Master Zhou, acting like a megaphone, relayed Guan Yan's words to Jing Jiujiu.
And after Jing Jiujiu hung up the phone, he also acted like a megaphone, turning to relay the message to Bai Yuhuai.
Bai Yuhuai was speechless.
"Where did all these little ghosts for sale come from?"
Jing Jiujiu lazily sprawled on Bai Yuhuai's sofa, asking sincerely: "More deaths mean more for sale?"
"It's not that simple. Ghosts come in many types. There are fierce ghosts, earth-bound spirits, Underworld Officers, fortune-changing ghosts, and ordinary ghosts formed from those who've died..."
"Except for the last type, none of the others are easily formed. Especially fortune-changing ghosts - out of ten, only one might emerge," Bai Yuhuai said calmly.
"True. If little ghosts could be created so easily, wouldn't everyone be able to buy one to change their fortune?" Jing Jiujiu paused, sitting up. "I get it. The ghost sellers are just randomly grabbing dead spirits to pass off as the real thing. They don't even have to pay the parents for them. It's a business with no capital investment."
As he spoke, he furrowed his brow: "What are the consequences of this fraud?"
"They'll eat raw flesh, absorb resentment, and turn into monstrous beings that are neither ghost nor human."
Bai Yuhuai had seen many cruel and underhanded tactics.
This industry existed in a gray area, where not everyone was upright enough to join the Party on the spot. More often, people only cared about money, fame, and status.
Having seen so much, he could hardly be stirred by emotion anymore.
Bai Yuhuai was self-disciplined, but he wouldn't demand the same of others.
Perhaps only Jing Jiujiu, upon hearing this, would genuinely consider the consequences.
"What about the people raising ghosts?" Jing Jiujiu asked.
"To the ghost, they're just a caretaker. Nothing will happen to them. But once they can no longer satisfy the ghost's appetite, it will go out to feed on its own."
That's why raising ghosts was considered an evil practice in orthodox metaphysical circles and was strictly forbidden.
Feeding? How exactly did they feed?
Jing Jiujiu put down his phone, suddenly remembering something else Master Zhou had said on the call: "...Master Zhou wants to treat us to a meal."
Although Master Zhou had only mentioned inviting him.
But Jing Jiujiu felt that saying it directly like that might hurt Bai Yuhuai's feelings, so he quietly added a "us."
Bai Yuhuai responded: "Then let's go."
He rarely participated in group meals, because sitting with others often made him stand out awkwardly.
But today was different.
If there really were that many ghosts, he'd catch them all. Although since leaving the castle, it wasn't clear if Jing Jiujiu had been affected, such as weakened yin energy or a fragmented soul... but if it could be replenished, it should be.
He couldn't eat like normal humans.
So he might as well eat like a normal ghost.
Bai Yuhuai had already made his plan. He put on sunglasses and a mask, then followed behind Jing Jiujiu as they left.
Master Zhou had chosen a Japanese restaurant for the address, and he felt particularly pained when paying. Such a high-end place, it was his first time eating there too. But for a young master like Jing Jiujiu, he certainly wouldn't eat barbecue or fried noodles. Sitting in such a place would only highlight the mismatch in their status.
Meanwhile, Jing Jiujiu and Bai Yuhuai entered the private room.
Master Zhou hurriedly went to greet them, rubbing his hands: "I was afraid of being seen by others, so I didn't come out to welcome you."
Bai Yuhuai responded with a simple: "Mm."
Master Zhou observed his expression, then glanced in Jing Jiujiu's direction, finally confirming that he hadn't done anything wrong.
It's just... why did he bring Mr. Bai along?
These two really were... inseparable.
The three sat down.
To find something to talk about, Master Zhou began chattering incessantly about this Guan Yan, going on and on.
After he had been talking for ages, he turned his head and realized Jing Jiujiu hadn't touched his chopsticks at all.
