Chapter 56: Escape

Yu He thought to himself, his brow furrowing. Back then, He Xunye’s health was already failing. He had lost his sense of taste and smell, half of his hearing was gone, and his vision was fading.

Of course, He Xunye had his own methods; he didn’t need ears to hear. But that didn’t stop his body from decaying rapidly. He could only live for three more years at most. He Wuling sought medical help everywhere, even coming to their Taoist temple, but He Xunye remained calm about his own death.

Yu He thought he had come to terms with it, so he didn’t care.

He Xunye’s two brothers and his brother-in-law had all been killed by evil spirits. He also thought He Xunye hated ghosts as much as he did. He hadn’t expected He Xunye to become an evil spirit after death.

Yu He’s forehead throbbed. When He Xunye was alive, he could still control himself and didn’t approach Tan Xueci. How long has it been since his death, and they almost had a child!

Even for a powerful Feng Shui master like He Xunye, becoming a ghost meant the same downfall; all malice and desire were magnified. How could he not hate that? Once dead, one should return to the dust, not stay in this world to harm the living.

But he was helpless. He couldn’t beat He Xunye, and Tan Xueci refused to help him, protecting He Xunye like he’d been bewitched by a handsome male ghost, hanging out with dead things all day.

Yu He looked at Tan Xueci with resentment, feeling like he was a hopeless case. Why have a dead ghost for a husband? If he killed He Xunye and took his inheritance, he could choose any male model in the whole city. Although it wouldn’t be easy to find one as flirtatious, as long as he paid enough, there would be someone.

Tan Xueci cried softly for a while, his eyes and nose turning red. The evil spirit gazed at him, dazed for a moment. When he came to his senses, he held Tan Xueci’s small face in his hands and wiped away his tears.

When Tan Xueci faked crying to look pretty, his tears fell one by one. But his eyes were sensitive; when he really wanted to cry, he couldn’t control it, and they’d stream down his face.

The evil spirit’s palms were burned painfully, turning black, but he still didn’t let go of Tan Xueci.

Tan Xueci was used to being served and didn’t notice that he was leaning close to He Xunye, as if they were growing together. He had been brought to tears by He Xunye’s anger, but he still held He Xunye’s arm, waiting for him to comfort him.

“Do you know you were wrong?” Tan Xueci asked, his red eyes glaring at He Xunye, his speech slurred as his face was held.

“…” He Xunye couldn’t help but chuckle softly, kissing him on his soft mouth. “It’s all my fault.”

Tan Xueci was finally satisfied. The lonely little sheep had been rejected his whole life, but in the end, he became a king here with the evil spirit.

Tan Xueci was kissed several times, his face held. The other guests had finished their meals. Tan Xueci, afraid of being seen, pushed He Xunye away and glared at him.

But the camera had already turned toward them, and He Xunye’s last kiss was captured.

[??? Who’s stealing a kiss from my wife while I’m not home?] [What a bold scoundrel.] [Who understands? I’ve followed his lectures for over a year and this is the first time I’ve seen him smile. A cold smile doesn’t count, haha. I thought he just wasn’t the smiling type, but it turns out he only smiles for his wife. Kitten covering nose.jpg]

The live stream was cut off for a while due to a poor signal. When it reconnected, the guests had moved. The bullet comments were confused, asking questions.

Yanxia Village was just a remote little village, but it had many names outside. In recent years, many called it the Paper-Making Village. Shows with a touch of horror were always attractive. This episode had a lot of buzz from the start, and with Tan Xueci just becoming popular, a large group of fans flocked in. Until the day He Xunye arrived, the show exploded on the trending searches and had been popular since.

The director’s mind was racing, trying to figure out how to explain it without saying they’d encountered ghosts. He gave a few vague answers and secretly instructed the cameraman to aim at Tan Xueci and He Xunye, trying to avoid the topic.

One bullet comment, however, stood out, appearing many times.

[Why is Xiao Xue at my house?] [Go quickly.] [Go.]

Someone finally couldn’t help but ask:

[What do you mean, your house? Are you from Yanxia Village?]

