Guan Yan blew out a smoke ring and said with a smile, "...Just smoking."
Bai Yuhuai lowered his gaze. "Oh, smoking?"
Guan Yan sensed a hint of mockery in his tone and couldn't help but look down. Only then did he realize that while his expression remained unchanged, his hand had unconsciously pressed tightly against his trouser seam due to nervousness. The cigarette had already burned a hole in his costume.
Guan Yan cursed, hastily putting away his hand and smiling awkwardly.
But by then, Jing Jiujiu and Bai Yuhuai had already walked far away.
"He doesn't seem very bright," Jing Jiujiu commented about Guan Yan.
Bai Yuhuai: "Mm. This guy just has a lot of petty tricks."
As Jing Jiujiu spoke, he couldn't help but feel a bit angry: "That Lesser Ghost, how could it just run away like that?"
"It's afraid of you."
Such Lesser Ghosts have keen senses and are always afraid of things bigger and stronger than themselves.
Jing Jiujiu found this explanation quite satisfying and stopped worrying about where the Lesser Ghost had run off to.
The Director Xiang was waiting for them. Seeing them return with Guan Yan following far behind, he immediately called everyone to go to the restaurant.
They didn't eat for too long, and didn't even open a bottle of alcohol. Everyone was still preoccupied with the recording mishap from earlier in the day.
The Assistant Director patted Guan Yan's shoulder and said, "Why does Old Guan's face look even worse than the director's?"
Director Xiang laughed and cursed: "Bullshit, I'm not that bad."
Guan Yan could only force a few laughs.
His Lesser Ghost had run out and disappeared.
This thing couldn't just run around freely... his fate was already intertwined with the Lesser Ghost's.
Bai Yuhuai sat alone in a corner, and no one dared to toast him.
Without the young man by his side, he seemed somewhat desolate. Seeing this, Guan Yan suppressed the worry in his heart and was about to smile when he suddenly met Bai Yuhuai's gaze.
It seemed to contain some deeper meaning.
Guan Yan's scalp tingled, and he instinctively turned his head away without thinking.
After doing this, Guan Yan felt a bit regretful.
What was he afraid of? Did he still need to fear Bai Yuhuai now?
Thinking of this, Guan Yan felt even more annoyed.
He still needed to find that Lesser Ghost quickly!
...
Jing Jiujiu couldn't eat, so he made an excuse and returned to the hotel early.
The production team had booked the entire hotel, and Jing Jiujiu's room was right next to Bai Yuhuai's, both on the fourth floor. Besides them, Best Actress Tao and Guan Yan also stayed on the fourth floor.
Jing Jiujiu walked slowly forward, passing by Guan Yan's room.
He heard two consecutive "thump" sounds, as if something had been knocked over. Then a Lesser Ghost with a green face and fangs, wearing tattered clothes, crawled out from inside. It quickly crawled past Jing Jiujiu's feet.
Wasn't this... the Lesser Ghost that had run away?
Jing Jiujiu blinked, momentarily stunned because the other had slipped away so fast.
Whatever.
Let it run if it wants to.
Jing Jiujiu went to check on Lin Zhi, who was wrapped up in bed shivering. He didn't recognize this or know how to use that. He was an even more genuine level-ten country bumpkin than Jing Jiujiu.
Jing Jiujiu asked him: "Do you want to go to the set together tomorrow?"
Lin Zhi nodded repeatedly.
He just wanted to stay with Jing Jiujiu, even if the other was a ghost.
"But your clothes..."
Lin Zhi tried.
He couldn't change them.
Jing Jiujiu sighed: "If I burn them, you could wear them. But your clothes seem to have some kind of permanent effect."
He speculated that this might be because Lin Zhi, under the influence of his surroundings, too stubbornly believed himself to be the character from the script.
"Then you'll just have to pretend it's cosplay."
"Oh." Lin Zhi nodded, seeming to understand but not really.
