Chapter 5: The "Antiques" and the Academy

The board of directors at Star-Reach was in a state of collective cardiac arrest. Lu Chen sat at the head of the long obsidian table, ignored the fifteen flashing lines on his phone, and stared at the gray-haired man sitting opposite him.

Professor Han, the nation’s leading archeologist, trembled as he held his tablet. "CEO Lu, look at the footage from the mountain. The way she holds her fingers—that’s the Mudrā of the Azure Sky. It hasn't been seen in a living form since the Western Zhou dynasty. We found it yesterday on a tablet in a tomb that hasn't been opened in three thousand years."

Lu Chen leaned back, his face a mask of corporate indifference. "Professor, she’s an idol. She’s trained in thousands of hours of choreography. Perhaps her teacher saw it in a textbook."

"There are no textbooks!" Han shouted, slamming his hand down. "The tablet was under five tons of bedrock until yesterday afternoon! She performed the ritual six hours before we even dusted the stone!"

In the corner, Yan Chao was frantically typing on his laptop. "Sir, the fans have already named it the #AncientAestheticChallenge. There are 2 million videos of teenagers trying to mimic the hand signs. Half of them are claiming they feel 'unexpectedly refreshed' after doing it."

Lu Chen’s eyes sharpened. He looked at the live feed of the dorms. Lin Xiao was currently sitting on the floor, using a $5,000 limited-edition designer silk scarf to strain a gray, murky liquid into a plastic water bottle.

"Professor," Lu Chen said, standing up. "I’ll fund your research for the next decade. But the official narrative is this: Lin Xiao is a genius of 'Historical Re-enactment.' It’s her new 'concept.' Anything else is just a conspiracy theory."

## The "Brother’s" Visit & The Family Shock

While the CEO handled the scholars, Captain Lin Jian was pulling his SUV into the driveway of the massive Lin family estate.

Inside, Director Lin (the father) was smashing a crystal glass against the fireplace. "A variety show! Standing in the dirt! Does she not realize the Lin Medical Group is trying to close a merger with the Europeans? They asked me if my daughter is a 'shaman'!"

"Father, calm down," Lin Yu (the surgeon sister) said, her voice clinical and cold. "I’ve analyzed the footage. The way she moved... it shouldn't be physically possible for someone with her heart condition. Her heart rate during that 'dance' should have been 200 BPM. But her breathing was as steady as a monk’s."

Lin Jian walked in, his face grim. "It gets weirder. I went to the 'North Water' like she said. We found the suspect. He was hiding exactly where she described, in a cellar we’d missed three times."

The room went silent.

"She’s not crazy," Lin Jian whispered. "She’s... something else. And the CEO of Star-Reach is hiding her."

## The Assistant’s Love Drama: Enter Mina

Back at the Star-Reach dorms, the chaos was at an all-time high. A new stylist had been hired to manage Lin Xiao’s "Ancient Concept."

Mina, a girl with sharp eyes and a necklace made of strange, wooden beads, walked into the kitchen where Lin Xiao was currently "cooking" her bottle of gray liquid.

"You’re using Mugwort and Dried Cicada shells," Mina said, her voice low. "But you’re missing the Spirit-Vine extract to bind the energy."

Lin Xiao paused, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the stylist. "A descendant of the Spirit-Weavers? I thought your kind died out when the 'Metal Age' began."

Mina smirked, pulling a hidden thread of glowing green silk from her sleeve. "We just got jobs in the fashion industry. It’s the only place where people don't ask questions when we make 'magic' clothes."

Yan Chao walked in at that moment, holding a stack of contracts. He saw the two women staring at each other in a kitchen that smelled like a forest fire.

"Mina, right? The new stylist?" Yan Chao adjusted his glasses. "The CEO wants Lin Xiao ready for the 'Global Gala' in two hours. Please tell me you can make her look like a human and not a... whatever this is."

Mina looked at Yan Chao, then at the "Protection Rune" Lin Xiao had secretly scratched into the back of his neck earlier that morning.

"Mr. Yan," Mina said, walking closer to him and adjusting his tie. As she did, she wove a tiny, invisible strand of 'Luck-Silk' into his collar. "You have a very interesting aura. Did you know you’re about to have a very lucky day?"

Yan Chao blushes. "I... I just have a good dental plan. Lin Xiao, car is downstairs!"

## The Global Gala: The "Social Media" Explosion

The Global Gala was the "Who’s Who" of the elite. Every major CEO, movie star, and fashion icon was there.

When the AETHER car arrived, the paparazzi went into a frenzy. Roxanne from VIXEN was already there, wearing a dress that cost more than a suburban house, posing with a look of smug victory. "Let’s see her 'Ancient Magic' survive a 4K red carpet," she hissed to her manager.

The door opened.

Lin Xiao stepped out. She wasn't wearing a designer gown. She was wearing a simple, deep-black silk robe designed by Mina, with silver threads that seemed to move like liquid moonlight.

She wasn't wearing diamonds. She was wearing a single wooden pin in her hair.

[Twitter/X Trends]

#LinXiaoGala: 4.5M Tweets

#AetherMoonlight: 2.1M Tweets

#WhoIsShe: Trending in 45 countries.

The Fan Reaction:

User: FashionCritic: "Every other girl is wearing the dress. But the dress is wearing Lin Xiao. She looks like she’s about to grant me a wish or execute me. I’m fine with either."

User: TechGeek: "Look at the way the camera flashes hit her. There’s no glare. It’s like the light is being... absorbed? Star-Reach’s 'Filter Tech' is terrifying."

The Face-Slap: The "Wine" Incident

Inside the hall, a jealous socialite tried to "accidentally" trip and spill a glass of dark red wine onto Lin Xiao’s black silk.

As the wine flew through the air, the world seemed to slow down for Lin Xiao. She didn't move. She just took a breath.

The wine didn't hit her. It hit an invisible barrier six inches from her body and—in a feat of perfect physics—splashed back entirely onto the socialite’s white dress.

"Oh," Lin Xiao said, her voice calm and terrifyingly polite. "Your 'Inner Fire' is clumsy. You should drink more chrysanthemum tea."

The socialite stood there, soaked and humiliated, as the drones captured every second for the live-stream.

Lu Chen appeared at Lin Xiao’s side, his hand moving to the small of her back. He leaned in, his voice a low rumble. "You’re making a lot of enemies tonight, Saint."

"Enemies are just people who haven't been 'purified' yet," Lin Xiao replied, looking at him. "And you, CEO Lu... your headache is gone, isn't it?"

Lu Chen froze. He hadn't realized it until that moment. The constant, thrumming pain in his temples that had haunted him for years was gone.

"What did you do?"

"I traded your headache for that emerald," she whispered. "It was a fair deal. Now, shall we go? This 'Gala' has very poor quality appetizers."

As they walked away, every camera in the room followed them, and for the first time in 800 chapters, the CEO forgot about the stock price.

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