My Ran is one of a kind, okay?

The more isolated the village and remote the mountains, the more closed-minded and traditional the people were, their thinking stubborn to the point of being almost twisted.

Controlling everything was the elders' obsession. They would not allow anything that offended public morals or disgraced the clan to happen.

Especially such vile, shameless behavior as getting pregnant out of wedlock.

They saw it as an absolute thorn in their side.

If the woman's parents had not begged desperately for mercy and offered all their possessions as tribute, they would never have shown mercy. They would have simply thrown her down a well and been done with it.

How much trouble would that have saved?

Then they would not have had to go to such lengths to pry the woman's mouth open, insisting on finding out where the man lived so they could go to his door and demand an explanation...

"Young man, how did you know?" The older woman raised her head in astonishment and looked at Lu Yanting. "Only Feng Village has such a nasty punishment!"

"I read some material on it." Lu Yanting's expression was impassive.

Beside him, Yu Fengyi chimed in, his tone unreadable. "Who would have thought that an award-winning actor like Lu would have time for that?"

Lu Yanting lifted his eyes and gave him a cool look. "Better than spending time playing stand-in games, isn't it?"

Yu Fengyi: "..."

However slow the village woman might have been, even she could hear the undercurrents in their exchange. There was just one thing she did not understand. "Young man, what are stand-in games?"

She lowered her voice to ask.

Jian Ran: "...Some unhealthy stuff."

"Oh dear, you're so young. You need to keep yourself clean. Don't go acting like a scumbag, hurting people!" The older woman glared at Yu Fengyi as she spoke, making no attempt to hide the strong condemnation on her face.

Yu Fengyi found it even harder to save face, yet the camera showed a remarkable sense of timing, filming him right in the face.

The livestream's scrolling comments grew lively again,

[Pfft, is she taking a dig at him? Calling Yu Fengyi a scumbag?]

[Is what Lu said true? He plays stand-in games too?]

[According to the rumors, Yu Fengyi has an unattainable first love. He couldn't have that person, so he set his sights on Jian Ran, insisting on buying himself some love for consolation.]

[Ran looks a lot like his first love? Please, my Ran is one of a kind, okay? No using him to boost anyone else's profile, whatever the excuse!]

The older woman spoke quite bluntly, and Jian Ran applauded in approval as he listened. He turned to Yu Fengyi and said, "Hey, did you hear that? She's talking to you. Don't be a scumbag, or you'll die a horrible death!"

"You-" Yu Fengyi was left speechless by the jab and could not get a single word out in rebuttal.

Perhaps, deep down, he also felt that what he had done before really was inhuman.

"Ma'am, ignore him. Go on. What happened next?" Jian Ran looked like a curious child, propping his chin on one hand as he prepared to keep listening attentively.

"Just like that young man said, the villagers found a big iron cabinet, stuffed the woman inside, and sealed the opening," the older woman said, gesturing as she vividly described it as though she had been there herself,

"See, like this, they poured sand and mud inside."

"Before long, the woman couldn't speak anymore."

"She died?" Jian Ran asked.

The older woman shook her head and was about to continue.

But Jian Ran suddenly turned his gaze toward the house and slowly stood up. "Ma'am, did you move your Guanyin statue?"

"Yes. Last time you came, you said it wasn't in a good spot, so I asked a neighbor to help..."

Jian Ran went around her stooped figure and headed straight for the low house. Before he even reached the door, he asked in an icy voice, "Ma'am, where did this iron wardrobe come from?"

"Why didn't I see it before?"

Lu Yanting followed Jian Ran's gaze and saw an old wardrobe standing in the dim interior. Its mottled surface looked as though it had been splattered with layer upon layer of blood, faintly exuding an eerie atmosphere.