Chu Mingjia’s current body truly had nothing worth investigating. It was completely clean, she had never even received a single disciplinary notice throughout her school years.
She was simply a well-behaved girl.
The special department naturally had its own unconventional methods of investigation, but those too yielded no results. However, the matter of borrowing fortune was too significant, even the higher-ups in the special department had begun paying attention to it.
In the end, two staff members were assigned to accompany Chu Mingjia. However, they didn’t stay by her side but instead stationed themselves with the production crew, alongside Zhang Song and the others. By Chu Mingjia’s side remained only Jiang Mao and a driver named Liu Jun, who acted as her assistant.
Chu Mingjia didn’t return to the hotel until two days later. The moment she stepped through the entrance, Zhang Song blocked her way.
Zhang Song wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked at Chu Mingjia with a mixture of fear and reverence.
“Um, Mrs. Han, you’re back?”
Chu Mingjia glanced at him and nodded.
She had spent the past two days cooperating with the police and hadn’t rested well. It was now evening, and she was quite tired, she just wanted to sleep.
Zhang Song could see her intention. Nervously, he touched his thinning hair and decided to be direct. “Well, Mrs. Han, what I mean to say is… during the next live stream, could we maybe tone it down a bit?”
On the very first day of streaming, she had already communicated with non-human entities, dug up a grave in the middle of the night, exposed a top celebrity’s fortune-borrowing scandal, and ended up being taken to the police station. Zhang Song had no idea about the special department’s involvement, otherwise, he would have been even more anxious.
Although the show had become popular and Zhang Song was delighted, if this continued, he feared his heart wouldn’t be able to take it.
Chu Mingjia didn’t quite understand what he meant by “tone it down.” She answered honestly, “That depends on the clients who come next. Perhaps you could be more selective when screening guests.”
Zhang Song: “…”
The difficulty of the cases they brought and how far things would go were not up to her.
Take Xu Chen’s fortune-borrowing incident, for example, even she didn’t expect it to drag her into the mess. And now, she was still a ‘suspect’ in the eyes of the special department.
Zhang Song had no comeback.
“That… does make some sense.”
He laughed awkwardly and stepped aside. “Well then, Mrs. Han, please get some rest. There will be more clients coming tomorrow.”
In his mind, however, he thought: If their production team had the ability to screen guests properly, they wouldn’t have been overjoyed just to have Xu Chen join in the first place.
Meanwhile, the executive director had already been waiting there. She spoke nervously, “Um, Miss Chu, Mr. Han… you didn’t complete tonight’s task, so you have to… stay in the special rooms.”
In other words, the haunted rooms.
Han Fengchen: “!!!”
Chu Mingjia and Han Fengchen’s group had gone through such an ordeal, yet the masters from the other two groups seemed utterly unconcerned. True to their habits, they had gone to sleep or entered meditation early.
Only the female guest Luo Mengmeng felt a bit worried about Chu Mingjia and the others. Plus, since she was also part of this show, the eerie events happening to other groups frightened her as well.
But given her status in the industry, she didn’t dare to go talk to Han Fengchen. So she could only secretly browse the news online from her hotel room.
Chu Mingjia and Han Fengchen followed the staff to a resident’s home in the town.
This family lived in a self-built, detached two-story house with front and back yards. A couple, two elderly grandparents, and two daughters, six people in total, lived there.
This was one of the show’s client commissions, which was the second segment of the live stream: client requests.
The guests needed to help the client solve their problem in order to complete the task.
Chu Mingjia’s group was unlucky, they had to stay in the client’s haunted house. The production team was clearly determined not to let them sleep.
After escorting Chu Mingjia and the others to the house, the staff immediately hurried away. Their nervous demeanor made Han Fengchen even more anxious.
Watching this dark, unlit house, the live stream audience had already begun to feel scared.
【Why aren’t any lights on in this house? It looks terrifying.】
【Why did the staff run off so fast? Can’t they see how pale Chenchen’s face is?】
【Sister Chu has been busy all night, and the production team is being heartless, not even letting her sleep!】
……
Due to the Xu Chen incident, even though it was the middle of the night, a large number of viewers were still tuned into the live stream.