Master Zhou became anxious and asked quietly: "Is it not to your taste?"
Jing Jiujiu: "I can't eat it."
"Are you allergic or..."
Jing Jiujiu was slightly surprised: "So you really didn't know I'm a ghost."
Master Zhou: "Oh, what did you just say you were?... A ghost?!" Master Zhou suddenly stood up, almost knocking over the bowls and chopsticks in front of him.
Master Zhou's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly sat back down: "Ha, it's just a ghost, what's the big deal?"
He looked Jing Jiujiu up and down and said: "Even if you've become a ghost, you're still graceful and distinguished!" Fear was fear, but bootlicking was instinct.
Jing Jiujiu: ?
Jing Jiujiu dejectedly poked at the spoon on the table.
Well, it seemed he couldn't count on scaring anyone.
Throughout the meal, no one ate much.
Master Zhou instinctively sighed: "This stuff isn't as good as barbecue..."
After sighing, he realized his words were inappropriate. It made it seem like he was begrudging the money for treating his guest.
"Barbecue? I've never had barbecue before. Is it good?" Jing Jiujiu licked his lips.
If he weren't a ghost, his tongue would be salivating by now.
Master Zhou was taken aback, then hurriedly began describing the taste of barbecue: "...It's incredibly delicious. Especially the grilled tofu, it used to be so cheap, just five cents a skewer. The edges of the tofu are grilled slightly crispy, while the inside is still soft. They put a bit of green onion and cilantro inside... Oh, some people might not like cilantro. But when it's all combined, it's exquisite. Have you tried grilled yellow croaker? It's not fishy at all. The outer skin is grilled to a light golden crisp, and when you take a bite, it's both fragrant and spicy..."
Jing Jiujiu was drooling rivers as he listened.
Even Bai Yuhuai couldn't bear to hear any more.
Here he was, making Jing Jiujiu so hungry when he couldn't eat a single bite.
Bai Yuhuai looked up and coldly interjected: "Master Zhou, you're around fifty this year, right?"
"Ah? Ah. Yes, yes I am," Master Zhou responded, dazed.
Bai Yuhuai: "You should start taking care of your health."
Master Zhou: ?
Back at the hotel, Jing Jiujiu silently added barbecue to his food wishlist.
Bai Yuhuai added countless little ghosts to his wishlist for Jing Jiujiu.
That night, Bai Yuhuai still had night scenes to film.
Jing Jiujiu opened his mouth: "...So busy?"
Bai Yuhuai: "Mm."
This was already the norm for actors.
Jing Jiujiu had no choice but to follow Bai Yuhuai downstairs again.
When Xu Sanyu saw this, he quickly said: "You can stay upstairs, you don't have to come along. You see, it's actually quite tiring. Sometimes when we start night shoots, we might go until two or three in the morning. Then we have to get up again at six the next morning..."
He was genuinely concerned for Jing Jiujiu.
But Jing Jiujiu couldn't stay behind.
Jing Jiujiu hurriedly caught up: "No, no, I can't be apart from him."
Xu Sanyu was stunned.
This direct hit left him weak in the knees!
No wonder Bai always looked ready to go public with their love at any moment. With such a beautiful sweetheart who expressed love with every word, who could resist?
Xu Sanyu opened and closed his mouth, suddenly stammering: "Then, then, then, then you just..."
Meanwhile, Bai Yuhuai's steps faltered slightly, his ears twitching gently.
Looking at Jing Jiujiu again, he was already walking beside Bai Yuhuai: "Alright, let's go."
Xu Sanyu was still in a daze behind them.
Even the small assistant beside him was still stunned.
Can't be apart?
Had things progressed to this stage already?
Little did they know, Jing Jiujiu really couldn't be apart from him.
Jing Jiujiu also longed for freedom.
And working non-stop on set like this was too much even for a ghost to endure!
While Bai Yuhuai went to get his makeup and change clothes, Jing Jiujiu listlessly sat down in a chair, put on headphones, and started playing games and reading news.
