Baili Xiao didn’t know much about Bai Yiting; he only knew that she was the leading actress at Canxing Entertainment. She debuted two years ago and gradually gained some popularity through her works. Recently, she had begun to rise to fame thanks to a successful commercial film and two variety shows, becoming one of the top actresses at Canxing. The girl had a sweet appearance and a charming voice. Besides acting, she loved to dress up in cosplay and post high-quality photos, making her a true idol among fans.

Baili Xiao was aware that Bai Yiting was the girlfriend Deng Zirui had last switched to, and considering the timeline, it had been nearly a month since their relationship began. Reports suggested that their feelings for each other were not as fleeting as Deng Zirui’s previous relationships; instead, they appeared to be growing more stable. Bai Yiting was seen visiting the Deng family mansion more frequently.

Previously, Baili Xiao had considered whether he should get to know Bai Yiting better, but then he recalled that she would be making a cameo in “Chang An” as a character named Xue Niang, which would involve acting alongside him. Since they would eventually meet, he felt there was no need to take any unnecessary actions.

It was likely that Shen Yuan wanted to ask him about this young actress because of their upcoming collaboration.

After contemplating for a moment, Baili Xiao decided it wasn’t necessary to overthink things right now, especially since he had two projects in hand with good fan reception. There was really no reason to feel insecure. He glanced at the time and asked Mike, “Do you have any work later?”

“No, my task these past two days has been to accompany you for the photoshoot. Since you’re done early, I can take a break as well,” Mike replied casually, motioning for his assistant to bring around Baili Xiao’s car. He turned back to ask, “Where are you planning to go next?”

Baili Xiao thought for a moment and said, “I want to sell my old house. Now that I have some free time, if you’re not busy, why don’t you come back with me to help organize some things?”

“Sell the house? Why?” Mike was surprised for a moment, but then he recalled the black pearl Baili Xiao had bid on at the charity gala and suddenly understood. “Is it that you bought that pearl and then had to pay a hefty rent, so now you’re tight on cash? Hey, there’s really no need to sell the house. Your role in ‘Chang An’ isn’t that extensive, and ‘The Little Prince’ is still in the pipeline. President Yu has already spoken with Luo Wei, he’ll wrap up your scenes in a few concentrated days and settle the payment. Soon you’ll have a hefty sum coming in, so you don’t need to sell your house to make up for it.”

Baili Xiao shook his head and said, “I’m not short on money. It’s just that my ancestral home is very gloomy, and keeping it doesn’t bring me good fortune; instead, it weighs me down. I want to sell it as soon as possible.”

“Wait… You’ve lived there for so many years, and you never mentioned wanting to sell it before? Silly kid, just keep it! The housing market is rising; if you hold on to it for another year, it’ll appreciate quite a bit. Your neighborhood is quite old, so who knows, in a couple of years, the government might come in and clear it out, and you’d make a fortune!”

Baili Xiao shook his head, his attitude firm. “I’ve made up my mind. Besides, last night…”

“Besides, last night you looked at the stars and figured that the heavens are telling you to sell the house, right?” Mike interrupted him with a bemused expression, clearly having grasped his client’s usual patterns. He sighed in exasperation, and just as the car arrived, he casually opened the door for Baili Xiao, saying, “You’re something else. Alright, fine, I’ll go with your decision. Get in, ancestor.”

Baili Xiao gave his manager a mysterious smile and elegantly got into the car.

—

Since moving into the upscale apartment Yu Jinghao had found for him, Baili Xiao hadn’t returned to his old house for almost half a month. This time, as soon as he opened the door, he sensed that someone else had been in the house, and from the aura, it seemed this person was different from the unexpected visitor last time.

Baili Xiao didn’t know who these two individuals were; perhaps the latter was someone Yu Jinghao had sent earlier to collect his luggage. However, the aura of these two people should belong to very ordinary individuals, definitely not Deng Zirui himself.

He knew that Deng Zirui must have a spare key, which had likely been left in some spot in the hallway. However, it was already too late to search for it now; since Deng Zirui had previously sent someone in, that key probably wasn’t left around anymore.

But none of that mattered; after selling the house and changing the locks, the old key would be useless anyway.

Baili Xiao’s main purpose for this visit was to find the property deed. The rules in this world were too complicated; it seemed that selling a house required a whole bunch of procedures. While he could leave all that to Mike and let someone else handle it for him, he still needed to find the deed himself.

When Baili Xiao first awoke in this body, he had been completely bewildered by the world around him. Everything felt strange and new, and he had vaguely rummaged through the cabinets in this house. However, once he settled in, he had mostly confined himself to the bedroom and rarely ventured into the living room or the other bedroom.

