Everyone suddenly turned their heads to look.
They saw Bai Yuhuai's throat move slightly as he bent down expressionlessly to pick up the broken pieces of the cup.
Jing Jiujiu was almost fuming.
He's picking up the cup without even looking at me!
In fact, if Jing Jiujiu had eyes on the back of his head at this moment, he would have noticed that when Bai Yuhuai bent down, his left hand quietly wrapped around his waist. As if afraid he might slip, he caught him.
"After we eat, let's go over there and take a look," Bai Yuhuai said.
The others nodded in agreement, forgetting to ask him how he had broken the cup. It was just a cup, after all.
Several people got up to cook, and Bai Yuhuai naturally followed to help. Jing Jiujiu slid down again.
He wasn't discouraged though, and started circling behind Bai Yuhuai.
Every time Bai Yuhuai turned his head, he could glimpse Jing Jiujiu pulling at the corners of his mouth, revealing his sharp little fangs.
Another turn, and Jing Jiujiu was pulling at the corners of his eyes.
Yet another turn, and he had made one of his arms disappear... He probably hadn't seen "The Return of the Condor Heroes," Bai Yuhuai thought. Yang Guo was still handsome even with a missing arm.
Missing for so many days, only to reappear just to tease him? And thinking he couldn't see?
Bai Yuhuai narrowed his eyes. Well, I'll pretend I can't see then. It's just satisfying a little ghost after all...
Jing Jiujiu used every trick he could think of, until finally, even as a ghost, he was tired from all the jumping around.
He lazily sprawled near the dining table, pondering, Am I still not scary enough like this?
Oh well.
Jing Jiujiu wiggled his finger, and one of the plates set on the table flew up.
Bai Yuhuai turned just in time to see it, and without changing his expression, he reached out and pushed the plate back down.
Jing Jiujiu: ??
A simple lunch was quickly prepared, and everyone sat together, still feeling as if they were being roasted by fire, the flames seeming to penetrate their very bones. They had to eat quickly, thinking about hurrying to the auxiliary building on the left.
Jing Jiujiu moved his fingertip, shifting the candlestick slightly.
At this moment, however, Bai Yuhuai suddenly placed a hand on the dining table.
Everyone froze, looking at Bai Yuhuai again. At this moment, the man holding a fork in one hand and resting the other on the table overlapped with a certain powerful character he had once played.
Are... are we eating too slowly?
Everyone's hearts trembled, instinctively intimidated by Bai Yuhuai's aura, and they began to shovel their food even more quickly.
Jing Jiujiu: "..."
He frowned, feeling his hand's back getting a bit hot.
He shouldn't be able to feel it.
But the man's hand, unconsciously placed on the dining table, was now firmly holding the back of his hand, even transmitting human warmth to him.
How strange. Jing Jiujiu muttered to himself, trying to pull his hand back, but couldn't.
He curled his fingers, having no choice but to sit there obediently.
Maybe I'm just really bad at being a ghost!
Jing Jiujiu concluded.
After the meal, Bai Yuhuai quickly went with the others, including the cameraman, to the adjacent building.
Jing Jiujiu finally pulled his hand back, and floated along behind them.
As he floated through the door into this new building, Bai Yuhuai clearly noticed Jing Jiujiu shrinking his foot back a bit. There must be something in here too. Bai Yuhuai's face turned cold.
"There are no lights in here either. It's so strange... Building such a big castle, they couldn't have lacked money for electric lights, right?"
"Let's use flashlights then, and look around to see if there are any oil lamps?"
A few MCs said at the front.
Bai Yuhuai looked up and said, "There aren't any here."
The others followed his words without question.
This place was furnished, and everyone walked carefully to avoid bumping into things.
The floorboards creaked terribly, making people feel uneasy.
Yu Shaoguang couldn't help stomping twice and said, "Why do I feel like the floorboards here are so brittle?"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud "boom".
"Shit! Yu Shaoguang, you jinx!"
"Ahhhh!"
Everyone screamed one after another, then fell down together, even Bai Yuhuai couldn't escape. It was because when Yu Shaoguang stomped his foot, he had glanced at Jing Jiujiu with his peripheral vision.
Dust flew up, then settled down.
Everyone coughed a few times, then Kong Xiangqi groped around, unable to find anything to grip onto, only grabbing a handful of wet, sticky soil, which disgusted her terribly.
"Ptooey, ptooey..."
"Fuck, why dig such a big hole down here? Are they insane?" Yu Shaoguang couldn't help but curse.
"It's not a dug hole, it's a basement filled with soil," Bai Yuhuai said calmly. "First, let's all check if anyone's injured?"