Someone with free time nearby came over, watched him control the game character, and couldn't help but speak up: "Hey, you shouldn't choose that character."
"Use your skills! Go in! Go in!"
"Quickly run back to protect the base..."
Jing Jiujiu hadn't expected someone to give pointers to a ghost, and suddenly couldn't continue playing the game. He simply switched to the news page.
That person awkwardly fell silent, finally realizing he had been nagging a stranger without any manners.
"Xiao Wang!" someone called sternly from not far away, "What are you doing?"
Xiao Wang immediately stood up, saying awkwardly: "Brother Guan, I was just chatting here for a bit."
"You're chatting so enthusiastically with Bai's people?" Guan Yan said as he walked closer.
Xiao Wang's expression became even more awkward, unable to squeeze out a single word of explanation.
Guan Yan's face showed no particular expression as he sat down next to Jing Jiujiu: "Bai has night scenes tonight too, and you're still coming along?"
Jing Jiujiu ignored him.
Not a good person.
Guan Yan's gaze lowered, landing on Jing Jiujiu's phone screen.
On it was a trending topic.
#Man Xin and Bai Yuhuai's matching bracelets#
There was a small "explosion" icon next to it.
This meant the topic had practically exploded in popularity.
Not just fans, but casual observers were all following it.
Jing Jiujiu saw Bai Yuhuai's name and casually tapped on it. Guan Yan also glanced over, seeing the comment section was incredibly lively.
[So is this why Bro Bai has been acting so strange lately? Because he's dating???]
[Matching bracelets, I'm so jealous qaq]
[It doesn't necessarily mean anything, right? It's just a matching item.]
[But when Man Xin was secretly photographed, she deliberately hid the bracelet. That shows it's not ordinary, she was afraid people would notice.]
[Couldn't it just be her trying to create hype on her own?]
[No need to say that. Bai rarely has rumors, so this one actually has a higher chance of being true...]
[I just want to know when these paparazzi will all die...]
...
Guan Yan scanned several comments at once, then smiled and said, "Who knows if the news is true or false. Bro Bai rarely has rumors..." As he spoke, he secretly observed Jing Jiujiu's expression and continued, "Actually, many people in the crew are guessing what your relationship with Bro Bai is."
Jing Jiujiu: "..."
Guan Yan continued on his own: "You're quite good-looking. Have you ever considered becoming an actor?"
Jing Jiujiu finally turned his head slightly and spoke: "Didn't you say that good-looking people can never become good actors?"
When Guan Yan heard the young man's voice, he was momentarily stunned. The youth's voice was pleasant to hear.
But soon, his expression stiffened.
Guan Yan: "Who told you that?"
Jing Jiujiu certainly wouldn't say it was Xu Sanyu who told him.
Jing Jiujiu: "Everyone says so."
Guan Yan unconsciously gripped the seam of his pants, already starting to mentally review which of the people around him might be spreading such talk.
Guan Yan smiled: "It's a misunderstanding. I only said that some people nowadays rely solely on their looks, neglecting their craft." This was what Guan Yan actually said publicly. It had even earned him a reputation as an outspoken, honest good actor.
Guan Yan changed the subject: "You and Bro Bai are very close, always following him wherever he goes. Actually, that's not very good. Has Bro Bai's manager Xu Sanyu ever mentioned this to you? He must have, right? You see, this is the troublesome part. You're a boy, and he happens to be a big star..."
Jing Jiujiu felt from the bottom of his heart that this person must not have paid attention in his logic classes at school, which is why he could say so many irrelevant things.
Jing Jiujiu: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Guan Yan: "..."
Can't he take a hint?
Guan Yan looked down at Man Xin's photo on his phone and said, "I've seen this bracelet on your wrist too. Bro Bai gave the same bracelet to two people. Don't you feel upset?"