The other bedroom should have been his parents’ room. He had only looked in there once when he first arrived, and at that time, it was covered in a thick layer of dust that had accumulated over the years. So he hadn’t gone back and hadn’t cleaned it.

The property deed definitely wasn’t in his bedroom. After rummaging through a few likely spots in the living room with Mike for over half an hour, they finally concluded that the deed was really in that dusty cave of a room.

With no other options, they had to open the door.

Baili Xiao cautiously turned the doorknob and gently pushed the door open. Mike glanced inside, and his whole body froze in shock, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

After several seconds, the agent finally found his voice. “What the hell! When was the last time you cleaned in here?”

“Since I can remember,” Baili Xiao replied, shooting him a sideways glance before hurriedly surveying the room. He had been careless during his first inspection, but now he noticed that the dust wasn’t uniform. Although there was a thick layer of dust everywhere, the area from the doorway to the nightstand by the bed was slightly less dusty.

Baili Xiao suppressed the disgust he felt inside and quietly approached, carefully pulling open the old reddish-brown nightstand. Inside lay a faded iron box, quietly resting.

The dust in the drawer was considerably lighter, and the iron box was almost dust-free.

Baili Xiao opened the lid of the box and, as hoped, saw the legendary red property deed. He immediately turned around and retraced his steps back out, carefully closing the door behind him.

Mike watched him the whole time with a look of disdain. “I never expected you to be such a filthy Baili Xiao.”

Baili Xiao replied, “… Do you believe me if I say I didn’t do anything?”

Mike chuckled lightly. “It’s precisely because you didn’t do anything that this place has turned into a dusty cave.”

Baili Xiao had no words to counter that.

He fully opened the lid of the iron box and handed the red book to Mike. Besides the property deed, there were some old documents inside, receipts for property fees, heating fees, and the like—many of them dated back over a decade, with much of the writing smudged.

After a quick glance, Baili Xiao deemed them all useless and planned to toss them aside. However, as his fingers brushed against the last document, he suddenly felt something hard underneath it. His gaze, which had already shifted away, returned to the box. He lifted the last document and discovered that what lay beneath it was an old photograph.

It was a class photo, with the words “Guizhou Road Primary School, Fifth Grade, Class Four” printed in red. Although the photo was in color, the outdated style of the uniforms clearly indicated its age. Baili Xiao’s eyes quickly scanned the second row and landed on a little boy who bore a striking resemblance to him.

That was Li Xiao during his elementary school days.

His expression differed from the other kids around him, who were grinning broadly; his gaze was calm yet heavy, as if he were making eye contact with Baili Xiao across the span of more than a decade.

Mike leaned in for a look and laughed, “You were pretty blank-eyed as a kid, looking like a little simpleton.”

Baili Xiao replied coldly, “That’s not blank-eyed.”

“What is it then?”

Baili Xiao didn’t answer. He found the sight uncomfortable and intended to put the photo away. Just as he was about to flip it over, Mike suddenly stopped him. “Wait a second.”

“What’s wrong?”

Mike took the photo from Baili Xiao’s hand and examined the girl sitting in the front row, right in the middle. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “No way! This is some explosive news, how come you never mentioned it?”

“What?”

“Still playing dumb? That’s Bai Yiting!”

“What about Bai Yiting?”

“The top star of Canxing! You were just talking about her with Shen Yuan. Don’t say you don’t know her… Tsk, tsk! Even though this is from when you were kids, there’s no mistaking those brows and eyes.” Mike chuckled. “Seems like there’s a lot I don’t know; you’re really something, being classmates and not telling me.”

Baili Xiao was momentarily stunned. Following Mike’s direction, he looked at the little girl in the school uniform dress. All the other girls were wearing plain black uniforms, while she had creatively added a ribbon to her collar, which fluttered in the wind. The little girl’s features were sweet and beautiful, and she smiled brightly at the camera, showing off a row of small white teeth.

If Mike hadn’t said anything, Baili Xiao wouldn’t have recognized her at all. He carefully recalled Bai Yiting’s photos in the gossip magazine he had seen before—it seemed… her brows and eyes were indeed very similar.

After a few seconds of silence, Baili Xiao pretended to be clueless. “I really don’t remember; I can’t even recall what this little girl’s name is… Bai Yiting… did she change her name? I honestly can’t remember at all.”

“Are you for real?” Mike looked at him doubtfully.

“I genuinely can’t recall, but if we really were classmates, I’m sure we’d talk when we meet on set later. It would be super awkward if she recognizes me and I don’t recognize her. Mike, could you help me look into this? Find out if she was in Guizhou Road Primary School, Fifth Grade, Class Four.”

Mike couldn’t help but chuckle. “You really are a forgetful person; you really forgot! Alright, I’ll help you look into it. I’ll get back to you soon.”