The commenter didn’t answer.

The bullet comments in the late-night stream were still moving fast. The number of viewers was around 100,000, but in an instant, it eerily jumped to over 300,000, like a ghost army passing through. One might think the production team had bought fake followers.

[Am I seeing things? There weren’t this many people just now.] [Hee hee, they’re going to stay.]

Most viewers used white text, but tonight, lines of blood-red text appeared from time to time, looking particularly eerie in the middle of the night.

[WTF, don’t do that. Who’s playing a prank? It’s annoying and scary at night.] [It’s over. I heard ghosts like listening to ghost stories too. If you tell one at night or watch a horror movie, they say they’re on your shoulder, watching with you.] [??? Help!] [My grandfather is a Celestial Master. They just arrived, and things are wrong. They can’t say it, but wasn’t a ghost giving the wrong directions before?]

The director could see the comments on his phone, but the guests couldn’t. Tan Xueci was sitting when he felt a villager swaying toward him from behind. It was a very young boy, about sixteen or seventeen, his skin looking bluish-white in the night.

Tan Xueci felt a sudden tightness in his heart. The boy approached him, his lips moving but making no sound. His expression was anxious, as if he were afraid of something, occasionally glancing back at the Deputy Village Chief.

Tan Xueci tried to make it out; the boy seemed to be saying, Go, leave this place.

The boy leaned very close to Tan Xueci, not noticing black water winding toward his feet, dragging at his ankles like countless ghostly hands. He was about to cry out when Tan Xueci realized something.

The Deputy Village Chief said a film crew was coming, and many villagers came to watch. There were now over thirty people in the courtyard. They had shadows, but those shadows had long arms and legs, dripping with water. They weren’t human shadows.

Tan Xueci swallowed and leaned closer to He Xunye, then looked down at the boy’s feet. The moment he looked, the black water quickly receded, releasing the boy. It happened so fast that Tan Xueci thought he’d imagined it. He looked at He Xunye blankly.

The evil spirit asked gently, “What’s wrong?”

Tan Xueci scratched his face and looked again, thinking he might have been mistaken. This boy… he might be a ghost boy, and he hadn’t offended He Xunye. He Xunye wasn’t the kind of bad ghost who killed indiscriminately.

Tan Xueci’s gaze moved back to the boy’s feet and found his shadow also looked like a water monkey.

Something was wrong. He wondered why the Deputy Village Chief would go to the graveyard at ten at night. Maybe they never left.

Tan Xueci stood up abruptly, wanting to call the others. But they had just finished chatting with the Deputy Village Chief, and their eyes were now dull.

Lu Qi was shouting that he was the second son of Zhang Gousheng from the village and that he wanted to go home and feed his sheep. His little sheep hadn’t eaten. He started crying, saying the sheep had been taken by the son of the spirit medium next door, and then he started wailing, “My sheep! My sheep!”

Qin Shuyao had tied her hair in pigtails and was looking at Tan Xueci with her head tilted. Zhang Chengfa was crying, saying his field had been flooded and his father had suddenly come back to life to slap him…

They all seemed possessed, thinking they were from Yanxia Village. Only he, He Xunye, and Yu He were clear-headed.

“Crap,” Yu He’s eyes narrowed as he grabbed his peach wood sword and stood up. He felt things weren’t that simple, but he hadn’t noticed the Deputy Village Chief’s oddness earlier. He recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra a few times, and the production team finally became somewhat clear-headed.

Jin Chen’s face darkened. The others were at least people, but he had thought he was a monkey that had run down from the mountain. If Lu Qi hadn’t been hugging him and wailing about his sheep, he would have turned and walked into the mountains.

“How did you get here?!”

As the guests were panicking, someone rushed in from outside. They looked up and saw it was Bai Shuizhang.

“Come with me quickly!” Bai Shuizhang stood at the door, saying anxiously, “They’re water ghosts!”

