At nine-thirty, the opening ceremony officially began. Reporters who had been waiting below were ready to press their shutters at any moment. The reason was simple: the drama "Shifting Sands of the Frontier" was highly anticipated. Not only was it directed by a renowned national director, but it also starred the popular "Number One Sister" Liu Zhixi as the female lead. The supporting cast was even more brilliant, with the drama seemingly gathering half of the entertainment industry's heavyweight stars.
On stage, Guo Wen delivered an opening speech before inviting the cast and crew to the stage.
As one person stepped forward, the shutters below erupted in a dense barrage, as if afraid of missing a single frame.
"She's so beautiful. Truly the top film empress. No one in the current entertainment industry can overshadow Liu Zhixi."
"Director Guo really splurged this time, actually inviting Liu Zhixi. Her schedule is said to be booked a year in advance."
"I heard someone has investigated Liu Zhixi's background."
"How is that possible? No one has uncovered her mysterious background for so many years. Do you think she's just good at hiding? Clearly, the powers behind her are too great, concealing all information."
The reporters whispered amongst themselves.
On stage, Liu Zhixi wore a faint smile, her eyes holding an innate arrogance, as if she were naturally superior. Those who met her gaze couldn't help but feel a profound sense of inferiority, as if they were being trampled underfoot.
A reporter pointed a microphone at Director Guo and asked, "Director Guo, why did you choose Liu Zhixi as the female lead?"
Guo Wen looked at Liu Zhixi on stage and retorted, "What comes to mind when you see her?"
The reporter chuckled, "An empress. Like a high and mighty empress."
"That's why I chose her," Guo Wen explained. "The female lead in 'Shifting Sands of the Frontier' rules an entire continent, so the actress must possess empress-like charisma." Liu Zhixi perfectly embodied the character's image in this regard.
The reporter then asked, "I heard that casting the female second lead for this drama was particularly difficult, taking over a month to finalize the role. However, the female second lead has yet to be revealed. Can you tell us about the challenges in casting her?"
Mentioning this, Guo Wen's face lit up with a smile. "I can only say that heaven has aided me. I was almost giving up when, just yesterday, a very unexpected person walked into our crew, and it was a fated casting."
The reporters immediately became interested. "The reason the female second lead was so hard to cast, I heard, was because you wanted to find an actress who could rival the female lead. But looking across the entire entertainment industry, there's no one else like Sister Xi. So, who did you cast? Will it be revealed at today's opening ceremony?"
Liu Zhixi smiled warmly and said humbly, "Don't praise me too much. I'm just fortunate to be in this position. There are many actors better than me."
A group of reporters furiously snapped photos, their minds already formulating how to praise her in their news articles.
Guo Wen then said, "Don't worry, you'll meet her soon."
Upon hearing this, the reporters turned their attention to the waiting area, their gazes fixed on the female second lead who was about to appear.
A woman in white, as pure as snow, gracefully walked onto the stage. She was ethereal and elegant, like a lotus emerging from water, noble yet gentle. Her very aura was like a celestial being descending to earth, complemented by a face of unparalleled beauty. She was dignified and graceful, her every smile and glance akin to a divine being.
Standing beside her, Liu Zhixi, who had initially seemed like a favored daughter of heaven, now appeared as if she were born underground compared to the other woman, who seemed to be from the heavens. The stark difference was immediately apparent.
The shutters in the venue went wild. Could it be that someone truly capable of overshadowing Liu Zhixi had appeared? How had they never encountered such a person before?
"Who is this? I've never seen her. Her aura is too incredible, completely eclipsing Liu Zhixi."
"I think I've seen her somewhere. She looks familiar. I'm sure I've seen her before."
"Director Guo's move this time is too bold. He actually found a female second lead who can outshine Liu Zhixi. Won't that offend Liu Zhixi?"
The reporters whispered, some openly expressing their shock and asking Guo Wen, "Director Guo, where did you find such a celestial female second lead? She looks unfamiliar, is she a newcomer?"
Guo Wen himself was shocked to see the female lead and second lead standing together for the first time.
Yesterday, he had only thought that this woman named Quan Jiu was very suitable for the role of the second female lead. He had never expected that when they stood together, Liu Zhixi's presence would be so diminished.
