Ding Hanbing's agent showed him the online posts: "See? I told you, acting so out of character would definitely make people laugh at you."
Ding Hanbing didn't care: "It's not the first time haters pretending to be fans have tried to drag me down." However, as he scrolled down his phone, his brow suddenly furrowed: "How dare they discuss Jing Jiujiu?"
The agent nearly fell over in exasperation.
"Have you figured out how to explain the kneeling incident? You should deal with that first!"
"Why do I need to explain? I did kneel." Ding Hanbing sneered, "Let me tell you, if Yin Mo had seen it, he might have done a sliding kneel on the spot."
The agent frowned: "So Mr. Yin also knows that one-sided childhood friend of yours?"
Ding Hanbing: "Ah." He paused, then said: "Nowadays in the world of fame and fortune, most of those connected to power were guests at his birthday party back then."
The agent was dumbfounded.
He thought to himself that this childhood friend must be quite impressive.
Combining that with the appearance of the young man he saw that day, if he really had such looks and bearing, he would be truly invincible. If he entered the entertainment industry, wouldn't he be surrounded by stars and instantly crowned king?
But still... "If he's so amazing, how come no one mentions him?"
Hearing this, Ding Hanbing's face suddenly turned cold: "I've told you before, I always forget some things. It's like there's some irresistible force slowly blurring my memories. Only by constantly seeing his old belongings or name can I reinforce the memories."
The agent felt this belonged to the realm of the mystical and he really couldn't understand, so he changed the subject to scold about other matters: "Brother, see how nice it is to be late? And you were distracted during the script reading too, right? Now the production team refuses to work with you."
"They didn't want me in the first place, otherwise they wouldn't have invited Bai Yuhuai to oversee. Without Bai Yuhuai there, would they dare to say outright they don't want me?" Ding Hanbing remained nonchalant.
The agent was about to go crazy: "So you're not planning to improve your skills? Try to arrive earlier next time?"
Ding Hanbing murmured: "What's the point?"
The agent slapped his thigh: "There is a point! Your childhood friend was standing next to Best Actor Bai."
Ding Hanbing sat up suddenly as if waking from a nightmare: "Where's that acting coach the company hired last time?"
"You drove him away."
"..."
Ding Hanbing hurried off to find a new acting coach. Meanwhile, because Ding Hanbing hadn't rushed to deny the rumors, some level-headed netizens stepped in to comment on the online posts, saying: "Isn't this just a post by haters pretending to be fans? Poor Ding Hanbing. They even want to drag Best Actor Bai into it. Haven't you seen how they rehearse lines at script readings?"
As for the young man who went with Bai Yuhuai.
[He's probably some new actor, let's drop it, no point discussing this anymore. Nothing interesting here.]
In the end, the post devolved into people criticizing certain marketing accounts for taking things out of context and starting arguments.
Meanwhile, Bai Yuhuai's agent called him.
"You really know how to handle things, the post has gone quiet now."
Bai Yuhuai: "Mm."
Where are all these calm, enthusiastic, morally upright netizens? Most people like that are busy with real life. Those who love to hang out on gossip forums tend to believe every rumor, enjoy watching drama unfold, and add fuel to the fire.
Most of the netizens there are easily swayed.
Just a few rational voices can steer the conversation back on track.
He didn't want people discussing Jing Jiujiu recklessly.
The more people involved, the more chaotic it would get, and then the comments would become nastier and more unrestrained.
After discussing the post, Bai Yuhuai asked his agent to bring an umbrella from his regular residence.
The agent hurriedly fetched it, saying: "If you want sun protection, I heard Best Actress Tao mention a good brand recently. I can go buy you a different one..."
"No need." Bai Yuhuai reached out to take the umbrella.
The agent nodded and didn't say more.
It was already quite good that this guy remembered to protect himself from the sun, after all, that face of his was worth a fortune.
Then the next moment, the agent saw Bai Yuhuai open the umbrella: "Let's go."
Go? With whom? Where to?
The agent's eyes widened as he watched Bai Yuhuai lift the umbrella, and that beautiful young man stepped under it.
The agent turned to look out the window in disbelief: "...Brother Bai, it's 7 PM now."
Why use an umbrella at this hour? Just to take the young man out? But the umbrella can't hide how exceptionally striking you two look!
The agent said dryly: "Brother Bai, how should I address this person? In case the media writes about this, I should know what to say?"
Bai Yuhuai glanced at Jing Jiujiu.
Jing Jiujiu was also looking at him, making all sorts of facial expressions.
Bai Yuhuai: "Ask him yourself."
The agent quickly looked at Jing Jiujiu.
Jing Jiujiu spoke even more dryly than the agent, squeezing out two words after a long pause: "Bai...jiu. Um, my name is Baijiu."