When the Deputy Village Chief saw Bai Shuizhang, his pupils dilated. He and several villagers grabbed weapons, pointing at Bai Shuizhang and shouting, “You’re the ghost! How much more do you want to harm our village?!”

The courtyard was suddenly filled with firelight, axes, and sticks. Bai Shuizhang’s skin didn’t look as dark under the light; his features were almost delicate. Tears were almost falling as he asked the guests, “Don’t you believe me?”

He had blood on his forehead, looking as if he’d been in a car accident with the guests and had scrambled over to save them. Zhang Chengfa and Qin Shuyao were hesitant. Was Bai Shuizhang really a ghost? What if he was also under an illusion?

“Don’t be fooled,” the Deputy Village Chief barked. “He died long ago! Half the villagers were killed by him!”

Yanxia Village never married outside. Although some children were born with intellectual disabilities or physical defects, those were individual cases; most were fine. Only Bai Shuizhang was different.

“He was cursed,” the Deputy Village Chief said, glaring at Bai Shuizhang, his mouth tasting of blood from his hatred. “Since he was born, our village’s paper-making business has failed. When he was three days old, a huge flood killed many people.”

Yanxia Village had a General’s Temple, but the General didn’t protect them. The General was equivalent to their river god; it was said he died a tragic death in the Yan River and had a strong grievance. So both Yanxia and Yanshang villages often had floods.

Maybe the birth of this monster, Bai Shuizhang, had angered General Yan. To appease him, they wanted to throw Bai Shuizhang into the river to drown him. It was for the good of the village; they couldn’t let one person ruin it.

Bai Shuizhang’s parents agreed—they didn’t know why they’d given birth to such a monster—but his brother and sister refused. They even secretly took him away, hiding in the mountains for over a month. When they could no longer hide, they begged the village chief, promising to keep Bai Shuizhang in check. The chief reluctantly agreed.

But because of what had happened, no one wanted to marry into the family. So Bai Shuizhang’s brother and sister married each other and eventually gave birth to a monster just like him.

At that time, Bai Shuizhang was thirteen and was sent to a town near the capital to study. He only then learned about consanguineous marriage; he wasn’t cursed, and he wasn’t a jinx. But he couldn’t do anything then. He could only study hard. His dream was to go to university in the capital and then bring his brother and sister there. Even if they didn’t want to leave, he could return to the village and be the village secretary.

But he didn’t expect that when he returned home for the holidays, his brother and sister were both dead. His parents were sitting in a corner, too timid to speak. He ran out to ask a neighbor and learned that his brother and sister had given birth to a deformed child just like him. His parents had secretly given it to the village chief to drown. His sister had hanged herself that night, and his brother, heartbroken, had drunk pesticide.

The Yan River was turbulent. He jumped in and searched for half the night but couldn’t find the child’s body. He dragged his stiff, heavy steps home like a soaked water ghost, killed his parents that night, and then set fire to his house.

The fire was huge, and because the village was filled with paper crafts, half the village caught fire, turning the night sky red. The village chief was furious and brought people out to extinguish the fire and catch Bai Shuizhang, but he had already jumped into the river. He’d rather drown than die at their hands.

“His brother and sister died on their own; what does that have to do with us?!” the Deputy Village Chief glared at Bai Shuizhang as if he were seeing a vengeful spirit, telling the production team, “Since then, more and more strange things have happened. People drown in the Yan River every few days, as if dragged down by a water ghost.”

Bai Shuizhang became a powerful water ghost in the river. He cursed Yanxia Village so that generations couldn’t have children unless they went to the temple to “tie a doll.” When people found they could have children after doing so, they all went. But they didn’t expect to give birth to ghost babies. More and more ghost babies and water ghosts almost wiped out the entire village.

Tan Xueci looked at the Deputy Village Chief’s face and realized he looked familiar. He had gone to find Bai Shuizhang before and saw an old man locked up, banging on the window as if he wanted to say something. Bai Shuizhang said he had an intellectual disability and his children from the city would come to get him. But the old man’s face had turned purple-red, aged and withered, so he hadn’t recognized him.

