Keeping Him in Suspense

"I see. You like those mature, attractive women. I didn't expect someone with such delicate features to have such unusual tastes."

"I'm not into mature women!"

"I understand now, there's only one truth—you're actually blind."

Chapter 430 Keeping You in Secret

Under the curious gazes of many, Si Ming and Yuezheng Yao shared a somewhat awkward lunch. After finishing their meal, he couldn't wait to leave.

"You really don't want to be with me?" Yuezheng Yao lowered her eyes, revealing a sad expression.

However, having already seen through the other party's true nature, Si Ming had no intention of yielding and decisively replied, "Yes."

"What a boring reaction. How was my performance? Someone offered me 30 million to act in a movie, and I thought my acting was pretty good, although I turned it down in the end."

They're always acting, always pretending to be someone else. Isn't their acting skill good enough?

"Why refuse? Appearing on the big screen can quickly expand one's popularity. You know, some people don't listen to music, and there's no overlap between movie fans and music fans."

Si Ming felt that given the other person's narcissistic personality, she shouldn't refuse the opportunity to let more people see her charm.

"Because I read the script, and it's undoubtedly a terrible movie. The bulk of the film's budget is my salary. The investors just want to use my popularity to make money. I'm not going to let them have their way. Making movies isn't a problem, but my first film has to be a classic masterpiece. Otherwise, forget it. My salary is just a minor issue. I won't work with stupid people who can't even see this."

Yuezheng Yao spoke with her usual confidence, and she certainly had the confidence to say so. Unlike those actresses who sacrificed themselves for money, she was neither short of money nor power. No one could tempt her with money or pressure her with power, and those who had the qualifications would not force her to make movies.

"Then I wish you, Mr. Yuezheng, to get a great script and create a timeless classic."

"Thank you for your kind words, but judging by the timeline, it seems there's no hope." Yuezheng Yao sighed.

Si Ming didn't understand why the other party would say that. It's true that making a classic masterpiece is not easy. It requires not only a good screenwriter, a good director, and good actors, but also a bit of luck. However, a good script is not difficult to make. As long as you are patient, you will eventually succeed. After all, Yuezheng Yao's popularity is undeniable, and directors will definitely approach her. As for whether it can become a classic, to be honest, no one can guarantee it before the movie is released. Yuezheng Yao can't just not make a movie because of this.

However, since it was none of his business and Si Ming wasn't a fan of celebrities, he had no interest in such matters and got up to leave.

"I need to prepare for my afternoon classes, so I'll take my leave now."

"Wait a minute, you guys have done me such a big favor, making the concert run smoothly. Putting aside my personal safety, at least the audience wasn't disappointed. I'm very grateful to you and your partner for that. If I were to repay your kindness with just a meal, people would laugh at me for being heartless and ungrateful. Here, take these tickets."

Si Ming took the ticket from Yuezheng Yao, looked down and saw that it was a music festival ticket.

Music festivals are typically a series of performances held in a specific location with a particular theme, often lasting for several days. Unlike concerts, these events are not as formal and often feature many unknown amateur bands, including some formed by students. As a result, the quality of these performances varies greatly. However, some bands do stand out at music festivals and achieve instant fame.

Music festivals are usually open-air performances with several stages, allowing fans to choose bands according to their preferences. Because they are not limited by venue, they can accommodate as many fans as possible.

However, music festivals in Su State have never been very good. They are only well-known within the music industry, and people outside the industry have no idea that such things exist. Therefore, tickets are very cheap, and you can buy a pass for around a hundred dollars.

"Well, I'm not really interested in music, and my companion doesn't really like crowded places either."

Si Ming couldn't help but think to himself, "You might as well just give me the money directly. Given the other person's status, it's unlikely that you'd just give me a few hundred yuan to fob me off."

Yuezheng Yao smiled mysteriously, "I'm not giving you these tickets to go listen to music. The real purpose is... you'll find out soon enough. Anyway, take them for now. If you don't want to go, you can always give them to someone else."

Her tone reminded Si Ming of the brilliant strategists in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" who would give their generals secrets instead of saying things directly, always leaving things unsaid and whetting people's appetites.

But according to the usual pattern, taking the magic bag would solve the problem smoothly. This is the will of the universe. Si Ming curled his lips, but still accepted the music ticket and then turned to leave the teachers' restaurant.

Watching her departing figure, Yuezheng Yao said to her fifth uncle who was walking over, "Uncle, aren't you going to ask me why I revealed the 'Nine Shao Pitch-Setting Art' in class?"

"... You must have your reasons for doing this." In other words, he couldn't understand the reason.