Jing Jiujiu suddenly realized, so it was about this.
Jing Jiujiu secretly muttered to himself, maybe Man Xin is also a ghost?
What's there to be upset about?
Jing Jiujiu switched out of the page and refreshed the Weibo rankings.
This time the order of trending topics had changed again.
The top ranking phrase had become simply two characters - #Bracelet#, also followed by an "explosion" icon.
Right below it was another topic #Zhang Quanming responds#
Jing Jiujiu didn't know who Zhang Quanming was, but after thinking for a moment, he still clicked on the #Bracelet# trending topic.
Seeing this, Guan Yan inwardly laughed, outwardly pretending it was no big deal, but in reality, wasn't he just clicking in to torture himself again? He must really want to figure out what's going on, right?
Guan Yan himself sighed. He hadn't expected Bai Yuhuai to play such a good game of keeping the balance. Man Xin probably couldn't stand it anymore, so she deliberately found paparazzi to secretly photograph her, wanting to force Bai Yuhuai to make a statement.
Please don't take down the trending topic for a while.
Guan Yan thought, before lowering his head to look again.
But he saw that this time the comment section had completely changed its tone.
[Hahaha, so that's what it was!]
[I'm dying of laughter, sisters, do you know how shocked I was when I first saw Zhang Quanming and thought my Bai wasn't just dating, but being a player?]
[False alarm, please don't write nonsense next time, marketing accounts]
Guan Yan: ???
Guan Yan thought, the photo is right there plain as day, how can they still explain it away like this?
Guan Yan couldn't help but ask: "What did Zhang Quanming say in response?"
The turning point in the situation could only be related to him now.
Jing Jiujiu: ?
Jing Jiujiu very politely asked in a very gentle tone: "Excuse me, do you not have hands?"
Why do all these people like to point fingers at ghosts!
Guan Yan was embarrassed for a moment, then smiled: "Sorry, I forgot." Then he took out his own phone.
Soon he saw the photo, Zhang Quanming was also wearing an identical bracelet.
A marketing account had conveniently posted a video clip.
In the video, a reporter asked: "How come you and Man Xin are wearing the same bracelet?"
"Oh, really?" Zhang Quanming said awkwardly: "They're all the same as Bai Yuhuai's, right?"
Reporter: "Yes. Actually, everyone is curious, why do you all try to deliberately hide the bracelet when photographed? Does it have some special meaning?"
Zhang Quanming: "Sigh, I originally didn't want so many people to find out that I'm a fan of Bai Yuhuai."
[Hahaha the reporter's expression is exactly my expression, I'm shocked]
[I really didn't expect Zhang Quanming to be a fan of Bro Bai]
[Not just Zhang Quanming, numb.jpg, go look for yourselves, there's also Chen Li, An Jianzhong... they all posted on Weibo, roughly counting, there's like over a dozen of them.]
[???]
[My Bro Bai has prestige!]
[They're all fans? I give up haha, I thought there was some earth-shattering gossip!]
Guan Yan: "..."
Guan Yan actually went to check the Weibo accounts of those people mentioned in the comments, and indeed, they had all posted photos of the same bracelet.
Chen Li even acidly asked: "Why didn't the reporters photograph me? I've been worried about not having a chance to work with my idol. Let me get famous too, wouldn't that be good?"
Guan Yan: Damn it.
Guan Yan looked at Jing Jiujiu again, at this moment he felt extremely embarrassed.
How was he supposed to know that Bai Yuhuai had mass-produced these things!
"Anything else?" Bai Yuhuai's voice suddenly sounded nearby.
Guan Yan turned his head to see Bai Yuhuai grabbing a towel with one hand, the bangs on his forehead clinging tightly due to being wet, accentuating the sharp and fierce look in his eyes beneath.
Guan Yan's heart trembled. Although he knew Bai Yuhuai was only holding a towel, in the night, he still had the illusion that what he was holding was some kind of weapon.
