Chu Mingjia and Han Fengchen’s live stream didn’t officially resume until the next day.
Chu Mingjia didn’t expect that her decision to hitch a ride with the production crew to visit her sacred mountain, simply because she was unfamiliar with this world, would end up unraveling so many things.
Her current body was different from before. Her divine power had not yet recovered. In fact, she was now weaker than Jiang Mao, who had already lost half of his strength.
After two days of being busy, she felt exhausted. She ended up sleeping for an entire day and night. When she woke up, she sat on the bed, feeling a bit dazed.
She had gone to sleep around five or six in the morning. Now, waking up at the same hour, she wondered: had she just fallen asleep and gotten up again?
Chu Mingjia sat there in a daze for a while, then suddenly saw the door to her hotel room open. Jiang Mao walked in.
He hadn’t slept at all. He had been standing guard outside Chu Mingjia’s door the entire time. Because she had slept so long and so deeply, he grew very anxious. He secretly picked the lock on her door, stood at the entrance, and peeked inside. Only after confirming that Chu Mingjia was still breathing did he finally relax.
Chu Mingjia looked at him, then at the little jar ghost perched on Jiang Mao’s head. After a brief silence, she asked, “Aren’t you going to rest?”
Only then did Jiang Mao step inside. He said quietly, “I’ve rested.”
Just then, Han Fengchen burst through the door, a bun in his hand. He looked at Chu Mingjia and exclaimed, “Sis! You slept for so long!”
Chu Mingjia: “…”
“Sis, big trouble!” Han Fengchen said, panicking.
In his panic, he still took a bite of his bun before continuing, “My dad is coming!”
Chu Mingjia: “…”
Beside her, Jiang Mao’s already low aura visibly darkened.
Chu Mingjia took out her phone and realized how long she had slept. It had been two days since they left Liu Hong’s house. Her phone showed two missed calls from “Mr. Han.”
The wandering Taoist who had conspired with Song Xi to deceive Song Gui had been caught, but there was still no news about the buyer who had ordered him to do it.
Chu Mingjia stared at her phone, dazed for another two seconds, then looked up at Han Fengchen. “What did you just say? Who is coming?”
Han Fengchen: “…”
The live stream audience was laughing hysterically. With the mention of Han Fengchen’s father, the stream’s popularity skyrocketed, surpassing ten million viewers and still climbing.
【Sister Chu hasn’t even woken up yet, and President Han is already on his way. And she didn’t even answer his call.】
【LOL, I’m dying. Chenchen didn’t answer either. When he saw the incoming call, he spit out his milk, his face was full of terror.】
【Gotta admit, Chenchen is really afraid of his dad. But Sister Chu looks so calm about it.】
【An older husband with a young wife, of course Sister Chu has the right to be spoiled.】
【Emmm… but Han Jinfeng is only in his thirties, not even forty. That’s not old, right?】
……
Han Jinfeng was indeed not old. On the contrary, in the business world, his age was considered very young. At just thirty-seven, he was the head of a top-tier wealthy family in Nancheng. That spoke volumes about his status and influence.
Countless women secretly envied Chu Mingjia. She had no prestigious background, no impressive academic credentials, she was just an ordinary girl, no different from any other student.
Apart from her face, there was really nothing remarkable about her.
And yet, this ordinary girl had somehow leaped onto a high branch, becoming the wife of the head of a top-tier wealthy family. Everyone who heard it said she was simply born under a lucky star.
Chu Mingjia washed up, got dressed, and walked out of the bedroom. Han Fengchen was sitting on the sofa, while Jiang Mao and Liu Jun stood to the side, their cameras already on and pointed at them.
After Chu Mingjia sat down, Han Fengchen dutifully brought her milk and a sandwich. He also offered her his favorite meat buns, handing two to her with an ingratiating smile. “Sis, eat first. Let’s fill our stomachs, then we can figure out how to deal with my dad.”
Chu Mingjia: “…”
She took a sip of milk and hesitated. “Isn’t your dad supposed to be on a business trip?”
Hadn’t he gone out of the province or even overseas? He was supposed to be away for a week. They had only been on the show for three or four days. How had he already flown back?
Han Fengchen lowered his voice. “Sis, do you have any idea how popular our live stream is right now?”
He glanced toward the camera and said dramatically, “Ever since you started streaming with me, our stream has dominated the top five trending topics! From day one until now, we haven’t dropped off once.”
He lowered his voice even more. “Other people trying to buy trending spots can only aim for sixth place or lower. The top five are too expensive. It’s way too hard to push us down.”
Then, with a particularly smug tone, he shook his head and sighed. “Sigh, I didn’t want to be this famous. But what can I do? I have a stepmom, and they don’t.”
