Will these paper figures charge in tonight?

Ji Yuanming vomited foul-smelling, blood-streaked mud and sand all over the floor. His stomach was empty, but he kept dry-heaving.

The filth mixed with snot and tears into a sticky mess, its smell enough to turn anyone's stomach.

Yu Fengyi covered his face with one hand and passed him a cup with the other. "Drink some water. Settle your stomach."

Ji Yuanming struggled to get up, but couldn't hold it back. He turned around and retched again. "Urgh-"

When his suffering finally eased, he picked up the cup and took a sip, then asked eagerly, "Was it Jian Ran who saved me?"

"Mm." Yu Fengyi's expression was guarded, his tone unreadable.

Ji Yuanming craned his neck to look down the hallway. "Where is he?"

"He went back to his room."

"Oh." Ji Yuanming looked a little disappointed, but a moment later, hope flared again. "I knew he wouldn't leave me to die."

"He still has feelings for me!"

Lu Yanting, who was slowly coming up the stairs, said, "...Who gave you that confidence?"

"I-"

Ji Yuanming's face was deathly pale. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he saw Lu Yanting stride leisurely back to his own room on long legs.

Before shutting the door, he added coldly, "Clean the floor. No one is obliged to pay for your actions."

Then came a bang.

Ji Yuanming took a moment to recover, then looked at Yu Fengyi. "Wh-what did he mean?!"

"He means I brought this on myself and caused trouble for everyone else?!"

"Come on, I'm the victim here, okay?!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs. Yu Fengyi frowned in irritation. "If you didn't bring it on yourself, what else was it?"

"I told you not to go in. What did you say?"

"Clean up the floor. It stinks!"

Even though they had grown up together, knew each other's parents well, and had been specifically told to look after each other, Yu Fengyi still couldn't help complaining.

His words came like machine-gun fire, leaving Ji Yuanming unable to argue, especially when he remembered the scene inside the metal wardrobe.

He couldn't hold back and threw up again.

By the time he looked up, even Yu Fengyi, the only person who had waited for him, was gone.

A chilly wind blew through the hallway out of nowhere. Ji Yuanming shuddered violently, goosebumps rising all over him as he scrambled back to his bedroom.

He silently swore never to be curious about or question anything again. As long as he got out alive, he would burn incense and pray to Buddha...

Nothing else happened that night.

Early the next morning.

Lu Yanting took a shower in the bathroom. When he came out, he casually wrapped the bath towel he had brought around his waist, leaving his eight-pack abs fully exposed.

His expression was cold, his handsome features covered in frost, making them seem even more sharply defined and ascetic. His stunning looks were flawless from every angle.

The oppressive air he deliberately restrained around Jian Ran poured out unchecked, lowering the surrounding temperature another few degrees.

Lu Yanting walked slowly to the bed, lowered his sharp gaze, and tapped the screen with his fingertip.

"Mm, full signal."

As he spoke, he unlocked his phone and pressed a speed-dial key.

A moment later.

"Brother Lu?" Su Yuan sounded as though he wasn't awake yet, his voice groggy. "I'm on vacation. Do you need something? I'll transfer you to another assistant..."

"You're on vacation?" Lu Yanting raised an eyebrow. "Did I approve that? Do you not want your year-end performance bonus?"

Still lying half-asleep in bed, Su Yuan instantly snapped awake and sat bolt upright. "Brother Lu, whatever you need, just say the word."

Lu Yanting slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and said unhurriedly, "Find out everything about Jian Ran's background."

"Also, negotiate with Maple Blue Company. Bring him over, no matter how much it costs."

"Who?" Su Yuan rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

He had cut himself off from the internet since going on vacation. While enjoying the sunshine and beaches, he had no idea that Jian Ran had already staged a spectacular comeback through Lucky Inn.

"Are you deaf?" Lu Yanting asked impatiently.

"Brother Lu, you mean Jian Ran?" Su Yuan finally caught on. "You want to poach a washed-up nobody like him? Are you sure?"

He couldn't be blamed for questioning it. Lu Group had always been cautious. Even when a deal was guaranteed to make money, they wouldn't step forward themselves, let alone poach someone outright.

And someone who would lose them money, at that?

"Would your grandfather agree?" he couldn't help adding.

Lu Yanting gave a derisive chuckle. "Su Yuan, since when do you get to tell me how to do my job?"

"If you want to know whether my grandfather agrees, ask him yourself."

"You have one day. If you can't get it done, hand your resignation straight to the finance department."

Su Yuan opened his mouth and was just about to speak when the call was abruptly disconnected.

Ruthless, decisive, and resolute.

It seemed poaching Jian Ran was now imperative.

Several minutes passed, but Su Yuan was still uneasy. He dialed the old man's number...

As the Lunar Seventh Month Fifteenth approached, rain fell incessantly over the Taihang Mountains. Numerous mudslides spilled down the slopes, blocking the already rutted roads. Even off-road vehicles with high ground clearance couldn't climb the mountain slopes.

Li Yuan hadn't slept all night. He had stayed by his phone, waiting for the signal to return, then immediately began contacting the outside world.

But after more than a dozen calls, all the news he received was discouraging.

First, the rain had made the roads in the Taihang Mountains slippery and extremely dangerous. Every passable road had been sealed off. Only flies could get in.

Second, the area where the Mountain Villa stood was shrouded in white miasma. Even helicopters coming in for search and rescue couldn't find anywhere to land.

Finally, there was only one sentence: sorry, there was nothing they could do.

At this conclusion, Li Yuan nearly broke down.

If he spent another night in this hellish place, he would definitely be scared out of his wits.

And tonight was the Seventh Month Fifteenth...

Li Yuan rushed out of his room and pounded on Jian Ran's door. "Jian Ran, come out! Think of something! What do we do if we can't leave today?"

After a long while, a lazy voice came from inside. "Knock one more time, and see if I don't chop your hand off."

Li Yuan: "..."

He believed him.

How could he not?

He silently withdrew his hand, lowering his voice considerably and adopting a flattering tone.

"Jian Ran, sir, are you awake? Could you come out so we can discuss this?"

Before he finished, someone came rushing over, looking so panicked it was as though they had suffered an enormous shock. Their mouth hung open for ages without making a sound.

"What is it? What is it? Don't scare me!" Li Yuan wanted to cry.

The person gestured and finally managed to speak. "Assistant director, paper figures!"

"They're going to burn paper figures!"

"What paper figures?!" Li Yuan sucked in a cold breath, cold sweat breaking out down his back.

"The entrance to our Mountain Villa is full of paper figures. They look like they're meant to be burned for the dead!"

Li Yuan's legs instantly went weak, and he leaned against the hallway wall. "Who-who put them there?!"

"Did you see anyone?!"

The crew member shook their head frantically. "No. It's still raining outside, but those paper figures aren't wet at all. They're staring straight into the Mountain Villa."

"They look like they want to eat people!"

At those words, Li Yuan could no longer hold himself up and collapsed onto the floor. "D-don't joke about this."

"How could paper figures possibly..."

Before he could finish, Jian Ran's door suddenly opened, revealing an exquisitely beautiful face, his lips still curved in a wild, unrestrained smile.

"I think..."

"It doesn't look like a joke."

"Tell me, do you think these paper figures will charge in tonight..."