60

A loud crash echoed through the bathroom.

Fu Wei had been slammed to the floor by Jiang Luo.

The black-haired youth pressed a knee viciously against Fu Wei's throat. Jiang Luo leaned down with a smile and patted Fu Wei's cheek lightly. 'Don't do things your Jiang-ge really doesn't like, understand?'

Fu Wei frowned and touched his lips; the corner was already split. No one would have thought this youth, with his overly slender frame, could possess such force.

Jiang Luo tilted his head, warning with a smile, 'Blow smoke in my face again, and I'll stub the cigarette out on yours.'

As he spoke, he pulled a Spirit Paper from inside his clothes and pressed it toward Fu Wei.

Jiang Luo hadn't forgotten his wager with Chi You. He needed to find Chi You.

Fu Wei seemed a bit like him, and a bit not. But better to kill the wrong man than let the right one go. Jiang Luo's Spirit Papers were free, anyway.

At the critical moment, Fu Wei grabbed his wrist, frowning with disgust. 'What are you doing?'

Jiang Luo couldn't be bothered to argue. He pressed his knee down harder. Fu Wei grunted, his grip slackening.

The Spirit Paper was about to make contact when the bathroom door was knocked.

'Are you guys okay?' Zhang Cheng's voice held a mix of concern and the excited tension of someone watching a show. 'What happened? Someone's here with a camera, they want to film something.'

Fu Wei seized the chance to roll away, sitting up with his back against the bathroom door. His long legs were propped up, an arm resting on his knee, his temper barely contained. 'Are you fucking insane?'

Not like him. Really not.

But if Chi You wanted to play this 'guess who I am' game, he certainly wouldn't expose himself so blatantly.

The people outside were pressing. Jiang Luo stood up regretfully, put away the Spirit Paper, and opened the door.

Zhang Cheng peered curiously into the bathroom. Seeing the blood at the corner of Fu Wei's mouth, he gasped. 'Fu Wei, you're…'

'What happened?' a gentle voice asked.

Jiang Luo looked toward the voice and saw another handsome guy.

This was Xi Si, the second-place contestant on Next Stop, Idol. He was even better-looking in person than on camera, humble and polite, very willing to help others.

'How did you get hurt?' Xi Si frowned. 'Don't touch the wound. Zhang Cheng, go to my dorm and get the first-aid kit.'

'Got it, Xi-ge.' Zhang Cheng ran off without another word.

Fu Wei sat in place, face dark, saying nothing.

Zhao Ban didn't dare speak either. Xi Si, as if oblivious to the tense atmosphere, fretted, 'We're filming tomorrow. How are you going to appear on camera like this? Go ask the dorm supervisor for an egg to roll on it later. When you get makeup done tomorrow, see if the artist can find a way to cover it.'

Fu Wei's face remained stormy. 'None of your business.'

If he'd said that to anyone else, no one would want to lick his boots. But Xi Si's smile didn't waver. He even kindly reminded him, 'Fu Wei, tone it down. There are cameras.'

Jiang Luo watched them from the back, hidden among the others.

He had no intention of stepping forward for screen time, nor was he worried about being filmed. The Director had promised to keep his shots out of the final edit as much as possible. As a bystander, Jiang Luo saw the undercurrents beneath this group's surface harmony with perfect clarity.

It was actually quite entertaining.

But while he wanted to observe, someone wasn't willing to let him. Whether out of genuine kindness or not, Xi Si actively looked toward Jiang Luo. 'You're the new one, right?'

The camera lens followed his words, aiming at Jiang Luo.

Jiang Luo narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Xi Si.

Xi Si walked over to his bed and looked at the name tag. 'Jiang Huan. A nice name, and the handwriting is beautiful too. Xiao Hua, get a shot of our new teammate's writing.'

The trainee called Xiao Hua answered, 'Aye,' and obediently stepped forward to film Jiang Luo's writing.

