13: Chapter 13 This gathering is very mysterious

What else could a class reunion possibly have? It is nothing more than eating, drinking, karaoke, and then everyone going home.

Thinking of this, Li Fan felt depressed.

His popularity in class was mediocre to begin with—neither good nor bad—and he only had one best friend: Mo Shang.

Mo Shang's family was quite wealthy, but lately, he did not know what he was busy with, not even replying to messages.

With his best friend absent, Li Fan, being alone, inevitably felt out of place.

Seeing the crowd bustling to take public transport, he spotted a gap in the commotion, quietly took half a step back, and thought, "This is it, time to slip away!"

Unexpectedly, a cold, clear voice suddenly called out to him from behind.

"Hey, you there?" The voice was clearly directed at him; it was Li Fan she was talking to.

Li Fan turned around and saw it was the veiled woman who had chatted with him a few times in class.

He was just about to ask what was going on when the class monitor, who was about to board the vehicle, was attracted by the voice. He turned around, and his face instantly lit up with joy.

"I didn't expect you two to know each other!" The class monitor walked over quickly and said with a smile, "Perfect. Luo Qingqian is a new student. Even though graduation is only a few days away, I will have to trouble you, Li Fan, to look after her."

Luo Qingqian.

Hearing this name, Li Fan looked the woman before him over again, only to realize there was nothing to look at; he had forgotten she was dressed in a way that left no skin exposed.

He looked hesitant. The class monitor, thinking he was about to refuse, quickly leaned in and lowered his voice.

"Please, Li Fan. Look at how she's dressed... we really don't know how to strike up a conversation with her."

The class monitor was also puzzled as to how Li Fan had gotten involved with Luo Qingqian, who looked like she kept strangers at a distance. He simply considered it a stroke of luck and took the opportunity to push the job of getting to know the new student onto him.

"So your name is Li Fan?" Luo Qingqian murmured his name from the side, her tone soft and gentle.

Li Fan sighed helplessly; it seemed he would not be able to escape the gathering today.

He had no choice but to lead Luo Qingqian, and they boarded the public transport one after the other.

After following the main group to the stop and getting off, they arrived in front of an underground entrance. Li Fan looked at the pink walls and flashing neon lights before him, feeling that something was not quite right.

"Is this a decent place?"

Shouldn't they be eating first? Where had they brought him?

But seeing the boys and girls from his class walking in while chatting and laughing, it did not seem like there was any problem.

Just as he was wondering, a familiar voice drifted out from the entrance, carrying a hint of playfulness.

"Fan-zai, why are you dawdling? Hurry up and come in!"

Without needing to see the figure, just hearing the way he was addressed, Li Fan knew it was his best friend, Mo Shang.

He immediately walked forward quickly and, upon meeting him, patted Mo Shang on the shoulder and complained.

"Where have you been goofing off lately? You didn't even reply to my messages!"

Mo Shang casually threw his arm around his neck.

"I went to the Main Planet. It's such a hassle to send messages from that far away."

"I was dealing with applying for a second Spiritual Root. You know how it is, the private stuff."

At this point, the two exchanged a smile, and Li Fan immediately called his bluff.

"Privately, you must have gone to chase some Fairy groups, right?"

"You really get me!" Mo Shang said, looking smug.

He was a die-hard fan of Fairy groups and had a penchant for those strange, niche subcultures online.

Like virtual Fairies, avatar Fairies, and the like.

As it happened, Li Fan was also a heavy internet user who knew a little bit about everything, which was why the two of them ended up in cahoots.

"I managed to get some good stuff this time," Mo Shang said, reaching into his pocket mysteriously.

Just as he touched the item, his peripheral vision caught someone following behind Li Fan. Although she was dressed strangely, he could tell she was a woman.

He stopped his movement, nudged Li Fan's arm, and whispered.

"Who is this...?"

"Oh, just a new classmate, don't worry about her." Li Fan waved his hand, leaned closer to Mo Shang, his eyes lighting up. "What good stuff? Hurry up and show me!"

Luo Qingqian, standing to the side, watched the two with their heads together, looking secretive, and curiously took half a step forward.

She stood on her tiptoes, trying to peek through the gap between their shoulders.

She saw Mo Shang continue to pull a few photos from his pocket, waving them in his hand with a smug expression.

"Awesome, right? Close-up holographic photos of Xianmi Group's top star, Luo Shuying. These are basically out of print now!"

Li Fan's eyes widened instantly, and he rubbed his hands together with a grin.

"Holy crap, aren't third-party photos forbidden at their performances? How did you manage to get these?"

"Don't ask. I won't say your buddy isn't loyal—there are four in total. Which two do you want?"

"Hehe, this pose is quite exquisite... I have to choose this one."

"Ew, your smile is too lecherous. Keep the corners of your mouth down!"

The two of them were completely oblivious to their surroundings as they "split the loot," a process Luo Qingqian watched the entire time.

When she saw who was on the photos, she could not help but roll her eyes.

However, being a former professional, she managed to keep a straight face. She then gave a light cough, and a crisp, clear voice emanated from behind her veil to interrupt the two.

"Um, are we still going in?"

"Oh, right, almost forgot the main event!" Li Fan and Mo Shang hurriedly tucked the photos back into their pockets.

Mo Shang led them deep into the venue, bragging smugly to Li Fan.

"The class monitor asked me to find the venue for this gathering. I arranged the activities myself, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Watching Mo Shang pat his chest and make guarantees, Li Fan had an ominous feeling.