He suddenly felt a headache coming on. Although the script described the second female lead as having an image and temperament that overshadowed the female lead, if the difference was too pronounced, Liu Zhixi's fans would surely not accept it.
After much thought, Guo Wen devised a plan: to simplify the second female lead's attire as much as possible and make the female lead's attire more elaborate, thereby reducing the gap between them through their costumes.
Without delay, he abandoned the reporters and went to find the costume and makeup department.
Producer Xia Wei had to take over the microphone and invite other cast and crew members to the stage.
Liu Zhixi's smile never faltered throughout the ceremony. No abnormal emotions were visible on her face. Only after the ceremony ended and she returned to the lounge did her smile drop, replaced by an icy expression of disdain.
"A bunch of blind fools, what are they looking at? I am Liu Zhixi. How dare they compare me to a lowly ant? This is infuriating. Have you found out? What's her origin?" she asked her assistant, Xiao Dong.
Xiao Dong quickly pulled up the information, looking disdainful. "Just a dropout from a medical program, born in the countryside. She definitely can't compare to you, Sister Xi. You are the main protagonist."
Liu Zhixi quickly scanned the information and frowned, asking, "Why is there a gap in her timeline?"
Xiao Dong looked a bit sheepish. "They said they couldn't find anything. After all, they can't compare to our Di Wang. I've already contacted the clan..."
"Slap~" Before Xiao Dong could finish, a solid slap landed on her face.
Xiao Dong looked at Liu Zhixi with a wronged expression. "Miss..."
Liu Zhixi, enraged, shouted, "Who told you to contact the clan? When did you contact them? Cancel it quickly, hurry."
Xiao Dong, confused, frantically picked up the phone. A moment later, she said, "It's been canceled, Miss."
Liu Zhixi's panicked expression slightly calmed. She paced back and forth, then ordered, "Go to the dark web and anonymously post a request, with a commission of ten million."
Xiao Dong quickly complied and soon posted the request on the dark web.
The task was almost instantly accepted.
"Someone has accepted the task, it's 'Nightingale'," Xiao Dong said cautiously. "Nightingale is the most well-informed person on the dark web. They will definitely find out what you want to know, Miss."
Liu Zhixi sat down again, staring blankly at the photo in her hand, her brows furrowed into a deep crease.
...
Chu Rong was working at home when he suddenly received a call from an unknown number. He paused for a moment before answering, saying faintly, "Nightingale."
The voice on the other end was a processed, mechanical male voice. "Someone has posted a background investigation task on the dark web, offering ten million. The person being investigated might interest you."
Chu Rong's gaze turned slightly cold.
The dark web was the underworld of the new district, distinct from the Di Wang. Any task could be posted there, and as long as one could afford it, someone would accept it.
Five years ago, Chu Rong had also posted a task on the dark web, and the person who accepted it was Nightingale. That was also the only time Nightingale had failed a mission.
Clearly, Nightingale still held a grudge about that incident.
"I see the IP address isn't the one you used before. This task probably wasn't posted by you." Nightingale sent a screenshot of the task to Chu Rong's previously exchanged email. "You once asked me to find this woman's whereabouts, and now someone is investigating her background. It seems this woman's identity is not simple. It's because of the previous mission failure that I'm making an exception to inform you first. The choice is yours."
Chu Rong opened the screenshot, his expression growing increasingly grim. The person being investigated was Quan Jiu.
It shouldn't be the Taishu clan. If they wanted to investigate Ah Jiu's background, they could use the Taishu clan's own Di Wang. There was no need to post a task on the dark web. The only possibility was that this enemy had some unsavory motives, and this person was also connected to the new district.
Who could Ah Jiu have offended? Besides the Taishu clan, could there be other people from the new district targeting Ah Jiu?
"Who is the other party? Double the commission, and you'll tell me everything."
Nightingale refused ruthlessly. "Double the commission will only buy you the failure of this mission. If you still want information about the other party, it will be triple."
"Deal."
Chu Rong hung up the phone and immediately transferred thirty million to Nightingale's account through a private account. Within half an hour, he received the buyer's background information.
Liu Zhixi, a popular female celebrity in the entertainment industry, the beloved daughter of the Quan family, the foremost of the four major families in the new district – Quan Zhixi.