That old man was exactly like the Deputy Village Chief. No, there was no Deputy Village Chief; this man must be the Village Chief. Maybe he had escaped from Bai Shuizhang during the thick fog.

The Chief’s wrinkled face was clouded. He felt the village was getting weirder and that there was a new secretary, but no one remembered when he arrived. He only knew many villagers had become monsters, coming home at night to eat—not just the rice offered at the shrine, but sometimes even people.

He wanted to call for help, but all messages were lost. Finally, he contacted the production team, but he didn’t expect Bai Shuizhang to lock him up and meet them himself.

The Chief looked at Bai Shuizhang and then at his own hands, which were covered in corpse spots. Ha, the whole village had been killed by Bai Shuizhang. There were no living people. He was already dead.

The Chief’s body rapidly decayed, rotten meat falling from his face, a stench of death filling the air. He collapsed in front of everyone. The villagers behind him cried out, “Chief!”

Tan Xueci looked at those villagers. Some were missing ears or eyes, clearly deformed. But he still couldn’t see how Bai Shuizhang was deformed.

Bai Shuizhang was still facing off against the villagers, and the guests took the chance to run out through the back door. It was raining heavily outside. The torrential rain pressed down on everyone’s hearts. They had never left. The entire village was a giant pool, and whether it was Bai Shuizhang, the Chief, or the other villagers, they were all water ghosts wanting to drag them down.

But before they could run a few steps, a boy’s figure appeared in the black rain. Bai Shuizhang had turned into his thirteen-year-old self. His eyes were filled with malice as he looked at them. “Brother, sister, why can’t you stay here? Stay here with me.”

The boy’s skin was dark, but his beauty was undeniable. Qin Shuyao gasped, her mind racing. She realized Bai Shuizhang was likely intersex. The ignorant villagers could accept physical disabilities or even a fool, but not necessarily that.

“Wuwu…” Bai Shuizhang began to cry again in the heavy rain. His arms lengthened, gradually becoming like a monkey’s, with sharp claws. He was covered in dark green water moss, smelling of cold and fish. He was filled with grievance and hatred. “Why won’t you stay? Why does everyone leave me?!”

The production team screamed and hid behind Yu He, cowering in fear. Tan Xueci held He Xunye’s arm. In the rain, He Xunye’s hand was as cold as a dead man’s, but it gave him a sense of immense security.

He even had the presence of mind to think that they were from the capital. Bai Shuizhang’s greatest wish before he died was to go to the capital with his brother and sister, but they were both dead. And Bai Shuizhang had never actually been to the capital; he’d only been to the town. After he died and became a water ghost, he was trapped in Yanxia Village, never able to leave or go to university.

Tan Xueci didn’t actually like studying, but there’s a difference between disliking it and being prevented from it by others. He saw pain in Bai Shuizhang’s tears. A favorite of heaven like He Sui would never understand how hard it was for some people in this world to find happiness. It was like reaching for the moon from a cliff; it looked so close, but it was as far away as heaven.

Bai Shuizhang’s body gradually deformed, becoming a massive water ghost in the cold, misty storm. Yu He threw out several talismans, slowing him down. The production team ran forward frantically, leaving their luggage behind. But the rain was too heavy to see the way.

“What’s that?!” Qin Shuyao suddenly exclaimed.

A group of small cloth dolls appeared on the ground ahead. They weren’t like the ones in the temple; they had black bean eyes but looked much cuter, with round limbs. They were running through the rain, one after another.

Tan Xueci also saw paper money flying, not getting wet in the rain, pointing in the same direction as the dolls.

“Follow them!” Yu He ordered.

The production team followed the dolls frantically. But the dolls were filled with cotton and couldn’t withstand the rain. They got soaked and collapsed one by one, only to be picked up by an old woman, who held them like children.

Chen Qing had been silent and dazed all the way, but now he looked up. “It’s Aunt Lanzhi!”

Tan Xueci suddenly remembered that when they went to the temple, the guests’ dolls had been picked out separately, as if to make it easier for them to be rescued.

