The truth

"I... I'm not lying..." Liu Jinjian was utterly terrified and flustered. This was being livestreamed. He couldn't tell the truth!

The Ghost Doll drew closer, wanting to strangle him.

Liu Jinjian immediately raised his hands. "Don't, don't! I'll tell the truth! I don't love her!! Don't kill me, boohoo!!" Tears were already streaming down his face from fear. That Ghost Doll had really been about to kill him!

[Well, damn, an unexpected bonus today]

[I feel like he's telling the truth]

[Another scumbag?]

[One little scare and he spills everything]

[Look, he actually cried from fear. Goes on a variety show, first gets scared limp by a prop, then cries. What an achievement]

"If you never loved her, why did you marry her?" the Ghost Doll asked another question.

"F-for the money..." Liu Jinjian said quietly.

He really had married his ex-wife for money. He'd had nothing when he was young, while his ex-wife's family ran a small business and had some money. He had pursued her relentlessly until he won her over, and then they married.

But after the divorce, his ex-wife had gone abroad, and they had never contacted each other again.

The Ghost Doll sneered and continued, "Then why did you divorce?"

Liu Jinjian stammered for a long time, not daring to answer.

"Spit it out!" She raised her hand.

"B-because I cheated..." Afraid of dying, Liu Jinjian told her anyway.

"Hah. With how many people?"

"F-four." His heart sank into despair. It's over. All of this has been livestreamed. My writing career is finished. Now he only hoped the Ghost Doll wouldn't kill him.

The chat exploded:

[I told you he was no good!]

[For money? Take a good look, ladies. Don't marry a social climber from a poor family!]

[Ugh, I actually bought his books. I'm burning them right after this]

[Cheated with four people? What kind of world-class scumbag is this?]

[Married her for money, then cheated once he got rich. Liu Jinjian really lives up to the "jian" in his name. What a piece of trash]

[Now I'm starting to suspect his work is all plagiarized too!]

"Hmph!" The Ghost Doll snorted coldly at Liu Jinjian.

Then she floated over to Su Li and asked him, "I've played a game with him now. Who exactly are you?"

Su Li cast an illusion over their surroundings and told her, "Now isn't the time for that. All you need to know is that if I wanted to kill you, I'd only have to lift a finger."

His bearing was completely different from before. Though a smile lingered on his lips, he was inexplicably cold, and a powerful aura radiated from him.

The Ghost Doll said nothing. She knew it was true.

"Then... why aren't you killing me?"

Su Li looked down at her. "I'm not killing you because you're still useful. You're the strongest ghost I've seen in this Manor so far. Are you willing to follow me?"

He thought this Ghost Doll had great potential.

"...Can you take me out of here?" After a long silence, she asked this question.

She was effectively trapped here, unable to step outside this room.

"Why wouldn't I be able to? Just because of that little restriction on you?"

Su Li casually waved his hand, and a wisp of energy entered the Ghost Doll's body.

She immediately felt the thing that had restricted her like shackles for all these years crumble in an instant.

"This..." The Ghost Doll was both delighted and stunned. She hadn't expected the problem that had plagued her for so many years to be solved today. Who exactly was he?

In any case, she had been trapped here for so many years. Being able to leave with someone would be a good thing too.

"All right, I'll follow you!" Only now did her voice sound like a normal little girl's. Su Li had freed her, and she was willing to work for him.

She saw a dark figure emerge beside Su Li.

"Let the Shadow Servant take you somewhere to wait. I still have things to ask you."

"...All right." Even a servant is this powerful?

After they left, Su Li dispelled the illusion.

So, to the guests and viewers, Su Li had merely exchanged a few words with the Ghost Doll before she vanished.

Chen Zhuo immediately stepped forward. "Su Li, how did she disappear?"

"We completed our task. The production team probably switched off the projection," Su Li said with a perfectly straight face.

They exchanged glances. Was it really a projection?

"No, it couldn't have been a projection!! Besides, didn't you say last time that there weren't any projections?" Sprawled on the sofa, Liu Jinjian stared in disbelief after seeing the Ghost Doll disappear.

If it really was a projection, then didn't I just...

Su Li looked completely serious. "But today's was a projection. I examined it up close. It looked a little blurry, its body was a bit transparent, and my hand could pass right through it. It really was a projection."

"The production team probably used it for this scene. Besides, there's no such thing as ghosts in this world. Otherwise, would I have dared say those things to her?"

The other guests thought Su Li made sense too, and they all nodded.

[So it really was a projection]

[If it really was a projection, the production team spent a lot on this episode]

[But Li Bao really is brave, daring to examine it up close. I would've wet myself]

[Then didn't Liu Jinjian tell the truth for nothing? Hahaha]

[That's just a guilty conscience. Who else can he blame?]

[Yay, another scumbag exposed]

Liu Jinjian's face alternated between green and white. He should never have accepted this variety show. These people had been toying with him all along!

Now he had lost face, and his past had been exposed too. What sort of comments would be waiting for him online?

Su Li said to the others, "Let's head out." Then he glanced at the camera, as though looking at Wang Xiang beyond the lens.

Seeing that look, Wang Xiang couldn't help shivering. His mind, clouded by profit, cleared.

Judging by Su Li's attitude toward the Ghost Doll just now, and what the Ghost Doll had said to him, he clearly knew she was a ghost!

And that Ghost Doll couldn't have disappeared for no reason. What had Su Li done? Who exactly was he? Even a ghost obeyed him!

Wang Xiang's mind was full of questions, along with terror.

He wasn't an idiot. He suddenly recalled how Zhao Yuhao had inexplicably fainted a few days ago, and how Meng Chichi had gone mad for no reason.

No, I can't offend Su Li anymore. There's something far too uncanny about him. What if he does something to me too...

He immediately went up to the third floor and reached the doll room's door, but didn't dare get too close. Who knew whether that ghost was still inside?

Once the guests came out, he approached them, his words actually carrying a flattering tone. "Thanks for all your hard work. Go get some rest first. If there's anything you want, I'll have the production staff buy it later. Just name it."

But An Hui noticed that his gaze was actually directed at Su Li, which meant those words were intended for Su Li.

Why had his attitude changed so quickly?

Meanwhile, the chat discussed it:

[Wow, Wang Xiang is being so humble]

[How could he not be? Just look at how popular this episode is]

[At least twice as popular as the first two episodes]

[It's all over the trending searches. Of course he'd treat this episode's guests like treasures]

[If tomorrow can pull these numbers too, he'll be the top variety show director. No one will be able to beat him]

[Why do I feel like he's talking to Su Li?]

Hearing Wang Xiang's words, Su Li curled his thin lips. "Director, this challenge was really fun, especially that Ghost Doll projection. It was so realistic. Even I was scared at first."

Wang Xiang could only smile apologetically. He didn't know how to answer.

He heard the young man continue, "Director Wang, tomorrow should be the last day, right? What's the challenge? Could you give us a sneak peek? I bet everyone wants to know!" His foxlike eyes were full of curiosity.

[I'm curious too. Today was already so exciting. Won't tomorrow be even more exciting?]

[Tomorrow should be the boss fight, right?]

[I'm guessing it's the mother from the journal!]

[Can't wait!]