INHA Chapter 95

Upon arriving in Fengnian City, Xu Dongyou first went straight to the Processing Bureau. He had actually thought about going home to see his parents, but compared to that, the matter of Zhulong was more important.

He could see his parents anytime, but Zhulong had always been trapped in the sealed array, and the only person who could see him was Xu Dongyou.

As the popular saying goes nowadays, in Xu Dongyou’s world, there were many people, but in Zhulong’s world, there was only him.

Xu Dongyou had always held a sense of reverence for Zhulong. After spending so much time together, Zhulong had gone from being initially mad to now learning how to think and speak. This bond had gradually formed over time through their interaction.

What stood out most to him was the scene where Zhulong, for his sake, had dug out a part of his own dragon bone. Even now, when Xu thought back on it, he still felt a sense of awe mixed with an indescribable feeling.

He carried the local specialties and gifts he had bought from the previous city and entered the Anomaly Handling Bureau, handing gifts to both Elder Chen and Jiu Chao, knowing that the two of them practically never left Fengnian City.

That’s why he thought to bring these two senior members of the demon race some presents. He also brought gifts and snacks for Zhulong, carefully selecting the most thoughtful one for him.

It was a jade carving that resembled Zhulong. Though it was only the size of a red date, it was the most expensive gift he had bought.

When he paid for it, it did hurt his wallet, but the carving was truly exceptional. The shop owner saw his hesitation and said that the jade carving was an antique that was several thousand years old. Although the dragon carved on it looked a bit strange, it was absolutely worth keeping as a family heirloom.

Xu Dongyou, looking at the jade carving that appeared practically brand new without a trace of time’s wear, still chose to buy it. This was because it was the first time he had seen a carving so closely resembling Zhulong.

At the same time, he wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but something about the carving made him feel an intense desire to buy it.

Xu Dongyou, eager to get to the great array, brought along the beef and water dispenser that the Bureau had prepared long ago, and drove inside.

Before long, he arrived at the fourth gate of the array and saw Zhulong lazily coiled up like a mosquito coil, intently watching the mountainside. On it was a projection screen, nearly a hundred meters long and tall, clearly displaying scenes of Xu Dongyou participating in a program.

Xu Dongyou’s face instantly flushed bright red, and he felt a strange sense of shame. If it had been his parents or even friends watching this show, he wouldn’t have felt embarrassed at all, but Zhulong was different.

In Xu Dongyou’s heart, Zhulong was an almost perfect, highly revered, and great being. Having Zhulong watch his show gave him an odd feeling as if something pure was being tainted.

Xu Dongyou forced himself to shake off that feeling and quickly greeted Zhulong through the loudspeaker. Upon hearing him, Zhulong skillfully paused the video with its tail, then zoomed over to Xu Dongyou in an instant. Its gaze no longer held the intense madness it once had. It focused intently on Xu Dongyou, its voice booming yet carrying a touch of gentleness reserved only for him. “You’re back.”

Xu Dongyou nodded and hurriedly put down the beef and water dispenser, but before he could move, Zhulong had already used its tail to set everything up.

Within the sealed array, Zhulong couldn’t use any magic. However, with its enormous size, handling these items was still quite simple.

Xu Dongyou flashed a wide smile at Zhulong. “Thank you.”

Zhulong was truly a great dragon.

Zhulong lowered its body and asked if Xu Dongyou was tired or exhausted. Xu Dongyou, of course, said he wasn’t and mentioned how he had enjoyed participating in the program.

Zhulong seemed happy too. “Now I can watch you anytime.”

It had noticed that it rarely went into fits of madness anymore.

Xu Dongyou recalled that Elder Chen had mentioned how Zhulong would sometimes let out roars of anger, so he asked about the reason out of concern.

Zhulong was silent for a few seconds before replying in a low voice, “In that thing called a bullet screen, someone said bad things about you. It made me very angry.”

That was why it had roared in frustration, but it always remembered not to attack the sealed array. It desperately wanted to return to normal and leave the array. The feeling of being trapped and unable to do anything used to make it feel stifled and angry, but now that feeling had only intensified.

As a result, it longed even more to escape the array. However, unlike before, when it would have recklessly attacked the seal, it now tried to regain its sanity so it could leave.

And Zhulong believed that day wasn’t far off.

Xu Dongyou felt the same. He spent almost half a day with Zhulong inside the array. Zhulong showed great interest in the gifts and snacks, especially the jade carving, which it promised to treasure carefully.

Xu Dongyou smiled widely once again. After spending half the day together, he reluctantly stood up and said he had to leave. His face was filled with guilt.

This time, the time he spent with Zhulong was indeed far shorter than usual.

Zhulong felt reluctant in his heart, but he still nodded, saying with great understanding, “Go ahead, I’m not lonely here.”

Xu Dongyou looked up, but he could only see Zhulong’s face, which hardly showed any expression. Its eyes were still blood-red, but the madness and chaos from before had disappeared, leaving only a deep and unreadable darkness.

This gave Xu Dongyou an inexplicable sense of unease. He whispered, “So… I’ll go now? I’ll come back to keep you company next time.”

Zhulong readily agreed and, just as in previous visits, quietly watched Xu Dongyou leave. Only after his figure completely disappeared did Zhulong slowly bring the jade carving up to its face, its gaze growing murky and indistinct.

It seemed that the memories long buried had begun to stir because of this jade carving.

.