【Are these the two brave souls who went grave-digging in the countryside late at night?】
【The PR team for Xu Chen still hasn’t released a statement. Maybe they’ve already negotiated with the production crew, and tomorrow they’ll just explain it away as ‘scripted.’】
【Heh, maybe this is all just a mutually beneficial scripted stunt. Mrs. Han wants to break into showbiz, who would dare say no? Even a top star has to play the villain to support her.】
【The comment above must be one of Xu Chen’s brain-dead fans. Even after all this, you’re still defending him? Since you love him so much, why don’t you lend him your fortune?】
【These people sure don’t take the police very seriously.】
……
For the first time, the number of concurrent viewers in Chu Mingjia and Han Fengchen’s live stream exceeded ten million, and the popularity remained sky-high. Not only did the other two groups pale in comparison, but even the most popular influencers on the video platform couldn’t reach this level of viewership.
The video platform had previously looked down on the show Guess Where It Is, signing a contract with unfavorable terms. Now that the show had become a hit and Chu Mingjia’s live stream was this popular, the platform’s CEO personally called director Zhang Song in the dead of night.
“Old Zhang, are you free tomorrow? Let’s talk about a partnership.”
Zhang Song was crammed into the office with over a dozen crew members, managing the live stream. Another reason they were all there was that no one dared to sleep, everyone was too scared.
Zhang Song wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sighed. “Tomorrow probably won’t work. I need to go find some masters.”
Platform CEO: “…”
Fair enough.
“You really should bring in a few more masters,” the CEO said sincerely. “And make sure to stock up on protective talismans and artifacts too.”
Zhang Song: “…”
Did he need to be told? He had already arranged for that!
Chu Mingjia led Han Fengchen into the house, followed by Jiang Mao and the driver.
Having gone grave-digging in the countryside tonight, the driver felt that both his body and soul had been spiritually “opened.” When he received Zhang Song’s call asking him to assist Jiang Mao, he agreed without hesitation.
After all, Zhang Song had tripled his hourly wage.
Chu Mingjia entered the yard of the small house, found the light switch, and turned on the lights. The homeowners had arranged rooms for them on the first floor. The room was lit with a dim yellow night light. After everyone came in, Chu Mingjia found the room assigned to her and Han Fengchen.
The room was quite spacious. It had originally been the master bedroom, but after the haunting began, the couple had moved upstairs.
Han Fengchen turned on the room’s light and saw a pile of miscellaneous items stacked against one side. Against the other side stood a 1.5-meter-wide wooden bed, already made up with bedsheets that the production crew had laid out in advance.
Han Fengchen stood at the doorway, frowning.
It wasn’t that he minded the modest conditions, but the production crew had stipulated that they had to stay in the haunted room. That meant he would have to share this room with Chu Mingjia.
Thinking about his father, Han Fengchen felt it was somewhat inappropriate.
But then he thought about the haunting, and he immediately felt that he absolutely had to stay with Chu Mingjia!
Wuwuwu, sorry, Dad. To keep himself alive, he would have to spend the night with his father’s wife. He hoped his father would be magnanimous and not hold this little matter against him.
Chu Mingjia yawned and was the first to step into the room.
“Is this it?”
She glanced around and nodded. “Not bad.”
Han Fengchen: “…”
Han Fengchen pitifully stepped inside as well and asked, “Sis, are we sleeping together?”
Chu Mingjia: “…”
No sooner had the words left Han Fengchen’s mouth than he felt someone grab the back of his collar.
Jiang Mao tossed the camera to the driver, then lifted Han Fengchen out of the room with one hand.
Han Fengchen was shocked. “What are you doing?”
He kicked his legs in the air.
Seriously? Just because he was tall, he could bully people like this? What kind of staff did the production crew hire?
Jiang Mao’s fierce eyes were hidden beneath his peaked cap. He gave Han Fengchen a dark, heavy stare and said in a low voice, “Men and women should sleep separately. You’re with me.”
Han Fengchen: “???”
The staff had their own rooms, they weren’t sleeping here.
According to the production crew’s arrangement, only Han Fengchen and Chu Mingjia were supposed to sleep in this room tonight. Cameras had even been installed inside.
Han Fengchen very much wanted to leave, but he was loyal, he couldn’t just abandon Chu Mingjia here alone!
