The film set was located in the outskirts, surrounded by numerous private clubs. This particular meeting spot was more upscale than the previous ones. When Baili Xiao was ushered into the private room, Yu Jinghao and Tang Shao were already waiting for him. The moment Tang Shao saw him, he greeted him enthusiastically, calling out, “Master.”

Baili Xiao felt a bit embarrassed and said, “You know my real name. Just call me Xiao.”

Tang Shao grinned, “Who would’ve thought that the rising star in the entertainment industry, Li Xiao, is actually the renowned ‘Master Baili’ on Weibo?” He poured Baili Xiao a glass of red wine and suddenly asked, as if remembering something, “Wait, aren’t you supposed to have the surname Li?”

Yu Jinghao, who had been curious about this as well, joined Tang Shao in looking expectantly at Baili Xiao. After pondering for a few seconds, Baili Xiao answered softly, “My real surname is Baili, but I use Li as a cover name. It’s just something not many people know.”

Tang Shao nodded in understanding, complimenting how rare and distinguished the surname was. Yu Jinghao, who had long since done his homework on Baili Xiao’s background, merely gave him a deep look without saying anything. Baili Xiao, of course, wasn’t naive enough to think that Yu Jinghao believed him completely, but he didn’t intend to explain further. He simply took a small sip of his wine.

This was originally meant to be dinner between Yu Jinghao and Tang Shao, and although Yu Jinghao had invited Baili Xiao under the pretense of discussing business, they hadn’t really touched on much work. Baili Xiao, being naturally quiet and uninterested in matters unrelated to himself, spent most of the meal listening to Yu Jinghao and Tang Shao chat.

Listening to these two young elites talk was, in a way, quite entertaining. As Baili Xiao slowly sipped his wine, he listened to Yu Jinghao’s wide-ranging conversation, from discussions about the international economic landscape to last night’s football match, which saw a certain team lose again. The breadth of topics they covered was truly impressive.

The wine they were drinking tonight was a bottle of Romanee-Conti, rich and smooth. Baili Xiao found it quite pleasant and unknowingly had a few more glasses. What he didn’t realize was that while the wine had been casually served with dinner, Yu Jinghao had specifically selected it for him—it was the kind of wine that only millionaires could afford to drink and billionaires could even obtain. Baili Xiao had no idea and drank two glasses without thinking twice. Only when he felt a slight buzz did he realize he might be tipsy.

He hadn’t drunk much alcohol since arriving in this world, and definitely hadn’t indulged. That’s when it hit him that this world’s wine wasn’t like the peach blossom wine he used to drink in Baili Valley—it was much stronger, and two glasses were enough to make him feel light-headed.

Resigning himself to the situation, he propped his head up with one hand and continued listening to the two gentlemen’s conversation.

Yu Jinghao, who had been sitting beside Baili Xiao the whole time, noticed his movement from the corner of his eye. Without saying anything, he handed over a damp handkerchief for Baili Xiao to wipe his face. Baili Xiao casually tossed it aside and continued to rest his head on his arm. Yu Jinghao glanced at him—the lazy posture, those blood-red lips, and his dark, bright eyes. The slightly tipsy look was a stark contrast to his usual cold demeanor, making him seem stunningly captivating.

Yu Jinghao suddenly felt his heart racing uncontrollably. Quickly, he tore his gaze away and tried to refocus on the conversation at hand.

“You mentioned that the eldest son of the Deng family woke up?” he asked.

Tang Shao, who had keenly observed Yu Jinghao’s shifting expressions but smartly pretended not to notice, nodded. “Yes, it’s been all over the tabloids. Deng Zirui, who’s been in a coma for half a year, has suddenly woken up.”

Yu Jinghao thought for a moment before slowly saying, “That car accident and near-drowning six months ago was quite unlucky for him. But to wake up after being in a vegetative state for half a year with all his bodily functions intact—that’s something I’ve never heard of.”

“Well, not entirely intact…” Tang Shao squinted slightly before continuing, “Apparently, his personality has changed drastically, and it seems…he’s lost his memory.”

“Amnesia?” Yu Jinghao smirked. “That’s such a cliche in dramas. The Deng family is probably pulling some kind of trick again.”

“I’m not entirely sure either. But word has it that Deng Zirui had a huge argument with his family. He refused to take the cushy government job they lined up for him. Instead, he’s talking about starting an entertainment company or even debuting himself as an artist.”

Yu Jinghao couldn’t help but laugh. “Amnesiac or not, he’s still the same playboy. If the rumors are true, whether he starts a company or debuts, wouldn’t that be great for you? His father had set him up with that government position to build his career in a small town. If he’d stayed on that path, even if it didn’t affect you directly, it would’ve still been annoying.”

Tang Shao let out a cold laugh. “He’s just a small-time player. Whether he’s faking amnesia or genuinely stupid, he’s still useless—someone who can’t be helped no matter what.”

…

That’s about as much as Baili Xiao heard. His mind drifted back to the news article he had seen earlier in Sen Mu’s WeChat feed. It must have been about this Deng Zirui they were discussing—another one of those rich heirs, no doubt. But Baili Xiao wasn’t particularly interested, nor did he have the energy to think about it in detail. Tonight, what started as a slight buzz from the wine had turned into real dizziness and discomfort. Baili Xiao closed his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing, but his head felt cloudy. He attempted to sense his qi, but his body felt limp and powerless, as if he couldn’t muster any strength to do so.

Strange. Over the past two weeks, he had been experiencing unexplained occurrences like this. This growing sense of unease gnawed at him.

