The inhuman shriek from upstairs made Jian Ran's expression shift slightly. An intrigued smile curved his lips, and he headed toward the guest rooms on the second floor.
Duty-bound, the cameraman had to follow close behind.
He had been keeping pace, only for a tall, slender figure to slip in without warning, relegating him to third place and leaving him filming nothing but the back of a head.
In the kitchen, Yang Ruoxi nearly burst into tears. "What do we do?!"
"What else can we do?!" Shen Jiafei summoned his courage. "Follow them."
Under the circumstances, they had no other choice.
When Du Yunmeng led Li Zongsheng out of sight at the stairs, assistant director's aide Qi Rui had checked every window and door-something unknown had blocked them all tightly shut. None would open.
Their phones still had reception, but only a single bar, which was as good as useless. No calls would go through, not even emergency calls to 110.
It was as though they had been completely sealed inside the Mountain Villa. No one could escape; they could only wait to be tormented and slaughtered.
Rather than sit around waiting to die, they might as well follow and take a look.
If those Talisman Papers really worked, he would hurry up and buy one for protection.
After all, they could only grasp at straws now...
Shen Jiafei rapidly weighed his options, then slipped off after them.
Yang Ruoxi, who had originally wanted to stay put, stamped her foot hard.
Had all those horror movies taught them nothing?! The ones who talked too much and courted trouble always died first!
Jian Ran was clearly the trouble-courting type, and he talked plenty too. Wouldn't following him be the same as...
But the next second, she shouted inwardly, Fuck it, I'm going all in!
The people in the kitchen had gradually dwindled until she was the only one left.
Yang Ruoxi suddenly remembered another rule of horror movies.
Anyone who went off alone was bound to get caught!
Terrified, she stumbled outside, bounded up the stairs, and squeezed into the crowd, only to freeze.
Outside a guest room a short distance away, Du Yunmeng sat sprawled in the corridor with her back against the wall, her expression blank. She was muttering something unintelligible, trembling nonstop as she clutched the Talisman Paper Jian Ran had given him.
Someone asked him what had happened, but he did not answer, as though he could hear nothing, completely trapped in some horrifying scene.
She looked utterly traumatized.
Jian Ran walked straight past Du Yunmeng and fixed his gaze on the old, mottled wooden door, seemingly looking right through it. Then he raised his lean arm, exposing his beautiful wrist.
Just as he was about to bring it down, a cool voice beside him asked, "What are you doing?"
"Knocking. Isn't that obvious?" Jian Ran glanced sideways at him, his eyes gleaming and his manner carefree. He seemed enveloped in a halo, bright, warm, and impossible to overlook.
Lu Yanting gave him a long look and said nothing more, an unfamiliar emotion quietly flowing through his heart.
While all was calm on their side, Du Yunmeng, slumped on the corridor floor, reacted violently. She grabbed Jian Ran's calf, wanting to speak but having to keep her voice low, as though afraid of disturbing someone.
"Jian Ran, don't knock! It's too scary!"
Jian Ran lowered his eyes, the flippant irreverence vanishing from his face. A trace of eerie viciousness seeped through his solemn expression. At the sight, Du Yunmeng shuddered all over, seemingly even more frightened than when she had encountered the ghost.
"Jian Ran, you-"
"Let go!" Jian Ran said coldly.
Du Yunmeng was exceptionally obedient and immediately withdrew her arms.
Suddenly, Jian Ran smiled again. "I told you, use your words. Keep your hands to yourself."
As he spoke, he turned back. "Why won't this kid listen?"
And so, under everyone's horrified gaze, Jian Ran knocked on the door.
There was no answer for a long time, as though the room were empty.
The old-fashioned ceiling lights in the corridor cast a dim yellow glow. Suddenly, they began to flicker, creating a tense, eerie atmosphere.
Growing impatient, Jian Ran knocked again. "Say something if you're not breathing, or I'm coming in."
Before he had even finished speaking, he raised his foot and gathered strength, seemingly intending to force his way inside.
"Do you need something? I've already gone to bed." A deep voice came from behind the door.
It was hard to tell whether it was just an illusion.
The end of the sentence trembled slightly.
As though he were afraid.
"Gone to bed?" Jian Ran clearly did not believe him, but after a pause, he said nothing more beyond a warning. "Behave yourself tonight. Don't go wandering around."
His words were followed by deathly silence inside the guest room.
The people in the corridor barely dared to breathe.
After a long while, a slow reply finally came from inside. "I understand."
"Go away. Don't disturb my sleep."
Jian Ran shrugged, turned, stepped over Du Yunmeng, and walked away with his hands in his pockets.
Shen Jiafei blocked his path. "We're just leaving? We still haven't figured out what happened. The one inside that room is..."
He was too wary to finish saying it.
"What happened? You'll have to ask the person involved." Leaving him with that, Jian Ran pushed Shen Jiafei aside with one hand, yawned, and sauntered away.
Every gaze shifted back to Du Yunmeng's face. She had gone completely limp with fright, slumped in a boneless sprawl.
But no one dared ask what exactly had happened.
After all, this was far too bizarre. What if they angered the ghosts or spirits? Bold Jian was no longer there.
And Li Zongsheng, inside the guest room, thought the same.
He held the hand scorched by the Talisman Paper, worrying about when it would recover, and whether he should go out tonight...
That man was too terrifying.
If I'd spoken a moment later, would he have barged straight in and thrown another pile of paper?
Li Zongsheng shivered at the thought and comforted himself. Maybe it was a coincidence.
It had to be a coincidence.
Even monks who had cultivated for years couldn't draw Talisman Paper this powerful.
What could a sickly little brat his age possibly know?!
Li Zongsheng slowly clenched his fist, his expression turning resolute.
No matter what, I have to take a few people tonight.
Soon, the corridor emptied.
Everyone returned to their rooms, hoping to fall asleep quickly and get through this difficult night.
Once the sun rose tomorrow morning, they would contact the outside world immediately. No matter what anyone said, they were done filming this variety show.
Thinking this, Du Yunmeng cried a little longer, her tears dripping onto the white pillow that smelled of mildew, yet she never dared close her eyes.
She was terrified of recalling what had just happened-that man opening his foul-smelling mouth, its corners splitting all the way to his ears. He had clearly intended to eat her.
If not for the Talisman Paper clutched in his hand, he would probably have...
Amid her racing thoughts, Du Yunmeng could no longer fight her drowsiness and gradually closed her eyes.
An unknown amount of time passed.
The sound of knocking echoed through the empty corridor.
Knock, knock, knock-
Neither fast nor slow, it followed a steady rhythm.
"Who is it?" A clear, cool voice carried out from the guest room.
Whoever stood outside said nothing and kept knocking.
Dressed in white pajamas, Lu Yanting's brow creased with impatience. He grasped the handle and opened the door, his expression briefly freezing when he saw who it was.
"Why is it you?"
Jian Ran pressed his lips together, then gave a sly smile. "You sound disappointed."
"No." Lu Yanting's deep voice sounded inexplicably sexier. "I thought it was..."
"A ghost?"
Without standing on ceremony, Jian Ran stepped straight into the bedroom. The instant Lu Yanting moved aside, he closed the door behind him. "Don't be scared. I'm just here for an after-sales follow-up."
Lu Yanting lowered his gaze, not quite registering what he had said. His eyes drifted involuntarily to the collarbone exposed by his neckline.
There was a red mole there, vivid and bright.
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