“Thanks,” Baili Xiao replied casually, his gaze shifting back and forth between Li Xiao and the girl who looked like Bai Yiting in the photo.

If this little girl was indeed Bai Yiting, it might explain why, after waking up in Deng Zirui’s body, Li Xiao, despite frequently changing girlfriends, stabilized after meeting Bai Yiting.

Baili Xiao smiled lightly, his fingers gently stroking the yellowed photograph.

It seemed that some secret had already become clear.

…

Although the house was old, it had a decent location and was a 60-square-meter two-bedroom layout, which was quite desirable in Beijing. Baili Xiao wanted to keep a low profile, so instead of immediately putting up a public notice to sell the house, he asked Mike to quietly check with his friends and relatives to see if anyone was interested in buying it. He planned to handle it privately.

Having settled this matter, he only needed to wait to complete his scenes in *Chang An* before starting to shoot *The Little Prince*, allowing Baili Xiao a few more leisurely days.

Of course, he wasn’t entirely idle during these days. That night, after finding the property deed, while he was stargazing as usual, Baili Xiao suddenly noticed that the heavenly market had begun to shift. The heavenly market was the main source of treasures; this time, its movement hinted at purple energy, indicating a great increase in prosperity, wealth, and jewels.

The deep-sea black pearl that Baili Xiao had collected began to faintly shine that night. While ordinary people couldn’t see it with the naked eye, he could easily sense the immense fortune stirring beneath the surface of that black pearl, clearly indicating that it was soon time to use it.

So that night, when Baili Xiao made a post on Weibo under the name Baili Xiao, he explained cheerfully how the shift in the heavenly market would bring auspiciousness to gems and jade. He intended to be factual, but didn’t expect that the next morning, upon waking, he would learn that a certain country had suddenly experienced trade fluctuations, with the dollar unexpectedly depreciating and gold skyrocketing as a safe haven, causing precious metal stocks to surge.

Stock market fluctuations usually don’t spark any nationwide discussion. But this time, the surge in precious metal stocks was too dramatic. After nearly six months of decline, countless experts had predicted prices would continue to fall. No one expected a sudden trade shift from a certain country to give precious metals such a massive boost.

Baili Xiao went viral once again. Even Yu Jinghao, during a rare moment, complained to Baili Xiao over the phone, saying, “Next time, do me a favor and give me a heads-up in private. Sure, I have a lot of money, but I’d love to experience the thrill of getting rich overnight.”

Baili Xiao felt wronged. The heavenly market rules over gems and treasures, and when it shifts, prosperity follows. He was just scientifically explaining the facts. He didn’t expect it would be linked to the stock market.

The CEO, dissatisfied that he didn’t reap any benefits from the surge, grumbled about how “fat meat shouldn’t flow to outsiders.” After a few complaints, he had an idea and half-forced Baili Xiao to post a Weibo message using his “Li Xiao” account. The post read, “Lately, it seems like my luck has been strong. The casual suggestions I’ve given to friends somehow brought them good fortune.”

Before Baili Xiao could make sense of this, the crafty CEO switched to his “Baili Xiao” account, retweeted the post, and cheekily added, “Maybe you’re a living lucky koi, a heavenly star bringing blessings to everyone.”

Baili Xiao was at a loss for words and laughed. “Hey, my destiny is clearly better than a koi’s.”

“Oh, is that so?” The CEO grinned, hit send, and flawlessly orchestrated a playful exchange between Baili Xiao’s two personas. He shamelessly added, “No worries, if a koi isn’t enough, we’ll just buy a couple to cook later.”

“…”

Baili Xiao, who had been a friend to koi since childhood, suddenly remembered the dream he had on the day of the wire accident and shuddered. He raised his arm and gave Yu Jinghao a hard elbow.

…

Jokes aside, Yu Jinghao’s move subtly stirred up more buzz about Baili Xiao, riding the wave of Baili Xiao’s viral fame. Weibo exploded. Even people who hadn’t cared much about Baili Xiao before were now retweeting and joining the discussion. Who exactly was this little star who had been praised twice by the otherworldly Baili Xiao?

A koi spirit in human form?

Could it really be true?

Curious netizens, determined to dig deeper, began exploring Baili Xiao’s follower list. To their surprise—though it made sense in retrospect—they discovered that “Li Xiao” was the only celebrity Baili Xiao followed.

With that revelation, the “koi spirit” label was firmly attached to Baili Xiao. Even when he posted a casual photo of his black cat, fans flooded the comments, spinning wild stories: “A peaceful life between a black cat and a koi spirit.”

