot where the talisman was for a moment before turning his attention elsewhere.

Nothing unexpected happened, and the plane landed safely.

When they arrived at the airport, some fans had spontaneously organized a welcome event, holding light boards with Xiao Ling's name and picture to cheer for him at the arrival terminal.Although the number of people was small, only around a dozen or so, for an artist who had not officially debuted yet, it could be considered quite overwhelming.

The passengers in first class disembarked earlier, and seeing the fans already holding up light boards in anticipation, Peng Jingshan couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental. "The kids today are really serious about idolizing stars. They’re already here to welcome me. I’ve never had this kind of treatment before..."

For artists in the past, being a celebrity was just like any other profession, where you exchanged labor for money.

They never felt much different from ordinary people in their daily lives, and any fans who had too much influence on their lives were often seen as an inconvenience. It wasn’t like now, where almost every business schedule of artists is public, and even their private plans are often tracked down by fans.

Even someone like him, a middle-aged man, sometimes got startled by sudden fans.

Peng Jingshan sighed. Because these unexpected situations were happening more and more frequently, he hadn't gone out with his family in a long time. The last time he visited his wife and child at the hospital, he was almost recognized.

Ban Wen urged him to move quickly, so Peng Jingshan withdrew his gaze. But as he scanned the crowd, he suddenly felt an unfriendly stare.

As an actor, he was more sensitive to gazes and cameras than the average person. He immediately sensed something was wrong and turned his head toward that direction.

When he looked over, he saw a man in black standing outside the railing. His cheeks were gaunt, his eye sockets sunken, and his eyes were bloodshot, giving him a very unhealthy and strange look.

That wasn't the most important thing, though. The key was that when Peng Jingshan looked at the man's face, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had seen him somewhere before.

Where had he seen him?

While he was hesitating, the man's expression suddenly changed. "Come out!"

The people around were startled and turned to look, wondering why the man who was there to pick someone up had such a fiery temper. Then, following the man's gaze, they saw Peng Jingshan.

"Hey, aren’t you... aren’t you that Peng something?"

"Peng Jingshan! It’s him, right? Oh my god, I’m seeing him in real life! I just watched your movie!"

The arrival gate became chaotic for a moment, with many people excitedly rushing forward, wanting to get an autograph or a photo, as it was their first time meeting a celebrity.

The airport security immediately realized something was wrong and rushed over to disperse the crowd, but it was too late.

The man who had shouted earlier pushed off the railing and vaulted over it, charging at Peng Jingshan. A cold glint flashed in his hand—he seemed to be holding a weapon!

How did he get through security?!

Peng Jingshan was startled by the sudden change and instinctively stepped back, but behind him was Ban Wen, and the two middle-aged men ended up stumbling and falling to the ground.

The crowd froze for a moment before screaming erupted.

"Ahhhhh, someone’s going to kill him!"

"Help! Peng Jingshan! The actor who’s filming is still inside!"

"Where are the airport security?!"

Amid the chaos, Peng Jingshan suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck. In the next instant, the man holding the weapon lunged toward him, raising his hand to strike.

Just as the pain in his neck hit, the man's motion froze for a brief moment. Then his weapon—a compass—slammed into the side of Peng Jingshan's head, and the compass needle snapped off!

The man missed his first strike and immediately tried to strangle Peng Jingshan.Fortunately, the airport security finally arrived at this moment. Several people quickly restrained the man who was attacking, while others rushed to call the police and maintain order.

The arrival gate became chaotic because of the incident.

After a while, Peng Jingshan was helped up. "Mr. Peng, are you okay? Did you get hurt? What happened here?"

Peng Jingshan recognized the voice, turned his head, and saw it was Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling, with just a backpack, didn’t need to wait for luggage and had already come out. After finishing up with the organizers, he looked up and saw the scene had gotten chaotic.

He instinctively wanted to approach and check what was going on, but then he recalled what Ke Xingzhou had told him.

Ke Xingzhou told him not to meddle.

The situation over there seemed to be under control, with airport security maintaining order. Xiao Ling had initially planned to stay out of it, but through the gaps in the crowd, he saw a familiar outfit.

He moved closer and realized it was Peng Jingshan!

But...

