A top star in the Chinese entertainment industry, but also a Taoist priest.

Chen Yao suddenly came to her senses and turned around to see Jin Chen standing behind her.

Jin Chen was wearing a loose sweatshirt, her hair was casually tied in a bun, and her makeup was not yet finished; her eyebrows were only half-drawn. She had obviously rushed over from the hotel.

She glanced at Chen Shouyi following Chen Yao's gaze, then looked away and sized Chen Yao up and down.

"You're here so early?" Jin Chen was a little surprised. "I thought I was early enough."

Chen Yao looked away: "I woke up early and came over first."

"Woke up early?" Jin Chen looked at her, the corners of his mouth slowly curving into a smile.

"Is it the Taoist priest's tea that's effective, or are you just too engrossed in watching him perform the ritual?"

Chen Yao's face flushed slightly. But she didn't lower her head; instead, she turned her gaze to the offering table not far away.

"It's the Taoist priest's tea that works."

"Is that so?" Jin Chen drawled out the question without pressing further.

She turned her gaze to Chen Shouyi, who was not far away. The religious ceremony had ended, and the morning light shone from the side, falling on his handsome profile, which was very pleasing to the eye.

Jin Chen watched for a while, then suddenly sighed.

"Why are you sighing?" Chen Yao asked curiously.

"I was thinking," Jin Chen said, arms crossed, "that some people look good in Taoist robes, they look good in casual clothes, and they even look good when they're performing a ritual."

Chen Yao ignored Jin Chen, who was already infatuated with a girl early in the morning, and her gaze unconsciously drifted towards the purple figure.

As dawn broke, the studio area began to bustle with activity. The stagehands were moving props, and the lighting technicians were adjusting the lights. A new day had officially begun.

Zhao Mingyuan also squeezed out of the crowd, ran up to Chen Shouyi with a big smile on his face:

"Master, Director Lin asked me to come and tell you something."

"Please speak, Benefactor Zhao."

"It was that ritual just now; our cameraman recorded the whole thing." Zhao Mingyuan rubbed his hands together, carefully observing Chen Shouyi's expression.

"Director Lin means, could such great footage be used in behind-the-scenes footage or promotional videos? Of course, licensing is negotiable; please feel free to name your conditions."

Chen Shouyi pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, two conditions. It cannot be used for commercial purposes, and it must be signed as Qingquan Daoren of Zifu Temple."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mingyuan's smile instantly blossomed into a radiant one.

"No problem, no problem! Rest assured, Master, I will definitely do as you say!"

He paused after speaking, then took half a step forward: "There's one more thing. Director Xu Huikang asked me to ask you if you'd be interested in making a cameo appearance in the crew? It'll only be a few shots, it won't take up much of your time."

Chen Shouyi glanced at him: "We'll discuss the cameo role later. Today is the film crew's opening ceremony, and it's inappropriate for me to overshadow the main event."

"Understood, understood!" Zhao Mingyuan nodded repeatedly, said no more, and turned to run back to report.

"Master Daoist! Master Daoist!"

Chen Shouyi was adjusting his cuffs when he heard this and turned around.

Jin Chen stopped in front of him, slightly out of breath, his eyes shining brightly. He looked him up and down, then let out a heartfelt sigh.

"Master, you were so cool just now!"

Chen Shouyi raised an eyebrow slightly and readily accepted the assessment.

Isn't that obvious?

He originally intended to just go through the motions and be done with it.

He had handled many such opening ceremonies in Huairou. Most of the time, it was just a standard procedure of lighting incense, chanting incantations, performing ritual steps, and then wrapping up. As long as the lead actors thought it looked convincing, that was enough.

But today is different.

Just as he closed his eyes to enter a meditative state, he felt a gaze upon him.

He knew who it was without even opening his eyes, so he used his spiritual energy.

The incense didn't burn itself; he ignited the fire with his spiritual energy.

The wisp of smoke wasn't drawn by the sword tip; he carried it with his spiritual energy. The three flames weren't some kind of interaction between heaven and earth; he simply used his spiritual energy to create a simultaneous tremor.

To put it bluntly, today's ritual was not a "procedure" at all.

He put on this performance specifically for one person.

Jin Chen was still chattering away, saying things like, "How did that sword manage to emit smoke?" and "How did the incense light itself?"

Chen Shouyi responded half-heartedly, his gaze passing over Jin Chen's shoulder and landing on Chen Yao behind her.

Chen Yao stood half a step behind Jin Chen, quiet and silent, but her eyes were different from usual.

Normally, her eyes are clear and gentle, like a still pool of water.

Now, beneath that still water, it was as if a fire had been lit, burning brightly. She looked at Chen Shouyi, her lips slightly pursed, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how.

Chen Shouyi nodded slightly to her.

Chen Yao's eyelashes trembled, and she nodded slightly.

Jin Chen, oblivious to everything, leaned closer again: "Daoist Master, Daoist Master, your—"

"Sister!" A hand reached out from behind and grabbed Jin Chen's arm.

She was a girl in her early twenties, with a neat ponytail, her face showing both anxiety and helplessness.

"You haven't even finished your makeup! Hurry up and do your makeup, the media will be here soon!"

Jin Chen was pulled back half a step, and turned around with dissatisfaction: "Hey, wait a little longer—"

"We can't wait any longer!" The assistant didn't give her a chance to struggle, dragging her towards the dressing room. "The director said everyone needs to be there before the opening ceremony. How are you going to look on camera like this?"

Jin Chen was pulled along for several steps, then turned back and called out to Chen Shouyi, "Daoist Master, see you later!"

Chen Shouyi nodded slightly.

Jin Chen was pulled away, her voice still drifting back intermittently: "Don't pull me—I can walk by myself—"

Chen Yao stood there, watching Jin Chen being dragged away, and couldn't help but smile.

Then she turned her head and found Chen Shouyi looking at her.

"You were quite lively last night."

Chen Yao's smile froze.

She pointed to herself, her eyes widening slightly: "Huh? Me?"

"Mm." Chen Shouyi nodded, his expression serious, as if he weren't joking.

"I never expected that the usually quiet Benefactor Chen would be more uninhibited than Benefactor Jin and Benefactor Nazha after drinking."

Chen Yao's mind went blank for a moment.

She began to frantically recall.

In the karaoke room, Jin Chen was singing. Nazha was dancing as a backup dancer. She was just there for show.

Then Nazha lost a game of rock-paper-scissors, and Jin Chen forced her to drink, while he himself was pulled into acting as the referee.

Then... Nazha seemed to say something, stood up... and then...

blank.

A whole blank space.

"Haven't I been the referee all along?" Chen Yao's voice was a little weak.

Chen Shouyi looked at her, then looked at her again, his expression changing from serious to questioning:

"You don't remember anything about what you did last night?"

Chen Yao shook his head honestly, staring blankly at Chen Shouyi.

"You later pulled Nazha away and went on stage yourself," Chen Shouyi recalled. "You said Jin's singing wasn't good, so you sang 'Love for Sale' on your own."

Chen Yao's face began to flush.

"Love for Sale"? Her?

"You even stood on the sofa."

The heat started spreading from her face to her ears.

"You even took off your coat, leaving you only in a tank top."

Chen Yao was completely petrified.

As Chen Shouyi looked at her like this, the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.

"However, you don't need to worry too much."

He changed the subject gently, reminding him, "Since you don't remember what you did, you naturally won't feel embarrassed."

Chen Yao paused for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief: "Y-yes."

"but."

Chen Yao's breath hitched again.