“No,” Han Fengchen said. “I can’t let my sister stay here by herself. I wouldn’t feel right about it.”
Jiang Mao: “…”
The driver couldn’t help but interject, “Even if you stay, it’s not like you’d be much help anyway.”
Han Fengchen’s face flushed slightly. “You, I, I’m a guest! What’s with you staff members? If there’s no penalty for not staying, then neither my sister nor I will sleep here. We’ll leave right now.”
The driver quickly shook his head. “No, no, no, the task still has to be completed. I didn’t say anything.”
The driver immediately shut his mouth.
It was late. Chu Mingjia had already washed up and was getting ready to sleep.
She hadn’t changed clothes, just lay down in the same outfit she had worn during the day. She cast a light glance at Jiang Mao, then said to Han Fengchen, “What’s with all the nonsense? Look at the time. Get over here and go to sleep.”
Han Fengchen immediately scurried in. “Sis, I’m coming! Where should I sleep?”
Chu Mingjia closed her eyes. “Wherever you want. Shut up and sleep.”
The room was cluttered with odds and ends. Han Fengchen looked around, the pride of being the Han family’s eldest son made him reluctant to sleep on the floor.
So he smoothed down his clothes and lay down fully dressed on the other side of the bed.
A mother and son sharing a bed for one night, what was the harm?
He thought to himself, feeling perfectly justified.
Meanwhile, Jiang Mao sat down on the sofa in the living room, his expression dark and brooding.
The driver didn’t know whether to stay or go. The director had told him to assist Jiang Mao, and now that Jiang Mao wasn’t leaving, he felt awkward leaving either.
He asked, “Mr. Jiang, are we sleeping here?”
Jiang Mao nodded.
The driver, intimidated by Jiang Mao’s fierce demeanor, didn’t dare ask any more questions. He simply lay down on the other sofa and closed his eyes to rest.
Jiang Mao glanced from time to time at the room where Chu Mingjia was sleeping, his expression dark and brooding. Several times, he couldn’t help but want to walk over, go inside, and drag Han Fengchen, who was sharing a bed with Chu Mingjia, out by the scruff of his neck.
But each time, he held himself back.
The Mountain Lord still hadn’t spoken to him. Until her anger subsided, he couldn’t afford to upset her further.
Jiang Mao had searched for the Mountain Lord for over a thousand years. Before she went into seclusion, she had instructed him to guard the shrine and protect Qishan. But he had failed.
Jiang Mao hung his head dejectedly, his heart beginning to race with anxiety once more.
The Mountain Lord was ignoring him again. Did that mean she no longer wanted him?
By now, it was 3 a.m., yet millions of viewers were still awake in the live stream. After Weibo was restored, they had gone to check out the gossip and curse out Xu Chen.
Then they had flooded back into Han Fengchen’s live stream to watch the group stay in the haunted house.
【Woohoo! Intense! Chenchen has really grown up, he actually slept with his stepmom (not really).】
【Han Jinfeng’s death stare, jpg.】
【LOL, I wonder what President Han will think when he finds out tomorrow. It’s like [1]“Cuckolded” means a man’s partner (usually his wife or girlfriend) has been unfaithful to him, often without him knowing. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2072820_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2072820_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });he’s been cuckolded, but also not really?】
【You people are all so dirty-minded. What’s wrong with a mother and son staying one night together? President Han definitely won’t mind! Right, honey? @Han Jinfeng.】
……
Chu Mingjia and Han Fengchen were staying in the haunted room, so the cameras hadn’t been turned off.
At 4 a.m., in the dead silence of the room, a sudden sound echoed: gulu gulu, gulu gulu, like something rolling around.
But the live stream audience couldn’t see anything.
【Help! I’m cramming for exams in the middle of the night, and this sound just scared me wide awake!!!】
【Calm down, calm down. It’s probably just the sound of something rolling. Maybe a beer bottle?】
【Since when does a beer bottle roll for a full minute after falling flat on the floor?】
【Could the camera be malfunctioning? How come Sister Chu and Chenchen aren’t reacting?】
【Is it possible… they can’t hear it?】
【Damn, that makes it even scarier, QAQ.】
The unknown object in the room continued rolling, the gulu gulu sound never ceasing.