While a ghost and an unknown entity were communicating here,
The crew members had also returned to the hotel one after another. Guan Yan entered his room and found traces of the Lesser Ghost's return. The raw meat he had placed in his suitcase had been nibbled. And how did the Lesser Ghost open the suitcase? Fuck, it had bitten a hole through it. Guan Yan stared at the suitcase, feeling his liver ache with anger.
This damn thing!
Guan Yan suppressed his anger and searched the room once, but again couldn't find the Lesser Ghost.
Guan Yan couldn't contain his anger anymore. Turning around and seeing the door still open, he walked over, about to slam it shut to vent his fury. But Best Actress Tao was standing outside and asked, "What's wrong?"
Guan Yan pressed his lips together and made up an excuse: "I lost something."
Best Actress Tao exclaimed in surprise: "Is it valuable? Should we call the police?"
Guan Yan: "...No need!"
Seeing his odd expression, Best Actress Tao paused, then asked in a low voice: "Is it... that kind of thing?"
Guan Yan looked up and asked in a deep voice: "What kind of thing?"
Best Actress Tao had an excellent reputation in the industry, which was related to her habit of being a nice person. Just like last time in the teahouse, when others were unfriendly to Ding Hanbing, she still took the initiative to greet him.
It was the same now.
She asked softly: "Did you lose some kind of amulet?"
Guan Yan felt relief in his heart and responded: "Mm."
Best Actress Tao smiled: "That's very important, more important than any gold watch or necklace. Some amulets are very effective." As she spoke, she pulled something out from around her neck.
Upon closer look, it was a glass bead.
Best Actress Tao said: "This is my amulet. Master Zhou blessed it for me." She paused, then said: "If you really can't find yours, why not buy a new one?"
"Who is Master Zhou?" Guan Yan asked.
Best Actress Tao didn't keep it a secret and briefly told him about it.
"There's nothing special about the rest, but when it comes to removing bad luck, I think this Master Zhou is quite skilled," said Best Actress Tao.
Guan Yan grinned inwardly. Bad luck? He didn't have any bad luck now.
Ever since he started keeping the Lesser Ghost, he had only had good luck.
Except for today...
Guan Yan frowned.
Could it be that Bai Yuhuai was also keeping some kind of Lesser Ghost? Otherwise, how could he have reached such heights in just a few short years! This wasn't something a normal person could achieve!
Guan Yan put himself in Bai Yuhuai's shoes and became more convinced this was the case.
But the person he had contacted abroad was too far away to help...
Guan Yan looked up with a smile and said, "This Master Zhou you mentioned, I think I've heard of him. Could you give me his contact information? I'd like to ask him to help me find what I've lost."
Best Actress Tao nodded and gave him the contact information.
Guan Yan returned to his room, clutching his phone.
Now he just feared that this Master Zhou might be too upright and know nothing about keeping Lesser Ghosts.
Guan Yan called that very night.
"Oh, where are you?" Master Zhou asked on the other end.
His voice sounded old but strong, indeed having the flavor of a master or sage.
"I'm with a production crew in Hai City."
Master Zhou slapped his thigh.
Oh, what a coincidence!
"I've already arrived in Hai City," Master Zhou paused, then asked, "Tell me, what do you want? Set up an altar for rituals? Or ask for a talisman?"
"I want to find something," Guan Yan said.
Master Zhou thought to himself, why is everyone asking me to find things? I still haven't got a clue about that whatever statue.
"How much are you willing to pay?"
"...One hundred thousand."
Master Zhou: "Ha!"
Guan Yan frowned: "You think it's not enough?"
Master Zhou: "Do you know how much Tao He pays each time?"
Guan Yan felt he was being implied that he didn't earn as much as Tao He. Yes, he wasn't as successful as Tao He right now. But soon, he would be earning more than even Bai Yuhuai.
But he couldn't lose face now.
Guan Yan: "Two hundred thousand."
Master Zhou: "Hmph."
Guan Yan: "...Three hundred thousand." "Take it or leave it!"