Chu Mingjia: “…”
Chu Mingjia had just taken a bite of the bun when the show’s director, Zhang Song, hurried over, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. He didn’t dare step into the live stream frame. Instead, he stood beside Jiang Mao and said to Chu Mingjia, “Mrs. Han, Mr. Han is here. He wants to see you.”
Chu Mingjia nodded. “Alright. Let me finish eating first.”
Zhang Song: “…”
He replied respectfully, “Of course, of course. Take your time.”
Offending President Han would only mean financial constraints, but offending Chu Mingjia could have unpredictable consequences.
Zhang Song wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling the low-pressure aura beside him. He turned and saw Jiang Mao’s dark expression.
Zhang Song: “…”
He immediately retreated several steps and hurried away.
Chu Mingjia was relatively easy to talk to, but Jiang Mao was not. Zhang Song only knew that Jiang Mao was a skilled cameraman, brave enough not to fear haunted mountains. He had no idea that Jiang Mao was anything but ordinary, someone willing to dig up graves. Obviously, he was also involved in the mystical arts.
Not someone to offend. Best to keep a safe distance.
By the time Chu Mingjia finished breakfast, Han Jinfeng had already been working in the private room for an hour, accompanied by his secretary and assistant.
Chu Mingjia glanced at Han Fengchen, who was lying motionless in the corner pretending to be dead, and decided to go see Han Jinfeng herself.
This would be her first formal meeting with her contractually married husband since transmigrating into this body.
No one knew about the contract, least of all Jiang Mao. All he knew was that this man surnamed Han was the Mountain Lord’s husband.
Just thinking that the Mountain Lord already had a husband drove him mad with jealousy.
Jiang Mao followed behind with his camera, but Chu Mingjia opened the door to the private room and closed it, leaving Jiang Mao outside.
Given Han Jinfeng’s status, he would never agree to be live-streamed.
When Chu Mingjia entered, Han Jinfeng’s assistant walked to the door to stand guard. His secretary stayed inside, pulling up a chair for Chu Mingjia and pouring her a cup of tea.
Han Jinfeng was dressed in a gray suit, wearing rimless glasses. His skin was fair, his features handsome and sharp. Han Fengchen resembled him about sixty to seventy percent.
Han Jinfeng was thirty-seven years old, but he looked as though he were still in his twenties, very young. Before this, with Han Fengchen constantly calling him “old man,” Chu Mingjia had assumed Han Jinfeng was much older.
Han Jinfeng took off his glasses, closed his laptop, and looked at Chu Mingjia with a serious expression. “Madam, I believe you owe me an explanation.”
His commanding presence was indeed extraordinary. But Chu Mingjia was no ordinary person. Holding her teacup, she took a slow sip before replying, “Mr. Han, didn’t you tell me to handle this matter?”
He called her “Madam,” but she called him “Mr. Han.”
Behind him, Han Jinfeng’s female secretary raised an eyebrow slightly. Han Jinfeng turned to her. “You may leave.”
The secretary’s face tightened, she had just stumbled upon something she probably shouldn’t know! She quickly fled.
Once the secretary was gone, Han Jinfeng sighed softly, looking at Chu Mingjia with a hint of helplessness. “I didn’t expect your idea of ‘handling it’ would be to bring him to Qishan for a live stream.”
Han Jinfeng had always been polite to Chu Mingjia. He was busy with work and rarely at home, so they weren’t even familiar with each other. They had only shared a few meals together.
But because of Han Fengchen, he had always respected her. However, regarding the live stream, Han Jinfeng was somewhat displeased.
His expression turned stern. “You know Fengchen’s condition. He can’t go to places like this, otherwise, he’ll easily see those things.”
As a child, Han Fengchen had often seen strange things. He was too young at the time to remember, but as his father, Han Jinfeng remembered it all too clearly.
Chu Mingjia looked at Han Jinfeng. “Mr. Han, since you’re aware of Han Fengchen’s condition, then you should understand that running away from it is useless.”
Han Jinfeng frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Doesn’t the Han Group have a royal court mystic? Did he only tell you that Han Fengchen has a light fate, but not that his fortune is also very good?”
Han Jinfeng: “…”
Fortune? He suddenly thought of the fortune-borrowing incidents that had been all over the trending news the past couple of days.
Chu Mingjia continued, “You must have heard about the two fortune-borrowing cases discovered recently. The girl was born at noon, the boy at midnight. What about Han Fengchen? If I’m not mistaken, he was also born at midnight, wasn’t he?”
Han Jinfeng’s expression grew grave. “What are you trying to say?”