A few minutes later, Han Fengchen suddenly stirred. Slowly, he began inching toward Chu Mingjia. On the 1.5-meter-wide bed, the two of them had originally been lying on opposite sides, with the blanket placed between them.
Now, Han Fengchen practically climbed over the mountain and crossed the ridge, shuffling right up next to Chu Mingjia. Pressing tightly against her, he kept his eyes closed and pitifully reached out to pat her arm.
Chu Mingjia had long since been woken up by the noise, but she was too exhausted to move and just wanted to lie there and rest a little longer. Now, with Han Fengchen fussing about, rest was out of the question.
She opened her eyes and turned to look at him impatiently. “What is it?”
Only when he heard Chu Mingjia speak did Han Fengchen dare to open his eyes. Looking utterly terrified, he said, “Sis, didn’t you hear that?”
Chu Mingjia closed her eyes again. “Hear what? No.”
Han Fengchen: “!!!”
Han Fengchen dove headfirst into the blanket, wrapping himself up tightly, while his hand remained firmly clutching Chu Mingjia’s sleeve.
Chu Mingjia tugged twice but couldn’t break free. Helpless, she let him be.
That said, it really was getting a bit too noisy.
Chu Mingjia was dead tired. She pulled out her phone and saw that it was only 3:30 a.m.
She put her phone down and was about to get out of bed when she saw a tall figure wearing a peaked cap step in through the doorway.
Jiang Mao had wanted to come in for a long time. But the Mountain Lord hadn’t woken up, so he hadn’t dared. The moment he heard Han Fengchen and Chu Mingjia talking, he couldn’t hold back any longer and walked right in.
Not that the bedroom door had been closed anyway.
As Jiang Mao entered, an invisible surge of fierce energy instantly filled the entire room.
The gulu gulu sound stopped immediately. In fact, in Chu Mingjia’s eyes, the little creature was now trembling, so nervous it looked like it was about to cry.
Jiang Mao walked straight to the window and stared at a certain spot beneath the bed.
To an ordinary person’s eyes, there was nothing there.
But Han Fengchen, peeking out from under the blanket, saw that a small ceramic jar had somehow appeared on the floor by the window.
The jar was about the size of a soccer ball, but slightly taller.
The small black jar was trembling.
Han Fengchen: “…”
The air fell silent for a few seconds. Chu Mingjia sighed and, without opening her eyes, said, “It’s just a jar ghost. Why are you bullying it?”
Han Fengchen: “…”
A jar ghost? What kind of thing was that?!
As soon as Chu Mingjia spoke, the fierce look in Jiang Mao’s eyes subsided slightly. He withdrew his oppressive aura, said nothing, and made no move, but he still stared at the jar ghost on the floor, clearly not intending to let it off easily.
By now, after the Lin Xiao incident, the live stream audience had grown much bolder. Some even had the energy to gossip.
【Who is this cool, tall man in the cap with the great physique? I need all his info within three minutes!】
【With a body like that and that kind of aura, could he be a surprise guest?】
【No way. Surprise guests come later. This is only the second day of streaming, and the production team hasn’t teased anyone.】
【Oh, isn’t he the cameraman who helped dig the grave tonight?】
……
During the grave-digging earlier, things had been too terrifying. On top of that, the driver holding the camera hadn’t been filming steadily, the footage was shaky, and the scene was dark. Many viewers hadn’t paid much attention to Jiang Mao.
But now it was different. The cameras inside the bedroom were very stable and clear, capturing Jiang Mao in sharp detail.
Jiang Mao was 1.9 meters tall, with a very solid and well-built physique. Even though his face wasn’t visible, his figure and cool, aloof demeanor alone attracted a large wave of fans who appreciated good looks.
【The cameraman seems to really listen to our Sister Chu. President Han, danger!】
【Chenchen, stop being such a coward! If you keep hiding under the blanket, your stepmom is going to get taken away!】
……
Han Fengchen got out of bed and stared nervously at the trembling jar. He whispered to Jiang Mao, “Um… what’s inside that thing—”
Suddenly, from the bottom of the small black jar, two round, chubby little legs emerged. Two chubby little arms also stretched out from the sides of the jar.
