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

At 8:30 a.m. the next morning, Fang Xu appeared in the hotel lobby on time, and Chen Shouyi almost didn't recognize him.

Fang Xu was dressed in a dark gray bespoke suit today, his tie was tied perfectly, and his hair was obviously freshly done, combed back neatly and styled with hair gel.

She wore a pair of shiny Oxford shoes, and the Jaeger-LeCoultre watch on her wrist, which she didn't usually wear, was also showing.

There were two other people standing nearby.

One was the driver, in his thirties, wearing a black suit and white gloves, standing ramrod straight.

The other one is Fang Xu's assistant, Xiao Ma. I met him once before in Hengdian. The young man wore black-rimmed glasses and carried a briefcase.

Chen Shouyi walked over and looked Fang Xu up and down.

"Is Mr. Fang dressed like this on a blind date?"

"Master, what are you saying?" Fang Xu chuckled and straightened his cuffs. "Going to the Shanghai Theatre Academy, after all, I'm a high-ranking executive in a film and television company, I can't be too shabby."

"Besides—" He moved closer to Chen Shouyi,

"You look so dignified and otherworldly just standing there. If I dressed too casually, it would be beneath your dignity."

Chen Shouyi didn't bother with his comment and strode towards the door. Fang Xu quickly followed, and Xiao Ma and the driver also hurried after him.

A black Mercedes-Maybach pulled up in front of the hotel, and the driver jogged over to open the back door. Chen Shouyi bent down and got in, Fang Xu got in from the other side, and Xiao Ma sat in the passenger seat.

The car drove out of the hotel and turned onto the Yan'an Elevated Road.

The weather in Shanghai in April was perfect, with sunlight streaming in through the car window and no traffic jams, but Fang Xu kept talking the whole way.

"Master, the Shanghai Theatre Academy campus is on Huashan Road, next to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. These two schools are top-tier art schools in China, and their acting departments alone have produced countless big stars."

He counted on his fingers: "Brother Hu, Li Binbin, and Tong Dawei are all from the Shanghai Theatre Academy."

When our company was filming "Boss & Me," we even went to cast supporting roles. The acting students there were all incredibly good-looking—"

"Master Fang," Chen Shouyi interrupted him, "are you here today to scout actors?"

"No, no, no." Fang Xu immediately realized, "I'm just accompanying you today, Daoist Master. I'm just showing you the way."

The car slowed down on Huashan Road. The street wasn't long, and it was lined with plane trees on both sides, their canopies forming a green archway overhead.

Among the passersby, you can often see students carrying drawing boards or violin cases walking in twos and threes on the sidewalk.

The gate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy isn't large, but it looks very old.

A plaque bearing the school's name hangs above the gate, and vines climb the walls on both sides, their lush green leaves swaying gently in the wind.

The security guard at the gate recognized Fang Xu's license plate and raised the barrier from a distance. Fang Xu rolled down his window and nodded at him, displaying an air of authority reminiscent of a leader on an inspection tour.

The car was parked, and the four people got out.

Fang Xu straightened his suit collar, stood up straight, and walked in front, with Xiao Ma following behind.

Chen Shouyi walked unhurriedly beside Fang Xu, his gaze sweeping over him from the moment they entered the school gate.

The campus isn't large, but it has a lot of character.

The roadside is lined with rows of plane trees, their canopies so dense that sunlight can only filter through the gaps in the leaves.

"Taoist Master, look over there—" Fang Xu pointed to a building on his right.

"That's the experimental theater of the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Students usually rehearse their major plays there."

Two years ago, our company sponsored a graduation play, and the acting students that year performed really well!

Chen Shouyi glanced at the finger he was pointing at and nodded.

But the system remained quiet.

The group walked along the main road, and when they passed the Red Flag Theater, Fang Xu gave them another introduction.

How many years has this theater been around? Which famous actors have performed their graduation plays here? When was the stage lighting and equipment renovated?

He spoke with great enthusiasm, and Chen Shouyi listened while keeping his eyes fixed on the crowd.

Several girls emerged from the side door of the theater, clutching their scripts and chattering amongst themselves.

Fang Xu then pointed to the library in front and said that this was the old library of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, which had a large collection of books and that students from the acting department often came here to look up information.

After he finished speaking, he turned around and glanced at Chen Shouyi, only to find that the other man's expression was like that of someone visiting a museum—polite, but not enthusiastic.

Fang Xu didn't think much of it and continued to lead the way.

The group walked across the playground, around several teaching buildings, and made a large circle around the campus.

A few girls walked by, their eyes lingering on Chen Shouyi for a few seconds, then they huddled together and whispered something.

"Master," Fang Xu said in a low voice, "those girls were staring at you the whole time."

"Hmm," Chen Shouyi responded, without stopping.

Since I entered through the main gate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, the system has been completely unresponsive, as if it were dead.

Could it be a problem with the sensing range?

Fang Xu then led the group into the rehearsal building behind the teaching building, where several dance students in practice clothes were stretching their legs. Each of them was tall and slender with outstanding temperament.

Fang Xu glanced at it a couple more times, then quickly looked away, coughed lightly, and continued to introduce the building next to him as such and such.

Chen Shouyi didn't even look in that direction; his attention was focused on the system's silence.

wrong.

Yesterday, I triggered a lock-on at Xiangjiang Plaza, which means that the person with affinity is indeed nearby, but their movement speed is too fast.

He had done some calculations in his office yesterday; both the Shanghai Theatre Academy and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music are within a three-kilometer radius of Xiangjiang Square.

The fact that it could be triggered and disappeared twice within such a short distance most likely means that it happened in one of these two schools.

But now that I've almost finished browsing through the Shanghai Theatre Academy, the system hasn't made a single sound.

Or perhaps I was just passing by?

After strolling around for another half hour, having finished introducing everything Fang Xun could, Chen Shouyi stopped in the small square in front of the Red Flag Theater.

He looked around, his brow furrowing slightly.

Fang Xu noticed the change in his expression and was a little puzzled.

He had assumed the Taoist priest had come to the Shanghai Theatre Academy to see pretty girls, since the students from the acting and dance departments had indeed been quite a sight to behold.

But the Taoist priest looked thoughtful from beginning to end, not like he was admiring a beautiful woman, but more like he was looking for something.

Fang Xu cleared his throat: "Daoist Master, are you looking for someone?"

Chen Shouyi snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at him. This old man usually seemed carefree and easygoing, but he was quite good at reading people.

He was too lazy to make up an excuse, so he simply nodded.

"Let's go."

Fang Xu paused for a moment, but didn't ask any more questions. He quickly gave Xiao Ma a wink, and Xiao Ma immediately walked a few steps forward to inform the driver.

After leaving the school gate and getting into the car, Fang Xu closed the car door and turned to look at Chen Shouyi:

"Master, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music is right next door, should we—"

"Let's go take a look."

The car then turned back onto Fenyang Road.

The Shanghai Conservatory of Music campus is even smaller than the Shanghai Theatre Academy campus, with several old villas surrounding a small lawn. The sound of a piano can be heard coming from the practice room, with a fast tempo, probably a student practicing Chopin.

The students on campus were quieter than those at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, scattered in twos and threes, some carrying instrument cases, others holding sheet music.