"Staying here is the biggest help you can give."
Jiang Nuo offered the reassurance casually. The hand he had been about to withdraw stroked Si Yan's hair again.
He thought to himself that Si Yan not only had a soft temperament, but soft hair too.
What an obedient mission target!
Just as the atmosphere was getting good, the terrified cameraman finally couldn't resist interrupting.
"Um... the ghosts are all dead. Can we leave now?"
Jiang Nuo reluctantly withdrew his hand, then shook his head.
"Nope. Liu Lili's soul hasn't come back yet."
"Losing your soul hurts the most."
He casually muttered that last sentence under his breath, with no intention of letting anyone else hear.
Jiang Nuo crouched beside Liu Lili, touching a fingertip to the spot between her brows. He was about to fetch the wordless storybook when something suddenly occurred to him.
"Si Yan, come help me."
The storybook, which hadn't contained a single word earlier, was now densely filled with the same sentence.
You must have seen it wrong.
It could be considered the earthbound spirit's obsession.
Si Yan flipped through the book, and Liu Lili's drawing appeared on one of the pages.
"That's it."
Jiang Nuo tore it out, held it between two fingers, and flicked it into the air. Flames flared.
As the drawing burned to ashes, Liu Lili's body trembled. Her grayish, bluish complexion finally returned to normal, and her eyelids fluttered, already showing signs of waking.
[Host detected to have completed the side mission. Points +10. The system inventory has been opened for you.] [Host detected to have triggered the main mission, "The Villain's Secret." Progress: 2%. Points +20.]
0732's voice came at just the right moment.
Jiang Nuo's eyes brightened slightly, and he glanced at Si Yan in delighted surprise.
Merely deducing that his meridians were blocked had earned him a full twenty points. That was much easier than catching ghosts.
Si Yan really was a little lucky star!
With the matter finally resolved, the cameraman let out an enormous sigh of relief and cheered at having survived the day.
Just then, sirens sounded outside the warehouse. Liu Ze rushed in along with the police.
"Director Liu?"
Jiang Nuo tilted his head, inexplicably puzzled at the sight of so many officers. "Why did you bring the police?"
At the same time, he quietly studied Liu Ze's face again.
The omen of his family's ruin and death had been dispelled.
It seemed Liu Lili really had been the key.
"The livestream suddenly cut out, and I was worried something had happened. But I wasn't the one who called the police."
Liu Ze helped Liu Lili up. Seeing that her complexion had returned to normal, he was overjoyed.
"She really is back to normal!"
"Thank you... thank you, Jiang Nuo! Thank you, Si Yan!"
Liu Ze, a grown, middle-aged man, had tears welling in his eyes.
Seeing that nothing dangerous had happened, the officers all breathed sighs of relief too. Otherwise, if something had happened to the celebrities, their station would have faced enormous public pressure.
"Since the police happen to be here, I'll leave the rest to you."
Jiang Nuo pointed behind one of the officers.
"There's a body under that bookshelf."
The officer jolted and hastily turned to look.
"How do you know?"
"Dig it out and you'll see. But be careful. The rotting flesh has probably already stuck to the bookshelf."
This wasn't something to joke about. Even if they didn't quite believe him, they still had to bring a forensic examiner to the scene.
"Leave your contact information. If there really is a body, we'll need you to come down to the station."
The officer stopped Jiang Nuo as he was about to leave.
"Okay."
Jiang Nuo recited a string of numbers.
Liu Ze knew how intense the online reaction was at the moment. As soon as he brought Liu Lili safely home, he posted on Weibo.
He stated outright that Jiang Nuo was now the master he admired most, and that if he made any new dramas in the future, he would save any suitable roles for him.
Jiang Nuo also responded very enthusiastically in the comments, tagging Si Yan along the way and saying he had helped a lot too.
Si Yan, who barely logged into Weibo once in a century, actually replied to the comment very soon-very promptly, very obediently.
The shameless shippers once again shipped them like their lives depended on it.
At the same time, two hashtags climbed onto the trending list.
#NuoYanOrYanNuo
#SiYanIsSoObedient
The hashtag feeds were full of shameless shippers celebrating. The Ink Wash fangirls wanted to argue, but their idol had made a rare appearance on Weibo because of Jiang Nuo and had even replied to fan comments.
They were still hoping this would happen more often!
So the Ink Wash fans settled on a unified line.
Brotherhood! It was all brotherhood!
Yuyu Is the Most Handsome: Why is it this Jiang Nuo again? Is he even worthy?!! Everyone knows our Lin Yu is Si Yan's official partner!
Yu Candy Is Sweet: Someone covered in scandals like Jiang Nuo actually deserves fans? Si Yan would have to be blind to fall for him!
Comments like these frequently appeared in the hashtag feeds. The shameless shippers might not recognize them, but the Ink Wash fans knew them very well.
Their pent-up fury over the manufactured ship was now aimed squarely at these people.
If they felt indifferent toward Jiang Nuo, with a tiny bit of gratitude, then what they felt toward Lin Yu was utter disgust.
Has Si Yan Replied to Me Yet: Do you have a death wish?! Can Lin Yu's fans keep their tails tucked in?! Get lost, you vampire!
Has Si Yan Become Lucky Today: All you biased Lin Yu fans can get lost. You have to stick your noses into everything. Your precious idol is a vampire, and his fans are no better.
Seeing this, the shameless shippers joined in, and the entire hashtag feed descended into chaos.
"Brother Yu, look at this trending topic."
The young assistant handed her phone to Lin Yu, who was still having his makeup done.
He was still wearing his historical costume, and with the wig on, he really did look like an elegant young gentleman. It was precisely his refined, distinctive looks and bearing that had attracted so many fans.
He even had the title of the entertainment industry's white moonlight, though of course, that was something his fans had bestowed on him.
The smile that always lingered at the corners of Lin Yu's lips vanished without a trace when he saw the trending hashtags.
"Jiang Nuo. I've heard of him. Has he been popular lately?"
He was actually... already having dating rumors with Si Yan.
A shadow flickered through Lin Yu's eyes as he saw Si Yan interacting with him in the comments.
"Weird and Strange Adventure has been really popular lately. He's been doing very well on it. Apparently, he even has some special abilities."
The young assistant answered. With her back turned, she didn't see the expression on Lin Yu's face.
"Si Yan is on it too? Doesn't he hate all this supernatural stuff?"
Lin Yu was a little surprised.
"Uh... I don't know about that. He's even signed on as a regular, and lately, he and Jiang Nuo have been getting along really... well."
"Got it."
Lin Yu handed her phone back and smiled again. "Thank you."
Once the young assistant left the room, his smile instantly vanished. A few seconds later, he made a call.
Ever since Jiang Nuo's ghost-catching livestream that day, Weird and Strange Adventure had grown considerably more popular.
A few more days later, the guest lineup and location for the second installment of Weird and Strange Adventure were confirmed.
Weird and Strange Adventure: Eerie mysteries and nonstop excitement. For our second episode, join us at the mysterious South Wind Manor in City C as we uncover the truth behind the story. @Si Yan @Jiang Nuo @Yang Xiaoxiao @Tian Dong @Lin Yu @Chu Xiu
The guest lineup stunned the viewers.
Strawberries Without Ice: Holy shit! Lin Yu! Why is he coming too?!
wawa: This is going to be a show!! Si Yan's two current rumored boyfriends are gathering in one place!
Afterglow of the Setting Sun: South Wind Manor! I've heard of that place! It's so creepy!!