It was after noon and unlike the sweltering outdoors, the wooden villa was enveloped in tranquility and comfort.
The corridor was silent. Both the production team and the guests had returned to their rooms for a brief rest.
Amid the quiet, a muffled thud suddenly came from one of the rooms.
…
An unseen force pressed down on the bed, causing irregular depressions on the soft covers. From a distance, these depressions seemed as if someone was kneeling on the bed, trying to smother whoever was underneath.
An unpleasant and eerie voice echoed from above the covers: “Hehehe, hehehe.”
The laughter was twisted yet triumphant, as if it was mocking the person within.
“Are you massaging my feet?”
A faint voice echoed in the room.
The previously moving quilt suddenly stopped moving, as if an invisible person had been startled into pausing.
At the foot of the bed, Bai Lixin leisurely poked his head out, his gaze indifferent as he scanned the empty space.
In that instant, the quilt underwent another transformation.
It rose slowly and a series of marks appeared on the bed around the quilt.
It was as if an invisible person was hastily fleeing from the bed.
Just as the depressions were about to reach the edge of the bed, Bai Lixin grabbed the quilt and threw it towards the side of the bed.
Where the bedside should have been empty, the quilt didn’t fall to the floor due to inertia. Instead, it hovered in mid-air.
The quilt hung there, forming a “parasol” shape.
In that moment of suspension, the quilt suddenly started to “struggle” intensely.
As the quilt wrestled, Bai Lixin got up from the bed and stood before it. He mercilessly kicked the quilt in the middle, and a painful thud reverberated through the room.
The quilt slowly settled on the floor, still partly suspended in the air.
In the next second, meteor-like punches and kicks landed on the quilt, accompanied by thudding impacts. Strange pleas for mercy emerged from within the covers.
“Don’t… don’t hit me.”
“You’ll kill someone if you keep hitting.”
“I am…”
Before that voice could finish its last sentence, Bai Lixin stomped heavily on the quilt, prompting a miserable scream.
Bai Lixin pulled off his wig, his expression as emotionless as he stared at the quilt.
After a dozen seconds, he finally began the next step.
Like an eagle capturing a chick, he lifted the thick quilt and walked out of the room.
He walked through the wooden corridor with ease, and reached the courtyard outside the ground floor. He walked along the cobblestone path with light steps, arriving at the director’s door.
He knocked on the director’s door and to the director’s surprised and bewildered gaze, Bai Lixin entered with the quilt in hand and casually tossed it onto the floor.
Seeing the quilt, the director’s eyes twitched twice. “What’s going on?”
Bai Lixin looked up, his gaze calm as he observed the director, silent.
His eyes were beautiful, clear like glass marbles, yet profound like the universe of stars above.
He didn’t say a word, not even his gaze contained much emotion. But it was precisely this casual look that made the director feel as if someone had directly pierced through her flesh, seeing through her soul.
The director took two steps back nervously . “Why are you looking at me like that?”
——————————
In the live broadcast room
[??? What’s going on? Why is God Xin looking for the director? Could the director be the culprit?]
[No way, the culprit is still in the quilt.]
[Does that mean the director could be an accomplice? Since God Xin came looking for her, she must be involved in this matter.]
[However, she had always appeared righteous and resolute, always standing up for the girls.]
[That’s the entertainment industry for you.]
[Oh my, this is terrifying upon closer thought.]
————————–
Bai Lixin’s deep eyes were fixed on the director. “If I’m not mistaken, you actually knew who the culprit was from the very beginning, didn’t you?”
The director’s gaze flickered. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She glanced at Bai Lixin, then her gaze nervously shifted to the quilt. Suddenly, she exclaimed in shock, “Could it be that you’ve already caught the culprit? Is the culprit inside this cover?”
“Bai Lixin, you’re amazing. Truly deserving of the title ‘Gold Medal Sleep Tester of Haunted Houses.’ I didn’t misjudge you.”
“I’ll pay more as a token of gratitude to you, I must pay more!”
Bai Lixin looked deeply at the director. “The culprit is Liang Songyuan, and you probably noticed his suspicious behavior in the previous surveillance footage, right?”
The director widened her eyes, utterly shocked. “What? The culprit is actually Liang Songyuan, that despicable man?!”
