In a bustling shopping district, inside a mall packed solid with fans and onlookers.
Mu Xingchen stood outside a brand's store, wearing the clothes he endorsed and promoting the brand. Miao Yue and Pubu Gesang sat on a bench nearby, waiting for him to finish the event so they could all go out together.
Bored out of their minds, the two played little games to pass the time, occasionally looking up to listen for which stage the event had reached.
Suddenly, an audience member who had gone onstage asked into the microphone, "Isn't today the premiere of episode six of Investigating the Strange? Xingchen, did you miss it because of this engagement?"
The brilliant smile on Mu Xingchen's face froze, replaced by disbelief. Instinctively, he looked through the crowd toward Miao Yue and Pubu Gesang.
At the same time, the two looked up toward the source of the question.
"You're... joking, right? I didn't receive any notification from the production team about a broadcast." Mu Xingchen did his utmost to appear calm, but his mind was in turmoil.
The audience member raised their phone. Pitch-black imagery flowed slowly across the screen, with the Explore the Supernatural Production Team's verification badge in the upper left and a live indicator on the right.
Comments streamed past frantically, also asking why only Gugu and Zhi Zhi were there and why the others hadn't come.
Mu Xingchen took a step back. At the same time, Miao Yue and Pubu Gesang shot to their feet. Miao Yue's eyes grew damp, her fists clenched until her knuckles turned pale. "So... this was why they wouldn't let us come over these past few days," she murmured.
She had thought their boss wanted some time alone with Brother Qi.
So she had voluntarily taken on the task of