Luo Huai fidgeted with his fingers, secretly nursing a small hope as he looked at Zhong Jiudao. “Director Zhong... do you think... I could join your company?”

 

“Then I’ll be going too.” Qian Duoqun, knowing he had messed up, took two steps backward, ready to make a run for it.

“Stop.” Zhong Jiudao’s voice rang out, his anger tightly restrained.

Qian Duoqun pulled a miserable face. “How was I supposed to know there’d be that thing in your room? Out of everyone in this film crew—human or otherwise—who would ever dare go into your room? If I’d known there was an outsider ghost, I would’ve told you Luo Huai was with me before we came in.”

Zhong Jiudao reminded himself not to get angry. Being a director was difficult. Being a poor director was even more difficult. Being a poor director whose cast consisted of non-humans was especially difficult. When unexpected situations arose, he had to stay calm. Otherwise, what else could he do?

“I’m not angry,” Zhong Jiudao said evenly. “I just want to give you something.”

He took a paper box from his room and stuffed it into Qian Duoqun’s hands. “If anything comes up in the future, have it notify me first. I’ll tell it to stay invisible at all times. No one except you will be able to see it.”

“What is this thi— Ahhh!”

Qian Duoqun opened the box. Inside, the pair of eyeballs was staring at him as intently as ever.

“Off you go.” Zhong Jiudao pushed Qian Duoqun out the door, shut it behind him, and left him to coexist peacefully with the eyeballs.

Qian Duoqun was on the verge of tears. All he could do was carry the eyeballs back to his room, drawing upon the extraordinary social skills he had honed through years in the entertainment industry, and greet them as amicably as possible.

“Hi~... The longer I look at you, the cuter you actually are. Soft and squishy, too.”

While Qian Duoqun was "living together harmoniously" with the eyeballs, Zhong Jiudao kept searching for an opportunity to explain things to Luo Huai.

The situation the previous night had been so embarrassingly awkward that it felt impossible to explain, no matter how many mouths he had.

So Zhong Jiudao decided to first mend their relationship.

He bought the exact same brand of molten cheese cakes that Luo Huai loved, and also prepared a new contract raising Luo Huai's pay to 100,000 yuan, intending both to replace the cakes and give him a salary increase.

After all, Luo Huai had rendered outstanding service by helping them secure a first-rate composer for free. Combined with how pitifully low his original salary had been, Zhong Jiudao wanted to compensate all the human actors now that his finances had improved.

Just look at them—every single one of them had been frightened until their faces were pale and sickly. It would be unreasonable not to make it up to them.

When Zhong Jiudao handed Luo Huai the box of molten cheese cakes, Luo Huai beamed. “It’s my favorite brand! Thank you, Director Zhong. Then I won’t be polite.”

Seeing that Luo Huai wasn't avoiding him because of what had happened the previous night, Zhong Jiudao finally relaxed enough to take out the contract.

The moment Luo Huai read it, however, his expression changed dramatically.Looking utterly betrayed, he said, “Director Zhong, what kind of person do you think I am? I was the one who accidentally discovered your secret. I'm the one who should apologize! Even if you never said anything, I would never tell anyone. Please... don't treat me like this.”

With a mournful face, he ran off—still clutching the box of molten cheese cakes in his arms.

Zhong Jiudao: “...”

He had accepted the cake happily enough. So why did offering him a raise make him change his expression?

From then on, Luo Huai began avoiding Zhong Jiudao. Other than during work, he absolutely refused to spend time alone with him. This continued until Pang Xinhao and the other human actors finished filming.

On the night they wrapped, Luo Huai felt reluctant to part with Pang Xinhao.

Late that night, he quietly slipped out of his room, intending to spend one last night in Pang Xinhao's room. After all, the entertainment industry wasn't particularly large, yet it wasn't exactly small. Once they parted ways this time, who knew when they would meet again?

Little did Luo Huai know that every ghost in the villa was watching his room.

Before he even reached Pang Xinhao's door, Zhong Jiudao caught him in one swift motion, forcibly dragged him into his own room, and stubbornly transferred another 100,000 yuan to him.

