"Wait a sec." Silver Wolf raised her hand, speaking first. "What? Argenti hasn't even appeared, and there's already a fan-made video?"
March 7th, beside her, gave Silver Wolf a skeptical look. "Seriously, did you just get online? Argenti's companion movie came out ages ago!"
"Really?" Silver Wolf pulled out her phone and opened the web drama app. "Yo? Released at midnight yesterday. Pretty high online buzz, huh? And Jingliu's got her own movie? Two bundled together for sale? Alright, no issue, carry on."
Su Chen scratched his head. "Why do I feel like I'm working for her? Whatever."
After some thought, he pressed the play button.
"Welcome aboard Luofu Metro Line 2. Next stop: Aurum Alley South Station."
With the announcement, the fan-made video kicked off.
Fu Xuan stood on her tiptoes, struggling to reach the handrail.
Nearby, the towering Argenti looked down, silently murmuring to himself, "Behold, another poor child in distress. Time for me to demonstrate pure beauty through action."
Argenti flashed a perfect smile. "Pardon my intrusion, dear lady. Are you acquainted with the pure beauty goddess Idrila?"
Fu Xuan paused her attempt to grab the handrail, staring at Argenti and blinking.
Argenti continued, undeterred. "Since you're aware, if I lend a hand to you in your plight, would you acknowledge Idrila's beauty as unparalleled in the universe?"
Fu Xuan glanced him up and down. "Uh, sure, whatever you say."
Argenti nodded, satisfied. With a firm tug, he yanked the handrail down and handed it to Fu Xuan.
Fu Xuan stared at the handrail in her hands, then at Argenti, sinking into deep thought.
The scene shifted.
Argenti was now on the streets of the Luofu,
walking as he spoke. "As a Knight of Beauty, I must always embody pure beauty through my actions.
No matter who they are, if they acknowledge Idrila's beauty as unmatched, I shall offer my sincerest aid."
Suddenly, crunch,
Argenti accidentally stepped on Yanqing's foot.
"My deepest apologies, young brother, for soiling your shoes. May I ask, do you acknowledge Idrila's beauty as peerless in the universe?"
Yanqing stood frozen. Having faced setbacks before, he'd grown more cautious. He thought to himself, "This guy looks like he can fight. Probably tough to deal with. Better play it safe this time—I've eaten enough losses."
"Ah!" Yanqing said to Argenti. "I agree, that goddess's beauty is unmatched."
By now, stifled laughter filled the coffee shop.
Yanqing's face flushed red, his teeth gritted. "What kind of fan-made video is this? Everyone's so out-of-character!"
Jing Yuan patted Yanqing's back. "It's just fan-made, just fan-made. Calm down, it's fine."
Firefly fanned the flames from the side. "It's fan-made, sure, but it's also learning from experience, right?"
"You!" Yanqing huffed heavily, but then noticed something off. "Wait, isn't this Argenti's fan-made video? Why's everyone laughing at me?"
"Sigh." Fu Xuan slapped her forehead twice. "Damn it, miscalculated! This fan-made video isn't that simple."
Back to the video,
upon hearing Yanqing's affirmation, Argenti grabbed Yanqing's ankle and began cleaning.
After meticulous grooming, Argenti set Yanqing down properly, gave a polite farewell gesture, and left.
Huff, huff, huff… Yanqing panted heavily, then couldn't hold it in. "Urgh!!!"
…
Argenti continued onward until he passed Jingliu.
"Dear lady, do you acknowledge Idrila's beauty as unmatched in the universe?"
Jingliu sat on a bench, silent.
After cautiously observing Jingliu's appearance, Argenti said, "Oh, my apologies. You must be blind and mute.
Even so, I hope a Knight of Beauty can bring you a delightful day."
He casually pulled out various makeup tools.
He worked on Jingliu's face, nodding with satisfaction at the result before leaving.
The camera showed Jingliu with this expression: ＞▽＜.
"Hahaha!" Baiheng clutched her stomach, rolling on the floor. "I can't—Jingliu, hahaha…"
Jing Yuan stayed silent, struggling to keep his expression in check.
"My gosh." Silver Wolf looked incredulous. "Netizens are so talented these days. Jingliu's character is completely ruined."
"Exactly, exactly. She was the icy-cold Sword Champion of the Luofu. Now, after this fan-made video, her reputation's done for. Most out-of-character episode ever." March 7th nodded eagerly.
"But Jingliu making that face—I still think it's hilarious."
"No way Jingliu could've imagined, after her lofty role in the High-Cloud Quintet movie, her reputation would crash like this."
"…"
Jingliu, hearing the surrounding chatter, felt a surge of anger rise within.
"The world is so wonderful, yet I'm so irritable. This won't do, won't do…"
Jing Yuan handed Jingliu a cup of hot water, consoling her. "Master, have some water. Don't get mad over a small thing. Think about it—it's kind of funny, right?"
Unbeknownst to Jing Yuan, he was the real star of the fan-made video, and soon, he wouldn't be laughing.
The next scene arrived at the bustling Starskiff Haven Square on the Luofu.
Jing Yuan sat in a portable toilet, realizing a problem—no paper?!!
He immediately opened the group chat, seeking help, and saw others chatting.
[Fu Xuan: Met some lunatic today. Total mood-killer.]
[Sushang: What'd he look like? What'd he do?]
[Fu Xuan: He yanked the metro handrail and handed it to me!]
[Qingque: Pfft, that's some aggressive energy.]
[Yanqing: Was it a red-haired guy in plate armor?]
[Fu Xuan: How'd you know?]
[Yanqing: Ran into him too. He's polite enough, just has a weird way of cleaning shoes.]
[Jingliu: Speaking of which, I also…]
[Fu Xuan: What'd he do to you?]
[Jingliu: Nothing. I feel my Mara-Struck state's improved a bit.]
Jing Yuan's face darkened as he sent a message.
[Jing Yuan: I'm in a portable toilet at Starskiff Haven. No paper. Anyone coming to save me?]
Just then, a pure beauty BGM played.
A new person inexplicably appeared in the group chat.
[Argenti: Dear group friend, do you acknowledge Idrila's beauty as unmatched in the universe?]