Ji Song had a tall and slender build, standing with an imposing presence like a sturdy pine or a graceful bamboo.
Just his presence alone was enough to leave Yun Yueming breathless with fear, his explanation instantly forgotten.
Without waiting for an answer, Ji Song grabbed him like one would a young animal, effortlessly moving him around.
Li Rang hadn’t expected there to be an eavesdropper—he had just spilled all his secrets without reservation!
Flustered and humiliated, his face flushed red. “Yun Yueming!? It’s you again!”
Yun Yueming, unaware of the sharp turn in Li Rang’s attitude, gave an awkward chuckle.
Just as he was about to step forward, someone suddenly yanked him back from behind. Caught off guard, he stumbled straight into Ji Song’s embrace, which carried the crisp scent of cedar and snow.
Since regaining human form, Yun Yueming had never been this close to his master.
The other man’s body heat seeped through his trench coat, warming Yun Yueming’s skin.
His fair ears instantly turned a deep shade of crimson, and he finally settled down.
…He wouldn’t run!
Watching this scene, Li Rang’s eyes turned bloodshot.
He couldn’t understand why Ji Song was so biased toward that eye candy!?
That useless man had nothing going for him except his looks!
Whether it was experience or skill, Yun Yueming was inferior to him!
“You’d better stay out of trouble.”
Ji Song’s cold glare met Li Rang’s resentful gaze.
“Otherwise, I will expose your actions directly to the production team. Think carefully—can you handle the consequences?”
Yun Yueming listened in confusion.
“What actions? What consequences?”
Li Rang’s body trembled violently. “You… you…!”
Ji Song was famously known in the industry as a man of integrity.
He was deeply principled, with a strong aversion to scandal.
Many believed it was just a carefully crafted image, a way to gain a reputation. Li Rang had thought the same—until now.
Gritting his teeth, Li Rang finally relented.
“…Teacher Ji, I admit my mistake. Please don’t report me.”
“One of the investors in this show is also my patron. If they find out I’ve been secretly coveting you and trying to curry favor, they’ll definitely blacklist me!”
Yun Yueming: “…”
What the hell!?
How did he end up in this situation, suddenly hearing things he was never supposed to!?
Ji Song sneered. “You’ve probably used these tactics to get on quite a few variety shows and land several cameos. If you had put in even a little effort, you wouldn’t be a recycled contestant on a talent show.”
Li Rang’s resentment ran deep, dark fumes practically seeping from his orifices.
Clearly, none of Ji Song’s words had gotten through to him.
Li Rang only wanted to take shortcuts to fame.
Even a low-tier celebrity in the industry lived a far more comfortable life than an average office worker.
He simply wanted to climb higher and further without struggle.
Having offered his advice, Ji Song chose to respect his fate.
After Li Rang left, Yun Yueming’s sense of impending doom grew stronger.
Timidly looking up at the cold, handsome face before him, he thought:
Would he get silenced for knowing too much?
Suddenly, he raised his hands to cover his ears—neither listening nor looking.
“Mast—”
“Teacher Ji, I-I-I didn’t hear anything!”
A large skewer of grilled meat nearly poked Ji Song’s sharply defined jaw, like a firework of iron rods.
“…”
Since this person wasn’t the one who placed the key card—
The man loosened his grip, and Yun Yueming immediately broke free.
“You can go.”
“?”
Just like that?
Yun Yueming couldn’t believe it. He had barely taken two steps when he was stopped again. With a look of tragic indignation that screamed “I knew you wouldn’t let me off that easily,” he slowly turned his head.
“…”
Ji Song paused. “Your name—who gave it to you?”
Yun Yueming mumbled, “Baobao Maomao.”
Ji Song looked thoughtful before asking again, “It’s quite artistic. Which poem is it from?”
Yun Yueming thought for a moment.
Back in the Peach Garden Immortal Mountain, one of his master’s hobbies was reading extensively.
As for him, he spent his days lying belly-up on books with his soft fox belly exposed.
It wasn’t surprising that his master was curious about his name.
“Oh… because the moon was so big and round back then, my original name was Yun Yuanda!”