Guan Yan took a shallow breath and said: "Nothing, I was just chatting a bit with the little friend by Bro Bai's side."
At this moment, from the distance, seemingly from the direction of another film crew, came a series of sharp siren sounds. It was the sound of an ambulance siren.
Everyone in the crew was startled, and the surroundings suddenly became chaotic.
Guan Yan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly slipped away.
He didn't want to directly confront Bai Yuhuai.
In this circle, few people don't feel afraid when facing Bai Yuhuai. Guan Yan secretly cursed in his heart, thinking, wait until I find out what ghost Bai Yuhuai is raising, then I won't be afraid anymore!
Jing Jiujiu, although he didn't like to evaluate people this way, still couldn't help but ask: "This person, is there something a little wrong with his brain?"
Bai Yuhuai: "There is. It's not just a day or two. Don't pay attention to him."
Jing Jiujiu nodded.
Guan Yan, who hadn't walked completely away yet, heard this conversation and nearly ground his teeth to pieces.
Meanwhile, Bai Yuhuai lowered his head and also saw the content on Jing Jiujiu's screen.
Bai Yuhuai crouched down.
He had probably just filmed some intense scene, his whole body was soaked with sweat, wrapped in heat. When the wind blew, it carried all that heat onto Jing Jiujiu's body. That scorching yang energy burned Jing Jiujiu, making him shrink back a little.
But at this moment, Bai Yuhuai gently gripped his wrist, rubbing the bracelet, and said calmly: "In the future, you can wear it with peace of mind, wear it for a long, long time. Wear it however you want. No one will say a word of criticism."
Jing Jiujiu, not understanding, responded with an "Mm."
Up ahead, Guan Yan suddenly stopped in his tracks, whipped his head around, and stared hard at Jing Jiujiu, looking him over a couple more times.
Damn!
Is he really Bai Yuhuai's true love?
Was this whole thing today orchestrated by Bai Yuhuai himself?
Just to be able to pull the wool over everyone's eyes and openly display affection with the young man by wearing matching items right under their noses?
When Guan Yan learned this truth, his mind buzzed for a long time, unable to calm down.
He didn't even know how he had dazedly returned to the hotel.
Guan Yan felt both envious and jealous that Bai Yuhuai could manipulate things to this extent at will.
He hated such golden boys who seemed to have it all.
Good-looking and easily winning awards. Everything just fell into place for them.
He needed to find the missing ghost child immediately!
As thousands of thoughts raced through Guan Yan's mind, his phone suddenly rang. He hurriedly answered, and the Assistant Director's voice came through, sounding slightly displeased: "Old Guan, what's going on with you? Your mind doesn't seem to be on filming at all. How could you just leave without a word? Your scenes are still scheduled."
If it were Bai Yuhuai...
Would the person on the other end of the call dare to speak in such a tone?
Guan Yan pursed his lips and said with a smile, "I'm sorry, my stomach suddenly felt unwell, so I left in a hurry. I'll take ten minutes to recover and be right back."
Just as he hung up, Guan Yan's phone rang again.
He answered, puzzled, and a panicked female star's voice came through: "Guan Yan, something terrible has happened."
"What happened?"
The actress lowered her voice to a whisper: "You remember Feng Guo, right? We went together that time. The ghost child he was raising disappeared... it happened just a couple of days ago. This morning..." At this point, the actress swallowed, seeming extremely frightened, "This morning, in their crew, a staff member went missing. Just now, when someone went backstage to get clothes to change, they found the staff member collapsed there. Half of their face had been gnawed off, and three fingers were missing... as if something had pinned them down and eaten them."
Guan Yan: "Wh...at?"
"Some say it was bitten by a fierce beast, but how could there be fierce beasts around here with people everywhere? Others say the marks look like a child's teeth." The actress's voice took on a tearful tone, "Now I feel like this statue in my hand isn't right either, but I don't dare to just throw it away... What should I do? What about your ghost child?"