Looking at Peng Jingshan's unchanged face, Xiao Ling couldn’t shake off the brief moment of unfamiliarity he had felt earlier.

They had already become quite familiar during their time together at the program. He could even recognize Peng Jingshan accurately in a crowd. How come when he had just helped him up, there was a moment when he felt it wasn’t him?

It wasn’t the right moment to ponder this, and just as Xiao Ling was about to speak, someone bumped into him from the side. He could only suppress his doubts.

He did his best to block the crowd for Peng Jingshan, but as he was jostled by the chaos, that strange feeling became even more pronounced—

He was just a minor figure, so being bumped was one thing, but he had clearly heard people in the crowd shouting Peng Jingshan’s name earlier. Now, it seemed like no one remembered Peng Jingshan being here.

There was a loud and messy circle of people around, talking all at once, giving him a headache.

Slightly pushing through, Xiao Ling saw someone in front of him standing on tiptoe, peering inside. "What’s going on? Where is Peng Jingshan?"

The two people in front of him, "..."

Strangely, even though many people around were calling out Peng Jingshan’s name, when these two managed to squeeze out, there was no one else who recognized the man as the award-winning actor Peng Jingshan, who had just appeared at the film festival a few days ago and won his third Golden Award.

Instead, people kept pushing into the crowd.

Peng Jingshan realized what was happening and quickly reached for his neck. Sure enough, the talisman pouch was gone.

Xiao Ling glanced around the crowd, then at Peng Jingshan, whose face was not looking good. He was stunned. "Mr. Peng... What should we do now? Is there a car here to pick you up?"

Peng Jingshan had seen his fair share of big storms, and the situation of losing the talisman pouch was nothing new to him.

Without the talisman pouch, he had been completely forgotten. While it wasn’t easy not to feel sad, he wouldn’t let his emotions affect an innocent child.

He paused for a moment. "Yes, there’s a car. It seems my foot was stepped on. Please help me out first."

Xiao Ling quickly nodded and did as he was told.

He had assumed that a star of Peng Jingshan’s status would have a car waiting at the entrance, but after Peng Jingshan called his assistant, the assistant circled around the arrival gate several times before finally stopping in front of them.

The assistant got out of the car, looked around, and only when Peng Jingshan waved at him while still on the phone, did he finally walk over to them."I'm sorry, Brother Peng. I was a bit dizzy earlier and didn't see you... Hiss, what happened to you?"

Peng Jingshan shook his head. "Ran into a hater, almost had my eyes stabbed."

He had just remembered where he had seen that face before—

As the saying goes, the more famous you are, the more controversies you face. After so many years of being an actor, even though he had always been an unremarkable supporting character, his fan base was still considerable.

Where there were fans, there were also haters. Some of them didn't even know why they harbored such hostility toward him. Every time he released a project, they would viciously criticize him and the work. It was bad enough, but there were even extreme haters who showed up near his home, carrying compasses and lurking at his doorstep, trying to harm his family.

Fortunately, his ability to earn money had always been good. He had made his wife a full-time homemaker early on, so she didn’t need to go out, which had kept the haters from succeeding.

He only discovered this situation later when he checked the surveillance footage.

Of course, he reported it to the police, but since the haters hadn’t caused any direct harm to his family, they were only detained for a few days, received a warning, and fined before being released.

He never expected another attack to happen today.

What Peng Jingshan couldn’t figure out was that today’s schedule had been very last-minute. It was only after Master Ke gave him the talisman that he finally received several promising scripts, and it wasn’t until this morning that he had discussed with his agent which production to audition for.

Even the flight tickets were booked last-minute, yet this hater’s information was so accurate?

With his mind still on his wife, who had just given birth, and his young children, Peng Jingshan’s expression was grim, and he had no intention of saying much more.

The assistant glanced at Xiao Ling, gave an awkward smile, and then went to put the luggage in the trunk.

Xiao Ling: "..."

Xiao Ling watched as the nanny van, which had passed by him several times without hesitation, drove off, and he felt even more strange.

If he remembered correctly, this assistant had been with Peng Jingshan for many years. He should have known Peng Jingshan very well, and at the very least, should have been able to recognize him by his back.

So why did it feel like they didn’t know each other well at all?

But this question only lingered in his mind for a moment before being overshadowed by other matters.