Seeing the director’s expression, Bai Lixin chuckled lightly after a two-second pause. “You did something last night when we were reviewing the surveillance footage.”
“You merged the footage from Liang Songyuan’s room, the corridor, and my room.”
“At first, I thought it was just a coincidence.”
“So, when I suggested reviewing the footage from the day the victimized girl was in danger, you still combined the footage from Liang Songyuan’s room, the corridor, and the girl’s room.”
Director: “That doesn’t prove anything. The frames were dragged from the same position. I just dragged them according to inertia, that’s why they ended up the same both times.”
Bai Lixin: “If that’s the case, can you explain why the positions of the other frames changed?”
Director: “…”
Bai Lixin: “On the second day’s date, you arranged a script for each of us. When Liang Songyuan got irritated, he said, ‘If it weren’t for the script, do you think I’d be choosing you.’ When he came over to tell me a joke, it’s highly likely he did it because of the scripted guidance.”
“What guidance? Was it to make Liang Songyuan tell a bad joke about ‘mushrooms’ to amuse the female guests?”
Director: “Even if there was such a line in the script, how would I know that Liang Songyuan would tell a dirty joke? And I couldn’t predict you’d explode in anger because of that joke. I couldn’t have foreseen Shen Mo’s involvement either. Shen Mo taking over the investment within a matter of minutes is comparable to a comet colliding with a planet. You’re giving me too much credit.”
Bai Lixin: “Perhaps those were just happy accidents. What you really wanted was for me to notice Liang Songyuan’s dirty joke. As for Liang Songyuan telling such a joke, it’s not hard to deduce. Maybe he had told you jokes about ‘mushrooms’ before, and frequently. So, by giving him a signal in a relaxed state, he would instinctively recall and tell this joke.”
“You already knew that I was paying attention to the four of them, but you weren’t sure if I’d identify the target individual, so you brought the person to me, so I could discover.”
The director opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself.
Bai Lixin: “Even if he hadn’t told the dirty joke, it wouldn’t matter. In the subsequent scripts, you probably included several opportunities for him to act proactively. Even if one didn’t work, the probability of the others working would be high.”
“Can I see the script you gave him back then?” Bai Lixin reached out his hand to the director. “Do you dare to show it?”
The director’s face turned pale for a moment. She stared at Bai Lixin, her gaze wavering for several seconds, before she let out a long sigh. “You’re right in your guess.”
She pulled out a thin, A4-sized booklet from the towering pile of papers on her desk and handed it to Bai Lixin. “This is a script I custom-made specifically for Liang Songyuan.”
“Liang Songyuan used to be quite famous in the industry and he’s also quite good-looking. When he gradually lost his market on the screen, he switched to behind-the-scenes work. At that time, he had amassed a fair amount of wealth and connections. So even though he wasn’t famous anymore, he was far from being defeated. Normal folks wouldn’t dare provoke him. He likes harassing female artists and he’s a knowledgeable rogue who could instantly distinguish who had influence and who didn’t in the entertainment world. That’s why he flourished in the entertainment industry for so many years but no one dared to touch him.”
The director sat down in a chair and poured herself a glass of water.
After taking a sip to moisten her lips, the director pointed to the chair across from her. “Have a seat and talk.”
Seeing Bai Lixin sit down, the director’s gaze briefly swept over the quilt. After hesitating for two seconds, she said, “I’m also a victim.”
“You mentioned the dirty joke about the mushroom, right? He told me that joke before, and while telling it, he reached over and held my hand, imitating the scene.”
“It’s so disgusting, you know?” There was resentment in the director’s voice. “But I didn’t dare to speak up because I was afraid.”
“I was afraid of being blamed unjustly, afraid of colleagues from other circles thinking I liked causing trouble, and afraid gradually being abandoned and neglected by the industry, forced to give up my dream.”
“And…” A tinge of shame appeared on the director’s face. “He has my private photos. If I have any ideas, he would ensure I face complete social death in the entertainment industry.”
“I didn’t originally invite Liang Songyuan to this love variety show. He heard about it and came to invest. These female guests were all invited because he had a good impression of them. He even had me write an intimate script for him with the four female guests.”
“I know what he intended, but I’m helpless. I’m already deeply trapped in this mess. How can I protect these girls?”
