Part 2
“I do, but I came here to get some things,” Uncle Li nodded. “Just happened to run into you, didn’t I?”
“I see.” Old Wang started the livestream and set the start time. Seeing that there were still a few minutes left, he continued to chat. “Uncle, how much do you guys make a month in this line of work?”
“Not much, just several tens of thousands,” he said nonchalantly.
Old Wang’s eyes instantly widened. He exclaimed, “Whoa! That much? Do you make that much every month?”
“Pretty much.”
“I’m jealous. No wonder everyone says the money in the entertainment industry is the easiest to earn. This is easily much higher than a white-collar salary outside.” Old Wang pretended to wipe away a tear and asked with a grin, “Do you think it’s too late for me to join the industry?”
“You?” Uncle Li looked him over. Half of his face was submerged in darkness, and much of his smile was hidden as well. “It’s never too late, as long as you want to.”
The livestream started at that moment. Old Wang explained to the viewers pouring in with a smile, “I originally came to this abandoned factory area in Rongcheng for an urban exploration, but I ran into a film crew. This is one of their staff members. Let’s chat for a bit while we wait for more people to join before we head out.”
After saying that, he continued his conversation with Uncle Li: “Uncle, is your work tiring? Are there any technical requirements?”
“It’s not tiring.” Uncle Li curled the corners of his mouth. “We actually happen to be short on people. You can’t do my job, but you could consider other roles.”
“Like what?”
“Change clothes and take a few sets of photos.”
Old Wang automatically assumed he meant taking costume photos for the crew. Hearing that it didn’t seem to require much technical skill, he agreed readily. “I can do that. But are you sure about me just like that? Will it work?”
“It’ll work,” Old Li said. “Once we’re done, I’ll give you ten thousand yuan immediately.”
“!” Old Wang thought he was joking and played along with an exaggerated expression. “Oh my god, that much? Uncle, you’re way too generous. I’d even climb a mountain of daggers or jump into a sea of fire to finish the shoot for you!”
The comments in the chat mocked Old Wang for getting such a lucky break just by stepping out of the house, saying he should increase his upload frequency.
Old Wang gave a bitter laugh: “Stop it. This is a one-time thing. This chance won’t come again!”
He was talking excitedly to the camera when Uncle Li glanced at the phone and urged, “Let’s go. Don’t waste time here.”
“Ah?” Old Wang was shocked that he was serious. Holding his phone, he hurriedly followed.
But Uncle Li didn’t go downstairs. Instead, he led him in a large circle around the circular corridor before pushing open a door. He flicked on the light, and everything inside was beyond Old Wang’s expectations.
He marveled: “Holy crap, this place is so luxuriously decorated. It’s like a completely different world from the outside.”
He was truly and thoroughly stunned. Outside, more than half of the wall plaster had fallen off, exposing the red bricks from when the walls were built, and the floor was littered with abandoned wooden boards and furniture. Yet this place was like a hidden paradise.
It wasn’t that the decoration was incredibly extravagant, but it was at least a clean and tidy room. It had cream-white floors and warm yellow wall panels, with a burgundy curtain hanging high in the middle, splitting the space in two.
“Come in.” Uncle Li subconsciously rubbed his fingers together, urging Old Wang who was standing by the door again. “Aren’t you in a hurry? Let’s hurry up and shoot so you can leave.”
Old Wang glanced at his phone screen. The netizens had clearly heard Uncle Li’s words, and comments like “didn’t expect an extra surprise” began to flood the screen! Some even told Old Wang to hurry up; they were still waiting for the exploration.
“Um, Uncle, how long will this take? I still need to go to other places.”
“About half an hour should do it.”
Half an hour for ten thousand yuan. Old Wang’s brain felt like it was clouded with grease, constantly replaying Uncle Li’s earlier promise.
Who could refuse that?
He stepped inside and was about to peek behind the curtain when Uncle Li grabbed him. “What are you doing? Change your clothes first. Once you’re changed, come over and shoot. There are four or five outfits in total.”
“Oh, right.” Old Wang assumed they were filming costumes and agreed happily. Holding his gimbal, he waddled after Uncle Li toward the changing area. Uncle Li picked up two items from a pile of clothes in the corner, held them up to measure him from a distance, and then stuffed them into his arms. “Go on, put these on and let’s see.”
The changing room was just a slightly larger area. Standing inside, Old Wang couldn’t even fully outspread his arms. He slowly examined the clothes and found it was a greyish-purple short coat. The style was very vintage, but he could tell it was a high-quality item; the patterns on it were all embroidered.
The pants were made of the same colored fabric.
After Old Wang changed, he pushed open the door and did a self-satisfied turn in place. He wanted to ask someone for their opinion but found that Uncle Li wasn’t there. He held up his phone, stretching his arm as far as possible so the netizens could see clearly.
“Check out these clothes on me, family! Aren’t they quite a good fit?”
Some in the chat said it looked okay, while others scolded him for being slow and wasting time.
Old Wang smiled and ignored them. Holding his phone, he walked toward the curtain.
“Uncle, I have to say, your film crew doesn’t look like much, but your props are quite good. This fabric feels very comfortable.”
Uncle Li glanced at him and smiled: “That outfit really does suit you quite well.”
“I think so too.” Old Wang tugged at the hem and asked curiously, “What role am I playing? Roughly when can I come for the shoot? Tonight won’t work; I have other things.”
“No rush, no rush.” Uncle Li gestured for him to stand in front of the curtain. “Let’s finish this set first.”
“What pose should I do?”