This was deliberately giving Jiang Luo screen time.

If Jiang Luo were truly just a simple trainee, he'd probably be very grateful to Xi Si.

The dark lens shifted from the name tag to Jiang Luo's face. The round glass was like a huge, pupil-less eye. Jiang Luo glanced at the camera casually, then suddenly froze.

A slimy, voyeuristic sensation crawled up his bones, seeping into the crevices. Fine teeth seemed to gnaw at the flesh over his skeleton. It felt as if someone was watching him through this camera—no, had been watching Jiang Luo for a long time. Perhaps from the moment Jiang Luo stepped onto the Next Stop, Idol set, when he was probing others… he'd already been under surveillance. Jiang Luo just hadn't noticed.

Now, that gaze had surfaced, toying with its prey, deliberately letting Jiang Luo discover it.

A belated chill shot up his spine. Jiang Luo stared grimly at the lens, the hairs on his body standing on end.

The person holding the camera stumbled back two steps, face drenched in sweat. He lowered the camera, looking at Jiang Luo in terror. 'Xi… Xi-ge, his eyes are terrifying!'

For a moment, he'd even felt like this person wanted to kill him.

Everyone's eyes gathered on Jiang Luo.

But Jiang Luo's expression held nothing special. He looked back, puzzled. 'What's so terrifying about my eyes?'

Xiao Hua stared at him blankly. Jiang Luo's eyes were utterly normal, the lifted corners even held a ripple of amusement. Not terrifying at all—quite the opposite, they were strikingly beautiful. So normal it seemed the look he'd just seen was an illusion.

'Sorry…' he finally said.

Xi Si and the others didn't stay in their room long. After the commotion, it was getting late. Jiang Luo washed up and went to bed. Before sleep, as Zhang Cheng went to turn off the light, Fu Wei's voice came from the upper bunk, irritated. 'I've said it many times. Don't turn off the light.'

Zhang Cheng instinctively glanced at Jiang Luo. 'Jiang Huan, can you sleep with the light on?'

Jiang Luo said lazily, 'I don't mind.'

Fu Wei looked coldly at Zhang Cheng. 'If you don't want to die, don't turn off the light.'

Zhang Cheng thought Fu Wei was threatening him. He took a few deep breaths, face ugly, and returned to his bed, hanging clothes along the edge as a curtain.

The room quieted. Jiang Luo slept briefly, waking at midnight. The dorm was filled with the heavy sound of sleep; the others were out. Under the cover of the light, Jiang Luo burrowed under his blanket and pulled out his Mobile Phone.

'When are we moving?'

Lu You replied, 'Someone in my room's still awake. Probably need to wait a bit longer.'

'I need to wait too,' Ye Xun said. 'There's someone in my room who's very strange. His hostility toward me is intense.'

As they chatted, a text message popped up at the top of Jiang Luo's screen. He opened it casually. It contained only five words: [Have you found me yet?]

The number was unfamiliar, and the message bore no name, but Jiang Luo knew instantly who had sent it.

He turned off his phone screen and quickly leaned out to look up at the upper bunk.

Fu Wei lay with his back to the room. His hands seemed empty, no phone in sight.

Jiang Luo settled back. A new message arrived on his phone.

[If you can find me on the first day, there might even be a little surprise]

Though the words were flat, Jiang Luo could almost see Chi You's face—the one that made his teeth itch with hatred. He let out a short, cold laugh and dialed the number back.

The faint sound of a phone ringing came from outside the door.

Jiang Luo grabbed his jacket, threw it on neatly, and walked out, his steps fast as flight. The Corridor lights were on, but no one was there. Small moths buzzed around the fluorescent lamps.

'Ring-ring.'

The phone's ringtone sounded from the far end of the Corridor.

Jiang Luo adjusted his jacket and walked step by step into the darkness.

At the Corridor's end was an emergency exit. The Stairwell light was off. A single phone vibrated incessantly on the floor before the Staircase.

