The filming time happened to coincide with the trip to the Old Stockade Gate, so Jiang Nuo entrusted the data research to Si Yan.
When I saw Xu Jin again, she was more energetic than before, and she seemed to have been reborn.
"Mr. Jiang, it's been a long time."
Xu Jin was waiting in the filming room when Jiang Nuo came over. She immediately greeted him and shook hands with him.
"Long time no see," Jiang Nuo praised, "You're amazing! You succeeded in just six months!"
He looked at Xu Jin's face and remembered that when the inn was burned down, Xu Jin's face already looked like it was about to be reborn, and now it was getting better and better.
"I still have to thank Mr. Jiang for his help. If it weren't for what happened half a year ago, I wouldn't have been so determined to start a new life."
Xu Jin led him to the shooting room, where Jiang Nuo took in all the rows of brand-name clothing for the shoot.
While getting his makeup and styling done, Jiang Nuo checked out the comments from his fans on Weibo. When he clicked on them, wow, they were all asking him to do a live stream when he went to the Old Stockade Gate.
Jiang Nuo thought about it carefully but still didn't agree, replying to a few comments instead.
Glutinous Rice: God Nuo! My dear God Nuo! Can you really not stream anymore?! If it's too much trouble, you can just steal the filming props from the Great Adventure!
Jiang Nuo: Brother Cui said we shouldn't just take other people's things; that's not right.
Glutinous Rice Town Zombies: God Nuo God Nuo! When will there be new fan perks? Besides talismans, are there any others?
Jiang Nuo tilted his head in thought, typing rapidly: I'll prepare after I get back from the Old Stockade Gate. You guys should keep urging @Cui Ming.
Glutinous Rice and Inkstone Stew: God Nuo! Why hasn't Si Jiaojiao been active lately? Waiting for the answer~
Jiang Nuo: He's been catching ghosts everywhere (I'm sure of it).
It's not because I can't leave him lately!
After replying to this Weibo, Jiang Nuo started to miss Si Yan again.
It just so happens that Si Yan needs to meet with the association today to get information about the Old Stockade Gate, and I can only see him after the filming is finished.
Jiang Nuo returned to the main screen, where a close photo of him and Si Yan was prominently displayed.
The filming went very smoothly. Jiang Nuo didn't know how to pose before, so Si Yan gave him private lessons at home.
Xu Jin's design philosophy remains avant-garde, with a strong and distinctive style that perfectly complements Jiang Nuo's.
Watching Jiang Nuo film, Xu Jin remarked to Cui Ming, who was accompanying her, "Luckily, Jiang Nuo and I made this agreement half a year ago, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to book his schedule."
It's quite remarkable, really. In just six months, Jiang Nuo's rise has far exceeded Xu Jin's expectations.
Even in the entertainment industry where artists are so similar, there will never be another Jiang Nuo. No one can replace his style except himself.
She chatted casually with Cui Ming, but then she heard Cui Ming shake his head and smile bitterly, "It's just that he's ambitious; there are plenty of people who want to replace him."
"How so?" Xu Jin asked.
"A new live-streaming variety show recently launched, following the early trend of Great Adventure and haunted house explorations. It's trying to replicate Jiang Nuo's path and create another legend."
Cui Ming was furious just thinking about it. "They actually wanted to invite Jiang Nuo to appear in the same frame as the person they wanted to promote. Isn't that just an open secret?"
I didn't tell Jiang Nuo about this, so he wouldn't suffer unnecessarily if he heard about it.
Xu Jin didn't quite understand. "Even if the other party wanted to replicate Jiang Nuo's rise to fame, they don't have Jiang Nuo's abilities. Are they going to fake it?"
"Sigh, who knows? I heard that person has some real talent, and they debuted as an idol with quite a few fans."
Cui Ming didn't care about anything else; no one would become the next Jiang Nuo.
By the time filming wrapped up, it was nearly afternoon. Jiang Nuo was so hungry she was practically ready to eat anything, and insisted on eating first.
