Chapter 9

Ke Xingzhou was woken up by a hurried knock on the door.

Opening the door, he saw Xie An, panting and holding up his phone. "I knew you were still here! The production team just notified me, someone from above is coming for an inspection, and everyone has to gather in the training room for the first episode recording!"

Ke Xingzhou's body was awake, but his mind was still foggy. He stared at Xie An, a bit disoriented, unable to process where he was.

However, Xie An didn't give him any time to wake up. He grabbed him and started pulling him out. "Come on! Everyone else is already there, and we’re the last two in the whole building! If we don’t hurry, we’ll be live-streamed!"

But despite the pull, Xie An didn’t manage to drag Ke Xingzhou, and instead, he staggered a few steps and almost got knocked over by Ke Xingzhou.

Xie An was stunned, staring at Ke Xingzhou’s thin frame, then looking down at his own muscles, which he had worked so hard to build.

"..." He had never suffered such a blow before.

Standing outside, the cold wind snapped Ke Xingzhou out of his daze. He glanced at Xie An, went back to his bed, tucked the little kitten into his pocket, and grabbed a box of milk.

"Let's go." He tilted his chin up and walked leisurely. "Why the sudden inspection?"

Maybe affected by his nonchalant attitude, Xie An subconsciously slowed down and shook his head. "I don’t know the details, I just heard it’s someone from the organizers who notified us last minute."

"Someone from the organizers?" Ke Xingzhou raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Hadn’t the organizers already come when things went wrong earlier?

He instinctively felt that something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint it. He started calculating in his head, but it felt like there was a fog over the situation, impossible to see through or understand clearly.

This familiar feeling made his heart skip a beat.

As Lu Li had said, while his virtues were shockingly low, Ke Xingzhou's talent in metaphysics was remarkably high. Both the Taoist Academy and his master had said that they had never encountered anyone with such high talent.

Whenever he wished, he could clearly see the fate of everyone around him, except for two people.

One was himself, and the other...

Nie Chen.

The sudden thought of this name made Ke Xingzhou freeze for a moment, but he quickly shook his head and pushed the vague figure out of his mind.

Impossible. The Nie family would never stoop to get involved in the entertainment industry.

Xie An had no idea what Ke Xingzhou was thinking. Hearing the gathering bell, he snapped out of his daze and grabbed Ke Xingzhou, rushing toward the meeting point.

They were indeed the last ones to arrive. In the practice room, the other contestants had already gathered. When the two of them appeared together, all eyes turned to them.

Many people’s gazes were focused on the spot where Xie An was holding onto Ke Xingzhou's wrist.Xie An's company sent more than three contestants, and seeing the situation, they all gathered around, subtly separating the two of them.

One of them, a guy with silver-gray hair and wearing a black headband, furrowed his brows in displeasure. "Why did you bring him along?"

This person was An He Guang, also a second-generation rich kid, and the son of the boss of the entertainment company Xie An worked for. In terms of wealth, his family was far more powerful than Xie An's.

An He Guang was known for his strong dislike of injustice, and he was generous and well-liked within the company. On this show, he was surrounded by a group of friends.

He and Xie An were roommates, and it was An He Guang who had called Xie An earlier to wake him up.

But he didn’t expect Xie An to bring Ke Xingzhou along.

An He Guang’s gaze fell on Ke Xingzhou, his eyes flashing with obvious disdain.

The kind of person he hated the most was someone who took advantage of others without any guilt.

Xie An stammered for a moment, then remembered how he had previously pretended to bully Ke Xingzhou.

Honestly, he still wasn’t sure if the rumors online were true, but Ke Xingzhou had helped him and his family escape a disaster. After spending time together, he felt that Ke Xingzhou wasn’t as dark as the online stories claimed, and he leaned towards believing that Ke Xingzhou was wronged.

He thought An He Guang was misunderstanding Ke Xingzhou because of the online rumors and tried to say something to ease the tension between them.