As soon as Bai Yuhuai spoke, everyone calmed down and followed his instructions, grabbing their flashlights and checking each other for injuries.
"I'm fine..."
"I'm okay too."
"Everyone seems to be alright, ouch, just a bit sore from the fall. This height is quite high!"
"Indeed, luckily there's soft mud at the bottom. If it had been concrete, broken arms and legs would have been the least of our worries."
Everyone expressed relief, while Bai Yuhuai remained silent, only looking up towards the opening.
...He couldn't see Jing Jiujiu's figure.
Scared away again?
Or had he plunged headfirst somewhere unknown?
By now, everyone had finished their exclamations and slowly became aware of another serious problem: "It's so high, how are we going to get out?"
"Phone, phone! Let's call the production team!"
"Damn, this got out of hand, we're actually trapped in a pit while filming a show."
Kong Xiangqi opened her mouth, but only managed to squeeze out: "...This episode is going to be so watchable."
With these words, the atmosphere relaxed a bit.
The cameramen first checked their equipment, confirming nothing was damaged and all the footage was still there, before they all started trying to contact the production team.
The MCs could only wait.
After all, they had handed in their phones when they entered.
Time ticked by slowly, and a deathly silence spread at the bottom of the pit.
Someone broke the ice with a dry comment: "We don't... have any signal, do we?"
Kong Xiangqi murmured, "Classic old storm mountain villa mode."
The cameraman awkwardly raised his head: "The signal on the mountain wasn't great to begin with, and now that we've fallen down here, it's even worse..."
Kong Xiangqi: "We should have installed Wi-Fi here."
Yun Xin asked softly, "Can we climb up?"
"The soil crumbles as soon as you dig into it, there's nothing to grip onto, we can't climb up," Ji Meng sighed helplessly. He looked at Bai Yuhuai. Bai Yuhuai seemed a bit distracted at the moment, as if he was looking up at something?
In a place invisible to others, Bai Yuhuai glimpsed a small flame.
That little flame flickered at the hole's entrance, trembling.
Finally, it turned into a large fire.
It was Jing Jiujiu lying down there.
Bai Yuhuai unknowingly clenched his fingers, for reasons he couldn't explain.
On the other side, Jing Jiujiu looked at the hole, gritting his teeth. Ah, what a perfect opportunity to kick them while they're down!
So he got up and floated down lightly.
"It felt cool earlier, why did it suddenly get hot?"
"Abnormality always means trouble."
"Old Cao, can't that mouth of yours say something nice? Don't be a jinx like Yu Shaoguang!"
Bai Yuhuai met Jing Jiujiu's gaze, but Jing Jiujiu turned away, first circling around the MCs twice.
"I'm so hot," Kong Xiangqi was almost crying, "Why do I feel like everything about this place is just wrong?"
Jing Jiujiu thought, it's good that you have this awareness, now let me reinforce it for you.
Jing Jiujiu then moved behind Bai Yuhuai.
Bai Yuhuai still sat there steadily, not dodging. What does the young man plan to do this time? Make faces? Or... Before Bai Yuhuai could finish his thought, he felt his ear being tugged.
Jing Jiujiu used a bit of force, pulling Bai Yuhuai's ear into a point.
Yun Xin was sitting opposite and saw this scene, suddenly widening her eyes: "Brother Bai, your ear... how did it suddenly change shape?"
Kong Xiangqi was also stunned: "Brother Bai, are you actually an elf in disguise? Why did your ear become pointy?"
Bai Yuhuai: "..."
This ghost is so daring!
Jing Jiujiu: "Hahaha!"
Bai Yuhuai: "..."
Had he really been afraid and sad these past two days?
After playing with the ear for a while, Jing Jiujiu felt it wasn't enough, so he reached out to tug on Bai Yuhuai's arm.
However, this person seemed to have some awareness, and somehow possessed an incredible strength. Jing Jiujiu pulled for a long time but couldn't budge him. He even felt that as he kept pulling, he was about to lose his grip and fall into the man's embrace.
Jing Jiujiu exhaled and let go, turning instead to unbutton Bai Yuhuai's clothes.
Bai Yuhuai's buttons suddenly popped open, and his collar sagged outward...
Kong Xiangqi's eyes widened: "Bai, how did your clothes just..."
Bai Yuhuai: "..."
Bai Yuhuai's suit jacket was halfway off, and a button on his shirt mysteriously flew off as well.
The MCs found the scene before them both frightening and... strangely amusing.
"If this is a ghost, what kind of ghost could it be?" Kong Xiangqi muttered.
Bai Yuhuai finally couldn't bear it anymore and raised his hand to his shoulder.
While maintaining a calm expression, he said, "Perhaps when I fell earlier, the force caused it to break." At the same time, he firmly grasped the young man's hand.