Chu Mingjia shook her head. “I haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not certain. But based on Han Fengchen’s fate trigram, he is indeed very likely to be a target for fortune-borrowing.”
“You sent him abroad before. I assume that was on the mystic’s advice?”
Han Jinfeng nodded. “Yes. Later, when Fengchen wanted to return to the country, Mr. Qin helped us find you. He said your fate could suppress evil spirits. As long as you stayed by his side, he could come back.”
At the time, Han Jinfeng had only been worried about Han Fengchen being haunted by evil spirits. He had never imagined that fortune-borrowing could be involved behind the scenes.
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Han Jinfeng broke out in a cold sweat. If not for Mr. Qin’s warning back then, and if he hadn’t sent Han Fengchen abroad, who knew what situation they might be facing now?
He thought of Lin Xiao and Liu Hong’s child, both had been set up by those closest to them, harmed, and died without ever knowing the truth.
Han Jinfeng immediately reached for his phone to call Mr. Qin, but then he glanced at Chu Mingjia.
Her abilities had exceeded his expectations. Back when they had entered into their contractual marriage, Chu Mingjia had never displayed this kind of confidence and strategic composure.
Still, those in the mystical arts had their own rules. Since Chu Mingjia hadn’t revealed her abilities, Han Jinfeng didn’t intend to pry.
He paused for a moment, then put his phone down and asked, “What should we do about Fengchen going forward? Do you have any suggestions?”
Chu Mingjia replied, “Until this matter is resolved, let him stay with me.”
Han Jinfeng looked at her, thought for a moment, and surprisingly didn’t question her. He simply nodded. “Alright. But I’ll arrange for a few more people to come and protect you.”
Chu Mingjia agreed. That concluded their conversation. As she was leaving, she hesitated for a moment but ultimately said nothing about the contract.
Han Fengchen was seventeen now. The contract stipulated that their marriage would end on Han Fengchen’s eighteenth birthday, the day he came of age.
That was still a year away. No rush.
After Chu Mingjia left, Han Jinfeng immediately arranged to meet with Mr. Qin.
He trusted Chu Mingjia’s words, but he trusted the Han Group’s royal court mystic even more.
When Chu Mingjia stepped out of the private room, she saw Jiang Mao standing to the side with a dark expression. Han Fengchen had already been called over by Han Jinfeng’s assistant, the father and son likely had things to discuss as well.
Chu Mingjia glanced at Jiang Mao’s dejected expression, ignored him, and headed straight for the restroom.
Jiang Mao lowered his head and silently followed behind her, looking like a big dog abandoned by its owner.
With no live stream at the moment, Chu Mingjia stopped walking and asked quietly, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Mao ground his teeth. “He’s not worthy of the Mountain Lord.”
Chu Mingjia: “…”
She shot him a glance. “Why are you concerning yourself with that? You couldn’t even guard the mountain properly, yet you love poking your nose into other people’s business.”
Jiang Mao: “…”
Jiang Mao sulkily shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.
After coming out of the restroom, Chu Mingjia returned to her hotel room.
Not long after, Han Fengchen came bouncing in. He gave Chu Mingjia an exaggerated wink. “Sis, you’re amazing! My dad didn’t even scold me, he told me to listen to you and do a good job with the live stream!”
It seemed Han Jinfeng hadn’t told Han Fengchen the truth.
Chu Mingjia glanced at him but didn’t say anything. Just then, the show’s production assistant walked in, looking a bit sheepish. “Um, Sister Chu, Chenchen, we’ve had a day of rest. Today, we need to start the next mission.”
Although the masterminds behind the Lin Xiao and jar ghost cases had yet to be found, that was now a matter for the police and the special department. Chu Mingjia and Han Fengchen’s live stream still had to continue.
Livestream chat: 【Aw, I thought we’d get to see President Han. He didn’t even show up; sad dog sigh jpg.】
【Judging by Sister Chu and Chenchen’s expressions, President Han doesn’t seem like the difficult type. I thought they might fight on stream and trend again.】
【Who cares about some CEO? I just want to see Sister Chu dominate! Hurry up with the new mission!】
【Exactly. A CEO is nowhere near as exciting as Sister Chu digging up graves at midnight.】
【It’s obvious they wouldn’t fight. A master like Sister Chu, even a CEO would have to bow down to her like a little brother.】
……
The audience eagerly awaited the mission announcement. But just as the assistant took out the mission card, Chu Mingjia’s phone rang again.
She thought it might be Han Jinfeng, but when she looked, it was an unfamiliar number.
Han Fengchen leaned in. “Is it my dad?”
Chu Mingjia shook her head. She said to the assistant, “Sorry, I need to take this.”