“You don’t need to do anything. Just stand straight and face the camera.” Uncle Li’s smile gradually widened. Staring at Old Wang through his lens, a fanatical expression began to emerge on his face as he constantly praised: “Good, very good. Just like that.”
Old Wang was embarrassed by the praise. He had no idea that the phone he had casually placed on the floor had already exploded into a frenzy.
The chat was scrolling at high speed with discussions.
[Comment: Hey, aren’t those clothes…]
[Comment: Is it what I think it is?]
[Comment: Crap, look at the buttons on his coat. Is that an even number?]
[Comment: Not just the buttons, why are the patterns so eerie? Holy— I’m out— what kind of ghost clothes are those?]
[Comment: Whose clothes are designed like a Shouyi? I’ve got goosebumps.]
[Comment: Brothers… I mean, is it possible that it doesn’t just ‘look’ like a Shouyi, but that it actually is one? My grandma owns a burial shroud shop; I’ve been used to seeing them since I was a kid. I’m absolutely certain that is a Shouyi.]
[Comment: And Old Wang is actually wearing it! He’s crazy! A living person wearing the clothes of the dead is asking for death!]
Having finally heard Uncle Li call for a stop, Old Wang sighed in relief and moved his arms around. He felt this job wasn’t as easy as he had imagined.
This set was finished, and there were several more outfits to go. Having done it once, Old Wang was now more familiar and instinctively walked into the changing room holding the clothes.
Before taking them off, he took a glance at his phone and instantly froze in place, his mind going blank. “What the hell?”
Seeing that he had finally looked at his phone, the netizens frantically warned him to take off the clothes and run immediately—that old man was not a good person.
“Why? Isn’t this fine?”
[Comment: Fine my ass! Does the uploader know he’s wearing a Shouyi?]
Old Wang was shocked and in disbelief. “Are you guys messing with me? How could this be a Shouyi? This is just a prop costume from the film crew. It probably just looks similar, right?”
One comment answered him very seriously:
[Comment: Uploader, check for yourself. Does the coat have six buttons down the front? Are there ‘Tuanshou’ patterns embroidered on it? And most importantly, are there no pockets?]
Following the instructions, Old Wang checked each detail and found it was indeed true. It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head; he instantly snapped out of his previous excitement.
He felt an immense regret for agreeing to this.
In an abandoned residential building, how could there be such a beautifully decorated room? How could there be such a lucky break?
Holding his phone, Old Wang didn’t know what to do.
On the other side of the door, Uncle Li had already grown impatient and began to urge: “Are you changed yet? Why so slow?”
Gulp—
Old Wang’s entire body shivered as he swallowed his saliva. He hurriedly put his phone aside, took off the Shouyi, and changed back into his own clothes.
But although the clothes were off, how was he going to get out?
He held his phone and asked the netizens in a low voice, “Crap, family, I can’t get out! That old man is standing guard right outside.”
Some people still thought he was joking.
[Comment: Why doesn’t the uploader just surrender! Hahahahahaha—]
[Comment: Don’t listen to them. With the uploader’s build, who could he not beat? Why be afraid of a little old man?]
Old Wang wanted to cry but had no tears. If it were a human, of course he wouldn’t be afraid. He was afraid that the other party wasn’t human!
Uncle Li waited for a while and didn’t hear a reply. He directly stepped forward and banged on the door, saying in an unkind tone, “Are you done yet?”
Seeing the door shaking incessantly from the banging, Old Wang desperately offered a few perfunctory words. In his panic, he thought of a plan.
He steadied his voice and pretended to say: “Uncle, I left something behind the curtain. Could you help me find it and hand it to me?”
“What is it? Come out and find it yourself.”
Old Wang steeled himself and said directly: “It’s my hemorrhoid cream. I accidentally broke it just now, and now there’s a lot of blood. I couldn’t possibly stain your clothes, right?”
“…”
Uncle Li was silent for a few seconds. Then, the clack-clack of his shoes sounded as he walked away.
Hearing the sound move further off, Old Wang quietly pushed the door open. After confirming the man had indeed gone behind the curtain, he bolted for the door. Pulling the door and running were done in one seamless motion.
Even after getting out, he didn’t dare to stop, running down the stairs in one breath. As he ran, he reached into his pocket and realized to his horror that he had been too nervous; he had remembered his phone but forgotten his flashlight.
The pitch-black stairwell vaguely let in some pale moonlight. He could only go down by feel.
Heavy gasps mixed with the sound of running echoed through the stairwell—
He didn’t know how long he had been running. Old Wang leaned against the wall, head down, gasping for breath.
He turned on his phone screen and pointed the light upward, intending to see which floor he had reached.
The dim light from the phone barely illuminated a small area. Old Wang squinted his eyes to look, and his heart instantly sank to the bottom.
A bright red “8” was hanging on the wall, dripping with blood.
Before he could even feel terror, a very familiar voice sounded from behind him.
“I didn’t find your medicine. Why don’t you go find it yourself?”
The bones in Old Wang’s jaw chattered. He gritted his teeth, not daring to look back.
Translator’s Note: In Chinese folklore, a Shouyi (寿衣) is a burial shroud. They specifically have no pockets—because the dead “can’t take anything with them”—and often feature an even number of buttons, which is taboo for the living. Also, a “Tuanshou” (团寿) pattern is a circular “Longevity” symbol often used on burial clothes. Jiang Si really wasn’t kidding when he said he’d “削” (thump/shave down) any ghost that disturbed his filming! See you in the next chapter to see how he saves our unlucky streamer!
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