The next morning, I steamed the steamed buns from the fridge and cooked porridge in the rice cooker.
The gossip system greeted him:
You slept soundly, oblivious to last night's storm.
What happened last night?
While preparing breakfast, Zhan Yan checked the Chao Fan Forum and was immediately struck by the sheer number of threads.
How did they manage to swipe through thousands of layers in one night?
Zhan Yan scanned the list from top to bottom. With the platform being too high, most accounts were quickly filtered out. Setting aside meaningless memes, sarcastic comments, and quarrels, he zeroed in on a few key accounts.
First, the forum users tagged several accounts, all being experts in their respective fields. Zhan Yan paid special attention to the name 'All-Knowing,' as he was the first to realize his expertise wasn't in online skills but in investigative abilities—his' bystander system' could also be considered a form of investigation.
Next is the 'Square Card'. Judging by the reactions in the forum, this must be a highly skilled player.
The task area features a points leaderboard ranking users by their scores. While it doesn't fully reflect actual skill levels, those at the top undoubtedly possess solid abilities.
Zhan Yan checked the leaderboard interface and found that Fang Pai and the hacker he frequently collaborated with were both ranked in the top thirty.
Unfortunately, the black card targets cyber superpowered individuals. Why hasn't anyone bought his intelligence?
But that's understandable—he hasn't earned credibility yet, and his current start is already pretty good.
As the steaming pot simmered, the xiaolongbao (steamed buns) were done, their aroma wafting through the steam. Zhan Yan turned off the stove, logged into his private chat, and replied to Fang Pai that he wasn't some internet superpower. With that, he shut down the forum.
Lifting the pot lid, plump, tender, and fluffy xiaolongbao (steamed buns) lie nestled inside. Such a treat is too good to pass up!
After breakfast, on his way to work, Zhan Yan checked his social media feed again. His feed was mostly empty—just a few scattered posts, suggesting his family was doing fine... Hmm?
Xia Yue Xian was interrupted at a pivotal moment while reading the text. When she turned around, she found the text gone. Furious, she pleaded with Zhan Yunkai, 'Teacher Zhan, just go all out with your performance!'
Zhan Yan knew Xia Yuexian, the boss of the agency Zhan Yunkai signed with. She was a good person who had helped her father handle many troubles in the entertainment industry. What kind of stories did she read? What did it have to do with her father acting?
When Yan Zhan typed the keyword 'Xia Yuexian,' he was surprised to find that this gossip was still being updated in real time.
Last night, Xia Yuexian was reading Wen Zheng's story when the pivotal plot twist was interrupted mid-way by Ling Yuteng's antics. After resolving the issue, she found Wen had vanished. Then she overheard murmured whispers on set questioning Zhan Yunkai:
"Will that uncle be able to do it?"
Why did the boss suddenly want to replace me? I'm so good-looking, what's the harm in getting more screen time?
Exactly. Haha, if we replaced it with an ugly character, would the audience still accept this as part of the White Moonlight's setup?
...
The two Ling Yuteng fans who sneaked into the crew knew how to slip away and voice their complaints quietly, but Xia Yuexian was a demon—she heard every whisper with crystal clarity.
She was furious, her anger boiling over, and she stood up, stomping over to stage a dramatic scene of kicking someone.
After kicking out the two crew members who had sneaked in to chase the stars, Zhan Yunkai happened to come out after changing his outfit. Xia Yuexian then made this request to him.
Ha! Dare you call our Chongming Demon King ugly? I'll prove you wrong!
Director Liu was puffing on his cigarette nearby. He noticed Xia Yuexian had gotten involved in a personal matter but didn't bother to intervene. What's the big deal about the boss needing two business meetings? Not to mention Ling Yuteng's fans—didn't he just quit the job on a whim?
Director Liu is a little worried now.
He was also annoyed by Ling Yuteng's terrible acting and endless nonsense—just replace him if necessary. While there were plenty of attractive young actors available, Xia Yuexian insisted on bringing an older one, even going out of his way to greet him. It was obvious the newcomer was also a person with connections.