Walking into the venue, although it was underground, the ceiling was extremely high. A huge display screen hung in the center, and banners for various Fairy groups hung from the ceiling.

Mo Shang looked satisfied.

"Hmph, didn't Xianmi Group's top star, Luo Shuying, retire recently? Coincidentally, her live farewell event is tonight, and it's about to start! Let's do an offline cheering session, just us two."

As soon as he finished speaking, the "Xianmi Group" logo lit up on the giant screen, and immediately after, the members of Xianmi Group appeared on stage one by one.

"I don't mind, but what about the others in our class..." Li Fan said, glancing around. He noticed that while the others were not paying attention to the screen, they were already having a great time.

It turned out Mo Shang had already arranged everything for the classmates; whether they were fans or not, they all had their own ways to have fun.

Everything was ready. Mo Shang patted Li Fan on the shoulder. "What are you waiting for? Brother!"

As he spoke, he pulled out a pile of fan gear from somewhere and fished out one with a large portrait of Luo Shuying on it, handing it to Li Fan.

"I get you, Luo Shuying, right?"

Afterward, Mo Shang put one on himself, which had another member of the Xianmi Group printed on it.

Now that Luo Shuying had retired, this person had become the current top star of Xianmi Group.

Looking at the pile of fan gear left on the ground, the two turned their heads in unison to look at Luo Qingqian, who was standing to the side.

"Do you want one?"

Luo Qingqian seemed startled by their enthusiasm; she subconsciously took half a step back and shook her head gently.

"I don't need one..." She paused, as if recalling something. "Actually, these kinds of live streams are mostly pre-recorded..."

Hearing this, Li Fan wore an expression that said, "We already knew that."

"I didn't expect you to know these things, classmate Luo! Could it be..."

Mo Shang clapped his hands, suddenly realizing. She knew about Fairy groups but did not follow the currently most popular ones...

"Could classmate Luo be a fan of 'Feise Group,' the rival of 'Xianmi Group'?"

Li Fan immediately nodded in agreement, feeling this was the most reasonable guess.

Just then, energetic yet elegant music began to play, and the protagonist of this farewell event, Luo Shuying, finally took the stage.

Dressed in a Fairy gown, every gesture and movement was fluid, like flowing clouds and running water. Each motion was perfectly executed, as if an immortal had descended to the mortal realm, so beautiful that one could not look away.

"Forget about all that, it's starting, it's starting!" Mo Shang pushed Li Fan and rushed to the front of the display screen first.

Although Luo Qingqian was wearing a veil, Li Fan could tell from the direction she was facing that she was also watching the screen.

He saw her fair, small hands, which were exposed, flush with a faint redness, and she was unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes.

Li Fan heard her voice coming from behind the veil, stuttering and carrying a hint of panic.

"Um, I'm going to step out for a moment..."

Before she finished speaking, she turned around and walked out of the venue quickly, almost as if she were fleeing.

Li Fan watched her hurried retreating figure, becoming even more convinced of the guess he had made with Mo Shang earlier.

"She really is a fan of 'Feise Group.'"

Afterward, he walked to the display screen and went to watch the live stream with Mo Shang.

...

Outside the underground venue, the cool night breeze blew by. Luo Qingqian raised a hand to gently pat her chest, trying to suppress the heat in her heart, and whispered to herself.

"This feeling... why is it completely different from when I stand on stage?"

She just thought it was absurd. These two were actually fans of Xianmi Group, and that Li Fan, he seemed to be her...

The thought had just arisen when the temperature of her cheeks suddenly rose again. She quickly shook her head, casting those messy thoughts aside.

"Clearly, when I was on stage before, facing tens of thousands of live audience members, I didn't feel anything at all..."

Luo Qingqian could not figure out why she had developed such strange emotions; perhaps it was because of the change in identity and position.

Just as she was standing alone in the breeze to cool off, a figure completely wrapped in black clothes emerged silently from the shadows beside the venue, an icy, sinister aura emanating from them.

Luo Qingqian had extraordinary Aptitude, and her five senses were far superior to ordinary people. She detected the abnormality immediately, turned to look, and furrowed her brows slightly.

"Who are you? ..."

She subconsciously thought it was one of those clingy, die-hard fans from when she was still in the Fairy group.

But upon second thought, her current whereabouts were extremely secret; it was impossible for them to be found.

Just then, she suddenly remembered the news about the demonic cultivators she had learned about before coming to the Yan Region...

A surge of vigilance instantly welled up in her heart.

...

Inside the venue, the live stream came to a pause, entering an intermission. Li Fan and Mo Shang leaned against the wall, chatting and laughing.

Suddenly, Li Fan remembered something and frowned.

"Wait, how come Luo Qingqian has been out for so long and still hasn't returned?"

Mo Shang waved his hand dismissively and took a sip of his drink.

"Who cares? Isn't she a 'Feise Group' fan? She can't stand watching Luo Shuying, so she left, that's all."

"It's not because of that."

Li Fan shook his head, his tone becoming more serious.

"The matter of the demonic cultivators has been making a huge fuss lately, and the Yan Region isn't very peaceful either. As a girl, I can't help but feel a bit worried."

"I'll go out and check. The intermission is about to end, so you just stay inside."

Mo Shang did not think about following, instead winking and making faces.

"Not bad, Fan-zai! You're actually caring about a girl? Have you finally come to your senses?"

Hearing this, Li Fan looked speechless.

"Don't talk nonsense. The class monitor asked me to look after her. I can't just leave her be, can I?"

So, Li Fan stopped wasting words, turned around, and walked out of the venue, heading in the direction Luo Qingqian had left to look for her.