Cao Kefei and Li Yundong drove into the city center. Seeing that she wasn't heading toward Dongsheng Tower, Li Yundong asked, "Aren't we going to your company?"

Cao Kefei laughed, "The company? Absolutely not. Zhang Guozheng and Tan Fei are here in Tiannan City secretly. I'm just in charge of reception and security. If I took them to the office, those gossips would have spread the news worldwide by the next day."

Li Yundong was surprised, "Zhang Guozheng and Tan Fei? What are they doing in Tiannan City?"

Cao Kefei looked at Li Yundong and chuckled, "They are the male and female leads for a TV series I'm preparing to shoot. They just came over for a bit of fun."

Li Yundong smiled, "Then what do you need me for?"

Cao Kefei sighed, saying, "You saw last time, didn't you? The people demanding repayment were fierce. If anything goes wrong this time, I won't be able to stay in this line of work. These two are big names, I can't afford to offend them. If they happen to feel slighted, you'll have to cover for me, won't you?"

Li Yundong chuckled, "Take people's money, solve their problems. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

As she drove, Cao Kefei kept glancing at Li Yundong. After just a few days, she found herself increasingly fond of this young man who was several years her junior. Overcome by emotion, she reached out to caress his cheek, forgetting she was driving.

Li Yundong jolted in surprise, pointing ahead. "Watch the road!"

Startled by his shout, Cao Kefei snapped her head around and wrenched the steering wheel. The Lamborghini momentarily swerved before steadying itself. Cao Kefei’s cheeks flushed, her heart pounding erratically. A deep crimson spread across her face; she felt as if she had tumbled back into the days of first love.

"Why can't I control myself when I think of him?" Cao Kefei stole a glance at Li Yundong, only to see the young man seemed startled by her action and had subtly moved further away from her. She sighed inwardly, "I wasn't like this before! Ugh, really, could he be the destined adversary from a past life?"

Cao Kefei {3}{Z}{}{}{} drove distractedly. Li Yundong had many questions for her, but he dared not ask, fearing that if she lost focus again, he might end up meeting a glorious end but dying like a coward.

Fortunately, the journey was eventful but ultimately safe until they reached their destination. When Li Yundong stepped out of the car, he saw it was the Shengyuan International Hotel, where Zhou Qin had held his birthday banquet last time.

The service staff's eyes lit up at the sight of the flashy, luxurious Lamborghini convertible. They rushed over, their gazes lingering on Li Yundong, trying to figure out the background of this seemingly young man.

Cao Kefei led Li Yundong into the lobby and then directed him to a relatively secluded corner booth in the coffee shop. Cao Kefei smiled, "Sit here for a moment. I just need to step out and I'll be right back."

Li Yundong nodded and turned to survey his surroundings.

Cao Kefei walked toward the women's restroom and dialed her secretary. "Hello, Xiao Zhang? Yes, it’s me. When are Zhang Guozheng and Tan Fei arriving? They’ll be here soon? Where is Da Liu, in charge of security? No, no, don't call him. Tell him things have changed slightly and he doesn't need to come over. Yes, I've temporarily found someone else. What? You don't know how to tell him? Are you asking me to tell him? Should I find someone more articulate to handle it for you?"

Cao Kefei hung up and muttered an expletive under her breath, "These young women nowadays, one less sensible than the last! Asking me to tell him? Is that a joke? What are you being paid to be a secretary for!"

Li Yundong waited at the table for about ten minutes, but Cao Kefei didn't return. Bored out of his mind, he took out the Divine Thunder Talisman he had pocketed earlier and opened it for a closer look.

The paper of the talisman felt strange, looking as if it could be easily torn. However, when Li Yundong manipulated it with his fingers, he discovered the material was tougher than expected. He tried to tear it slightly, but it wouldn't budge. When he applied a bit more force, the Divine Thunder Talisman suddenly vibrated, knocking his hand away and emitting a faint azure glow before slowly settling back onto the tabletop.

Li Yundong's heart leaped wildly in fright. He glanced nervously around. Thankfully, the coffee shop wasn't crowded, and no one noticed the strange occurrence. Only then did Li Yundong relax.

"This talisman can summon the Divine Thunder of the Nine Heavens?" Although Li Yundong had witnessed the little girl's invisibility technique and had even taken Ruan Hongling's magical artifact, he still felt that cultivation and immortal arts were distant and mysterious concepts, especially summoning lightning from the sky, which filled him with both excitement and awe.

"If there truly are cultivators and immortals in this world, then could there also be demons and monsters?" Li Yundong suddenly had an idea. "But why is everyone else in the mortal world completely unaware?"

Are they hiding well? Or is there some other reason?

Li Yundong sat there, lost in thought. A while later, Cao Kefei returned. Li Yundong subtly tucked the Divine Thunder Talisman away.

Cao Kefei smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, they're running late. You know how it is with big stars; they love to keep people waiting."

Li Yundong smiled back, "I didn't have anything else to do anyway."

After waiting for over two hours, having shared more than a dozen cups of coffee between them, the two big stars finally arrived, fashionably late.

"Ah, they’re finally here!" Cao Kefei sighed with irritation, though her face was beaming with a practiced smile as she stood up to greet them.