Bai Yuhuai's gaze flickered, and he responded: "Mm."
The agent's jaw dropped.
Who would have such a name?
"Then, then you are..." The agent wiped his face and continued asking.
Jing Jiujiu clung to Bai Yuhuai's arm: "What do you think I am?" Lies were so hard to make up, better let others come up with their own ideas!
This way there would be fewer loopholes!
The agent opened and closed his mouth. How could he dare to guess?
They seemed so close, should he say lover? But what if it was a younger brother? Or some kind of nephew? That would be awkward. If it really was a lover, calling him a brother would also be awkward.
Bai Yuhuai didn't want to wait for him to guess, so he just said: "We're leaving."
Jing Jiujiu was afraid he couldn't pass through the doorway, so he instinctively moved behind Bai Yuhuai, about to climb onto his back.
Bai Yuhuai held his hand: "We have an umbrella, don't move around."
The agent watched this scene, not realizing Jing Jiujiu wanted a piggyback ride, thinking he was just acting spoiled and wanting Bai Yuhuai to carry him.
Putting it all together... the agent felt he had found the most appropriate description, and smacked his lips saying: "He must be your little ancestor, right?"
Bai Yuhuai: "..."
He turned his face away and responded almost inaudibly: "Mm."
Riding on his back, sleeping in his bed, wanting to play with his things. And pampered since childhood.
Isn't that a little ancestor indeed?
Jing Jiujiu followed Bai Yuhuai out, lowering his voice beside him: "The generation is wrong."
Bai Yuhuai: "Then what do you think you are?"
Jing Jiujiu pondered hard.
What was he? A ghost Bai Yuhuai encountered in the castle. They had no social interaction, no emotional connection.
Jing Jiujiu said shamelessly: "...Something you picked up."
At least he wouldn't say he had climbed onto Bai Yuhuai's back and followed him stubbornly.
Bai Yuhuai seemed to laugh: "Mm."
No, he was something Bai Yuhuai had tricked into coming along.
Bai Yuhuai said he would take Jing Jiujiu to see the night view, and he really did. He brought the umbrella to firmly enclose Jing Jiujiu's soul, making it more substantial and less easily affected by leaving the castle and daylight.
Even for a powerful ghost.
Bai Yuhuai drove around Qingyang Road three times, and finally took Jing Jiujiu shopping for clothes.
Jing Jiujiu stood in the store, whispering to Bai Yuhuai: "I can't wear these, the clothes I died in can't be changed. No need to waste money."
Bai Yuhuai's expression didn't change as he pointed to another set for the shop assistant to bring over. He turned to Jing Jiujiu and said: "You can wear them. I can burn them as offerings for you."
Jing Jiujiu's eyes immediately lit up: "...Then can you burn a phone for me too?"
Bai Yuhuai: "..."
Just wanting to play with a phone?
Bai Yuhuai: "I'll buy you one."
Jing Jiujiu's tone remained sincere: "Mr. Bai is truly a great person."
"So?" Bai Yuhuai asked him.
"So..." Jing Jiujiu paused, "Um, even as a ghost I want to repay you." But thinking about it, he had nothing to repay with. Jing Jiujiu: "I'll protect Mr. Bai well."
Bai Yuhuai heard this but didn't ask further, nor did he say that no ghost could protect a celestial master.
Meanwhile, the shop assistant brought over all the clothes Bai Yuhuai had selected. Bai Yuhuai smoothly took out his card and had her pack everything up.
Besides that, he also bought small hats, ties, shoes... he bought it all, and even got a backpack for Jing Jiujiu.
When he got home, he first drew several talismans, pasted them up, and then burned them one by one in a fire basin.
Jing Jiujiu's connection to the mortal world had been severed.
Normally, things burned for him would be in vain. So drawing talismans was necessary.
Jing Jiujiu sat hugging his knees and watched.
"Where did you learn this?" Jing Jiujiu marveled.
"From books."
As soon as Bai Yuhuai finished speaking, Jing Jiujiu stood up: "I think I can feel it."
He closed his eyes for a moment.
Standing in front of Bai Yuhuai, Jing Jiujiu instantly changed from his permanent little suit to wearing a V-neck shirt and coffee-colored patterned trousers. The shirt's elbows were slightly cinched, with two fluffy pom-poms dangling below. It looked like some kind of animal-themed outfit.
A one-click outfit change, faster than in any dress-up mobile game.
Jing Jiujiu felt his clothes, not finding anything amiss.
Being able to change clothes was already incredibly exciting!
His eyes lit up as he stood before the mirror, turning this way and that.
Ghosts are usually only visible to the human eye when they're scaring people. Mirrors don't reflect them.
Their photos often come out blurry or even distorted.
Now in the mirror, at first glance, there was just a set of clothes floating about, twisting and turning, looking very happy.