It was like a crude, stupid trap. Jiang Luo scanned the area around the phone.

The Staircase was pitch black. It made no sense for the Corridor to be lit while the Stairwell, a greater safety hazard, was dark. Jiang Luo suddenly remembered Fu Wei's words: 'If you don't want to die, then don't turn off the light.'

Was that really a threat?

What would happen if the lights were turned off?

The unanswered phone stopped ringing. Jiang Luo sent another message.

[Your disappearance would be the greatest surprise for me]

After sending it, Jiang Luo stared fixedly at the phone in the Stairwell. It indeed lit up for a moment. Jiang Luo wondered, would Chi You appear?

But after a brief silence, it was his own phone that lit up.

The untouched phone ahead sent him a message: [You're so interesting. How could I bear to leave you?]

Jiang Luo: '…'

Expressionless, he lowered his phone, looked left and right, and found the Corridor light switch on the wall.

Confident in his skills and now full of pent-up anger, Jiang Luo directly switched off the lights.

A low, muttered curse escaped him in the dark.

Three Corridor lights went out.

The moment they died, Jiang Luo saw a withered, straight humanoid shadow standing in the distant darkness. It looked like a person.

He froze, then immediately turned the lights back on.

In the brightness, the Corridor was empty. The spot where the figure had stood held nothing.

Jiang Luo's fingers rubbed the switch once, then he turned the lights off again.

The withered humanoid shadow appeared again. But unlike before, this time it turned to face Jiang Luo.

A sharp sense of discomfort, of being watched by something, prickled over him.

Jiang Luo's breathing shallowed. He turned the lights on. Under the light, there was still nothing.

But the empty Corridor seemed to hide ghosts invisible to the human eye. The unknown bred fear. Jiang Luo turned the lights off again.

But the shadow, which had been twenty meters away last time, suddenly appeared right before him, now only three meters distant.

Jiang Luo snapped the lights back on.

The shadow vanished.

In that short span, cold sweat had broken out on Jiang Luo's forehead.

One more second, and he felt the shadow would have pounced.

Though harrowing, this time Jiang Luo had seen the shadow clearly. Its body was withered and elongated, its arms so long they hung by its knees. Its face had no features.

What the hell was that?!

Jiang Luo recalled the shadow's appearance over and over, etching every detail into his mind. Gradually, his heartbeat calmed.

If turning off the lights really summoned such a thing, then Fu Wei definitely knew something.

Jiang Luo thought back. Where had the monster been standing the first time the lights went out?

He looked up and started walking toward that spot. He'd taken only one step when his phone rang.

But Jiang Luo had put his phone on silent.

He stopped, took out his phone. The screen showed an incoming call from an unfamiliar number—the same one Chi You had used to message him.

Jiang Luo pressed his lips together and glanced back at the Stairwell. Inside, only the single, vibrating phone remained.

He pressed answer and held the phone to his ear.

'I haven't dismissed you yet,' a man's voice chuckled lowly. 'How can you leave.'

Jiang Luo was about to hang up.

But the light farthest from him suddenly went out.

Jiang Luo's arm stiffened. He lifted the phone again. 'Chi You, are you threatening me?'

He stared into the distant darkness, but the tall, thin ghostly figure did not appear.

But Jiang Luo knew the monster was hidden within that darkness.

'I just want to continue our game,' the man replied, evading the question. 'Now, you should answer mine.'

Chi You's patience with Jiang Luo was surprisingly vast.

But he himself didn't seem to realize it.

Jiang Luo pressed his fingers to his temple. Every time Chi You appeared, he could effortlessly ignite Jiang Luo's fury. The wicked ghost trod on Jiang Luo's nerves, chatting and laughing, while Jiang Luo only wanted to take a knife and cut him into a thousand pieces.

'I've been thinking,' Jiang Luo said, lips curling. 'Mr. Wicked Ghost, the game you've set is inherently unfair.'