Luo Huai refused no matter what. So Zhong Jiudao snatched his phone, intending to tap Accept on Luo Huai's behalf.

While the two wrestled over the phone, they completely forgot to close the door.

Pang Xinhao saw the entire scene.

Taking advantage of the moment Luo Huai's attention faltered, Zhong Jiudao finally succeeded in forcing the money on him.

After chasing Pang Xinhao away, Luo Huai was both angry and anxious. “What exactly did he misunderstand?!”

Zhong Jiudao spoke earnestly. “How are you feeling right now?”

“I feel like smacking Pang Xinhao on the head so hard that he deletes whatever ridiculous idea he just came up with,” Luo Huai said.

“That was exactly how I felt after you ran away that day,” Zhong Jiudao replied.

Luo Huai froze.

The similarity between the two situations allowed him to truly empathize with Zhong Jiudao. He couldn't help asking, “Does that mean... I misunderstood you that day, Director Zhong?”

But with a scene like that, how could anyone not misunderstand?

“What you see with your own eyes isn't necessarily the truth. I'll take you to meet the person from that night.”

The truth was that Luo Huai hadn't actually seen much that evening. All he had caught was a flash of pale skin before awkwardly turning his head away. He hadn't even gotten a clear look at the person on the bed.

Now that Director Zhong wanted to introduce him to that very person, Luo Huai immediately shook his head like a rattle drum. “Let's not, okay?”

“We absolutely have to.” Director Zhong was unwavering.

His reputation mattered.

*

As soon as Zhong Jiudao led Luo Huai out of his room, the third floor entered a state of high alert, preparing for battle.

Shen Leshan instructed the newest addition, Jiang Fen, “Do you remember what you're supposed to say—and what you're not supposed to say?”

“I remember,” Jiang Fen answered hesitantly. “But Shen-ge... are you sure this explanation is really going to work?”

“You're questioning my strategy?” Shen Leshan glared at him. “Do you know who I am? I've organized two major mass movements before!”

“What were they?” Jiang Fen asked humbly, seeking guidance from his senior ghost. “A variety show? Or a gala?”

Shen Leshan replied, “The first was nearly a hundred years ago. I led my classmates in street demonstrations, protesting the cowardly and incompetent warlord government.”

“A hundred years ago? Then what happened?” Jiang Fen instantly looked at him with deep respect.

“Then,” Shen Leshan said, “the shameless ruling class used the military to suppress us. Some of us died, some were injured, and I, as the leader, was captured, skinned alive, and tossed aside.”

Jiang Fen fell silent.

“…What about the second one?”

“I organized every ghost in this villa to rise up in rebellion. We broke Director Zhong's talisman formation, took control of Pang Xinhao, and obtained Director Zhong's blood!”

Jiang Fen knew perfectly well what kind of catastrophic existence Zhong Jiudao was in the ghost world. He immediately said with admiration, “So that's how you all became so powerful? By obtaining Director Zhong's blood?”

“Not exactly. After that, Director Zhong beat us up, carved ghost marks into us, and made us his ghost servants.”

Jiang Fen: “……”

Shen Leshan waved dismissively. “Never mind all that. Hurry up, take your clothes off, stand by the window, and hum a song.”

Jiang Fen desperately wanted to run away.

Unfortunately, he couldn't beat Shen Leshan.

So he submitted pitifully.

The moment Luo Huai stepped onto the third floor, he heard someone singing a haunting melody. Combined with the villa's gloomy atmosphere, the horror instantly settled in.

“Who's singing? It's kind of creepy... but also really beautiful.” Feeling slightly frightened, Luo Huai instinctively moved closer to Zhong Jiudao.

“It should be the person we're looking for. He's here.” Zhong Jiudao knocked on the door of an empty room.

No one answered.

“That's strange. He should be staying in this room.”

At that moment, the neighboring door opened. Shen Leshan poked his head out. “Director Zhong, are you looking for Jiang Fen? He's in my room.”

“How did he end up there?” Still holding Luo Huai's hand, Zhong Jiudao walked over.

