The old man didn't look particularly sturdy. His face was covered in wrinkles, and his back was hunched.
But he was no slouch when it came to running. Within seconds, he had shot far into the distance, bellowing at the top of his lungs, "Something from the Mountain Villa got out!"
"Everyone, hurry and take cover!"
Something from the Mountain Villa?!
What kind of thing?!
Before the guests could react, they saw Jian Ran swiftly bend down, hoist the hoe onto his shoulder, and push off with his toes, shooting away.
Du Yunmeng was completely bewildered. "Should we go after him?"
"We couldn't catch him, could we?" The main-camera operator could barely hope to keep up.
That hoe wasn't light. It weighed about as much as the camera. Without any equipment to help, how could he carry it and still run that fast?!
My God.
Jian Ran really was something else.
How on earth did he manage it with those skinny little arms and legs?!
Still standing where he was, Lu Yanting slipped both hands into the pockets of his bespoke suit trousers. His dark, fathomless eyes closely followed the rapidly running figure. A moment later, the corners of his mouth lifted.
"He's pretty lively."
"What did you say?" Ji Yuanming frowned, somewhat irritated.
Lu Yanting glanced at him with obvious disdain, then strode forward at a leisurely pace.
Ji Yuanming suppressed his anger, yet couldn't help growing curious.
Why had Jian Ran hidden so much?!
He'd never seen him being this... badass before?!
The old man had worked the fields since childhood. Although working under the sun had aged him quickly, he was hardy and in good physical shape. Ordinarily, he could run a hundred meters without getting winded, his heartbeat steady.
But when someone suddenly greeted him softly beside his ear, he nearly had a heart attack.
"Hello, sir." Jian Ran flashed a textbook smile, showing eight teeth.
Still running, the old man had a scream stuck in his throat. "..."
"Sir, you left your hoe behind." Jian Ran pointed at his shoulder and continued as kindly as he could, "I'm not a bad person. We can stop and have a proper chat."
The old man blinked, nearly bursting into tears.
He was hard of hearing, and misheard a few of the words toward the end as, "I'm not human."
"A ghost-!"
After some more commotion, the old man sat panting in his own courtyard.
Patting his back, the old woman laughed and scolded him. "You muddleheaded old fool. Where would a ghost come from in broad daylight? Besides, look how handsome this young man is. He doesn't look anything like a ghost."
Gnawing on a slice of watermelon, his mouth covered in red juice, Jian Ran chuckled. "You have a good eye, ma'am."
The old woman had a kindly face and no teeth left. Her lips pressed together as she spoke, making her look especially endearing. Jian Ran couldn't help warming to her a little. He glanced inside the single-story house. "Ma'am, your Guanyin statue is in the wrong spot. Move it to the room on the left."
"Oh, young man, you know about these things too?" The old woman turned to look, hesitating as though she wasn't quite convinced.
Jian Ran took another bite of watermelon and asked with a smile, "Ma'am, has your back been hurting lately, toward the lower right?"
"Yes!" Her eyes lit up. With some difficulty, she pointed behind herself and said, her lips pursed, "It hurts terribly at night. It gets a little better once the sun comes out."
The old man had caught his breath and eagerly cut in. "I told you ages ago to get it checked at the hospital, but you wouldn't listen! You just had to tough it out!"
"This old woman's stubborn as a mule." He turned to Jian Ran and complained, "She won't listen to advice at all."
Jian Ran put down the watermelon rind. "Don't worry, sir. It's nothing serious. Just move it in a bit. You'll definitely notice a difference tonight."
"Really?" the old woman asked.
Jian Ran nodded firmly. "If it doesn't work, you can yank my head off."
"I'm staying in the Taihang Mountains. You can come settle the score with me."
The old man hurriedly waved his hands. "Oh, we wouldn't dare go there."
"Oh, right, sir, ma'am, I wanted to ask about something. What's the story with the Deserted Village behind the Mountain Villa?" Jian Ran asked, his eyes bright.
This pretty young man had a strange sort of magic that made the elderly couple lower their guard and open their hearts.
"You haven't heard about it?"
Jian Ran shook his head, looking all ears.
The old man sighed and began telling the story. "It must have been before Liberation. There were still quite a few families in the Deserted Village then, living off the mountains."
"There was a girl in the village who'd reached marriageable age. The plan was to find her a good family in one of the surrounding villages."
"That girl was a real beauty," the old woman took over. "Plenty of young men took a fancy to her and sent people to propose, but she wouldn't agree to any of them. She just wouldn't marry."
"Later..." The old woman suddenly stopped, deep regret on her aged face.
Jian Ran smiled. "Then a strange man turned up in the Deserted Village?"
"Yes!" The old man grew indignant. "Some playboy came to the Taihang Mountains for a trip and happened to enter the village. Then he saw that girl."
"He had wicked designs on her right away!"
"That girl was foolish too. His sweet talk had her completely fooled." The old woman kept shaking her head. "She fell head over heels and insisted she wouldn't marry anyone but him."
"He got her pregnant before they even held the wedding ceremony, and then he left and never came back..."
Before she could finish, a roar came from the courtyard entrance, startling her. She clutched her chest and looked up.
"Jian Ran, have you lost your mind?!" Ji Yuanming barged in without bothering to find out what had happened. He glanced at the watermelon rind on the ground, and his expression darkened further. "You ditched us and ran off to enjoy yourself?"
A crowd suddenly poured into the little courtyard. The elderly couple immediately grew uncomfortable, especially with a camera there.
Having lived in the countryside all their lives without seeing much of the world, they felt intimidated by the crowd. Their faces instantly hardened. "Go, go, go! You're not welcome here!"
"Young man, let's talk another day."
The old man stubbornly waved his hand and turned his back, effectively showing them the door. Trying to force more information out of him now would only backfire.
Jian Ran slowly rose from his crouch and glared at Ji Yuanming, cursing inwardly, And he's supposed to be the fucking second male lead. What an idiot!
He warmly said goodbye to the elderly couple as he walked out of the courtyard.
Ji Yuanming charged over. "Jian Ran! I'm talking to you!"
He grabbed Jian Ran's arm and yanked him back hard, only for Jian Ran to turn with the pull and swing his fist straight into his face.
The blow knocked Ji Yuanming sideways. He turned back in disbelief. "You dare hit me?"
Jian Ran sneered. "Try touching me again."
"I'll fucking hit you again!"
Ji Yuanming was speechless. Where on earth had the Jian Ran who used to beg for his touch, abandoning his dignity and pestering him endlessly, gone?!
Before you continue