Sensing something was off, Yu Jinghao quickly wrapped up the conversation with Tang Shao, and they ended dinner earlier than planned. It was already 11 PM, and Yu Jinghao personally escorted Baili Xiao to his car, preparing to drive him back himself.

As the car windows rolled up, the enclosed space was filled with the faint scent of citrus that surrounded Yu Jinghao. Baili Xiao took a deep breath, feeling slightly more comfortable. He slowly opened his eyes, which were still a bit hazy. His voice was calm, but there was a slight rasp to it, which, to Yu Jinghao, sounded incredibly seductive.

“President Yu, please just drop me off at the film studio gate. I’ve already asked Mike to meet me there.”

Yu Jinghao, however, was decisive. “I’ve already told him to rest. I’ll take you directly to your dorm.”

“…Alright then.” Baili Xiao turned his head to look at Yu Jinghao, his vision once again slipping in and out of focus. He stared intently at Yu Jinghao’s profile, noticing for the first time how striking the man’s nose was.

He had always known that Yu Jinghao was a young and successful businessman, the kind of “tall, rich, and handsome” man that was the stuff of legends in this world. But in this moment, for the first time, he truly realized that Yu Jinghao was genuinely good-looking—masculine but not too rugged, with a subtle warmth in his demeanor that was deeply attractive.

It seemed that Yu Jinghao, who was driving, sensed Baili Xiao’s gaze. He glanced at him briefly, and when his eyes landed on Baili Xiao’s lips, the usually composed CEO suddenly swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving slightly. Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned back to focus on the road. After a moment of thought, he asked, “By the way, does divination with your astrological chart drain your energy?”

“No.”

“Then, do me a favor.”

Baili Xiao chuckled. “President Yu, no need to be so formal. Just say it.”

“I’ll arrange for you to meet Deng Zirui sometime. I want you to take a look at his astrological chart.”

Deng Zirui?

Baili Xiao thought for a couple of seconds before remembering that Deng Zirui was the wealthy heir they had been discussing at the dinner table—the one who had awakened from a vegetative state. Judging from their conversation, it seemed like he was also Tang Shao’s political adversary?

However, this didn’t concern Baili Xiao.

Lazily rubbing his tired eyes, Baili Xiao said, “I don’t just read the stars; I’m also skilled in medicine. If someone experiences something akin to a soul departure—well, in your terms, a vegetative state—the likelihood of the soul returning to the body is incredibly small. Given that he’s also lost his memory… it’s highly probable that another soul has taken residence.”

“Another soul?” Yu Jinghao was stunned. Even though he had come to believe in some of Baili Xiao’s abilities, the concept of souls was still hard for him to accept.

Baili Xiao knew Yu Jinghao must have found this explanation far-fetched but didn’t push the matter. He certainly couldn’t reveal that he himself was a soul from another world. So, he casually said, “It doesn’t matter whether it’s another soul. If I meet him, I’ll give you a reading.”

“Thank you,” Yu Jinghao nodded in gratitude and continued driving. When they reached a red light, Yu Jinghao stopped the car, even though there wasn’t another vehicle at the intersection at that late hour. The soft hum of the air conditioning filled the silence in the car.

Unable to resist, Yu Jinghao turned once more to glance at the person next to him, only to be surprised. The young man, who had been lazily leaning against the window and chatting with him just moments before, had already fallen fast asleep.

The young man had skin as white as jade and lips as red as blood. His once bright black eyes were closed, revealing long eyelashes that cast a charming shadow on his eyelids.

He breathed steadily, his nostrils flaring slightly, stirring something in Yu Jinghao’s heart.

I can’t look any longer.

If I keep staring, I’ll really lose control.

Yu Jinghao forced himself to turn away, his eyes wide open, fixated on the countdown of the red light. Yet his mind felt like a muddled mess, blank and mechanical, unable to think as he numbly drove forward.

He suddenly regretted choosing this treasured bottle of wine for Baili Xiao tonight… but then again, seeing him enjoy it made Yu Jinghao happy. Perhaps he shouldn’t have indulged Baili Xiao’s fondness for drinking, but who would have guessed that he would get tipsy from just a couple of glasses of red wine?

…

When Baili Xiao woke up the next day, he felt utterly limp, but there was no hangover headache; instead, he felt remarkably clear-headed. However, no matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn’t remember what had happened the previous day.

The last memory stuck in his mind was his promise to help Yu Jinghao read the astrological chart of that young master with the surname Deng. After that… how he got back to his dorm, whether he said anything else before parting with Yu Jinghao, and whether they discussed GW at all… he couldn’t remember any of it.

Resigned, he sent a WeChat message to Mike, asking how he had gotten back last night. Mike replied quickly, clearly unimpressed: “Stop pretending to be innocent. Last night, President Yu forbade me from picking you up. Who knows how you got back? You figure it out.”

Figure it out?

In this regard, Baili Xiao probably lacked the ability to piece things together.

He lifted the blanket and looked at the black robe he was wearing. Aside from his slightly disheveled hair, everything seemed normal. He thought it was likely that he had come back on his own. He just couldn’t understand why he had been so tipsy the night before that he had forgotten everything that happened afterward.

Fortunately, there was no filming for him today, so he could take a day off. Baili Xiao casually opened Weibo, scrolling down a few posts when he suddenly realized he had switched to his account as the “.”

Not checking would have been better; when he did, he was taken aback and sat upright in bed.

At twelve-thirty last night—

@Master Baili: “Drunken under the Seven Stars of Beidou, tomorrow is a good day to stay in bed, and avoid excessive labor. Good night, everyone.”

Baili Xiao: “???”