The wicked ghost's laughter was faint. 'Oh?'

'I need to both find you and ensure I don't want to destroy the Chi Clan. Only by fulfilling both conditions can I win,' the black-haired youth said, arms crossed, mockery in his eyes. 'But you're different. You only need me to fail one of them to win this game.'

Mr. Wicked Ghost made a thoughtful sound. 'Indeed, that's true.'

Jiang Luo said, 'You were at least a figure when alive, a wicked ghost in death. Is this how you bully people?'

The wicked ghost chuckled softly for a moment. 'You're right.'

'Then let's change the rules.'

Somewhere else.

Chi You extended a pale hand.

A passing stray cat was caught in his grasp.

The cat let out a sharp cry. Chi You's fingers lightly stroked its head. Soon, the cat grew immersed in his touch, actively stretching its neck to let the cold, hard ghost-hand rub under its chin.

Chi You gently circled the cat's neck.

The prey was docile under his hand, as if Jiang Luo himself were bowing his head to him.

His voice was pleasant, but his hand kept tightening. The stray cat had nowhere to escape in his grip.

'Since we want fairness, you shouldn't use your Spirit Papers or bracelet either. If you accomplish both, I'll add a secret,' the wicked ghost said in a low voice. 'But in return, you must also give something.'

'Every night, you need to tell me one answer for who you think I am. If you guess wrong, then,' the wicked ghost paused thoughtfully, 'you'll receive a small punishment.'

With that, the call ended.

Chi You slowly stroked the cat, murmuring to himself, 'How should I punish him?'

The stray cat in his hand seemed to transform into Jiang Luo. Just as it was about to suffocate, it suddenly bit down hard on Chi You's palm, legs and paws flailing. Sharp claws left bloody scratches on Chi You's hand before it leaped away and vanished.

Jiang Luo clenched his phone, his gaze heavy. He turned and walked toward where the monster had stood, only to find himself in front of his own dorm room.

He pushed the door open. The dorm was quiet. Outside the window, tree leaves rustled, as if a stray cat had leaped past.

Jiang Luo walked to his bed and sat down.

What was that shadow monster? Why had it stood outside this dorm room? Coincidence, or something more?

Fucking Chi You.

Adding chaos to the mess.

Jiang Luo glanced around.

Though the dorm was bright, Jiang Luo couldn't shake the feeling that if the lights went out, that monster would still be following him.

Last time it was three meters away. If he turned off the lights again, it might be face-to-face with him.

Jiang Luo simply got up, went into the bathroom, and took three Copper Coins from his pocket.

In Jiang Luo's understanding, hexagram calculation and Divination were technically two different things. Hexagrams gave a broad, overall reading, answering vague questions. Like the 'Great Misfortune' hexagram Feng Li had calculated for him during the Third Trial—it only gave the overall result of 'Great Misfortune,' not the details.

Divination was more detailed, capable of yielding precise answers. For example, if someone lost something, a hexagram could only tell you whether you'd find it, but Divination could tell you the direction it was lost in.

But to perform Divination, you needed a clear question. What was lost, when was it lost? But when Xuanxue Persons cast hexagrams, they mostly asked unresolved questions, unable to pose detailed inquiries. Like now—Jiang Luo didn't know who Chi You was. He couldn't ask anything more specific. He could only use a vague question to get a general result.

For the first hexagram, a warm-up, Jiang Luo asked a question he wasn't sure would be useful: 'How should I deal with my enemy?'

The three Jade Coins were tossed repeatedly. The final hexagram appeared before Jiang Luo: the Loss Hexagram.

Jiang Luo: '…'

The name alone was enough to indicate the hexagram's inauspicious nature.

And indeed it was. The Loss Hexagram was a lower-lower hexagram, but a rather special one among them.

Its appearance didn't necessarily mean bad fortune. If reversed, it could sometimes represent a win-win situation, or even the opposite—the host party inflicting damage on the guest party.