Though this character has limited screen time and doesn't require much acting, it carries significant weight in the plot, essentially being the catalyst for the entire story's development.
A role of this weight yet limited screen time demands an actor with commanding presence to carry it. Even a lackluster face can compensate if it's striking enough to convince the audience: this character is truly a dazzling' white moonlight'—a radiant star that captivates and influences countless souls.
Ling Yuteng barely passes as a qualified candidate under Director Liu's standards. While his looks are decent, he lacks both charisma and presence. With makeup and post-production filters, he could get by.
When Zhan Yun arrived, it was already dark, the lighting was poor, and he was a bit out of sight. Xia Yuexian led him straight into the makeup room, leaving him unable to see the person clearly.
The assistant director was full of confidence: "Don't worry. Teacher Zhan can handle this role perfectly."
That's it. Director Liu muttered to himself. You're all in the same company—surely you'd say it's fine.
Just then, Zhan Yun emerged from the shadows. He ignored Xia Yuexian—she was the kind of girl who'd lose her cool at the slightest provocation. If the Demon King were to unleash his full aura, she'd be the first to show up. The next day's headline read:' Mingtang Film & TV Company CEO Performs Fox Transformation Magic on Set'.
Despite her furious outburst, His Majesty the Demon King still went to great lengths to fulfill his subordinate's request.
With his hair tied in a golden crown and clad in a crimson robe and golden armor, Zhan Yun's piercing gaze swept across the scene, leaving Director Liu utterly stunned.
His eyes lit up as he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's brilliant!"
The assistant growled, "Don't you dare touch my thigh!"
Director Liu held back: 'With this look and aura, he could just stand there motionless! If he can't deliver the lines, I'll find a voice actor for him!'
Jian Yun smiled and said, "Director, I've memorized my lines—my lip movements will match perfectly."
When he first spoke, Director Liu was struck by his voice once again. Zhan Yunkai's voice was truly exquisite—smooth and steady, like jade beads, each one clear and bright, flowing through the ear into the heart as if immersed in a spring of purity.
Director Liu was moved. What a beautiful tone! It's such a pity not to use it!
With such striking looks and a voice that's pure as moonlight, once he makes his entrance, you'd swear he's the real deal!
"Great! Come on, let's check the lines first!" Director Liu had the script brought over.
This character has limited lines, but since Zhan Yunkai was only called in to save the day, he could only memorize about two hours of lines. Director Liu didn't fully trust that he'd memorized everything, but it didn't matter—he wanted to test Zhan's ability to deliver lines.
He decided to use Zhan Yun as long as his delivery was decent. If it wasn't good enough, he'd teach him line by line. He didn't even need Zhan to perfect his tone or pronunciation—just have him mimic it. Even a four or five out of ten would be fine!
Jian Yun-kai and Director Liu had a word with each other.
His lines are terrible—after all, the Demon King hasn't had to endure the torment of constant compromise. He's always been the type who'd rather shatter like jade than stay intact like tile, though the ones who've been crushed are always others.
Jian Yunkai recited his lines with cold detachment, his delivery as smooth as early AI voices—utterly devoid of emotion. Yet his strikingly handsome face bore no expression, save for a fleeting eyelid lift that revealed a piercing gaze, radiating an awe-inspiring presence perfectly befitting his character.
As the director's lines began, he started clutching his chest, making the audience uncomfortable with his intimidating expression and dry, harsh tone.
He was so tormented by his inner turmoil that he kept his head down, staring at the script rather than the people. But when he wasn't paying attention, he couldn't help lifting his gaze to admire the beauty, only to be gripped by the same anguish and clutch his chest.
After a few rounds of banter, Director Liu stopped tormenting himself. Smiling, he set down the script and showered Zhan Yun with praise: "You're doing great! Your lines are flying! That guy this morning claimed he had no time to memorize them, insisting on reciting' 12355 'instead. Now I can't even dub properly, and the audience can't match the lip movements—what a fool! You'll definitely land a voice actor for post-production. Sen*wan*zheng*il* tonight, get some rest, and we'll start filming tomorrow!"