"Our Yuezheng Lineage has been living in Su State for three years now, but we've only been absorbing Su State's resources and making profits in a market twenty times larger than the Nation of Beauty, without ever giving back to this country. This goes against the original intention of the other party inviting us to Su State, so some people are gradually getting impatient. If we don't make a move soon, they might choose to take action."

Fifth Uncle snorted, "The Yuezheng Lineage isn't someone to be trifled with."

"But we are ultimately outsiders, or rather, newcomers. If the other side uses this as a pretext to launch a public opinion campaign and gather several Spirit Transformation experts to attack together, the Yuezheng Lineage will not be able to withstand it. Su State is not the Nation of Beauty, where a Lineage can maintain peace for a hundred years with just one Spirit Transformation expert in charge. There are more than thirty Spirit Transformation experts under the command of the Su State government. Their strength is incomparable to that of the puppet government of the Nation of Beauty. Especially recently, due to the exposure by the former Grandmaster, many high-ranking government officials have been brought down. In order to divert public attention, they are looking for a scapegoat. This scapegoat needs to have a natural stain, a large enough reputation, and enough money to cover his tracks. And our Yuezheng Lineage happens to meet the requirements."

Fifth Uncle was silent for a while, then said, "If we had known this would happen, why did we insist on moving to Su State in the first place?"

He knew he was just saying it in anger. After the Yuezheng Lineage moved to Su State, thanks to the huge market and lack of competition, the Yuezheng clan was thriving. Their influence had expanded several times compared to when they were in the Nation of Beauty. They were treated as honored guests wherever they went, and the profits they earned far exceeded what they used to make. Now, even if he suggested that the clan move back, no one would agree.

"Yes, what is the reason?" Yuezheng Yao smiled. "Let's keep it a secret. I'll tell you the truth soon, so don't be surprised."

There's no turning back once the arrow is released. In fact, Fifth Uncle already had the answer in his heart and accepted Yuezheng Yao as the head of the family. He acknowledged that Yuezheng Yao had just said. If he waited until Su State became impatient before trying to remedy the situation, it might be too late.

—Perhaps, she really is more suited to be the head of the family than I am.

It was because of this thought that Fifth Uncle was able to regain his freedom and become Yuezheng Yao's bodyguard. Nominally, it was for protection, but in reality, it was a form of investigation to see if Yuezheng Yao was qualified to become the head of the family.

Perhaps in the eyes of fans, the Yuezheng Yao ruins their image and is hard to accept. They hope that their idol is simple, innocent, and pure as paper. But in Uncle Wu's opinion, scheming is a virtue, while being naive and innocent is an unforgivable flaw.

Si Ming had just returned to the club activity room when Murong Qing said, "You've come at the right time. Senior Sister Ke just came to inform us that a nationally wanted criminal involved in the massacre of two families, with dozens of lives on his hands, has escaped to Linked Mountains City and is probably hiding nearby. She hopes we can help investigate. I'm worried about whether this should be considered a mission from the Mohist Knight Guard or a commission from the Mutual Aid Society. If it's the latter, it seems there's no client or reward, which violates the established rules."

"Since he's a nationally wanted criminal, there's bound to be a bounty. That's the reward. The Mutual Aid Society don't necessarily have to wait for someone to ask them to act. We should help those in need, and maintaining order and fighting crime is our duty."

"That makes sense. Let's see how it goes. If we have time to change clothes, we'll treat it as a Mutual Aid Society operation; if not, we'll act as the Mohist Knight Guard."

Murong Qing looked very excited, clearly looking forward to appearing as a hero once again. Unlike Hongdou, who was looking forward to role-playing, she was more looking forward to the action itself.

"Let me see the wanted criminal's file. Since he managed to escape from the Mohist Knight Guard and wasn't caught, he's obviously got some skills. Don't underestimate him and think you can take him for granted, or you'll end up getting surrounded."

Although he knew that Murong Qing was unlikely to make the mistake of underestimating the enemy, Si Ming was worried that she would get too caught up in the role and focus too much on playing the hero, thus neglecting the difficulty of the mission itself.

"Don't worry, I've compiled his information. If we run into him, we can at least hold him off, if not subdue him."

Si Ming took the documents, and the first thing he saw was a one-inch photo. It showed an innocent-looking face, slightly frail, without any of the ruthlessness and cruelty of a murderer who had committed a family massacre. He even looked like a student.

Murong Qing, "Actually, this man named Ji Xun does have some sympathetic aspects. His first crime was to avenge his parents, whose father died at the hands of a martial arts fanatic who had gone mad from Qi Deviation martial arts."