He glanced at his phone, his expression immediately changing as he hurriedly said goodbye. "Mr. Peng, sorry, I have another appointment to get to. They’ve been calling me several times. If you don’t need anything, I’ll leave now?"

Peng Jingshan glanced at his screen. Although he couldn’t see the exact contents, just looking at the numerous exclamation marks almost poking through the screen, he knew something was wrong.

He had a good impression of this young man, so seeing his concern, he couldn’t help but speak up: "Where are you going? Do you want me to give you a ride?"

"No, no, no need!" Xiao Ling quickly waved his hand. "It’s already been a hassle for you with the flight earlier, Mr. Peng. The organizers have sent someone to pick me up. I’ll go there by myself!"

Peng Jingshan still had a lot to deal with on his side, so since he didn’t want to insist, he simply nodded.

As Xiao Ling was about to leave, Peng Jingshan thought for a moment and called him back. "Let’s exchange WeChat. I’ll be in Jiangcheng for the next few days. If you need anything, feel free to reach out to me."

Xiao Ling was flattered.

Having the contact information of a three-time Golden Award-winning actor was undoubtedly a rare treasure. This time, he didn’t refuse and quickly showed his friend code when Peng Jingshan brought up the QR code scanner.

"Thank you!"He bowed deeply and happily ran off.

Peng Jingshan: "..."

This kid is surprisingly easy to please.

Peng Jingshan helped Xiao Ling, not just because of the words Xiao Ling said in yesterday's live stream, which had touched him deeply, but he hadn’t expected to meet him again. After no one recognized him, Xiao Ling still immediately rushed over to help him up.

The situation just now was quite dangerous. Everyone wanted to go in to help, but the more they tried, the worse it got.

His foot had been fine at first, but after the crowd got chaotic, it got stepped on by someone, which was why it turned into the mess it was now.

The pain in his ankle was sharp, and Peng Jingshan gasped. He had his assistant take him to the hospital to treat the injury.

Fortunately, it was just a sprain, and after some rest, it would be fine.

While waiting for his assistant to get the medicine, Peng Jingshan opened his phone and scrolled through social media. He immediately saw his name at the top.

#Three-Time Golden Award Winner Peng Jingshan Attacked by Haters, Taken Away by Ambulance#

Peng Jingshan: "…?"

Below that was a photo of an unclear man being carried onto an ambulance on a stretcher.

The comment section had already been overtaken. Everyone was criticizing Peng Jingshan for wasting medical resources, saying that he clearly wasn’t injured and that his hand was just a little red.

There were also netizens who claimed to have seen the whole event, saying that Peng Jingshan was protected by airport security early on, and that the most he did was trip when first attacked. It didn’t even require a stretcher.

Netizens who were already unhappy about celebrities using public resources for minor injuries exploded, with disappointed comments flooding in. Some fans even said they would unfollow him.

Peng Jingshan: "???"

Wait, he was just sitting here perfectly fine, how did this fall on him?

He was both speechless and angry. He clearly came to the hospital by himself, and yet some unscrupulous media outlet used someone else's photo to replace his, fabricating this scandalous trending topic!

This trending topic, from the title to the content, was pure slander. Did they really think that because he was older, he wouldn’t get angry?

At Peng Jingshan's level, he controlled his own accounts. He immediately took a picture of his medical record and posted it online, highlighting the time and location of his treatment. He also clarified that the person in the photo wasn’t him and stated that he would be suing the irresponsible media.

Who would have thought that shortly after his clarification, the person on the stretcher was identified by netizens.

It really wasn’t Peng Jingshan, but Ban Wen, who had come out from the arrival gate with Peng Jingshan earlier.

A stunt double, normally someone who would have been at a disadvantage in such news, considering Ban Wen had very few fans—less than even some rookie idols—would usually get attacked by angry netizens.

But amazingly, after Ban Wen confirmed that the photo was of him, the comment section’s attitude changed drastically.

From initially criticizing the celebrity for wasting resources over a minor injury, people began commenting on how good Ban Wen’s physique was for his age, and how he was the stunt double for a certain role. No wonder those fight scenes were so professional, even more fitting than the original actor.

