Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Shen Ze replied, “My Uncle Nine? He’s away on a business trip and hasn’t come back yet. You probably won’t be able to see him for now.”

Xia Sheng was slightly stunned. “How come he didn’t mention this to me?”

Shen Ze looked at her strangely. “Why would he have to tell you?”

Xia Sheng opened her mouth but found herself at a loss for words.

It seemed that where Shen Yanchen went really had nothing to do with her.

After a long pause, she finally said, “He promised me before that he would let me absorb at least ten hours of Baleful Qi every week. Of course he should have told me if he was going on a business trip.”

Shen Ze thought about it and realized she had a point.

If he hadn’t called the Little Celestial Master just now, she probably would have gone to Uncle Nine’s house only to find no one there.

Xia Sheng changed the subject. “Just come find me. I’ll send you my location on WeChat.”

“Sure.”

Twenty minutes later, a travel-worn Shen Ze pulled his car over to the curb.

Xia Sheng had chosen a small roadside eatery frequented by local residents. Seeing a luxury car parked at the entrance, many passersby couldn’t help but steal a few glances.

Shen Ze got out of the car, entered the shop, and sat down across from Xia Sheng.

“Little Celestial Master, were you just having lunch? If you’d said something earlier, I would’ve treated you to this meal.”

Xia Sheng wasn’t polite at all. “Next time, then.”

“You’re as blunt as ever, Little Celestial Master.” Shen Ze chuckled a few times before getting down to business. “Little Celestial Master, quick, help me take a look. Can I make it big this time?”

“There were so many people auditioning for this role, but I was the only one who got picked.”

“I think I might be a genius, the really incredible kind.”

Shen Ze looked at Xia Sheng with a grin, waiting for praise.

If it were anyone else, seeing Shen Ze’s expectant little eyes, they probably wouldn’t have the heart to tell him the truth.

But Xia Sheng had no such mercy.

She said coolly, “Are you sure it’s not because the Shen Family invested in this movie?”

The smile on Shen Ze’s face froze. “What?”

Knowing he was a bit slow on the uptake, Xia Sheng directly searched for information regarding the movie on her phone and handed it to him.

After seeing that his Uncle Nine was the investor for the film, Shen Ze completely wilted. He looked as dejected now as he had been radiant moments ago.

No wonder the director had cast him immediately after his performance that day. He had thought his acting was so good that the director had been blown away and decided on the spot.

As it turned out, the reason was simply that he had a CEO for an uncle!

Xia Sheng took her phone back and offered a casual consolation. “If you enter the entertainment industry, you’ll probably remain mediocre for the rest of your life.”

“But don’t be too sad. Even if you’re a useless person forever, your Uncle Nine can still support you.”

Shen Ze: “…”

What did she mean by ‘a useless person forever’?

He didn’t feel comforted at all, thanks.

While Shen Ze was feeling sentimental and wondering if he should just swallow his pride, apologize to his old man, and go back to inherit the family fortune, he heard Xia Sheng ask, “Where have you been these past few days?”

Shen Ze thought Xia Sheng was blaming him for not visiting her during military training as promised. He explained, “Last week, my dad made me go back to the old family residence. My mom and dad were keeping an eye on me, so I couldn’t get out to see you at school.”

“After I got out, I received the call saying I passed the audition, so I’ve been busy memorizing the script these last few days.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Xia Sheng drew a trace of Yin Energy from his body into her own. “You’ve been tainted with Yin Energy. Have you been to some unclean place?”

Ever since being terrified by the Female Ghost last time, Shen Ze became nervous and fearful whenever such things were mentioned.

Hearing Xia Sheng say this, his body instantly stiffened. He didn’t even dare to turn his head, his eyes darting around frantically.

Shen Ze was in a total panic. “What Yin Energy? There isn’t another ghost, is there?”
Xia Sheng said, “It’s just a faint trace of Yin Energy. There are no ghosts here.”

Hearing this, Shen Ze breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ve been staying at home these past few days,” he said. “I only went to the film set once two days ago, but I don’t think anything bad happened.”

“The ghost’s target isn’t you, so naturally she wouldn’t make a move against you. The Yin Energy you’ve picked up is likely just because you spent too much time in the same space as her.”

Shen Ze shuddered, looking like he was on the verge of tears. “Little Celestial Master, didn’t you say there were no ghosts?”

“I said there were none here.”

So that meant there was one at the film set?

Shen Ze felt a chill crawl up his spine. “Little Celestial Master, can you help me exorcise this ghost? I’m afraid something will happen while I’m filming.”

Even if he wasn’t the target, what if he got caught in the crossfire?

Xia Sheng asked, “What’s the payment?”

“I don’t have much money left. How about half of what I gave you last time?”

His monthly allowance was only a million yuan. The previous payment to Xia Sheng had already wiped out his personal savings.

If his Uncle Nine hadn’t transferred him a sum of money recently, he wouldn’t even be able to afford the five million now.

Xia Sheng agreed readily. “Deal.”

Seeing her agree, Shen Ze was deeply moved.

As expected of the Little Celestial Master-she was truly a practical person!

“The production crew has a dinner gathering tonight. It was originally meant for the actors to get to know each other. I’ll find an excuse to take you along.”

Xia Sheng nodded. Once they finished their discussion, the two left the noodle shop.

As the city lights began to flicker on, Shen Ze suddenly remembered something on the way to the restaurant.

Wait a minute. He was playing a minor supporting role; he’d only earn a few tens of thousands of yuan for the entire movie.

If he spent five million to hire the Little Celestial Master to exorcise a ghost, wasn’t he losing a fortune!!??

Was there even any point in continuing with this movie!?

Shen Ze felt a pang of regret over his own accounting skills.

He felt that if he ever took over the family business, he would probably squander all the money in minutes.

He opened his mouth to tell Xia Sheng that they didn’t need to catch the ghost anymore, but then he thought about how someone on set might actually die because of it. He swallowed the words back down.

Forget it, forget it.

He would just consider it as paying to save a life.

It wasn’t a loss.

The two arrived at the restaurant and were led into a private room by a waiter.

There were only eight people in the room. Aside from the assistant director and the producer, the rest were all key actors in the film. There were almost no minor supporting characters like Shen Ze, who was practically an extra.

Earlier that afternoon, Shen Ze had harbored a sliver of hope, thinking it was possible the director had actually taken an interest in his acting skills and that his CEO Uncle Nine had only exerted a tiny bit of influence.

After seeing who had shown up tonight, Shen Ze knew Xia Sheng was right.

A dinner like this among core members was no place for a minor character like him.

The only explanation was that the director really was interested in his family’s deep pockets.

Shen Ze felt his self-confidence take a massive hit. He almost wanted to grab the Little Celestial Master and burst into tears right there.

The assistant director gestured for him to sit. When his gaze fell on Xia Sheng, who was following beside him, a flash of amazement sparked in his eyes.

“Shen Ze, is she one of us? I don’t think I’ve seen her before.”

At these kinds of dinners, people often brought newcomers along, hoping to use their connections to land them a role.

Xia Sheng’s features and bone structure were top-tier; she would stand out even in the entertainment industry. Naturally, the assistant director assumed Xia Sheng was a newcomer Shen Ze wanted to push.

Shen Ze replied, “No, she’s a friend. She was just passing by.”

The assistant director nodded in understanding, but he couldn’t help stealing a few more glances at Xia Sheng. He said to Shen Ze, “There’s a ‘National First Love’ type character in this film that would suit your friend quite well. Why don’t you ask if she’s interested in a role?”