“Is she Grandma Zhang?” Tan Xueci was stunned. He asked He Xunye, “Is she a deity?”

“Not quite,” He Xunye looked at the old woman. “She’s just a small wisp of energy left behind.”

The dolls had all collapsed, and the guests lost their way again. They saw firelight on a hill in the distance, and paper money was swirling, resisting the rain and struggling to survive. They didn’t dare stay; Bai Shuizhang had gone mad and was rushing toward them.

When they ran up the hill, they couldn’t get close to the old woman burning paper, only seeing the paper money. Jin Chen recognized her as the “Scary Old Lady.” Tan Xueci remembered seeing her when he fled with the doll.

While the others were running, Zhang Chengfa stopped and said with a trembling voice, “Mom?”

He had been hiding before because Jin Chen said there was a scary old lady, and he didn’t dare look. Tan Xueci had been holding his doll, and he hadn’t looked up on the way. Now he found the gray-haired figure beckoning to him from afar was so familiar. No wonder he’d dreamed of his mother before; she must have been warning him not to film this show.

Zhang Chengfa took a step toward her.

“Come back!” Yu He shouted behind him. “She’s dead! She’s just a ghost, not your mother!”

He had seen too many people lose their loved ones and refuse to let them go. But once they became ghosts, they were no longer human. They might be fine today and swallow their loved ones tomorrow.

The old woman was still beckoning. In the rain, Zhang Chengfa’s tears flowed. He remembered when he was a child, playing on the other side of the hill. He didn’t know it was going to rain, and his mother, who was still young, would stand on the hill and call him home. They hadn’t seen each other for over ten years.

Zhang Chengfa’s steps faltered. The paper money nearby was also failing against the rain. The others were anxious but didn’t want to call him back.

But Zhang Chengfa wiped his tears and turned back to them. He gestured for them to move on. “Go, don’t look back. Go.”

Children leaving Yanxia Village must have heard that. Their families would tell them to go, that the world is wide outside, to go far away and not miss home. Maybe when Bai Shuizhang left for school, his brother and sister also saw him off from the hill.

Zhang Chengfa’s face was wet with tears, but his steps were firm, giving the others a sense of purpose. They followed the paper money that was slowly drifting to the ground.

Only He Xunye stood still. Tan Xueci ran a few steps, then stopped and turned back.

“You go first, Xiao Xue.” He Xunye smiled at him.

Tan Xueci’s legs felt heavy. He looked at Zhang Chengfa’s mother. She had changed from an old woman back to her younger self, watching Zhang Chengfa’s back. Zhang Chengfa was almost forty, but her gaze was no different from when she looked at the seven-year-old him. Her soul had returned home, to where she and her parents had lived. But as a ghost, she didn’t follow him.

And He Xunye was standing in the rain, watching him. Tan Xueci felt a pang in his heart. Having He Xunye follow him like a shadow was scary, but what if one day he stopped following him? He’d heard that ghosts stay because of unfinished business; once it’s finished, they leave. He didn’t know what He Xunye’s wish was. He realized he didn’t know He Xunye at all.

Yu He was shouting, but Tan Xueci didn’t hear him and walked toward He Xunye. Yu He called out a few more times and then shut up. The rain was heavy, and he felt like he was playing Fahai.

The evil spirit saw Tan Xueci approaching him, and his lips curved upward. He lowered his head and said, “I meant for you to go first. I’ll find you.”

But since Tan Xueci stayed, he was naturally even happier.

Bai Shuizhang’s eyes were streaming with blood. His fur was soaked, cold and sticky. He looked at the guests as they left and stopped. Black flames erupted at He Xunye’s feet and spread to Bai Shuizhang. He seemed to want to burn the whole village. Tan Xueci quickly stopped him, afraid he’d burn Zhang Chengfa’s mother.

Everyone should have a mother. Zhang Chengfa’s mother was dead, and it made him feel sorry for him. The evil spirit looked at his wife and obeyed, taking the prayer beads off his wrist.