However, An He Guang didn’t want to hear any explanation. He waved his hand dismissively. "I know you’re a soft-hearted person, but don’t make decisions for others. Hanging out with people like him—are you afraid that your debut will be too easy?"

After glancing at Ke Xingzhou with an annoyed and contemptuous look, he added, "This kind of kid who likes to latch onto others and suck them dry—if he sticks to you, you won’t be able to shake him off."

The other contestants around them sneered and looked Ke Xingzhou up and down with malicious eyes.

Ke Xingzhou, however, simply raised his head, glanced at the spot between An He Guang’s eyebrows, then checked the time. He spoke in a calm voice: "Don’t talk about dreams in the morning, and don’t talk about ghosts and gods at night. Your luck is already weak, and now you’ve offended the ghosts and gods. If you’re not careful tonight, there will be trouble."

An He Guang initially didn’t want to bother with him, but when Ke Xingzhou dared to provoke him from a few meters away, he became enraged and laughed in disbelief.

He couldn’t be bothered to deal with someone like Ke Xingzhou, but before leaving, he turned around with a half-smile and asked Xie An, "Don’t tell me you’re speaking up for him because you’ve been tricked by his nonsense?"

Xie An: "…"

How could he explain that Ke Xingzhou really could predict the future?

Before he could respond, the production staff signaled for everyone to be quiet.

The live broadcast had begun.

The class assessment was canceled. The few contestants with higher ranking from the audition would take the debut positions and were the first to be taken for makeup. The others who weren’t called would continue waiting here, free to do whatever they liked.

An He Guang followed the staff out, and as he walked, he became increasingly frustrated. He suddenly turned around and shot Ke Xingzhou a glare, then jumped a few times in frustration.

Just as he was about to mock Ke Xingzhou for being a fraud and not even saying something reliable, the next second, he slipped and lost his balance, crashing down with a thundering fall right in front of the live camera.

Everyone: "…"

The barrage: 【…】

The staff nearby was startled and immediately dropped the mop, rushing over with apologies. "Sorry! I didn’t hold the cup steady and spilled water on the floor, but I hadn’t had the chance to clean it up. Are you okay?!"

An He Guang: "…"The lackeys: "…"

They had been following An He Guang closely, not willing to miss any opportunity to gain favor, but at this moment, they all suddenly shuddered and took a big step back.

An He Guang's surroundings immediately cleared up, and more people saw his embarrassed fall as he slipped.

An He Guang: "…"

Amid the varying gazes from the crowd, An He Guang stood up with a dark expression on his face. Supported by the staff, he limped away.

He moved quickly, as if the faster he went, the sooner he could escape this embarrassing moment.

However, things didn't go as planned. The barrage was quiet for only a moment before it exploded:

【I just opened the live stream, and what did I see? That fake young master is up to his tricks again, even An He Guang was harmed by him!】

【I said it! Ke Xingzhou is a jinx, right? The Ke family’s business was struggling, and maybe it’s all because of him! As soon as they kicked him out and brought back the biological son, their sales skyrocketed!】

【Ke Xingzhou should just leave the entertainment industry! Even if I were a fan of a pig, I wouldn’t be a fan of him! Can the production team have some sense?】

The barrage was filled with insults. Every time the camera showed Ke Xingzhou, the screen was flooded with curses. Others were afraid of being associated with him and becoming involved, so they all instinctively avoided him.

Ke Xingzhou was completely at ease.

He wasn’t here for the show in the first place, and he couldn’t sing or dance, so he simply relaxed and slacked off.

During the break, he casually went to the bathroom to feed the kitten.

With a peace talisman under the sink, Ke Xingzhou placed the kitten on the countertop, took a syringe with 5ml of formula milk, warmed it in his palm, and carefully brought it to the kitten’s mouth.

The little thing probably knew he was saving it. Without even opening its eyes, it instinctively latched onto the syringe and began drinking the milk eagerly.

