Part 3
A bold, black headline read:
New Best Actress Yun Shu Goes Mad While Receiving Award. Is it Mental Illness or Secretly Hosting a Ghost?
“Wow, Iâve even seen her movies. I never expected the entertainment industry to be so wild, even with ‘hosting ghosts’ now.” Zhang Sanfeng clicked his tongue. “But is this real? Or just a rumor?”
“I didn’t see it personally, but I feel like there was something there.” Luo ShannĂź played the video. The 4K high-definition footage captured the entire process of Yun Shu going on stage. The way her eyes were wide with terror as she looked upward suggested something really was coming for her.
Jiang Si watched for a moment. “Drag the progress bar back a bit.”
“?” Luo ShannĂź did as he asked, playing from the moment Yun Shu looked up.
“Stop.” Jiang Si walked over and beckoned her to hand over the mouse.
“What for?” Luo ShannĂź didn’t understand, but she handed him the mouse anyway.
Jiang Si pressed a shortcut key to capture the frame. He then zoomed in infinitely, dragging the area of her eye to the center of the screen. He moved the cursor gently in circles around her pupil.
“Look here. Thereâs a person inside her eye.”
Zhang Sanfeng leaned in, squinting for a long time before he finally caught a glimpse of a blurry, head-shaped object. He couldn’t help but be impressed. “Your eyesight is incredible. You could actually see something that flashed by so quickly.”
Jiang Si: “Perhaps you’ve heard the saying that among the seven apertures, only the eyes are the Pavilion of Clarity. A three-inch Pavilion of Clarity is the easiest place to attract ghosts and evil spirits.”
“Oh.” Zhang Sanfeng had a moment of realization.
Luo ShannĂź clapped in admiration. “Wow, little brother, youâre amazing. See that? Thatâs what you call putting knowledge to use.”
Jiang Si hadn’t forgotten her attempt on him. He replied with a thin smile, “If you all read more books, you could be this amazing too.”
Luo ShannĂź: “…”
Having insulted everyone equally, Jiang Si felt much better. Just as he was about to play the video again, a call came through.
After listening to the caller, Jiang Si couldn’t help but sigh. “Itâs about Yun Shu, right?”
“It is. Youâve seen the news?” Tong Yong lowered his voice. “Did you notice anything unusual?”
“A little.” Jiang Si was perfectly honest. “But I can’t see it clearly enough to identify the cause.”
“Then can you come over? Sheâs currently in the hospital ICU. The doctors say if things don’t improve, she might not even make it through the night.”
Jiang Si scanned the news on the screen. “Youâre in Sijiucheng?”
“Yes. Iâll arrange a flight immediately. Could you please try to help? There are so many frauds out there; youâre the only one I can trust. Yun Shu is a young girl, not even thirty yet. It would be such a pity if she died like this.”
Jiang Si looked out at the sky and hesitantly agreed. “Alright, I’ll head to the airport in a bit.”
“Great, great, great.”
Zhang Sanfengâs gossipy gaze was still fixed on him. Jiang Si stood up and instructed him, “Tonight, no matter what noises you hear, do not enter Gong Tianyeâs room. You can watch the surveillance, but you must not go inside.”
“Why?”
Jiang Si didn’t have time to explain further. “Just remember what I said. I’ll explain it to Shen Hu later.” He turned and hurried away, leaving a bewildered Zhang Sanfeng behind.
“Whatâs with him? Why the rush?”
“Idiot.” Luo ShannĂź unwrapped a lollipop. “Didn’t you see the news? Heâs rushing to the front lines of the gossip.”
“I guess that makes sense; he is a director himself.” Zhang Sanfeng slumped into the sofa. “How boring! When will this guarding of Gong Tianye ever end?”
Luo ShannĂźâs eyes flickered. With the lollipop in her mouth, a plan formed. She leaned in and whispered a few words in his ear. Zhang Sanfeng nodded muddledly and agreed to her proposal.
Jiang Si had just merged onto the highway when he noticed a passenger in his back seat through the rearview mirror.
Startled, he nearly swerved into another lane. After steadying the wheel, he asked in shock, “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to meet a big star too.” Luo ShannĂź took the lollipop out of her mouth, revealing a harmless smile.
“No way. If youâre gone, isn’t there one less person guarding Gong Tianye?”
“Don’t worry.” Luo ShannĂź was unconcerned. “I left a double there; nothing will happen. Besides, Zhang Sanfeng agreed to it.”
