Chapter 36.2

　　Hu Xiao’s personality was such that he remained unfazed by the onslaught of criticism from fans as if the insults did not affect him. While casually scrolling through the comments, he commented, “Hey, Second Uncle. You must be a crow¹ Here, Hu Xiao associates Jing Xi with a crow for his previous remark and also being a “乌鸦嘴”(a symbolic expression that one is being a jinx). 

In Chinese culture, a crow is regarded as a bird of ill omen as it usually predicts and witnesses the death of a person in rural areas through its loud cawing. Hence, “乌鸦嘴” is used to describe people who usually say ominous things that often come true. , right?”
　　Jing Xi remained collected and responded, “How great is that? You get to be on Weibo’s list of trending topics for free.”
　　Since Hu Xiao knew how to handle this matter, he calmly waited for his manager to get in touch. Then, he succinctly recounted the incident to his manager, who hinted at the possibility of surveillance cameras at the hotel entrance.

　　Despite being aware of his arranged marriage, the manager could not help but skeptically probe, “Is there really nothing going on between the two of you?”
　　Hu Xiao cast an inquisitive glance at his second uncle, who gave an affirming nod. With that, he answered, “No, he’s actually trying to woo my second uncle.”
　　After a moment of silence, the manager replied, “Alright, you guys should refrain from discussing this online. Shuang Yeliang is clearly in the wrong here, so I’ll contact his manager to sort this out together. No doubt your director will likely blow a fuse if the on-set photos are leaked.”

　　In any case, his guess was spot on.

　　Now that they had wrapped up shooting in the residential district, they had just relocated to the film studio two days ago. As this was a closed set, it could only be the handiwork of someone in the production crew. With that in mind, the director called for an early morning meeting and erupted in a fit of rage.

　　Jing Xi had no intention of revealing too much about his hacking skills, so his plan was simple — let System search for the culprit, patiently bide his time for the perfect moment, and then take care of things discreetly. Much to their astonishment, luck was on their side as System unveiled a surveillance camera snapshot capturing a portion of the culprit in the unmistakable act of snapping the photo.

　　As such, he suggested checking the surveillance footage before guiding the assistant director step by step to a certain production crew member.

　　In a split second, the production crew member’s countenance turned ghostly pale. Spotting Hu Xiao making his way over, he staggered back in fear and hastily denied, “N-no, it wasn’t me…”

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　　G qykdv pxkzl tbspvle shla Tw Dkys’p zkrp yp bl kdiwkale, “Slzym, R osd’v zyu y qkdtla sd usw. Mlzz xl, obs cakcle usw? Eyp kv Tw Ubl sa Pl Eld?”

　　Mbl rasewnvksd nalo xlxcla pvawttzle vs elqlde bkxplzq yde elprlayvlzu rzlyele, “R polya, kv oypd’v xl…”

　　Tw Dkys tldvzu ryvvle bkp pbswzela yde kdvlaflnvle, “Ls dlle qsa xsal lmrzydyvksdp. Zsw’al tlvvkdt qkale vseyu, ps pyhl uswa calyvb. Xb, yde obld usw blye cynj, es xl y qyhsa yde elzkhla y xlppytl; Mlzz vblx vbydjp qsa tkhkdt xl yzz vbkp yvvldvksd, yde R zshl bso usw nyd’v pvyde xl, ulv nyd’v es y vbkdt vs tlv ake sq xl.”

　　“…” Mbl rasewnvksd nalo xlxcla pvsse kd pvwddle pkzldnl, wdyczl vs yavknwzyvl y alprsdpl vs vbl tkhld kdpvawnvksdp.

　　Gp qsa vbl valdekdt vsrkn, Tw Dkys yde Fbwydt Zlzkydt osajle kd vydelx yde kppwle y xlvknwzswpzu nayqvle pvyvlxldv yqvla lmvaynvkdt qssvytl qasx vbl bsvlz pwahlkzzydnl. Ekvb vbl rasewnvksd nalo’p yrrashyz, vblu oldv sd vs pbyal y hkels qlyvwakdt Tw Dkys ldtytkdt kd ekpnwppksdp ycswv ynvkdt okvb bkp qlzzso ns-pvyap, lqqlnvkhlzu iwlzzkdt vbl nsdvashlapu.

　　Plprkvl lhlauvbkdt, vbl lxclap sq vbl nsdvashlapu nsdvkdwle vs pxszela.

　　Gp pssd yp Tw Dkys oyp esdl tlvvkdt nbydtle, bl lmnkvlezu pswtbv swv bkp plnsde wdnzl. “Yu rbsdu bwpcyde nywtbv okde sq vbl valdekdt vsrkn yde dso oydvp vs hkpkv vbl plv. Ps usw vbkdj bl’p tlvvkdt flyzswp?”

　　Rd yd kdpvydv, Kkdt Dk yde Fupvlx zlv swv yd “Xb!” kd wdkpsd okvbkd bkp xkde. Gzvbswtb kv oyp y pllxkdtzu vakhkyz lrkpsel, vblu olal rzlypydvzu pwarakple cu vbl wdqsalplld cldlqkvp kv caswtbv qsavb.

　　Meeting Hu Xiao’s hopeful gaze, Jing Xi played along. “That’s possible.”

　　Beaming with happiness, Hu Xiao quipped, “He’ll be here at noon, so I’m planning to get the director to give me the afternoon off. While I’m away, I’ll leave you in Shuang Yeliang’s capable hands, so try not to miss me too much!”

