Yuan's humanoid form

This door isn't locked from the outside! Why won't it open?

Liu Jinjian's legs trembled. Hearing the sound grow increasingly urgent, he kept searching for somewhere to hide.

There was a large wardrobe in the room with nothing inside. Seeing that he could not get out, he could only crawl into it.

The cramped space gave him a fleeting sense of security.

He trembled all over. So the rumors about the Manor being haunted were true!

And the ghost was right here in his room!!

He was filled with regret and resentment. Why had he joined this variety show? Why had he turned his nose up at the room Zhao Yuhao had stayed in and insisted on switching rooms?

He hid in the wardrobe, peering out through the gap.

A creak rang out, as though the floorboards were being lifted.

A headless corpse dressed in red crawled out from beneath the floor!

Liu Jinjian clamped his hands over his mouth, nearly screaming.

There was actually such a terrifying ghost beneath the floor! Where was her head?

He saw the Headless Female Ghost slowly approach the wardrobe.

He held his breath inside the wardrobe, not daring to move a muscle, his muscles continually twitching with fear.

The Headless Female Ghost stopped in front of the wardrobe for three seconds. To him, those three seconds felt like a lifetime.

Then he saw her turn around and slowly walk away, until he heard a door open.

Had she gone out?

Only after hearing the door did he let out a long breath, as though he had escaped death. His entire body was drenched in cold sweat. That had been far too terrifying.

He kept thinking. What should he do next? The ghost had gone out. If he went straight out, would he run into her?

In the end, he decided to stay in the wardrobe for a few minutes. At least he would wait until the ghost was far away before running!

His body had gone numb from the extreme terror just now. He was about to adjust his position, but when he braced his hand against the side, something felt wrong!

Was this... hair?

He slowly turned to look. There was actually a woman's severed head beside his hand! Her eyes stared fixedly at him, and she was even smiling at him!

His mind went blank. Why was this head here!!

"Ah!!" He immediately let out an utterly piercing scream.

He flung the wardrobe doors open like a madman and crawled out, only for a red figure to suddenly appear before him.

He looked up. There was nothing where her head should have been.

Liu Jinjian felt all the blood in his body freeze. Hadn't she left??

But the head behind him spoke. "Where... are you going?"

He could not take it anymore. His eyes rolled back and he fainted, white foam spilling from the corner of his mouth.

The Headless Female Ghost gave him a disdainful glance. He had fainted already? She had not had enough fun yet.

She walked over to the wardrobe, took out her head, and set it on her neck.

Then she dragged Liu Jinjian over, stuffed him inside, and closed the doors.

"Done?" Zheng Xing suddenly appeared in the room.

The Headless Female Ghost thought someone had come in and was just about to attack when she realized it was Zheng Xing.

She nodded. "He fainted. I stuffed him in the wardrobe."

Zheng Xing picked up the phone Liu Jinjian had dropped on the floor and checked it. Surprisingly, it had not broken.

He opened the contacts, found Wang Xiang's name, and sent a message: Director Wang, I'm feeling very unwell. I won't be taking part in tomorrow's show.

Then he put the phone back where it had been.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Zheng Xing imitated Liu Jinjian's voice. "Who is it?"

"Brother Liu, it's me. There's something I need to tell you." It was Fan Ping knocking.

"I'm feeling awful right now! I don't want to hear anything! Come find me tomorrow after filming is over!"

Fan Ping was puzzled. Hadn't he just told him to hire paid commenters? Never mind. He would bring up his resignation tomorrow.

Sensing that the person outside had left, Zheng Xing told the Headless Female Ghost, "Put the floorboards back, clean up the scene, and come see the boss with me."

She hurriedly agreed. "Yes!"

After receiving Liu Jinjian's message, Wang Xiang paid it little mind. He could come tomorrow or not, as he pleased. Tomorrow's most important task was to keep that demanding big shot satisfied. It was just as well if Liu Jinjian did not come.

Su Li increased the Headless Female Ghost's strength a little. The Under-Table Ghost had also helped earlier, so he gave him a little as well.

The two ghosts were moved to tears and said they would work even harder from now on.

After sending them out, Zheng Xing recounted what he had just done.

"Well done. Even if they discover he's stopped breathing after the show, it has nothing to do with us." Su Li sipped his tea and gave Zheng Xing an approving look.

"But boss, what if the authorities investigate afterward..." He was afraid that would cause Su Li some trouble.

Su Li was utterly unconcerned. "What could they find? Even if they suspect a ghost, they can't catch one."

"And if they investigate me... what can they do without evidence?"

He glanced at Zheng Xing and said with a chuckle, "Hold out your arm."

Zheng Xing held out his arm and watched Su Li raise his hand and move his fingers a few times.

Then he felt a burning sensation on the inside of his forearm. He could not help rolling up his sleeve, revealing a Black Strange Pattern that had appeared there like a tattoo.

Zheng Xing had a guess, and he could not keep the excitement out of his voice. "Boss, this is..."

"Just a mark containing my power. Giving you this mark means you're now a true confidant of mine. And with this, even if you stand in front of people with special abilities, they won't recognize you as a ghost."

"As for its other uses, explore them yourself. I'm only giving you this because I trust your loyalty."

He had bestowed the mark on Zheng Xing because he thought him capable, and, most importantly, loyal enough. He had handled quite a few matters for him.

Zheng Xing dropped straight to his knees. "Thank you for trusting me, boss!"

He had thought he could only spend the rest of his existence as a wandering ghost in the darkness. He had never expected to follow a boss like Su Li.

Not only had Su Li made him stronger, he could even let him stand in the sunlight!

Now he had placed such tremendous trust in him as well. Zheng Xing felt this was the happiest he had ever been. Even when he was alive, no one had ever trusted him this much.

"All right, what are you kneeling for? Get up." Zheng Xing had not even knelt when Su Li captured him before, yet now he had actually dropped to his knees.

"Go tell the Under-Table Ghost to keep an eye on Wang Xiang. All he needs to do is behave himself."

"Yes, boss!"

After Zheng Xing left, Yuan suddenly spoke. "Master, do you trust him very much?"

Su Li paused, then answered with a smile, "He's capable, clever, and loyal. He's a good choice for a confidant."

"Of course, you're different from him. He's a subordinate, while you're..." Su Li did not finish, because he did not know what to say.

Call him a subordinate too? Yuan was not his underling.

A friend? Su Li felt that did not quite fit either.

Yuan remained silent for a long time. Before long, a humanoid figure wearing a black robe and a hood that concealed his face slowly took shape before Su Li.

Su Li sat up, delighted surprise in his voice. "Yuan?"

The black-robed figure before him spoke. "Master, it's me."

His voice was deep and resonant, very pleasant to hear.

Yuan slowly lowered himself onto one knee before Su Li. Perhaps because he had only just taken shape, his form was still unstable, his figure somewhat illusory.

Su Li reached out to touch Yuan, only to find that his hand passed right through him.

At this, Yuan's gaze dimmed, and his voice sounded a little downcast. "It may take some more time before I can become solid."

Su Li hurried to reassure him. "It's all right. Take your time. Were you able to take shape because Emotional Power has increased so much lately?"

"...Yes." Yuan nodded.

Su Li could only see his tightly pressed thin lips. His eyes filled with amusement. "I bet our Yuan must be very handsome!"

Yuan seemed a little embarrassed and lowered his head slightly.