Unable to pull his hand free, Jing Jiujiu hugged Bai Yuhuai from behind.
Bai Yuhuai's body stiffened.
Why was this young man so... clingy?
Just as this thought crossed Bai Yuhuai's mind, he saw the people opposite him once again display expressions of terror.
"Bai, you..."
Bai Yuhuai was lifted into the air.
Jing Jiujiu, hugging him, floated towards the cave entrance.
Bai Yuhuai: "......"
It was the first time he had ever seen a ghost fly while hugging him.
"Holy shit! Bai!"
"There really is a ghost!"
"Help! I'm about to cry from fear! Quick, try calling the production team again!"
"Will chanting help? Namo Amitabha Buddha..."
"You're chanting it wrong, it might not work. Those two syllables should be pronounced 'namo'."
"Bai——!"
The bottom of the pit instantly turned into chaos, with everyone shouting at the top of their lungs, using every ounce of strength they had to yell and scream.
The Little Robot watched the fear progress bar skyrocket, but couldn't bring itself to feel happy.
Was it the sight of the young man wrapped in flames that scared them?
Would the young man really be happy seeing them so panicked? Perhaps he would be sad about why he had become like this.
For the first time, the Little Robot thought like a human.
Meanwhile, Jing Jiujiu was quite pleased.
He had finally scared someone!
Although Bai Yuhuai still looked... completely unfazed. Oh well, never mind.
Jing Jiujiu carried him out of the pit and then let go.
But Bai Yuhuai didn't let go.
Jing Jiujiu tugged, but still couldn't pull free.
Jing Jiujiu frowned slightly, wondering if Bai could actually see him. Was he pretending not to see?
Bai Yuhuai was also deep in thought.
Was that it?
The young man had teased him all this time, just to rescue him from the bottom of the pit?
Jing Jiujiu raised his other hand and waved it in front of Bai Yuhuai's eyes.
Bai Yuhuai, feeling conflicted, didn't react.
Jing Jiujiu: "...Ah, he still can't see me. Then why is he still holding onto me?" Jing Jiujiu licked his lips: "Does he think he's holding a carrot?"
Bai Yuhuai: "..." His wrist was thinner than a carrot.
Bai Yuhuai deliberately waited a moment before releasing his grip.
Jing Jiujiu circled him twice, but didn't suspect that the living could be so cunning. Without a hint of doubt, he walked away on his own.
He wasn't very comfortable here anyway.
It wasn't as comfortable as his bedroom.
He wanted to go back and ask System 377 how far the progress bar had advanced.
He had done so well today, maybe it was already complete!
After Jing Jiujiu had walked some distance away, Bai Yuhuai finally turned his head.
The flames on the young man's body had died down somewhat. He seemed uncomfortable, moving slowly like a human, at an extremely sluggish pace.
Bai Yuhuai stared at him for a while.
The people at the bottom of the pit had almost shouted themselves hoarse. Seeing the situation getting more and more chaotic, Bai Yuhuai stood there and told the cameraman to throw a phone up to him.
"...Huh? Bai?"
"It's Bai's voice!"
"Bai, are you alright?"
Bai Yuhuai responded with a faint acknowledgment.
At this point, everyone was like startled birds, still harboring doubts. Was this Bai actually a ghost wearing his skin to trick them?
But thinking it over, they didn't have many other options to choose from.
Earlier it was hot, now it was cold, and it was the kind of bone-chilling cold that seeped into your very core.
If they stayed here for a few more hours, they'd freeze to death.
The cameraman gritted his teeth, missed with three phones before finally successfully throwing one up.
Bai Yuhuai didn't waste any time and immediately called the production team.
When the production team received Bai Yuhuai's call, they were almost scared to death, fearing something had happened. They quickly brought a medical team and rescue personnel up together.
By the time everyone was rescued, seven hours had passed.
Everyone was exhausted, cold, hungry, and thirsty.
The production team accompanied them to eat something, drink some hot water, and get some sleep before they finally felt like they had recovered. Now that their minds were clear, they couldn't tell if they had really seen a ghost or not.
After all, since entering this ancient castle, they hadn't actually seen what a ghost looked like with their own eyes.
The MCs exchanged glances, none of them mentioning the ghost sighting.
Thinking about it, it was quite absurd...
What kind of extraordinary ghost would dare to pull on the famous Bai Yuhuai's ear playfully, and even try to undress him?
Only Yun Xin hesitantly asked, "We were just missing the last clue, we hadn't gotten the key to clear the level yet."
