Chapter 2

Chi Jing wandered aimlessly in the city center until it got dark.

He was a free-spirited person—or rather, a free-spirited little succubus.

By human age calculations, he and the original owner were both 22 years old, just the age of a university graduate.

But among succubi, he.had just reached adulthood.

Thinking about this, he slowed his steps and leaned against the railing of the seaside road.

The sea breeze in the City didn’t carry a heavy salty and humid smell. As it blew, Chi Jing’s black hair was softly tousled around his ears, almost blending into the pitch-black night.

He yawned.

He had walked too long and was feeling a bit sleepy.

He took out his phone and, somewhat awkwardly, found the navigation app and set the destination to the nearest subway station.

After studying it for more than ten minutes, he confidently put away his phone.

He knew how to get there!

He lifted his foot to move forward, but a sweet female voice called out from behind.

“Hi, excuse me!”

He stopped again and turned to look at the two girls behind him.

As he turned, the sea breeze lifted the hair on his forehead, fully revealing his stunningly beautiful face.

One of the girls covered her mouth in excitement.

“Are you a celebrity? Can I take a photo with you?”

This request wasn’t excessive. He raised an eyebrow and agreed.

However, he denied the girl’s initial question.

“Not yet.”

Strictly speaking, he wasn’t a celebrity yet.

He didn’t have any works, so calling him a star was an exaggeration.

“But you’re so handsome, even better looking than celebrities!”

The more outgoing girl tugged at her friend’s sleeve, seeking her approval. “Right?”

Her friend nodded vigorously, agreeing with her.

Chi Jing laughed, the tear mole under his eye shifting slightly with his smile.

“Didn’t you want a photo?”

Taking a photo took only a few minutes. The outgoing girl asked a passerby to help them take a photo of the three of them.

After the photo, the girl asked Chi Jing.

“Are you leaving now?”

He checked his phone to review the route to the subway station, nodding absentmindedly.

“Yes, I’m heading to the subway station.”

“Goodbye then.” The girl waved, watching him turn and continue along the seaside road, the smile disappearing from her face.

“Um… it looks like you’re going the wrong way.”

He finally returned to his apartment after over an hour on the subway.

After a day of airing out, the faint smell of alcohol in the apartment had completely dissipated.

He closed the curtains, trying to block out the incessant roadwork noise outside.

But it only made the noise a bit quieter.

That’s all.

Leaning against the bed, his initial drowsiness was almost entirely dispelled by the brain-penetrating noise.

Unable to sleep, he started fiddling with his phone.

He first opened WeChat and found that all the recent chat records had red exclamation marks.

He had been blocked by all his previous friends.

Chi Jing, unfazed, lay back on the bed, resting his arm behind his head.

As he scrolled further down, he found the WeChat contacts of the original owner’s adoptive parents.

Looking at the nauseating conversations and transfer records, he sneered and backed up all the contents.

He would give those records their due value.

After checking WeChat, he browsed Weibo and the most popular short video app.

Weibo was full of discussions about celebrities and trending events. Just as he opened it, he saw a hot topic about the travel variety show Mu Jingshan had mentioned.

#He Xi’er and Zhou Bowen suspected of quitting a popular travel variety show#

The hot topic wasn’t very high, seemingly not causing a widespread discussion.

Perfect for learning about the show Mu Jingshan mentioned he’d be filling in for the two.

【A certain popular travel variety show, you might as well just name it “On the Road with the Spring Breeze”】

【Speaking of which, I have to complain, what kind of taste does the director have to choose such a corny name】

【Hahaha, this show is my go-to entertainment, seven guests with seven hundred tricks】

【Confirmed, He Xi’er posted on Weibo saying she quit the “On the Road with the Spring Breeze” recording due to scheduling conflicts, but I think… she probably couldn’t stand the atmosphere, right? A travel show with the vibe of a palace intrigue】

【Only Lu Tao could make a masterpiece, he never fails to create contentious variety shows, each one with guests tearing each other apart】

【Who could have thought in 4042, the battlefield would be a travel show】

【He’s now all about the controversy, deliberately inviting two actresses with grudges and putting them in the same room, kinda disgusting】

【I also find it disgusting. He Xi’er and Zhou Bowen were probably scared off, but who’s the next victim?】

The next victim, he, fell silent.

Was this variety show really that terrifying?

He couldn’t find any memories of this show, and he was too lazy to watch the full episodes that lasted two hours each, so he looked up summary clips on the short video app.