The director seemed to recall something, her fingers tightly clutching the water cup before her. “I thought he was going to start again but then I discovered something bizarre and terrifying. He seems to be able to turn invisible.”
“An evildoer with the power of invisibility, do you know how terrifying that is?”
“If he used to put on an act before, now he exposes all the darkness in his heart when no one is looking, like a blade covered in countless thorns, hurting countless girls.”
“Just as I was at a loss, I found out about dealing with things beyond science online. When taking an unconventional approach, you need to find Sleep Testers, so I found you.”
“At first, I was trying everything I could out of desperation, but I didn’t expect him to be caught for real.” The director looked at Bai Lixin gratefully. “Thank you. With Shen Mo stepping in, Liang Songyuan’s life is over.”
Bai Lixin asked, “Now that I’ve helped you catch the culprit, what’s your plan?”
“I plan to call the police,” the director replied. “Since the culprit has been caught, your job is done. Thank you. I’ve already transferred the money to your designated account. If there’s nothing else, you can leave ahead of time without delaying your next job.”
Bai Lixin pondered for two seconds. “Do you need me to stay and give a statement?”
“Thank you, but I shouldn’t trouble you any further.”
Bai Lixin fell silent again, then after a moment, he stood up from the chair. “Alright, then I’ll take my leave. Goodbye.”
He pushed open the door and went to the adjacent dressing room to change out of his clothes.
The time was 1 o’clock in the afternoon, a day with perfect sunlight.
S419M: [Lord Host, can you really leave without helping? He’s still invisible, won’t the police doubt it when they see him? How will the director explain catching the person?]
Bai Lixin placed the wig firmly on the head model in silence. He was unusually quiet, and didn’t respond to S419M’s questions.
He walked out of the room. The bright sun was shining overhead, and the brilliant sunlight illuminated the courtyard, rendering the flowers in vibrant and pure colors.
Under the sunlight, the colors were beautiful, yet they still couldn’t dispel the darkness lurking in the shadows.
When Bai Lixin walked out of the courtyard gate, he once again saw the person in black holding an umbrella.
This time, the person in black wasn’t alone; there was an incongruous figure beside them.
The moment he saw that figure clearly, S419M exclaimed, [Host, isn’t that Liang Songyuan, that damned guy? Wasn’t he supposed to be in your quilt? How did he end up here? I told you, the director wouldn’t be able to handle it herself. Lord Host, let’s go quickly and catch him.]
The man in black didn’t rush to leave. Holding an umbrella, he stood in the middle of the road, as if waiting for someone.
Bai Lixin interrupted S419M’s chattering with a rub of his temple. [Quiet down a bit. Take a good look at Liang Songyuan’s feet.]
Escape System: [Feet? Huh, he doesn’t have feet! Could it be that his invisibility skill malfunctioned, making him half corporeal and half transparent?]
[…], Bai Lixin, [Um, why don’t you all take a look at his hands again?]
A few seconds later, the Escape System exclaimed, [Oh my goodness, there’s a thick chain on his wrist! I got it, this guy in black must be an undercover cop like they have in TV shows. When the director reported it, he showed up and took the criminal away!]
Bai Lixin: [… How about you take a look at his chest again?]
Another three seconds passed, and the Escape System’s voice became somewhat uncertain: [There seems to be a large hook above his chest, going from the back to the front? Is… is that a special effects decoration?]
Bai Lixin let out a soft sigh, eventually conceding: [Isn’t there a possibility that what you’re currently seeing as “Liang Songyuan” is the ghost of the deceased Liang Songyuan?]
S419M: [Then what about the person in black beside him…]
Bai Lixin: [It’s a reaper.]
S419M: [?]
Bai Lixin: [Every time he appears, someone dies. The first time I saw him in the alley, he was probably there to take away the grandmother and the other grandfather.]
[The second time, near the ambulance, he was there to take away the behind the scenes worker.]
[The third time, now, he’s here to take away Liang Songyuan.]
S419M pondered for quite a while before hesitating: [If the reaper is taking away Liang Songyuan’s ghost, doesn’t that mean Liang Songyuan himself has… Oh my god, could it be the director?]
Bai Lixin glanced toward the courtyard. Across the distant yard, the door of the director’s room was pushed open from the inside, and the director walked out somewhat unsteadily.
