Chapter 556: The Banquet Begins

Jinghong Theater.

Kong Baosheng was squatting on the threshold of the theater’s main entrance, an old-fashioned wooden box by his side. He was resting his chin on one hand, staring blankly at the drizzling rain on the street, lost in thought.

Today, Kong Baosheng had put on a brand-new white shirt with an exquisite black vest over it—clothes Chen Ling had specifically taken him to buy yesterday. It was Kong Baosheng’s first time wearing such formal attire, and he was cautious with every move, even placing a newspaper under his bottom to prevent the dust on the threshold from dirtying his pants.

"Kid, why are you dressed so fancy today?" one of the "door gods" at the entrance asked with a sneer.

"I might look fancy, but you two are the ones who look like dogs," Kong Baosheng retorted, his courage having grown over the past few days against these annoying "door gods." He glared at them and then said proudly,

"Today, our Master is going to attend the Beidou Consortium’s birthday banquet, and as his assistant, I’m going with him!"

"Beidou Consortium’s birthday banquet?"

The two were stunned for a moment before laughing out loud. "Give it a rest. An actor from a crappy little theater wants to go wish Chairman Mu a happy birthday? Do you even know what kind of people get invitations to that banquet? You must still be dreaming!"

Kong Baosheng gritted his teeth and was about to stand up to argue with them when the door behind him slowly opened.

A figure walked slowly out from behind the stage, the hem of his bright red opera robe fluttering with his steps. He stepped lightly across the theater hall and stopped behind Kong Baosheng.

Seeing this figure, both "door gods" froze in place.

Today, Chen Ling had once again put on that familiar opera robe. This was the first time everyone had seen the owner of this theater truly dressed in his costume. While Chen Ling was clearly handsome on ordinary days, now that he was in costume, his entire aura became even more transcendent and ethereal. The two "door gods" had seen many good-looking celebrities, but seeing Chen Ling in his opera robe, they couldn't help but be shocked.

Kong Baosheng turned around and was also stunned, the light in his eyes brightening slightly:

"Master, you look even better than those big stars! I’ve seen photos of those famous actors from the past, and they don't even compare to you..."

Chen Ling was already good-looking to begin with, and after stepping onto the Path of the Opera God, his features had become even more refined and natural. Although it wasn't noticeable on a daily basis, if one compared him to photos from before he stepped onto the Divine Path, the difference was clear. Coupled with the fact that he was currently using the fictional face of "Lin Yan," which Chen Ling had deliberately adjusted, his appearance was even more extraordinarily handsome.

The Eldest Senior Brother had mentioned this when they were at the Ancient Opera Path: the core of the Opera God Path is performance, and the emotional feedback received from the audience subtly changes a person’s appearance—what is known as "Red Aura Nourishing the Person." In short, no one who steps onto the Opera God Path is ugly... except for the clowns, of course.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people in the Red Dust Realm dreaming of finding the Ancient Opera Path, stepping onto the Opera God Path, and becoming superstars pursued by everyone to reach the pinnacle of life... However, the vast majority of people who held such thoughts were destined to have no connection with the Opera God Path.

Chen Ling smiled slightly and patted Kong Baosheng on the head, not continuing the topic:

"Is everything packed?"

"Yes."

"Let’s go. The banquet is about to start."

Under the stunned gazes of the two "door gods," Chen Ling walked out of the theater. Kong Baosheng, carrying the wooden box, was about to follow when he suddenly remembered something, grabbed two oil-paper umbrellas from the corner, and hurried after him.

"Master, the umbrella!"

The drizzling rain, carried by the slanted wind, blew Chen Ling’s bright red opera robe upward. Chen Ling turned back to take the oil-paper umbrella and opened it casually. The dark yellow surface of the umbrella bloomed silently in the misty rain like a flower without petals.

On this street, the bright red opera robe was still quite eye-catching. Passersby glanced at Chen Ling, and upon seeing the face behind the rain curtain of the umbrella’s edge, a flash of amazement crossed their eyes, and they began to whisper to one another.

Kong Baosheng held an umbrella for himself with one hand and carried the wooden box with the other, quickening his pace to follow behind the red-clad figure until they disappeared at the end of the street.

……

Beidou Consortium.

"I am Wang Jincheng, Chief of the Police Bureau. This is my invitation."

At the entrance of the estate, the Chief, dressed in a crisp black uniform with medals pinned to his chest, handed over an invitation and spoke expressionlessly.

Seeing this invitation, a flash of surprise crossed the eyes of the estate butler responsible for receiving guests. He hadn't expected the Chief to actually grace them with his presence; after all, Mu Chunsheng had repeatedly tried to invite the police to dinner in the past, only to be ruthlessly rejected. The other party didn't seem to want any deep entanglement with them, and sending an invitation to the police this time was just a shot in the dark.

"So it is Chief Wang. I’ve long admired your name," the butler said respectfully. "Your arrival truly brings splendor to our Beidou Consortium."

The Chief waved his hand dismissively and handed a neatly packaged box to the butler.

"Today is Chairman Mu’s birthday, after all. I brought a small ornament as a gift. It’s not expensive, but it’s a token of my sincerity."

"Chief, you are too kind," the butler said, taking the gift box with both hands and beaming. "Please, come in. If you need anything, feel free to find a waiter or come to me. The banquet officially starts in an hour. I hope you have a pleasant time."

The Chief nodded slightly and walked straight into the estate. Although the banquet hadn't started yet, many guests had already arrived, and the estate was already bustling with activity.

Just then, a faint sound came from the Chief’s chest. His expression changed slightly, and he found a place with almost no one around to quietly press the button on his walkie-talkie.

"What is it?"

"Chief, our people monitoring the dance hall report that two people from Box 001 have followed Li Ruohong to the banquet."

"What??" The Chief’s brows furrowed. "You mean Li Ruohong brought those two suspected Twilight Society members to the banquet? What exactly is he trying to do?"

"We don't know. Our people have already started searching the dance hall and should have results soon."

The Chief pondered for a long time before saying:

"Good. Keep me updated on any progress."

"Yes."

The Chief put away the walkie-talkie, his gaze sweeping across the banquet venue. A moment later, he slowly stood up, took a glass of champagne from a waiter, and inadvertently moved closer to the entrance of the estate.

Li Ruohong bringing those two Twilight Society members to the banquet must be premeditated. He wanted to see what those two looked like first... He had a premonition that there were dark undercurrents beneath this banquet.

Meanwhile,

The butler was registering guests and gifts one by one with pen and paper. Just as he looked up, he saw a flash of red in the drizzling rain, holding an oil-paper umbrella and walking slowly toward him.