Normally, these kinds of comments would be dismissed as paid comments, but for some unknown reason, Ban Wen didn’t face much pushback, and people seriously analyzed his acting experience and martial arts background. Some even called on the director to kick out those slow-motion actors and let Ban Wen play the lead.

Peng Jingshan stared dumbfounded at the shift in the comments section, feeling a strong sense of incongruity.These people definitely aren't paid commenters.

Having known Ban Wen for so many years, Peng Jingshan was aware of Ban Wen’s financial situation. If Ban Wen truly had the resources to control public opinion so perfectly, he wouldn’t still be working as a stunt double at nearly fifty years old.

But even with all his years in the entertainment industry, Peng Jingshan had never seen such a harmonious comment section.

Not everyone likes money. The more popular a topic is, the more intense the arguments in the comments tend to get, with fans and haters clashing, which has become an unwritten rule in the entertainment industry.

But this rule seemed to have no effect on Ban Wen?

A guess started to form in Peng Jingshan's mind, but before he could think it through, the production team of Fragrance sent him a message.

—Ban Wen also plans to join the male lead audition.

Peng Jingshan froze.

The director seemed to feel a bit awkward.

【Originally, I didn’t plan on using him. You know, in a movie, it’s fine to use pure newcomers, but he’s a stunt double. He can't bring in the box office or create a buzz. What would we use him for? But as you saw, once his trending topic blew up, his fans increased rapidly. Some even say he's younger than you and more suited for the role.】

【The investors want me to consider it. I have to follow their wishes. But don’t worry, I definitely prefer you.】

After all, he was a three-time Golden Award winner, fresh off his recent win. Just his audience appeal was not something a stunt double could compete with.

Peng Jingshan responded with some polite words to the director but felt uneasy inside.

Would it really go as smoothly as the director said?

Reflecting on his experiences from the flight until now, Peng Jingshan's gaze fell on his sprained ankle, recalling the scene from earlier.

Almost everyone rushed towards Ban Wen, and no one noticed him, who had also fallen to the ground.

The injury was caused by a passerby who had first recognized him and stepped on him.

That step almost landed on his calf. If he hadn’t stuck to his fitness routine and practiced martial arts, and if his reflexes hadn’t been quick enough, it would have been much worse than just a sprained ankle.

Then, looking at the trending topic incident, with all the slander about him “occupying public resources,” the background of those comments had not changed at all. It was as if everyone had suddenly forgotten about him. Not even a single person had come forward to apologize after realizing their mistake.

The heat of the entire incident never shifted onto him. All the benefits were taken by Ban Wen.

Especially the director’s words:

【Some people say he’s younger than you and more suited for the role.】

They're both smart people. If the director didn’t somewhat agree with this statement, why would he bring it up?

Clearly, when they first contacted him, the director had said the role was tailor-made for him. But now, the role was also perfect for Ban Wen?

Their career paths were completely different!

Recalling all of this, Peng Jingshan suddenly felt a chill.

His fingers started trembling, and after several attempts, he finally managed to open the conversation with Daoist Master Jiulong.The two scammers from Jiulong Temple hadn’t been reported yet, and Ke Xingzhou didn’t remember to mention it to Peng Jingshan. Peng Jingshan still thought the two Taoist priests from Jiulong Temple hadn’t contacted him and were helping him find the culprit behind the "face-swapping" incident.

When the message was sent, it was met with only a red exclamation mark.

【You are not yet friends with the other party. Please first pass the friend verification to add them as a friend.】

Peng Jingshan: "……"

Suddenly, Peng Jingshan felt an indescribable fear—earlier, the Taoist priest from Jiulong Temple had mentioned that the effects of the "face-swapping" dark magic would only become more profound. As long as he was carrying the talisman from Xiaoyao Temple, he was fine. But if the culprit succeeded again, he feared his entire life might be taken away from him!

He panicked immediately, not caring about anything else, and hurriedly called Ke Xingzhou.

When the calm, clear voice sounded, he almost cried out loud: "Master Ke, help! I think I've been face-swapped again!"

Ke Xingzhou paused for a moment.

He didn’t seem surprised by Peng Jingshan's experience, only asking, "What happened?"

His calm voice did a good job of soothing Peng Jingshan’s anxious heart. Peng Jingshan sniffled deeply and began recounting everything in detail.