If anyone else saw this scene, they'd probably be scared out of their wits.
Bai Yuhuai finished burning the last item in his hand and got up to extinguish the fire with firefighting equipment.
He watched Jing Jiujiu admire himself in the mirror for a long time, then thought for a moment and called his agent, asking him to make another trip back to the old house.
Bai Yuhuai had done him a big favor before, so forget everything else, just for that favor alone, the agent would gladly make a hundred trips.
At nearly midnight, the agent ran up the stairs panting: "Brother Bai, the things you wanted."
Bai Yuhuai opened the box and took out a bracelet.
The agent's eyes widened.
What a familiar bracelet!
Isn't this... isn't this the same as the one on Brother Bai's wrist?
Then he watched as Bai Yuhuai walked to the young man's side and fastened it on his slender wrist.
The young man lowered his head in confusion to look, seeming to mutter something, but the agent was too far away to hear clearly.
"Alright, thank you for your trouble. You can go now," said Bai Yuhuai.
The agent couldn't help but glance at the young man again, noticing he had even changed his outfit. What had he been up to on this trip out?
The agent shook his head secretly, suppressing the sour feeling in his 38-year-old bachelor heart, and quickly left.
Meanwhile, Bai Yuhuai grabbed Jing Jiujiu's wrist and drew some more symbols on the bracelet.
When Jing Jiujiu stood in front of the mirror again, he could clearly see his own image.
"This way, even if you're tired and slip up, no one will discover you're a ghost," Bai Yuhuai said calmly.
Jing Jiujiu turned the bracelet around his wrist, overjoyed.
All the happiness he had missed during seven years of confinement in the ancient castle seemed to have been found in an instant.
Watching the young man's animated expression, Bai Yuhuai seemed to return to those carefree times in the oil paintings.
It made one want to get closer to him, to savor more of his sweetness.
Bai Yuhuai rubbed his fingertips.
He seriously considered the feasibility of burning a wardrobe for the young man, or a dressing room, or even a whole house...
Just as Ding Hanbing's post had died down, someone unexpectedly posted about Bai Yuhuai.
They claimed to have seen him with a young man, shopping intimately together, and attached photos. This time the images were truly high-resolution, except the young man's face was blurry.
This post didn't make much of a splash, mainly because the face was too fuzzy. There wasn't anything explosive about it either.
Intimate behavior? That would require hugging or embracing...
Ji Meng sat on the sofa, not missing this photo.
A man walked over, glanced at him, and asked with a smile: "Still checking the forum? You're quite cute, always concerned about how many fans you've gained. Alright. Once you join the cast for your next drama and sign on for a popular reality show, you'll be famous."
Ji Meng: "Mm."
The man was the "Mr. Jing" his agent had mentioned, the nephew of the famous Mr. Jing Tinghua.
The man leaned over to look at Ji Meng's phone screen, intending to move away after a glance. But suddenly he froze.
The man's face changed dramatically. He grabbed Ji Meng's hand tightly, staring intently, not daring to miss a single detail.
The clothes... the clothes on his body... identical... and the aura, the figure...
Only the face was unclear.
Others assumed the photo had been censored, but he knew – it was a ghost! Only a ghost's face couldn't be captured by a camera!
The man stood up, his previous casual demeanor completely gone.
Ji Meng watched him turn to make a phone call, his back seeming to tremble slightly.
"Uncle... is he still in the castle?"
"Of course he is. Master Chou's formation hasn't had any problems. Why do you ask?"
The man sighed in relief: "That's good. I thought I saw him."
The voice on the other end responded: "Mm, how could anyone break Master Chou's formation and bring a ghost out? Unless it was an extremely powerful Taoist master. Powerful to the level of... the Cloud Return Sect. But this Cloud Return Sect doesn't involve itself in worldly affairs, they just kill ghosts on sight." There was a pause. "Besides, he's been almost completely forgotten."
"I must have overthought it," the man said.
Meanwhile, the production team of "How to Escape" had just called Bai Yuhuai, saying the final cut was ready. Because the previous guest had quit, there wasn't much time left, so it would be broadcast in the next couple of days.
Bai Yuhuai acknowledged and hung up the phone.
Cut off from the mortal world, forgotten by people, becoming a ghost who had lost self-awareness and wandered aimlessly in an ancient castle...
How could that be?
Soon, the whole world would remember him.
Bai Yuhuai turned around, habitually looking towards the bed first — empty?
He turned his head again; Jing Jiujiu was still admiring himself in the mirror.
Bai Yuhuai raised an eyebrow: "It's time for bed."
Jing Jiujiu: "No, no."
Bai Yuhuai: "It's bedtime."
Jing Jiujiu: "Ghosts don't need to sleep."
Bai Yuhuai: "..." Is it too late to smash the mirror now?