Guan Yan evaded the question, not mentioning that his had also gone missing.
If these things really did gnaw on people, he absolutely couldn't let anyone know he had also raised a ghost child.
Guan Yan hung up the phone and, without going to the set, hurriedly called Master Zhou: "Help me, Master! I'll give you another million!"
Master Zhou sat up with a start: "Oh, certainly, certainly. How about a deposit first?"
Meanwhile, the Assistant Director couldn't help but grumble a bit more.
Jing Jiujiu smacked his lips and said, "This Guan Yan's professionalism is really far behind Mr. Bai's."
Xu Sanyu wondered aloud, "Actually, he wasn't this bad before. He used to put effort into his acting. He was always one of the most enthusiastic on set. But this time, he's completely off..."
After speaking, Xu Sanyu couldn't help but glance at Jing Jiujiu a couple more times.
When he saw the trending topics today, he was nearly scared out of his wits. He was about to call in the PR team when, as if it had all been arranged, everything was revealed one by one. Xu Sanyu wasn't stupid; he instantly understood that this was laying the groundwork for when reporters might catch photos of this young master in the future.
It was truly thoughtful, deeply affectionate, a perfect match.
Xu Sanyu sighed deeply in his heart.
Jing Jiujiu asked Bai Yuhuai, "Have you finished all your scenes?"
Knowing he couldn't stop it, Xu Sanyu decided to praise Bai Yuhuai in front of Jing Jiujiu, so he chimed in, "He's finished! Our Brother Bai is super efficient when filming. Many directors love working with him..."
Jing Jiujiu's nose twitched a couple of times, and he secretly tugged on Bai Yuhuai's sleeve, pointing to a patch of bushes engulfed in darkness nearby.
Bai Yuhuai followed him towards the bushes.
Xu Sanyu, who had been talking non-stop, suddenly fell silent: ?
He reflected on himself: Was I that boring when praising Brother Bai? They didn't even want to listen?
Jing Jiujiu and Bai Yuhuai's figures quickly disappeared into the bushes.
Xu Sanyu gazed into the darkness and sighed softly again.
Young people. Tsk.
Burning passion. Tsk.
Xu Sanyu turned around.
Damn, being single is hard.
Meanwhile, in the darkness...
Jing Jiujiu and the ghost child struggling to crawl on the ground stared at each other, creating an awkward atmosphere. The ghost child wiggled its bottom, turning around, but for some reason, it hesitated, then turned back. It crawled between Jing Jiujiu's legs, flopped onto its back behind him, and stopped moving.
Jing Jiujiu: ???
Jing Jiujiu: "Playing dead?"
Bai Yuhuai looked up towards the distance, his tone slightly cold: "Another ghost child is coming."
"Huh?" Jing Jiujiu looked over, puzzled.
In the darkness, they saw a ghost child completely covered in blood red from body to head, crawling towards them.
It crawled incredibly fast, its eyeballs a bright crimson.
The yin energy it emitted was so thick it was almost tangible, instinctively making Jing Jiujiu feel extremely comfortable, so comfortable that... it was as if his stomach was growling.
Jing Jiujiu pressed on his belly.
He looked at the ghost child, which appeared to be less than a year old.
Then he looked at the ghost child lying on its back behind him.
Jing Jiujiu: "Is it deliberately using me to scare this little ghost?"
It even knows how to borrow power to intimidate!
How infuriating! It's much smarter than he was when he first became a ghost!
As he finished speaking, the blood-red ghost had already pounced towards Jing Jiujiu.
Bai Yuhuai's face turned icy as he raised his hand to grab the little thing's neck.
Jing Jiujiu felt quite distressed and was about to ask why it wasn't afraid of him.
Who knew that as soon as he opened his mouth, the ghost disappeared.
Jing Jiujiu felt something slide down his throat, as if he had swallowed a shrimp ball.
"Burp~"