Are you that kind of scumbag too?

Because the livestream had been such a hit the night before, Gu Feng, the head of Maple Blue Entertainment, decided to increase his investment.

He spared no expense, assigning every guest a dedicated camera to follow them throughout the shoot without leaving any blind spots, so they could present a better show to all their viewers and fans.

The main reason for going to such lengths was that the entire internet was still baffled about what had happened between Du Yunmeng and the visitor the night before.

They had left the livestream and flocked to VB, getting rather worked up in the topic threads.

[Seriously?! You left my heart hanging, neither here nor there, and this is all you show me?!]

[You promised a live show, then missed a whole segment. Who likes an incomplete experience like this?!]

[Do Jian Jianjian's Talisman Paper actually work? Why was Du Yunmeng scared out of her mind?!]

[Keep streaming this horror show with half the footage missing and freezing up, and I'm reporting it!]

Being "mobbed online" for the first time actually excited Gu Feng. He called his childhood friend first thing in the morning. It rang for ages before someone picked up, and he asked, brimming with nosy curiosity, "What exactly happened last night?!"

"Tell me now, before the livestream starts!"

"Was Jian Ran just putting on some supernatural act or not?!"

After firing off three questions in a row, he waited impatiently for an answer. Instead, a familiar, infuriating voice came through the phone. "Boss, if I wasn't putting on an act, do I get double pay?"

"!!!!" Gu Feng was stunned. "Why do you have Lu Yanting's phone?"

Jian Ran's voice was languid. "Emperor Lu's taking a shower. I answered for him in case you were getting anxious."

Gu Feng: "!!!!"

"You two slept together last night?!"

He was about to lose his mind, wishing he could crawl through the phone and inspect the scene of the crime.

Just how had his agency's little seducer pinned his childhood friend down?!

Before Jian Ran could answer, Lu Yanting's voice sounded beside him. "Who is it?"

"My boss. Want to take it?" Jian Ran held out the phone, his beautifully defined wrist catching the eye.

Lu Yanting glanced at it, his voice dropping a little. "No. Hang up."

A roar came from the receiver. "Lu Yanting, you can't do this to me! You can't find someone to warm your bed on a variety show!"

As he pressed the end-call button, Jian Ran lifted his eyes. "He seems to have misunderstood something. Aren't you going to explain?"

"No need." Lu Yanting turned sideways as he dried his hair, his serratus muscles faintly visible.

Jian Ran: "..." Showing off your muscles to me, huh?!

Not quite willing to concede, he glanced down at his own body and fell temporarily speechless.

Beneath his skin were nothing but ribs, each one clearly visible.

Damn it, how had this body's original owner managed to turn such a fine physique into this?!

Indignant, Jian Ran jumped off the bed and picked up the blackened Talisman Paper scattered across the floor. Gathering it in his palm, he stuffed it into his trouser pocket as though collecting waste for recycling.

Ordinary people couldn't be allowed to touch the negative magnetic field lingering on them, or they would attract things.

After struggling all night, Li Zongsheng was livid.

Someone above him was playing tricks. It was as though a Talisman Spell had been cast on him; no matter what he tried, he couldn't leave the guest room, let alone take a few people away.

With dawn approaching, he had no choice but to draw the curtains tightly shut and hide beneath the bed.

Fortunately, the rain continued, dark clouds blotted out the sun, and the Taihang Mountains remained shrouded in gloom, so for now, he wasn't left with nowhere to hide.

Yawning, Jian Ran was about to leave when something suddenly occurred to him. He turned back. "Thanks, buddy."

"I'll give you a discount on Talisman Paper from now on."

Lu Yanting let out an exasperated laugh. "Do I look like I'm short of that little bit of money?"

"Fair point. Then next time I stream, how about sending me more gifts? I'll call you my Top Gifter." Jian Ran spoke as he walked, opening the door with one hand. Without waiting for an answer, he closed it without the slightest reluctance.

Lu Yanting remained standing there, his hair still wet, droplets sliding down the strands onto his pectorals. His dark eyes stayed fixed on the door. He pressed his thin, cool lips together, then suddenly curled them into a strange, inscrutably dark smile.

For some reason, the signal that had been completely dead the night before restored itself at daybreak.

After a quiet night, everyone was so hungry they felt faint. Only then did they dare open their doors and poke their heads out, looking left and right in fear of running into a ghost.

A delicious smell wafted up from the kitchen, whetting their appetites.

And so, faced with a matter of life and death, they chose to eat.

The moment Yang Ruoxi slipped into the kitchen, she couldn't help asking, "What's for breakfast?"

"Century egg and human meat congee," Jian Ran's voice drifted over.

Everyone who had reached the kitchen felt their stomachs churn.

The more eagerly they had anticipated it before, the more they wanted to throw up now.

"Jian Ran, what are you doing? Can we film this properly? We're all guests here. Could you cooperate?"

Since nothing had happened the night before, that meant the visitor hadn't been a ghost or some other supernatural entity at all.

All this eerie mystery was most likely arranged by the production crew.

So Yang Ruoxi wasn't as frightened as she had been the night before. Planting her hands on her hips, she confronted him outright.

"Remember the motto of our Lucky Inn." Jian Ran carried the steaming-hot pot to the dining table. "Eat or get out-"

"You-" Yang Ruoxi turned angrily toward the assistant director. "Can we stick to the script or not? Why is he... Mmph..."

The junior assistant, Qi Rui, hurried over and covered her mouth. "Shh-"

"Sister Yang, we're live. That's against the rules. They'll dock your pay!"

At the word "pay," Yang Ruoxi immediately backed down.

What a joke.

Who would take a variety show like this unless they were so broke they couldn't afford to be picky?!

They were barely being paid anything to begin with. How could they afford deductions?!

And so, the guests obediently ate their "century egg and human meat congee." They were just about to redistribute the chores when the production crew's supply vehicles arrived outside.

There was more than one bus, along with a luxury private car.

The assistant director's eyes immediately lit up. "The new guest is here!"

With that, he went out to greet him.

Her face deathly pale, Du Yunmeng asked Qi Rui curiously, "Who's the new guest?"

"I only just got the notice myself. It should be Ji Yuanming," Qi Rui said quietly.

Beside them, Shen Jiafei exclaimed, "Who did you say?! The famous model Ji Yuanming?!"

"The one who had a fling with Jian Ran?!"

Jian Ran, who had just spooned some congee into his mouth and nearly choked: "..."

Thanks a fucking lot. Go ahead and spread every last bit of that gossip.

He had barely finished cursing inwardly when he felt an icy gaze land on him, accompanied by a sneer. "Quite a few romantic debts you've racked up."

"What, are you the same kind of scumbag as that Li Zongsheng from last night?"

Jian Ran: "????"

Huh?

Why did the scent coming off Emperor Lu seem a little off?!

A little sour?