Chapter 1569 - 753_2
The other female contestants passing by nearby saw this scene and all cast looks of envy and even jealousy.
Zhou Xiumei sings so well, taking first place in tonight’s competition as a matter of course.
And she even has such a tall, handsome boyfriend with an extraordinary qi field at her side—how could that not make people jealous?
But they didn’t go up to disturb them, just looked over curiously a few times, then tactfully withdrew their gazes.
Just then, the crowded mass of people outside the door suddenly parted to both sides of its own accord.
A faint, elegant scent of perfume drifted out.
Cheng Jiashu, dressed in a white casual suit, walked down the corridor surrounded by two assistants and stopped at the door of the dressing room.
The contestants and staff around him recognized who he was and immediately let out suppressed exclamations.
Cheng Jiashu smiled and waved, signaling for the assistants to stay outside, then put his hands in his pockets and strolled into the dressing room.
"Congratulations, Xiumei."
Cheng Jiashu looked at Zhou Xiumei, his smile impeccable, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze:
"From today on, you’re the number-one ace of my team. For the upcoming national finals, you’ll have to keep up the state you were in tonight."
"Thank you, Teacher Cheng! If it weren’t for your guidance earlier, I definitely wouldn’t have sung this well."
Zhou Xiumei hurriedly bowed politely to thank him.
"Ha, the main thing is you’ve got talent and you’re willing to learn—and of course we have to thank the songwriter behind this track."
After tossing Zhou Xiumei a few casual words of encouragement, Cheng Jiashu’s gaze shifted and landed on Fang Cheng, who was standing to the side.
Their eyes briefly collided in midair.
The curve of Cheng Jiashu’s smile tightened a fraction, the corner of his eye lifting naturally.
Then he turned his head toward the door and tilted his chin slightly:
"Mr. Fang, I’ve written a song recently as well, and I have some questions about the arrangement I want to discuss with you. Would now be a convenient time?"
Fang Cheng’s eyes flickered; he instantly caught the subtext in the man’s words.
This guy clearly had something important he wanted to talk over with him.
So he turned and gently instructed Zhou Xiumei:
"Xiumei, you stay here and help Wen Xin and Bean tidy up our things. I’m going to discuss some artistic creation stuff with Master Cheng—we’ll talk outside."
Zhou Xiumei nodded obediently:
"Okay, Brother Cheng, you go ahead, I’ll wait for you here."
Fang Cheng lifted his leg and walked out, calmly keeping pace with Cheng Jiashu.
The two of them went one after the other through the noisy, crowded backstage corridor, pushed open a fire door, and came to the relatively quiet stairwell.
The heavy metal door closed behind them, completely sealing off the noise from outside.
The lighting in the stairwell was a little dim; only one sound-activated lamp gave off a weak yellow glow, stretching their shadows long.
They walked down half a flight of stairs, and Cheng Jiashu stopped in front of the broad ventilation window.
The cool night wind slipped in through the half-open window, ruffling the carefully styled bangs on his forehead.
He shoved both hands into his pockets and looked out at the glittering city lights, exhaling a long breath as he sighed:
"Urban life really suits me better. I used to think I was the solitary type deep down, but those few days keeping watch over the village in West Mountain almost drove me into a mental breakdown."
Fang Cheng walked to the other side of the windowsill, his gaze passing over the frame to the night beyond:
"That place is the ancestral land where your Cheng Family originated. Now that we’ve kicked out Jiang Chen, the cuckoo squatting in your nest, and taken back the old ground, you don’t feel happy about it?"
Cheng Jiashu turned around, leaned back against the windowsill, and shrugged carelessly:
"You’ve got it wrong. Ancient Locust Village belongs to you now. Qian Dongming already transferred the entire resort renovation project, along with the land deed, over to your name in one package."
Fang Cheng withdrew his gaze, his tone even:
"If you like that place, I can process the paperwork and give it back to you anytime."
"Spare me."
Cheng Jiashu waved both hands repeatedly, curling his lip:
"Playing the role of a glamorous idol star already drains enough of my energy—I don’t have the time or mood to manage some run-down place like that."
