TRYMBPIETM 123: When I went in the Past (5)

Fu Wenan felt that the villagers’ gazes were a bit strange, but he wasn’t familiar with the situation in Linghe Village, so he didn’t think much of it.

He glanced at Ji Nan, his voice cold: “Don’t try to change the subject.”

Ji Nan didn’t argue, calmly asking, “Do you really want to know?”

Fu Wenan replied, “Otherwise?”

Ji Nan smiled, saying, “Then you shouldn’t ask me this question. You should first find your family’s guardian before talking to me.”

Fu Wenan’s actions faltered, and a wave of unease rose in his heart.

He had a vague feeling that something was wrong, and was about to continue asking, but Ji Nan directly avoided the topic and reminded him that Chi Qingning and Song Yuzhi had already arrived, urging him to go over.

He turned around, his gaze falling on Chi Qingning, who was smiling. His expression softened slightly.

After sneering at Ji Nan, he straightened his clothes and strode towards the entrance of Linghe Village.

“Qingning, you came to pick me up?”

Chi Qingning responded and quickly took a few steps forward, grabbing his hand and carefully checking him over.

“Wen Ge, what happened earlier? Why did my second brother suddenly send someone to pick you up? You weren’t hurt, right?”

Fu Wenan’s back stiffened, wanting to avoid the topic. However, when he saw the worried look in Chi Qingning’s eyes, he couldn’t ignore his feelings.

He remained silent for a long time before reluctantly answering, “I ran into some trouble, and I was a bit dazed at the time, but it’s fine now.”

“Was it possession?” Chi Qingning’s eyes flashed with realization, and he lowered his voice, saying, “Looks like my second brother’s guess was right.”

What guess?

Fu Wenan looked at him with suspicion, only to find that Chi Qingning’s face had relaxed, seemingly relieved.

It seemed like this was a good sign.

He stopped asking questions and instead softly inquired about Chi Qingzhou’s situation.

Song Yuzhi took out his phone, pretending to check a messaging app, rolling his eyes in secret.

He wasn’t fooled—Fu Wenan should be Chi Qingzhou’s fiancé based on logic, yet here he was being so intimate with Chi Qingning.

But someone like him was exactly the type Chi Qingzhou wouldn’t be interested in.

Chi Qingning didn’t notice Song Yuzhi’s expression, and after a few words with Fu Wenan, a magnetic female voice suddenly came from his right.

“Eh, Teacher Song, Qingning, and this… sir, why are you all here so early?”

Chi Qingzhou was startled, quickly turning around, only to see Ling Jiao in casual sportswear jogging toward them, with another artist following behind her.

Song Yuzhi and Fu Wenan also turned to look, both momentarily stunned.

Ling Jiao was a pretty girl with light makeup on her face.

Her sportswear was likely from a high-end brand, fitting her perfectly, and giving off a unique energy.

However, over her sportswear, she wore an orange-red rescue vest, which not only stood out in color but also had fluorescent yellow letters printed on it — “Big Eared Mouse Adventure Sister.”

The bold, oversized letters completely ruined the aesthetic of Ling Jiao’s outfit, giving her an oddly down-to-earth feel, which was a fitting match for the female broadcaster in the “Wanxiang” script.

Behind her, Yu Minfeng, the actor playing the cameraman in was carrying a camera while hurriedly chasing after her, repeatedly calling, “Slow down,” his face filled with confusion.

The camera was heavy, and Yu Minfeng was also carrying a series of charging devices, which made the weight even more burdensome.

By the time they arrived at the destination, his forehead was already covered in sweat, and the orange-red rescue vest, identical to Ling Jiao’s, had become wrinkled.

The two of them were out of breath and looked at Chi Qingning and the others with confusion.

Ling Jiao asked again, “Teacher Song, Qingning, and, uh, is it Mr. Fu? Why are you all here so early? I shouldn’t be late, right?”

Song Yuzhi glanced at the time on his phone, subconsciously replying, “I don’t think we agreed to meet here, right? What’s going on?”

Yu Minfeng was even more puzzled.

“Teacher Song doesn’t know what’s going on either? What does Director Fang mean by this?”

Just after he finished lunch, Director Fang Mingge handed him a camera and a bunch of charging devices, urging him and Ling Jiao to hurry to the village entrance.

“When I asked Director Fang why we had to come to the village, he just said everyone was waiting,” he scratched his head, asking in confusion, “Could it be a filming task?”

Chi Qingning hesitated for a moment before replying, “I don’t think so. My second brother and Director Fang didn’t mention filming.”

Weren’t they here to pick up Wen Ge?

The group exchanged confused looks, and Ling Jiao subconsciously counted the people present.

“Teacher Song, Qingning, Yu Ge, Mr. Fu, and me… Looks like everyone except Teacher Shen is here?”

She was clearly referring to the main cast members. Chi Qingning glanced around and was momentarily stunned.

Wasn’t this just the male lead, female lead, and supporting male roles from “Wanxiang”?

As for the missing male second…

In the script, the second male lead only appeared after everyone entered the village.

In that instant, Chi Qingning suddenly had an ominous premonition.

—Could it be that “Wanxiang” has already started filming from this very moment?

Chi Qingning hesitated for a moment, then quietly said, “Teacher Song and I were called here by my second brother to pick up Wen Ge.”

