Chapter 51: The One He Cannot Devour

Hearing about it and seeing it with your own eyes are two completely different things.

Previously, when Xiao Tian told Pei Liu that he could eat ghosts and described the scene, it didn’t feel real to him until this moment, when he actually witnessed it.

The shock of that moment was simply indescribable.

Moreover, this was the director’s biological father.

It was a narrow escape, and being safe was naturally a good thing.

But his feelings were highly complex and bizarre.

After Pei Liu finished that sentence, Director Chen fainted from the physical weakness of being possessed.

In the lounge, only Pei Liu remained conscious, with two men lying on the floor, looking as if he had committed some terrible, illegal crime.

However, the first to rush in and witness this scene was not a human, but the ghost child, Xiao Tian.

She had originally seen that Pei Liu seemed to be in danger and ran over to save her Dad. Unexpectedly, the moment she passed through the door, she witnessed Pei Liu devouring the ghost.

Xiao Tian froze, then raised her two chubby arms, gave him a big thumbs-up, and marveled: “Dad! Awesome!”

Pei Liu couldn’t help but laugh.

And just at that moment, a knock sounded at the door, and Shen Jin walked in. Seeing the situation, he paused and asked in confusion: “…What happened to them?”

Pei Liu made up an excuse: “Maybe the pressure was too great, and they were too tired. Shall we help them up first?”

Shen Jin had no objections and helped him lift them up.

Midway through, Qin Wu woke up. The moment he opened his eyes and saw Shen Jin’s face, realizing the god was actually supporting him, he nearly fell to his knees. Feeling that this would severely shorten his lifespan, he hurriedly stood to attention on his own.

Pei Liu was somewhat confused.

But Qin Wu said nothing, and Shen Jin also looked entirely calm, so he didn’t ask further.

This incident ultimately ended with the explanation of Director Chen’s emotional instability due to excessive pressure.

Not many people knew about the ghost; on the surface, it was only Pei Liu, Qin Wu, and Director Chen. Director Chen found it hard to believe at first that he had been possessed by a ghost, but his memory was blurry, and when he saw his frenzied behavior in the security footage, it closely mirrored the shadow his father had left on him in his childhood. No matter how reluctant he was to believe it, he had no choice but to accept the truth.

Naturally, Pei Liu didn’t mention his ghost-eating ability, saying instead that the talisman had worked and the ghost was scared off.

Later, the Heavenly Master did arrive, but not to exorcise ghosts. Instead, he checked Director Chen’s condition and advised him to sunbathe often to disperse the yin energy.

Hearing this explanation, Pei Liu couldn’t help but let his mind wander. Thinking in reverse: If I like staying at home and don’t sunbathe, does that mean my yang energy is insufficient, making it easier for me to be possessed by ghosts?

Consequently, the staff on set frequently saw Pei Liu, Qin Wu, Shen Jin, and the director standing outside together, sunbathing. They were even muttering to themselves, looking like some cult gathering. Someone, out of curiosity, approached to listen, only to find they were reciting: “prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony…”

“…???”

Because of the possession, Director Chen had no choice but to clean up the mess afterward. Although he hadn’t personally committed those terrible acts, in the eyes of others, he had. He apologized to the people on set, especially the female lead and Lu Xiang, offering sincere apologies and compensation.

He was also very grateful to Pei Liu, and when explaining scenes to him, he was much more patient and meticulous than before, intentionally mentoring him.

Naturally, Pei Liu studied diligently, continuously absorbing knowledge like a sponge, making rapid progress.

On the other hand, having personally verified that he genuinely possessed the ability to eat ghosts, he gained a source of confidence. He was no longer overly tense, but focused more calmly on finding Xie Wuyu.

The ability to devour spirits was incredibly mysterious, and Pei Liu didn’t know what triggered it, only remembering he had been very afraid at the time. Therefore, before he figured out how to control it, he didn’t dare casually pat Xiao Tian’s head or ruffle the big dog anymore.

During lunch, Pei Liu ordered milk tea and cake deliveries, treating everyone on set.

