UCS Chapter 18

Gao Gusheng shivered.

 

“Damn, why does it feel like the creep concentration around here is off the charts?”

 

The hairs on his arms stood upright, making him look like a puffed-up cat.

 

He glanced around and noticed a short man wearing sunglasses gesturing to him, pointing toward a corner. In that shadowy corner, where few people passed by, a black car was parked.

 

That unsettling gaze was coming from the black car.

 

Gao Gusheng was highly sensitive to others’ stares. He could feel that aside from the car, there were also eyes watching him from a shop across the street.

 

His heart instantly tightened.

 

He discreetly pressed the emergency button on his phone in his pocket, sending his location to Gao Shi.

 

After hesitating for a moment, he decided to walk toward the car anyway.

 

If he couldn’t escape life’s malice, then he might as well face it head-on with two metaphorical punches.

 

Gao Gusheng subtly flexed his fingers as if preparing for action.

 

Unexpectedly, when he reached the car, the door opened, revealing a face that would cause traffic jams if seen on the street.

 

Xiao Yusheng.

 

The youngest Grand Slam Best Actor and a top star in contemporary entertainment.

 

Xiao Yusheng smiled at him and got straight to the point. “Hello, young student. I’m about to star in a public service film and think there’s a role that suits you perfectly. Are you interested?”

 

To be honest, Gao Gusheng was utterly surprised at the sight of Xiao Yusheng. He knew his own face had some charm, but he never expected to receive an invitation from such a renowned actor.

 

Still, Gao Gusheng politely declined. “I’m sorry, I’m still in school and have no acting experience. Thank you for your kind offer.”

 

Out of habit, Gao Gusheng intended to tilt his head slightly upward to show off his carefully crafted “fiery red lips.” Halfway through tilting his head, he suddenly remembered he wasn’t wearing makeup today and awkwardly scratched his head to cover up.

 

Xiao Yusheng, however, was unexpectedly persistent. His demeanor was so gentle it didn’t resemble that of an A-list actor at all. “Acting experience can be developed. Trying different things during your student years will help you discover what you truly love, don’t you think?”

 

Xiao Yusheng’s eyebrows curved slightly as he flashed a perfect smile.

 

Years ago, his breakout moment—the image that went viral—was of him as a young man in white under the shade of trees, turning back with a smile.

 

Fans went wild under this photo:

 

[Smile at me and I’ll give you my life!]

 

[Who is your boy in white? Ah! Mine!]

 

[Xiao Yusheng! You—are my god!]

 

[First of all, I’m not from Nantong, but if Xiao Yusheng smiled at me, I’d be happy. Secondly, I’m not from Nantong either, but if Xiao Yusheng hugged me, I’d be thrilled. Finally—and seriously—I’m not from Nantong—but if Xiao Yusheng kissed me? Heaven.]

 

[Hey commenter above! We all know you’re from Nantong now—put your pants back on.]

 

His smile had an almost magical ability to captivate people’s hearts.

 

He was confident that this young man before him would be no exception and would fall under his spell just like millions of fans had.

 

……

 

However, the young man just paused for a moment, then declined again, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have extra energy to spend on acting right now.”

 

The young man left.

 

Xiao Yusheng kept watching Gao Gusheng’s retreating figure. His breathing quickened slightly, and his cheeks flushed. He looked like a predator eyeing its beloved prey. Even his most loyal fans would doubt if they were seeing the real Xiao Yusheng if they saw him like this.

 

Yu Xi looked at him with concern, “Hey, calm down.”

 

Xiao Yusheng’s gaze didn’t shift, greedily clinging to the young man’s figure. He seemed almost drunk as he said, “Look, that’s a truly flawless work of art.”

 

“Li Mochen’s taste is really getting worse.”

 

Yu Xi asked, “So, do you still want to go after the one Li Zong has his eye on?”

 

Xiao Yusheng chuckled playfully, “Of course.”

 

“Let’s let our dear Li Zong see his precious little songbird.”

 

As he spoke, Xiao Yusheng recalled that horrifically ugly face. He couldn’t remember much else, just that mouth that could wake him from nightmares. Thinking about it, his face darkened.

 

“No, let’s forget it. Getting our hands on him is enough.”

 

“I don’t have a hobby of cupping therapy[mfn]The phrase “拔火罐” (bá huǒ guàn) refers to cupping therapy, a traditional Chinese medicine practice. In this context, it’s used as a metaphor, implying that Xiao Yusheng doesn’t want to deal with something unpleasant or unattractive.[/mfn].”

 

…

 

In the shop.

 

The man wearing a baseball cap stared at the photos he just took, dumbfounded.

 

“Isn’t this the person Li Zong asked us to find? What was his name… Gao Gusheng? He caught the eye of a top actor?”

 

“Who would’ve thought secretly photographing the great actor Xiao would bring such an unexpected surprise? I need to show these photos to Li Zong right away.”

 

….

 

Gao Shi woke up from his nightmare. His teammates, well-practiced, handed him some sugar water.

 

“Take it easy, Brother Gao. I’ve sent someone to check on Lele. He’s at home.”