Master Zhou: "When the money's right, everything's possible. Alright, what's the name of your production? I'll call when I arrive."
Guan Yan gritted his teeth and said darkly: "If you can't handle this matter well, forget about three hundred thousand. I'll have you torn to pieces."
Master Zhou muttered to himself that this person really had no class, if he didn't want to pay he should just say so.
He hung up the phone, thinking, three hundred thousand is fine, even a mosquito's leg is meat. He still had to share money with that young master by Mr. Bai's side!
Master Zhou immediately called Jing Tinghua again: "I've already tracked it to Hai City."
"Hai City? The statue is in Hai City? Impossible!"
Master Zhou felt a bit guilty, but thinking of Mr. Bai and that obviously wealthy young master backing him, what was there to fear? Master Zhou straightened his back and said: "Believe it or not, I do the job I'm paid for." Then he hung up on Jing Tinghua.
Jing Tinghua rubbed the phone receiver, his expression grim, but he didn't call back.
Once you've hired someone, you have to trust them.
Some highly skilled masters can be useful tools, but if angered, they can also become deadly weapons against you.
After Master Zhou finished his call, he immediately phoned Jing Jiujiu.
Jing Jiujiu had just grown tired of staying with Lin Zhi.
Goodness, he'd never met someone who could ramble on so much - complaining about this and that, like a nagging old woman.
"Hold on, let me step out to talk," Jing Jiujiu said, turning to leave.
On the phone, Master Zhou explained that he had arrived in Hai City, and if the two of them needed his services, they should feel free to ask. He also mentioned that he might earn another 200,000 yuan, and would share some with the young master, telling him to enjoy food and drinks as he pleased...
The next day.
The entire film crew woke up early.
Jing Jiujiu, not needing sleep, walked energetically behind Bai Yuhuai.
Only Lin Zhi clung to the door: "Being human is so hard..." "Why do humans have to wake up so early?"
Jing Jiujiu thought for a moment: "For survival, I suppose."
Lin Zhi's education level was truly not very high, and he didn't understand the profound depth of the Chinese language. Hearing about "living" and "survival" - did that mean those who didn't wake up early would die?
Lin Zhi shuddered, thinking he certainly didn't want to die.
He hadn't even gotten married yet.
Lin Zhi hurriedly followed along.
The others glanced at him, slightly taken aback.
This person's odd attire didn't look like he belonged to their crew.
Xu Sanyu smiled: "New assistant."
A new assistant dressed like that?
Seeing his height was similar to the famous actor's, could he be Bai Yuhuai's body double? Did Bai Yuhuai need a double now?
Everyone was confused, but out of politeness, no one asked directly.
Soon they arrived at the film set.
The staff had arrived even earlier, organizing the actors for makeup and checking the set. Suddenly the whole place was bustling with activity. Jing Jiujiu and Lin Zhi were the only two idle ones, standing there chatting.
Jing Jiujiu told him about the Lesser Ghost from yesterday.
"I was going to have you go scare it, but I ended up scaring it away myself," Jing Jiujiu said, still rather proud of this.
He had personally reclaimed the dignity of ghosts.
Hearing this, Lin Zhi felt quite disappointed.
He had wanted to do something for Jing Jiujiu, lest Jing Jiujiu think him too useless and tell him to leave.
This world was too frightening; he would die if left alone.
"Look, that's the one who raised the Lesser Ghost," Jing Jiujiu said, looking towards Guan Yan.
Lin Zhi: "I understand."
Jing Jiujiu: ?
What do you understand?
Lin Zhi thought to himself, okay, I'll go scare this person in a bit.
Lin Zhi didn't distinguish between beauty and ugliness in his heart. He actually thought he looked quite good even when he felt he had no face. Look at that smooth egg-like head of his - wasn't that beautiful?
But if Jing Jiujiu said it was ugly, then ugly it was.
Lin Zhi went off by himself to a corner, crouching there waiting for Guan Yan to be alone.
Jing Jiujiu: ?
He glanced at Lin Zhi's figure, crouching there like a big fool.
