Part 3
At that moment, the ground suddenly shook. Yun Shu’s frantic words caught in her throat. Was it an earthquake? Or something else?
Then the whole world began to shake. She collapsed onto the floor and watched as the ring of children tore her skirt into shreds. They were about to reach her flesh and continue their biting.
The light suddenly went out. Thud, thud—massive objects struck the ground heavily. She instinctively looked up, and her pupils instantly contracted as she witnessed the most terrifying sight of her life.
A massive eye was looking down through a hole in the roof. The pitch-black pupil was set in a bruised, purplish white, and it rolled around as it surveyed the interior of the venue.
Yun Shu covered her mouth in despair, not daring to make another sound. It was then she realized it might not be an earthquake; something outside had uprooted the entire venue like a model and was holding it in its palm to observe it.
What on earth was that thing?
Was this still the world she knew?
Even if Yun Shu didn’t make a sound, there was a ring of infants around her. Their pearly-white teeth had almost finished devouring her skirt, forcing her to find a way to escape.
She took off her high heels and threw them at the infants’ heads. While two were momentarily stopped, she tried to scramble away. It was likely this movement that caught the eye’s attention.
The eye moved away. A larger hole was smashed through the ceiling, and a hand dozens of times larger than the eye reached inside.
Compared to that hand, Yun Shu was like an insignificant little ant that could be easily snatched up. With just a little pressure, her blood vessels would burst and she would die.
Yun Shu was paralyzed with terror by the massive object, staring frozen as it prepared to grab her.
…
Thump—
The new Best Actress suddenly collapsed under the spotlight, sending the entire audience into an uproar.
Tong Yong was the first to stand up. He ran from the audience and onto the stage to support her. the exquisite trophy rolled across the stage, becoming a piece of junk that no one cared about.
“Yun Shu? Yun Shu? Can you hear me?” Tong Yong shouted while pinching her philtrum, calling for someone to dial 120.
The others, who had been startled by Yun Shu’s sudden bout of madness—screaming and flailing her arms and legs—finally reacted and rushed up to help.
Only a few entertainment journalists who had snuck in captured the scene. They quickly changed their headlines from “Breaking! Yun Shu Wins Best Actress” to “New Best Actress Suspected of Mental Breakdown, Goes Mad at Award Ceremony.”
Viewers and fans watching the live broadcast simultaneously exploded with confusion. A female star at the peak of her career had actually gone mad!
The news spread and topped the trending searches within ten minutes, overpowering all other social and news events.
In the hospital, Tong Yong and the lead actor stared at each other after seeing Yun Shu to a room. Tong Yong punched the wall. “Where is Yun Shu’s manager? Are they here yet?”
“They’re here; they called the hospital just now.” The lead actor glanced cautiously at the ward and lowered his voice. “Director Tong, the online discourse—”
“Ignore it for now. We haven’t even figured out the situation ourselves; how can we deal with the people online looking for drama?” Tong Yong was furious. “Do you know if she has any physical illnesses?”
“How would I know about Sister Yun’s health?” the lead actor said with a smile.
Tong Yong gave him a meaningful look. “You two are so close; she didn’t tell you?”
The lead actor was startled. He hadn’t expected Director Tong to know about his private relationship with Yun Shu. He hurriedly raised his hands in a plea for mercy. “Director, we aren’t in a relationship; she wouldn’t say things like that.”
“Hmph.” Tong Yong took out his phone to call Yun Shu’s manager to hurry them along, but he saw the manager running toward them.
“You head back first. I’ll notify you if anything happens.” Tong Yong dismissed him before speaking with the manager.
“What exactly is going on with Yun Shu? The doctors did a full checkup and found nothing. They just said it was a fainting spell for no reason, and they can’t even guarantee when she’ll wake up.”
The manager was panting and equally confused. “I don’t know either; Yun Shu has always been in good health. She exercises every day. Even if she’s been doing a lot of publicity lately, she shouldn’t have fainted on stage.”
“Look at what the people outside are saying!” Tong Yong pointed at the trending searches on his phone. “They’re saying she’s mentally ill, emotionally depressed… and it doesn’t stop there. Some people are attacking the crew, saying I’ve exploited the actors! When have I ever treated her like that? Eh?”
“That’s one thing, but some people are even saying she’s suffering a backlash from hosting a ghost! What is this nonsense!”
The manager was stunned. “Hosting a ghost? Yun Shu has never touched that kind of thing. Where did these people get that information?”
“How should I know?” Tong Yong’s words came faster than his thoughts, and he froze the moment the words left his mouth. “Hosting a ghost?”
He looked at the manager. “The itinerary in State D was leaked. Someone saw us entering the temples to burn incense.”
“It was just burning incense; every crew does that when they start filming.” The manager was puzzled. “How could that be connected to hosting a ghost?”
“Ahem.” Tong Yong looked down awkwardly. “I… I secretly got one for myself.”
The manager was shocked. “Director Tong, you actually believe in that!”
“It was precisely because I didn’t believe it that I wanted to try. Who knew I’d actually get a real one.” Tong Yong was truly impressed by his own luck. “Besides, I’m the one who got it; what does it have to do with Yun Shu? She just visited those temples.”
“Director Tong, do you think her wish came true and this is trouble caused by not fulfilling the vow?” The manager felt it was more and more likely the more she thought about it. She had watched the scene personally; Yun Shu had been hitting the air with the trophy and her high heels, clearly seeing something.
Yun Shu’s acting was decent at best, but if she had the skills she showed during that award ceremony, she wouldn’t have waited until this year to win.
“You go keep an eye on the trending searches; don’t let other rumors spread. Delete them as fast as you can.” Tong Yong thought of someone. After instructing the manager, he immediately took out his phone to contact him.
Translator’s Note:
- Shuilu Painting (水陸畫): Religious paintings used in “Water and Land” (Shuilu) rites, which are large-scale ceremonies in Chinese Buddhism and Taoism meant to offer salvation to all sentient beings on land and in water.
- National Day (國慶節): A major public holiday in China celebrated on October 1st.
- SARFT (廣電總局): The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, the body responsible for reviewing and censoring media content in China.
- Guman Tong (古曼童): A “Golden Boy” or “Kuman Thong,” a household divinity in Thai folk religion believed to bring luck and fortune to the owner if properly revered. It is often associated with the spirit of a stillborn child.
- Hex/Backlash (降頭): Often refers to a type of black magic or sorcery (Gong Tou) from Southeast Asia, but in this context, it implies the spiritual backlash or curse resulting from the misuse of supernatural entities.
- Lord Ye Loving Dragons (葉公好龍): A Chinese idiom referring to someone who claims to love something but is actually terrified of the reality of it.
- Best Actress (影后): Literally “Film Queen,” the common term for a Best Actress award winner in Chinese-speaking regions.
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