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

Chen Yao walked to an empty seat and sat down. Next to her was Gulnazar, and opposite her were Zhang Ruoyun and Tang Yixin.

Naza poured her a cup of tea and casually asked, "Did you see that Taoist priest that Director Zhao invited when you left the hotel? I heard Director Zhao is hosting a welcome dinner for him tonight!"

Chen Yao took the teacup and nodded: "Yes, I ran into Director Zhao in the corridor, and the Taoist priest he invited."

Nazha became interested: "What kind? Is it the kind that wears a Bagua robe and carries a whisk?"

"A Taoist priest?" Tang Yixin's interest was piqued. "What kind of Taoist priest?"

"It was someone Director Zhao invited from the capital, saying he was going to perform rituals for the opening ceremony and also assess the feng shui of the film set."

Chen Yao held the teacup in his hands, thought for a moment, and then added, "He's a rather young Taoist priest, looks to be in his early twenties, wearing a Taoist robe, and has a particularly good demeanor."

"A young Taoist priest?" Sett raised an eyebrow. "How old?"

"She doesn't look much older than me," Chen Yao said. "She's good-looking too, I think even better-looking than Brother Hu."

The private room was quiet for a moment, then erupted into chaos.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Nazha was the first to chime in, "You said he's even prettier than Hu Ge? Really?"

"Really." Chen Yao nodded seriously.

"I don't believe it." Jin Chen shook his head. "You've always had questionable taste. Last time you said that so-and-so was handsome, and when I looked at him, I thought, 'He's just so-so.'"

"It's different, it's different," Chen Yao said anxiously. "This time it's really good-looking, why would I lie to you?"

Zhang Ruoyun chimed in with a laugh, "Alright, alright, he's a Taoist priest. Can't you girls have some self-respect?"

"What's wrong with the Taoist priest?" Tang Yixin rolled her eyes at him. "Can't a Taoist priest be handsome?"

"Exactly!" Nazha chimed in. "Besides, the Taoist priest Director Zhao invited must have real skills, not some charlatan. He's handsome and capable, what's wrong with us being curious?"

Yao Yichen casually remarked from the side:

"I've heard of him. Director Zhao specially invited him from the capital this time, so it must have cost him a lot of money."

"Of course," Wanhao chimed in. "I heard the assistant director mention it, saying that this Taoist priest is quite famous in the capital's entertainment circle, and many actors have gone to see him."

Jin Chen turned to Chen Yao: "Have you tried to see him? Anyway, you've already run into him."

Chen Yao shook his head: "I didn't have time, we just bumped into each other in the corridor. But Director Zhao said he'll stay on set for a few days and won't leave until after the opening ceremony."

"Then I'll go see him too," Jin Chen said casually. "I've been feeling unlucky lately, I need to find an expert to give me some pointers."

Nazha also joined in the fun: "Me too, me too! By the way, does it cost money?"

"I think so..." Chen Yao said uncertainly.

"I have to go even if it costs money, what if it really works?" Nazha said confidently.

Zhang Ruoyun shook her head and looked at Tang Yixin with a helpless expression: "Look at them, they're all incredibly superstitious."

Tang Yixin smiled but didn't reply. Instead, she asked, "What's the Taoist priest's name?"

Chen Yao thought for a moment: "Director Zhao calls him... Master Qingquan. Yes, Master Qingquan."

"Qingquan," Nazha recited, "this Buddhist name sounds quite nice."

"It's not a Buddhist name, it's a Taoist name," Chen Yao corrected.

"Alright, alright, that's my Taoist name." Nazha waved her hand, picked up her wine glass, and said, "Come on, let's have a drink first, wishing 'Legend of Nine Tails Fox' a smooth start to filming and great ratings!"

"Cheers!"

-----------------

Just after seven o'clock the next morning, Chen Shouyi was woken up by his phone vibrating.

It wasn't an alarm clock, but the notification sound of a WeChat voice call. Bai Mengyan's avatar was bouncing happily on the screen.

Chen Shouyi squinted at the time: 7:03.

This girl really doesn't treat him like an outsider.

He sat up, leaned against the headboard, cleared his throat, and then answered the call.

"Master Daoist! Are you there?! It's me, Bai Mengyan!"

The other person immediately launched into a tirade, their voice as cheerful as ever, so loud it sounded like they had a built-in megaphone.

Chen Shouyi moved the phone a little further away, and only put it back to his ear after her initial shock had subsided:

"I'm here, I'm here, so what?"

After being harassed by her for over a month, he had gotten somewhat used to her style and was no longer bothered to pretend in front of her.

In front of Bai Mengyan, the Taoist priest's aloof and unfathomable demeanor was indeed a bit hard to maintain, mainly because the girl didn't buy into that at all and continued to act loud and boisterous as usual.

Her attitude towards him was somewhere between respect and being a confidant, with a touch of overly familiarity in between.

"Hee hee hee hee hee hee—" A signature laugh came from the other side. "I knew you'd remember me, Taoist Priest!"

"It's really hard not to remember," Chen Shouyi replied honestly.

Bai Mengyan clearly took this as a compliment and laughed even harder. She laughed for a while before stopping, then suddenly became mysterious:

"Master, aren't you supposed to be able to predict the future? Then guess where I am right now?"

Chen Shouyi raised an eyebrow.

"And one more thing," Bai Mengyan quickly added, "Think again, why did I call you?"

Chen Shouyi remained silent for a moment.

Do you really think I'm some kind of fortune teller?

But since they've already issued the challenge, it would seem like he's not up to the task if he didn't accept it.

He switched the phone to his left hand and made a hand seal with his right hand. Actually, he didn't need to do it at all, but professional habits are hard to break.

Chen Shouyi closed his eyes, his mind racing.

First of all, this girl usually sends messages very frequently, so calling so early this morning must mean she has something urgent to say.

Secondly, she made him guess where she was—if she was at home or at work, there was no need to guess at all.

In addition, the way she spoke, excited but slightly out of breath, was as if she had just climbed a mountain or walked a long way.

And when she harassed him before, she mentioned several times things like, "When I become famous, I'll be the first to come and fulfill my vow," and "I'll donate a lot of incense money to the Taoist temple then."

The answer is pretty obvious.

"Taoist Master? Taoist Master Qingquan? Taoist Master Chen?"

Bai Mengyan, having heard no response for a while, started to get impatient:

"Are you still there? It's okay if you can't figure it out, I'll tell you—"

"No need." Chen Shouyi opened his eyes and smiled. "You should be on your way to my Taoist temple right now."

The other end of the phone went silent instantly.

Then--

"Huh?! How did you know?!" Her voice was even louder than before.

Chen Shouyi moved his phone further away, waiting for the sound of her voice to subside before continuing to speak, his tone unhurried:

"The purpose of your trip must be to fulfill a vow. Have you recently been in contact with a benefactor?"

"You could even figure this out?!" Bai Mengyan wasn't just shocked, she was completely dumbfounded.

Chen Shouyi did not explain.

That's bullshit.

If she hadn't encountered something good, why would she have excitedly run up the mountain so early in the morning?

Given her personality of not being able to keep secrets, if something good really happened to her, her first reaction would definitely be to come and tell him in person.

This has nothing to do with fortune telling; it's called understanding user profiles.

But he couldn't say that out loud; he still needed to maintain his image as a wise and sage.