He also ordered a special children’s cake for Xiao Tian. Atop it sat an incredibly cute panda cub made of smooth cream and sweet, soft cake, emitting an enticing aroma.

The moment Xiao Tian saw it, her eyes lit up. Excited enough to nearly jump to the ceiling, she let out a little groundhog shriek.

Pei Liu covered his ears and smiled: “Go on, eat.”

Xiao Tian crouched by the table, staring at the delicate little cake with longing: “It’s too pretty, I can’t bear to eat it.”

Pei Liu smiled: “Eat, I’ll buy you another one next time.”

Xiao Tian looked reluctant, then took a big bite, devouring the cream panda cub, and even shared half of it with her dog companion.

Eating with relish, Xiao Tian said crisply: “Dad is the best person in the world. From now on, if anyone dares to touch a single hair of Dad’s, I’ll kill their whole family.”

Pei Liu: “…”

Very cute, but also very vicious.

Pei Liu’s feelings were complex, but he couldn’t help but feel a little touched.

However, he still said: “If a ghost dares to come, I’ll eat his whole family. Xiao Tian can just cheer me on from behind.”

After this incident, Pei Liu had no idea that his reputation had skyrocketed in the underworld.

He became famous among the ghosts.

There was a terrifying human who ate ghosts, and the only rule upon seeing him was—run!

If the ghost whose hand had been eaten were here, it would surely be very excited, pointing at Pei Liu and shouting to the other ghosts, Look, look!

But regrettably, it couldn’t leave the villa, and since it had lost its hands, it had lost its credibility and was ostracized by the other ghosts.

Apart from the ghosts who frantically avoided Pei Liu, there was no shortage of those who refused to believe in the rumors and came to provoke him. In the end, they all became targets for him to practice his ghost-devouring ability. One’s second attempt is always easier than the first, and he slowly began to get the hang of it. As for those who were truly uncooperative, he consumed them without them even knowing.

Over a period of time, Pei Liu’s fear of ghosts faded significantly. Although he hadn’t reached the point of being completely fearless and would still be startled by exceptionally ugly ghosts, he was much better than before.

He realized that ghosts were actually quite cute and reasonable.

Well, those who weren’t reasonable had already been eaten by him.

After physically taming the ghosts, when Pei Liu finished a day of filming and returned to his room, he saw several ghosts standing by the door. Like servants, they welcomed him with reverence—some holding slippers, some helping him take off his coat, and some squeezing toothpaste and pouring water, being incredibly servile and perfectly embodying what it meant to be lackeys.

Pei Liu: “…”

His expression gradually turned speechless.

He fell silent for a moment and said: “You don’t need to do this, I won’t eat ghosts randomly.”

The ghosts shook their heads in unison, looking eager to please: “No, no, no, this is just some minor, trivial thing we want to do for you, Great One, in hopes that your life will be comfortable and pleasant. We sincerely wish to follow you and this little mistress.”

They had noticed that Pei Liu got along very well with Xiao Tian, and she called him Dad, so they also included her in their attempts to curry favor.

Pei Liu turned his head, locking eyes with Xiao Tian: “What do you think?”

Xiao Tian frowned and rested her chin in her hands, pondering like an adult, and then said: “I can help Dad train them so they can become useful lackeys!”

Pei Liu was puzzled: “What do I need them for?”

Xiao Tian said crisply: “Cleaning, picking up deliveries, getting food deliveries—they can do anything! And they don’t even require money!”

Pei Liu: “…”

He actually found that made some sense?

But Pei Liu still didn’t like having ghosts in his home; Xiao Tian and Da Huang were exceptions.

So, he said: “If you’re bored, you can play with them, but try not to keep them in the room.”

Xiao Tian saluted playfully: “Yes, sir!”

Pei Liu didn’t worry about it, continuing to focus on his acting and eliminating suspects for the entity’s clone.

***

The character he was playing was stepping toward the abyss step by step, drawing closer to a minor climax.