The meaning of the Loss Hexagram was loss and gain in balance.

It meant Jiang Luo would suffer some loss. But if he used his own loss as bait, employing softness to overcome hardness, he could restrain the strong opponent and gain greater benefit.

It was even possible Jiang Luo could use this bait to inflict serious loss on the other party.

Though a lower-lower hexagram, it still held a chance to turn things around. After comforting himself, Jiang Luo still couldn't figure out what 'using his own loss as bait' meant.

Forget it. If he couldn't figure it out now, he'd leave it.

Jiang Luo picked up the Copper Coins and began calculating hexagrams for Fu Wei, Zhang Cheng, and Zhao Ban.

He couldn't directly ask if these three were Chi You, so he took a roundabout approach: 'Are they harmful to me?'

The results were unexpected. Aside from Fu Wei, who got a neutral hexagram, both Zhang Cheng and Zhao Ban actually harbored some hostility toward Jiang Luo.

Jiang Luo raised an eyebrow. Glancing at the Mirror from the corner of his eye, he thought it made sense.

After all, from their perspective, Jiang Luo was their competition.

He tossed the Jade Coins back into his pocket. Enough. This was pointless.

The hexagram method was useless here. More than just Zhang Cheng and Zhao Ban held hostility toward Jiang Luo.

Someone like Fu Wei, with a neutral hexagram that didn't reveal whether he was friend or foe, was worth paying attention to.

Close to one a.m., Lu You and Ye Xun finally left their rooms. The three of them quietly left the dorm building and headed for the Broadcast Hall.

But they found nothing in the Broadcast Hall and returned to the dorm building empty-handed.

'By the way, Ye Xun,' Jiang Luo asked, 'what was that about someone in your dorm being hostile?'

Ye Xun shook his head. Little Pink's black eyes reflected the warm glow of the streetlights. 'His name is Zhang Feng. I've heard some gossip. He had some friction with the deceased trainee in my room. When I slept on the dead trainee's bed, he pushed me and said, 'What right do you have to replace him?' Sounded like he was resentful on behalf of the dead.'

That was the strange part.

If their relationship was bad in life, why be hostile to Ye Xun, who'd taken the other's spot, after death?

And Ye Xun had a vague feeling.

Zhang Feng wasn't truly resentful for the old acquaintance's sake. He was just using this method to vent his own fear and anger onto Ye Xun.

The first night here yielded only questions. Waking the next day, Jiang Luo followed the others lazily, yawning, and walked unhurriedly into the recording hall, standing at the back of the crowd.

The crowd successfully blocked him. Lu You and Ye Xun stood at the very back too. The three of them were like three salted fish, not wanting any screen time at all.

But they hadn't expected someone to be even more of a salted fish than them.

A staff member said with a dark face, 'Is Si Gui late again?'

The crowd burst into laughter. Someone said mockingly, 'If he's so unenthusiastic, why did he even come?'

'That fierce, scary face every day… god, I share a dorm with him. I'm practically scared to death.'

'Hahaha, stop it, you guys! Jiao Jiao is so cute!'

Lu You said listlessly, 'I also know a friend called Jiao Jiao. He's especially cute too.'

Jiang Luo paused, then patted the shoulder of the guy in front of him. 'Hey, who's this Jiao Jiao?'

The guy in front suppressed a laugh. 'This Jiao Jiao is the trainee here with the worst basics. Can't sing, can't dance, only knows how to keep a straight face. But I think he's pretty funny. On the first day's evaluation performance, the teacher asked his name. He said his formal name was Jiao Jiao, his nickname was Si Gui. Don't know what accent he has—'Si Gui' sounds like 'dead ghost.' Pfft… sorry, sorry. We all laughed our heads off back then. The teacher tried not to laugh and asked him why he came to join the Competition. You know what he said?'

'He said someone told him if he got on the show, his friend would see him. And if his friend saw him, he'd come find him.'