Shen Leshan threw the door wide open, giving Luo Huai a clear view of Jiang Fen standing by the window, singing passionately to the moon.

The scene was practically copy-pasted.

Both Luo Huai and Jiang Fen immediately became unbearably embarrassed.

So once again, Luo Huai watched a pale, naked figure dash from the window straight onto the bed, wrapping himself tightly in the blanket.

Seeing this, Zhong Jiudao immediately grabbed Shen Leshan by the collar, dragged him out of the room, shut the door, and asked, “Did his old habit flare up again?”

“Yep.” Shen Leshan sighed dramatically.

“I suppose that's just one of an artist's eccentricities.”

“This... who exactly is he?” Luo Huai asked. “Why does he keep doing this?”

Zhong Jiudao explained, “He's the composer you found, and now he's the music director for our film. Actually, on the very night you contacted him, he contacted me as well. He rushed over to our filming location that same night because he wanted to watch us shoot in order to inspire his creativity. He's been staying on the third floor these past few days, and during the daytime he's often watching us film.”

“So that's why he never replied to me.” Luo Huai looked slightly relieved. “But... why does he act like this?”

Shen Leshan stepped forward to explain. “Xiao Luo, what you don't know is that Jiang Fen loves drinking. Every time he composes music, he needs alcohol to inspire him. But once he drinks, he gets drunk, and whenever he's drunk, he absolutely insists on honestly humming songs to the moonlight. His own room doesn't have a view of the moon, so he always insists on coming to my room to bask in the moonlight. A lot of his songs actually started out as those drunken melodies.”

“So that night…”

The entire explanation had been fabricated by Shen Leshan from beginning to end.

Even Zhong Jiudao didn't know all the details himself. Unable to elaborate, he could only shoot Shen Leshan a meaningful look.

Shen Leshan hurriedly continued.

“Right. Our villa has such a historic and terrifying atmosphere that Jiang Fen was struck with inspiration the moment he arrived. He immediately started drinking while composing music. Director Zhong tried to stop him but simply couldn't. Then, just as Director Zhong was trying to intervene, you and Producer Qian showed up. Everything just happened to coincide perfectly.”

Luo Huai lowered his head toward Zhong Jiudao, his face filled with guilt. “I wrongly blamed you, Director Zhong. I even thought your partner had come to visit the set. Ah... never mind. It was my fault.”

“How were you at fault?” Zhong Jiudao comforted him. “If anyone's to blame, it's Jiang Fen and all his strange habits.”

“Then why did you give me so much money?” Luo Huai asked in confusion.

“I really was giving you a raise. The others all got raises too. If you don't believe me, you can ask them.”

“A raise that big?” Luo Huai looked puzzled. “Did we get a new investor?”

This was exactly the question Zhong Jiudao had been waiting for.

He immediately answered, “Jiang Fen joined the production as an investor. He invested part of the production budget upfront. Once the movie is released, he'll receive a share of the profits. He plans to use that money to start a talent agency, which will make it easier for him to release his own music.”

Starting a talent agency was indeed Jiang Fen's genuine plan.

After dying and becoming a ghost, he still had unfinished business. He wanted to release his music—and use those songs to utterly crush the friend who had betrayed him.

Since he no longer had a legal identity in the living world, Jiang Fen couldn't establish a company himself. So he handed over all the money in his account to Zhong Jiudao, authorizing Director Zhong to manage it in full and set up a talent agency on his behalf. Jiang Fen would adopt a new stage name and release music anonymously from behind the scenes, competing against the friend who had betrayed him.

Qian Duoqun had already been thinking about starting a company himself. The moment he heard the proposal, he and Jiang Fen immediately agreed. It almost seemed as though, if Zhong Jiudao refused, the human and the ghost would simply start the company on their own.

But Qian Duoqun was still human. Zhong Jiudao couldn't allow him to spend too much time alone with Jiang Fen, or it would shorten his lifespan. The eyeballs were the exception. They were filled with righteous energy, and would only help Qian Duoqun face the condemnation of his own conscience.

