The three of them went on a date?

Jian Ran wasn't stupid. Of course he knew that if certain scenes appeared on a livestream, not only would they face review and removal, they would also cause public panic.

If things got any worse and caused a public uproar, the government would step in personally.

That was why, after the Republican era, geomancers had to rely on word of mouth for business. If they openly advertised, they would definitely attract the attention of the relevant authorities.

With a bit of bad luck, they might get hauled off to serve as free labor.

Even if they were promised wages, it would only be enough to keep them from starving, not enough to fill their bellies. Utterly miserable.

Jian Ran understood this well. Whether in his previous life or after transmigrating into a melodramatic novel, he kept a very low profile and avoided attention whenever possible.

The time he scattered talisman papers on the red carpet had been an accident.

A malicious ghost had been causing trouble, and in his moment of urgency, he had been left with no choice but that last resort...

For all those reasons, when Jian Ran saw the camera running and recording, he became rather agitated, and a choice curse slipped out.

"If I find out which dumbass did this, I'll smash his fucking head in!"

As he made that resolution, he pressed the power button.

The livestream immediately went black. The fans took a moment to react, then flooded the screen with comments.

[Am I suddenly discovering I'm a bit of a masochist?! Why does hearing Jian Ran swear feel so thoroughly refreshing? And why do I think Ran looks so hot and want to fall for him?!]

[Girl! Trust me! You're not alone! I'm totally swooning too! Ran is such a badass!]

[Did getting trashed by the entire internet make Jian Ran stop giving a damn? Has he completely abandoned his celebrity image and started saying whatever he wants? Still, compared with how timid and affected he used to be, this is so much better. At least he's a lot more genuine and straightforward!]

[What a joke. These days, randomly swearing at people counts as being genuine and straightforward? How many paid trolls did he hire?]

[He's already been trashed that badly. Would there even be any point in hiring trolls? Who knows what's in netizens' heads these days? They parrot whatever everyone else says, then think they're champions of justice just because they've got a keyboard?]

[...]

Although the show had stopped broadcasting, the arguments in the livestream continued for quite a while before everyone dispersed.

Just like that, much of the shock from what they had just seen faded.

The internet might have a memory, but netizens and fans were forgetful. Before long, they tidied up and got ready for bed.

Still, that didn't rule out the possibility that some people had taken screenshots...

Jian Ran turned around after switching off the camera. The lobby was deathly silent.

Ji Yuanming, whom he had thrown, was nowhere to be found. The sinister wind had stopped as well, and the surrounding air seemed frozen, without the slightest movement.

"He got away?" Jian Ran's gaze sharpened. Frowning, he strode forward on his long legs.

As he passed the stairs, he suddenly went rigid and swung a fist to his right, only just stopping it a few seconds later.

His knuckles were only a few centimeters from a high, straight nose.

Yet that incomparably handsome face showed no change in emotion. The corners of his mouth even curved faintly upward, as though he were utterly confident that the sudden attack before him couldn't hurt him in the slightest.

Something unusual flashed through Jian Ran's eyes. He withdrew his arm and asked lazily, "What are you doing out here instead of sleeping this late?"

"You know I often have insomnia." Lu Yanting's low, husky voice carried an inexplicably intimate undertone.

Jian Ran looked awkward and averted his gaze. "Didn't I give you a talisman? Its effects should last a few days."

"It's not safe at night. You should head back first."

"Since it's not safe, I can't leave you alone," Lu Yanting insisted.

Rather surprised, Jian Ran lifted his eyes. "You know what I mean by not safe, right?"

Lu Yanting nodded, a faint smile curling his lips. "Of course I do."

"Then why are you still..." Remembering something, Jian Ran suddenly smiled too. "I almost forgot. You said you were very brave."

Before he had even finished speaking, he hurriedly looked out the window. At some point, thick fog had shrouded the grounds outside the villa, making visibility extremely poor.

Jian Ran's expression darkened. "We need to hurry, or that idiot will be in danger."

"You're worried about him?" Lu Yanting asked, his meaning unclear.

Jian Ran shook his head. "No, I'm worried something will happen, the variety show will get pulled, and my income will be cut off."

Lu Yanting was speechless. People who loved money really were simple.

After another peaceful night, Li Yuan got up feeling refreshed. He planned to go out and curry favor with each of the big names, paving the way for his future variety show productions.

He knocked on Lu Yanting's door first, calling gently and fawningly, "Best Actor Lu, are you still asleep?"

There was no answer for a long while.

Somewhat puzzled but not daring to disturb him further, Li Yuan settled for his next choice and went to another room.

"Yuanming, are you awake?"

He knocked as he asked, but without his using much force, the door opened on its own.

Li Yuan took just one look inside before his eyes widened and he let out an involuntary howl. "Aaaaaah-!"

"Somebody help! Murder!"

The guests and crew in their rooms had already been on edge and awake early that morning. Hearing the commotion in the corridor, they immediately jumped out of bed, rushed out their doors, and ran to Li Yuan.

What greeted their eyes was a bloody room in complete disarray, like the scene of a murder.

Qi Rui covered his mouth, his eyes wide.

Du Yunmeng's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.

Shen Jiafei yelled, "Why are the sheets covered in blood?!"

Yang Ruoxi turned straight around. "I'm done filming this damn show. I'm going home! They can demand as much as they want in breach-of-contract penalties!"

Ever the professional, the cameraman filmed right up in her face.

Yang Ruoxi smacked him. "What the hell are you filming?! Call the police already!"

As the person currently in charge, Li Yuan shakily pulled out his phone. A second later, he turned around with a mournful expression. "There's no fucking signal again!"

"Calm down first!" Qi Rui lowered the hand covering his mouth, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "Preserve the scene. Let's go find Ran!"

Hope rekindled on everyone's faces. "Right, where's Jian Ran?!"

"It's not just Jian Ran who's missing. Lu Yanting and Ji Yuanming are gone too!" Li Yuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then suddenly forced a smile. "Could the three of them have gone out hiking together?"

"How is that possible?!" Du Yunmeng cried from where she lay weakly on the floor. "They nearly got into a fight yesterday, and today they've buried the hatchet and gone on a date, all three of them?!"

Li Yuan went deathly pale. "C-could that be the motive for murder?"

Before anyone could answer, the front door downstairs suddenly opened and closed with two bangs.

The people in the corridor exchanged looks, then all ran downstairs at once.

As soon as they reached the lobby, they saw Jian Ran and Lu Yanting each dragging one arm of a human-shaped object whose face was covered in blood and grime. They hauled it inside, then tossed it onto the floor with looks of disgust.

"Y-you two actually dared to..." Li Yuan nearly wet himself in terror, stammering, "D-don't do anything rash!"

"H-hurry and turn yourselves in!"

"Try to get lenient treatment!"

Please don't kill us to silence us too!