When she saw Bai Lixin, she also noticed him.
She smiled at Bai Lixin, then continued walking unsteadily.
Her two arms were stiffly extended backward, the tendons on her wrists and the back of her hands tensed, as if she were dragging something heavy behind her.
On a cobblestone path that was less than half a minute long, it took her two minutes to reach the doorway.
After glancing at Bai Lixin, she continued her unsteady pace, arriving at the side of a trash bin.
She opened the bin and made a seemingly inexplicable lifting motion, as if throwing away something heavy.
But her hands were empty.
With a soft “thud,” the lid of the trash bin was gently closed by the director.
She patted her hands together in relief, bid her farewell to Bai Lixin once again, and turned around to return to her room.
Sunlight bathed her, giving rise to a faint white light behind her.
Bai Lixin looked at the director’s back in silence, watching her slowly walk from the intense sunlight and into the shadows, disappearing through the modest door without looking back.
———————————–
In the live broadcast room.
[I get it, the guy in black must be a reaper, and the one standing beside him is Liang Songyuan’s soul. The thing the director was dragging behind her just now must’ve been Liang Songyuan’s body.]
[So, did the director kill Liang Songyuan after God Xin left?]
[Serves him right, he got what he deserved.]
[Nicely done.]
[Isn’t it wrong for the director to do that? Didn’t she say she’d call the police?]
[For supernatural incidents, let the experts in the supernatural handle them. The police deal with matters in the mortal world. Without video and evidence, Liang Songyuan probably won’t be sentenced. And there are also those threatening photos.]
[…]
Bai Lixin walked up to the man in black and Liang Songyuan.
Upon seeing Bai Lixin’s attire and face, a hint of astonishment flashed across Liang Songyuan’s originally pale face. “You’re a guy?!”
After giving Liang Songyuan a side glance, Bai Lixin directed his gaze toward the man in black in front of him.
Because he was close enough, he finally saw the man’s face clearly.
A cool and stern visage, an umbrella in hand, thick sunglasses covering his face, the whole person exuded a stylish and cool aura.
It was after noon and unlike the sweltering outdoors, the wooden villa was enveloped in tranquility and comfort.
The corridor was silent. Both the production team and the guests had returned to their rooms for a brief rest.
Amid the quiet, a muffled thud suddenly came from one of the rooms.
…
An unseen force pressed down on the bed, causing irregular depressions on the soft covers. From a distance, these depressions seemed as if someone was kneeling on the bed, trying to smother whoever was underneath.
An unpleasant and eerie voice echoed from above the covers: “Hehehe, hehehe.”
The laughter was twisted yet triumphant, as if it was mocking the person within.
“Are you massaging my feet?”
A faint voice echoed in the room.
The previously moving quilt suddenly stopped moving, as if an invisible person had been startled into pausing.
At the foot of the bed, Bai Lixin leisurely poked his head out, his gaze indifferent as he scanned the empty space.
In that instant, the quilt underwent another transformation.
It rose slowly and a series of marks appeared on the bed around the quilt.
It was as if an invisible person was hastily fleeing from the bed.
Just as the depressions were about to reach the edge of the bed, Bai Lixin grabbed the quilt and threw it towards the side of the bed.
Where the bedside should have been empty, the quilt didn’t fall to the floor due to inertia. Instead, it hovered in mid-air.
The quilt hung there, forming a “parasol” shape.
In that moment of suspension, the quilt suddenly started to “struggle” intensely.
As the quilt wrestled, Bai Lixin got up from the bed and stood before it. He mercilessly kicked the quilt in the middle, and a painful thud reverberated through the room.
The quilt slowly settled on the floor, still partly suspended in the air.
In the next second, meteor-like punches and kicks landed on the quilt, accompanied by thudding impacts. Strange pleas for mercy emerged from within the covers.
“Don’t… don’t hit me.”
“You’ll kill someone if you keep hitting.”
“I am…”
Before that voice could finish its last sentence, Bai Lixin stomped heavily on the quilt, prompting a miserable scream.
Bai Lixin pulled off his wig, his expression as emotionless as he stared at the quilt.
After a dozen seconds, he finally began the next step.