Jing Jiujiu couldn't understand what he was thinking.
But then again, who could understand what chaos was thinking?
Jing Jiujiu turned away and dragged a small stool over to sit and watch people act.
Bai Yuhuai's scenes were scheduled very tightly.
One moment, he was coldly pressing a person dressed as a "monster" in a suit underwater. The next, he himself had to wrestle with someone in a mud pit.
Several scenes in a row were all action scenes.
Though it was early autumn, Bai Yuhuai's white shirt was quickly soaked through, clinging tightly to the muscle lines of his body.
Jing Jiujiu got quite an eyeful.
So filming was like rushing from scene to scene.
Dialogue scenes and action scenes were separated, one after another non-stop.
Just watching made Jing Jiujiu feel exhausted.
Meanwhile, Guan Yan had just finished a dialogue scene and walked over to Director Xiang, asking, "We're not reshooting yesterday's scene?"
Director Xiang didn't look up: "Let's forget it. No need to trouble Bai again. The fake blood the props department prepared smells awful, it's unpleasant to get splattered with it."
Guan Yan smiled and said, "Why not use a body double?"
"How could Bai have a double? He does all his own stunts."
Guan Yan: "Oh, he doesn't? I thought I saw him bring one."
Director Xiang fell silent.
Some things shouldn't be casually discussed, lest they fall on the ears of those with ulterior motives and become leverage.
Guan Yan had achieved his goal and turned to leave.
If that person wasn't Bai Yuhuai's double, then what was he?
Just then, Guan Yan's phone rang. It was Master Zhou calling to say he had arrived and asking Guan Yan to pick him up personally.
Guan Yan was quite displeased hearing this, thinking, "Who do you think you are to make me pick you up?"
He initially wanted to send his assistant, but considering the secrecy of the matter, he swallowed his displeasure and went himself.
Seeing this, Lin Zhi quietly followed.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Director turned around: "Is Guan ready?"
"Where's Guan?!"
"Guan Yan left the set, maybe he went to pick someone up," someone nearby said.
The Assistant Director frowned slightly.
Guan Yan met this Master Zhou, who was wearing Taoist robes and a wooden hairpin, dressed very much in the style of orthodox Taoism.
Guan Yan asked, "Doesn't the master have someone to carry his bag?"
Master Zhou sighed: "Oh, how could these people withstand the backlash of peering into heaven's secrets and altering fate? They all feared dying untimely deaths and ran off..." He looked at Guan Yan and continued, "So in this line of work, we don't ask for anything else, just money. After all, we have to live well before we die, right?"
Guan Yan's mouth twitched, but he no longer doubted whether the man before him had real skills.
He was just constantly hinting that Guan Yan was stingy, which annoyed Guan Yan greatly.
"Now let's talk about what I'm looking for," Guan Yan paused, lowering his voice and observing Master Zhou's expression, "...I'm looking for a ghost. A ghost I raised."
"Oh." Master Zhou's expression didn't change. He thought to himself, what's the big deal? I've even sold fierce ghosts to Jing Tinghua before. Though it was all made up.
"This Lesser Ghost is one I specifically brought back from a trip abroad late last year. The Lesser Ghost only eats raw meat and feeds on resentment, it's very difficult to raise. But for some reason, it suddenly went missing... If it runs off and goes crazy from hunger, eating human flesh, the consequences would be unthinkable." This was what Guan Yan worried about most.
If it came to that, all the money he spent abroad would have been wasted.
"Oh, what else could it be? You said it yourself it's a Lesser Ghost, so obviously it must have been scared off by a greater ghost. Or it encountered a Taoist master." Master Zhou casually made things up.
"Taoist master?" Guan Yan frowned, "There shouldn't be any here."
If there were, they would have long since seen through his ghost-raising.
Then it must have encountered another ghost.
Guan Yan suddenly thought of that strange man.
Was the ghost Bai Yuhuai raised him?
That ghost... was indeed quite tall.