The tone of his comments section took a dramatic shift from the usual—“So handsome,” “I love you,” “King of luck, share some luck with me”—to something much different:

—“I bought a tank of koi named Xiao today. I’ll take good care of you and fatten you up! [doge][doge]”

—“My Xiao big koi, give me some advice. Should I take the entrance exams for grad school?”

—“Raising my hand! Help me out, Xiao. Two guys are chasing me—should I pick the kind one, A, or the super-rich one, B?”

—“Xiao, just take a guess. What will tomorrow’s winning lottery numbers be?”

Baili Xiao was speechless. The “Baili Xiao” persona on Weibo was known for being mysterious and aloof. Ordinary folks knew they couldn’t afford the services of such a master and rarely bothered him. Yet, now they were flocking to his “Li Xiao” account, treating it like a convenient “Baili Xiao” help desk.

His fanbase had changed overnight. According to reports from the company’s media monitoring team, more than half of his new followers weren’t even regular celebrity fans—they were mature professionals and middle-aged women. His national popularity had skyrocketed, faster than if he’d been endorsing a household brand of instant noodles.

Baili Xiao couldn’t help but marvel at how Yu Jinghao seemed to bring him fortune. Even this spur-of-the-moment marketing stunt by Yu had produced unexpected results.

But the butterfly effect didn’t stop there. Two days after the “koi spirit” buzz swept across Weibo, Baili Xiao suddenly received a notification from the GW brand. They didn’t want to miss out on the trending “koi spirit” hype and decided to launch their new product line a week early.

This meant that two events originally planned for next month would now be moved to the coming days. GW also agreed to increase Baili Xiao’s endorsement fee by 30% and were considering renewing his contract for another year, depending on market response.

Securing two consecutive years as GW’s brand ambassador would be a huge deal for a newcomer like Baili Xiao—an even bigger boost than his last big-screen appearance. When Mike told him about this over the phone, Baili Xiao was completely stunned. He glanced over at Yu Jinghao, who was sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, leisurely petting his cat. For a moment, Xiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, unsure of what to say.

In the end, he sighed deeply and hung up the phone.

Though both were born under the same Northern Seven Mansions fate, Baili Xiao had struggled and fought for survival ever since arriving in this world, while Yu Jinghao had steadily thrived from a young age. It made sense that Yu Jinghao was more powerful—but still, it gnawed at Baili.

In his mind, Baili Xiao kept repeating to himself, *Don’t be jealous, don’t be jealous.* But in the end, he had to admit, with some embarrassment, that he was indeed envious.

For him, luck was the most important thing in the world—his very foundation for existence. Having someone more fortunate than him hanging around every day, innocently freeloading off him, made it hard not to feel jealous.

After listening to Baili’s complaints, Yu Jinghao merely chuckled, unfazed. While casually playing with Baili Xiao’s paws, swaying them back and forth, he said, “What’s mine is yours. Aren’t we symbiotic now? Besides, didn’t you once tell me you could completely take over someone’s luck if you wanted? If the day comes when you need it, just say the word. I’ll give you everything.”

Baili Xiao froze again, staring at Yu Jinghao with a complicated expression as he focused on petting the cat. After a moment, he murmured, “Can luck really be given away like that? Do you know that a person’s luck is intertwined with their fate? No matter how noble your fate is, once you give away all your luck…”

“Oh, stop right there.” Yu Jinghao interrupted, ruffling Baili’s soft hair in a playful, affectionate gesture, as though soothing a cat that had suddenly fluffed up in agitation. His voice was impossibly gentle. “What does it matter? I’m perfectly content. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

Baili Xiao was left speechless. After a long pause, he finally muttered under his breath, “Yu Jinghao, there’s definitely something wrong with your brain.”

Yu Jinghao burst into laughter, placing Baili Xiao gently on the carpet. He watched as the graceful little cat strutted out of the living room under the soft moonlight. Then, he turned back to look at Xiao, smiling.

“What are you looking at?” Xiao asked, a little wary.

Without warning, Yu Jinghao raised his hand and gently, yet with undeniable resolve, took Xiao’s hand and placed it against his chest. His voice was low, tender. “There’s nothing wrong with my brain. The problem is right here, in my heart. You dug this hole.”

Xiao stood there, stunned for so long that he missed the chance to feign indifference. The moonlight was soft, and for the first time, he noticed his normally steady heartbeats growing louder, each beat heavy and pulling at some hidden chord within him, slowly tightening it. It felt like it was stirring something deep inside, pushing him to the brink.

After a moment, Baili caught his breath and pulled his hand back, masking his reaction with cold detachment. “You’re being ridiculous again.”

Yu Jinghao laughed, stretching lazily before winking at him. “You know whether I’m being ridiculous or not. I just hope someone wakes up and fills in the hole they’ve left in my heart. Otherwise, this empty feeling is really making it hard to sleep or eat…”