—All this was gossip from last night.
During the morning shift, Yan Zhan searched for keywords along the melon's stem and completed the rest of the melon's story.
At 7 a.m., Ling Yuteng said confidently to his assistant, "Don't worry. We'll go once they call and approve my request."
At 8 a.m., Ling Yuteng placed his phone beside him and said confidently to his assistant, "Don't worry—they're definitely discussing how to adjust the script for me."
At 9 a.m., Ling Yuteng checked his phone every half hour, then said with a cold smile to his assistant, "They've got a few other scenes left. I think filming should be wrapping up soon."
At 10 a.m., Ling Yuteng checked his phone every ten minutes, snorting coldly at his assistant: "They're just trying to drag me out! Let's see who can hold out longer!"
While eating his lunch with a melon, Yan Jian watched his father dominate the set through the text version of the show.
This character has multiple action scenes, and when a rising star actor takes on the role, he has to learn the moves and use stunt doubles, making the camera work extremely challenging. His father, however, can handle it effortlessly, impressing the martial arts director with his ability to master the skills in just one viewing.
Zhan Yan treated his father's gossip like a juicy entertainment story to be savored.
His father could carry fifty jin (about 25kg) of rice on one hand without a word. When he was a kid, he and his sister would sneak out to play. The two-meter-high courtyard wall was just a push away for him, and he leapt over it with the grace of a butterfly.
So the three siblings had known since childhood that while they could be rough, they needed to keep it in check. If they crossed the line and their father got so angry he started hitting them, they wouldn't be able to handle the blows.
The news agency had a long lunch break during their downtime. Zhan Yan called his mother and asked, "Mom, when do you finish work and come home?"
While Ji Yueming was having lunch, the logistics at the Special Affairs Administration remained efficient. Though the cafeteria chef's cooking skills fell short of Zhan Yunkai's, they still surpassed those of an average Michelin-starred chef.
She dined with several team members and personnel transferred from other groups to jointly manage the growth-related abnormalities in the small conference room.
Dongpo pork, fish head stew, cold lettuce salad, watermelon cheese, plum juice...
The employees who had been busy all night were all eating hard.
Nye Yu held a small bowl of almond tofu, savoring it while watching her brother's bowl of lychee shrimp balls with a look of reluctance. "With this meal, I feel like all the overtime was worth it," she said.
Ji Yueming still had a calm face.
"That's all there is to it—your stomach won't take it." Nie Ling couldn't stand his sister's look of disgust when she saw the food in his bowl. He quietly added a shrimp ball to Nie Yu's plate and murmured, "Every time I watch the captain eat, she looks like she's eating instant noodles. Don't you think that's what they call 'wealth doesn't corrupt'?"
Ji Yueming's phone rang. She set down her chopsticks and cast a small protective barrier, her voice soft: "Yanyan misses Mom? I've been swamped lately and might not be back anytime soon."
The main reason was those sudden overtime calls for abnormal growth cases. She could've just gone home to sleep, but running around the Abnormal Affairs Bureau every day would've easily exposed her.
"Alright then. Dad said he left steamed buns and braised pork in the fridge. I'll go to the office and get you some food," Zhan Yan said.
Mom didn't get any food last night or this morning. She still doesn't know when she'll be home, so we can't keep her without food.
The abalone rice in Ji Yueming's plate instantly lost its aroma.
"Mom is not at the company, she is on a business trip to another city," Ji Yueming said sadly.
Zhan Yan said sympathetically, "Oh, Mom... You should eat something nice and don't treat yourself so badly."
After hanging up, Ji Yueming dissolved the barrier, his face etched with anguish, and devoured the abalone rice in the same showy manner as he'd flaunted instant noodles.
"Take your time, I'll go and see what's wrong."
Finish work early and head home to enjoy steamed buns and braised pork!
The people in the meeting room watched the Celestial Master's solemn face and hurried steps, suddenly realizing how little they had truly understood. Compared to the weight of their responsibilities, mere cravings for food and drink were nothing.