Li Yundong also rose, turning to face the celebrities who had kept them waiting nearly the entire afternoon.

A man and a woman approached. The man looked to be in his mid-thirties, about six feet tall, with a square, firm face. Although dressed casually, his clothes were clearly high-end designer wear. He wore large sunglasses that obscured his features. The woman was stylishly dressed in a sea-green, Polynesian-style long grass skirt and white ribboned high heels. Her figure was slender and striking, but like the man beside her, she also wore oversized sunglasses.

Li Yundong couldn't help but chuckle, "Is wearing sunglasses a professional habit in your line of work?"

Cao Kefei replied without looking away, "Yes, this industry is full of complications. Especially when stars like them go out, they’re often followed by paparazzi. It’s quite troublesome."

As they spoke, Zhang Guozheng and Tan Fei reached them.

Cao Kefei greeted them with a smile, "Just the two of you? Where are your managers?"

Zhang Guozheng removed his sunglasses, revealing a handsome, distinctly masculine face, though his slightly upturned eyes hinted at a touch of flirtatiousness. He looked at Cao Kefei, a flicker of surprise and greed in his eyes. He shook her hand, smiling, "They went ahead to drop off their luggage. I came first to meet our CEO Cao."

Then he glanced at Li Yundong with a hint of suspicion, "Is this your younger brother?"

Cao Kefei laughed, pulling Li Yundong forward. "This is Li Yundong, the bodyguard responsible for the safety of your entire entourage on this trip. Don't let his young age fool you; he is an extraordinary master!"

Li Yundong inclined his head toward the actor without being overly subservient or humble. "Hello."

Zhang Guozheng chuckled dismissively and didn't offer his hand, his expression clearly unimpressed. He sneered inwardly: What, a new kept boy? A great master? What a poser!

Although Zhang Guozheng had a rugged, masculine look, he paled in sheer aura compared to Li Yundong. Furthermore, the powerful, robust Yang energy radiating from Li Yundong instinctively caused any man near him to feel a sense of repulsion—the phenomenon of same-sex repulsion.

But attraction wasn't guaranteed for the opposite sex either. Tan Xue hadn't really scrutinized Li Yundong since she entered; she had been focused solely on Cao Kefei, her eyes concealing deep disdain and jealousy. She spoke with an affected, barbed tone, "A great master? Are there really great masters these days? I think they’re all just flashy but useless, aren't they? This little brother looks like he hasn't even reached adulthood yet?"

Cao Kefei felt a pang of annoyance and glanced worriedly at Li Yundong, but his expression remained unreadable, betraying no anger or pleasure. She managed a strained smile to smooth things over. "One shouldn't judge a person by their appearance!"

"Can't judge by appearance?" Tan Xue took off her sunglasses and closely examined Li Yundong. She suddenly paused, a look of genuine astonishment flashing in her eyes. "Little brother, you've got quite the looks! CEO Cao, you’ve done well; this piece of merchandise is high quality this time!"

Li Yundong frowned, a slow burn of anger rising within him, but his face remained impassive.

Cao Kefei was clearly starting to get annoyed. "Tan Xue, this is an expert I specifically invited. Don't speak carelessly."

Tan Xue scoffed, "CEO Cao, calm down, I was only making a casual comment." Then, she blew a sultry wink at Li Yundong. "Hey, Great Master, put on a little show for us? Let big sister have a look, won't you?"

Tan Xue was a recently surfaced star in the domestic film scene, known for her pure, innocent image on screen. Even someone like Li Yundong, who avoided soap operas, knew of her. He never expected that upon meeting her in person, this supposed "pure jade maiden" would be so vulgar.

My own girl is so much better, Li Yundong thought to himself.

Li Yundong offered Tan Xue a faint smile and said, "Ma'am, if you want to see acrobatics, please take bus route 381 to Shiyuan stop. That's the zoo, where you can see all sorts of street performances."

Tan Xue's face darkened. Cao Kefei, struggling to suppress a laugh, intervened again. "Alright, alright, let's sit down and talk. Do you want to be chased by fans asking for autographs?"

Tan Xue huffed, throwing a challenging glare at Li Yundong, mumbling under her breath, "What a pretentious snob!"

Although her words were soft, Li Yundong heard them clearly. His impatience grew. If it weren't for respecting Cao Kefei's presence, he would have walked out long ago.

Li Yundong sneered inwardly: These celebrities look so glamorous on screen, but off-screen they are so common and utterly lacking in taste!

========================================= Yesterday, some readers on QQ expressed concern about my health, Tangtang. Thank you all very much. My health has improved significantly; please don't worry. Additionally, some readers have started debating the harem setup versus monogamy. There’s no need for that. Not every new character introduced is a main heroine, nor does every character I describe in more detail mean they are destined to be included. Every character serves a purpose; some are just foreshadowing, nothing more. As for which ones are the heroines, please check the information tags. Of course, what about those who aren't main heroines? Are they just going to be left like common cabbages snatched up by a pig? Heh heh, keep reading; I have good plans for them. [Ti: Dear reader, the current chapter has reached the final page of this book]