Not only did the young assistant get a fright, but the other staff, the guests, and even the livestream cameras looked utterly bewildered, their reactions varied but mostly fearful and horrified-
It was pouring outside, yet the man wasn't wet at all. He had nothing to shelter him from the rain, either. More importantly, the front door was closed, and the doorbell hadn't rung, yet he had abruptly appeared in the entryway, staring straight at them with empty, eerie eyes...
The sight was utterly terrifying.
The atmosphere fell into deathly silence once again.
The two camps stared at each other in a standoff.
It seemed whoever spoke first would lose.
Jian Ran was the first to break the deadlock. "Hey, man. Here for a room?"
The man looked confused for a moment, then nodded and asked in a low, hoarse voice, "Just opened? Haven't seen this place before."
Jian Ran curled his lips. "First day in business."
"So you're open for guests?" As he spoke, the man strode toward the lobby-the dining room. "A bowl of noodles first. Plain broth noodles. No scallions, cilantro, or garlic."
"One moment." Jian Ran turned and patted the young assistant, whose legs were still shaking, on the shoulder. "Don't forget to pass along what I just told you."
"Huh?" Warmth spread from his shoulder into his body, instantly flowing through him. For reasons he couldn't explain, Qi Rui actually felt less afraid. Belatedly, he said, "Oh! I'll tell them right now."
In the old-fashioned open kitchen, several guests were deathly pale. Du Yunmeng in particular had purple lips and looked ready to bolt at any moment. Beside her, Shen Jiafei leaned over and asked quietly, "Did you see?"
"What?" Du Yunmeng's voice trembled.
"His clothes! They look Republican-era! A Zhongshan suit! In this weather? It feels sweltering even with the rain, and his collar's buttoned all the way up!" Shen Jiafei tried to keep his voice down, but couldn't suppress his horror. The voice he squeezed out was shrill and thin, extremely unpleasant to hear.
Du Yunmeng wasn't blind. Of course she had seen; she simply hadn't dared mention it.
Just as he opened his mouth, unsure whether to continue the subject, Jian Ran returned. His tone was languid, his air every bit that of a head chef and manager, brimming with the authority of a corporate elite. "Who's going to register him?"
They were running an inn, after all.
Of course guests needed to register.
Otherwise, they wouldn't even know what demons or monsters had come in... What if they skipped out on the bill?
When making money, everything had to be foolproof.
Du Yunmeng was the first to raise her hand. Jian Ran glanced at him in surprise, only to hear the next words: "Not me!"
"Not me, either!" Shen Jiafei immediately followed.
Yang Ruoxi had lost her agitation and shook her head frantically. "Don't look at me. I'm definitely not going!"
The assistant director opened his mouth, still hoping to rally them. "For the sake of the show, everyone..."
An indifferent voice interrupted him. "I'll handle registration."
At those words, Jian Ran and everyone else turned to look.
Lu Yanting straightened up from the corner and, one hand in his pocket, strode forward with the imposing presence of a top entertainment star and wealthy heir.
Jian Ran couldn't help marveling at what a badass entrance he had made!
Everyone held their breath, watching intently as Lu Yanting calmly sat down across from the man and tossed over the tablet the production crew had prepared.
"Fill in your information."
The figure in the Zhongshan suit seemed to freeze. Several seconds later, he spoke in a strained, eerie bass. "Your inn doesn't even provide this basic service?"
"You expect me to do it myself?!"
By the end, he was visibly angry. Seen from the side, his stubbled face looked vicious.
Several more seconds of silence followed.
The people in the kitchen were so tense they nearly pinched their own thighs. Only Jian Ran remained perfectly at ease, looking for ingredients while casually glancing toward the lobby.
After a long while, Lu Yanting frowned and said disdainfully, "You don't know how to use it, do you?"
The man in the Zhongshan suit: "..." Doesn't he understand ghost talk?
The people in the kitchen: "..." The award-winning actor is so brave!
Jian Ran: "..." What a fucking show-off!
"Who says I don't?!" The man in the Zhongshan suit actually extended a deathly pale hand, picked up the tablet from the dining table, and began fiddling carefully with it.
Lu Yanting then stood, casting a casual glance at Jian Ran as though saying, Registration, that's all. Too easy.
By then, Jian Ran had finished the plain broth noodles and was about to carry them over.
Du Yunmeng stole a glance, and her face instantly turned green and black. She hurriedly reminded him in a whisper, "Jian Ran, he said no scallions, garlic, or cilantro."
Jian Ran paused and spared her a sidelong glance. "Remember our establishment's motto."
"Eat it if you want. If you don't..."
"Get lost-"
The camera thrust close to him captured his beautiful face in detail, making even that casual, outrageously badass expression perfectly clear.
Jian Ran had already reached the dining table. He set the bowl of noodles in front of the man in the Zhongshan suit, its green garnish conspicuous. "Finished filling in your information?"
As though the repeated provocations had gotten to him, the man stared motionlessly at the bowl, some emotion brewing within him.
"Go back to the kitchen first." Jian Ran kept his gaze straight ahead.
Lu Yanting knew those words were meant for him, but didn't move. A dark glimmer flashed through his eyes as he watched Jian Ran with interest.
He seemed to be anticipating what would happen next.
Suddenly, an arm shot toward Jian Ran.
Sharp nails were faintly visible.
Gray-black with a bluish tinge.
Not a color a normal person should have.
It moved so fast that Lu Yanting felt only a gust of chilling wind sweep past him, leaving him no time to react.
In the kitchen, Du Yunmeng seemed to see something horrifying and cried out involuntarily, "A ghost-!"
At that critical instant, just before chaos erupted.
Jian Ran remained cool as hell. He raised his arm with apparent nonchalance and smacked that "ghost hand" aside. Amid sizzling crackles, one corner of his mouth lifted. "Hey, man, you're only just checking in, and you're already greeting me with a chokehold? That's not very polite."
"We've got cameras following us around, too. Watch your image."
As he spoke, he glanced at the name on the tablet and read it aloud. "Li Zongsheng? Huh, you've even got a scumbag's name. Don't tell me romantic entanglements got you killed?"
Li Zongsheng turned his head, a flicker of wariness crossing his stubbled face. Cradling his smoking right hand in his left, he demanded, "Y-you! What are you?!"
Jian Ran didn't answer. He merely glanced at the dining table and asked lazily, "Eating the noodles or not?"
Li Zongsheng struggled for a long while before forcing out one word. "Yes."
Jian Ran smiled in satisfaction. "That's more like it, man."
Then he shifted aside, finally clearing the view for the bewildered people in the kitchen, who had scarcely dared breathe.
Every face looked confused, as though asking, What happened?! Why's the man in the Zhongshan suit wolfing them down like he hasn't eaten noodles in eight hundred years...?
Jian Ran returned to the kitchen and stood in a corner, his elegantly boned fingertips resting on the tablet as he browsed idly. Noticing someone approach, he couldn't even be bothered to lift his eyelids.
"You can see them?"
Lu Yanting paused. After a moment, he replied, "No."
"I'm just pretty brave."
Hearing that, Jian Ran raised his face, his exquisite features glowing like colored glass beneath the orange light. "What a coincidence."
"So am I."
Before you continue