"Si Yan, your assistants are here to pick you up."
Jiang Nuo made to put him down.
"...Mm."
Si Yan agreed, but he was a little reluctant to leave that warmth. He lowered his eyes without moving.
The assistant who had hurried over nearly blacked out at the sight. There were so many reporters here!
"Si Yan, hurry up and get down."
Jiang Nuo spotted a crowd of reporters running their way and quickly put him down. "Stand properly, or we'll end up in dating rumors."
Something about those words seemed to strike a chord with Si Yan. His eyes brightened slightly, as though he had thought of a good idea.
Then he took Jiang Nuo's hand of his own accord, already quite practiced at it.
Jiang Nuo had been about to turn and leave when he was yanked back, his nose bumping into Si Yan's shoulder.
Jiang Nuo: "..."
If he hadn't remembered this was reality, muscle memory would have had him throwing a punch.
Before he could speak, the entertainment reporters' cameras and microphones were already thrust in his face.
Understanding dawned on Jiang Nuo.
He had saved Si Yan, and this was how Si Yan repaid him-with exposure!
"Si Yan, why did you faint? Did you see something just now?"
"Si Yan, why did you leave on your own?"
"Jiang Nuo! Do you really have special powers? Were all those ghosts inside real?"
"Why do you know so much about these unusual things? Do you have another identity?"
Jiang Nuo smiled at the cameras. The reporters pressing him for answers were so dazzled by that breathtaking smile that they suddenly lost their words.
T-truly worthy of being the entertainment industry's wicked enchantress!
"Promoting scientific values starts with me."
As Jiang Nuo said this, his gaze was so resolute he looked ready to join the Party.
The reporters: "..."
Ha-ha.
Did you show science any respect when you were slaughtering ghosts left and right in there?!
Si Yan's answer was even shorter.
He didn't even answer.
He simply turned, glanced at his assistant, and said, "Dizzy."
His voice was the very picture of weakness.
The assistant immediately went on high alert.
"Quick, quick, quick! We already have glucose ready in the RV!"
Three assistants pushed the reporters aside and hurriedly escorted him toward the vehicle, naturally separating his hand from Jiang Nuo's.
Si Yan glanced back, and their eyes happened to meet.
Jiang Nuo's probing gaze paused briefly, and he gave a polite smile. Only then did Si Yan look away and get into the RV.
Jiang Nuo turned to the reporters who hadn't followed and asked a question of his own.
"Is Si Yan's health really bad?"
Jiang Nuo cared so much about Si Yan!
They had even just exchanged a look!
The reporter, who had already worked out the front-page headline in their mind, answered very readily.
"Si Yan must have some kind of constitution issue, I guess. He's been incredibly unlucky ever since his debut. No major illnesses, but constant minor problems."
This was hardly a secret in the industry. Even the fans knew.
That shouldn't be right...
With a natural Spirit Body and purple qi Spiritual Power protecting him, how could he have such an unlucky constitution?
Jiang Nuo stared in the direction the RV had driven off, thoughtfully touching his left eye, a faint excitement stirring.
This man really did have a lot of secrets.
After that, whatever the reporters asked, Jiang Nuo brushed them off with his belief in science, never saying whether the ghosts were real.
Seeing that they couldn't pry anything out of him, the reporters could only go interview the others.
"Jiang Nuo! Over here!"
Cui Ming finally arrived in the car, his face glowing with delight.
Jiang Nuo strolled over, checked the license plate, then got into the back seat, thoroughly puzzled.
"What's got you so happy, Cui Ming? Found love for the fifth time?"
"Oh, get lost!"
Cui Ming handed him the contracts, two in total.
"You did really well in this episode. The director's already signed you on as a regular for the season."
"And our boss said this variety show is a major opportunity. Since you've landed it, you deserve better treatment. Not only are they not taking back the place you're living in, they've even assigned us a new car."
Jiang Nuo flipped them open for a look, equally pleased.
"Congratulations on not having to live on the streets, Brother Cui."
As a regular, finding his soul fragments would be a little easier from now on, too.
"But tell me, what was going on with you later?"
Jiang Nuo opened his mouth, ready to answer.
"Don't give me that 'believe in science' stuff. You might fool the reporters, but you think you can fool me?"
Jiang Nuo shut his mouth.
Remembering all the kindness Cui Ming had shown him before, he sighed softly. "It's real, but don't worry, Brother Cui. I'll be fine."
"Ha! You brat, you're pretty convincing. Wasn't it just something the production team set up to scare you?"
Cui Ming was tickled by his manner and laughed heartily, looking toward the traffic lights ahead.
Jiang Nuo: "..."
Ah, this was exhausting.
He spread the contracts over his face, then leaned back and played dead.
[Hello, task-taker Jiang Nuo.]
That strange voice sounded in his mind again. He pressed his long fingers against his brow, somewhat impatient.
After going through those instances, he really had no fondness for so-called "systems."
[The Lingduan system?]
[No, I am No. 0732. Lingduan grants task-takers the right to rebirth. In return, task-takers must complete tasks for Lingduan.]
[What's in it for me?]
[Completing tasks awards points. Points can be exchanged for all the supplies the task-taker accumulated in the instances.]
Jiang Nuo immediately sat up straight.
Those were all the treasures he had collected!
His favorability toward the system instantly went up.
[What's my task?]
[Main quest: protect this world's tragic villain, Si Yan. Current progress in changing his tragic ending: 0%.] [Side quests: issued by the system at irregular intervals.]
His task was actually to protect Si Yan.
Jiang Nuo put down the contracts and folded his arms, gazing out the window in thought.
There were no supplements in reality. When his soul became unstable, he could only use Si Yan to recover.
Protecting him in exchange wasn't a bad deal.
But...a tragic villain.
Jiang Nuo raised an eyebrow, his eyes brimming with interest.
[Since Si Yan is the villain, who's the protagonist?]
[The task-taker currently lacks authorization to know.]
How boring.
Jiang Nuo pursed his lips.
[You're not going to stay in my head all day, are you?]
[Dislike of coexistence with the system detected. No. 0732 will issue tasks through a link. To summon me, silently recite my designation using Spiritual Power.]
"Jiang Nuo, we're home."
Cui Ming had just parked when his phone vibrated and its screen lit up. Seeing a message from the boss, he quickly picked it up, only for the corner of his mouth to twitch.
What was that slave driver up to now?
"Jiang Nuo, the company wants you to...uh, lean into the spiritual charlatan persona on the show to attract more fans."
"Sure, no problem at all."
Jiang Nuo flashed him an OK sign and shot him a look. "Piece of cake!"
Cui Ming: "..."
Mad. This whole world had gone mad.
"All right, get some rest. Other than the variety show, you don't have much else scheduled for now. There might be a promotional livestream in a couple of days."
Jiang Nuo answered, got out, and headed home, taking out his phone to order delivery.
After a full day of filming in that old mansion, he was starving.
"Oh, right! No junk food delivery! You'll get fat!"
Cui Ming called out another reminder.
Jiang Nuo's hand jolted as he ordered fried chicken.
Then he added two more portions.
Junk? Fried chicken was so delicious. How could it be junk?
Ah, he really needed to give some thought to how to carry out his main quest of protecting Si Yan.