" Si Yan is here." Cui Ming looked up after reading the message and exclaimed, "Hey, eat slowly, no ghost is going to steal it from you."
Jiang Nuo didn't even look up; the trendy and fashionable man had turned into a starving man.
"Let him come in and greet me."
"Alright, you guys need to be careful. I told you to get some rest, but you wouldn't let me, and now you've gotten yourself into another case."
Cui Ming placed the clothes he wanted to change into next to Jiang Nuo.
By the time Si Yan arrived, Jiang Nuo had already finished his meal. The lunch for the two of them was completely eaten, making Xu Jin wonder if Cui Ming was abusing Jiang Nuo by not letting him eat.
Si Yan and Song Zheng entered the room, both of them having changed into simple, plain clothes to avoid being noticed by Simazi.
" Nuonuo."
Upon hearing Si Yan's voice, Jiang Nuo immediately rushed out and threw herself into his arms to recharge.
"I'm exhausted," Jiang Nuo muttered. "I'll never agree to do filming for others so casually again."
This is even more tiring than catching ghosts!
Jiang Nuo is practically a workaholic in the entertainment industry.
Si Yan hugged him and stroked him gently, her heart filled with longing after their brief separation. "Would you like to rest for a while before setting off again?"
Jiang Nuo shook her head, "I want to sleep in the car."
He straightened up from Si Yan's embrace and waved to Officer Song Zheng, who remained silent and still seemed somewhat unwilling. "Hello, officer, it's nice to see you again."
Song Zheng: "..." Thank you, but actually I didn't really want to see you.
But I dared not say it, for fear that if I went to the Old Stockade Gate and encountered a ghost, no one would save me.
The three got into the car and left. The car that Si Yan had prepared was also taken from Wang Laoliu's villa. According to Madam Wang, they often used this car when they went to pick up goods. Simazi recognized this car.
Song Zheng was driving, Jiang Nuo was sleeping and resting in Si Yan's arms in the back seat, while listening to Si Yan recount the clues he had gathered.
Si Yan patted Jiang Nuo's back gently as she spoke, her tone soft and slow.
"The association has records of this place. The data shows that Old Stockade Gate was indeed an archaeological project before, but the project was suspended after less than a month because of ghosts, resulting in the deaths of three people." The police then transferred the case to the association.
"The strange thing is that the colleagues in the external investigation team searched the area many times, but they couldn't find any trace of ghosts around the ancient burial grounds. They concluded that the murderer was just playing tricks, so they transferred the case back to the police station. This back and forth has made it a cold case, and the murderer has not been found out to this day."
Upon hearing this, Song Zheng subconsciously began to analyze, "Could this ghostly tomb be related to what happened back then? That case occurred five years ago, which is around the same time as Wang Laoliu's change of fortune."
Si Yan did not deny it, "If someone was protecting the ghost from being discovered, and the investigation team was not familiar with the interpersonal relationships in the Old Stockade Gate, it was indeed possible that they overlooked it."
Jiang Nuo only continued to rest after hearing no more sound, and gradually fell asleep in Si Yan's arms.
When I woke up again, it was almost four hours later.
They finally arrived at the entrance to the Old Stockade Gate.
A large plaque hangs high at the entrance. Once inside, the town has a very distinctive style, indicating that it is an ancient town that has not been visited by large numbers of tourists and looks very quiet.
Rows of white brick and blue tile roofs stand side by side, and you can hear birds chirping and roosters crowing.
"Aren't the people living here Han Chinese?"
Looking out the car window, Jiang Nuo saw that the road paved with bluestone bricks was very wide, and there were quite a few residents coming and going, all wearing distinctive clothes.
"They are said to be an unrecorded ethnic minority with unique customs." This was mentioned briefly in the materials, and Si Yan explained, "Previous investigators have confirmed that their customs have nothing to do with ghosts."
"On the contrary, they are very superstitious about ghosts and spirits."
Jiang Nuo's eyes flickered, showing some interest.
"The more something is taboo, the more it likely was believed in or actually happened."