The assistant naturally didn’t dare object. “Of course, of course. Go ahead, Sister Chu.”
She answered the call. After a couple of seconds, a young teenage boy’s hesitant voice came through. “Hello, um… are you… Sister Chu?”
Chu Mingjia raised an eyebrow. “Yes. Is something wrong at home?”
The boy paused, then said in surprise, “Yes, how did you know?”
Chu Mingjia replied, “Didn’t I tell you when I gave you my card? If something happens at home, remember to call me.”
The boy on the other end was exactly the one she had met on the first night of the live stream. She had helped him find his sister back then, but she knew that the trouble at his home hadn’t been fully resolved.
Now that he was taking the initiative to call her, it seemed whatever was happening at home could no longer be kept hidden.
Chu Mingjia said, “Send me your home address. We’ll head over now.”
The boy said gratefully, “Okay, okay, Sister Chu. I’ll send you a text right away.”
After hanging up, the boy quickly sent his address. Chu Mingjia looked at the production assistant. “Is this mission urgent? If not, I’ll handle it this afternoon and come back to do yours.”
The assistant: “…”
When it came to supernatural matters, how could one say whether it was urgent or not? The assistant could only say it depended on fate.
Since the boy had reached out to Chu Mingjia, she had to go check on his home first.
The assistant immediately stepped aside. “Sister Chu, no rush. You go ahead.”
Chu Mingjia put on a baseball cap, picked up her insulated water bottle, and led Han Fengchen out.
Livestream chat: 【Gotta admit, Sister Chu is truly brave. The other two masters brought all sorts of protective charms, ghost-measuring rulers, wooden swords, yellow talismans. Sister Chu just has a water bottle.】
【The other groups’ missions are going smoothly too, but none are as intense as Sister Chu’s!】
【After all, Sister Chu knows how to dig up graves; facepalm jpg.】
……
When Chu Mingjia and Han Fengchen arrived at the boy’s house, Han Fengchen still remembered him. After all, they had met him on the first day of the live stream, back when Han Fengchen had been in the alley and got scared by the boy’s sister.
Han Fengchen lowered his voice. “Sis, is his sister missing again?”
If she disappeared every now and then, it would indeed be a headache for her brother.
Chu Mingjia shook her head. “I don’t know.”
She couldn’t calculate everything. She would have to go see for herself.
The boy’s home was in the suburbs of Qishan County, an old, gray-tiled house. These days, families with a bit of money would tear down old houses and build small multi-story buildings. Living in such an old house usually meant the family wasn’t well off.
The whole area was filled with similar old houses. The alleys were narrow, a bit damp, and littered with trash.
When Chu Mingjia arrived, the boy was standing at the corner of the alley. He was still wearing his blue-and-white school uniform, but the hem was stained with brown soup. Getting closer, one could smell the strong aroma of instant noodles.
The boy’s name was Chen Ming. He was only sixteen years old, in his third year of middle school. He lived with his father and his younger sister.
His father was an alcoholic, and his sister had autism. After finishing his third year of middle school, he would likely have to drop out.
Chen Ming and Han Fengchen were about the same age. Han Fengchen, seventeen, was already in his second year of high school. He was taller than Chen Ming and had fairer skin. Dressed in brand-name clothes, standing across from Chen Ming, he looked somewhat awkward.
It was the first time Han Fengchen had come into contact with a peer from the lower rungs of society. Their lives were far worse than he had ever imagined.
But the boy didn’t seem to care about any of that. He barely even glanced at Han Fengchen. His expression was anxious as he looked at Chu Mingjia, his voice filled with both urgency and guilt. “Sister Chu, Xiao Yun has disappeared again.”
After Chen Ming received Chu Mingjia’s help last time, he had saved her phone number. His phone was so old and slow that he couldn’t possibly watch live streams, so he had no idea how famous Chu Mingjia had become or about the trending topics.
This time, Xiao Yun’s disappearance was even more alarming than before, because his father was also acting strangely.
Chu Mingjia nodded calmly, reassuring him, “Don’t worry. Take me to your home first.”
Chen Ming immediately led Chu Mingjia and the others into the alley.
The alley was bumpy and uneven, with puddles in some of the hollows. Han Fengchen, wearing his limited-edition sneakers, walked carefully.
The boy’s house was near the back of the alley. Several middle-aged women stood at the entrance. When they saw Chen Ming return, they began to speak.
“Xiao Ming, you’re back? See? There are no overnight grudges in a family. You were just fighting with your father, that’s not right, you know?”
“Exactly. Look at all this trash on the ground. Go clean it up. You spilled your father’s meal.”