The little jar, now equipped with short little arms and legs, suddenly leaped onto the windowsill. Using all four limbs, it scrambled and rolled clumsily yet swiftly, pushed open the window, and jumped out.
Han Fengchen: “???”
For a long moment, Han Fengchen couldn’t process what he had just seen. Those chubby little hands and legs had looked very much like a baby’s, but attached to a pitch-black jar?
Han Fengchen stood there dumbfounded, completely stunned.
The live stream audience couldn’t see anything and grew frantic.
【What’s wrong with Chenchen? What’s that expression? I’m so anxious!】
【He must have seen something he shouldn’t again. So why can Chenchen see these things?】
【Judging by his expression, this time it’s not as terrifying as before!】
……
Lying in bed, Chu Mingjia finally had some peace. She turned on her side, pulled the blanket over herself, and went to sleep.
Han Fengchen stood by the bed. Jiang Mao stood by the window. The two exchanged a glance. Jiang Mao’s eyes were dark and gloomy. He looked up at Han Fengchen, his fierce aura seeping out.
Meeting Jiang Mao’s gaze, Han Fengchen felt his hair stand on end.
Under the dim yellow light, Han Fengchen clearly saw Jiang Mao’s heterochromatic eyes, one black, one blue, both filled with a menacing ferocity. Han Fengchen even had the feeling that Jiang Mao might do something to him.
Han Fengchen took a step back, his voice stammering. “Wh-what are you doing?”
Jiang Mao lowered his eyes, turned, and walked out of the room. As he passed Han Fengchen, he said, “You. Go sleep outside.”
Han Fengchen instinctively asked, “What about you?”
Jiang Mao glanced up at him without a word and walked out.
Han Fengchen sensed that Jiang Mao’s mood seemed a bit low?
Han Fengchen was exhausted and needed rest. Now, watching Chu Mingjia sleep under the blanket, he realized that even with the blanket between them and the live stream audience watching, it wasn’t really appropriate for him to share the bed with her.
He scratched his head. The jar ghost had run away, so the room probably wouldn’t be haunted anymore. He might actually get a good night’s sleep tonight.
The driver had already taken one of the sofas in the living room. He was sleeping soundly, even snoring. Jiang Mao, meanwhile, sat on a chair close to the bedroom, looking at his phone in silence.
Han Fengchen was a bit intimidated by Jiang Mao. Not daring to say a word, he simply lay down on the other sofa, pulled out his phone, and started playing games.
It was shaping up to be another sleepless night.
Chu Mingjia, on the other hand, slept soundly through the night until eight o’clock the next morning.
Jiang Mao went out early to buy breakfast. Although the town was small, it had a wide variety of traditional Chinese breakfast options.
He bought soy milk, cow’s milk, and milk tea, as well as buns, fried dough sticks, noodle soup, egg pancakes, and more. The spread filled the entire table.
Han Fengchen, who hadn’t slept all night, sat with dark circles under his eyes, staring at the steaming breakfast and drooling.
The production crew was supposed to provide three meals a day. The food Jiang Mao brought back was likely purchased with the crew’s approval. But since Jiang Mao hadn’t said a word, Han Fengchen didn’t dare to eat.
The driver woke up, went outside to the yard to wash his face at the outdoor faucet, then came back in. He asked Jiang Mao, “Mr. Jiang, is this breakfast for us?”
Jiang Mao glanced at him, paused for a few seconds, and then said, “It’s for the guests.”
The driver was taken aback. He scratched his head. “Oh… okay. Then I’ll go out and buy breakfast for the two of us. What would you like, Mr. Jiang?”
Jiang Mao shook his head.
As the driver turned to leave, Han Fengchen immediately jumped up and said, “Brother! Brother, brother, brother, get me some soy milk, buns, and fried dough sticks. I’ll transfer you the money.”
The driver: “…”
The driver looked at the table full of food, then back at Han Fengchen.
Wasn’t Han Fengchen the biggest guest of them all?
Just as Han Fengchen was about to explain, Chu Mingjia came out after washing up. She glanced at the food on the table. Starving, she couldn’t resist, she picked up a glass of milk, took a sip, and looked at Han Fengchen and the others. “Why aren’t you eating?”
