Chapter 832: This Is So Embarrassing!

Less than two minutes after sending the text message, Xu Que's phone rang.

This distinctive ringtone immediately drew strange glances from passersby around him.

Xu Que ignored them entirely, pressed the answer button, and grinned: "Hey, Lao Cai!"

"Holy shit, I finally got in touch with you! You vanished for over a year—where the hell did you go?" Lao Cai's voice blared from the phone.

Xu Que burst out laughing—he clearly didn't know his former self was dead.

He smiled and said: "Didn't go anywhere. Just got back. I've got a favor—didn't your movie make a ton of money?"

"Of course it did! You have no idea how huge it was—it trended everywhere online. But these past two days, some insane news popped up and knocked your movie off the trending list. And get this—could there really be Chang'e on the Moon?"

"Moon… Chang'e?" Xu Que's smile froze instantly.

What's going on?

Could Lao Cai be talking about Jiang Hongyan?

Holy shit!

Xu Que immediately pressed: "Lao Cai, explain clearly—what Moon? What Chang'e?"

"You don't know? No way! The whole world's talking about it! A few days ago, M Country's space agency got hacked, and they leaked several photos—apparently showing a woman in ancient attire on the Moon…"

Lao Cai rattled on.

Xu Que listened, equally stunned—it turned out multiple nations' satellites had captured Jiang Hongyan. The footage was supposed to be classified, but M Country's agency got hacked, the photos leaked, and chaos erupted.

Most people dismissed it as fake—until the hacker breached more space agencies, exposing countless other photos. Even civilians used ultra-long-range telescopes to verify their authenticity.

Then world leaders panicked, held press conferences, and admitted they'd detected human traces on the Moon. A high-definition photo was released—Jiang Hongyan's breathtaking beauty and aura stunned the entire planet.

Now everyone was fixated on China, because Jiang Hongyan wore ancient attire, and China had a myth: a Fairy named Chang'e lived on the Moon.

"Damn, my Hongyan's amazing!"

Xu Que couldn't help but sigh inwardly—Jiang Hongyan hadn't even reached Earth yet, and she'd already become world-famous.

"Enough about that. You vanished for over a year—you have no idea how close I came to going insane! Investors and directors kept hounding me daily. And your box office earnings? I didn't touch a single cent—I've kept it all saved for you. What's up? Need cash badly?" Lao Cai's voice came again.

Xu Que didn't waste time: "Yeah, I really need it. Get me some money and rent out the entire Taishan Scenic Area—say it's for filming. Don't worry about cost. The only condition: clear every single person off the mountain, including staff."

"Huh? Rent out Taishan Scenic Area for filming?" Lao Cai froze, thinking he'd misheard.

"Yeah! Hurry up—it's urgent!" Xu Que urged.

"Heh, funny thing—I'm about to shoot an ancient drama on Taishan myself. I've already booked the location. They said the earliest they can clear it is the day after tomorrow!" Lao Cai chuckled.

Xu Que's eyebrows shot up: "What the hell? How big a spot are you even filming? I need the whole mountain emptied—once I'm done, you can shoot your damn movie!"

"Holy shit, what the hell are you planning?"

"Don't ask what I'm doing. Just call them right now—throw as much money as you can at them, and get every person off that mountain!"

"Alright, alright—if money's no object, no problem. I can get it done in two days at the fastest."

"Good. Handle it, Lao Cai. Make sure absolutely no one's on that mountain!" Xu Que warned.

"Got it. I'll hire people to patrol the mountain. By the way, where the hell are you? Let's grab a drink sometime!"

"Where am I?"

Xu Que paused, glancing around—he hadn't even noticed which city he'd returned to.

At that moment, a handsome young man walked toward him. Xu Que quickly stepped forward and smiled: "Hey, handsome, can I ask you something—where are we?"

"Huh? This? Isn't this Linshen City?" The young man blinked, frowning. Inside, he wondered: I, Tai Shang Buyi, am always the one girls stop on the street—why is a guy stopping me today?

"Thanks!"

Xu Que smiled, turned away, and replied to Lao Cai over the phone: "Lao Cai, I'm in Linshen City. Can't believe how much it's changed since I left!"

It was no coincidence—he and Xu Feifei had grown up and gone to school in Linshen City, leaving only after university.

He never expected his first city upon returning to China would be Linshen City.

"Holy shit, I'm in Linshen City too! Get out here right now—we'll grab a drink. I'm heading to meet some old classmates, and one of them actually used to chase you!" Lao Cai exclaimed excitedly.

Xu Que's lip twitched—old classmates? That was middle school! And someone actually pursued me? How the hell did I not know this?

"Hurry up, where are you? I'll drive over and pick you up!" Lao Cai urged again.

Xu Que sighed. There was no point heading to Taishan yet—he might as well meet up with Lao Cai.

He looked around, spotted a street sign, gave Lao Cai his exact location, then waited in place.

"Oh, wait!"

Suddenly, Xu Que remembered something and turned back toward the alley behind him.

He'd almost forgotten—his current face was nothing like his past life's. Even though his soul had fully merged, he could never regain his original appearance.

But now he had the System—his Human Skin Mask could solve this problem perfectly.

When he stepped out of the alley again, his face had returned to his past-life appearance—slightly more mature than during his university days.

Perhaps due to his cultivation, beneath his neat short hair, his fair, handsome face was now immeasurably more striking than before, radiating an extraordinary aura.

Screech!

At that moment, a black sedan pulled up beside Xu Que. The window rolled down, revealing a slender man in the driver's seat, staring in shock: "You… you're Xu Que?"

"Lao Cai, it's me!" Xu Que nodded, flashing a bright, handsome smile.

The man froze, then scowled: "What the hell are you calling me Lao Cai for? I'm Huang Cheng—your high school classmate!"

Uh…

Xu Que's smile instantly stiffened.

This is so fucking awkward!

…