A good ex should be as good as dead

Who knew who had said it, but the internet had a memory.

The viewers who had stayed in the livestream last night clearly remembered Jian Ran muttering to himself in front of the tablet, "Li Zongsheng? Huh, even his name sounds like a scumbag's. Don't tell me his romantic entanglements got him killed?"

Although his back had been to the camera, fortunately, the equipment was decent and picked up sound well, so his voice had come through on the livestream.

At the time, a comment had even flashed past: "What do you mean, his romantic entanglements got him killed? This guy's dead? That kind of joke isn't funny!"

Now, looking at the gravestone, had his words actually come true?!

The livestream quickly exploded with activity.

[Please, I just woke up and only took one look, but my scalp started tingling. It was like drinking a bottle of Xingmu-my whole body jolted!]

[Is this still a travel variety show? Isn't it a horror livestream?! The guest they checked in last night actually has the same name as the gravestone? Isn't that too much of a coincidence? Could it be staged for the show? The kind where they reveal it was a prank at the end?]

[Doesn't look like it to me. The guests' reactions are too real. Also, I want to ask: does this show violate any rules? Will it get taken down?]

[Hand up! Did anyone notice a viewer called "Non-Natural Research Organization" came in earlier?! Has Lucky Inn caught the authorities' attention?!]

[...]

Perhaps the show's content was simply too engrossing. The expected sight of keyboard warriors viciously cursing Jian Ran never materialized. Instead, amid their fright, they began investigating.

Meanwhile, the rain in the Taihang Mountains continued unabated, seemingly a little heavier than before, soaking every gravestone.

Jian Ran crouched in front of a gravestone, slightly lost in thought. He had no umbrella, and rain slid down his temples, traced the side of his face, and gathered at his chin, crystal clear, before slowly dripping off.

"What are you looking at?" Lu Yanting suddenly asked, an almost imperceptible glint flashing through his dark eyes.

"Just looking around." As Jian Ran spoke, he had already risen to his feet and shifted his gaze farther into the distance. "Did you count?"

"Count what?" Lu Yanting's tone was mild.

"The gravestones." Jian Ran glanced sideways at him, the corners of his lips lifting.

"107." Lu Yanting's expression remained unruffled.

Standing beside them and trembling uncontrollably, Du Yunmeng could no longer bear their casual conversation, especially in front of such a gloomy graveyard.

"Jian Ran, there's nothing to eat here anyway. Let's go!" he shouted, on the verge of breaking down.

Jian Ran looked back, his expression darkening. "Go?"

"If you just leave like this, aren't you afraid they'll all come looking for you tonight?"

Du Yunmeng: "..."

The next second, he immediately stood ramrod straight and gave each gravestone a proper bow. "I didn't mean to disturb you. Please don't take offense. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Please don't come looking for me tonight!"

When Ji Yuanming and the others arrived, this was the scene they saw.

Yang Ruoxi rolled her eyes. "I thought something serious had happened. Just playing at ghosts again!"

Jian Ran ignored the mockery and turned back to studying the gravestones. Someone silently drew up beside him. "This Li Zongsheng died in 1936, but the other gravestones aren't from the same period as his."

Jian Ran nodded slightly and was about to speak when an unfamiliar scent entered his nostrils. Instinctively glancing sideways, he discovered that Lu Yanting's face was very close.

The distance between them was decidedly intimate.

Jian Ran felt heat swiftly blaze across his cheeks. It was so hot that he hurriedly moved away a little and awkwardly cleared his throat. "We've seen pretty much everything. Let's head back."

With that, he turned, but just as he was about to escape, he spotted Ji Yuanming's face, as black as the bottom of a pot.

How did that wise saying go again?

A good ex should be as good as dead.

Why did he have to show up and be an eyesore?!

Jian Ran frowned irritably and strode quickly past Ji Yuanming. Not only did he not pause for even a moment, he even took a step around him as though avoiding the plague.

The latter stood rooted to the spot, so angry he could almost laugh.

He turned to give chase, only to have a tall figure block his path.

Ji Yuanming's expression darkened. "Emperor Lu, we don't know each other that well, do we?"

"We hardly know each other at all." Lu Yanting lifted his eyelids, his haughty gaze sweeping over him. "Still, since we're both here as guests, it would be best to stay out of each other's way."

The warning was obvious. Ji Yuanming's expression twisted for a moment. "Do you know what my relationship with Jian Ran is?"

Lu Yanting nodded as though deigning to do so. "I do."

"You're the ex who just got dumped."

"Jian Ran did well."

Veins bulged on Ji Yuanming's forehead. "What do you mean, he did well?! You only just met him. Stop acting like you know him so well!"

He could no longer control his volume, drawing the nearby cameraman's attention. Originally filming close-ups of the 107 gravestones, the cameraman abruptly swung the camera around and pointed it straight at the two heavyweight guests.

With impeccable professionalism, he filmed with a question in mind: In such a sinister, terrifying place, two hugely popular stars whose paths have never crossed have actually come into conflict? Just what kind of emotional entanglement is behind this?!

The young assistant left behind at the lodge was currently hiding in a corner, trembling.

When a figure suddenly approached, he instinctively screamed in a breakdown, "Ah-a ghost!"

"Stop screaming." Jian Ran's languid voice rang out. "Even if there aren't any ghosts, you'll summon them."

Hearing the familiar voice, Qi Rui abruptly looked up, his face full of the joy of surviving a disaster. He spread his arms and was about to throw himself at him. "Jian Ran-"

"Don't move!" Jian Ran gave him a look of distaste. "Don't make me kick you."

Qi Rui froze on the spot and sheepishly lowered his arms, tear tracks still on his cheeks.

Only then did Jian Ran turn around and casually place the unidentified wild greens in his hand on the kitchen counter. "Tell me. What happened after we left?"

At the question, Qi Rui looked just like a thoroughly terrified quail. Shrinking his head into his shoulders, he raised a hand and pointed toward the guest rooms on the second floor. "He kept knocking!"

"It was like he was summoning me!"

"A few times, I got bewitched. I only came to my senses halfway there."

"He said he was hungry..."

"He can't be planning to eat me, can he?!"

"Jian Ran, do you have any talismans left? I want to buy one."

"I have elderly family and children to support. I really can't..."

His endless babbling irritated Jian Ran beyond endurance. Tossing the wild greens in his hand into the sink, he said, "Wash these. I'm going upstairs."

"Huh?" Qi Rui was stunned. "Jian Ran, you can't go get yourself killed! Why don't we tell the director? This place is seriously sinister. We should stop filming."

He had even chased after him as he spoke, but Jian Ran showed no intention of stopping and stepped onto the stairs leading to the second floor.

To Qi Rui, that thin figure looked immensely tall and imposing, giving him a sense of security.

He could not help silently making up his mind. From now on, I'm sticking with Jian Ran!

Jian Ran had no such thoughts. He walked to the door and knocked directly.

Bang, bang, bang!

Only after a long while did a sound come from inside. "Who is it? What do you want?"

"Room service!" Jian Ran said without batting an eye.

The moment his words fell, a foul, bloody stench suddenly wafted out from beneath the wooden door.

Jian Ran lowered his eyes, and dark red bloody water winding its way out came into view...