Like an eagle capturing a chick, he lifted the thick quilt and walked out of the room.
He walked through the wooden corridor with ease, and reached the courtyard outside the ground floor. He walked along the cobblestone path with light steps, arriving at the director’s door.
He knocked on the director’s door and to the director’s surprised and bewildered gaze, Bai Lixin entered with the quilt in hand and casually tossed it onto the floor.
Seeing the quilt, the director’s eyes twitched twice. “What’s going on?”
Bai Lixin looked up, his gaze calm as he observed the director, silent.
His eyes were beautiful, clear like glass marbles, yet profound like the universe of stars above.
He didn’t say a word, not even his gaze contained much emotion. But it was precisely this casual look that made the director feel as if someone had directly pierced through her flesh, seeing through her soul.
The director took two steps back nervously . “Why are you looking at me like that?”
——————————
In the live broadcast room
[??? What’s going on? Why is God Xin looking for the director? Could the director be the culprit?]
[No way, the culprit is still in the quilt.]
[Does that mean the director could be an accomplice? Since God Xin came looking for her, she must be involved in this matter.]
[However, she had always appeared righteous and resolute, always standing up for the girls.]
[That’s the entertainment industry for you.]
[Oh my, this is terrifying upon closer thought.]
————————–
Bai Lixin’s deep eyes were fixed on the director. “If I’m not mistaken, you actually knew who the culprit was from the very beginning, didn’t you?”
The director’s gaze flickered. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She glanced at Bai Lixin, then her gaze nervously shifted to the quilt. Suddenly, she exclaimed in shock, “Could it be that you’ve already caught the culprit? Is the culprit inside this cover?”
“Bai Lixin, you’re amazing. Truly deserving of the title ‘Gold Medal Sleep Tester of Haunted Houses.’ I didn’t misjudge you.”
“I’ll pay more as a token of gratitude to you, I must pay more!”
Bai Lixin looked deeply at the director. “The culprit is Liang Songyuan, and you probably noticed his suspicious behavior in the previous surveillance footage, right?”
The director widened her eyes, utterly shocked. “What? The culprit is actually Liang Songyuan, that despicable man?!”
Seeing the director’s expression, Bai Lixin chuckled lightly after a two-second pause. “You did something last night when we were reviewing the surveillance footage.”
“You merged the footage from Liang Songyuan’s room, the corridor, and my room.”
“At first, I thought it was just a coincidence.”
“So, when I suggested reviewing the footage from the day the victimized girl was in danger, you still combined the footage from Liang Songyuan’s room, the corridor, and the girl’s room.”
Director: “That doesn’t prove anything. The frames were dragged from the same position. I just dragged them according to inertia, that’s why they ended up the same both times.”
Bai Lixin: “If that’s the case, can you explain why the positions of the other frames changed?”
Director: “…”
Bai Lixin: “On the second day’s date, you arranged a script for each of us. When Liang Songyuan got irritated, he said, ‘If it weren’t for the script, do you think I’d be choosing you.’ When he came over to tell me a joke, it’s highly likely he did it because of the scripted guidance.”
“What guidance? Was it to make Liang Songyuan tell a bad joke about ‘mushrooms’ to amuse the female guests?”
Director: “Even if there was such a line in the script, how would I know that Liang Songyuan would tell a dirty joke? And I couldn’t predict you’d explode in anger because of that joke. I couldn’t have foreseen Shen Mo’s involvement either. Shen Mo taking over the investment within a matter of minutes is comparable to a comet colliding with a planet. You’re giving me too much credit.”
Bai Lixin: “Perhaps those were just happy accidents. What you really wanted was for me to notice Liang Songyuan’s dirty joke. As for Liang Songyuan telling such a joke, it’s not hard to deduce. Maybe he had told you jokes about ‘mushrooms’ before, and frequently. So, by giving him a signal in a relaxed state, he would instinctively recall and tell this joke.”
“You already knew that I was paying attention to the four of them, but you weren’t sure if I’d identify the target individual, so you brought the person to me, so I could discover.”
The director opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself.
Bai Lixin: “Even if he hadn’t told the dirty joke, it wouldn’t matter. In the subsequent scripts, you probably included several opportunities for him to act proactively. Even if one didn’t work, the probability of the others working would be high.”