Han Fengchen glanced nervously at Jiang Mao. “Am I worthy?”
Chu Mingjia: “???”
The driver: “…”
Jiang Mao ignored them. He grabbed a cup of soy milk and a meat bun, walked over to the sofa, sat down, and began eating in silence.
The driver: “…”
Chu Mingjia called out again, and Han Fengchen immediately rushed over. He was starving, free food was free food.
Everyone present was focused on eating breakfast, but the live stream audience had already moved on to discussing how many green hats President Han might be wearing.
【If this cameraman doesn’t have feelings for Sister Chu, I’ll chop off my head.】
【Wuwuwu, who wouldn’t like Sister Chu? Starting today, Sister Chu is my husband!】
【Too bad Sister Chu already has a CEO husband. This ship is doomed to sink.】
……
Although everyone had a favorable impression of Jiang Mao and really liked his physique and demeanor, Chu Mingjia’s current husband, Han Jinfeng, was no ordinary man. He was a titan in the business world, the head of a top-tier wealthy family, a tech mogul, and only 36 years old. Even though he already had a 17-year-old son, that son got along surprisingly well with Chu Mingjia.
With such a harmonious family, no matter how outstanding Jiang Mao was, there was no room for him to step in!
The audience could only sigh with regret, no one genuinely thought Jiang Mao and Chu Mingjia could ever be a thing.
Jiang Mao, reading the comments, felt even worse.
Back when he and the Mountain Lord were on Qishan, that so-called CEO hadn’t even been a speck on the map.
And now, he had the audacity to be the Mountain Lord’s husband? Was he worthy?
……
After breakfast, the live stream officially resumed at 9 a.m. Normally, this time of day saw a drop in viewers, but the popularity of Chu Mingjia’s live stream hadn’t decreased at all. On the contrary, ever since Xu Chen’s fortune-borrowing scandal broke last night, her viewership had been rising steadily with no sign of slowing down.
The homeowner, who had submitted the request, finally appeared.
The client was a middle-aged woman in her forties named Liu Hong. She was slightly plump, with a yellowish face tinged with black and heavy dark circles under her eyes, clear signs that she had been haunted by ghostly energy.
It was Liu Hong’s own decision to approach the production crew for help, because she was the only one experiencing these strange events. Her husband, her in-laws, and her two daughters had never heard the strange gulu gulu sound.
Sitting on her own sofa, Liu Hong appeared somewhat nervous in front of the camera.
“This has been going on for a long time, almost a year now.”
Liu Hong spoke with some agitation. “Every night in the middle of the night, I’m woken up by the sound of a bottle rolling around. But when I get up to look, I find nothing. Out of fear, I replaced every glass bottle and jar in the house. But still, the sound comes every single night.”
Han Fengchen thought of the ceramic jar from last night, the one with arms and legs, and couldn’t help asking, “After you moved upstairs, did you still hear the sound?”
Liu Hong said painfully, “Yes! Still right under my bed. Every night, without fail. Oh, and—”
She suddenly remembered something and said, “I also often hear the sound of a child running barefoot in the middle of the night.”
Han Fengchen: “…”
Great. The sound of a child running barefoot, he could already picture it.
As the invited helpers, Chu Mingjia and Han Fengchen listened. Han Fengchen opened his mouth, hesitated, and wrestled with himself for a long time, but couldn’t bring himself to say what he had seen the night before.
After all, he wasn’t sure if Liu Hong would believe him.
Han Fengchen looked at Chu Mingjia.
Right in front of the live stream, Chu Mingjia asked without any hesitation, “You said earlier, how many children do you have?”
Liu Hong was taken aback, then answered, “Two. I have two daughters.”
Over the years, she and her husband had really wanted a son, but no matter how hard they tried, they hadn’t succeeded. She had taken a lot of traditional Chinese medicine to regulate her body, but still no results.
She just couldn’t get pregnant.
However, Chu Mingjia shook her head and looked directly at Liu Hong. “That’s not possible. You should have three children.”
Liu Hong was first startled, then her eyes lit up with surprise and delight. “Really? Master, can I still have another child? Since you’re so powerful, could you calculate for me, would the third child be a boy?”
References[+]