The first one was about the two actresses with grudges mentioned earlier, Lou Yiwen and Ou’er Bai.

The video started with the blogger gossiping in a mysterious tone about the feud between these two actresses—fighting over resources.

Both entered the public eye around the same time, both with a glamorous, domineering image, often competing for the same resources.

The biggest incident was last year when a movie director posted a photo with Ou Erbai on Weibo, hinting at their upcoming collaboration.

But when the film’s cast was officially announced, the role went to Lou Yiwen.

This director had previously won the Jin Yu Award for Best Director, a highly prestigious award in Asia.

Getting a role in his film, even if just a ten-minute supporting role, was something many actors fought for.

This incident caught the attention of many onlookers, and Lou Yiwen even interacted with the director on Weibo afterward, essentially slapping Ou ‘er Bai in the face publicly.

Fans of both actresses have been at each other’s throats ever since, fighting fiercely.

But a month later, the cosmetic brand Lou Yiwen had been endorsing ended their partnership with her and signed with Ou’er Bai instead.

And it was for the same product!

At this point, Chi Jing couldn’t help but marvel at the drama.

Lou Yiwen and Ou’er Bai hadn’t appeared together in any public event since then. Even when walking the red carpet, organizers would separate them to avoid any confrontation.

Only a director like Lu Tao, known for his controversial approach, would invite both to the same variety show.

He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of deal Lu Tao offered to get both actresses to agree.

He watched other summary clips and found that the rest of the guests were no less dramatic.

There was the older actor Gan Heyu, who prided himself on being a senior and loved bossing around juniors.

Then there were the two rising stars, Shen Yixing and An Boqing, who had just finished filming the same drama and were rumored to be in a romantic relationship, now avoiding each other to manage their fan base.

The ones who quit, He Xi’er and Zhou Bowen, didn’t seem to have any personal grudges.

However, He Xi’er had a persona of rejecting arranged marriages and escaping a conservative wealthy family, while Zhou Bowen was often rumored to be backed by a rich woman.

In short, the entire show was filled with controversial figures.

After understanding all the guests, he realized why Lu Tao approached Longhuang Entertainment.

He accurately identified the buzz around his identity as the false young master because the real young master, Wen Yubai, had just debuted from a talent show a month ago, gaining a massive following.

When Wen Yubai’s true identity was revealed, Chi Jing, the false young master, was trending on social media, receiving a lot of backlash.

If he entered the entertainment industry and participated in the show now, his popularity would explode.

This was why the experienced variety show director Lu Tao chose the newly entered Chi Jing.

But he wasn’t afraid. Although he didn’t know why he came to this world, owning the entire dark palace, he had never been this poor.

Taking this opportunity to develop a career in the entertainment industry was the best choice.

He wanted to make money.

To say the least, he urgently wanted to change his apartment to one where he didn’t have to fall asleep or wake up to the incessant sound of roadwork.

The next day, as expected, he woke up to the sound of drilling.

Lying in bed, he wondered why he had to endure such “torture.”

He was a chronic sufferer of morning difficulties.

Even succubi could be sleepy.

And they could get lost too.

But he wouldn’t admit the latter.

He lay in bed for a long time before getting up. The first thing he did after washing up was to open the fridge and grab a can of cold cola, sitting at the open kitchen bar.

His phone, tucked in his pocket, vibrated twice. He didn’t even look before answering.

It was Mu Jingshan’s voice.

“Chi Jing! Are you awake? Check the video app, you’ve gone viral!!!”

He had just taken his first sip of cola, the sensation of the fizzy drink astonishing the creature from a fantasy world.

Mu Jingshan was still excitedly talking.

“Did you hear me? Did you film a video with someone recently? It was a small vlogger with quite a few followers. She posted the video with you, and it’s already got over fifty thousand likes!”

Chi Jing, engrossed in the cola, took another sip.

So good!

Mu Jingshan: “Chi Jing? Chi Jing???”

“Are you still not awake?”

Chi Jing finally spared a tenth of his attention for Mu Jingshan.

“I heard you. You said I went viral, and then?”

Mu Jingshan: “…”

He placed his phone on the bar. It vibrated twice again, showing two WeChat messages.

The sender was Wen Zhentian.

He was the original owner’s adoptive father and the biological father of the real young master, Wen Yubai. He was also the first person to block him on WeChat.