The production team hesitated for a moment. Making a serious show was their principle, but if something really happened to Bai Yuhuai, selling all of them wouldn't be enough to make up for it... Just as they were about to open their mouths to say forget it, Bai Yuhuai opened his hand: "Is this it?"
He had found it long ago.
The production team exclaimed joyfully: "Yes!"
"When did Bai find it?" The others were stunned.
Bai Yuhuai: "When Yu Shaoguang stomped his foot."
Yu Shaoguang gave a silly laugh, rubbed his head, and said nothing more.
Jing Jiujiu leaned on the third-floor window, staring at the bustling scene below for quite a while. There were so many people...
But soon he would be able to go out and walk among many, many people.
Jing Jiujiu turned his head and asked the Little Robot, "Has the progress bar completed?"
Little Robot: "It's 3% short."
Jing Jiujiu frowned: "Why is there still a little bit left?"
Little Robot: "It should be done by tomorrow."
Jing Jiujiu: "Hmm."
Feeling uncomfortable in his own bedroom, Jing Jiujiu thought for a moment that since Bai Yuhuai couldn't see him anyway, he sneaked into his room, wrapped himself in Bai Yuhuai's blanket, and closed his eyes to sleep.
When Bai Yuhuai finished talking with the production team and returned upstairs, what he saw was a ghost wrapped in his blanket.
The flames on his body had extinguished.
Bai Yuhuai's gaze flickered, but he pretended not to see and turned to enter the bathroom.
Soon, he emerged enveloped in steam, wearing a bathrobe.
Jing Jiujiu had never slept with anyone before. He wanted to wriggle to the side, but was afraid that moving the blanket would give him away.
Usually, he hoped Bai Yuhuai would see him.
But now... a ghost sneaking into someone's bed was... just weird.
So Jing Jiujiu forcibly suppressed the urge, even loosening his grip on the blanket to let Bai Yuhuai pull it away.
One human and one ghost, they spent the night lying on the bed like this.
The next day, before Jing Jiujiu woke up, Bai Yuhuai had already gotten up to pack his luggage. Downstairs gradually became noisy as the production team started packing up.
Hearing the commotion, Jing Jiujiu's eyes snapped open, and he rushed to the window to lean out.
He stared in a daze, instinctively turning to ask Bai Yuhuai, but then remembered that he was invisible now.
After Bai Yuhuai finished packing and went downstairs, Jing Jiujiu hurriedly went to find the Little Robot.
"Are they leaving?" Jing Jiujiu's expression was somewhat blank, the corners of his eyes drooping slightly, the pink tinge at the corners of his eyes seeming to deepen, as if he might cry at any moment.
The Little Robot was also stunned for a moment.
After a while, its voice sounded: "Oh no! We scared them too much, and now they're running away!"
The ghost and the robot stared at each other in dismay, at a loss for words.
At this moment, the faint sound of engines starting up came from downstairs.
Jing Jiujiu jumped up in an instant.
Who knew how long it would be before people came again...
Jing Jiujiu rushed downstairs quickly.
Sure enough, they had already started moving things out. Bai Yuhuai was standing at the door with a suitcase beside him.
At the same moment Jing Jiujiu saw Bai Yuhuai, Bai Yuhuai also caught sight of him.
Bai Yuhuai lowered his gaze, fingering the jewel box in his hand.
A new rune was written on the box, capable of drawing the nearby young man closer.
But before Bai Yuhuai could make a move, Jing Jiujiu had already acted.
The assistant director called out, "Brother Bai, please get in the car. Mr. Yu has already called several times today asking about you. He's terribly worried." The "Mr. Yu" he referred to was Bai Yuhuai's agent, Xu Sanyu.
Hearing this, Bai Yuhuai nodded slightly.
Meanwhile, Jing Jiujiu was already panicking.
No, he's really going to leave!
He lunged forward, clinging to Bai Yuhuai's back.
Bai Yuhuai raised an eyebrow slightly.
Was the little brat trying to climb on him?
Jing Jiujiu, however, had grabbed onto his shoulders, nuzzling lightly at first, then more forcefully.
Bai Yuhuai's throat tightened, and he wanted to reach back and pull the young man down...
"Brother Bai?" The assistant director looked at him quizzically from afar. "Shall we go?"
"Mm." Bai Yuhuai clenched his fingers and responded.
This kid was too clingy.
He should have just told the young man directly that he was going to take him along... Huh?
Bai Yuhuai's body suddenly swayed, eerily tilting backward.
"Brother Bai, what's wrong?" Everyone around looked at him in shock.
Bai Yuhuai: "..."
Not only had Jing Jiujiu nearly pulled him over by tugging on his clothes, but he had also climbed up and straddled his neck.
Bai Yuhuai lowered his head, catching a glimpse of the young man's long, slender legs.