By the end, he was crying uncontrollably: "…The scariest part is, even the two Taoist priests from Jiulong Temple don’t recognize me anymore! I just sent them a message, and they actually deleted me! I suspect they’ve also been affected by that dark magic!"

He then whispered, "Master Ke, I’m so glad you still remember me!"

Finally, he wouldn’t be completely invisible in this world!

On Ke Xingzhou’s side, Xie An and the others, upon hearing about the dangerous situation Peng Jingshan had been through, especially how even the Taoists from Jiulong Temple were affected, immediately grew anxious.

Xie An spoke worriedly, "This dark magic is so outrageous, it even affects Taoist priests? This is terrifying!"

An Heguang and Ke Yuanbai also heard about Peng Jingshan’s experience for the first time. They couldn’t help but think about how they would react if they were in his shoes. They would probably be just as panicked.

For a moment, they all felt nervous for Peng Jingshan.

Then, Nie Chen’s flat voice came from the side: "Let’s not talk about the trending topics and black fans attacking for now. You being deleted by the Jiulong Temple Taoists isn’t because of this."

Peng Jingshan’s crying stopped, and Xie An and the others looked over in surprise: "Huh?"

Nie Chen scanned the group and couldn’t help but wonder what kind of people Ke Xingzhou’s followers really were.

He paused for a moment: "…Jiulong Temple is an evil place. The two people involved were just arrested a few days ago."

Everyone: "……"

Peng Jingshan: "…………"

He exclaimed, pausing for a while before speaking in a daze: "Then… why didn’t anyone inform me?"

This time, it was Ke Xingzhou’s turn to be silent.

He paused briefly: "…I forgot."

Everyone: "…………"The matter of the illegal and disorganized cult being arrested can be set aside for now. The other things Peng Jingshan encountered were clearly still due to the face-swapping incident.

Ke Xingzhou asked Peng Jingshan to switch to a video call. As soon as the camera turned on, Xie An and the others noticed something odd—

"Wow, I really can't recognize you at all!"

"This looks like an invisibility technique," An Heguang stroked his chin. "If even my parents can't recognize me, doesn't that mean I could go out for barbecue anytime, without getting scolded by my parents or caught by my manager?"

The others: "……"

A fine rich second-generation, and this is the level of success?

Ke Xingzhou paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over An Heguang, "This dark magic is similar to a trick of misdirection, it just makes people subconsciously ignore your presence, not actually erase you from the world. As long as your parents want to scold you, they can still see you."

Peng Jingshan being overlooked is mostly because others don’t expect him to be in those places.

For example, Xiao Ling wasn’t affected much; he still recognized Peng Jingshan through some familiar traits.

An Heguang: "…Oh."

The light in this hopeless rich second-generation’s eyes that had just sparked because of barbecue, instantly extinguished.

Ke Yuanbai, sitting at the back, looked at Ke Xingzhou thoughtfully, his expression suddenly a bit odd.

Just like misdirection…

This time, they were still in Nie Chen’s car. However, as soon as Ke Yuanbai got in, he said he was a bit tired and pulled An Heguang to sit in the back seat first. Ke Xingzhou and Nie Chen were left to sit in the middle row, separated by two seats.

Ke Yuanbai couldn’t help but glance at Nie Chen, but the next moment, his gaze met Nie Chen’s emotionless eyes.

Nie Chen's expression was calm, as if he wasn’t worried about being caught in the act. After a brief stalemate, Ke Yuanbai realized that he seemed to have no position to pursue the truth.

After a moment of silence, he finally gave up and turned his gaze away in defeat.

Ke Xingzhou hadn’t noticed the odd interaction between Ke Yuanbai and Nie Chen. His gaze lingered on Peng Jingshan’s face for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly: "The two fake Taoists from Jiulong Temple were right. The extent of the dark magic’s influence on you has indeed deepened."

Peng Jingshan was so scared he almost wet himself, his bladder trembling violently: "How could this happen! Master, c-can I still be saved?"

Sigh, if he’d known earlier, he would have bought more talismans and kept them on hand!

All these years of relying on his wife, and his own planning abilities had regressed so much that he couldn’t even prepare for this!