Because Yu Chu had suffered from bullying in the past, he had become somewhat timid and self-deprecating, not daring to refuse others’ requests. Slowly, others also noticed his pushover personality, and some naturally dumped troublesome tasks onto him. For example, in a group project with five people, only he stayed up late to do the work. In the student union, the dirty and exhausting chores that everyone disliked were thrown to him. And the senior who had ordered him to pick up flowers last time had actually realized he also liked the campus belle. Feeling unhappy about it, he deliberately tripped him up multiple times to make him look foolish in front of her.

At a student union barbecue gathering, the campus belle was also present. Yu Chu sat silently in a corner. As a newcomer, he was ordered to grill food for his senior. The other classmates, also freshmen, claimed they didn’t know how to grill, while some sat beside the senior, exchanging sweet talk, drinking and chatting.

While everyone ate with relish, Yu Chu had barely eaten anything, his forehead damp with sweat from the heat of the grill.

The campus belle noticed and couldn’t help but say: “Yu Chu, you’ve barely eaten, right? Take a break, let me grill.”

Yu Chu was slightly startled, his face turning red. Fortunately, having been flushed by the heat of the grill, it wasn’t very obvious. He opened his mouth, about to decline.

But the senior spoke first: “Don’t mind him, he just loves grilling meat. He said earlier he wanted to show off his skills and let us try his secret recipe. Newcomers just love showing off, so we veterans obviously have to step aside and give him this chance. Here, grill two more plates of chicken wings, brush on more cumin, it’s not savory enough!”

As he spoke, he tossed two plates of raw chicken wings over—marinated, slimy, and looking quite disgusting. Some of the marinade splattered out, landing on the back of Yu Chu’s hand like a clump of thick blood.

Yu Chu looked down, then looked up at his senior, his black eyes calm, devoid of emotion.

‘I want to choke his neck and press his face onto the grill to kill him.’

The senior grew furious under his stare, pointing at him and cursing: “What kind of look is that? Ah?! Do you have some problem with me? I’ve worked hard to teach you so many things, and you have this f*cking dead attitude?!”

Startled by the thoughts in his own mind, Yu Chu hurriedly lowered his head, appearing frightened. Satisfied, the senior muttered a few more curses, complaining to those around him about how arrogant the newcomer was, lacking manners.

Seeing this, the campus belle sighed silently, fell silent, and not long after, excused herself to leave early with the other girls.

All the men present had been drinking, with most falling drunk, needing people to carry them to cars.

That senior swayed on his feet, showing even less restraint in his mockery after getting drunk: “Just a pretty boy like you, and you dare to fight over a woman with me? Cowardly as a mouse, waste, trash… You went to First High School, right? In the same class as my friend’s younger brother. I heard about you—you were just a coward back then! The methods they used to mess with you were actually my idea, did you know that? Hahaha…”

Yu Chu’s eyes widened, looking at him in disbelief.

Seeing his expression, the senior laughed even harder. But soon, he found it boring again because after his shock, Yu Chu acted as if nothing had happened and continued to help him to a car. The ride-share driver saw he was drunk and refused to take him, canceling the order and driving away.

While the senior muttered curses and Yu Chu lowered his head to book another ride, a car stopped in front of him. The window rolled down, revealing Shen Wenrui’s gentle and refined face, as he offered considerately: “It’s hard to get a ride at this hour. Shall I give you a lift?”

Without giving him a chance to refuse, he got out of the car and helped him load the senior into the backseat.

The senior groped around inside the car, speaking with jealousy and sarcasm: “Tsk tsk, driving an Audi. Your parents bought it for you, right? Must be nice having a wealthy family. Unlike us, who have to work hard to save money.”

Then, he vomited, collapsing onto the backseat to sleep.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Yu Chu nearly jumped out of his skin, hurriedly apologizing to Shen Wenrui and offering to pay for the car wash.

But Shen Wenrui didn’t seem to mind at all, saying gently: “Why are you apologizing? You weren’t the one who did something wrong. I’ll ask him for the car wash fee.”

The rearview mirror reflected his smiling face, eyes narrowed. Although he was smiling, it gave off a terrifying feeling.

“Student Yu, I find your temper is truly good,” Shen Wenrui suddenly said.

Yu Chu was puzzled.