“Can I see the script you gave him back then?” Bai Lixin reached out his hand to the director. “Do you dare to show it?”
The director’s face turned pale for a moment. She stared at Bai Lixin, her gaze wavering for several seconds, before she let out a long sigh. “You’re right in your guess.”
She pulled out a thin, A4-sized booklet from the towering pile of papers on her desk and handed it to Bai Lixin. “This is a script I custom-made specifically for Liang Songyuan.”
“Liang Songyuan used to be quite famous in the industry and he’s also quite good-looking. When he gradually lost his market on the screen, he switched to behind-the-scenes work. At that time, he had amassed a fair amount of wealth and connections. So even though he wasn’t famous anymore, he was far from being defeated. Normal folks wouldn’t dare provoke him. He likes harassing female artists and he’s a knowledgeable rogue who could instantly distinguish who had influence and who didn’t in the entertainment world. That’s why he flourished in the entertainment industry for so many years but no one dared to touch him.”
The director sat down in a chair and poured herself a glass of water.
After taking a sip to moisten her lips, the director pointed to the chair across from her. “Have a seat and talk.”
Seeing Bai Lixin sit down, the director’s gaze briefly swept over the quilt. After hesitating for two seconds, she said, “I’m also a victim.”
“You mentioned the dirty joke about the mushroom, right? He told me that joke before, and while telling it, he reached over and held my hand, imitating the scene.”
“It’s so disgusting, you know?” There was resentment in the director’s voice. “But I didn’t dare to speak up because I was afraid.”
“I was afraid of being blamed unjustly, afraid of colleagues from other circles thinking I liked causing trouble, and afraid gradually being abandoned and neglected by the industry, forced to give up my dream.”
“And…” A tinge of shame appeared on the director’s face. “He has my private photos. If I have any ideas, he would ensure I face complete social death in the entertainment industry.”
“I didn’t originally invite Liang Songyuan to this love variety show. He heard about it and came to invest. These female guests were all invited because he had a good impression of them. He even had me write an intimate script for him with the four female guests.”
“I know what he intended, but I’m helpless. I’m already deeply trapped in this mess. How can I protect these girls?”
The director seemed to recall something, her fingers tightly clutching the water cup before her. “I thought he was going to start again but then I discovered something bizarre and terrifying. He seems to be able to turn invisible.”
“An evildoer with the power of invisibility, do you know how terrifying that is?”
“If he used to put on an act before, now he exposes all the darkness in his heart when no one is looking, like a blade covered in countless thorns, hurting countless girls.”
“Just as I was at a loss, I found out about dealing with things beyond science online. When taking an unconventional approach, you need to find Sleep Testers, so I found you.”
“At first, I was trying everything I could out of desperation, but I didn’t expect him to be caught for real.” The director looked at Bai Lixin gratefully. “Thank you. With Shen Mo stepping in, Liang Songyuan’s life is over.”
Bai Lixin asked, “Now that I’ve helped you catch the culprit, what’s your plan?”
“I plan to call the police,” the director replied. “Since the culprit has been caught, your job is done. Thank you. I’ve already transferred the money to your designated account. If there’s nothing else, you can leave ahead of time without delaying your next job.”
Bai Lixin pondered for two seconds. “Do you need me to stay and give a statement?”
“Thank you, but I shouldn’t trouble you any further.”
Bai Lixin fell silent again, then after a moment, he stood up from the chair. “Alright, then I’ll take my leave. Goodbye.”
He pushed open the door and went to the adjacent dressing room to change out of his clothes.
The time was 1 o’clock in the afternoon, a day with perfect sunlight.
S419M: [Lord Host, can you really leave without helping? He’s still invisible, won’t the police doubt it when they see him? How will the director explain catching the person?]
Bai Lixin placed the wig firmly on the head model in silence. He was unusually quiet, and didn’t respond to S419M’s questions.
He walked out of the room. The bright sun was shining overhead, and the brilliant sunlight illuminated the courtyard, rendering the flowers in vibrant and pure colors.
Under the sunlight, the colors were beautiful, yet they still couldn’t dispel the darkness lurking in the shadows.
When Bai Lixin walked out of the courtyard gate, he once again saw the person in black holding an umbrella.