　　As he spoke, he ruffled his second uncle’s hair and joyfully dashed off to shoot the scene. When the clock struck midday, he immediately ditched Second Uncle and his leafy greens for a scrumptious meal with his phony husband.

　　With that, Shuang Yeliang contemplated the idea of inviting the rabbit for a meal. Right as he was about to reach the other, the sound of the rabbit’s phone ringing cut through the silence, the screen illuminating to reveal an incoming call from his nephew. A lighthearted laugh escaped him as he mused, “Did he forget something?”

　　Jing Xi corrected, “Nope, it’s another one.”

　　While speaking, he moved to the side and answered the call.

　　After successfully handing over the reins of the branch office to Duan Xiuwen just days ago, Duan Chi had finally departed Howe and arrived at Cello Constellation.

　　He questioned, “I should be arriving at your location in the evening. Would you be interested in meeting up?”

　　Upon hearing that, Jing Xi called for System. “How’s his hormonal level?”
　　System reported, “It is somewhat unstable as of late, but it is still within the acceptable range.”
　　Jing Xi suspected it might be connected to Duan Chi figuring out his identity and his downcast mood. With that in mind, he replied to Duan Chi and left the film set.

　　As the main star of Cello Constellation, this planet was home to several renowned entertainment companies, including the one Hu Xiao originally signed with in the original storyline.

　　Hence, Jing Xi chose to purchase an apartment in the vicinity to stash the body. Its close proximity to the three film and television production bases made commuting between locations a breeze. Consequently, he went to the apartment to switch bodies before promptly arriving at the meeting place. 

　　The moment Duan Chi caught sight of him, a flicker of disbelief washed over his features. “Why’d you swap bodies?”
　　Jing Xi casually commented, “Well, it’s been ages since I’ve last used it.”
　　Duan Chi voiced his concern, “Won’t it make you feel uncomfortable?”
　　Jing Xi reassured, “No, it won’t.”

　　Duan Chi’s gaze swept over the figure, noting the lack of emaciation or frailty. Yet, a multitude of speculations swirled in his mind as he trailed behind him through the film studio. They eventually arrived at a decent restaurant and stepped inside without hesitation.

　　Behind the veil of bamboo curtains, the restaurant’s seating areas exuded an atmosphere of refined elegance.

　　Amidst the quietude of the nearly empty restaurant, Jing Xi braced himself for the impending interrogations. Much to his surprise, he had not heard Duan Chi broach the subject throughout the meal. It was not until the arrival of the fruit platter that he nonchalantly raised a question.

　　“Do you think this world is real?”

　　Jing Xi chuckled, “Of course, it’s real! Do you really think otherwise?”

　　Some perceived humans as composed of bones and blood, while others viewed them as a complex entity of organic and inorganic matter. However, those in the Administration Bureau much preferred using the term “data” to encompass both humans and their souls.

　　All the worlds within the Administration Bureau were undeniably real. However, certain departments — such as the Transmigration Department — required individuals with extraordinary energy levels to serve as anchors for their respective worlds.

　　Behind this lay a set of strict operational rules that would be quite complicated to explain. As for these agents and divine lords, their energy levels had soared to such heights that their entire bodies had evolved into energy entities.

　　Jing Xi inquired, “Have you conjured up some wild speculations?”
　　As their eyes met, Duan Chi could discern the truth in his words. “That’s not quite the case, but rather, I’ve drawn connections across various scenarios.”
　　With a wary glance at his enigmatic smile, Jing Xi could not shake the feeling that there was nothing positive to follow.

　　After nudging Jing Xi’s favorite fruits in his direction, Duan Chi contemplated aloud, “The moment Xiuwen and Yumeng become a couple, you set off on your adventures. Conversely, if I wish to keep you from leaving, would preventing Hu Xiao from becoming a film emperor do the trick?”

　　“…” System was left utterly dumbfounded by his words.
　　It emitted a startled wail before crying out in desperation, “What are we going to do about this?!”

　　Jing Xi dismissed, “He’s merely making a passing comment.”
　　System challenged, “How did you even come to that conclusion? Has love clouded your judgment!?”

　　Ignoring it altogether, Jing Xi gave the CEO a thorough once-over before questioning in a voice dripping with skepticism, “Are you being serious?”

　　Duan Chi answered, “Nope, I’m not.”

　　He had always found himself struggling to keep the person within his grasp, torn between his genuine desire to keep him close and the realization of how rare his Darling’s openness was toward him. While part of him longed to hold onto him, he could not bring himself to exploit this matter as a weapon. Consequently, his mood always remained downcast throughout this period.

　　Their eyes once again met in midair as the sound of footsteps resonated from the stairs.

　　Hu Xiao spent a delightful afternoon at the film and television production base with his phony husband before arriving at the restaurant to enjoy a meal together. Deliberately omitting any mention of names, the cleverly disguised Hu Xiao chuckled, “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. He likes Second Uncle.”

　　Qin Zhao raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
　　Hu Xiao’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as he proclaimed, “I’m telling you, it’s true! Ever since Second Uncle embarked on his adventure, his charms have soared to new heights, leaving everyone utterly captivated.”

　　The impact of his words rendered both Duan Chi and Jing Xi momentarily speechless, their mind racing to process the unexpected revelation.

　　The atmosphere of tentative probing between the two individuals dissipated in an instant.

　　Silently, Jing Xi reached for a slice of fruit and placed it into his mouth, all the while sarcastically musing, ‘Thanks a lot, Nephew.‘