His gaze shifted to Song Yuzhi and Fu Wenan.

Song Yuzhi was a bit confused, not quite understanding why Chi Qingning felt the need to emphasize it again, but he knew that Chi Qingning wouldn’t say anything irrelevant at this moment, so he cautiously nodded.

Fu Wenan was also puzzled, but since Chi Qingning asked, he naturally answered, saying, “ Chi Qingzhou arranged people to pick me up this morning.”

As he spoke, he glanced back, seeing Master Ji Nan still standing nearby.

Ling Jiao and Yu Minfeng exchanged glances, vaguely understanding what Chi Qingning meant.

They hesitated and looked at Chi Qingning and Song Yuzhi, unsure if they should now switch to using their characters’ names from the script.

Chi Qingning wasn’t sure either.

At this point, he couldn’t even understand what Chi Qingzhou was planning, so he could only return a helpless expression.

Everyone was hesitant.

Seeing this, Master Ji Nan chuckled lightly.

At the moment when everyone’s gazes converged on him, he stretched out his hand and calmly gestured toward the village.

“Since all of you are here, why not head in now to find Master Chi? I believe he is already waiting for you.”

The group’s expressions stiffened.

Master Ji Nan, seeing their intense gaze, chanted a Buddha mantra, put his palms together in a respectful gesture, and soon withdrew to a position out of their sight.

Ling Jiao instinctively wanted to chase after him but was stopped by Song Yuzhi, who had reacted quickly and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Ling Jiao turned to look at him.

Song Yuzhi shook his head and said in a deep voice, “This master has already made it clear. It’s likely Chi Qingzhou’s intent. Let’s go, we should enter the village quickly, perhaps we can directly find him.”

Chi Qingning also snapped out of his thoughts and nodded forcefully. “Yes, that makes sense.”

Ling Jiao and Yu Minfeng exchanged a glance, swallowed nervously, and cautiously nodded.

Fu Wenan’s expression shifted several times, and after a moment of contemplation, he seemed to come to a conclusion and reluctantly nodded.

The five of them took a deep breath, straightened their backs, turned around, and walked forward into Linghe Village with a sense of determination.

The villagers who had been watching them closely for several minutes immediately broke into warm smiles as they saw them approach.

They hurried toward the five, eagerly asking the same words as in the script, “Hey, are you young people here to find someone in our village?”

…

A few hundred meters away.

Chi Qingzhou leaned against a large stone, quietly observing the five people surrounded by villagers as they entered the village.

He softly asked Fang Mingge beside him, “Did you capture those scenes just now?”

Fang Mingge smiled and patted the camera in front of him. “Don’t worry, Mr. Chi, this camera is specially made. As long as we’re within the range of the moving tomb, it can capture every detail, even from several kilometers away.”

Chi Qingzhou turned his head.

Fang Mingge knowingly adjusted the camera and showed Chi Qingzhou the footage just captured. “The effect is great. It’s much more natural than the first version, and the response is much stronger.”

On the small screen of the camera, Fu Wenan adjusted his clothes, hurriedly running from the village entrance toward the spot where Chi Qingning was standing.

His expression was tense, yet there was a tenderness and expectation in his eyes that he didn’t even notice.

Behind him, a peach blossom tree was swaying in the wind, with some wilted petals falling, obscuring most of the frame before quickly landing on the ground.

At this moment, Chi Qingning had already taken Fu Wenan’s hand, affectionately speaking to him.

Song Yuzhi stood behind them, seemingly bored while playing on his phone, but a closer look revealed that his fingers were aimlessly swiping back and forth.

A slightly hoarse voice came from behind them. “Why are you all here so early?”

The group was startled, and they turned to see the speaker.

Ling Jiao’s face appeared in the frame, and the three of them, Chi Qingning, Song Yuzhi, and Fu Wenan, visibly relaxed.

This meant they knew Ling Jiao and their relationship wasn’t bad.

Yu Minfeng was more familiar with Chi Qingning and Song Yuzhi. He seemed relatively relaxed around them, but when he saw Fu Wenan, he immediately put on a pained expression.

He instinctively fiddled with the camera, his anxiety almost overflowing from the screen.

After a brief conversation, the group walked uneasily into Linghe Village, where a dozen villagers eagerly greeted them with exaggerated smiles that almost reached their ears.

A thick fog suddenly appeared, quickly enveloping their figures and adding an eerie atmosphere to the already mysterious buildings of Linghe Village.

A kindly-looking monk stood beneath a mountain rock, palms pressed together, silently watching the village being swallowed by the fog, letting out a sigh that seemed like a lament or a prayer.

Chi Qingzhou watched this final scene, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He tilted his head and asked, “Where is Shen Wenxing? Has he already been waiting at the village square?”

Fang Mingge replied, “Don’t worry, I arranged his schedule before coming to the village entrance.”

According to his instructions, as soon as Shen Wenxing saw Chi Qingning and the others, he would directly bring up the matter of Mrs. Chi’s disappearance.

Chi Qingzhou responded with a hum, “Let’s go in.”

He looked at the fog-covered Linghe Village, his tone light and filled with deep meaning.

“I hope they don’t disappoint this immersive script and perform brilliantly. After all, some things we don’t want to see, but have to.”