"Big Sis, have some water first. The sun is scorching today. I'll go hurry the director along and get him to start filming as soon as possible! If this keeps up, people are going to pass out from the heat!"
Tu Jiaya accepted the cup of water her younger sister, Tu Jiaqing, brought over and shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm doing all right. You, on the other hand, have been busy since you got up this morning. You should get some proper rest."
Tu Jiaqing immediately shook her head. "Sis, I'm not tired at all! You're a big star and a famous singer now. If I don't keep a close eye on things, what if someone takes advantage of you? Don't worry! I'll go talk to the director right now! He'll be here soon!"
"Honestly... What a child."
Watching Tu Jiaqing run off full of energy, Tu Jiaya shook her head. After taking a sip of water, she focused on the script in her hands.
It was as if she had completely immersed herself in her own world.
Even though the area around them had long since become packed tight with students gathered to watch, along with paparazzi following the story.
Click, click.
The faint sound of camera shutters. But to a musician skilled at pinpointing sounds, it was perfectly clear. Tu Jiaya frowned.
She noticed a woman... apparently sneaking up beside the van to take covert photographs. An ID card hung around her neck, so she was probably a reporter.
"Miss! This area is off-limits!"
A bodyguard immediately stepped forward and said sternly to the female reporter taking pictures, "Delete what you just took, then leave immediately!"
The female reporter wrinkled her nose and laughed. "What if I don't?"
"Miss, please be polite."
"Polite... Your mother!"
Why were women these days all so ferocious? The bodyguard felt deeply frustrated. As the saying went, a gentleman did not fight with women... especially not women with the temperament of shrews. Well, she was quite pretty, but her personality was a bit of a letdown.
"Miss, please be polite! And leave!" the bodyguard said sternly again.
Unexpectedly, Tu Jiaya spoke softly. "Let her come over. She's a good friend of mine. It's fine."
The bodyguard froze, only to see the camera-carrying woman smiling as she pushed him aside and walked to the van door. Tu Jiaya shook her head. "KingKong, it's fine here. I'll have a chat with my friend."
KingKong had no choice but to nod and return to his post.
"Being a big star really is different. Your bodyguard is quite strong, too." As the female reporter spoke, she looked Tu Jiaya up and down. "Tsk, tsk, you've got quite a figure. Don't tell me you had work done?"
Tu Jiaya said irritably, "Miss Ren Ziling, can't you be serious for once? We haven't seen each other in years... and you're still exactly the same!"
Ren Ziling laughed heartily and climbed into the van. Looking around, she said, "How have you been these past few years? Pretty well, I imagine. You've won several major music awards in a row. You're definitely one of the hottest female singers in the south now!"
Tu Jiaya shook her head. "It's not really a matter of being good or bad. The more famous you are, the more trouble you attract."
"What happened?" Ren Ziling asked curiously.
Tu Jiaya said, "Just some minor things. Nothing worth mentioning. What about you? Are you still working as a reporter? How have you been lately? I was working away from home back then, and I heard that your husband..."
Ren Ziling stretched lazily. "Me? I don't want anything anymore. I just want to work hard and raise my son properly."
"You have a son!" Tu Jiaya's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly took Ren Ziling's hand. "What did we say back when we were in school? That we'd be best friends for life? You had a child and didn't even tell me! Come on, tell me—what does my nephew look like? Is he cute? Honestly, you have a son and you didn't even show him off!"
Ren Ziling's eyes suddenly shifted. "Girl, do you really want to see your 'big' nephew?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
"But can you get away right now?" Ren Ziling narrowed her eyes. "If you can, I might be able to let you see him immediately! To be honest, my son is incredibly handsome!"
Tu Jiaya hesitated for a moment. "If it's only for a little while, it shouldn't be a problem. Filming hasn't officially started yet."
"Then it's settled. I'll have him come over right now... so you can hug him!"
"What? Ziling..."
But Ren Ziling had already jumped out of the van and gone to the side to make a phone call. Tu Jiaya froze, wondering if her good friend had brought her child along to work.
"Hello! Son!"
"..."
"Hello? Luo Qiu?"
"What's up?"
"Where are you right now?"