The black flames turned much redder, though they still looked like a thick black. The fire burned endlessly in the rain, and the whole village was filled with ghostly wails. Some ghosts were burned to ash, while others seemed to turn into wind and rain, as if they’d been liberated.

The Grandma Zhang Temple was also burning. Tan Xueci’s throat tightened. He wanted to stop it, but He Xunye said, “It’s fine. She wants to leave.”

She was once the local deity, but over the years, the incense offerings grew fewer, and the deity declined. She was left with only a wisp of energy and couldn’t withstand an evil spirit like Bai Shuizhang, which had led to many ghost babies in the village. She hadn’t protected a single child, and the village was destroyed. She didn’t want to be a deity anymore.

Tan Xueci took out his own cloth doll. Its mouth was downturned as if it were about to cry. But it was just a doll; it wouldn’t cry. It just buried its head in his palm. Tan Xueci’s eyes were red. He saw an old woman at the temple wave at him and smile, and then she vanished from this world. She was his first teacher. He suddenly felt a bit of regret, wishing he’d made the doll look a bit better.

“Did you know it all?” Tan Xueci gently pulled He Xunye’s sleeve and couldn’t help asking.

The evil spirit held his cheeks and wiped his tears, his eyes filled with undisguised pity, as if seeing Tan Xueci cry hurt more than having his own soul dissipated.

“I only knew there were ghosts here,” He Xunye said, stroking his cheek. “Xiao Mie, I said that destiny cannot be avoided. It was destined from the moment you were born. Even if you hadn’t joined this show, you would still have come to this village. No matter what choice you make, you’ll end up on this path.”

Tan Xueci looked up at the gray sky. The rain felt like a net, giving him an inexplicable sense of fear.

“But don’t be afraid,” He Xunye’s lips brushed against his as he promised. “As long as you love me, I’ll accompany you to the end of this road. I’ll always be by your side.”

Tan Xueci felt he couldn’t fall in love with a ghost, and he didn’t love anyone. His face was still in the evil spirit’s hands, and he felt a bit weak, but he still asked, “What if I don’t love you?”

“Then that’s even better,” the evil spirit laughed, his red eyes glinting. “I’ll make you beg me.”

Clearly, there would be a different price to pay.

Tan Xueci’s ears turned red. He glared at him and said, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re particularly perverted and lustful?”

“Then they truly understand me,” the evil spirit said with a straight face.

Tan Xueci: “…” He felt that being a ghost was much better for He Xunye than being a person; he could be shamelessly himself.

The entire Yanxia Village was burned to the ground. When Tan Xueci and He Xunye went down the hill, the others were waiting. The director had called a bus for them. They were all exhausted and sat in silence, staring at the rain.

Tan Xueci and He Xunye sat in the last row. Half of his face was tucked under his scarf. He’d gotten a bit wet, and his skin was pale. He held the doll and said nothing. The evil spirit fiddled with his prayer beads, his face darkened. He didn’t like it when Tan Xueci was unhappy. He admitted he cared. He wanted to see Tan Xueci cry out or slap him, anything but this.

Tan Xueci was dazed when his chin was suddenly forced toward He Xunye, whose cold kiss landed on his lips. Tan Xueci felt a sudden, inexplicable surge of anger. He felt that He Xunye didn’t like him at all, but just wanted to control him. Even a little mouse could find another mouse and be happy together. Didn’t he deserve to be loved?

Although he couldn’t think of anyone who would be better to him than He Xunye, he’d rather not have it than have this kind of love. He… didn’t want to like He Xunye at all. What if he fell in love with He Xunye, but He Xunye only wanted s*x? To make him obedient, he would coax him and be good to him.

Tan Xueci looked gloomy. The ghost who didn’t love him saw he was about to cry and thought he was enjoying it. Tan Xueci pushed He Xunye’s shoulder and moved away. He took a deep breath and began biting his thumb, which he often did; the thumb was a bit deformed.

“Why?” the evil spirit asked, his dark peach blossom eyes staring at him. “Don’t you like me kissing you?” He thought Tan Xueci would be happy; after all, if Tan Xueci kissed him, he would be in a good mood.