“Just now, I saw them ordering you to grill food, and what he said to you… Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I happened to be eating there too, at the table right behind yours.”

Yu Chu lowered his eyelashes, unconsciously tightening his grip on the seatbelt, and whispered: “…It’s nothing, I’m used to it.”

“How can anyone get used to this kind of thing? Everyone has a temper. To tell you the truth, I encountered similar things in the past.”

Yu Chu was surprised. Because he looked very confident and accomplished.

“I used to be very scrawny, and my hair was a different color from everyone else’s, so they called me a monster.”

“How could they? Your hair is very beautiful,” Yu Chu couldn’t help but say.

“Thank you,” Shen Wenrui smiled and continued, “Do you want to know what I did?”

Yu Chu naturally wanted to know.

“I killed them all,” Shen Wenrui held the steering wheel, his voice calm, as if stating the most ordinary matter.

Yu Chu froze.

“I really wanted to do that, but unfortunately, they died in accidents before that. Lazy thugs who always cause trouble are bound to be stabbed to death in revenge, die in drunk driving accidents, or drown after falling into the water while drunk—isn’t that normal?” Shen Wenrui said meaningfully.

Yu Chu didn’t say a word.

“We’re here,” Shen Wenrui stopped the car, his dark eyes staring at him like an abyss devouring people, and asked with a smile, “You must have had thoughts of killing him too, right?”

Yu Chu should have denied it, but he didn’t. Instead, he said: “Going to prison for a piece of trash like him is not worth it.”

“What if you don’t get caught?” Shen Wenrui smiled warmly, his deep voice filled with seduction, like a demon leading someone to fall.

Yu Chu shivered, his eyelashes trembling: “Thank you very much, I’ll help my senior inside.”

The senior rented a house off-campus with others, but at this hour, his roommates hadn’t returned yet.

Yu Chu helped him inside and left.

He had no idea that in the middle of the night, when the senior climbed up, he saw a tall black shadow standing by the door.

He assumed it was his roommate and cursed: “Why are you standing there in the middle of the night, trying to scare me to death?!”

But the next second, the shadow approached. The moonlight fell on his silver hair—beautiful and bizarre.

“…You? How did you get in?!” The senior grew wary, and seeing Shen Wenrui wearing rubber gloves and holding a knife in his right hand, his terror intensified.

He tried to run, but his alcohol-numbed body was hard to control, leaving him scrambling clumsily on the floor.

“Why? Please, don’t kill me…” Tears and snot streaming down his face, he begged miserably.

Shen Wenrui seemed amused by his appearance, letting out a soft laugh: “Because you dirtied my car.”

“Money! I’ll pay you! I’ll buy you a new car! How about that? As long as you let me go, I’ll give you all my money!”

Shen Wenrui smiled without speaking, and at the same time, plunged the knife down fiercely—one stab, and then another.

“I originally didn’t want to make a move, but who told you to bully him? I can’t tolerate others scribbling on the creation I’ve chosen. He’s so cowardly, so I have to give him a demonstration first, to show him how simple and joyful killing is.”

Shen Wenrui smiled sweetly, but his hands were covered in a bloody, mangled corpse.

He stood up, looking down to admire his work. With fresh blood splattered on his face, his expression was joyful and twisted: “When my darling hears about this tomorrow, he’ll definitely be very happy. Just treat it as a small gift for him.”

The scene froze on Shen Jin’s terrifying, smiling face.

Director Chen called cut, but the people on set couldn’t snap out of it for a long time.

Shen Jin transitioned seamlessly, retracting his expression, and turned to leave. Everyone instinctively made way for him, unable to control their fear.

Pei Liu hadn’t watched this scene. He was discussing and learning from the female lead, supporting actors, and screenwriter, which was of immense help to him. Thus, he hadn’t looked at Shen Jin once, not even knowing when he finished shooting.

Later, he went to the restroom and happened to bump into Shen Jin in the corridor. Just as he was about to greet him, his expression suddenly froze.

An icy black mist appeared out of thin air, tightly wrapping around him and biting his neck.

Pei Liu groaned.

Shen Jin appeared completely oblivious, asking with concern, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

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