To prevent the human and the ghost from secretly carrying out their plans behind his back, Zhong Jiudao finally gave in, albeit reluctantly. After all, once their movie was released, it would be rather awkward if the actors were nowhere to be found in the entertainment industry.

Besides, it wasn't that Zhong Jiudao had never wanted to open a company before. Money had simply been the limiting factor.

After listening to the explanation, Luo Huai asked worriedly, “Can our movie really be released?”

Truthfully, he had been concerned ever since filming began. The movie was excellent, but some scenes pushed the boundaries quite a bit. With censorship being so strict nowadays, he'd thought they would be lucky if it could stream online as a web movie. A theatrical release had seemed almost impossible.

“There is hope,” Zhong Jiudao said decisively. “I've heard that new regulations will be issued soon, moderately relaxing the review standards for horror and suspense films. As long as the story promotes positive values instead of encouraging the darkness in people's hearts, it has a chance of passing censorship. Besides, horror and suspense films are actually easier to screen in theatres because audiences can be admitted with ID cards, making age restrictions much easier to enforce.”

“So there are going to be changes like that?” Luo Huai's eyes lit up. “Does that mean I'll be on the big screen very soon?”

“Exactly. It should happen within the next two or three months. We have to hurry through post-production so we can submit the film for review the moment the policy takes effect. If we move fast enough, we'll be among the first to premiere and seize the opportunity.”

“That's wonderful! Director Zhong, then... will Shen-ge, Sister Qi, Sister Fu, Aunt Yang, and the others all join the company too?”

“They'll become the backbone of the company.”

Luo Huai rubbed his fingers together nervously, as he looked at Zhong Jiudao. “Director Zhong... do you think... I could join your company too?”

In Luo Huai's eyes, Director Zhong had a good temper, genuine ability, real talent, and even voluntarily raised his actors' salaries. He was obviously the kind of boss anyone would want. Someday Luo Huai would have to sign with a talent agency anyway, and working under Director Zhong had to be better than ending up with some shady, exploitative company.

Zhong Jiudao had been waiting for exactly this.

Even if Luo Huai hadn't brought it up, he would have found a way to sign him. With Luo Huai's unusual constitution and incredible luck, letting him wander around on his own was simply too worrying.

“Are you sure you want to join my company?” Zhong Jiudao asked.

“Absolutely! I know everything will work out if I follow Director Zhong!” Luo Huai answered with complete confidence.

“Then sign the contract.” From seemingly nowhere, Zhong Jiudao produced a thick stack of A4 papers and handed them over.

Luo Huai accepted the contract blankly.

Director Zhong prepared the contract awfully fast...

Still, that was fine. If he was supposed to sign, he'd sign.

“Don't rush to sign it.” Seeing Luo Huai about to write his name without even reading it, Zhong Jiudao hurriedly stopped him. “Take it back to your room tonight and read every single word carefully. Don't skip even one character. From now on, whenever you sign a contract, be this cautious. Otherwise you'll end up getting tricked by legal wording and wordplay.”

“Oh, okay.” Luo Huai hugged the contract to his chest and obediently returned to his room.

Only after he had gone downstairs did Jiang Fen emerge from the wall. Now fully dressed after having thoroughly embarrassed himself, he looked curiously at Zhong Jiudao. “Director Zhong, where did you hear about the policy changes for horror and suspense films? I'm online gossiping every day, and I haven't heard even the slightest rumour.”

At the mention of the matter, Zhong Jiudao's expression changed slightly. His face grew solemn. “I have my own sources.”

Those sources naturally came from his family of Celestial Masters. In this age when spiritual arts had declined, as the Zhong family gradually fell into decline, the members of his clan had finally reached their limit.

They had decided to rebuild faith.

--

Author's Note:

Jiang Fen: “Waaah... I've been seen naked twice already. I'll never have the face to meet anyone again.”

Shen Leshan: “Don't want your face anymore? Then can I have the skin? I can make a nice pair of gloves.”

Jiang Fen: “...On second thought, I'd better keep a thicker skin after all.”

 

Translator : DarNan