“…” Tan Xueci felt exhausted. They were still on the bus, and he didn’t want to argue with He Xunye, fearing the others would hear. He just said vaguely, “You’re too cold. I’m cold.”

His skin was pale, and there were tear stains on his eyes; he looked cold and tired. But his husband was an evil spirit; there was no embrace to rely on, only a blanket.

He Xunye fell silent, and Tan Xueci ignored him. He leaned against the window and was about to doze off when he was pulled into a warm embrace. Tan Xueci opened his eyes, thinking someone else was holding him, but it was He Xunye.

He was held tightly in the man’s arms, his cheek pressed against his chest. His ears turned red. He Xunye was very hot, driving away the chill. Tan Xueci was confused. With tears still on his face, he looked up and whispered, “Hubby, you’re not dead.”

He called him “hubby” again.

“An illusion,” He Xunye said, holding a talisman. It was actually still cold; Tan Xueci just couldn’t feel it.

Tan Xueci stopped crying and buried his face in He Xunye’s chest, looking up at him. He Xunye held him and nuzzled his head, showing him the faintly burning talisman in his hand. The rain was heavy, and the bus was moving slowly. The other guests were asleep. They’d probably take all night to get back to the capital.

Tan Xueci thought He Xunye had warmed himself up to kiss him. He felt like he’d given in. He thought that life was meant to be bitter and sweetness was rare, so he was easily coaxed. He wasn’t angry anymore; he could kiss him if he wanted.

But He Xunye didn’t kiss him. All night, He Xunye held him, the talismans burning one after another, the embrace remaining warm.

Outside, it was raining heavily. The Tan family had just finished dinner.

Tan Yanning looked at the rising popularity of the live stream, his face darkening. Even though the signal was poor and the screen kept freezing, many people still wanted to see Tan Xueci and would wait for hours.

Tan Shangli passed by and saw Tan Yanning’s phone. He paused. Tan’s parents were out tonight, so he called out, “A-Yan.”

“…” Tan Yanning hadn’t heard him and hurriedly tucked away his phone. “Big brother.”

“A-Yan,” Tan Shangli said after a silence, “you don’t really need to target him. Xiao Mie… he won’t affect you.”

The smile on Tan Yanning’s face froze, but in the end, he agreed like a good brother. He seemed not to understand Tan Shangli’s meaning and said, “How could I target second brother? The production team lost contact, so I’m just a bit worried.”

“I hope so,” Tan Shangli glanced at him.

Tan Shangli had a banquet to attend that night, so he left with his wife. Tan Yanning sat in his seat for a long time. He hadn’t turned on the lights. When Aunt Zhang passed by and saw his pale face, she was startled. “Oh, Master A-Yan, why are you sitting here?”

Tan Yanning suddenly felt very weary, unable even to put on a fake smile. He gave a vague tug of his lips, picked up his car keys, and left. The injury on his forehead hadn’t fully healed, but it was no longer a major issue. He had started going back to school and was staying in the dormitory at night.

But he didn’t expect to see someone unexpected at the dormitory. He frowned and said, “He Sui?”

He Sui was soaked through and looked disheveled, as if he’d just escaped from somewhere. His lips were bluish. When he saw Tan Yanning, he grabbed his wrist and said, “Are you going to see Tan Xueci again?”

Tan Yanning’s face darkened. He Sui’s confession to Tan Xueci on the show had already made him unhappy. He didn’t know why everyone revolved around Tan Xueci. Tan Shangli acted like his good older brother, but he had been adopted by the Tan family for over ten years, and Tan Shangli had never truly cared for him. Instead, he’d care about Tan Xueci dazing in a corner and buy him a phone.

Now even He Sui was like this.

As long as Tan Xueci was alive, he had nothing—no parents, no brother, and no one who loved him. He could endure it before, but now Tan Xueci had to die.

“Listen to me first,” He Sui said, fear in his eyes, interrupting Tan Yanning. “He isn’t a biological child of the Tan family at all! No… he’s already dead, do you know that?”

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