 

Seeing Gao Shi about to jump up as soon as he opened his eyes, Yin Ling immediately pressed him down. After watching Gao Shi finish a cup of sugar water, he continued, “Something seemed to happen at Lele’s place earlier, but it’s been resolved now. Lele sent you a text message, take a look.”

 

Gao Shi grabbed his phone and saw two messages. The first was a location sent by his son, and the second was a message saying he was safe.

 

Gao Shi furrowed his brow.

 

He had set up a program as a precaution: if his son sent an emergency distress message and he didn’t respond within a minute, it would automatically report to the Spirit Management Office. This program, unused for so many years, was finally put to use today.

 

He looked thoughtfully at Chang Yang and Zhuang Xiuxiu, who arrived late, “Were you delayed on your way here?”

 

Chang Yang scratched his head, looking guilty, “Yes… Captain, we got stuck in traffic. When we saw we couldn’t move, I came by bicycle, which caused the delay.”

 

Seeing his teammate’s remorseful look, Gao Shi shook his head, “It’s not your fault.”

 

He recalled Yin Ling’s team failing to detect the ghost gathering earlier, Chang Yang and others being held back this time, and his own experience. He vaguely confirmed that something was indeed hindering Gao Gusheng from climbing out of the abyss.

 

The hidden, perhaps what could be called “plot,” wants to pull fate back onto the “right track.”

 

It wants to destroy Lele.

 

Gao Shi stood up, looking at the silent crowd, and clapped his hands, “Alright, cheer up. Why the long faces?”

 

Chang Yang looked at Gao Shi worriedly, “Captain, you’ve been fainting more and more frequently lately. Maybe you should go to the hospital.”

 

Gao Shi raised an eyebrow, “Perhaps I fainted from the snacks you bought?”

 

“Hey! Captain!” Chang Yang exclaimed, “You can question my character, but don’t question my taste in snacks!”

 

“Oh? Then digest those two boxes of blue cheese yourself.”

 

“No, Captain, please!”

 

After noisily sending the group away, the smile faded from Gao Shi’s face.

 

He got in the car and drove home.

 

The journey was smooth, with no traffic jams. At home, he saw Gao Gusheng sitting cross-legged in the living room playing a video game. Eerie ghost cries emanated from the TV screen.

 

…It seems the little rascal wasn’t scared at all by the earlier events.

 

“Dad? You’re back!”

 

Gao Gusheng turned and enthusiastically pounced on Gao Shi, handing him another controller, “Dad, play this level with me. Single-player mode is too hard.”

 

Gao Shi took the controller and chuckled, “Watch your old man.”

 

The air conditioning was cool, the watermelon sweet and icy. Two cups of soda with ice cubes were placed on either side, bubbling away.

 

The father-son duo teamed up, beating the game’s ghosts until they wailed. After “GAME OVER” appeared on the screen, they both grabbed their sodas[mfn]The phrase “肥宅快樂水” (féi zhái kuài lè shuǐ) is internet slang for soda or cola, often associated with the stereotypical lifestyle of young people who spend a lot of time at home.[/mfn] and took a long gulp, then exhaled a cool breath.

 

Completing the game left them feeling refreshed, as if they had beaten up those real-life ghostly troublemakers and vented their frustrations.

 

At this point, Gao Gusheng took out the talisman given by the young Taoist and told Gao Shi about the events of the past few hours.

 

Gao Shi was surprised by his son’s description, “This Taoist you mentioned, was he wearing a white robe, with long hair and very dark eyes?”

 

Gao Gusheng nodded repeatedly, “Dad, you saw him too?”

 

Gao Shi couldn’t help but hold his head, “That should be the person I went to pick up today.”

 

Was this a case of accidentally achieving the goal of bringing someone here?

 

Gao Gusheng looked at the talisman in his hand, folded it, and put it in the small pouch where he had kept his previous amulet.

 

As he folded it, he said, “By the way, Dad, don’t you think the plot of the Taoist losing his memory, being picked up by you, and you feeding him a meal sounds familiar?”

 

Gao Shi was stunned, then quickly understood what his unlucky son was implying. The next second, his hand landed on the back of Gao Gusheng’s head, “You brat! How dare you rummage through my things.”

 

Gao Gusheng yelped “Ow!” but still grinned cheekily, “Oops, I accidentally saw it—I didn’t expect Dad to be so girlish, actually reading domineering CEO novels.”

 

Gao Shi recalled the novel he read where the male lead lost his memory, remembered, lost it again, remembered again… repeating this cycle five or six times, making one wonder if the standard for male leads nowadays was to have an iron head. The novel was titled “Domineering CEO’s Fierce Love: Don’t Try to Escape, Darling Wife.” Thinking about the Taoist who inexplicably lost his memory, Gao Shi’s face darkened.

 

What to do? This plot does seem a bit familiar.

 

But of course, the Taoist won’t repeatedly lose his memory like that pitiful male lead.

 

…Right?

 

Meanwhile, the Taoist robe that so many people were thinking about was standing in a remote wilderness, his pitch-black eyes showing a hint of confusion.

 

Where is this?

 

I’m so hungry…

 

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