This time, the person in black wasn’t alone; there was an incongruous figure beside them.
The moment he saw that figure clearly, S419M exclaimed, [Host, isn’t that Liang Songyuan, that damned guy? Wasn’t he supposed to be in your quilt? How did he end up here? I told you, the director wouldn’t be able to handle it herself. Lord Host, let’s go quickly and catch him.]
The man in black didn’t rush to leave. Holding an umbrella, he stood in the middle of the road, as if waiting for someone.
Bai Lixin interrupted S419M’s chattering with a rub of his temple. [Quiet down a bit. Take a good look at Liang Songyuan’s feet.]
Escape System: [Feet? Huh, he doesn’t have feet! Could it be that his invisibility skill malfunctioned, making him half corporeal and half transparent?]
[…], Bai Lixin, [Um, why don’t you all take a look at his hands again?]
A few seconds later, the Escape System exclaimed, [Oh my goodness, there’s a thick chain on his wrist! I got it, this guy in black must be an undercover cop like they have in TV shows. When the director reported it, he showed up and took the criminal away!]
Bai Lixin: [… How about you take a look at his chest again?]
Another three seconds passed, and the Escape System’s voice became somewhat uncertain: [There seems to be a large hook above his chest, going from the back to the front? Is… is that a special effects decoration?]
Bai Lixin let out a soft sigh, eventually conceding: [Isn’t there a possibility that what you’re currently seeing as “Liang Songyuan” is the ghost of the deceased Liang Songyuan?]
S419M: [Then what about the person in black beside him…]
Bai Lixin: [It’s a reaper.]
S419M: [?]
Bai Lixin: [Every time he appears, someone dies. The first time I saw him in the alley, he was probably there to take away the grandmother and the other grandfather.]
[The second time, near the ambulance, he was there to take away the behind the scenes worker.]
[The third time, now, he’s here to take away Liang Songyuan.]
S419M pondered for quite a while before hesitating: [If the reaper is taking away Liang Songyuan’s ghost, doesn’t that mean Liang Songyuan himself has… Oh my god, could it be the director?]
Bai Lixin glanced toward the courtyard. Across the distant yard, the door of the director’s room was pushed open from the inside, and the director walked out somewhat unsteadily.
When she saw Bai Lixin, she also noticed him.
She smiled at Bai Lixin, then continued walking unsteadily.
Her two arms were stiffly extended backward, the tendons on her wrists and the back of her hands tensed, as if she were dragging something heavy behind her.
On a cobblestone path that was less than half a minute long, it took her two minutes to reach the doorway.
After glancing at Bai Lixin, she continued her unsteady pace, arriving at the side of a trash bin.
She opened the bin and made a seemingly inexplicable lifting motion, as if throwing away something heavy.
But her hands were empty.
With a soft “thud,” the lid of the trash bin was gently closed by the director.
She patted her hands together in relief, bid her farewell to Bai Lixin once again, and turned around to return to her room.
Sunlight bathed her, giving rise to a faint white light behind her.
Bai Lixin looked at the director’s back in silence, watching her slowly walk from the intense sunlight and into the shadows, disappearing through the modest door without looking back.
———————————–
In the live broadcast room.
[I get it, the guy in black must be a reaper, and the one standing beside him is Liang Songyuan’s soul. The thing the director was dragging behind her just now must’ve been Liang Songyuan’s body.]
[So, did the director kill Liang Songyuan after God Xin left?]
[Serves him right, he got what he deserved.]
[Nicely done.]
[Isn’t it wrong for the director to do that? Didn’t she say she’d call the police?]
[For supernatural incidents, let the experts in the supernatural handle them. The police deal with matters in the mortal world. Without video and evidence, Liang Songyuan probably won’t be sentenced. And there are also those threatening photos.]
[…]
Bai Lixin walked up to the man in black and Liang Songyuan.
Upon seeing Bai Lixin’s attire and face, a hint of astonishment flashed across Liang Songyuan’s originally pale face. “You’re a guy?!”
After giving Liang Songyuan a side glance, Bai Lixin directed his gaze toward the man in black in front of him.
Because he was close enough, he finally saw the man’s face clearly.
A cool and stern visage, an umbrella in hand, thick sunglasses covering his face, the whole person exuded a stylish and cool aura.
