Chapter 61

Chapter 61

On the way to the employer's residence, Hao Jixin was the driver.

Xie Qingfeng and Jing Xi sat in the backseat. Thinking of the employer, a minor celebrity, Xie Qingfeng turned to Jing Xi.

Jing Xi glanced back and looked down at his clothes, "What's wrong?" He didn't see anything amiss.

"When do you plan to visit [Minghuan Entertainment]?" He was referring to the matter of terminating the contract.

Hao Jixin, unaware of the contract termination, thought Jing Xi had serious business to handle, "Right, Emperor Jing, I heard you were planning a comeback on the internet."

Lately, Emperor Jing had been so focused on the National Teacher that he almost forgot about his acting career.

Jing Xi lowered his gaze, "I'll visit before the holiday ends."

He hadn't yet decided how to convince himself to go alone.

The National Teacher could see people's fates.

Initially, he had Liang Chenglei wear a mask and hat to cover his forehead and sneak by.

But he couldn't possibly cover everyone like President Zhu at the time, or the National Teacher would surely be suspicious.

Xie Qingfeng wasn't in a hurry, just asking to confirm the time, to have an idea in mind.

Hao Jixin's eyes sparkled, "Eh? Is Emperor Jing planning a comeback?"

Once he got busy, wouldn't he be the only one left by the National Teacher's side?

From now on, he would be the closest person to the master!

Their destination this time was in the city center. The employer, although a minor celebrity, had acted in several dramas, just not in leading roles, mostly as a supporting character or with limited screen time.

Fortunately, his family was wealthy, and acting was more of a hobby for him, a way to pass time without much competition, which he quite enjoyed.

This time, it was the celebrity Yan Quanming's agent who contacted Hao Jixin. The agent knew Hao Jixin because Yan Quanming's family owned several companies in City C, which had business dealings with Hao's company, so the agent was aware of many things about Hao.

Yan Quanming had been experiencing issues for a while but didn't want to worry his family, so he kept it to himself, always sharing good news but not the bad. His health had been off recently, and after a busy half-year on set, he thought it was just exhaustion and decided to use this opportunity to rest properly.

When he had free time, he would contact his family occasionally. He heard from his elders about various gossips and odd incidents in City C, including an extraordinary experience in Hao's family, which piqued Yan Quanming's interest.

The more he thought, the more he suspected that he might have encountered something unclean, so he discussed it with his family elders.

The elder believed in such things and passed Hao Jixin's contact information to the agent, who arranged the meeting since money was not an issue. It was perfect timing as Xie Qingfeng was also coming to City B.

Yan Quanming lived in a high-end residential area with excellent privacy. The agent came out to meet them at the entrance of the complex.

The agent was a somewhat plump middle-aged man with a pleasant face, always smiling at first sight. He was quite capable, managing many artists, including several who were very popular.

However, due to health issues in recent years, he had reduced his public appearances, managing only two or three artists, including Yan Quanming.

The group took the elevator from the basement, and the agent used a card to access the floor where Yan Quanming lived, which was secluded, occupying an entire level. But in the elevator, the agent couldn't help but glance at Jing Xi, who had been silent.

Jing Xi, wearing a mask and hat revealing only his eyes, felt the agent's repeated glances and turned impatiently, "Is there something wrong?"

Caught staring, the agent coughed awkwardly and waved his hand, "Sorry, sorry, it's just an occupational habit. It's just that this gentleman's features are very striking, quite similar to the actor Jing Mianfeng. Sir, are you interested in joining the entertainment industry?"

Hao Jixin, witnessing someone recognize Jing Xi for the first time, was surprised. After all, Jing Xi hadn't appeared in public for over four years, and his current appearance was drastically different, even meticulously concealed: "How can you even tell it's him?"

Although Jing Xi was famous before, he had been out of the public eye for over four years, and apart from his dedicated fans, few paid close attention to his whereabouts.

The agent laughed, "It's because one of my artists, Quanming, is a fan of Jing Xi. We have his photos at home, and I see them daily. I'm very familiar with Jing Xi's facial features, so I recognized this gentleman's resemblance immediately, at least an eighty percent match."

Jing Xi frowned slightly and pressed his hat down further, "Is that so?"

His response was ambiguous, unclear whether he was pleased or not. His attitude made the agent feel he had overstepped, so he dropped the subject.

Fortunately, they soon reached the floor. As the elevator doors opened, the group stepped out into a spacious hallway, where the door in front was already open, leading to an entire floor. Inside, a large, almost empty hall greeted them, its walls adorned with numerous photos.

Xie Qingfeng finally understood what the agent meant by 'seeing them every day'.

Mr. Yan was clearly not just a fan of one person. One wall was dedicated to old drama stills of Jing Mianfeng, another wall showcased another popular young actor, and yet another featured a recent Best Actor award winner, whom even Xie Qingfeng had heard of during his short time here.

Not to mention, there were also smaller photos of various other male celebrities. A quick glance around the room revealed a dazzling array of handsome faces.

Jing Xi's lips twitched, growing even more silent.

Xie Qingfeng, on the other hand, looked around curiously. He had only seen Jing Mianfeng in airport advertisements. These photos, likely taken before the accident of Jing's parents, showed a lean but remarkably handsome figure, yet Xie Qingfeng felt a sense of dissonance, easily distinguishing between him and the 'Little Emperor'.

His attention was then drawn to another wall, filled with photos of a person with striking features, though Xie Qingfeng didn't have a strong recollection, only finding the face vaguely familiar.

