Chapter 12

Chi Jing hastily sat up, touching his head again in disbelief. This time, he controlled his strength, so the reaction wasn’t as intense as before. The familiar feel confirmed it: it was indeed his small demon horns.

“Hiss.” He touched his newly sprouted demon horns, suddenly remembering something. He threw down his phone and ran to the full-length mirror in the corner of the room, turning his back to it.

The wings and tail that should accompany the demon horns were absent, and even these small horns were in their infancy. 

“What’s going on?” Facing the mirror, he saw the small black horns clearly visible, hidden among his hair.

He had always thought he had inexplicably come to this world. Perhaps the original owner had used some secret method, or an enemy of his long-vanished parents had cast some curse on him. No matter the guess, he had always concluded that his soul had entered the body of the original owner. 

But today, the sudden appearance of these small horns proved that this was his own body. 

What about the original owner’s memories? What about the past twenty-two years?

He fell into deep thought but couldn’t come up with an explanation. The more pressing problem now was that he was still filming a show. How was he supposed to hide the horns on his head?

Even if he could wear a hat while recording the show, what about sleeping at night? He began to regret choosing to share a room with Jiang Yucheng. If it had been Shen Yixing or An Boqing, those two would have been easier to deceive.

The sound of the door opening behind him made him quickly ruffle his hair and purposefully head towards his suitcase. As Jiang Yucheng entered, he had just found his hat and put it on. Due to the frantic movements, he accidentally touched his small demon horns again, sending a wave of numbness through his body. Under the brim of his hat, his cheeks turned red, but his expression remained cold.

Footsteps approached slowly, stopping beside him. Jiang Yucheng crouched down, “Not feeling well?”

“Just a bit,” Chi Jing said, slightly distancing himself from him to avoid suspicion. “Are the others downstairs already?”

Jiang Yucheng nodded, “Yes.”

“Let’s go then.” He adjusted his hat brim, grateful that Mu Jingshan had stuffed this hat into his suitcase before leaving. If he had packed by himself, he definitely wouldn’t have brought this thing. Mu Jingshan had intended for him to use the hat to keep a low profile in certain places, avoiding too much attention. 

However, in his view, being good-looking was a natural trait of demons, meant to be admired by himself and others alike. Why hide it?

Strictly speaking, this was only the second time he had worn a hat. When was the last time? He couldn’t quite remember; it had been a long time ago.

Planning to head downstairs with the hat on, he was stopped by Jiang Yucheng as he passed by. “Wait a minute.”

“What?” His mood wasn’t great because of the horns. Jiang Yucheng lifted his hat brim slightly, “There’s going to be a live broadcast later; don’t cover your face.”

He was irritated when Jiang Yucheng touched his hat, mostly because he was worried the small horns would be discovered. According to human perspectives, he would be considered an anomaly. Although he didn’t think so, he understood the implications.

“A live broadcast?” 

Jiang Yucheng nodded, “Yes, the director wants to boost viewership with a short live stream. The comments might not be pleasant.” He was referring to comments about Chi Jing. Still embroiled in scandals, he had been heavily criticized since the show announced his participation. Only after the announcement of Jiang Yucheng’s participation did the discussion about him subside a bit.

“It doesn’t matter, I’m not bothered by it,” Chi Jing said, more concerned about his horns being discovered. If that happened, he would be taken to a lab for research.

After notifying everyone, Lu Tao went to oversee the equipment adjustments. Luo Yiwen and Ou’er Bai were doing their makeup for the live broadcast. Gan Heyu, being older, didn’t care about makeup, sipping tea and criticizing Chi Jing for being slow. As soon as Chi Jing came downstairs, staff members approached to notify him about the live broadcast and adjust his microphone.

Qin Qiaohan asked softly if he needed help with makeup. “Everyone’s doing their makeup. Even the men need to put on a bit, or the camera will wash it out.”

Knowing her good intentions, he didn’t refuse outright, “Did Jiang Yucheng put on makeup?”

Qin Qiaohan was momentarily stunned, shaking her head, “No.”

“Then it’s fine. I don’t need it either.”

As he spoke, Jiang Yucheng had already taken the only empty seat on the sofa, gesturing for him to join him. Lu Tao arrived with a small loudspeaker to explain the purpose of the live broadcast, which was to address the audience’s concerns about the guest lineup.

“Many viewers have opinions about the guest invitations, so we decided to do a live broadcast,” he explained. Though it sounded noble, Chi Jing didn’t believe it. They were clearly using the peak in attention to gain viewership. But he wasn’t upset; he knew the show had cast him for his potential to generate buzz.

Lu Tao finished his explanation and then went to supervise the equipment setup. Luo Yiwen, done with her makeup, looked satisfied with her reflection before turning to Chi Jing, offering to help with his makeup. Chi Jing politely declined, fearing his hat would draw attention. “No need, Jiang Yucheng didn’t put on makeup either.”

Luo Yiwen glanced at Jiang Yucheng beside him, confirming he hadn’t done makeup. She exchanged a look with Ou’er Bai, who sighed in defeat, “Forget it.”

Ou’er Bai, interrupted in the middle of applying lipstick, was annoyed but then sighed in agreement, “Genetics, can’t beat that.”

The domestic live stream began around 9 PM, with the show’s official Weibo account posting an announcement half an hour in advance. When the live stream started, staff placed chairs in front of the largest sofa. Shen Yixing and An Boqing were seated on the chairs, Gan Heyu and the two women on the sofa, and Chi Jing sat cross-legged on a chaise lounge.

Lu Tao suggested Jiang Yucheng sit beside Gan Heyu, but he chose to remain beside Chi Jing, causing Lu Tao to adjust the camera angle accordingly. 

As the live stream started, viewers flooded in, their comments reflecting excitement and curiosity. The camera panned to reveal everyone, leading to an immediate shift in viewer sentiment.

Chi Jing glanced at his phone, seeing the delayed live stream and noting the overwhelmingly positive comments about his and Jiang Yucheng’s appearance. Jiang Yucheng leaned closer, reminding him to greet the audience. Chi Jing smiled, “Good evening, everyone.”

Their conversation, picked up clearly by the high-quality microphones, caused a further surge in viewer engagement, with comments flooding in about their looks and demeanor.