She met Jiang Siâs gaze in the rearview mirror with a grin. After a moment, Jiang Si helplessly called Tong Yong to request an additional ticket.
“Do you have identification?” Jiang Si asked her.
“Of course. The Celestial Masters Association issued it for me.”
Jiang Si sent her ID number to Tong Yong and waited for confirmation.
Yun Shuâs assistant was named Qiu Lingling. Her manager had arranged for her to stay at the bedside. Since Yun Shu hadn’t woken up, she had nothing to do and was scrolling through the latest news on her phone.
In the wake of Yun Shuâs incident, the top ten trending searches were all about her.
No one had cared about her when she was doing well, but now that she was unconscious in the hospital, the internet crowds were digging up footage from a variety show she did five years ago, scrutinizing it frame by frame. They even fixated on a snake-shaped tattoo sticker on her arm, claiming she loved playing with bizarre things.
They said she was finally suffering a ‘backlash.’
Some had even Photoshopped her face into a ‘snake-spirit’ shape and posted it in the comments to ask if she looked like a snake demon.
The comments below were filled with people laughing along.
“A bunch of idiots,” Qiu Lingling cursed under her breath. She looked up at the unresponsive Yun Shu in her hospital gown, then thought of the reporters outside who were desperate to sneak in just to snap a photo for traffic. It made her incredibly frustrated.
“A bunch of blood-sucking leeches, desperate to pick at someone’s bones. Bah, in their dreams.”
It was just after 11:00 PM. Realizing it would soon be midnight and noticing a cot nearby, she decided to use the bathroom and then go to sleep.
The lights in the hallway had been turned off, leaving only the eerie green glow of the emergency exit signs reflecting off the polished floor. The dark corridor felt even more hollow in the dim green light.
Qiu Lingling, her mind still filled with the hateful comments, stormed into the bathroom. The sharp smell of disinfectant hit her as she entered; she instinctively waved her hand to disperse the scent and walked past the two rows of stalls to the very last one.
At this hour, most people were asleep, and the bathroom was empty.
After finishing, she flushed and walked to the sink, only to freeze.
The mirror in front of her reflected a woman in a hospital gown.
Qiu Lingling was jolted awake, her whole body trembling as she turned to confirm what she saw. Fortunately, the woman was still there, her back to Qiu Lingling, as she walked unawares into one of the stalls.
Must be a patient from another ward.
Qiu Lingling clutched her chest and slowly regained her composure. Just as she convinced herself and reached for the door to leave, something felt wrong. That back view looked so familiar.
She had worked with Yun Shu for three years; she had reached the point where she could recognize her without even seeing her face.
That woman just now was clearly Yun Shu.
Yun Shu was awake!
Overjoyed, Qiu Lingling turned around and called out, “Sister, is that you? When did you wake up? How are you feeling now?”
A muffled grunt came from the stall, but there was no direct answer.
Thinking she might have fallen, Qiu Lingling hurried over to check. Before she could even exert force on the door handle, it opened on its own.
The woman inside stood perfectly straight with her head slightly bowed, nearly colliding with Qiu Lingling as she opened the door.
Long hair veiled half her face. In the moonlight filtering through the window, the woman’s face looked incredibly white and bloodless.
Qiu Lingling instinctively withdrew her hand, saying awkwardly, “IâI meant to knock.”
“It’s alright.” Yun Shu shook her head and reached out to grab her. Her hand was like a block of ice pressing against Qiu Linglingâs wrist, so cold it almost stung her skin.
“Iâm a bit dizzy; help me.”
Qiu Lingling nodded. “Sure, come out first.”
Yun Shu slowly moved her limbs and stepped out of the stall. Standing with her back to Qiu Lingling, she suddenly spoke again: “Lingling, my head hurts a little. Can you help me massage it?”
In the quiet bathroom, her voice was lighter than the moonlight, almost like a drifting breeze that could blow away the moment it was uttered.
“Of course.” Qiu Lingling agreed immediately, a look of joy spreading across her face.
This was wonderful. Yun Shu was fine. Tomorrow, those rumors would all be debunked, and she would still be that radiant Best Actress.
Qiu Lingling carefully raised her hands and pressed them against Yun Shuâs temples, gently kneading in circles.
She was about to ask if the pressure was alright.
Suddenly, she heard a crack.
Before Qiu Lingling could even react, she found herself holding Yun Shuâs head aloft.
She stood there, staring blankly at the long-haired head in her hands and the bare neck in front of her.
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