"It's Lin Zhi," Guan Yan said.
He had heard Xu Sanyu call that person by that name...
Lin Zhi, who had been quietly following: ?
Was I discovered?
Lin Zhi had no choice but to walk out, raising his hand to remove his eyes and nose. He'd leave the mouth, otherwise talking was always a bit clumsy. Jing Jiujiu said it sounded like a toothless old woman, all mumbled and unclear. Just hearing that description made Lin Zhi feel ridiculous, his fists clenching in embarrassment.
Lin Zhi walked straight behind Master Zhou, staring at Guan Yan.
In his heart, he was gleefully imagining how Jing Jiujiu would praise him when he returned: "Lin Zhi, you're such a treasure," "Lin Zhi, I'll take care of you for life," "Lin Zhi, your acting skills are top-notch"... Many words of praise flitted through Lin Zhi's mind.
Lin Zhi asked: "Were you just talking about me?"
Guan Yan's body stiffened, and he quickly put on a smile, thinking to himself, how did this person come out? And he even overheard. How fucking awkward... Guan Yan turned his head slightly, coming face to face with Lin Zhi's smooth face, with only the mouth moving.
Guan Yan: "Ah..." He took a deep, shuddering breath, then slowly regained his normal speech, "Ghost, it's a ghost! A real ghost!"
Master Zhou: "What's wrong?"
Guan Yan: "Behind you, ghost... It's a ghost!!! It's him!"
Master Zhou turned around in fright.
Oh shit, I thought it was some ghost, but it's someone I've seen before.
Master Zhou calmly turned his head back: "It's nothing serious."
I've even seen that young master trick someone into hanging themselves, and they couldn't get down. With that level of intelligence, it's truly frightening. But his face is still okay, just imagine it as an egg.
Guan Yan's chest heaved unsteadily. Seeing Master Zhou so calm, he suddenly felt this person was unfathomable!
"Quick, quick, drive him away! Let's... let's continue discussing the next matter... I'll add money, I'm willing to add money."
Master Zhou turned his head and said softly to Lin Zhi, "Young Master Jing has arrived."
Lin Zhi immediately went to look for Jing Jiujiu.
Where is he? Where is he? Did you see my heroic appearance?
Meanwhile, Guan Yan was startled.
It actually worked!
Guan Yan asked, "What did you say?"
Master Zhou replied, "I chanted a spell, nothing much really."
Guan Yan was thoroughly convinced now and hurriedly said, "Is one million okay? Bring that Lesser Ghost back and find a way to make him inseparable from me. Of course, if you have better methods to change my luck, I can double the price."
Master Zhou said, "Alright."
Guan Yan continued, "Also... do you know how to make voodoo dolls?"
"Not just small dolls, I can make big ones too," Master Zhou continued to bluff.
Guan Yan nodded, "I'll find a way to get someone's birthday for you. Make a voodoo doll of him. No, make two. There's another person."
Master Zhou agreed to everything and said, "To find this Lesser Ghost, you need to have something of its to use as a medium..."
Guan Yan said coolly, "That's simple. I wasn't the only one who welcomed a Lesser Ghost back last year. I'll get something from the others. The Lesser Ghost will recognize it."
Master Zhou acknowledged and then asked Guan Yan for a deposit.
Only then did Guan Yan leave reassured.
If he had known that raising a Lesser Ghost would cause so much trouble, he might as well have learned from that current popular actress in China and brought home a deity statue from the start. Damn, it's all because that statue was too expensive. One actually costs ten million!
...
After Guan Yan left, Master Zhou immediately called Jing Jiujiu: "Young master, would you like to come out for a meal? It's my treat."
He also told Jing Jiujiu about what Guan Yan said, that many people had welcomed Lesser Ghosts back.
Jing Jiujiu was astonished: "...So many? Illegal imports? That's a bit too much. They don't even pay taxes."
Master Zhou was stunned for a moment and said, "...Ah, yes."
Could it be that you want to respond to national policies and help crack down on illegal imports?