Luo Qiu, who was still sitting on a bench looking up information about the "Gospel of Judas," thought carefully after hearing the question.
Normally speaking, he should have been at school right now—and he was, in fact, at school.
Of course, if he answered that he was at home or somewhere other than school, the overflowing-with-maternal-love Ren Ziling would definitely nag him for a while.
"School."
"Perfect, I'm here too! Come over to me. I'm right here... over here!"
"Not going."
"Wait. Aren't you curious why I'm at your school?"
"Not curious..."
The newspaper office Ren Ziling worked for specialized in publishing gossip, in fact. As for why she had come here, Luo Qiu had already figured out the general reason after hearing two passing girls mention something about a big star.
"Fine! Then I'll come over. Where are you?"
"Wait... I'll come to you."
Strictly speaking, Black Soul No. 9 could also be considered an old ghost. As for Taiyinzi... naturally, there was no need to explain—he was a five-hundred-year-old ghost.
So what could two old ghosts do in a university library filled almost entirely with young people?
Boss Luo had said he would give Taiyinzi a cramming education, so naturally, the only thing they could do was read.
"What!! Those damned Tartars actually dared to seize my Great Ming's empire?!!"
"That bastard Wu Sangui deserves to be hacked into a thousand pieces!!"
"Good riddance to the Qing dynasty!!"
"Those damned foreign barbarians actually dared to invade my Divine Land! Kill, kill, kill!!!"
He was reading a simplified general history of China. Taiyinzi read while making a great commotion, waving his arms, stroking his beard, and glaring furiously. If he had not currently been a Black Soul Envoy—neither soul nor ghost, and therefore invisible to everyone—he would probably have been driven out with a broom long ago.
Black Soul No. 9 had learned some commonly used modern expressions recently. He felt that one of them described Taiyinzi's current state perfectly.
Damn idiot...
Black Soul No. 9 shook his head. If this had not been the club master's order, he would never have bothered teaching a new Black Soul.
He simply sat quietly to the side, silently watching the young people in the library.
Perhaps he could find a suitable patron here as well.
Desire lurked within people's hearts, but if one observed carefully, one could usually find it.
People were most uninhibited when they were alone. When they felt that no one was watching, they would also reveal their true nature. Black Soul Envoys could switch freely between appearing and hiding, making it easy to observe the side of humanity that people kept hidden.
Black Soul No. 9 frowned. A young woman had just walked over, apparently looking for an empty seat.
He had been a Black Soul Envoy for quite some time, so his abilities were naturally far beyond those of a newcomer like Taiyinzi. This woman's soul was exceptionally pure and could provide a high-quality trade offering.
Just as Black Soul No. 9 was about to observe the woman carefully, several images suddenly flashed through his consciousness.
Someone holding an oil-paper umbrella gazed into the drizzle, as if calling out for someone.
The image was hazy, yet a desolate, heart-wrenching feeling began to stir in Black Soul No. 9's mind.
Black Soul No. 9 tried desperately to see what the figure in that hazy image looked like. Then the woman he had planned to tempt into becoming a patron walked past him.
The woman's appearance instantly overlapped with the blurry figure in his consciousness.
Black Soul No. 9 murmured absentmindedly, "Lan Fang..."
He had called out a name that felt unfamiliar, yet somehow familiar, and stared blankly at the woman, who seemed puzzled by something and had stopped walking.
Zhang Qingrui hesitated for a moment.
She seemed to hear someone calling out the name "Lan Fang"... That was her grandmother's name.
But in front of her was only an empty table. There was no one there.
"Strange... Was this seat empty before?"
She shook her head. Since there was an empty seat, she simply sat down.
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PS1: Once again, thanks for the tips from "Adorable Shu Shu" and "Wandering Black Man."
PS2: Yeah! I took down the gatekeeper and became the second-generation gatekeeper! Nicely done! Although there are no red packets, I have updates. That is the best gift a writer can give readers in return, balabalabala!!
PS3: Actually, PS3 can also be understood as this pathetic author clearly having a heart that longs for wealthy readers, but being too tsundere to say it outright...
PS4: That's right, I'm the standard PS4 that trails behind asking for votes, collections, and tips.
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