After leaving the sealed array, Xu Dongyou hurried home, replying to a few familiar friends along the way. They were all congratulating him on winning first place in the talent show and asking which company he planned to sign with.

Xu Dongyou gave them all the same response, saying that he hadn’t decided yet. When he got home, he was immediately greeted by his parents with a warm welcome and a lavish meal. They even broke their usual rules and decided the whole family would drink alcohol to celebrate.

Xu Dongyou wasn’t fond of drinking, so he only took a few sips before stopping and focusing on eating. Although food from outside was delicious, after a while, it always felt a bit off. He began to miss the taste of home-cooked meals.

Even though Xu Dongyou’s parents didn’t know much about the entertainment industry, they would ask Xu Yangchen about the public’s perception of Xu Dongyou online. Xu Yangchen would avoid showing them any negative comments, but that didn’t stop his parents from learning how to use the internet in just a few days to better understand Xu Dongyou’s career. As soon as they saw any slander, they were so enraged that they created accounts to refute those people.

They didn’t insult anyone; they simply countered the rumors and defended their son.

Soon, the neighbors learned that Xu Dongyou had returned. They came knocking on the door, congratulating his parents while also hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

Xu Dongyou had a great relationship with his neighbors. His mother was all smiles, and the little girl from the first floor was especially excited to see him. She quickly pulled out a notebook and asked for his autograph so she could show it off at school.

She had already told her classmates that she was neighbors with Xu Dongyou, but none of them believed her, which had upset her to the point that she couldn’t even eat.

Xu Dongyou gladly fulfilled her request and even took a picture with her. The little girl was so thrilled that she jumped up and down several times, praising Xu Dongyou as the best big brother in the whole world.

Standing nearby, Xu Yangchen suddenly felt jealous. But since the girl was only a teenager, how could he argue with a child? So, he had no choice but to hold it in.

After hanging out for a bit, the neighbors tactfully left. Xu Dongyou’s parents urged him to head upstairs and rest, saying that the past two months must have been exhausting.

In truth, Xu Dongyou didn’t feel all that tired, but he didn’t want to reject his parents’ thoughtful gesture. However, he still remembered the conversation they had before he left about his identity.

Xu Dongyou thought that in a few days, it might be a good time to talk with his parents about it.

The next day, Xu Dongyou met with Zhang Feng to carefully plan his next steps. However, plans couldn’t keep up with the rapid changes, as his fame continued to soar online. His recently registered Weibo account had already amassed tens of millions of followers.

Most of the comments praised his looks and skills, though there were occasionally a few negative remarks, but they were quickly drowned out by his fans.

Because of Xu Dongyou’s skyrocketing popularity, many top idols had begun to see him as a threat. Some were already plotting to smear his name, and their most obvious choice of pawn was Yan Yu.

However, Yan Yu’s manager immediately contacted Zhang Feng. After discussing it, they each posted pictures on their artists’ Weibo accounts, showing their good relationship and neutralizing the crisis.

But one top idol singer, Lu Xianhong, was gritting his teeth in frustration. He had enjoyed smooth sailing in his career up to this point, but in just under two months, this Xu Dongyou had exploded in popularity, completely overshadowing him.

If Xu Dongyou was given more time, Lu Xianhong feared he might even steal his fans. This sense of impending crisis made him restless, so he turned to his manager, Brother Zhao, and said, “Is there really no way to take him down?”

He had previously used various methods to eliminate other idols who threatened his status, securing his position as a top idol singer.

Brother Zhao replied, “Don’t underestimate him just because he’s only been popular for two months. He’s too popular, and his fans are extremely active right now. What do you want me to do? The best option is to wait it out.”

“Wait?! If I wait any longer, I’ll be done for!”

Brother Zhao said, “Not necessarily. Sure, he’s popular now, but he doesn’t have any endorsements or works. How long can that fame last?”

Lu Xianhong stayed silent, though the sense of crisis within him was far from calmed. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Xu Dongyou was the most formidable opponent he had ever faced. That face—just thinking about it made him feel both intimidated and even a bit inferior.

He had always been considered one of the most handsome in the entertainment industry. However, when compared to Xu Dongyou, the difference was like night and day.

How could he be satisfied with that?

Still, Brother Zhao had a point. Many high-end endorsements were already in his hands. Xu Dongyou didn’t even have a single work under his belt and might just be a flash in the pan.

Whether by coincidence or because other rivals had also noticed this, internet trolls soon began to spread rumors. They claimed that despite Xu Dongyou’s fame, he had no endorsements, which supposedly showed that major brands didn’t think highly of him. They also suggested that while Xu Dongyou had a large fanbase, their purchasing power might be weak.

Xu Dongyou’s fans were furious, roaring in anger. Despite having only formed for two months, they had already established several official fan accounts, each with millions of followers. They called themselves “Youyu¹游鱼, derived from the character “游” in Xu Dongyou’s name. All their official Weibo accounts used a fish symbol as their avatar.

Upon closer inspection, the fish itself actually formed the character “游.”

Deeply touched by this, Xu Dongyou made the same image his profile picture, which moved his fans even more.

Zhang Feng had tried to stop him but ultimately failed.

“It seems like they’re coming at you with full force, determined to take you down,” Zhang Feng said.

Xu Dongyou felt helpless. This was the first time he had encountered something like this, and he whispered, “So, what do we do?”

Zhang Feng glanced at his phone and then smiled subtly. “They say your fans don’t have purchasing power? Well, that might not be the case…”

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  游鱼