At this moment, Peng Jingshan couldn’t help but miss his wife more and more. But thinking that if his life were really replaced, his wife and kids might never see him again, he couldn’t help but feel even sadder, almost crying his eyes out.

Ke Xingzhou was in awe of this middle-aged man’s ability to cry anytime, anywhere. He paused before speaking: "You must have already suspected someone in your heart when you came to find me, right?"

Peng Jingshan stopped crying for a moment, hesitating before nodding, looking extremely frustrated: "It’s probably that old friend of mine."

He was just getting old; it’s not that his mind had deteriorated.

After meeting Ban Wen today, so many things happened in one go, even if it was a coincidence, it couldn’t possibly happen this frequently!The situation had developed to this point, and he had already suspected it before making the call; he just couldn't believe that a friend and classmate of decades would go this far to harm him.

He wiped away his tears: "He must still have feelings for me, right? I thought about it carefully, when the black fan rushed up, there was a brief hesitation, otherwise, when I had just fallen, I wouldn't have been able to dodge in time..."

As an actor, even though he's a middle-aged man, his appearance is still a very important asset.

If he had truly been disfigured in that attack, it would have been the most devastating blow to his career.

After all, they had been friends for years, and Peng Jingshan couldn't help but make excuses for his old friend. After all, he'd been playing supporting roles for so many years, inevitably harboring some resentment. Not to mention, Ban Wen, who worked as a body double?

Sometimes, Ban Wen’s name didn’t even appear on the credits!

He knew what it felt like to be underappreciated, and faced with an old friend who was in a similar, if not worse, situation, he couldn't directly conclude that the other person really wanted to see him destroyed.

Peng Jingshan's mind was in turmoil as he looked at Ke Xingzhou with hope, hoping to hear the answer he wanted.

But in the end, Ke Xingzhou only looked at him with pity: "His hesitation is indeed related to Ban Wen tearing off your talisman. But... the person who attacked you probably just couldn’t recognize whether you were Peng Jingshan and was afraid of harming the wrong person."

Peng Jingshan: "......"

The smile on Peng Jingshan’s face disappeared in an instant.

"When he tore off your talisman at that moment, he likely wanted you to die quietly," Ke Xingzhou paused, "just like countless other body doubles."

Peng Jingshan: "............"

The car fell into a heavy silence, and everyone’s feelings were very complicated.

Decades-long good friends had turned into enemies, and the trap had already been set by Ban Wen without Peng Jingshan even realizing it. Ban Wen had been waiting for him to step into it and become someone even more of a failure than himself.

Even just a second ago, they had been joking, and the next second, he could push Peng Jingshan straight into the hands of extreme black fans without hesitation!

They could relate to Peng Jingshan's dazed expression, but there was nothing they could do.

With such dark magic, even the police wouldn't be able to gather evidence to arrest anyone, right?

They exchanged glances, contemplating what they would do if they were in this situation, when suddenly, a cold laugh came from the video call.

Everyone looked up, and saw that Peng Jingshan no longer had that naive, sweet look on his face.

He wiped his face: "Master, tell me honestly, that black fan isn’t really a black fan, is it? It's that bastard Ban Wen who hired an accomplice, right!?"

Ke Xingzhou nodded: "Yes."

Sure enough!

"I knew it! If it were really a black fan, how could they not even recognize me!" Peng Jingshan's expression turned cold and fierce, "That bastard! Back in university, he couldn’t even afford to eat and had to scrounge off my leftovers. Later, he barely survived in Beijing by eating the food my wife made, and now he wants to harm me and my wife! If I don’t teach him a lesson, he’ll really think he can get away with this!"

His current momentum was completely different from before, leaving everyone in the car dumbfounded.

Xie An blinked and took a moment to think.

Could he also pursue acting as a career?

The child’s thoughts drifted off, while Peng Jingshan, realizing that his sudden change had startled everyone, quickly composed himself.He solemnly bowed to Ke Xingzhou, "Master, you don’t need to trouble yourself with this. I have my own way of dealing with him."

Saying that, he proudly and valiantly began to march off to fight.

Just as he had walked out of the frame, he suddenly turned back, "Master! Could you send a runner across the city to bring me a talisman? I’m scared!!"

Ke Xingzhou: "……"

Everyone: "……"

Xie An seemed to no longer be so eager to pursue acting.