"Anyway, leaving it in your hands puts me at ease. If I ever feel like reminiscing about the ancestors, I’ll just buy a ticket and go back for a visit."
Fang Cheng chuckled, but didn’t keep wrangling over the topic; he went straight to the point:
"How’s the recovery of the Inner World in Ancient Locust Village? How long until we can reopen that space rift?"
The smile on Cheng Jiashu’s face paused slightly; he raised one eyebrow at Fang Cheng:
"Do you have foreknowledge or something? I hadn’t even said it yet and you already knew what I was going to talk about?"
Fang Cheng’s expression didn’t change. He kept his eyes fixed on Cheng Jiashu’s face and patiently waited for him to continue.
A full week earlier, Cheng Jiashu had already been repeatedly urged by his agency because he’d extended his vacation too long.
On top of that, with the national talent singing contest about to enter the qualifying stage for the grand finals, the production team desperately needed a heavyweight mentor like him to sit in and hold the stage, so he had no choice but to pack up his bags and rush back to the East City District.
As for the underground cavern in Ancient Locust Village that hid secrets, and the resort renovation project on the surface, those were temporarily handed over to members of the Illuminati.
Fang Cheng had specially dispatched Old Chen and Eagle Eye to station there and handle everyday security.
But when it came to the advanced spatial Domain of the "Inner World," they still needed a professional like Cheng Jiashu to provide technical support and evaluation.
After cracking his joke, Cheng Jiashu straightened up out of his slack posture, his expression gradually turning serious:
"When I left Ancient Locust Village, I did tell you it’d take about half a month to get back to normal."
"But things have changed. Now I’m afraid it’s going to be indefinitely delayed for a while."
Hearing that, Fang Cheng’s previously relaxed spine straightened a little, a dangerous gleam flashing through his eyes:
"What happened?"
Cheng Jiashu sharply picked up on the sudden drop in temperature and pressure in the air.
He cocked his head, looking at Fang Cheng with interest, and said quietly:
"The Yin energy under Ancient Locust Village has been diverted."
Fang Cheng’s eyes flicked, his voice turning icy:
"Who did it?"
With a calm expression, Cheng Jiashu met his gaze and gave two names:
"The military. And the Special Search Team."
Fang Cheng was taken aback for a moment, the cold in his eyes shifting into doubt:
"They’ve discovered the secret in Ancient Locust Village?"
"No, they haven’t."
Cheng Jiashu shook his head and turned his eyes back to the neon lights outside as he explained:
"You know this already—the military was the first force to discover the entrance to the ancient ruins at the West Mountain archaeological site. They’ve been using that stable space channel to continuously bring back all kinds of precious resources from the Otherworld."
"As for the Special Search Team, they also used some special method recently to locate another new entrance on the outskirts of West Mountain."
"And according to reliable intel, the Special Search Team has already organized a group to successfully enter the Otherworld once. In future, they plan to recruit a large number of expedition members."
At this point, Cheng Jiashu raised both hands and traced a big circle in the air:
"Imagine this: all the Yin energy under West Mountain is like a reservoir, and the amount of water in it is fixed and limited."
"Now the military and the Special Search Team have both stuck in two super pipes at the same time, pumping water out day and night to maintain their space channels."
"So how much water do you think is left to flow over to our Ancient Locust Village side?"
Fang Cheng listened to the analogy, his brows knitting slightly. He thought for a moment, then asked:
"Is there a way to fix this?"
"There is."
Cheng Jiashu nodded, the corners of his mouth curling up again into that slightly manic smile.
"What way?"
Fang Cheng asked in a low voice.
Staring straight at him, dangerous light flickering in his eyes, Cheng Jiashu spoke with a hint of excitement in his tone:
"You, this peerless big shot, personally take the field—sneak into the West Mountain Base, and smash to pieces and destroy every ruin entrance controlled by the military and the Special Search Team."
"As long as their pipes are cut off, the Yin energy on our side will naturally be enough to open the space channel."