Lu Li floated nearby, clicking his tongue in amusement: "Some people, young as they are, become dads, yet still don't have a partner."

Ke Xingzhou glanced at him through the mirror, his gaze lingering on his messy hair for a moment, and then he spoke nonchalantly: "Same here. After all, some ghosts live their whole lives without a partner, and no hair either."

Lu Li sneered, holding his life book proudly: "What do you mean, no partner? Have you ever heard of the most perfect language in the world—PHP? I’m willing to always be her servant!"

Ke Xingzhou: "Oh, does PHP mind that you don’t have hair?"

"…" Lu Li was filled with anger but couldn’t find any retort. He just gritted his teeth: "Ke Xingzhou! You’ve got guts!"

Ke Xingzhou calmly held up the kitten: "Yes, I have a child."

Lu Li: "…"

Unable to argue with this scoundrel, Lu Li huffed angrily and floated away.

Ke Xingzhou smiled victoriously.

But that smile didn’t last long. Suddenly, the sound of many footsteps approached, followed by the staff of the production team greeting with respect: "Mr. Nie."

"Hello, Mr. Nie."Mr. Nie?

Ke Xingzhou froze for a moment.

Although Beijing is a place where many prominent families gather, the Nie surname is quite rare. The only people who could command such respect are probably from the top-tier, prestigious Nie family.

The Nie family had undergone major changes a few years ago. The middle generation had nearly died out, leaving only the old master, Nie, and Nie Chen...

In the entertainment industry, the old master would never get involved.

Thinking of this, Ke Xingzhou's back stiffened, and his scalp gradually tingled.

Could it be Nie Chen?

The name Nie Chen had been tied to nearly all of Ke Xingzhou’s childhood after leaving the Ke family. Even now, three years later, thinking about it still caused a heavy shock in his heart, and he couldn’t let go.

He instinctively wanted to run, but it was already too late.

The footsteps quickly drew near, and before long, they stopped at the bathroom door.

It felt as if a tangible gaze fell on his back.

Along with it, the golden light of virtue surged in his peripheral vision, easily reflecting into Ke Xingzhou’s eyes through the tiles.

Ke Xingzhou completely froze.

The reason he had been unable to see Nie Chen’s fate before was because he was surrounded by an excessively dense golden light of virtue, which blocked any attempts to peer into his destiny.

If he had any shred of hope earlier, it was completely shattered now.

The person behind him was definitely Nie Chen.

How could he be here?!

Ke Xingzhou's mind was in chaos. After a long while, he remembered that someone had mentioned the production company behind this variety show had a very strong background, with unprecedented financial power, and there was no possibility of any shady dealings.

Not many people could achieve all of this. It was only because he had been busy feeding the kitten, his entire focus on the frail little thing that could die at any moment, that he had forgotten to check the show’s background—he hadn’t even thought to investigate.

And now, unexpectedly, he had been cornered by Nie Chen in the bathroom.

Countless thoughts flashed through Ke Xingzhou's mind in an instant. He wished he could headbutt Nie Chen and end this awkward situation.

But in the end, he just stood frozen, not moving.

The staff from the production team, seeing him still standing there, couldn’t help but remind him, "This contestant, we are about to begin recording the first episode. Why are you standing here without getting your makeup done?"

Ke Xingzhou: "…"

There was no way to avoid it. He could only take a deep breath and slowly straighten his back.

Through the mirror, he saw the person he hadn’t seen in years standing behind him.

Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, sharp features, and a height of 190 cm. With his exceptionally good looks, Nie Chen stood out among a crowd of ordinary people, making it impossible not to notice him immediately.

Even though Ke Xingzhou had never seen him in a haute couture suit, his gray-green eyes, inherited from his grandmother, his chestnut-colored hair, and the distant, unapproachable aura around him—all of it was so familiar that it made Ke Xingzhou’s heart race, and he couldn’t help but shiver.Nie Chen's gaze was firmly locked on him.

Ke Xingzhou immediately felt as if he were sitting on needles.