“No matter how bad a father is, he’s still your father. As a son, you can’t be so unfilial.”
Chen Ming’s face tightened. He ignored these nosy neighbors.
But Han Fengchen couldn’t hold back. He turned to Chu Mingjia and said, “Sis, why don’t you do a divination? See if these old ladies are having an affair with his dad. Why else would they care so much about their father-son relationship? What’s it to them how the son behaves? It’s not like they’re going to support him in his old age.”
Everyone: “…”
Chu Mingjia couldn’t help but smile. Chen Ming turned to look at Han Fengchen and also cracked a smile. His skin was tanned dark by the sun, but when he smiled, his teeth were very white, and he had two dimples. He said, “You’ve got a point. I’ll ask him when I get back.”
The middle-aged women’s faces turned green. They let out a “pfft” and started cursing.
“Who would want that drunkard? He couldn’t even carry my shoes.”
“Exactly. No good deed goes unpunished. Forget it, let’s go.”
Muttering to themselves, the women walked off but didn’t go far. They lingered at a distance, watching to see what the people Chen Ming had brought were up to.
As soon as Chen Ming got home, he awkwardly grabbed a mop and said to Chu Mingjia and the others, “Sorry, let me clean up the floor first.”
He had just been arguing with his father. The floor was covered in instant noodles, and the table was knocked over, a complete mess. He hadn’t wanted to come back at all, but his sister was missing, and Chu Mingjia had said she wanted to see his home.
Chu Mingjia and the others stood at the door, watching as Chen Ming swept the noodles into a trash bag and mopped the floor twice.
Just then, a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard walked out of the back room, wearing a yellowed undershirt.
He had a bottle of beer in his hand and was cursing under his breath. “Damn it. Didn’t you say you weren’t coming back? Why’d you crawl back? If you’ve got any guts, don’t come back. Go sleep on the street.”
Chen Ming’s face was cold and dark. He straightened up, still holding the mop. Staring at his father, his eyes turned red. “Why can’t I come back? You still haven’t told me, where did you abandon Xiao Yun?”
The man said impatiently, “I told you, I just went out to buy something this afternoon. When I got back, she was gone. What’s that got to do with me?”
Chen Ming threw down the mop and screamed hysterically, “That’s exactly what you said last time!”
But last time, many people had seen him personally leading Xiao Yun by the hand and leaving her on Qishan Mountain.
If Chen Ming hadn’t skipped work that day and come home early, Xiao Yun might have spent the night on the mountain, with unimaginable consequences.
The man showed no guilt at all. He snorted. “I don’t have to explain myself to you. You’re not the boss of me.”
He took a swig of beer, sat down on the sofa, and put on an arrogant tone. “I’ve got a rich girlfriend now. Big house, luxury car, servants everywhere. My life is only getting better. I won’t need you anymore. If you want to leave, leave. Just don’t get in my way.”
Everyone present: “…”
Chen Ming looked at the man with disgust in his eyes.
Han Fengchen couldn’t help muttering, “Sheesh, I wouldn’t even dare say I have a rich girlfriend, and he…”
The live stream audience was equally shocked:
【Alcohol really is something else. Drink it, and you have everything; dog head jpg.】
【That poor kid. To have a father like that, he must have been cursed for eight generations.】
【I wonder if he can accept donations? I’d be willing to sponsor his education.】
【Am I the only one who finds this drunkard weird? He doesn’t sound like he’s lying.】
【If Sister Chu is paying attention, there’s definitely something off. I’m guessing the drunkard abandoned his autistic daughter and is now being haunted by his dead wife!】
【How do you know his wife is dead? Maybe she left him because of domestic abuse or something?】
……
The live stream audience buzzed with speculation. Han Fengchen put himself in Chen Ming’s shoes and thought that if his own father were like that, he’d probably end up beating the old man to death.
Just then, the little jar ghost, who had been perched on Jiang Mao’s head for the past couple of days, cautiously poked his head out. His expression was one of fear. In a low voice, he said, “Mountain Lord, let’s go, let’s go quickly. Something doesn’t feel right here.”
Jiang Mao handed the camera to Liu Jun and asked quietly, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Mao himself hadn’t sensed anything unusual, but the jar ghost was clearly very nervous.
The jar ghost had been wandering around this area for several years. He knew the local situation better than Jiang Mao and the others.
In a very small voice, the jar ghost said, “I’ve been around here before. I saw a night-wandering spirit get beaten to death.”
After saying this, the jar ghost’s body trembled. He was genuinely terrified.
Only a fierce god or a malevolent spirit could kill a night-wandering spirit. The little jar ghost looked like he was about to cry.