While they were looking, a door opened, and a frail, tottering young man emerged, pallid and leaning on the door frame. After coughing a few times, some color returned to his face, but he still looked utterly exhausted, almost as if his vitality was on the brink of collapse.

Xie Qingfeng and the others turned to look. When Xie Qingfeng's gaze fell on the young man's face, he paused, then realized something, his expression becoming somewhat indescribable.

The agent hurried over, "Why are you out here? The doctor said you're weak and shouldn't be exposed to drafts."

Yan Quanming waved his hand dismissively, "It's not as serious as all that. I just lack energy and don't feel like eating." He couldn't understand why his body had become so weak recently, to the point where even his favorite pictures of handsome men failed to interest him.

He used to be able to stare at them all day long. He even suspected that something unclean was lingering around him, draining his vitality, making him this weak.

The agent helped him to sit on a couch, which was practically the only piece of furniture in the entire living room.

Hao Jixin curiously observed Yan Quanming's condition. Although Yan wasn't famous for his roles, he was at least recognizable. The contrast between his current frail appearance and the vibrant young man in the dramas was strikingly large.

After sitting down, Yan Quanming turned to the three guests brought by the agent, "Which of you is the master?" They all looked so young. Besides the one showing his face, who looked average, the other two, with their faces partially hidden, had striking features that caught his eye repeatedly.

Hao Jixin watched as Yan Quanming glanced at him and then quickly shifted his gaze to the master and Emperor Jing beside him, "...Can he be any more obvious?"

Yan Quanming was in such a ghastly state, yet he still had the mood to admire good looks? Hao Jixin wondered if Yan's lecherous gaze had attracted some malevolent spirit, draining his vitality.

Jing Xi frowned, his expression turning unpleasant. Although he knew his National Teacher was handsome, it was rare for someone to stare so blatantly upon first meeting. And frustratingly, Yan Quanming's gaze, despite its intensity, held no lewd intentions, just pure admiration.

Eventually, Yan Quanming's gaze settled on Xie Qingfeng, "Could this be the master?" He prided himself on his discerning eyes, especially regarding matters of charisma.

The agent quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, this is Master Xie, here to check on you."

Yan Quanming's gaze intensified, leaning forward to try and glimpse the face under the hat and mask. In his opinion, such an individual must be extraordinarily handsome, as his only hobby in life was to appreciate beautiful people.

While others admired beautiful women, he preferred handsome men, and where else could one find more good-looking men than in this industry? Hence, he entered the circle right after graduation, not for fame or success, but to feast his eyes on attractive men.

Yan Quanming pointed to the mask, "Is it inconvenient for the master to show his face?"

Xie Qingfeng looked at him complexly, "Whether it's convenient for me is one thing, but you'd better not stare at people so intently in the future."

Yan Quanming and the others were taken aback, "Hmm?"

Xie Qingfeng noted the dark, shadowy aura enveloping him and the ominous darkness at his brow, "It could cost you your life."

These words finally changed Yan Quanming's expression. His agent was even more frightened, "Really? But he's so young, how could he be in danger of losing his life? Could it be that someone envied his ability to attract attention and cursed him or cast a spell out of jealousy?"

Xie Qingfeng: "That's not the case."

Just as Yan Quanming and his agent let out a sigh of relief, the master continued, "He's been staring intently at a ghost. The ghost thinks he's fond of him, a match made in heaven, unbreakable even by death. Since they couldn't be together in life, the ghost decided to take him along in death."

Yan Quanming and his agent: "............"

Yan Quanming finally stopped staring so intently, swallowing nervously, "No... That can't be, right?" He liked looking at handsome men, sure, but he hadn't seen any ghosts, had he? And he couldn't see them anyway, could he?

Xie Qingfeng, observing the heavy aura of Yin energy around him: "An item freshly unearthed, brimming with Yin energy, adorned with images of handsome men."

This reminder finally jogged something in Yan Quanming and his agent's memories.

Indeed, before Yan Quanming's health issues started, he had visited an antique exhibition featuring recently unearthed artifacts, including jade and porcelain pieces decorated with beautiful figures.

Yan Quanming, always fond of such things, had rushed to see them. Particularly, a porcelain piece caught his eye, adorned with an ancient scholar drawn in free and easy strokes. He couldn't help but stare at it for a long time and even took photos with his phone, often looking at them afterward.

Yan Quanming shrank his neck, "I remember now, but I only looked and took a photo... I didn't bring it home." Was it really worth his life? It seemed unjust.

Xie Qingfeng: "Are you sure it was just a glance, not several? The porcelain was likely modeled after a real historical figure. But later, the ghost, either dying tragically or abandoned by a lover, held onto lingering resentment. When you fixated on it and took the photo, this resentment latched onto the image in your phone. Every time you looked at it, a bit of your vitality was drained."

Yan Quanming was dumbfounded, his life nearly forfeited over his 'appreciation for beauty'? What if he had looked a few more times? Could it have been the end for him?

Frightened, he quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket and threw it as far as possible.

Shivering, Yan Quanming hugged himself and glanced around at the numerous photos of handsome men. He scuttled to a corner of the couch, too scared to look again, tremblingly pointing around, "Take these down, all of them!" He vowed never to dare look at them again, terrified.

Xie Qingfeng: "..." It wasn't necessary to go to such extremes.

However, glancing at a wall adorned with someone's photos, he turned to look at Jing Xi, who was also looking over. Xie Qingfeng silently turned his head away, not voicing any objection.