Ji Song: “?”
Ji Song: “Yun… Yun Yuanda?”
Yun Yueming nodded.
“My parents realized the name had nothing to do with the moon at all, so they discussed changing it to Yun Yueda.”
“Then, thinking Yun Yueda didn’t sound great, they finally settled on Yun Yueming.”
Ji Song had expected some elegant, poetic explanation.
Losing interest, he waved his hand for Yun Yueming to leave.
The man’s long lashes lowered, casting two lonely shadows beneath his eyes.
Back then, he had also named his only little fox disciple.
The name was…
Yun Yueming.
“When the clouds part, the moon shines”—such a simple yet beautiful sentiment.
It was a pity neither of them had lived up to it. That little fox had never even known that his master had already given him a name.
Ji Song turned and walked away in the opposite direction from Yun Yueming.
Meanwhile, Yun Yueming was grinning like a fool, gleefully running off with his skewers. “Woo hoo!”
He had lost both parents right after birth—how could they have possibly named him?
The name Yun Yueming?
He had just randomly picked it from a name generator when registering at the Special Personnel Management Bureau!
Another day of successfully hiding his true identity!
Having been warned by Ji Song, Li Rang no longer dared to leech off Yun Yueming’s screen time and switched dormitories that very night.
Yun Yueming effortlessly ended up in a three-person room.
Yang Xing, unaware of the situation, felt slightly guilty. “Do you think I went too hard on him at the cafeteria that day?”
Yun Yueming recalled the conversation between Li Rang and Ji Song earlier—
Something about variety shows, cameos, and being a “recycled contestant.”
In summary: His master looked terrifyingly grim, and Li Rang was having no luck in the romance department.
Yang Xing: “Should we go check on him?”
Just as Yun Yueming was about to nod, Geng Yizhen, who had a face mask on, spoke up. “He went to join a group of his teammates. What would you two go over there for?”
A true powerhouse with a massive skill gap was indeed on another level.
Even while doing his skincare, he was simultaneously using the mirror to practice his theme song choreography.
“We’d be better off using this time to work on our fundamentals. That way, we won’t let down the fans who vote for us.”
“I don’t want to disappoint them.”
Yang Xing was full of admiration. “Now that’s the mindset! Respect!”
Yun Yueming suddenly found this strangely familiar.
Meng Qi had said something similar.
He recalled what he had heard earlier that day—he wondered how Teacher Meng was doing in the hospital.
Unfortunately, all the trainees had their phones confiscated.
Yun Yueming had no choice but to ask the staff for information.
But he got nothing.
“Maybe you can ask Teacher Ji tomorrow?”
Just as dawn broke, the production team issued a new task.
All trainees were to gather at the theater after breakfast.
Dragged into practicing until the early hours by the ultimate go-getter Geng Yizhen, Yun Yueming was so exhausted he couldn’t wake up no matter what. The other two had no choice but to leave first.
By the time he jolted awake, there were only ten minutes left until the deadline.
“God, just eliminate me already. Stop torturing me!”
After a hasty wash-up, Yun Yueming managed to rush into the old theater with two minutes to spare before being late.
This building had some history behind it, its architectural style completely different from modern structures.
The interior was even more confusing—twisting and turning in all directions. He was already sweating from running around but still couldn’t figure out the stairs.
The rows of tiles looked like something from the last century, giving off a strange, disconnected feel.
A cold sweat broke out on Yun Yueming’s skin. The wind blowing in from the windows sent a chill straight to his skull.
His heart pounded wildly.
He was just a fox.
He hadn’t done anything to anyone.
Yun Yueming had already realized something was wrong—he had been circling this place for a while.
Normally, entering the theater meant arriving at the third floor. From there, taking the stairs down would lead straight to the venue.
But he had walked the same path at least four or five times.
And was still stuck in the same spot.
Also…
Why had the sky suddenly turned overcast?
As a wave of terror crept up his spine, Yun Yueming couldn’t help but feel the urge to throw in the towel.
If he kept running in circles, he was really going to be late!
Maybe he should just skip it?
But Ji Song was also at today’s event. Would his master kill him with a single glare?
He scratched his head in frustration, letting out a few anxious whimpers.
Sweat trickled down his fair, handsome face.
Yun Yueming’s eyes reddened with anxiety, his flustered appearance rather pitiful.
Just then, an extremely light hand patted his shoulder.
His subconscious reacted before he could think—startled and frantic, Yun Yueming spun around.
It was still the dim, old theater corridor.
There was nothing there.
It made him wonder if it had just been his imagination.
But it was only morning…
Why was it so dark around him?
It was as if a chilling black mist had enveloped everything, distorting even the nearest objects beyond recognition.
As Yun Yueming stood there in a daze, that ethereal hand suddenly pinched his handsome cheek!
“???!!”
Damn!
He definitely felt it this time!
“Meow, I’m being harassed by a ghost!?”
The moment this thought crossed his mind, the disoriented Yun Yueming could no longer take it. A burst of white mist exploded around him, and a fluffy, vibrant red fox appeared in his place.
His dark little paws landed soundlessly on the ground.
With golden eyes and a long, lush tail, he was stunningly beautiful.
His sleek, graceful form resembled an invincible divine beast from an immortal’s retinue, his fur seemingly glowing with a dreamy, ethereal radiance.
Golden light shot from the red fox’s pupils as he suddenly let out a long howl toward the misty corridor!
In an instant, the window frames rattled violently, the black mist was shattered, and all evil spirits scattered!
The divine, exquisite fox wasted no time. Finding the newly opened path, he dashed forward!
His tiny black paws moved in a blur.
He barely managed to suppress the maniacal laughter bubbling up inside him.
Fighting in my true form is just too satisfying—all my attacks rely on screaming.
No wonder I sing so well.
Through the theater’s old windows, the scene unfolded like something from a film.
A rare, red-furred fox dashed past the left window.
By the time it appeared from the right, it had already transformed into a handsome young man.
Yun Yueming was still seething inside!
How dare some demon harass a fox!
Still fuming, he ran straight into Ji Song, who was waiting at the theater’s back entrance to catch latecomers.
The man turned at the sound, his voice as cold as ever. “Yun Yueming, you’re late.”
Just his luck—whatever he feared most always happened.
This was even scarier than encountering a ghost.
Yun Yueming cowered instinctively, pouting as he raised his wrist and suddenly exclaimed, “No, no!”
“Teacher Ji, look—right on time!”
Ji Song glanced down. The second hand had just passed “12”—not a second over, not a second under. It was indeed exactly on time.
But in his eyes, this kind of “exactly on time” was no different from being late.
Yun Yueming, however, was grinning brightly.
A vein bulged on Ji Song’s forehead. He gritted his teeth. “You really know how to cut it close.”
“Now go take a seat.”
The theater was already packed with trainees. The dark, empty stage left them eagerly speculating about who was about to appear.
“I can’t believe we’re getting guest performers!”
“I’m a die-hard Queen’s girl group fan. I’ve never had the chance to see them perform together—and now the whole group is here!”
“Long live the goddess group!”
A few trainees were especially excited. “Cha Min-hee is here too! I started out as a solo fan of Meng Qi, but then Min-hee’s charm won me over, and now I’m a hardcore solo fan!”
“Min-hee isn’t just an idol—she’s also a famous shaman in Korea.”
“A lot of high-profile figures have sought her out and respect her. She’s amazing!”
The venue buzzed with excited chatter.
Yun Yueming finally had a moment to catch his breath. Spotting a seat in the front row, he plopped down without a second thought.
The contestants around him froze for a moment.
Ji Song halted in his tracks as he saw his designated mentor seat occupied. “…”
Yun Yueming looked up in confusion as Ji Song sat down beside him, instantly feeling uncomfortable.
But at the same time, he couldn’t help but find it amusing.
“Teacher Ji, honestly, you were just scolding me earlier, and now you’re sitting next to me.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not that petty. If you say I was late, then I was late!”
He shot Ji Song a teasing glance. “I don’t blame you. No need to feel guilty.”
Ji Song’s face remained impassive. “?”